Happy Birthday Friend Series: Happy Birthday ''Hippie'' Melanie

As you all may know, my children have a penchant for giving my friends nicknames. Two of my friends have ''crazy'' in front of their names. My kids have taken to calling my newest sister of the heart ''hippie'' Melanie. I better take this story back to where it begins, Twitter of course....

When I was moving to Knoxville, I knew my friends Lee,Flavia and the Franklin/Burnett family. By way of one of the NKOTB fans on Twitter Lori, I was introduced to Abbie but she quickly informed me she lived on the other side of Tennessee. In one tweet she mentioned Melani and Sheree telling me they lived in Knoxville too. We quickly introduced and they shared some things about the area that I was moving to. We made plans to have lunch soon after I moved to town.

We had lunch discussing our mutual love of NKOTB, we were immediately friends from the get go. We would talk on Twitter and met for lunch a few times. One day last fall, while meeting for lunch we were discussing how we had an insurance snafu with Marty and how my schedule wasn't working out for my family. They told me that I should come apply at their employer, it would be a good fit for me and my schedule. I had heard all about the benefits of their job but didn't even know what they did! Two weeks later, I knew it was the perfect fit for me and a great career move.

Melani was there for me from day one, meeting me for lunch on my breaks and encouraging me along the way. For the past year in her corner office, we have had some great times, we have cried together, laughed together, worried together, talked about our dogs and talked about a lot of NKOTB. I think the people who work near her office wonder what we do in there?

Melani has helped me out this past year in so many ways. She has rescued me when my car broke down ( last week she drove me to work almost all week). Helped take Conner to Explorers when Marty and I were working.

Last summer when I went to a New Kids concert all by myself, Melani made sure to come check on me at every break. She and Sheree didn't want me to be alone at the show, they made sure I had company.

Melani is more than a friend, she is family to us in Tennessee. ( Sheree too)

Sometimes friendship is effortless and easy, you just click and that's the end of that. The best thing is that this summer she was able to meet some of my other SOH's in Vegas. I love that she met Lindsey, Gena and Andrea people from my life in California. How cool is that?

She and Sheree hung out with Lindsey one night in Vegas which was amazing. I love that my friends got to spend time together. Now they're friends too.

Melani has shown me selfless friendship this past year. She is a giving and loving person, I only hope to be half the friend she is to me in return. She has helped me learn the kind of friend I want to be and see selflessness in action. She has given me far more than I have given in return. Truly a blessing to our entire family.

Sometimes you move and you wonder why? I know why I ended up in Tennessee, I know why I am at the job I am at and I know my life wouldn't be the same without Melani. I thank God for her each and every day.

Happy birthday Melani, praying for a wonderful year filled with nothing but happiness. Maybe we will get to live our dream of seeing NKOTB together this year.

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Happy Birthday Anita

A few years ago, I had a private, closed Twitter account where I spent a lot of time talking to two friends. I added a few strangers but mainly just read tweets and conversed with my two friends. Conner and I had started becoming more interested in professional cycling. One morning in May 2011, Conner and I sat in our living room watching The Giro d' Italia sobbing because a rider on our favorite team was killed in a fatal crash on that mornings stage.

While our family and friends around us tolerated our strange hobby, we had nobody to talk with about it but each other. We really knew little about the sport or the community of the sport. We had attempted to make some friends in our area but nobody was friendly. So one day, Conner and I decided to create new Twitter accounts to talk about cycling. So I randomly started an account and started searching for people talking about cycling. About ten people in, I randomly followed, a lady named Anita, I followed her and she followed back. We chit chatted and she immediately tweeted me a list of who to followed.

Random is never really random. I was meant to know Anita and she introduced me to a world of wonderful people. The list of people she gave me transformed into friends and now I would say, they have become a family to our family.

Anita and I have never met. We just chatted cycling and life. Our family was planning to move to Georgia and the south. Then one day, Marty decided he wanted to move to Tennessee. Anita and her family lived in the exact area Marty had chosen to live. I immediately contacted Anita and her family, they really helped assimilate us to the area.

