Author: starrfamily5

Once we got to the Grand Canyon, we had a nice lunch out on the patio at El Tovar, overlooking the canyon. Then we hiked the Bright Angel Trail.

One of the coolest parts of our hike was moving aside for the mules to walk through.

I was shocked to see a family similar to ours traveling back up the canyon on the famous “sure-footed” mules. I’m not sure I could do that myself, but it looked really extraordinary.

Our time at the Grand Canyon was a bit too short, but it was fun to share it with the kids.

Next time we go back, I’d love for us to stay at the Grand Canyon to experience the sunset and sunrise and do a full hike.

On our way home, we decided to check out Bearizona. I think Hunter enjoyed it the most.

Justin and I were pretty tired, but it was fun to drive through, looking for all the animals. It was a nice way to wrap up our adventure.

After our loooong visit at the ortho office, we hurried over to cousin Elise’s “Addams Family” play, as she was playing Wednesday Addams.

It’s fun to live close enough to Bri to share in the sweet girls’ performances. And the kids LOVE watching plays.

The week started off with a strings performance featuring Emma Louise and her violin. She looked extra beautiful up there on stage.

Pa even came to watch the performance, and afterward, we took the crew to Andy’s for celebratory ice cream. It was pretty funny looking back into the minivan and seeing Pa eating ice cream alongside all the kids.

Tons of fun with my “afterschool crew”! They LOVE when October rolls around and I take them to the Spirit store. So much fun running up and down the aisles!

We followed it up with a trip to Baba Bling Cupcakes, where we learned last year that they fully decorate in a “Beetlejuice” theme each Halloween.

Another meet-up with these two beauties. Never in a million years would I have guessed that two of my “competitors” would become such incredibly dear friends.

Somehow, I even talked each of them into letting me interview them for my new podcast!

The support and wisdom they share with me is invaluable, and it definitely helps that we share so many similar values in how we run our businesses.

Fall Break started off with hosting the Nelson family for a fun-filled pizza night. It’s been amazing to watch all these kiddos grow a little more each year.

Hunter has woken up early his whole life. This particular morning, he found me on the couch, sipping my coffee in peace. I tell him, “Son, there’s no way that TV is coming on right now — I’m having a moment.”

He disappears into the dark house for a bit, then returns a short while later.

I say, “Buddy, it’s not happening.” He replies, “Your moment’s over.”

I ask, “How do you figure?” He says, “Because it’s been over one minute and thirty seconds.” I reply, “You think that’s how long a moment is?” He nods confidently: “Yes, that’s what Alexa told me.”

The fall break weekend kicked off with the kids heading down to Casa Grande.

While in Casa Grande, the kids witnessed a Starlink satellite constellation during a walk to Burger King with Pa for ice cream — a simple but magical moment to top off their weekend.

My After-School Crew 🖤

I took them shopping for Chase’s birthday gifts, and to their delight, they discovered all the Halloween items were already on display. Emma and Hunter picked out scary masks—and wore them proudly through the entire store, even making a baby cry.

Hunter has been talking about “Uncle Chase’s” birthday for weeks. He was absolutely thrilled to bake Chase’s birthday cake—and pretty much did it all by himself. That boy loves cooking, baking, and celebrating big!

We had the best time celebrating Chase!

Everyone gathered at our home, and while we waited for Justin to get home from work (and bring dinner), Chase opened his gifts. Each kiddo had written him a special card and put so much thought into their gifts—it made the night extra meaningful.

We dined, we sang, we laughed—a lot. It was one of those feel-good nights where everyone simply enjoyed being together.

And I think it’s safe to say Chase felt extra loved, too. 💙

Happy 35^th Birthday, Chase!

April recorded the first podcast with me, and Linda the second! 🎙 In between, I’ve been loving after-school hangs with Hunter—finishing art projects, celebrating his “100 Club” win, and just watching him shine. 💙 Parent/teacher conference went well—all great news from his 3rd-grade teacher!

Justin’s adorable little basketball team won their championship game! I’m so proud of my guys. What a season, what a team.

