Petals

Wednesday chuckle

2012-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

I work with some of the bestest people on the planet. No really...my work peeps are the bomb biggity. There are a select few of them that pull my day out of the crapper just by being their wonderfully goofy selves. Today three such coworkers mader me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe (there was a short-lived fear of emitting the dreaded snort that happens sometimes when I'm experiencing a hearty guffaw)and my sides did indeed hurt. In the midst of a rediculously busy day at work, when I'm feeling cranky, its nice to know that if I wait a few minutes, a good chuckle is bound to materialize.

Amelia's Plight

2012-01-16T11:29:00.001-08:00

I read the story of Amelia on another site, and the posting from another blogger who, rightfully, is outraged at the Childrens Hospital of Philidelphia for denying a life-saving kidney transplant to this little girl for the fact that she is considered "mentally retarded". Not only do they use this as an excuse to deny the preceedure (which, by the way, the family will donate the kidney for), they also pull out the 'quality of life' excuse. This child is someone's daughter. She matters to them - her LIFE matters to them, even if she doesn't fit the doctors criteria for being important enough to save. I guess I must have missed the part where when doctors take the oath to first do no harm and save lives, that it listed the exclusions. C'mon, doctors of Childrens Hospital of Philly....do the right thing.

This is the link to the story about Amelia being denied the operation:
http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/amelia/brick-walls/

Here is a link to the petition by Change.org to get the hospital to do the operation:
http://www.change.org/petitions/executive-vice-president-and-chief-development-officer-allow-the-kidney-transplant-amelia-rivera-needs-to-survive

Wise Words From a Sponge

2012-01-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this quote the other day and just fell in love with it, so I am sharing it with all of you.

"You will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
~Spongebob Squarepants

The Sick and the Tired

2012-01-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ohhhh man what a long, miserable couple days it has been. That rat bastard, Stomach Flu Bug, caught me in a half-Nelson! Drug me right down to the floor - the BATHROOM floor - and wouldn't let me up until today. Hoping I can take on the multiple flights of stairs at work tomorrow without keeling over. Just putting a load of laundry in to wash today left me dizzy, winded and totally wiped me out :( What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right?

New Year, New Start

2012-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm a sheep. I am joining the masses who decided to get in shape this year. Or in my case, BACK in shape. I totally lost my mojo in 2011. I got lazy about my workouts, undisciplined in my eating (I let carbs back in, and bread, oh the bread...I can't have it - allegic to yeast - but that didn't stop me, did it?)and the result is a flabby out of shape bod. Ugh. This is unacceptable. So I am recommiting myself to healthy eating, eliminating carbs again, and pushing myself hard to reclaim the fit, trim me I was before. In the immortal words of Yoda, "Do or do not, there is no try."

The End

2011-12-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

2011 is dwindling down to its final hours. I am spending my last 2011 minutes watching old movies and having a glass of wine. In vino veritas, yes? Truth is...I am glad to see 2011 go. So ready for a new year to begin, bringing with it new opportunities and possibilites. CARPE ANNUM!!!

I wish you all much love and blessings tonight, and for the new year ahead.

See you in 2012.....

And she's back!

2011-12-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

Holy moley! I have been PC-less since my last post. My computer got a naaaaasty virus from...well, downloading without protection. I've been waiting (somewhat) patiently for my hubby to get around to removing it. About 2 weeks ago he did - yay! I need to find a new background so bear with me as I get it together.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and have some good plans for New Year's Eve.

Stay tuned....as Arnold says, "I'll be back."

WhY i WeaR FUZZY soX

2011-10-24T17:23:00.001-07:00

Reasons why i wear thick, soft fuzzy socks:

1% because they're warm
1% because they're comfy
98% because I can shuffle across the carpet and shock the bejeebers out of my unsuspecting victim!

Ahhhhh....fuzzy socks.

Costumes in a Box

2011-10-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are my age - give or take a few years - probably can remember going to the local Woolworth's or Kmart as a kid to pick out your Halloween costume. Excited beyond words, you raced through the store, dragging whichever parent happened to be lucky (hee hee) enough to accompany you on your mission by the hand down the aisles until you found it - the costume aisle.

And there they were....rows and rows of costumes! Underdog, Batman,Casper the Ghost, Barbie, Cinderella, G.I. Joe, Frankenstein - almost anything you could think of! All stacked on the shelves in their BOXES.

Yes, boxes. Rows and rows of them!

Remember those thin palstic masks with the eyeholes cut out of the face of whomever it was you were going as, the small elastic band attached on each side to hold it on; the "outfit" consisting of a plastic poncho more or less, that tied behind your neck and your back?

I ran across a costume in a box several years ago while browsing an antique store in Evanston, Wyoming with my friend Rose. I was thrilled to see it! I had all but forgotten that piece of my childhood trick or treating experiences. I wish I would have bought it...just to have that little snippet of Halloweens back in the 'good old days'.

Oh well......there's always EBay.

Moses

2011-10-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." ~ Will Rogers

We lost our Moe yesterday. He's running the fields in heaven now. We'll see you later, Moe Mutt. We love you.

Ahhhhhh......fall

2011-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, fall.

Crisp morning air.
Trees cloaked in brilliant hues.
Sweaters.

Stockpots of stews and soups simmering on the stove.
Sunset comes earlier each day.
Pumpkin everything! Pancakes, bread, muffins…yum!
Hot apple cider.

Flannel sheets on the bed.
The smell of fires burning in neighborhood hearths.
Blankets on the couch to snuggle in watching old movies.
Jack-o-lanterns.

Corn mazing and house haunting.
The boys of fall under Friday night lights.
Bread baking in the oven.

Ahhhh…..fall.

