Phoebe Graduated! Class of 2024

Phoebe's high school graduation was today at the Cynthia Woods Pavillion in The Woodlands. Tammy, Aidan, Payton, Evan, Brianna, Ms. Tess, Mr. Mike, Mikey, and Morryne came in to watch her walk across stage. We first met up to grab a bite to eat on Market Street then walked over to Cynthia Woods. Maya was graduating too, so Damian couldn't make it to eat with us, but we met up right before going to the pavillion. Mark, Grace & Chris also showed up to support Phoebe. It was a great day! After the graduation, they had a lock in for graduates at Main Event. I took Payton with me to chaperone. Our job was to hand out free raffle tickets to anyone that seemed to be having a good time. :) Congratulations Phoebe, we are all so proud of you!!

Penn State Bound

Phoebe receied acceptance letters from 5 of the 7 schools she applied to. She decided on Penn State. They her have attending the Harrisburg campus for the first 2 years then transferring to the PSU campus in State College for 2 years. She's excited, so we're excited, but I can say that I already miss her!

Phoebe’s 1st “official” job

Smoothie King asked her to start today after school. This kid is officially employed. It just hit me that I won’t see her after school today. :( This is getting difficult! But so bittersweet. I’m proud but sad, happy but I miss her. 

I brought her some tennis shoes and a few snacks to eat after school before she goes to work. I left them in her car. 

Update after her first day… 

She worked 6.5 hours, no break, no water, no potty break. They had her sweeping, mopping, making smoothies and she came home with her hip flared up and in pain. She said it’s fine and she’ll push through it but the momma bear wants to give them a piece of her mind. 🤔😣 She got home close to 10pm, only ate a lunchable during school lunch and had to work on a review for college algebra. My poor girl was exhausted. It was tough to watch. But I know it’ll only make her stronger and prepared for adulting. Still doesn’t make it easier to watch. 😮‍💨

2023 Highlights

Click HERE to see a short clip of highlights from 2023.

Phoebe is officially 5 feet!

Weighing in at 98lbs. She’s extremely excited to reach 5 feet!

RIP Truffles :(

Damian's parents had Truffles for a couple years. She was super friendly and playful. Yesterday, Dec 26th, while Truffles and Hershey were being taken on a walk, a Turkish Kangal Shepherd dog ran up and grabbed Truffles out of David's arms and killed her. We are all so heartbroken. Hershey and David are traumatized, and our sweet Truffles will be missed so very much.

Phoebe’s 18th birthday!

Phoebe LOVES Christmas! Especially music and lights. So we surprised her with a weekend trip to the Gaylord Texan Resort. We stayed in a room that overlooked the atrium. It was beautiful. We went to Main Street and walked to take pictures of the amazing lights. We also went to the Ice Show which was a Grinch theme. Amazing is an understatement. Aidan, Evan, Nanny and Brianna arrived on Saturday to surprise her. We had her answer the hotel room door after I pretended to call the front desk asking for extra coffee creamer. :) Everyone had a great time. 💕

Birthday gift from my love

I was perfectly happy with the original wheels on my car. My hubby decided to surprise me with a new set and now I’m like, what was I thinking? 😂 I’m in love all over again. 

Phoebe’s summer trip to LA

She drove to LA with nanny and cousins after they came in for the A&M student event. Today is Aidan & Evan’s graduation party. Phoebe is there having a blast! 

Phoebe took care of her own appt!

She wanted to schedule a hair cut. So I told her now that she’s driving and getting close to graduating, she could begin to handle those tasks. She scheduled her appt with Ulta earlier this week and today was her appt . She officially handled it and came back with a super cute cut. ❤️

It's true y'all, life is what you make it.

It really is our choice. 

If you choose to be happy, you'll find the good in everything. 

If you choose to be miserable, you'll find the bad in everything. 

We've got one chance at this thing called life, let's make the best of it. 

No one wants to hear us complaining, putting others down, claiming to be better than others. We're all human, maybe not all are humane, but we are human. We all breathe air, have hearts, we come from our mother's womb, and we are all mortal. The only thing that makes us seem different are our situations and our choices. 

