Friends , Family,,,,,,PARTY TIME!!!!

Well, my best friend finally got married Oct 7th. It was such an amazing day. Everything she could have dreamed of! I feel so blessed to have been able to be here in VA to help her celebrate in all the fun festivities that come with planning a wedding! It has been great watching her relationship grow with Alan, and watching her grow into the wonderful young women she has become. Alan has brought out so many more wonderful qualities in Rachel. He has opened her up to so many new experiences and I believe she looks at the world through new eyes since meeting him. They are the perfect pair and totally balance each other out! That is what makes a great couple in my book. Oh did I mention she is soooooo madly deeply in love with that man! Its so great!

I feel like I have been partying for the past 4 months. That is how long they were engaged if you didn't know already. Us gals went to Miami for the Bacherlorette party. And as you saw in the blog before ... it was GOOD TIMES , GOOD TIMES! Between dress fittings and all the other things you need to plan to make the wedding run smooth we got some partying in. Once some of the ladies were in town, we all got together at Carlos OKellys. I used to skip Social Work class every Thursday to hit my Karaoke and drink my beer and eat my salsa. Man those were the days. We had a blast, and lets just say when I drink and let my hair down my tongue has a mind of its own. You know I am feeling no pain if every picture we take has my tongue hanging out. It was fun and a great way to start the count down to her wedding that Sunday. Then Saturday night we had the rehearsal dinner. Which was at a super cute Greek restaurant in DC. It was a great way to incorporate the city they both have come to love so dearly. The food was amazing and yes, another night to party with my ladies. Have I mentioned yet that I miss you guys so much!!! I do!! Then came time for the big day. I was so lucky to be able to be with Rachel on her big day as she was getting ready. I even got to drive the beautiful bride , her sister aka Stephie, Breezy,, my newest best buddy, and of course the wedding dress to White Hall Manor. It was a great ride! It was all so surreal for me. I was just trying to take my time and enjoy all the special moments in my best friends life. It was so amazing. It was great to watch her mom and dad help her get ready, watching there tears of joy as they put her veil on, watching her put her hand on her soon to be husbands shoulders. I cherished every moment. The wedding was amazing. So many Jewish traditions and so unique at the same time. And of course the PARRRRRTTTTTYYY! The food was great, the dancing was awesome, and I have to mention the cake,,, man it was YUMMMY. I totally and not a cake person, but it was really good. Soooo pretty too. Rachel just told the lady how many she needed it to feed and the colors she liked and let her do her own thing. So it was a surprise for her and Alan as well. It turned out awesome!

I hope you enjoy all the pictures, there are a ton! Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Alan Koch! Rach, can you believe it,,, your married. Love you !

At OKellys

Seeing what life would be like upside down..

Deb and Branden..too cute

Still trying to figure this one out!

Yes we dance like this allot!

Man this brings back memories! How many pictures do we have like this?

Me and my Ash!

Gotta love my sis!

Stephie Stephie, we are so bad!

Don't ask! Breeze and I are really close these days!

Rach and I love to be the center of attention!

I am still trying to figure out what these two sisters were doing !

Work it girl , Work it!

Maria, trying to teach me to dance!

Yes, I made her were the sash,,, so what!


Rehearsal Dinner

Alan and Rach enjoy family and friends.

My favorite AZ grandparents.. Miss you guys already!

My extended family, minus Ash, Steve, and of course Alan.

Breeze and Andy

Deb and Will

Deb and Rach

Me and my best friend... what wonderful memories!

Our friendships are truly ones to cherish!

Rachels new family, The Koch's

The Big Day!!!!

Rach once she put her dress on. Isn't she a doll!

Ash, Deb and I . I know we look HOT!

What a sweet mother / daughter moment!

Alan and his parents.

Rach and her parents

The sun was setting, it was so beautiful!

Mom and Dad with Liz, how cute!

Sisters forever!

There engagement pictures, I just loved them!

Isn't that cake amazing!

So in love, So happy!

And we partied all night long!

ALLLLLRRRRRRRIIIIIGGGGGGTTTTTTT!

Buenvenidos a Miami.....