The podcast efforts continue! It’s been a lot of work to get started, and the kids have had to be extra patient with us on the weekends. Hopefully soon we’ll find our rhythm so it doesn’t feel quite so labor-intensive.

In the meantime, the kids have been making their own versions of the podcast—and it’s absolutely hysterical. Honestly, that’s where the real magic lies. ✨

The girls looked so cute on “college day.” They earn student council points when they dress up for certain spirit days, and the best part is that both of their ASU shirts were thrift shop finds.

I also love my silly alone time with Hunter. Most days I pick him up at 2:55, while the girls don’t get out until 3:30, which gives us a little pocket of fun together in the van—sometimes reading, sometimes practicing spelling words, sometimes just listening to music.

There’s a new little coffee truck that recently popped up right around the corner from the girls’ school, and Hunter sweet-talked me into stopping one day.

We also have an old-fashioned ice cream truck that rolls through our neighborhood once a week. Something about that nostalgic music makes both Justin and me want to yell “Ice cream!” right along with the kids.

I had the best day getting out on the field Friday. The morning started bright and early with a 7 a.m. wedding walk-through at the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden with Jessie, Tyler, and Jessie’s parents.

Afterward, Alicia and I teamed up to drop off gifts at a handful of our favorite venues—Sanctuary, Royal Palms, Omni Montelucia, Mountain Shadows, Andaz, and McCormick Ranch Golf Club.

The outing wrapped up with Melissa and Camelia treating us to lunch at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. As I sat there, I couldn’t help but reflect on how wild it is to think about the relationships this industry has brought into my life. The wedding world is full of such special humans who pour their hearts into creating magic for others, and I feel so lucky to be surrounded by them.

These two. I just love, love, love watching them.

This recent basketball season has been wild. The team is really, really, good. The team is currently number one in the league with the championship game coming up this Saturday.

I’m so proud of Hunter for pushing himself, I see his confidence growing each passing week. And I know he loves having his Dad as his coach and his number one fan.

Exciting times around here—Justin and I have been working hard on launching a podcast, the first big step toward eventually creating an online course. It feels so good to collaborate with him again on a creative project, a great reminder of what a solid team we are. I’m getting more and more excited with each step we take.

After Hunter’s basketball game, Dad took the kids to Casa Grande for the night, giving us the perfect window to dive in. Justin took new photos of me for the cover art, we filmed the promo video to introduce the podcast, and I chose the music while recording intros and outros. It’s a lot to learn, but we’re having so much fun figuring it out together.

We wrapped up the day with a celebratory sushi date.

It’s been a bit of a rough week around here—Hunter missed three days of school (we later found out it was due to COVID), and to top it off, our not-even-one-year-old air conditioner broke.

At first, we thought we were going to be out over $2k to get it fixed, but thankfully, through a connection with one of Justin’s co-workers’ husbands (Mike, a realtor), we were able to get the fees waived and the project expedited.

Justin took Thursday off to watch little man and oversee the repair, while I snuck away to a coffee shop for a little breather.

The girls took this photo of a rainbow over our home from Emma’s bedroom window.

When life throws you a challenging week, I guess you gotta treat yourself to some Baskin-Robbins—the kids didn’t seem to mind.

Justin and I snuck away for a little “Target” date, leaving the crew at home. It’s pretty cool that we’re now at a stage where we can do that, even if just for short windows. We picked up some “fall gifts” for venue partners. Sunday was spent diving into all the functionality for my upcoming podcast—a much-needed step toward my future goals of taking J.Starr Wedding Company to the next level.

Despite Hunter feeling crummy most of the week, we still managed to squeeze in a little fun.

One afternoon I took him to a painting studio where he got to enjoy some creative time.

By Friday, he was finally feeling well enough to return to school, and Justin was able to step in for Pa and attend “Grandparents Day” with him.

Fun “Girls Day” in Phoenix! We started with brunch at Wren & Wolf to celebrate Adriana, who’s expecting a baby girl any day now. It was such a treat to spend time with a few of our Lead Planners and their daughters.

