Finally Fab!

Someone special to me once told me "All it takes is for one person to believe you can do something for you to start believing it yourself". Over the past year I've found this to be so true.

Life is such a labyrinth. And along the way there are people who come into your life who will lead you to a dead end. They have no desire to see you finish or succeed.
And then you have the people who will see you trying to make your way through and they begin to cheer you on. They motivate you. They believe in you. They stand by the sidelines shouting "You Can Do It!"
These people are friends. Real, true, honest friends.
Friends love you. They believe in you. They want you to be the best YOU that you can be. They push you. They spark ideas in your brain that were there but just needed a little electricity to get going.

This year there have been some true sparklers in my life.
Friends and family who have pushed me to reach goals and achieve dreams just by simply believing in me.
I am so grateful and forever thankful:
To my husband for never once having an ounce of doubt and for always saying "I believe in you Mama".
To my sister for making me feel like the FAB capabilities were never a question.
To my brother for showing his support by helping me start my journey.
To my bestie Marlene for always having a zillion words of encouragement to keep me pushing along.
To my FAB friend and partner Melissa for being honest, trustworthy, willing and supportive in every way.
And to my wonderful friend Nataly for her guidance, advice, generosity and talent.

I am so lucky and blessed to have wonderful friends and family in my life! Too many of them to list here. Friends who have showed their love and support for me simply by believeing.
And it's because of them that I am THRILLED, EXCITED and filled with FABULOUS JOY to be able to invite you to visit me on my new venture:
www.SoSoFabEvents.com

Here we go!!!!!!!!!

♥ Elena

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great" ~ Mark Twain

My Hero

7 years. It's a long time, a long road. A lot happens in 7 years. Life seems to fly by.

 Children seem to have grown up in the blink of an eye. But as much as 7 years seems so far away, on the other hand I can remember it like yesterday.

7 years ago our son Michael was given his last and final dose of chemotherapy. After 3 years of drugs and treatments, fevers and hospital visits, he was done. DONE! And free! Free to GO. Free to just BE.
During his last visit, Michael's amazing Dr. told me that 7 years from that day and still cancer free, Michael would be considered "cured". I've never forgotten those words. And that day I marked my mental calendar for 7 years down the road. For 7 years I've been waiting. Waiting till now. To breath. To rejoice. To thank God.

I knew Michael would get there. Get HERE. There was no doubt. He is AMAZING. He is courageous. He is resilient. He is stubborn. He is loving and emotional. He is generous and smart. He is everything I could not EVER imagine losing.

 In 7 years Michael has made his 1st Holy Communion, become a big brother (again),

gotten Citizenship awards at school and played tackle football. Not so out of the ordinary right? Oh, but it is. Because one minute I had a 3 year old little boy and the next minute I had a child with cancer. Leukemia. Instantly all the ordinary things in life are the things you are most grateful for. Smiles. Laughter. Hope.  

If you know me, you know that I'm ever the optimist. There's always a bright side. Always a way to figure things out and make them better. I thank God for giving me my rose colored glasses because I know they are what got me through those years. I never let the thought of losing Michael overcome me. Or him. I always wanted him to feel normal and be treated as such.

 Until now, I have never shared pictures of Michael while he was sick. I never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. And I didn't want him to feel sorry for himself. He is a fighter and he would make it. There was NO other option.

Michael is 13 years old now. He  remembers only bits and pieces of the 3 years that he was on chemotherapy. I think it's because we never dwelled on it. Those years are not what makes his life important. It's what he does with his life after going through those years that will be the most important thing of all.
 
It has taken me YEARS to be able to deal with the fact that I could have lost my son. I spent so much time in that hospital with Michael and what I had to see him endure is something no mother should ever have to allow. Going through that experience with Michael taught me so much. It taught me that there are so many things in life to be thankful for. So many things that are taken for granted. I learned not to hold grudges, to tell the people in my life how much I love them all the time. To show people with my actions that I think of them. To let things go. To forgive. To not worry about the small things. To enjoy every day. To hug. To talk things out. To remember important days. To pray. To give thanks. Because you just never know...

And so we will celebrate! Because I feel truly blessed! Blessed to be able to celebrate the life of my son! All too often we celebrate only the beginning of life, when a new baby is born. Or the end of life and the person we will always remember. But today, HERE AND NOW I celebrate my son and his 2nd chance at life! I can't wait to see what the Dear Lord has in store for my amazing Michael!