I finally got to meet the famous ''Divas''

We love Anita's family! Her Dad, Jeff aka ''DadBurnett''  has become a best friend and mentor to Conner, and our favorite Twitter Grandpa. Her husband Vic and his family are truly some of the kindest people I have ever met.

When we moved here, Marty was jobless. My first lunch with Anita and her mother in law Jane aka ''my southern hot momma'' she told me the county was hiring in Marty's field. Guess what? Marty got the job, he would have never known about it if Anita hadn't mentioned it.

Anita helped me through a lot of tough stuff this past summer. We don't get to see each other a whole lot even though we live in the same area. We are both busy working moms with families but I know if either of us needed each other, we would be right there.

Loved being there on the day Anita and Vic moved into their new home.

Truly can say, starting a Twitter account to follow cycling brought me some of the best friends who became a family. Thankful for all Anita has done to expand my world unitentionally or not, nothing is random or by chance. I love the way this friend came into my life and changed my world. If we're tweeps, there is probably a chance it is a ''six degrees of Anita B Franklin'' connection.

Love you Anita. Wishing you a happy birthday and a wonderful year filled with happiness and joy!

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Happy Birthday Melissa!

When this blog started in 2005, on the now defunct Myspace, I had a four loyal readers two of them were family and two of them friends. Not sure if the other three read any longer but I know Melissa is still reading this blog. She gets them in her email and sometimes will email me comments on them.

So it is only fitting after nearly ten years, ( that is right, next year Just Jules is celebrating 10 years of existence) that Mel get her own birthday blog!

Melissa was one of my first online friends back when making friends online was strange and weird. We never would tell people we made friends with someone on a message board! She was one of my first bible study students online. 

We're the same age and grew up in the 80's, we love a lot of the same things and our commonalities are many. For years, we've had our phone chats and emails where we've shard our truimphs, struggles and joys together. She was there for me when my grandparents were dying, she was actually the first phone call that I made from Stanford the first time we went there and were accepted into the transplant program. So the morning of Marty's transplant, she was the first person I called.

She is one of those friends who you know will always be there when you call. We haven't talked as much as we should in the last couple of years. Life has taken us in different directions, she has faced difficult times, quietly and bravely. 

She came out to California to visit me back in 2007. We had a fun weekend driving around LA and hanging out together.

We had a wonderful talk on the phone a few weeks ago, it had been too long. Both of us felt bad and lamented the fact we've been out of touch. I felt bad when she shared some tough words for me, sometimes when you have many friends, you can lose some in the shuffle. It's not intentional on my part, nobody is more important than anyone else. Some of you are just louder than others, Mel isn't loud she is quietly always there waiting in the wings.

She has been there through some of the weirder parts of my life, the parts that very few understand or have been through. Listening, giving advice and helping me through has been her specialty and I really couldn't have made it without her.

It's been a joy to watch her go from dreaming of children, suffering a heartbreaking loss and then becoming a mother. She is a hard working mom, who has worked hard for her career, gone to school all while raising two kids.  Melissa is the kind of friend that I look up to and am inspired  by.

Thanks for being there on this crazy journey Melissa. You will always have a special place in my life and heart. I am always just a phone call or email away when you need me and never feel like you aren't special to me.  Should we start a club 40? nah.....doesn't sound as fun as club 30 was let's just pretend we aren't heading to 40.

Happy Birthday Marty!

Every year, Marty asks me, ''Where is my birthday blog?'' to which  I reply, ''half of my blog is about you!'' so this year, I finally will write his birthday blog for him.

Behind this loud, emotional, crazy girl is a quiet, steady, strong man and this is his story:

Martin was a cute kid, named after his father Martin, they were called ''Big Marty'' and ''Little Marty'' by their family members. His parents divorced when he was only three, after third grade he chose to permanently live with his Dad and Grandmother in the family home in Fullerton.

Little Marty and a neighbor friend

Marty's dad was ravaged by Type 1 diabetes and was a good caretaker for Marty who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes himself at some age between 5-9.  He remembers living a life of measured kashi cereal and eating cake gels as glucose to bring his blood sugar up.