Bygone Days

2011-09-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

When did it happen? And where the hell was I? Am I odd - abnormal even - for wondering where "We" went? I'm sure more couples than I think lose their sense of coupleness. Life's busy. Between school and work and kids and chores...somehow, somewhere in the sea of stuff, we lose sight of us. You and I. Me and you. And then there's just...you...and me.

Over the course of a marriage, things aren't always been a slide on ice. I really don't think I was mature enough to be married when we got hitched. Oh hell - I know I wasn't. I was afraid to speak my mind, to say when I was upset at my spouse. I still can't (it's easier not to. It will be my fault anyway so why mention it?)Lack of communication is a marriage killer. I didn't handle money well or wisely. I've acted like a brat and been downright mean when I felt I was wronged. I've escaped for a weekend out of town just because I couldn't handle one more second without letting off steam. I think I may have even lost my self somewhere along the way. A girls night out at Karen's with my BF or cosmic bowling with her and my niece helped me to remember who I was...who I am. Then there are the small things. Which, more often than not, turn into big things. Big things that cause annoyance and fights until one day you decide its too much energy to argue over or get mad about. Yep, your marriage is in trouble.

But the biggest thing - and I really do believe this - is that couples stop doing couple things. As soon as you lose the romance, stop doing the little things that you did when you were courting, its OVER. Go on dates. Hold hands. LISTEN to each other. Flirt with each other. Dream together. Slow dance in the living room. Watch the sunset. Making time for each other and doing things together (even grocery shopping...really!) as "us" is sososo imperative to the survival of a marriage.

Marriage is hard work. No one tells you just how tough it will be. The preacher or judge doesn't give you a handbook on how to make it work along with pronouncing you man and wife. You both have to work at it, every single day. Otherwise you'll wake up one morning and wonder where "we" went.

The Vick Lie

2011-09-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

(Fair warning...this is accompanied by a VERY graphic photo. Not for the faint of heart.)

Michael Vick is a liar. And I totally fell for it.

Its been said that wanting to see the good, or the best, in people is an admirable quality. In most cases I'm sure that's true. However. I am not feeling very admirable today. No, not even a skoosh. I'm feeling pretty much like the most gullible person ever to give her opinion on Michael Vick's 'repentance' voice. After being busted in the most publicized dog fighting ring case ever, he lost his job as a quarterback in the NFL, served 18 months in jail, was ordered to pay for the care of the dogs that survived his “kennel” to be confiscated and sent to animal shelters to be evaluated and rehabilitated, if possible, or simply live until they died of old age rather than the alternative – which was widely touted by law enforcement, the public and even PETA as the best and/or most humane thing to do for these dogs....euthanisation; since his arrest, he has said that he is sorry for his actions, that he regrets his treatment of the pit bull terriers he used for profit and a disgusting form of entertainment, and that he would like to have a dog so he can experience a normal relationship between a dog and its owner. He has even been embraced by the American Humane Society to be a kind of ambassador to teach school kids why dog fighting and animal cruelty is wrong. Oh how those of us who wanted this man to see the horrors he inflicted be sickened by his actions and be truly remorseful believed in him when he stated he was sorry. I got suckered into buying his BS right along with thousands of others. The proof it was all an act was emailed to me this morning – comments made by Vick in this month's issue of GQ.

It's funny how things happen sometimes. I spent last week at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, volunteering with my good friend, Laura, as we have done in the past. We worked mostly at Dog Town. This is where the worst of the Vick dogs ended up – the ones that no one thought would be able to be rehabbed into good dogs who could be adopted into a loving home someday. Don't get me wrong...there are some of the Vicktory Dogs (as the folks at Dog Town have named them) that will never be able to live outside of Dog Town. These are mainly the 'champions' of the fights. Agression was beaten into them daily while they lived at Vick's estate. Don't be sad for them, though...they will be loved and well cared for by the Dog Town staff. While at the sanctuary, I got to see the Vicktory Dog that I have sponsored for the past year, Ellen. I can't touch her or go into her run – staff only. Court order. But her caretaker assured me that she is the sweetest, most friendly and loving dog who would never in a million years bite anyone. Then she proceeded to go into Ellen's run. Ellen ran over to her, tail wagging like a metronome on speed, stood up on her hind legs and licked Kristen's face for the next 5 minutes. Ellen has almost fulfilled all the requirements of the Canine Good Citizenship test (a program Best Friends animal trainers came up with to teach the dogs how to behave like a 'good dog' should) and once she does that, she will be eligible for adoption. ((sigh)) if I had no animals of my own, I would file papers to take her in a millisecond. Or faster. So after a week at Dog Town, on the drive to Salt Lake this past Saturday Laura and I got into a discussion about Michael Vick, his misdeeds and whether or not he was a changed man, as he claimed. Me, I was defending him, sighting his work with the Humane Society, his comments about remorse for his actions, the statement of wanting to have a family dog so he could experience what it is like to have a loving owner/pet relationship, and his contributions over the court mandated amount to the care of the Vicktory Dogs. Laura was skeptical of his change of heart.

And then it came. Proof. Laura emailed me a link to an article appearing on a dog advocacy website about a sports writer – well-known sports writer at that – for the LA Times in which he more or less called Vick on his lies. On the LA Times' website. The Times article sited an interview that Vick did with GQ Magazine in which he stated that he didn't “know why people hate me” and not only basically blamed his dog fighting on being raised in a poor neighborhood where it was an acceptable practice to make money, but flat out admitted that HE KNEW IT WAS WRONG. And did it anyway. The piece on the dog group site had commentary about Vick and why most of America hates him. Really?!??!

THIS IS WHY WE HATE YOU, MICHAEL. Do you get it NOW????

