Thanksgiving...and the bestest present in the world!!!

Auntie Beth got the most exquisite loving gift in the mail on Wednesday...and of course I wore it on Thanksgiving for all to see...

Here I am in my still messy bedroom...gosh, how am I ever gonna get this place clean before Shannon arrives on Wednesday? Yep, Auntie Shannon is coming to California for a visit!!!

I wore my new favorite t-shirt with plain black pants so there was no distraction from the loving piece of art I was wearing:-) Lurene & I after Thanksgiving dessert...chocolate cream pie made by Auntie Beth...thank you Mom/Auntie Kake for sending the ingredients:-)

Auntie Beth was tired at Thanksgiving so she did not break out the camera until after we ate & Ben went to asleep! Have no fear though, Ben and I have a playdate today while Mom & Dad go out for their Anniversary...I will take some photos of our fun!

Randal is very into the football tradition of Thanksgiving which mean blissful rest on the couch right after dinner...Randal actually answered all my football questions and offered insight into why the players do what they do...I caught on quickly, and I even cheered for the Denver Broncos...c'mon, their team colors were pretty...

This is Mieken...she is living with Randal, Lurene and Ben while she goes to the Fashion Institute...she is 20 and she works at Forever 21...her Dad is Randal's brother...Randal has 5 brothers and one sister so it's an even bigger family than mine...Mieken will be going back home to her family in Kansas for a few weeks at Christmas...I asked her to take a photo of my great shirt and this is what she came up with below...

I laughed hysterically because she cut off my head!!! Those are my arms, I swear...

Look at the mess the adults made...hey, the football got really rowdy and we couldn't help ourselves:-)

I love you lots, and I miss you more-

xoxo Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS

My Very First "Auntie Beth" School Photo This Year!

I couldn't possibly reflect all the bounty I received from the beautiful Cacace family in one blog entry...so I waited until today to get a photo of another great find in my new penpal's envelope...
Lucas included his school photo, hot off the presses...Luke looks so incredibly handsome and this photo now holds a place of honor on my fridge next to my tax desk:-) Thanks Lucas!!!!

My new hair color and shape is working...I had just gotten home from an Allstate Insurance audition above, so I thought you might like to see how I doll up for my auditions...and yes, it was an audition on Saturday, my first weekend audition in over a year...and yet I did not have any auditions at all during this past work week!

Yes, Auntie Beth is feeling all feminine and girlie with the hair...I'm shedding for the first time in almost a decade, but I always know it's mine because of the distinct color...so I got that going for me!!!

I love you lots, and I miss you more-

oxox Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS

New PenpalS...and Ramona works miracles on the messy apartment...

I went to my mailbox today and saw a bill, another bill, another bill, another bill, and...WAIT...two really cool envelopes decorated with coloring and stickers addressed to "Auntie Beth"...SCORE!!!!
I wonder what is inside here...I'm trying to guess, to read the letter without opening it in this photo above...but nothing could prepare me for the beautiful note and car & airplane drawings from Lucas...I was in heaven!!! But wait, can an Auntie get lucky TWICE...twice in ONE day?

Oh yes she can...because Ella sent me a very wonderfully decorated envelope which made me smile...stars are my favorite...but there was more! Ella also sent me a note & colored me a picture...so many pretty colors...yes it was a very good day in Auntie Beth's apartment-yippee!!!

To top things off, Ramona cleaned the apartment...laundry is now put away, living room is looking good...just in time for Ben & Lurene to come over on Saturday and help me rip apart my closets:-)

Friday did indeed rock...thank you, Ella & Lucas...Auntie Beth misses you too...I'll see you at the airport...and yes, Ella, I also think another lunch at 99 is in order:-)

I love you lots, and miss you more-

oxxo Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS

Peek-A-Boo, Pilates Device, Road Kill, Playtime, Holiday Cheer & Refreshments

O.K. so I'm making an effort to get myself out from behind my hair...baby steps!!!