And remember, the worst prison is living in fear of what others think. 

Be happy. Be kind. Be helpful. Take pride in who you are. Be trustworthy. 

I found my happy when I was able to be myself, 100%. Not living up to anyone's expectations but my own. Having open and honest communication, barking at the cat, acting like a kid, laughing a lot. Sure, it's not perfect, but that would make things boring! 

I choose to be myself and I choose to be happy. I hope you'll do the same. 

And stop judging others, you really don't know their situation. Some are too ashamed to share because of the fear of being judged. Stopping to lend a hand speaks so much higher than speaking down about someone. 

Rest In Peace Miss Jane aka Mimi

https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/jane-philibert-obituary?id=35274432

Jane Vanderbrook Philibert, age 74 of New Orleans, passed away Saturday, June 11, 2022. She was a graduate of Francis T. Nichols High School, where she was on the flag team, and The University of New Orleans. Jane was a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and served as Chapter Advisor for many years after graduating. Jane worked at Tulane University in the Business Library for 20 plus years, Louisiana State Attorney General Office and several lawyers in the New Orleans area until retiring to take care of her mother. Jane was known for her homemade fudge, bacon wrapped breadsticks, dirt cake and over the top birthday celebrations for people. She had a flare for attire that went with any holiday or occasion. She was a die-hard Mardi Gras fan, attending and participating in parades since she was a little girl. She was a member of the crew of Pandora and then the crew of Iris until her last ride in 2019. Preceded in death by her parents Edward Joseph and Doris (Born) Vanderbrook, Jr. She is survived by her son Rudolph L. Philibert, Jr; 2 grandsons, Aidan Edward, and Evan Brock Philibert, her brother Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, III and his wife Darlene, her nephew Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, IV and his wife Kellie and her great nephew Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, V, sister-in-law Elisa Philibert Siragusa along with other family members and many friends. Her son asks that anyone attending her services please bring some small token of remembrance of Jane: i.e., something Mardi Gras themed or something that depicts how you remember her. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 25, 2022, in the J. Garic Schoen Chapel of Jacob Schoen & Son, 3827 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. Interment will be in St. Vincent de Paul #2 Cemetery. To view the Mass via livestream and sign the family guestbook, please go to www.schoenfh.com.

RIP Grandma Gioia

https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/eleanor-gioia-obituary?id=51520962&utm_source=webshareapi&utm_medium=share_button&utm_campaign=wsapimobile_beta

Eleanor Barrios Gioia passed away on Monday, March 27, 2023 in Covington, Louisiana, at the age of 94. She was born on Monday, May 28, 1928 and was a native of Triumph, LA, a former resident of St. Bernard, Slidell and Picayune, MS, and a current resident of Ponchatoula, LA. She was a very loving, caring, and nurturing mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great great grandmother who would do anything for her family. She loved visiting with her children, her grandchildren, and their families, especially the family crawfish boils, crab boils, and family vacations. She hosted the best Thanksgiving and Christmas parties at her home for her family. Eleanor was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Joseph C. Gioia, Sr.; son-in-law, John Walsh, III; parents, Victoria Ancalade Barrios and Justin Barrios; brothers, August Barrios, Evon Barrios, and Lloyd Barrios; sisters, Jane Henderson, Joyce Matthew, and Thelma Hingle; and great grandson, Kail Joseph Verdon. She is survived by her devoted children, Adeline Walsh, Linda Hughes (Harry, Sr.), Joseph Gioia, Jr. (Lou), Michael Gioia, Sr. (Tessie), Dominick Gioia, Sr. and Penny Erato (Paul); grandchildren, Harry Hughes, Jr., John "Jay" Walsh, IV, Joseph Gioia, Jr., Corey Hughes, Sr., Michael Gioia, Jr., Shannon Verdon, Carlo Gioia, Scott Gioia, Christian Gioia, Eric Strother, Dominick Gioia, Jr., Jason Gioia, Justin Gioia, and Malissa Gioia; sisters, Marion Weber, Anna Bea Lightell, and Emily Lind; brother, Vernon Barrios, and many great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Graveside Service at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1751 Gause Boulevard West, Slidell, LA 70460 on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11:00 am. A crawfish boil will follow at LN Hughes Funeral Services, 21400 South I-12 Service Road, Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454. Share your thoughts and memories of Eleanor in her guestbook by visiting Lnhughes.com. Arrangements are entrusted to LN Hughes Funeral Services of Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