Ten Years Later, It Still Hurts

2011-09-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to watch today. Honestly, I really wasn't. I didn't even want to listen to the rememberance programming that was playing on the radio when I woke up. The wound left behind by the events of that beautiful fall morning ten years ago is still pretty raw; reliving that day has been a painful exercise every year since. But apparently I am a glutton for punishment and turned on Fox News, bracing for the images and sounds of that fateful morning as they went through their on-air timeline as the attacks happened, as President Bush was informed in front of a room full of elementary school children with the press corp standing in the back, and as those two giant towers came crashing down. Truthfully, I expected to be a crying mess. I made it thgough the timeline without a tear, through the service at Ground Zero up until they tolled the bell marking the minute the second tower fell. As that bell rang, in my mind, my memory, I was at work, sitting in the engineers office surrounded by coworkers, sobbing as we watched in shock and disbelief as that magnificent tower crumbled to the ground. NOW I was weeping. I needed to do something - anything! - to get my mind off that scene otherwise I would be weeping the rest of the day. Muffins! I'll make blueberry muffins and pull myself together. Measuring, mixing, pouring into the tins...then in the oven. Back to the living room and Fox News just in time to catch Paul Simon's amazing acoustic performance of "Sound of Silence." Aaaaaand back came the tears. I wept for the unimaginable fear those trapped in the Towers must have gone through waiting for the rescue that never came, for those who made the choice to leap into the smoke-filled air to meet death on their own terms rather than the painful end that was thrust upon them in the moment of impact, for the 9-1-1 operators who tried to calm terrified, hysterical callers who were inside the Towers while remaining calrm themselves - even after the realization came that those inside would never make it out, for the firemen who geared up and marched off into those buildings and climbed floor after floor of stairs while the occupants rushed down them and away from the burning hell above, for the policemen helping the fleeing occupants of Tower One, Tower Two and the Pentagon by directing them where to go for medical attention and comforting those who were too distrught to move, for the dispatchers trying to direct the NYPD and FDNY amid the utter chaos that had enveloped the city and jammed radios, for the families watching helplessly as the events unfolded in New York City, in Washington DC and recieving those calls from loved ones telling them "I love you" and goodbye. The one image from that horrible day that I will never forget is the one of two ash-covered firemen carrying the lifeless body of FDNY's own Father Mychael Judge from the rubble. Father Judge had been there giving comfort to the victims, reassuring the firemen when the first tower fell, taking his life.

Ten years out from that Tuesday morning in September of 2001 and it's still painful to see, to hear the sounds from the news clips and to remember where I was at each stage. And that's a good thing. Once it stops hurting, it will be easier to forget. We can NEVER forget.

Ode to a cookie

2011-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Oh little oatmeal cookie, how I love thee. Bestowed upon me by thoughtful friend, I savor you. Your divine deliciousness = deliriously happy tummy.

(I’ll do my penance on the treadmill later, but right now….i’m going to enjoy every last crumb!)

Mid-Summer

2011-07-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

So here we are in the midst of summer. It was a little late getting here this year, but better late than never. Its crazy to think that school will be starting in a few short weeks. My summer hasn’t been nearly as fun as last year….been home a lot more. The travel bug is gnawing on me…bad. I should have sprayed for those.

My son has finally taken drivers ed. I may get a chance to hang up my taxi driver hat soon! He still doesn’t have the overwhelming urge to drive. Must be a recessive gene. I wanted to drive as soon as I hit my first birthday as a ‘teen’. I couldn’t turn 15 fast enough! 15 = drivers ed = drivers license. Oh and did I wanted to DRIVE. To the mall. To school. To the mall. To Albertsons. To the mall. To ANYWHERE. Like….the mall, for instance. I just wanted to drive. My son…..? not so much. Its so different for him than it was for me growing up. He can hop the bus and go anywhere he wants in the valley. I grew up in an area where buses came in 3 catagories – Greyhound, Site and school. I suppose I will be ‘taxi’ for a while longer….and I will savor the moments in the car together, just me and my son – singing a Bobby Darin song, talking about the day’s events, listening to a funny story about Moto or Ty. These precious minutes together will be gone soon enough.

Catchup

2011-05-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

Sunshine. Weekend in the Hilton. Niece passed her belt test in kung fu. Blew the motor on one of the cars. TAXES - ick. SLASH concert! Gained a year. Rain. Toxemia…high blood pressure…emergency c-section…GRANDSON!!! Ugh – snow! Dog Town vacation scheduled. Son, daughter and husband birthdays. Rain! Flooding! Danzig concert. Mosh pit survival. Dallas?? No. End of the world came and went. More rain. There! Now you’re all caught up =0)

Hold

2011-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

So I am on "hold" with the credit card company (activating the new card)...the Muzak playing while I'm waiting?? "Material Girl" by Madonna =0)

....well I thought it was funny.

Ferris had it right

2011-03-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
~ Matthew Broderick, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

So true. Life gets busy and messy and ridiculously complicated. We all need to remember to take time for ourselves, spend time with friends and family…ENJOY life, not just merely live.