Big Marty and Little Marty

The Timms Men

He was a very doted upon only child, I actually have lists that his parents saved from their toy hunting adventures. They were known to drive all over southern California to buy Marty a toy. He had every single Star Wars toy in its original box....every.single. one. That also crossed over to GI Joe and Transformers. He had a five foot long toy box on casters. What happened to those toys? his Dad and Grandma eventually donated them. It's a story of legend.

He grew up bowling with his neighbors Albert and Tony. Star Wars toys gave way to skateboarding and having the best gear.

Marty and friend Albert

In junior high, I started riding on the same bus as Marty, we never spoke. It's funny, we have pictures from the same place and time, going to school together from 7th-12th grade. We had the many cross over friends but we never spoke.

Marty lived a different lifestyle than I did in those days. I do remember his daily treks to Taco Bell, once walking behind him and thinking he was stuck up. True story.

In 1994, a few months after we graduated high school our paths crossed and we finally saw each other. It was a rough start involving a one month break up. Three months after that we were engaged and so our lives began.

our engagement photo

We were young but had plans, both growing up in tough situations, we both grew up very fast. We knew what we wanted and stuck to it.

Our wedding day

Marty and I moved in his family home to care for his dying grandmother and father. Often we failed, we were 19 years old and even our parents hadn't gone through those things. I remember watching Marty make the toughest choice of his life in a hospital emergency room at 20 years old to let his Dad go. It was a heartbreaking moment to head home without his dad.

Marty and his parents

At his funeral, Marty said, ''If I can only be a 1/4 of the father my Dad was to my kids someday?'' A month later he wrote me a card and asked me if we could have a baby? he really wanted to have kids and didn't want to wait anymore. We had that five year mentality because of our ages but his dream of seeing his father hold his grandson was shattered. Just ten months later, Conner was born.

Proud Dad

Marty had never been around small kids but was a natural dad. He would take care of Conner in the mornings before I worked. Later when Elizabeth was born, she immediately had him wrapped around her finger. He would care for them during the day while I worked and he worked at night  to be home during the day.

First day as a Dad

We made our first big leap and moved 300 miles away from our families to start a new life. It was a tough journey that we accomplished together. Starting from nothing, Marty worked hard to build a life for our family alongside me. So proud of all he accomplished going to school to start a new career.

Marty and baby Conner

Together our lives came crumbling down in 2007 with a horrible diagnosis. Marty held his head high, worked 80 hrs a week and very rarely complained. It was me who often crumbled and lost it, Marty stood strong only breaking down twice in our four year journey.

He is a good husband, very patient with me, loving, and kind. He has always supported me, helped me through some really dark things and made me a better person  Never telling me ''no'' when I want to go on an adventure with friends,traveling to see my family or meeting up with my beloved tweeps. He always goes right along with me. He never once has told me to lose weight or anything about my appearance except that I am beautiful to him. God knew the day I met Marty, he told me that was my husband and chose well for me. I never have had to  wonder where he was? he has always been right by my side.

Never have I felt anything but that of a treasured and well loved wife, I am his world and he graciously shares me with the world. I asked him a few months back, when crying about something that happened to a twitter friend, '' Does it bother you that I let others in?'' and he said, ''That is what makes you who you are and I know you wouldn't be happy if you couldn't love others.'' I told you he is pretty darn wonderful!

Marty and I during our darkest times

I love coming home to the laughter of Marty and the kids. They have lots of laughs together, inside jokes and fun times. He is a wonderful father and an even better husband. Thanks to a boy named Jerry, we get to keep him longer than once expected.

Marty's favorite picture of the kids

Ours isn't a perfect life of rose colored glasses or easy, we have lived a hard life filled with much love and respect. I know my life would not be the same without this lovely man and I count myself very blessed to have him.

He makes me laugh, he tells me when I am wrong, he loves me unconditionally, worships the ground I walk on, is a wonderful dad, hard worker and just the even keel I need.

Happy birthday baby, I thank God for you each day and for the life we continue to live. It's been hard and uphill but we made it together. So thankful today we get to celebrate your 8th annual 29th birthday!