Wedding 2b

That’s what we named this event. We were both married once before and our first “ceremony” in 2019 was with the Justice of the Peace. We originally had to postpone our elopement because we wanted all 3 of our girls there. Maya wasn’t going to be able to make it for 2.25.19 due to situations beyond her control. The next year was NCA and Phoebe worked so hard with her team throughout the year, I couldn’t ask her to miss NCA. There were additional conflicts this year, so  Damian and I decided to just do it anyway! So we made a weekend of it and had our wedding photos done at the chapel we booked in 2019. I got to wear my wedding gown, feel beautiful and take nice photos with my love. The chapel has livestreams so our families were able to watch the ceremony and see me act silly as always. :) We stayed at the Sage Inn & Spa in Kyle, TX. I had my hair and makeup done at The Marquis Salon in Austin, by Emmaleigh, who was amazing. We had a couples massage Sunday morning and then met up with his friend CJ for dinner at Lambert’s. The photographer took a few pics with their cell phone so they could share those with us the day of. It was a magical, relaxing day, not an ounce of stress. It was perfect. ❤️

Photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tp69Rmk3xi3h7d2L8 

Halloween 2022

We worked hard to fill these gloves with candy for the trick or treaters. Phoebe went off to a friend's house, me and Damian decided to watch a few episodes of a series, so we left the bowl outside of the door with a sign asking that they please just take one. Needless to say, kids will be kids, and the first 4 doorbell approaches, the candy filled gloves were gone. Lol! Thankfully we still had a little stash leftover from the glove filling. :) Then kids began asking for bottled water! I was like sure, anybody else want water?! I was so excited kids actually wanted water! :) Another Halloween down, another Thanksgiving around the corner!

Phoebe’s 2022 Summer

Phoebe is having the best summer and it warms my heart! Although I sure do miss my boog. 🥰

She got her drivers license when summer began. 

Beach house vacay with Nanny, Cliff and cousins. 

Hanging out with her dad in Louisiana .

Hanging out with Kinleigh, MawMaw & PawPaw in Picayune.

Driving the golf cart with PawPaw.

This kid sure does love spending time with her family. 😍 We did something right raising her! 😁  

Matthew McConaughey Remarks over Uvalde mass shooting

https://youtu.be/cJOw0XUyTQs 

Such a great message. Some things that really stood out for me were:

“We’re not as divided as they say we are”. 

“We can’t truly be leaders if we’re only living for Re-election”.

He also said that we don’t need to touch the 2nd amendment. We need to teach responsible gun ownership. We need to put background checks and other criteria in place. Someone under 21 should not be able to purchase an AR-15. 

There was no leaning left or right. He was there to help us learn more about the tragedy and the effect it had on so many. I’d tear up when he would. It was emotional to watch, but he nailed it in my opinion. Definitely worth the watch. You’ll learn more about those innocent children and teachers killed in Uvalde. 😔

Accomplishing things! 🙌🏻

Since leaving my job and becoming self employed , I’ve been accomplishing some long overdue tasks. I’m starting to feel human again. ❤️

One of the first things I tackled was to go to an allergy specialist. I’m still trying to figure out what causes my dry eye issues and redness. After 200 sticks in my back, it’s been determined that I’m allergic to CAT HAIR (the cat sleeps in our bed)! As well as mold, dust mites, certain trees, pollen, and coconut. 

I found a new PCP for Phoebe that is in The Woodlands. She’s finally scheduled for a wellness exam since Dr. Penn retired. I’m also looking at replacing her specialists with the nearby TX Children’s location. It takes 1.5 hours to get to her specialists in Houston! 

I’ve completed some Cricut projects, without rushing. 🤗

I cleaned out and donated from several rooms in the house, and the garage. 