To ink or NOT to ink

2011-03-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

If I get a tattoo now that I have hit the big 4-0 would it fall under the “mid-life crisis” category? I’ve kicked around the idea of getting a tattoo for years and years. Long time. Thus far the only things that have stopped me from getting one is A) its gonna HURT!!!, and B) the spouse says ‘no way’. Its not like I am getting a full sleeve or a back piece, for heaven’s sake. Just a smallish tattoo on my…ankle? Shoulder blade? (NOT the lower back. Ouch.) of something feminine but not overly girly. Lord knows I am much more of a tom-boy than a girly girl. I had the brilliant idea for a while that if I ever went to Sturgis, I’d get one there…you know, “mark the occasion” as Sturgis would most likely be a once in a lifetime thing. Oh yes, I know….what WAS I thinking. (shrug) chalk it up to that wild, impulsive streak I have. Luckily, more mature thought processes halted that. Could have gotten one in Vegas at Vince Neil’s shop or at Hart and Huntington. Or I could have gotten one in the Bahamas with my BF. Again with the impulse squashing. I will get one in my hometown. I know where to go, which person to do it and what I want. Now if I can get up the nerve to face the pain….I’ll be set. Don’t hold your breath though. I'm such a wuss ;)

A Letter to Conrard Hilton

2011-03-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Conrad Hilton,

I enjoyed my recent stay at one of your hotels. The room was nice – microwave and fridge were handy…the chair was comfy for tv watching….LOVED the Select Comfort –type bed…the room was spotless and nicely appointed...oh and the gym and pool downstairs were great. One tiny suggestion, though? Please make the “shared” wall between bathrooms thicker. I almost spit my mouthful of toothpaste all over the beautiful bathroom granite counter top and the mirror when I heard the sounds of couple in the room next to us having sex in their shower. Was I offended? No. I was laughing WAY too hard to be offended. While I found it funny, some folks may not. The maids probably wouldn’t have gotten a big yuk out of cleaning the spit-laced toothpaste off the mirror, either. So in future hotel-building…maybe splurge with some triple-thick insulation in that particular wall? Just a thought.

Looking forward to staying with you again soon!
Sincerely,
Wildflower
PS
Next time...can I have an extra cookie?

Rainy Wednesday

2011-03-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, dear peeps, I am still here. I can FINALLY access this from work again, which is where I did most of my previous blogging while eating lunch or waiting for reports to print.

I have to say that its been a damn crappy week. One friend lost his home in a fire, another lost his life; I'm depressed and angry as hell, but not sure who I'm mad at exactly. The world at large I guess ((shrug)). The friend who is now sans abode has been having a rough time as of late; this fire forcing him out of his house makes me wonder if it may be too much for him to take. Leading to the same result as my friend who lost his life. At his own hand. Its been coming for a while, I think, but it still leaves a big hole in the hearts and lives of those who knew and loved him, most of all his family. Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness. I know he couldn't help it but still. I was looking forward to seeing hin this weekend ((sigh))it sucks bookoo. And to top it off I'm having a major "fat" day. Why do I bother to go running? I'm still fat (no, rationally I know I'm not, but the jeans are a little snug today, the belly is still flabby and I have to stop comparing me today to me a year ago...thin, in great shape, and flat stomach) Its raining, work has been excruciatingly slow for the past week and all I really want to do is go home, put on my pj's and crawl in bed.

I hope the rest of you are having a much better week. And no rain.

And here we are at the end of June.

2010-06-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Holy toledo! I can't believe that the 4th of July is already upon us!

Here in my neck of the woods, that also means one of my favorite things...the Cruise In! For those of you who aren't familiar with Cache Valley, each year on the weekend around the 4th (sometimes its slightly before, sometimes it's slightly after, depending on what day the 4th falls on)Logan is invaded for 3 days with hundreds of classic cars for one of the biggest car shows around. They've got something for everyone at this show...from Model T's to 'monster trucks'. Muscle cars galore! Gorgeous Cameros, sweet Mustangs, killer Chargers, awesome GTO's, ect...all representing Detoit steel at it's prime. As you can tell, the muscle cars are totally my cup of tea :0)They average over 700 cars every year. Each year the Cache Valley Cruising Association, who host this event, raffle off a 'giveaway car', a classic that they have restored to it's former glory. Each ticket you buy to get in to the show enters you in the drawing. This year's car is a '67 GTO convertible. Whooooa Nelly is it beautiful!!! The president of the CVCA lives 3 blocks down so I have seen it several times parked at his place while out on my walk. And drooled each time I passed it. After the drawing, a good portion of the cars head out to Main Street and actually cruise. The city shuts down a couple mile stretch of Main so people can go sit and watch them (there will be lawn chairs and blanktes along the route popping up by Tuesday to stake out good viewing spots) The Cruising folks also gather each Tuesday from about May til it gets too nasty outside in the fall at a couple of the local drive-in resturants (A & W and Sonic, mostly) to give the locals a chance to come by, ask questions, by mainly to "ooh" and "aahhh" over the cars ;0) They're a neat bunch of people, always willing to answer a question, friendly as heck, and just all around a good group. I work with a few of the members; our family doctor is also a memeber. Anyhow, I have my camera all ready to go for Saturday morning...can't wait to see the cars and hear the roar of the big blocks. If you're in the area, stop by! The show is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. *tip - Saturday is the best day to go as Thurs not all the cars are here yet and Friday they have a Poker Run over to Bear Lake and back.

For Ciera

2010-03-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

Even though we've had our differences, you are forever my first-born, my beautiful girl. All I've ever wanted for you was to be happy, loved and safe. Life threw me a sucker punch over the weekend - I nearly lost you. I've been blessed with the chance to start anew with you. You've been given a second chance to make your life the best it can be, to fulfill all your dreams; everything is right there in front of you, waiting for you to reach out and take it. Grab on, my sweet girl. I'm right behind you, cheering. I love you with all my heart.