This is called a pilates reformer machine. When I say I'm going to a pilates class, this is the machine I use...on the far left of your screen is the foot bar...I lay facing up toward the ceiling and push my feet against the foot bar to do my leg exercises. The shoulder pads in the middle of the machine make sure you don't hurt your neck and the handles right next to the shoulder pads are for my arm exercises...it may look wierd but it does wonders for my body...tonight was my very first day back to pilates class since Auntie Meg's wedding!!!

This is my kitty cat, Rhapsody...I got this stuffed animal because my friend adopted a cat that looked just like her...Rhapsody has sat on my dashboard for 2 years now, falling off everytime I take a sharp corner...yet I continue to diligently put her back in place...my friend Wes says she looks more like roadkill...he's mean! Auntie KK & Auntie Meg thought it was very funny that I had a cat in my car when they visited:-)

Don't look now but it's my SECOND playtime with Ben this week...after pilates, I headed over to see two of my fave people, Ben & Lurene...we were trying to get Ben's focus but "Upside Down People" was on which is his fave...we had zero chance of getting his attention!

Look how gorgeous Ben's mommy is!!! Ben is very into kisses & hugs right now which makes an Auntie very very happy...Lurene & I tried yet again to get Ben to look at the camera but this time he just wanted to stare at mommy...

I yelled "BEN", he glanced for half a second...but wanted to get back to staring at mommy...the kid is focused, I'll give him that:-)

...and right before this shot, Ben was doing his "where is it?" motion with his hands...kind of the same meaning as Annie's shoulder shrug except Ben does it with his hands...and Ben was gracious enough to point out exactly where to find said item once he spotted it!

Our clever little boy now grabs your hand and pulls you up out of your seat to follow him...he does not let go, and there is usually not a place he really wants to take you, not that we've figured out anyway...but it's so cute that Auntie Beth was right behind Mommy as he led us around the kitchen for the 3rd time...Lurene is really great about indulging Ben up to a point and then telling him "it's enough" in a kind but firm way...the girl has patience!!!

Ben had hit his bedtime and his tired time...it did not help that Auntie Beth got him riled up the minute she walked in the door, grabbing him, snarkkling him, running after him...mom had just told him it was bedtime above...

...and Ben hurls himself into his mommy's arms...very snuggly with mom...it's great to watch this beautiful amazing boy be so loved...
Onto the next topic, holiday cheer...and in my defense, the holiday lights come on after dark because well they are lights, so most photos cannot turn out well...but if I'm gonna display just how crazy Californians are about the holidays, I need to document it, even if poorly...so there...

This is Santa Monica Boulevard, one block away from my home...there are twinkling stars on every street light in West Hollywood already...we are considered a separate "city" from Los Angeles proper even though we are within its city limits...and West Hollywood knows how to budget for decorating!!! These stars were put up in early November, so WeHo got quite the jump on the holiday cheer...

I got up close and personal with one star...it didn't have much to say but it sure was pretty:-)

... and right up the street our Bristol Farms had strings of white lights hung by last week...

...and in between my place and the Grimms, there were no less than 3 Christmas tree lots already set up, ready to receive the trees from the north...

The tree lot above was pretty big and will be filled with trees this weekend...the Christmas tree sellers in California only order certain kinds of trees because only a few types can last for over a month in our weather even when the tree is kept indoors...

...and finally, we stop at the 7-11 on Santa Monica Boulevard, a blessing & a curse just a few blocks from my house...my late night snack place...yes, they know me there:-)

Candy immediately to the left, icecream straight ahead on the left, Big Gulp to the right at the end of the register:-)

Blogging takes a long time...whew...

I love you lots, and I miss you more-

ox Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS

Tuesday...

This is how I hide from my life...and how I play "where's Auntie Beth?" with Ben..

This is the food court at our Beverly Center Mall...very happening place and one of the few malls within a few miles of us Hollywood people...3 floors of shopping magic with a Macy's and a Bloomie's...

