Joy To The World

Another Christmas in the books...
Christmas Eve was so much fun at Aunt Marilyn's...Keith, Catherine, and Gregory performed an impressive U2 Christmas song, Austin picked up the tamborine, adding a little something to the song's percussion...

Mom led some traditional carols, while Avery performed a bit of an interpretive dance...

...everyone participated in the second annual, very entertaining, "12 Days of Christmas" sing-along...


...and Aunt Debbie conducted a really entertaining gift exchange game with the kids...

Christmas Day with the Allevatos was at Angela's house and Tony surprised me by showing up with Daisy in a Christmas sweater...so cute!!

and William entertained us with his new saxaphone that Santa brought him...

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Uncle Fran and Aunt Cherie's Christmas Party is a highlight of the Holiday Season each year...Billy truly outdid himself with the outdoor lights and decorations...Santa will have no trouble finding THAT house! Such a fun night visiting with family and friends...only a few more days 'till Christmas!!! Hooray!!!

Go, Kings, Go!

When Tony went to Moscow this past summer, he brought me back a beautiful mink hat. Now, living in LA, you can imagine how hard it is to find an occassion to wear such an accessory...well, last night, the temperature dipped into the 40's and we were going to the Kings' game, so it was a perfect excuse to break out the hat! Okay, maybe not perfect, but it was reason enough for me! Bailey the Mascot tried to swipe it from my head and put it on his own, but I was not about to let my hat hair be seen, so I took a picture with him instead! The Kings lost in overtime, but it was a really great game and a fun night.

Christmas Rocks!!!

Everyone came out to watch Gregory's Chorale and Dance Christmas Program...a really impressive show!!!

The Finale...

13.1 Miles

Cat and I ran in the City of Angels Half Marathon yesterday...so glad I did it, but WOW am I in pain today...it was a perfect day for it in terms of weather and Coach Cat did a great job of getting us ready for the run, plotting out various courses for us to train with over the past two months.

The race course was great - not too many hills, but some great scenery!

As you might suspect, Cat smoked me, but I pretty much held my 10-minute-per-mile pace, so I was happy with that...

Catherine Lima 1:51:36
Carly Lima 2:11:43

Here's Cat crossing the Finish Line...


And me a "few" minutes later...




The whole gang came out to support us and Tony and Daisy even ran with me for about a quarter mile of the last stretch!

I had to include this picture as well because it is so funny how the guy on the right accidentally walked into the picture right as Doug took it, but it totally looks like he was posed, standing next to Paul!


After the race, we all went to the Grove for brunch, stopping to take a quick pic in front of Santa's Workshop


Later that night, we met up with Erin and Grandma at Taste of Texas so we could hear all about Paul and Erin's Aussie Adventures...next time you see Erin, be sure to ask her about the "salties" and the "freshies" (crocodiles)!

The Merriest Place on Earth

Mom got three free passes for Disneyland in the mail and Catherine has an Annual Pass, so the four of us headed for the Magic Kingdom for the day to turn back into 10-year -olds and enjoy the Christmas Spirit for the day...it was a beautiful sunny Southern California "winter" day and the park was decked from top to bottom with lights, ornaments, and holly...the Happiest Place on Earth during the best time of the year!

Click HERE for all the pics.

It's A Small World transformed into the most spectacular Christmas celebration...this was the highlight of the day for sure!


The Christmas Fantasy Parade was so beautiful and so entertaining! My favorite float was the one with the princesses...

The Haunted Mansion was decorated to the theme of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, which was really cool, until the ride broke down! Oh well, it was kinda cool to walk back out of the ride and see all the props close up...

The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was so cool, with great scenes right from the movie!

Disneyland after dark was absolutely breathtaking!!!

Sunday Tribute

Sweet article about Grandma and Grandpa in today's Tribune...

Suzy's Engagement Party

Congratulations, Suzy and Matt! A fun night at Suzy's parents' house in Palos Verdes to celebrate their engagement, and a great chance to catch up with Suzy's friends...looking forward to the big day next year!

Me, Patti, Christie, Suzy, Amy Jo, and Neha

Thanksgiving 2008

Daisy REALLY enjoyed her first trip to Grandma Lima's for Thanksgiving!

And she had sooo much fun with all the Little Limas!

Avery was quite the little rockstar on Guitar Hero...

And I got to ask Avery and Allison to be my flowers girls!

Me and my flower girls!

Here's a preview (from Kurt and Erin's wedding) of how adorable they are going to be in June!

Go Colts!!!

Mike, Brian, Tony and I went to San Diego for the afternoon to watch the Colts beat the Chargers! It was my very first NFL game and so much fun! We had great seats right on the 50-yard line and it was a very exciting game, with the Colts winning by a field goal with 2 seconds left!

I think my favorite part was when the fighter jets did a fly-by after the National Anthem...here's the video clip...

Brian and Mike

These girls next to us were so adorable, trying desperately to get on camera...

I love Peyton!

and a video clip of the game-winning kick...

True Love

Lucy Theresa Cavezza, 90, passed gently into the arms of the Lord on November 16, 2008 in Glendora, California. Her passing came just one week after the death of her husband Carmen. After 67 years of marriage, they truly could not live, or die, without each other. Lucy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 7, 1918, one of eleven children born to Attilio and Gaetana Angelini, Italian immigrants who ran a grocery store. In 1941, she married Carmen Cavezza, the son of fellow store owners. They moved to California in 1946, where they built a beautiful life together. Lucy was an active parishioner and school parent at St. Joseph's in La Puente and she was the very first Parent Club Vice President at Bishop Amat High School. She was a devoted wife, a true "soccer mom" of her time, and most importantly, a beautiful and pure model of her Christian faith. She is survived by her loving children Fran (Cherie) and Mary Grace (Joe); her grandchildren Carole, Billy, Carly, Paul, Catherine, and Gregory; and her great-grandchildren Nicole and Brandon. Funeral Services will be held on Friday November 21st at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 2161 Fullerton Road, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 (626) 964-1291 Viewing 8a-12p, Rosary 12:15p, Mass 12:30p, Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bishop Amat Memorial High School, contact the Development Office 626.962.2495 Ext. 1-7456

Click HERE for more pics of Grandma and Grandpa

Congratulations, Kurt and Erin! 11/15/08

Kurt and Erin's wedding was so beautiful! I'm sure when they picked their wedding date, there's no way they could have predicted such a sunny summery day in autumn...it was just perfect and the looks on their faces say it all...

Click HERE for all the pictures.

A little snippet of the exchange of vows...

The cutest members of the wedding party and their families...

Kurt and Erin danced their first dance to "The Way You Look Tonight" as the wedding party blew bubbles around them...nice move at the end, guys!

Alli, the flower girl, who also caught the bouquet...I think I actually found someone who likes weddings as much as I do!

Alli got a hold of Uncle Steve's camera...

I don't know if these kids EVER left the dance floor...

Gregory played the part of Uncle Joe...