Just things

2010-03-25T19:18:00.001-07:00

I ask you peeps out there - if you can't mess with your co-workers to lighten up the mood while toiling away at work, what fun is it to go?? lol A few little practical jokes played on the Safety Director over the last 24 hours has brought quite a little bit of satisfaction and mirth to my otherwise tedious workday. He's been a good sport about it, I must admit. And big thanks to my partner in crime, who shall remain nameless at this time lest I incriminate her. And although I know that retribution is a-comin', it was worth it. In spades. I'll let you know how I feel on that subject later...AFTER the punishment is meted out =0)

Getting tired of the stinkin weather. I'm sick of going back and forth between snow/rain/cold and sun/more sun/warm. At this point, I need Mother Nature to pick one or the other and I;m not caring which. Just pick one! That way I don't get all giddy and excited when the sun's out and I am running the streets only to have my little feelers stomped on the next day when it's cold and 35 degrees. That's just plain mean!! ;0)

Have you ever talked about someone you haven't heard from or seen in a long time, only to have them show up or have contact with them within a couple days? Most unsettling. Even when it's a joyous occassion it's still a little "Twilight Zone" for me...sort of spooky. I've had that happen twice in the past week. Both times was a happy event, don't misunderstand me. It just makes me question what cosmic force was at work to cause them. And if I talk about the winning Powerball ticket, do you think it will materialize for me??? LOL

Have a great evening!!

March B-days and Fry Sauce

2010-03-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

March is a great month for birthdays. Besides moi, there are several people I know who have birthdays this month (hi Nikki! Happy [late] birthday); then there are peeps I don't know - Dr Seuss, Chuck Norris (70 today? really??), Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister fame), to name a few. And then there's this - fry sauce. Fry sauce turns 60 today! I'm sure you all wanted to know that. It was a burning question you NEEDED the anwer to before you could rest easily, right? LOL It must've been a slow news day because I found the story on the local news channel 5 website this morning. Otherwise I'd have gone on about life without ever knowing the answer to when fry sauce was 'born'. Some of you may not know what fry sauce is; to you I give my condolences. Growing up in Idaho, fry sauce was a normal part of fry consuming life. Originally you could only find it at Artic Circle, which as it happens was the Utah-based burger joint who invented the stuff. If you wanted fry sauce at McD’s or BK, you had to make it yourself with ketchup and mayo (wasn’t the same though) in order to dip ‘n’ dunk those golden yummy fries in the pink stuff. It wasn’t until I was in Colorado on vacation in the early 80’s that I discovered that it was apparently a ‘local thing’. In a McDonalds in Fort Collins, I requested some fry sauce to go with my French fries; the teenager behind the register looked at me like I had lobsters climbing out of my ears and was sprouting wings! “Fry….sauce??? I don’t know what that is.” Huh?? I thought EVERYONE on the planet had fry sauce. It is still a relatively local phenom; you'd think that after 60 years it would be omnipresent in burger places near and far. Sadly no. I have a friend who sends her son in Colorado (maybe it's just Colorado who's not gotten the memo yet...) a gallon of it every other month. Yes, FedEx will deliver just about anything. But I digress. So Happy Birthday all you March babies! and here's to the wonderful guys at Artic Circle who 60 years ago made the world better for fry lovers everywhere. Well, at least in Utah and Idaho ;0)

Shades of Hades

2010-03-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

I'm in hell. Help! Help! Help! {{sigh}} I've been working a new report at work, which began life 3 weeks ago as a report for just my boss, my GM and a couple other peeps in my dept. It has now snowballed into a report I send every day to about 10 people in addition to my boss and GM. I spent the first 2 weeks tweaking, reconciling and fine tuning. 4 more items have been added in the last week, with several more to come. Oh and then there's the guy who keeps telling me my numbers are wrong. No. They are NOT 'wrong'. My numbers are spot on, Jack. I think if he comes in my office to talk to me or emails me about this report again this week I'm going to lose it. To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite movies, "if I lose my temper, you're totaled." Grr!!!

Checking in

2010-02-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

All that stuff I said previously about being a good blogger and posting more often? I think it was a figment of our collective imaginations ((sigh)) I mean well. Really. I honestly said to myself, 'self, we have to get it in gear and hop back on the bloggin' wagon!' I did...I was there when I said it. Unfortunatly, life dictated otherwise. I think it will help that A) my wireless connection problems have happily been resolved, and 2) the computer has been moved back to its original location in my house.

A new year, a new phase in life. I hope everything is going well for you all. So far 2010 has been good to my family. Some exciting things to look forward to this year - our first NASCAR race; the college graduation of our oldest daughter; returning to Dog Town - once with my oldest and again with my wonderful friend, Laura; AND...are ya ready for this one??? I'm so excited about this I've had to try hard not to start packing!!!....I'm going on a cruise this fall with my BF Aun to the BAHAMAS!!!!! Can I get a 'heck yeah!' out there?? WOO HOO!!!! :0D

Snow!

2009-12-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Just a pic or 2 of my son...trying to bean me with a snowball after I pegged him a good one myself...we had about 9" of snow from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon. It's been pretty 'warm' this week...mid to upper 30's so it's melted alot of it. Hoping to get more soon :0)

Someone turn up the heat!!

2009-12-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

Ho....ly cow!!! I have about had all I can stand of this below zero night/single digit day stuff. It is MISERABLE out there!!! I hear that we are supposed to reach a balmy 30 degrees tomorrow and mid-30's by Sunday. Well break out the Bermuda shorts and let's party!!! LOL

Noticed the herd of deer out grazing in the field across the road from the house yesterday after work. They hang out there most winters and graze...about 20 head, give or take. Before everyone had fences they'd come over and help themselves to the landscaping...and you know, we all planted our trees and shrubs just for them to eat ;) One year we even had a moose stroll through the neighborhood!! Oddly enough, didn't have a single dog bark at it...and the dogs in my neck of the woods?? bark at a leaf blowing past, I swear. They bark at EVERYTHING. Then again, I don't think I'd want to get Bullwinkle rialed up at me either. I hear they're kinda cranky ;0)

Hope all is well with everyone, that you're enjoying all the wonders and joy that Christmas brings.