This one gets me everytime. Marty and our babies

Marty and the kids in front of his childhood home

Marty and my cousins

Daddy and the kids

Marty and his Poohnky

our first date

Marty took me to the Madonna Inn for my 30th birthday

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Happy Birthday Lee

When I was twelve years old, a boy got off the bus one day in junior high and caught my eye. ''Hey, he looks like Joe Mc Intyre from New Kids on the Block.'' I said to myself. ( I don't think Lee knows this story...) My quest begun to know who that boy was! I used to make our friend Carrie walk home from school the long way, so we could follow Liviu. I truly think, that sometimes you know when someone is important to your life.

As we went to high school, from my many days of following Liviu home. I started going to Christian club with Carrie so I could hang out with her and Liviu. I am truly thankful that I made that choice, being the little Catholic girl I was, I went to enough CCD that I didnt feel the need to go to Christian club. I am so glad that I followed them both there, it became a time of seed planting in my life.

As the high school years waned on, Lee and I got stuck in ''special math'' with a football coach together. He loves to tell the story about how we stink at math because we were taught by a football coach! That is when we truly bonded as friends.

Our senior year was a great year. We had nearly every class together and spent much of our time together along with our friend Gaby. We were the three amigos and enjoyed joking around together. '' U R A Dork'' was our affectionate nickname for our group. We had fun laughing, crying and supporting each other through our senior year. We realized, we had a special bond as friends, we just knew that we were brought together by God to be friends.

Gaby, Lee and I homecoming 1994

Lee and Jules prom 1994

We all three went off to college together continuing our friendship on a third campus. Eventually we all went our separate ways. I last saw Lee at my wedding to Marty, it would be years until I talked to him again. We went on with life.

Senior Yearbook picture. ''Most likely to cry at the movies''

In 2001, I called Lee's parents house and his dad got me in contact with him. We chatted, he was in a tough place in life and this time I could be the one to lift him up. I remember having some tough talks with him and praying for him. He came to visit my family in Visalia, I remember him saying how much he wanted a family like ours.

Lee the prom king with our favorite teacher

He moved away to TN, changed his name to Lee, met Flavia,got married. I still laugh when I see pictures on Facebook that he has commented on in years past. He kept telling Marty and I, ''y'all should move to Tennessee'' to which we just shook our heads and laughed. ''Crazy Lee'' we would say.

We would see each others pictures, comment on them and that was it. Until Marty decided he wanted to move to Tennessee and I wrote Lee a note. By the end of that day, we were moving to TN, so I could work for Lee.

It has been fun being together again. For me the best part has been finally getting to meet his better half Flavia and darling daughter Nora. I have a new sister of the heart and niece whom I adore. Working together has taught us a lot about each other. We have learned some tough lessons from each other about each other and I truly know it has been God using us in each others lives. I like living nearby and having our families together.

 Best thing Lee ever did was marry Flavia!

Sometimes we have special friends come into our lives. Lee has been a friend that has always challenged me, we have learned a lot from being friends with each other. We have been through a lot of things together that most friendships wouldn't survive. We always overcome obstacles and remain friends. We have gone from being friends, to best friends to being like brother and sister. We've known each other longer than we've known our spouses and most other people.

I love little Nora!

Lee, you big dork. I am thankful for all you've done for me throughout the years. Thank you for being my friend through thick and thin. God brought us together, kept us together and will keep us together. So thankful you taught me to love him at a young age. We have survived so many things as friends and always will as we keep our eyes fixed on him. Most people don't get our unconventional friendship, I am just glad that we do. Thanks for all you've done for me this year. Happy birthday, wishing you a year of blessings and happiness. I love you Dork!

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Buon Compleano Dave a.ka. Heidi

I know we all make fun of my love of Twitter but Twitter has brought me some of the very best friends in life.  Heidi and I met through our mutual love of cycling on Twitter. One night a group of us were talking about the AMGEN Tour of Ca and I invited her to come stay with my family for the next years race. We had known each other a few months at the time. I know that sounds crazy but when you know a kindred spirit, you just know.

The next year, Heidi and our friend Jen, came and took me up on my offer. It was great to have them come stay with my family. We laughed, met riders and had the best of times. In fact, she is the one who made my picture with Christoph Riblon happen!  Heidi and Jen became friends for life that week and we had an amazing time. I was so sad to see them both go.