Yep Molly, the mall has its own Claire's...it's the first store right next to the food court so I never miss it:-)

These are the three floors of the mall as seen from the top floor looking into the center of the mall...the white specks at the top of the photos hanging down in columns are actually small strings of Christmas lights...the wires on either side of the photo are for the arial act for the holiday show...

I saw a movie after hours so the mall was closed and these girls were practicing their routine...the girl standing in the wire ball is the performer...she climbs onto this sphere of steel bars and performs 20 feet off the ground...I couldn't use a flash or I might startle them!

There are two girls on this sphere in the air...one on each side hanging upside down, holding on by their feet...scared the heck out of me!!!

It's now dark out by 5:30 pm in Los Angeles but just to show you that Californians are crazy about the holidays too...Christmas lights in the bushes since this weekend!!!

This is the corner of Melrose and Gardner, right down the street from me, where Jay Leno famously interviewed jaywalkers for his talk show...

You can't say I didn't try...even waited through the green light to get a better photo but the darkness was not giving it up!!!

One of my neighbors does such a hullaboo for Halloween that they leave everything up until Thanksgiving, fully lit after midnight and all!!!

This is considered progress, People...at least the laundry is clean now...harumpphhhh...

O.K. now I'm peeking out from beneath my turtle shell...it's like the laundry-progress which doesn't really seem like progress...we shall see what I feel like tomorrow:-)

I love you lots, and miss you more-

xoxo Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS

New Hair Color & Playdate with My Ben!

I'm not gonna lie, kids...I've never done it before so I'm not gonna start now...Auntie Beth has had a very rough couple of weeks...feeling yucky, feeling not so good about myself...
When you are having a tough time, you should do something that makes you feel better. Today my answer was to dye my hair for the holidays...I like my new darker hair-I look more like you now, Miss Molly:-)
I then did three loads of laundry because we all know laundry is the answer to feeling better...not! Hey, it had to get done sooner or later so whatevs...

Over the weekend, I had a playdate with Ben while his mom & dad went to dinner and a movie...Ben gave me kisses & hugs & love the whole time!

Ben & I learn more about each others' moods and facial expressions everyweek...the above shot was a candid shot which took my Godson a bit by surprise...

Ben was then curious but confused because my camera has a different flash rhythm than his Mom's...he was still processing what had just happened...yeah, I didn't give the poor kid much time for that though...just clicking away...

...then Ben got stern with me because he was focused on his toy and found my photo efforts very distracting...this is Ben's "cut it out" look...he knows tears must be reserved for very important moments with Auntie Beth 'cause otherwise she'll just cry along with him:-)

Oh yes, he's definitely MY Godson...Ben warmed up to the camera, became fascinated, and even started moving toward me...ok, toward my camera...he wanted to touch it, take it, own it...

...and Auntie Beth didn't quite anticipate the speed with which Ben could get across the room...no child was blinded in the making of this blog entry...in fact, he laughed...apparently flashes are fun:-)

This may look like a blank expression but in actuality it's Ben plotting his next move...hmmm, so she won't give me the camera, but I think the flashy lights are awesome...sooooo....

...Ben flings himself into my arms!!! Alas, my first attempt at a twoshot was foiled by a mistaken hit to the zoom button...

I finally got the framing correct only to have Ben become more fascinated with the camera itself...here he was checking out the camera strap...

but Auntie Beth knows her boy so she started giving him big big kisses, many of them, like a pecking hen...and of course the "umm yumm yumm" sound effect which must go along with them...look at those dimples...

Hey, if it worked once, why not try it again...how adorable is my boy??????

but to truly get the full out gleefully shrieking giggle shot I gotta do my snarkkle monster...it's a cross between a snort, a growl and a crazy raspberry kiss...gets Ben everytime:-)

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a long time...I was waiting for someone to miss me, and noone did for a long while...but Kasey mentioned my blog absence over the weekend...so I know someone is checking up on my life...I needed that:-)

I love you lots, and miss you more-

xoxo Auntie Beth/Bethie/Beppy GBAKYS