My dearest Michael,
You'll never know the impact you've had on my life. You'll never know how much you've inspired me. Because of you I know there is nothing we cannot make it through. No task too big, no burden too heavy. You never complained. You never felt sorry for yourself. You smiled, you waited, you rested, you watched. But you never complained. I would have given ANYTHING to take your place. But you taught me Michael. That the day to day things that make us grumpy are really nothing at all. Not compared to the true fights in life. Not compared to what we could face or what we could lose. I am so proud to have a son like you. I am so in awe of the life inside you. You can do anything. You can be anything. And you will. I know it. I am so SO blessed to be your mom!                            All my love, Mom                                                                       

 "A hero is an  ordinary individual  who finds the strength to persevere and endure  in spite of overwhelming obstacles"   ~ Christopher Reeve

30 things you didn't know about me

This month I'm turning the big 3-0. Although I know that may not seem like a big deal to some, I've discovered that the average American woman lives to be around 79 years old. That means I'm almost half way there! Eeeek!
If I'm almost half way done with life then I better get to thinking about what I've done so far and what still lies ahead right?
I've had a constant thought in my head lately. A nagging really. A "what's my purpose in life?" kinda thought. And although I am thankful to have been put on this earth to be a mother to my 3 amazing boys, sometimes I worry that I'll leave this earth without having the opportunity to have made an impact.
Something outside the normal day to day. Nothing spectacular or crazy, just something......special.
I feel like maybe if everyone planned to make an impact in this world in a positive way before heading out the door, this earth might be a better place.
As you may have figured out by now I have a lot of random thinking going on in my brain. I thought it might be fun (and in honor of my 30th birthday approaching) to share a list of some other things you may not know about me. And just to be, you know, random, I'll make it a list from 1-30!

1. I was born with a hole in my heart. To my parents relief it closed by itself over time.

2. I learned to roller skate when I was about 6 or 7 years old and was really good! I was super bummed when "Roller Blades" made their debut.

3. I've had oral surgeries to remove 5+ extra teeth that have randomly grown in. So not cool! My dad appointed me with the name "Snaggle Tooth"

4. I'm addicted to the "Ka-Glom" game on my cell phone. It relaxes me so I play it in bed at night.

5. I am terrified of glaciers! Don't ask me why! I don't know! I've never seen one in person, just pictures and they are terrifying!

6. My pet peeve is people who chew gum with their mouths open. It's still food AND your chewing, so shut it!

7. I had a pet mouse when I was younger that I kept in my room. Ughhhh!

8. My grandmother once told my mom that I was reincarnated

9. I cheated on a test once in 5th grade and got an A+. I've never been able to forget about that and I've always wanted to apologize to Ms. Bauer, my 5th grade teacher.

10.  If I won the lottery tomorrow my husband and I would have more children

11. I think my hands are chubby and I've always wanted pretty, dainty girly hands like some of my friends.

12. I think I have a little bit of OCD. No really!

13. I took my driver's license test 9 months pregnant. (I passed)

14. People tell me that I'm really sensitive. I think most people need to be more sensitive to others!

15. It really annoys me when people don't use spell check.

16. I collect snow globes. I have tons of them. I try and get one everytime I go somewhere special. And anytime a friend or family member goes on vacation and asks if I'd like them to bring me something back I always ask for a snow globe. I have snow globes from Italy, Hawaii, New York, LasVegas, Disneyland and one from my honeymoon circa 1999 ♥, among others!

17. I got detention once in 3rd grade for not doing my homework. My dad was always late picking us up from school so he never found out.

18. I've never been in a physical fight

19. When I was pregnant with Andrew my Dr. told me that he was going to be less than 7 pounds so I opted to try for a natural birth. He was born at 9 pounds 1 oz. The Dr. was a little off..........

20. When my son Michael was receiving his chemotherapy treatments I learned how to give him his medications intravenously so that he wouldn't have to go to the hospital everyday.

21. I once witnessed a guy who was speeding on the fwy slam right into the back of an 18 wheeler. It was the worst thing I've ever seen and the feeling of watching it was horrifying.

22. I met and shook hands with President Bill Clinton after the Northridge earthquake.

23. I HATE hot dogs!

24. My own personal motto in life is that I have it "MADE" = Memo, Michael, Andrew, Dominic & Elena

25. I hate the sound of my cell phone going off so I put it on silent and check it when I remember

26. My favorite alcoholic beverage is a banana margarita. Which leads me to my #27:

27. I hate beer

28. I wear a size 10 shoe which I was really embarrassed about for awhile. But I've gotten over it and I love the fact that the store ALWAYS has my size!

29. I drink green tea every night before bed

30. I love reading advice columns. Newspapers, magazines..... Anywhere there's an advice column I'll read it. The crazy situations people get themselves into really baffle me sometimes!


Now YOU tell ME, one thing I don't know about you!

