Do you know what Armed Forces Day is? We didn’t, until now.

According to defense.gov, this is how, why and when it originated:

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and
thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day
to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. 

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.

If BigSis and I are being completely honest, we never knew nor could possibly understand the sacrifices that military families make on a daily basis until we had a family member in the U.S. Military. Unfortunately, we now know how hard it is to say goodbye to family, even if it’s only temporary.

(To my lovely, brave daughter-in-law, who also serves in our U.S. Navy; if you’re reading this, I know that being away from your hubby and your sweet baby is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. I want you to know how proud we are of you and how much we appreciate all you do for all of us. We miss you!)

We both want to take this opportunity to thank every Veteran, every family member of a Veteran who has lost their life while serving our country, and every single man and woman who serves in our U.S. Military today.

We appreciate and respect the daily sacrifices that each individual and their family makes to protect every one of us individually and our country as a whole.

Last year on Memorial Day, I mentioned Operation Appreciation that was held here at the Oceanside Pier in honor of Military Appreciation Day. My son who is in the U.S. Navy participated in a demonstration that day and I was so excited to finally be able to see just a little bit of what he does when he’s on the job. Here’s a photo of him in action during that demonstration.

This was a proud moment for me.

And the day I saw him graduate from the U.S. Navy was one of the proudest days of my life.

Our family couldn’t be more proud of what he and his wife have accomplished during the past two years.

Again, thank you all from both of us.

Thank you for your service and for your sacrifice!

~LilSis

There’s a good reason why BigSis and I were missing in action for over a week.

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!

Last Saturday, I had an wonderful lunch with my girlfriends at one of my favorite spots by the beach; then when we returned home from lunch, I was surprised with an amazing birthday party!

I couldn’t believe it when I realized that my sister was here in California for my party.   BigSis left on Saturday after a week of much needed ‘sister time’ and lots and lots of yummy Mexican food! (We went to a different spot every day.)

For many reasons, the symbolic butterfly has a very special meaning to me on this birthday. I’ve had a super fun birthday week full of wonderful family, the best of friends and many butterfly surprises.

(We’re both returning to work tomorrow; but I hope to share a few photos at some point this week.)

~LilSis

It’s hard to put into words, but some days it seems like it’s been forever since we’ve seen him or talked to him and on other days, it feels like it was just yesterday.

Our dad was a photographer for most of his life and growing up we even had a darkroom in our garage. It was always fascinating to watch him develop his own photos.

In memory of our dad and his love of photography, today I thought I’d share with you some of my son’s photography. We are slowly but surely working on a Haden Bauer Photography website and some day, hopefully soon, you’ll be able to see more of his awesome photos, which mainly reflect his love of surfing, sunrises, and sunsets.

 Haden’s Pappy would be very proud.

~LilSis

Answer: Gorgeous!

BigSis and I took a little road trip with a couple of friends to a local casino the other day just for a little penny-slot playing and lunch by the pool in some nice, warm sunshine!

On the way back, we decided to make an impromptu visit to Zalinda Farms, which happens to have the largest selection of poinsettias that I’ve ever seen! I didn’t know it, but California is the top growing state for poinsettias in the U.S.

(It was so much fun being in the middle of all these flowers.)

Unfortunately, BigSis is allergic to these beautiful flowers so she stayed back with our friend, G, while Patty and I took a few quick pics. Even though they were closing, the owner was nice enough to let us in for just a few minutes. (We probably did beg just a little bit.)

They had so many varieties of poinsettias to choose from but this was one of my favorites!

Our time together while BigSis was here in California flew by faster than ever but we had a great time, as usual! BigSis is back in Dallas now and we both had to get back to reality and back to work today.

Since the big Charity Bake Sale is right around the corner, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from BigSis about some of the goodies that she’s working on. Hopefully, she’ll have time to share with everyone a quick “how to” on some gorgeous glittery gift boxes that she made for the Bake Sale.  :-)

~LilSis

It’s gorgeous here this weekend so we’re heading down to the beach for some much needed R&R and are planning on taking some time to unwind. Hopefully we’ll be back in a few days with some fun photos to share!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST SISTER, EVER!!!

~LilSis

Last week was crazy and sad.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes at the airport on Monday at the end of our 10 day vacay, then it was back to school shopping for me and back to work for both of us on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the week ended with BigSis and SisMama attending a funeral for a family friend who’s life was cut way too short.

Sometimes things happen in life that make you slow down, take a deep breath, and pay attention to what’s most important in life.

For both of us, it’s our family and our health; and we try really hard to remember that on a daily basis. We know that it can all be taken away in an instant.

Even though August is almost gone, we do have a couple of fun dates to celebrate. Tonight we’re celebrating a big one; HayHay’s 18th birthday, and tomorrow is my 20th wedding anniversary.

Sadly, Summer will soon be coming to an end but since we’ve got Labor Day weekend just a few days away, we’ll have one last “big blowout” celebration with friends on Sunday before Fall arrives.

Once BigSis& I can catch our breath, we’ll be back in a few days; hopefully in full force.

~LilSis

Big Sis, SisMama, and Lil Sis at Cafe Coyote

A week ago Saturday, I picked everyone up at the San Diego airport and we drove directly to Cafe Coyote in Old Town for some awesome Mexican food and cold beverages.

Sadly, our much anticipated ten day vacay flew by faster than ever…

This last morning of our ten day vacay just involved a quick breakfast, a run to a t-shirt shop for some souvenirs for friends, and a trip to Trader Joe’s so BigSis and SisMama could stock up on some things that can’t be bought in Texas; YET! *

* (TJ’s has announced that they are FINALLY opening stores in Texas very soon and one of the first will be in Dallas, so BigSis is thrilled!)

We had a great time these past ten days and did almost everything on our “wish list”; so we’re happy, but sad to say goodbye.

Next stop: Reality. Back. To. Work.

~LilSis

Our last full day of vacation was spent at Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island.  It’s a gorgeous Victorian hotel which was built in 1888.  It’s beautiful and full of old character and charm.

Oh, and one other little detail…it’s also said to be haunted.

In 1892, a young woman named Kate Morgan was found dead on the steps of the hotel, and her death was ruled a suicide.  In 1990, however, an author investigated the case and believes she was murdered by her husband, who then also murdered a hotel maid.

Legend has it that Kate roams the hotel; and there are numerous accounts of strange happenings that are credited to Kate’s unrest.  On one occasion, a woman’s face appeared on a television screen by several people…and the TV was turned off.

We all agreed the Hotel del Coronado was one of the most stunning properties we’ve ever seen, but at the same time it was slightly eerie.

Hay was so creeped out by the feeling he got in the hotel that he didn’t even eat anything when we stopped for a snack.  That’s pretty unusual for an 18 year old eating machine, don’t you think?

We love this property, but we definitely don’t want to spend a night in the third floor rooms where both Kate and the hotel maid spent their last day.  Here are some photos from the day trip.  We’ll talk later about what we found inside.

~BigSis

Next stop: Coronado Island!

~BigSis

Next stop: San Diego to visit Bry, Rachael, and baby Jack.

Get to meet Rachael’s parents tomorrow.

~LilSis