After brunch, I took Hannah & Emma on a little mini shopping spree at Urban Outfitters, followed by Starbucks, and we wrapped it all up with a stop at Uncle Chase’s for some good conversation and Toby cuddles.

The week kicked off with a haboob storm—Hannah loved watching it roll in.

I cherished celebrating Melissa’s birthday at Benihana, a tradition she’s kept since college, thanks to her annual birthday coupon. She always makes me laugh.

I treated myself to an Orange Dream Machine, my favorite smoothie from my college days.

Hunter enjoyed Pajama Day at school, and Justin and I even managed to sneak in a little Friday midday date at Pei Wei.

“Simply Beautiful Weddings,” a floral company, extended an invitation for a floral class and studio tour. Lauren and Alicia were able to join, and we had so much fun hanging out in person and working with florals. I just LOVE having a team of planners who have become such incredible friends.

Basketball continues to be a theme in our home, and I love watching Justin coach Hunter’s games. It’s been a challenging season since Hunter is one of the youngest and least experienced on his team, and the skill level in this higher league is intense. But he’s trying hard and improving each week.

Dad came up to watch a game, then took the kids for the weekend—he even practiced skills with them and sent me most of these photos.

Saturday night, Justin and I hosted a little dinner gathering at our home to celebrate Addie’s birthday.

Justin made delicious steaks, shrimp, and sweet potatoes, and I handled the decorating. It was so fun to host friends and celebrate Addie.

I also really enjoyed getting to know Lauren and Ramsey a bit better—they’re so much fun.

Family Album Link, week 35

These kiddos sure keep life fun, busy, and constant.

Hunter earned a spot in the “100 Club” for receiving “Playa Pride” tickets. I even received a phone call from the school to share the news with me! We’re so proud of our little man—he’s shining bright solo at his elementary school.

The girls sported their “J.Starr shirts” for “twins” day at school. Meanwhile, Emma has been practicing the “worm” for her upcoming school dance. I love how she never takes herself too seriously.

When Hannah Bear is feeling a bit anxious, she’s good about going on walks with me. The physical movement paired with good life chats always seems to help. Hannah also loves a good monsoon storm.

The girls experienced their 1st Junior High Dance!

Friday was spent with Chase—we had an interesting lunch at “Urban Fraiche Restaurant,” followed by a productive work session. The weekend was filled with basketball, pool time, brunch at “Snooze” in downtown Gilbert,

and Hunter playing poker with his favorite buddy.

One afternoon, while on a sales call, I looked down and realized my diamond was missing. My heart sank. I searched frantically—still managing to book the client—but no luck. To make matters worse, our house had just been deep cleaned, and I feared it had been swept away by the vacuum.

After hours of searching, I left to pick up the kids. While chatting with Hunter about his laundry, he asked, “Mom, did you look in the dirty clothes hamper?” Instantly, I felt a strong sense of calm. Sure enough, when I got home and dumped the clothes on the bed, there it was—my diamond.

The joy was indescribable. It isn’t the monetary value that makes it so special, but the sentimental one. Finding it felt like the luckiest moment—truly a diamond in the rough.

Starbucks runs for my after-school crew.

Lunch with April at ChopShop.

Attended the MJHS PTSO meeting

Thankfully, both girls were accepted into the Student Council.

Dad came up—apparently for a manicure, pancakes, and to watch

Hunter’s (and Justin’s) basketball game.

I picked up the kids from Mom and Dad’s a little earlier on Sunday so I could take Mom shopping and out to lunch. She doesn’t come up as often as she used to because of her lupus, so we sneak in an outing anytime she’s feeling well enough. We browsed Dollar Tree and then grabbed lunch at Barro’s.

Meanwhile, Justin reassembled our cabana outside—after it had been sitting in our front room for the past two years—and it was such a nice change.

Well, here I am, yet again. It’s been 7 years since I originally started this blog. Yet life continues to fly. I desire so strongly to better preserve our family photos and memories in a way that will allow us to enjoy them.