♥ Elena

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein"  ~ H. Jackson Brown

My Bucket List

Reality TV. When I watch, it's all I watch. Sad but true. From the Kardashian's to The Real Housewives of every city in America, I watch it. Guilty pleasure. Sue me.
"The Buried Life" has become one of my guilty pleasures. If you haven't seen it, it's a group of guys traveling around trying to accomplish the task of doing everything on their Bucket List. You know, the "What I Wanna Do Before I Die" list. Every time they knock something off their list they help someone else to complete something on theirs. Last night they helped a homeless man who's wish was to reunite with the daughter he hadn't seen in 11 years. It was touching. And (of course) it got me thinking: What do I wanna do before I die? And so I thought I'd write out my list and share it with you.

Elena's Bucket List
(in no specific order)

1. Take a ride in a hot air balloon

2. Meet Oprah Winfrey

3. Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary

4. Hold my sister's first child

5. Hold my brother's first child

6. Attend my son's college graduation (x's 3)

7. Become a grandmother

8. Visit Niagra Falls

9. Become a foster parent

10. Dance the Mother-Son dance at my son's wedding (x's 3)

11. Volunteer in a homeless shelter

12. Be debt free

13. Plan my sister's wedding

14. Visit The Eiffel Tower. At night.

15. Become the proud owner of a BMW 7 series (black with black leather interior please)

16. Own a cat that my husband isn't allergic to (I'll name her Veruca)

17. Give a Matron of Honor speech at my sister's wedding

18. Go snorkeling

19.Watch a sunrise with my husband

20. Hear my adult sons tell me that I was an awesome mom

21. Babysit my grandkids while my son and daughter-in-law take a weekend getaway

22. Take a helicopter ride

23. Heal the rifts and the breaks in my life between the people I love and myself

24. Get a tattoo (even if it's an itty bitty one that only my husband can see)

25. Swim with dolphins

26. Wear a bathing suit on the beach. With no cover up. And feel great!

27.Take my daughter-in-law shopping for my grandchild. And pay for everything

28. Turn my home into the house of my dreams

29. Cook a Thanksgiving dinner. Exactly the way my mom does

30. Somehow, someway, convey to the people in my life just how much I absolutely love them

What do YOU wanna do before you die?

♥ Elena

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching"

Featured: Blue Cupcake

It's been a month already since Dominic's 4th birthday party and I've been so busy that I haven't gotten the chance to blog about it!
I did want to offer a sneak peak at some of the photos though!
I purchased cupcakes in lou of a cake this year and I went directly to Julie at Blue Cupcake.
Not only is her design work and creativity amazing but the cupcakes are SOOO delicious!

The awesome cupcakes are only worthy of the right display so I combined fish bowls (with fake fish in them) and glass plates to put together a cupcake tower.
I sent some of the photos over to Blue Cupcake and I was thrilled when they sent me an email that they had posted some of the pictures on their blog!
Click HERE to take a look!

Here's a couple more that weren't posted:

Special thanks to Laura Laing for the great photo's!

♥ Elena

"Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected" ~ William Plomer

Wedding: Leslie & Armando

Wedding & Event Planning helps you to learn so much about people. Some people you mesh well with and instantly there's a bond.  I love that my first wedding blog post will be for Leslie & Armando. Leslie is one of thee sweetest brides I've ever worked with! She's friendly, easy going and is so appreciative of the people around her. I loved how she included me in every aspect of her wedding planning even though I was just her coordinator. I felt honored that she trusted my judgment when it came to suggestions on planning one of the most important days of her life.
Leslie and Armando's wedding day was beautiful! Everything fell into place and when we left for the night Leslie and Armando were tearing up the dance floor!

 Mr. and Mrs. Tolentino!

Leslie's sisters Jamie & Marlene were so incredibly sweet and helpful!

There's nothing more special than that sister bond!

I love the joy in this photo!

 

Leslie and Armando, 

Thank you so much for allowing me to be such a big part of such a special day!

I wish you all the wonderful things that love can bring!

♥ Elena

"Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live" ~  Unknown





Some of Leslie & Armando's Vendors:
Photography: Shannon Lee Images
Hair: Elizabeth Cedillo
Makeup: Lauren Manzano

Your MUA Elena: Ashleigh Taylor Photography

Recently I had the pleasure of doing makeup for a photoshoot. The photographer? The sweet and always giggly Ashleigh Taylor. I have done makeup for some shoots with Ashleigh before and I've also had the honor of being one of her clients. She's ultra laid back, always laughing and super appreciative. I'm always so glad to get an email from her!
This time her request was makeup for a bridal shoot, an engagement session and a Mr. and Mrs. shoot as well.
Though I don't have photos yet of the Mr. and Mrs. shoot yet I 'd love to share some from the bridal and engagement sessions:

Engagement:

All the fabulous hair for the shoot was done by Elizabeth of the Max Eli Style Lounge!

♥ Elena



"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art" ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson