very happy anniversary to us...

May 12th, my sweetie and I celebrated our first anniversary together! As the second chapter (year) in my life began as Mrs. Sam Nichols, (btw, the first was the best year of my life) I was given the best gift of all -- the gift of life. After trials and tribulations of trying to get pregnant, we conceived our little peanut on or around our first anniversary.

Here's how the news unfolded with my hubby about the conception date:

"If I had known I was going to give you that on our anniversary, I wouldn't gotten you that camera..."

Here's how the news unfolded with my hubby on the baby due date of February 13th:
"Cool, guess I don't have to get you a Valentine's Day gift!"

So he's a little more practical than romantic... I still love him!

Here's our peanut at 8 weeks. He wasn't even as big as a peanut at this point but thriving with a super strong heartbeat! YEAH!!!

case closed...

The case is officially closed on the criminal who broke into my car and stole my personal belongings. After great detective work by my Aunty Joyce, the (paid) detective was able to put a strong case together for the DA. The female assailant that I i.d.'ed in a line up plead guilty to a felony charge and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 3 years of probation. Here's to hoping her cellmate was "Big Bertha." Oh yeah, and her boyfriend plead guilty too along with some other criminal charges. Guess those two belong together. They can be pen-pals for awhile.

back from hiatus...

Just like every great t.v. show, I needed a hiatus (okay, so I'm pumping myself up a bit) -- but I'm back. So many fabulous things happened this summer so I'll try to catch you up to speed. P.S. The Hills makes it season debut tonight too -- but my life has way more drama. Stay tuned...

bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do...

whatcha gonna do when they come for you...(COPS theme song)

Herein lies Part Two of my blog titled "rage against the machine:"

My phone rings and it's Detective Higginbothem with Ceres PD. He's calling me as they raid the house of the suspected auto burglars! They're in the house and found a boatload of giftcards. While he gives me a rundown of the names of the cards he's finding, my pulse quickens like I've got his back with my gun drawn as if the theives were going to walk in on "us" any moment. Some of the cards could be mine -- all very common gift cards like Target, Macy's, etc... But when he says Tiffany's Jewelry--I say "that's the guys." And in my head I say "book 'em."

Come to find out, my instincts were dead on. They arrested the two people I saw lurking in the parking lot before I went in. I went down to the station and i.d.'d them via a photo line up and "my partner" Aunty Joyce got the proof that the Tiffany's card was mine (she bought it).

My priceless belongings are at the bottom a dumpster somewhere in the Central Valley and I won't get anything back but my Tiffany's card since that's the only one I can prove is mine.

The best part about this whole event is that I can answer Jaelen's weekly question: "Moma, did the police catch the bad guys and put 'em jail?" -- YES!

Now, he's just stumped on why I didn't get my red purse back then?

The saga continues...

ladies, hold onto your hat...

gotta love SNL!

i'm mad about march...

This is definitely the best time of year...for sports' junkies at least -- when we go mad for the best sports event -- PERIOD -- the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. So crazy that I smuggle in a small hand-held t.v. into work and watch games on my break, I check scores on the internet or on my phone. And now to fuel the fire, I now have a job that understands the importance and gives me a whole week off to be home and actually watch the games. (Well, not really -- I'm on Spring Break but I'll use it to watch the games!)

The best part about it is being able to compete yourself which is really what all us "has-beens" want to do -- COMPETE! Not in the actual games but in the brackets in the office pools and against your friends and family and sometimes strangers online. And it's for high stakes this year -- my husband and I bet two weeks of house chores! GO TARHEELS!

Wonder Twin Power....Activate!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful twins I know and my life-long friends aka "my cousins but not really my cousins" - Jenni & Chrissi

You could say our relationship is an arranged one -- our families long time friends and raised us to be family. But it is far from forced and now blossomed into true friendship. I adore and admire these women for different reason -- one for her cool and collectiveness (you'll never see her sweat at the craps table) and her big heart. And the other for her quirkiness and sense of humor and always having my back.

Birthday wishes and blessings to the both of you...I love you!

Happy Birthday Bo!

To my favorite brother-in-law and to a writer that is much more talented than I... Happy 30th Birthday! Although you are now representing far away in the ATL, you will always be close in our hearts. We love you (and miss you)!

15 minutes of fame...

This weekend Trae's 10U Team (CenCal from Oakdale) was caught on camera making some ESPN highlights and subsequent interviews. They took 4th place in their first tournament of the season.

http://www.cbs13.com/video/?id=30964@kovr.dayport.com