This past Friday, I kissed my kids good bye while they were asleep. My husband drove me and dropped me off, and I kissed him good bye. Yes thats right, lots of good byes, why you say, cuz it was time for me to PARRRRRTAYYYYYYY! I was off to Miami for Rachels bachelorette party. It was awesome. From the minute I got off the plan to the minute I got back on the plan I was none stop. We got to our hotel, me and 5 other gals, then headed straight for the pool/beach. I dont have pictures of that stuff to show you know. Long story short my camera ran out of space, so I have to wait for everyone to give me their pictures at Rachels wedding in ONLY two weeks. wow!! Any who I had a blast. The food was amazing. The clubs were cool, deft different from VA clubs. They had beds by their pools, the music was different, it was just amazing. I will have pictures of that stuff in a later blog. What i do have pictures of is our first night going out. I had my first drink in over a year! We ate dinner at this place called NEXTT. It was great food, but we swear they stole Cheese Cake Factory menu! As we sat down, Maria (one of the glas who came out for the party) noticed that the guy next to us was from Flip that house! Very cool seeing someone famous our first night. I went on a land and sea tour the next day, a few big highlights for me was seeing Miami INK! I love that show,, tell me you have all seen that. I even went in there but I have to wait for those pictures too boo hoo. We saw Versace's house, Miami Vice house , Shaqs house, Rosie O'Donnell, Earnest Hemingway's brothers house, a 50 MILLION dollar house, I could go on an on. It was amazing. Miami is so beautiful. I have never seen anything like it. It was a great getaways for me! So enjoy the pictures,,, there will be more sooner or later!!......

I wrote this Sept 17th,, sorry for posting so late.

My first beer in over a year,, went down kinda rough.

A cool looking tree...

Ash and Rach dont get out much!

This was at one of the clubs..

Miami Ink

Miami vice house

Shaqs house

Doesn't get any cuter than this!!

Thought I would share how cute my son is in his crib! He is just so sweet!

mom why are you bugging me?

Ok, I know I am cute

I got tagged again!!!!!!



1. Who is your man? Lawrence William Gazes



2. How long have you been together? FOREVER!! 12 YEARS



3. How long did you date? dated 4 years before we were married, we were engage during that time...



4. How old is your man? 31



5. Who eats more? with out a doubt Will!



6. Who said "I love you" first? He did,,,,man we were 19 then...



7. Who is taller? duhhhhh Will!



8. Who sings better? me i guess,,



9. Who is smarter? I would deft. say Will is .



10. Whose temper is worse? MINE...



11. Who does the laundry? me almost always



12. Who takes out the garbage? Will does when he isnt deployed!



13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Will does



14. Who pays the bills? Will does, but when deployed I do



15. Who is better with the computer? Will, but I am getting better..



16. Who mows the lawn? both but it should just be him.



17. Who cooks dinner? Me.



18. Who drives when you are together? Will



19. Who pays when you go out? Will



20. Who is most stubborn? yes me again



21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Will



22. Whose parents do you see the most? mine



23. Who kissed who first? Will kissed me on a bench in Old Town Alexandria, by the water. very weird I must say, I said to him, let me kiss you like I KNOW HOW, and then it was all history, i had him wrapped around my finger.. love at first kiss!!



24. Who asked who out? neither, we were best friends 4 years before we started dating and it just kinda happend. dang we have known eachother 16 years.



25. Who proposed? He did.



26. Who is more sensitive? Me...



27. Who has more friends? i would say me,,,



28. Who has more siblings? me, 2 sisters 1 brother



.29. Who wears the pants in the family?everyone would say me, but lately i say we both do... but man i love it when will wears then,, hehehehehe i like him putting his foot down. go figure the stuff that turns me on!!!!



I tag all the gals that read this and never post anything, Penny, Alicia, Ash, Rach,Kathy Jo, Lindsey,Michele,Erin, and all the other ladies .. you know who you are!

How can I forget?

I over heard someone say that they just wanted to forget about September 11. I just stood there thinking! How could I forget! How can I forget September 11th, my husband is a United States Marine How can i forget the times I sat at home praying for his safety while he was fighting to defend our country? How can I forget THAT day, when I was comforting my sister who was hysterical because her two girls were at the Pentagon day care? How can I forget THAT day, when I was waiting to hear from my family that my aunt was ok? How can I forget the horror my family and I felt until we finally got the phone calls that Dad and Richard ran and searched for the girls, or the moment they finally saw each other and the tears they shed once they looked into their sweet faces. I CANT FORGET. Our world is forever changed. My life is forever changed.

I am filled with so much emotion on this day. I am so proud of my husband and our marine family. They sacrifice so much to give us a safer place to live. I look at my nieces and feel so blessed that they are here on this earth! So tonight I got together with my family and celebrate FAMILY. We should all be grateful for the blessing in our lives. There is no time to take anything for granted. So with that, thank you Will for serving our country. I know its has been so hard to leave your family behind so many times. Know that we appreciate all you have done. That goes for Ryan and Sarah and my 1/6 family! The bond we have is so strong. Thank you all for your support and your sacrifices! Thank you to my family. My heart is so full of love and praise for you all.