Heidi and I get along very well, we both have the same outlook on life and people. She is a golden rule kind of person and a great listener. During my challenge of self awareness this year, she is one person I have chosen as a confidant. She really has stepped up to the role and been a great email sounding board for me. Very thankful that she has entrusted me with the very same role in return.

The best part about Heidi is she is just as wacky as me! I love her love of all things Italian, men, the language, the wine, she has immersed herself in Italian culture and it makes me smile. A few weeks ago, when I was on my Twitter break, it came to me. Heidi is our very own Dave!

Who is Dave you might ask?

 

Now I lovingly call Heidi ''Dave'' with a smile and laugh. It is fun to have great friends like Heidi, who my whole family loves and calls friend. She brings a lot of happy and joy to the kids and I via Twitter. It is people like her that make me love cycling more.

I used Google Translate, it is most definitely probably wrong but it's the thought that counts....right?

Grazie Heidi per essere un buon amico. Ho soprattutto vi ringrazio per avermi aiutato gli ultimi due mesi. Sono contento che siamo in grado di sostenersi a vicenda e sollevare un l'altro come sorelle del cuore fanno.

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Carrie( The First Birthday Blog)

Happy birthday Carrie, it has been wonderful to know you these past 20 years. Since you are my second oldest friend, I think I can write a tribute to you on my blog. So without further ado......


Have you ever heard the saying that at some point a girlfriend stops being a friend and becomes a sister? Well Carrie is like that to me. We never see each other and it has been about 10 years since we last saw one another, but we have always stayed in touch. It has been fun watching her family grow and seeing her as a mother, she is truly a natural born mother and wife.

Carrie and I met the second day of junior high at the bus stop, I had walked there from my apartment down the street. I had this uber cool friend Abbie, she was chic even at 12. Anyways, Abbie says to me " Don't talk to that girl, she is a nerd!" and looks over at Carrie who is leaning against the fence reading Anne of Green Gables. Right then I learned one of the most profound lessons in my life, Never judge a book by it's cover. Being one to always strike my own path, I talked to her because she was reading my most favorite book. We became fast friends, especially because we got put in the same homeroom together. Now poor Carrie got paired with a extremely hyper table mate who was obsessed with New Kids on the Block.

 Here is Carrie's favorite story to tell about that time: One day I told her " Hey come here, I have a secret to tell you" and when she leaned over I screamed at the top of my lungs in her ear and laughed hysterically. I was so wound up that day and had to get my energy out somehow, but poor Carrie she probably suffers from permanent hearing loss!

 We traversed the ugly path of jr high school and even took the most exciting trip of our lives together. We went to Washington,DC for our 8th grade trip, it was so fun to see history together and we both still talk about it to this day. We survived those crazy bus rides to school together and just today she said to me " Hey, when I heard New Kids were getting back together, I thought of you." and " I remember the story of you and Liviu!" she knows the story and I will tell you why.

One of the things Carrie would always do is share her love of Jesus with me. She grew up in a Christian home and loves the Lord, she was always telling me about God and sometimes I wasn't very nice about it.

When we moved on to high school we both had to walk to school. So for the next 3 years we walked to school together everyday back and forth. Boy, that was a experience, one time we got flashed and possibly almost abducted, it was awful!

So the story goes, I would talk Carrie into walking the longer way home so we could follow Liviu home. Poor Carrie, once again she fell prey to one of my hair brained schemes, I am cracking up writing this.

 The next year she joined swimming and got really mad at me because I copied her, I really loved it and I am so glad I copied her. She excelled in school and was the best student I knew, she ended up being our Salutatorian at graduation. High school was a bit rough on our friendship at times and we both went through some really tough things. She was always there for me with my family stuff and really knows a lot about my home life growing up. Her mom who I like to call Miss Nancy really encouraged me to be a good student and attend school ( she once called me because I missed five days with strep throat). Her mom would also give us rides when it rained and opened there home to me more than once. They had such a nice family and a super cool dog Bandit. Carrie joined me in Speech and Debate our senior year and we ended up winning two trophies together.