I’ve made so much progress with organizing! Some pics below. I’m still deciding on the labels. 

My work has started to pick up rather quickly, but I’m planning to control it so I can continue to spend time on the little things! 

I was able to spend quality time with my family that was in town recently. And I get to take my mom to MDA next week with no deadline stress. ❤️🙌🏻 

Honeymoonin’ in Hawaii

Click here to see photos from our trip. Such a beautiful place 💕

Staying at The Grand Wailea resort in Maui through Saturday. Arrived Tuesday. 

https://www.grandwailea.com/

On Wednesday we went parasailing. https://ufoparasail.net/

Then went zip lining. Mac & Loki were a great zip line crew. We were with a family of 6. They were fun with great personalities. Twin boys (Jack and Owen) and 2 teens, the mom and dad. 

https://nszipline.com/?fh-u=643725f2-f980-42b2-9071-7df9607c8480

On Thursday, we walked around the shops at the Grand Wailea then went to the strip mall next to the hotel. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc… I didn’t dare go in those places though, lol. We had lunch at Pint and Cork which was delicious. After walking around for a while, we headed off on our next surprise adventure, which turned out to be a sunset dinner cruise. It was all so perfect! This man really gets me and puts so much thought into everything. ❤️

On Friday we drove the road to Hana. Stopped at Twin Falls to see the waterfalls. And we got some pineapple coconut ice cream (so yummy) and a pineapple smoothie. Went back to the hotel and hung out then had the concierge make us reservations at Maui Thai Bistro for dinner. And again, delicious! 

On Saturday we flew to The Big Island (Hawaii), after waiting in an insane security line! We arrived at the hotel and since it was the first hotel that we’ve seen offer room service since Covid started, we dined in. It was great. 

On Sunday we had breakfast at the hotel, in the Orchid Court. There was a short wait but the food was amazing. We headed to our next surprise adventure which turned out to be dinner and stargazing at the top of the volcano Mauna Kea. Man this guy gets me! I can’t say it enough!! ❤️🥰 They say we should expect to see 8-10 shooting stars per hour. It is the highest point above the Pacific Ocean at 13,840 ft. It rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. the top of the mountain and the ocean floor. 

On Monday we went on a helicopter tour of the island. Damian got me the seat next to the pilot. It was beyond amazing. I was speechless. The whole time I was thinking how much I love Damian, the thought that went into each experience is overwhelming. I am a lucky girl to have found this gem. I can only hope that I make him feel just as loved. 

After the helicopter ride, we headed back to the hotel to relax and get ready for our photo session and dinner. The photo session was fun and dinner at Browns Beach House was amazing. We sat outside with a view of the beach right after sunset. It did rain lightly on everyone a little but was still amazing. They surprised us with a dessert and wrote congratulations in chocolate on the dish. Super delicious! 

On Tuesday, he had scheduled massages for us in the morning. It was just what we needed before heading home. After the massages, we packed up and went to view our pictures from the session. We then checked out and headed to the airport. 

We returned home to be greeted by Tammy and Phoebe at the door. Phoebe put a lei around each of our necks and they had decorated the living room with Hawaiian decor as well as a pan of yummy brownies. 😁 

Rest easy, my Jackie boy

Today was one of the hardest days that we’ve faced in a long time. We had to make the decision to send JackSon across the rainbow bridge. Damian couldn’t get him to get out of bed this morning, so he laid with Jack to comfort him. It was a couple hours later that we decided it was time. He will be missed, so very much. He was one of the best dogs. My heart hurts, but it’s also full and comforting knowing how much love and attention Jack has had the past few years. At one point we tried to rehome him because we thought someone else could give him more attention than we were able to at the time. We decided that we didn’t want him to go, and we’re so thankful that we changed our minds because he made our new family complete. We are all truly heartbroken but thankful for the time that we had with him. He is and always will be part of our family. We hope you finally get some rest Jackie Boy. We woof you buddy. 🐾❤️🐾  (Sissy *Jack’s girlfriend* is pretty upset too) 🥺