Sweet Ones..

I am a bit late in blogging this one. But I am just now catching up on my blogs. A few weeks ago I got the chance to babysit my niece Emma for the first time! Jackie , Willie , and I were looking forward to spending the day with our Emma Jean. We had so much fun playing with all our toys, eating snacks, and of course dessert! Willie just loved having Emma here. He was so amazed to see a small human walking. I think that is what got him on the crawling band wagon! She was so much fun. We get to watch her on Mondays for a few hours the next two months while Sara is in school. It will be nice for us to get that time because the O'Connells will be moving from Manassas (which is only 5 mins from our house) to Burke. We are happy for them but will miss our dinners and get togethers we have been able to have! Any hoo,,, as you can see my little Miss. Emma kept a little O on her face all day. Every picture I took she kept her lips in an O shape. Guess it was the letter of the day!

This ball is as big as Emma.
OHHH , did I do that?

Willie just loves his cousin!

Jackie shared her Popsicles with her buddy!

This is my favorite picture of Emma ever...

If you look close you can see Popsicle between Emma's eyes. It was very funny.

7 Months and going STRONG!

Willie has grown so much the past three months. He got his two bottom teeth at five months. Now he is working on his top too and one tooth by his bottom left tooth. He started to sit up at the end of 6 months. Man he is a cutie when his sits straight up and gives you that smile of his! And yes, at 7 months he is crawling! Well as Will would say , he does the marine low man crawl! I will have to video it for you all and blog that soon! My little boy is a sweetie pie. He has been sleeping in his crib the past two months. He still wakes a few times , but thats ok. Any chance to spend a few quite moments, just the two of us, is worth the lack of sleep. He also naps, unlike Jackie Rose. He takes a morning nap and an afternoon name. The good lord has blessed me! I prayed for a napper! Now that Jackie is in school, I can have 2 hours to clean! AMEN! He is a great eater too. 3 jars of food and breast milk and 1-2 bottles of formula a day! He is such a good little boy! Hope you enjoy the pictures...

Yes thats right, I am playing with my sisters doll. I love to mess up their hair!

First Day of School.....

Today was Jackie Rose's first day of preschool. We went for an open house last week and man she didn't want to leave! We worked on her teachers name all weekend. When she woke up I asked her what her teachers name was and she was right, Ms. Wilsher. It was so cute. I am so proud of her. I pulled up to the school and I had butterflies in my stomach. It was just yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time and now she is off to school. Were has the time gone? My little girl is no longer a baby. She was such a big girl today. We walked into her class and she was ready to start her day. I walked her over to her hook were she hung up her back pack. Then she went to the story mat with the other children and joined in the playing! I gave my little girl her kiss and hug and told her I would see in later. She said , OK mom, love you too. And that was that. Willie and I left the room and my eyes filled with tears. Today was harder on me than it was for my sweet little girl. She walked in that classroom for the first time as my baby girl, and she ran out today as my sweet BIG girl! UHHHHHH I was so happy to pick her up today, but she said , Mommy, what are you doing here. I want to eat lunch with my friends. Thank goodness I planned a special lunch for her today or she would have been kicking and screaming all the way to the car. So enjoy my pictures..... my baby is growing up right before my eyes!

Jackie in front of her school
Jackie right before she walked into her classroom

My little ham! She found her hook right away!

Giving baby brother a kiss good bye

Sooo sweet! Jackie's desk!

Her joining in the morning fun.

Thought I would take a picture of the other half of the room,, and Willie too.

All of Jackie's new friends! She already is talking about Lanna and Rachel.

My last look at my big girl before Willie and I walked out the door!

On the front door, in that first picture , you could see panda bears w/ the kids names on it. The frog were on the wall out side of the room. I just melt every time I see anything with Jackie's name on it. Yes, they will call her Jackie and will change her name tag. She refuses to believe Jaqulyn is her first name!!!

TAG...I am it!



I was tagged by Sarah to do this so here it goes...



The Rules:



1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.



8 Random facts about me:



1. I love chocolate. Sometimes I just crave it. I cant keep it in my house or I will eat it all! I have been none to be so desperate I would open a can of Chocolate frosting just so I could have a bite!

2. I have this obsession about my hair. I can never leave it alone. I am always cutting it or coloring it. I swear its going to fall out one day. Yesterday I cut it all off. Wishing I wouldn't have done that today! Its a bit shorter than I wanted, but it will grow back and I am sure I will cut it all off again!

3. I have been dying to go on a real vacation with my husband since we have been married. I am talking Paris, Italy, Malta,,, anywhere out of the USA. Not Disney World like my husband keeps wanting to go back to every year!

4. I would love to own my own store! A place that sells purses, and all the cute nick knacks I love! Once I wanted to open my own massage places,,, but then I fell in love with all these cute stores I found in NC and Bethany beach!

5. I can not go into a target with out dropping $50 bucks or more! I can go in for 1 thing and come out with 10 things I just don't need!

6. I love to change my style.. for my house that is! I have been dying to paint my walls... and would love to get new slip covers.... I can go on an on.

7. Baskin Robbins is my favorite ice cream store. I really dont think I could live with out it! I have gone there so much I know the owners! I cant keep ice cream in my house for the same reason I cant keep chocolate in my house!!!

8. I am always wanted and striving to bring my relationship with God stronger! Since going to church with my friend Sarah,, and seeing the closeness and fellowship of people in that church in NC,, I have searching here in VA to find that. I have always wanted to find a church were I could make friendships.... UHHHH still a work in progress!


Well thats it. I cant leave a list of 8 people to tag because none of my friends here in VA blog. I was already tagged by Sarah,,, and she said Brittney was tagged... so I get to end it here. Hope you enjoy.

Illinois here we come.....

It was that time of year again. Our annual Alexander Family Reunion is always the first weekend of every August. I tell you I am always looking forward to traveling to see all of my family! I swear we all start planning the day after the reunion for the following year! We had a blast, we went to Chicago and ate deep dish pizza, went to the American girl doll store were Jackie got her doll that looks just like her, we saw a Jack Hammers baseball game were my sister Debbie was hung by Velcro on a wall ... long story short on that one is if she were to catch a ball she would have won a car... not balls came here way boo hoo, we went to a water park, Will and Jackie went to a race track, and finally us gals learned to make hair bows! It was a great week. I dont want to forget to mention we also went to the grave yard to see my Grandma Alexander. It was on her death bed she wished our family would stay close.. and from there our family reunion came about. My Grandmother was the rock of our family. I miss her so much. I am always so overwhelmed with emotion every time I go visit her grave. Its as if she died yesterday. I was able to show Jackie Rose were she got the Rose in her name of my grandma's tomb stone. It may sound strange to some but it meant alot, I think Jackie understood.

I didnt take many pictures, sorry. I have fallen off the band wagon. I just wanted to finally update my blog. Next will be pictures of my sweet baby boy. He has gotten so big.. and I have a few surprises to show everyone... so keep a look out.

Willies firt airplane ride!

My sweet little man!

Jackie Rose trying to watch tv.

I love my family... I am so blessed.

1/6 Rocks

A few weeks ago Will and I headed out to good ol' Fredricksburg for a dinner w/ out 1/6 family. Sue and Bill were in town and of course that was a great excuse to get us gals together. It was a wonderful time, and I miss everyone so much already. I only took this one picture so I hope you all enjoy! I cant wait for our cruise in 5 years!!! Count the Gazes in!

Bethany Beach here we come....

Well the Gazes, O'Connells, Alexanders all of them, and Maryann headed to DE for a week of family fun. It was great to share all the great times Will had shared as a kid with our children and family! We hit the beach every day, and the pool as much as possible. Will was able to hit his favorite restaurant, Warrens, a few times! The boys played golf one day, kids played putt putt, and we did a little bit of shopping. I didn't take one picture. It was crazy, but I was just in the moment. Sitting back and watching Will enjoy playing with Jackie Rose, looking at Willie amazed at how big he is getting, watching my parents enjoy the freedom of retired life and not worrying about work! It was an amazing week. I love my family and am so blessed to have such a close nit gang!

We were there from Saturday to Saturday. On Friday, my sister in law held a memorial service to spread her mothers ashes across the waters of DE were she and her family shared so many wonderful memories. I wanted to share with you all that Pat was an amazing women. She loved her children and Daniel so much. You could see that every time we were together at family functions. She was passionate about her family. Kathy Jo is the spitting image of her mother. I look at her and I see so much of her mother. I know that her mothers memory will live in all of us forever.... I am so thankful for Pat, with out her we wouldn't have Kathy Jo, who makes my brother so happy and puts up with him!!! And we wouldn't have my wonderful loving handsome nephew... who if you cant tell my family just adores..... So thank you to Pat for giving us a great family and for showing us how important it is to love hard and live for the now!

Well enjoy what pictures I have... sorry i don't have pictures of everyone,,, but its all good.

Dad enjoying the beach.

Say cheese!

Yes its me,, I love the beach.

Jackie is to the left boogie boarding.. love it!

Pen and baby Andrew in her belly!

The O'Connells and Willie in his Bumbo