After high school she went on to college and I went on to working and being in LOVE. She was one of the first people I called to tell I was getting married. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and saw Conner right after he was born. I was able to go to her wedding and see her start out life with Chase. She is a wonderful wife and mother, very talented teacher and a good friend. I love you so much Carrie and I thank you for being a seed planter in my life. You never turned your back on me and stuck by me even when I didn't deserve it. Happy 32nd birthday my wonderful friend! psst, if you click on my title you can see what she looks like now.

Senior year:


In my wedding:


At her wedding, she was a beautiful bride:

Happy Birthday Friend Series: Happy Birthday Carrie ( The First Birthday Blog)

Happy birthday Carrie, it has been wonderful to know you these past 20 years. Since you are my second oldest friend, I think I can write a tribute to you on my blog. So without further ado......


Have you ever heard the saying that at some point a girlfriend stops being a friend and becomes a sister? Well Carrie is like that to me. We never see each other and it has been about 10 years since we last saw one another, but we have always stayed in touch. It has been fun watching her family grow and seeing her as a mother, she is truly a natural born mother and wife.

Carrie and I met the second day of junior high at the bus stop, I had walked there from my apartment down the street. I had this uber cool friend Abbie, she was chic even at 12. Anyways, Abbie says to me " Don't talk to that girl, she is a nerd!" and looks over at Carrie who is leaning against the fence reading Anne of Green Gables. Right then I learned one of the most profound lessons in my life, Never judge a book by it's cover. Being one to always strike my own path, I talked to her because she was reading my most favorite book. We became fast friends, especially because we got put in the same homeroom together. Now poor Carrie got paired with a extremely hyper table mate who was obsessed with New Kids on the Block.

 Here is Carrie's favorite story to tell about that time: One day I told her " Hey come here, I have a secret to tell you" and when she leaned over I screamed at the top of my lungs in her ear and laughed hysterically. I was so wound up that day and had to get my energy out somehow, but poor Carrie she probably suffers from permanent hearing loss!

 We traversed the ugly path of jr high school and even took the most exciting trip of our lives together. We went to Washington,DC for our 8th grade trip, it was so fun to see history together and we both still talk about it to this day. We survived those crazy bus rides to school together and just today she said to me " Hey, when I heard New Kids were getting back together, I thought of you." and " I remember the story of you and Liviu!" she knows the story and I will tell you why.

One of the things Carrie would always do is share her love of Jesus with me. She grew up in a Christian home and loves the Lord, she was always telling me about God and sometimes I wasn't very nice about it.

When we moved on to high school we both had to walk to school. So for the next 3 years we walked to school together everyday back and forth. Boy, that was a experience, one time we got flashed and possibly almost abducted, it was awful!

So the story goes, I would talk Carrie into walking the longer way home so we could follow Liviu home. Poor Carrie, once again she fell prey to one of my hair brained schemes, I am cracking up writing this.

 The next year she joined swimming and got really mad at me because I copied her, I really loved it and I am so glad I copied her. She excelled in school and was the best student I knew, she ended up being our Salutatorian at graduation. High school was a bit rough on our friendship at times and we both went through some really tough things. She was always there for me with my family stuff and really knows a lot about my home life growing up. Her mom who I like to call Miss Nancy really encouraged me to be a good student and attend school ( she once called me because I missed five days with strep throat). Her mom would also give us rides when it rained and opened there home to me more than once. They had such a nice family and a super cool dog Bandit. Carrie joined me in Speech and Debate our senior year and we ended up winning two trophies together.

After high school she went on to college and I went on to working and being in LOVE. She was one of the first people I called to tell I was getting married. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and saw Conner right after he was born. I was able to go to her wedding and see her start out life with Chase. She is a wonderful wife and mother, very talented teacher and a good friend. I love you so much Carrie and I thank you for being a seed planter in my life. You never turned your back on me and stuck by me even when I didn't deserve it. Happy 32nd birthday my wonderful friend! psst, if you click on my title you can see what she looks like now.

Senior year:


In my wedding:


At her wedding, she was a beautiful bride: