{...a breezy life} at briemarisa.com

Today was back to reality after Spring Break. Thanks to our school superintendent's penchant for delayed openings versus snow days, we did not owe any days due to weather and were able to enjoy a full week off.

The week started off with an aborted trip to Baltimore that was ruined by what I will call Severe Gastrointestinal Pyrotechnics on my part. It was real and it was terrible, folks, and left me writhing on a bathroom floor in a hotel room in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We had intended to visit the National Aquarium but instead, came home so I could try and turn back to a normal person.

But, if nothing else, we Latini's know how to rebound. We filled our week with fun and stuffed the weekend with family and friends and celebrations!

Friday afternoon we had an impromptu trip to Chuck E Cheese to spend time with my cousin Matt, his beautiful wife Colleen, and Braelyn and Paxton, their little people. The kids had a blast playing games, dancing with Chuck E, and eating pizza! As my mom put it, this was a play date 50 years in the making. My mom and Matt's mom were best friends, and the woman Brae and Pax call Boo
just happened to be the cousin of my father, which is how my parents met. My mom and Eileen played as babies and now, their babies babies play together, and love each other! It makes me so thankful, everyday, for these family members who are also friends.

That night was cheer practice, and after the kids were done we celebrated the impending arrival of a very special baby boy! PJ's Coach Jen is due in May and there was a gaggle of cheerleaders who were thrilled to fete this already-loved little one. There were blankets and onesies and books and diapers, all waiting to be put to good use by the sweet mama and her baby boy! Miss Jen has such a special place in our hearts (as do all of PJ's wonderful cheer coaches) and we can't wait until Colton Edward makes his arrival!


And this girl here? I can't even talk about it. On the left? A skinny me and a chubby baby 13 years ago, just before her Uncle Pete and I started dating. Her mother, Shelly, and I were work colleges, and had no clue that we would be sisters-in-law someday! On the right? a skinny birthday girl with legs for NINE THOUSAND MILES with her chubby Aunt Breezy! I can not believe that this taller-than-me teenager is the same baby I snuggled in that picture. We all had a beautiful night with family and friends, celebrating this milestone birthday for our Sarah Charlotte! PJ had a blast, jumping on the trampoline with his many, many cousins and eating delicious birthday cake under the supervision of his cousin Riley!

It's hard to believe that all of this fun was smashed into three days! That left us with one golden Sunday before it was time to go back to school, and it turned out to be one of the most perfect days we have ever spent...