December 8

2009-12-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

Oh my! It has beena REALLY long time since I have been out on my blog. I hate that I can't post from work any longer while waiting for reports to print or chowing down my lunch. So much has happened, but it would take eons to fill you in. So let's just move on to the present, shall we?

It's Christmas time already. Can you believe it? That's just so bananas I can't even think about it! Where did the year go?? It's evne looking like Christmas outside today...we received snow during the night, which continued in a rather wimpy fashion throughout most of the day. Not that the lack of an all-out raging blizzard bothers me...oh no. I didn't really want to shovel 4 feet of snow after work. Silly me ;0) I have busted out my "Alvin and the Chipmunks" Christmas cd in my car (who doesn't love their "Christmas Song"?!) and have been caroling quietly at my desk (no, I haven't been singing, just listening to my mp3's on my computer)while visions of sugarplums dance in my head (ha ha ha).

One of my fantastic girlfriends (I got no room to complain about cold....she lives in Alaska!!!) sent this to me this morning, which I loved and felt the urge to share with y'all. It's so right on point and I hope you enjoy it.....

Letter from Jesus about Christmas - - -
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that, let me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town. Stop worrying about the fact that people are claling the tree a 'holiday tree' instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me whenever you see ANY tree. Decorate a grapevine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15:1-8. If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love, hope and support to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know; they tell me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally, they just need to know that someone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and hist family this year. Then follow up...it will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts that you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of my birth, and why I came to live with you here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you im the past and forgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit-picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind workd. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas", that doesn't stop you from wishing them one.
8.If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary - - especially one who takes My love and Word to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts then drop them off to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and the will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in my presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of My flock. Don't forget: I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and dow what I have told you to do...I'll take care of all the rest.
Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love, and remember: I LOVE YOU>
~Jesus

People get so hung up on the gifts and that parties, the decorations and the shopping and the stuff that doesn't matter that they forget what Christmas is about, why we celebrate it in the first place. The best gift I could ever receieve is for someone to help another who is in need....donate to Sub for Santa, to the food pantry, to a local animal shelter, to the charity of his/her choice; volunteer at the homeless shelter/soup kitchen, the Veteran's hospital or the nursing home; take new toys to children's ward of the local hospital; bring meals to someone you know who is home-bound...things like that. I'd much rather get a gift like that than 'stuff', ya know what I'm saying?? I ahve only so much room in my house for 'things', but my heart has all the room in the world for gifts like those. Sharing our blessings with others is a very worthwhile endeavor indeed.

Frightmares

2009-10-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hit Lagoon on Saturday with our oldest, her hubby and their good friend (our 'other son') Bo. We certainly lucked out in the weather department...I was sweating it there for a while last week. It was not looking favorable for rollercoaster riding or "Superman Swing"-ing (I know it's not really called that but I have a hard time remembering the term 'Sky Coaster', plus I think 'Superman Swing' has a bit more flavor)...not at all. But the Gods smiled on us and we had the best fall weather. Not a tone of people crawling the park so that was another bonus. We were able to ride 'til our little hearts were content. Or we just couldn't take any more, I'm not sure which.

They have a great sense of humor there at the park for Frightmares:

Cracked me up :0) I took some kinda cool shots of a few of the neon signs...loved how this one turned out:

I think that Wicked is still my favorite ride ride,

but the SS is by far my favorite thing in the whole place!

The Chantelle, Chris and Bo rode the Samurai (not me, Jack...my stomach can't take that kind of abuse..it's got a 'hurl factor' of about 16)

And of course, how can you go to Lagoon without riding the bumper cars!

It was a great day, with tons of fun, laughs, some scares (the 'evil' circus peeps and the chainsaw freaks...oh, and the gargoyle!) and a good time was had by all.

Weekend off

2009-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Lazy weekend. Nice to have one of those. We've been busy the last couple weekends, on ths go. And I've had to work Saturdays for the last month plus, with more to come for the forseeable future.

Yesterday we ended up going to a late lunch/early dnner with friends at Texas Roadhouse in Ogden. The plan was originally to take some pics of Chris with some of the planes outside the Air Force Museum after dinner, but there was soooo much smoke in the air everything had this yellow-y cast to it. I'll have to try for a different day. But we got out of the valley and had a nice visit over a great meal.

So today there was alot of this

And this

LOTS of watching this

(copyright Reuters)
Boy howdy did my Raiders suck today...with a capital S! Yeesh.

And even some of this

It was a good weekend.

Here kitty kitty....

2009-09-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm back already! Suprised, aren't you? ;0)

I found out something today that leaves me feeling...unsettled? Nervous? Creeped out? I'll go for 'all of the above' for $400, Bob. While on my usual morning rounds at work, I found myself in converstaion in one of the offices about hunting. Because right now the mountains are filled to the brim with folks in camoflauge sitting in tree stands for hours on end waiting for some poor unsuspecting deer to wander by so they can shoot it with an arrow, gut it, quarter it, and eventually wrap it up in multiple packages of white paper or tin foil in their respective freezers. Don't misunderstand me - I am NOT against hunting...no way, Jose. I have no problem with people hunting. Zip. Zero. If you don't hunt a species it will overpopulate and then where will we be? Knee-deep in critters, that's where! I'm just saying that I could never do it. Ever. In a million years. I would have starved to death as a pioneer. Or been a vegetarian. But I digress...so in the course of our hunting conversation the subject of mountain lions was brought up. One of my co-workers brothers had a 'run-in' while hunting a few weeks back. So we were chatting about this mountain lion tale (no pun intended, I swear) and a few other ones, when someone casually mentioned that there was a cow attacked by a mountain lion at the feedlot (just a mile-ish) down the road from our facility last Friday. Um...what?? Yes, a mountain lion. Roamed through my town. Near where I work. Not far from where I live. Now I know that they are out 'there' but 'there' is supposed to be UP THERE...in the MOUNTAINS (which are maybe 1/2 to 3/4 mile from my house). They're called MOUNTAIN LIONS cuz the LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS!!! If they lived in town they'd be called 'town lions'! Jeeez Louise!!! So now that I have that wonderful little tidbit of info nestled in my brain, it gives me pause...when I leave for work, it's dark...sun is not up yet (but I am...what's wrong with that picture?); do I need to worry about having one rove through my neighborhood looking for a chihuahua or 3 to tide him over 'til breakfast? I certainly don't want to become mountain lion kibbles and bits! They said that they think it's in the cornfields west of town. They think...not a comforting phrase. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is either found and 'relocated' or that he just moves on back up into the hills. Whichever. Just go away, kitty.

Blah, blah, blah...

2009-09-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, peeps, I am still here. Since the powers that be over at HQ have decided to clamp down on our 'net use, I haven't blogged as much as I used to...in fact, I really haven't posted jack. It was so much easier when I could write up a post while waiting for reports to print. Ahh, the good old days. I haven't had the gumption to get on my computer at home to post anything. After staring at a monitor for 8 hours a day, the last thing I want to do when I get some free time at home is look at another one. Ick. I'll try to do a better job of blogging from now on. Hope this finds you all happy and healthy. More later!

8 Years Later

2009-09-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

For all those lost on September 11, 2001....

Back to School

2009-09-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

School days, school days…

Summer break is finally over, much to the chagrin of kidlets all over the country. I know mine is on the bummed side. Myself, I am rejoicing the return of school day routine. I would enjoy the summer more if I could spend it goofing off with my son. You know…taking trips to the lake, hanging at the pool, catching matinee movies, lunch in the park, and snow cone runs. Stuff like that. Oh to be a summer SAHM...sigh.

And in keeping with what has been a long-time new school year ‘tradition’, my darling son is sick. Yes, week 2 of school and he’s already caught some icky little bug. My son has done this every school year for a long time…within the first 3 weeks of school, he will, without fail, get sick. Not a little ‘achoo,’ sniffley/stuffy nose kind of cold. Oh no. We’re talking full-on fever, sore throat, cough and plugged up head kind of sick. Breathing germy air into the atmosphere. Thus sharing the love with the rest of the household. Misery loves company, right? I’d better stock up on the OJ and Zicam now….sigh.

Fall is certainly on its way. I can feel it in the morning air now. The fair back home is about to start. The corn is on, as are the ‘maters and squash. I find myself feeling the urge to bake mounds of breads, cookies and cakes, to cook large pots of chili and stew. I adore fall weather. I wish it could be September until 2 days before Christmas…then it can snow so we can have a ‘white Christmas’, then melt again 2 days after New Years. That would suit me down to the ground. One of the things I enjoy most during the fall is sitting on the back porch on a weekend morning, bundled up in an oversized sweatshirt, in my pajama pants and my Uggs to keep the tootsies toasty, with a hot cuppa joe, watching the sun rise over the mountains, listening to the coyotes howl. The cool canyon wind is sweet with the scent of pine…it’s just me, my coffe, and…whatever neighbor happens to be looking out their back window. Sigh.

Have a good one y'all!

Two J's

2009-08-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Warning! Do not attempt to watch the movie “Julie & Julia” on an empty stomach!!! You’ll be sorry….trust me. Even after scarfing down lunch right before catching a matinee yesterday with my DF Rose and one of her daughters, I was still salivating like a Rotteweiler eyeballing burgers on the picnic table in front of him.

Oh dear people, believe me when I tell you that it is unfathomable that anyone could sit through that movie without feeling even a small pang of hunger. If the Strawberry Bavarian Cream or the soufflé (never made one, never had one but darn if it didn’t look scrumptious!) doesn’t get your mouth watering, the much talked about Boeuf Bourguignon (which I am soooo making!) should incite twinges and even rumbling in your belly. It all looked so very yummy. And I feel I should caution you about the butter these recipes use in the film…a veritable ‘butterpalooza’…so brace yourself. It’s not for the faint of heart. Julia Child was apparently a firm believer in there being no such thing as too much butter, as evidenced in her cooking…copious amounts of butter in EVERYTHING! Maybe it is just a French cuisine thing that rubbed off on her? Although I have to say I would rather cook with real butter than with the spreads, margarines and certainly Crisco. Food made with butter is just so much tastier. So now that I’m done talking about the food part of the movie, I will tell you my opinion of the movie as a whole. Enjoyed the heck out of it. What a wonderful storyline! I learned so much about Julia Child the person….she was adventurous, funny, determined and very engaging. I had no idea that she was married, let alone to a government employee assigned to different embassies around the world (which is how she ended up living in Paris and attending the famous Cordon Bleu culinary school). The thought that Julie Powell actually cooked every single recipe in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (volume 1) left me in awe, grateful to have the chance to peek into the madness that was her life for the year she tackled the Julie & Julia Project. How she worked full time and still found (or made) time to whip up from scratch the over 500 different recipes in the book is beyond me. Makes me exhausted just thinking about it. Besides, I would have had to stop at the Lobster Thermadore. No lobster killing for me, Jack. Uh-uh. No way. Sorry, Julie; sorry Julia. I doff my topper to you gals….

On another subject, I noticed this morning that the large locust tree growing outside the door to the office has dropped quite a few leaves and many on the tree are turning. Does this alarm anyone besides me??? It’s not even September yet! ((((sigh))))

Friday

2009-08-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Lots has happened in the past couple weeks, too much to get into so I will just tell you all that the kiddos were sealed and it we enjoyed a nice lunch afterwards with both sides of the families, all my children together in the house that weekend for the first time in a long while was wonderful, school is back in session, still haven’t finished painting the kitchen and I bought the cutest little purse for October/Halloween….it looks like a spider :0) Not a icky spider, a cute spider. I’ll take a pic so y’all can see it.

There is some turmoil in the lives of a few people I love dearly, which breaks my heart. Some involved are family, some are friends but still family (since friends are the family we choose). I am praying that these issues will get resolved in a positive way so that these people will have peace and joy in their lives once again (hang in there and I love you guys!!!)

Some pics from the last couple weeks…sunset from the hill at the Temple, my oldest and my son-in-law (they’re so stinking CUTE!) on the day they were sealed, my beautiful middle child, a funny sign in the parking lot of the Temple (gotta love a church with a sense of humor!), hubby and son lounging on the grass. Not necessarily in that order ;0)

Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Been a few days

2009-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so I will give a bit of an update on our ‘thrill a minute, adventure-filled, action-packed’ life. Still haven’t found the geocache at the tank. Not that we’ve given up or anything, just haven’t made time to go look any further.

We finally got our living room painted. The white walls are GONE, baby!!! Woo hoo!!!! The weekend of the 24th the hubby, son and myself wiped, spackled, trimmed and rollered our little hearts out. We managed to paint the entire living room, hallway and stairway going to the basement. And a wall in the kitchen. Have the paint for the rest of the kitchen, just haven’t gotten it done yet. I think I’ve changed my mind on that color. Again. Sigh. (Honey...if you're reading this post, just make me go with it, ok?)

Last Friday was our anniversary. 17 years that man has put up with me….the patience of Job my husband has, let me tell ya. Like any married couple, we’ve been through a lot…lotsa good stuff….some bad stuff….pretty much covered the ‘richer or poorer, sickness and health’ stuff. And there is no one else I’d rather have taken this journey with than my wonderful hubby. We (and by ‘we’ I mean hubby, son and I) spent the majority of the day in SLC, first having a sinfully good lunch at Moochies, then the rest of the afternoon out at Rocky Mountain Raceway at the drag races. The son has never seen drag races before so it was pretty cool to watch his reaction to all the cars. They had quite a variety of racing vehicles – from the little “Tokyo Drift” looking things the kids street race now (dragsters do NOT do a burn out with their FRONT TIRES…ever…that was just wrong on so many levels) to motorcycles, old muscle cars, new muscle cars, the classic “rail” style dragster, and even – brace yourself – a snowmobile. Yes, some guy drag raced on a sled…and beat 2 motorcycles! I am here to tell you that if I ever had a chance to race, I would TOTALLY do it...in a second. Don't even need to think about it...sign me up, Jack. We had a special treat that evening, however – we got to watch 2 nitro-fueled Harleys race. Holy moley!! Now those were awesome!!! One of them set a new track record for the nitro bikes in both MPH and time…he posted a time of 6.6 seconds at 212.4 MPH. Think about that for a second....it took that man just a tad over six and a half seconds to drive 1/4 of a mile. At over 200 miles per hour. That bike went faster than most of (if not all) the cars racing. I can’t imagine.

This weekend we’ve got a family event going on…my oldest daughter and her husband are being sealed in the temple. We’ll have family in town starting tomorrow – both daughters, my son-in-law, mom- and dad-in-law, and my SIL’s family. All our kids will be under our roof tomorrow night for the first time in several years. I’m looking forward to that.

I am NOT looking forward to trying to find something to wear, however. Since I’ve given up trying to be ‘thin enough’, am not constantly on the go - juggling class and work and housework and swim team for Chris, and am letting my metabolism reset (it’s reaaaally slow) I am no longer able to fit in most of my pants. My body has been hording calories so every minute bite of food I have eaten in the last 2 months has materialized on my butt and thighs with a vengeance...neither region have been this big since I was preggers. The weird thing to me is that my legs are pretty well muscled up until the upper middle thigh area, then the saddle bags start to appear. It doesn’t seem to matter how much or little I exercise, what I eat - still follwing the South Beach diet guidelines...lots of fruit and veggies, whole grains, lean meats, almost no sugar (I eat ‘junk food’ very seldom…a couple slices of pizza or a Moochies once in a blue moon or some chips with my tuna sandwich on occassion are about it) or how much I eat…I am still ending up with an expanding jean size. I know that it will take a little bit for my body to get out of storage mode and begin to release the fat reserves so I will try to get through it without freaking out.

Enjoy your day and have a great weekend!!!!

Tanked

2009-07-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have been searching for a geo-cache hidden on a tank in the local cemetery for about a week now. The clue posted by the individual who hid the dang thing is not overly helpful…the only obvious help it gave was the name ‘rolling thunder’. Guess I must have paid some attention in HS history class or I wouldn’t have known that referred to the tank. (I also know that I secretly dream of driving a Sherman in WalMart’s parking lot so I can just back over the twits who zoom behind me in their cars while I’m backing out of my parking spot…buttheads.) DH, son and I have been all over that silly contraption – on it, around it, under it, looked every which way but hanging upside down from the gun barrel on the turret. Which may be next. You wouldn’t think that locating an item on a tank would be that tough, would you? I mean, anything out of place should just leap right out at you. Oh no. The cache hidden is a ‘micro’….as in reeeeeeaaaaallly small. Up until last night, there were 3 sets of people looking for the thing (at one point we all were wondering if somebody had taken it but the hider confirmed it was still there Wednesday night)…good job Kartchner family on finding it!! There is hope yet for the rest of us to spot the sucker :0)

I’ve decided to start back up on the weights and adding in some other forms of cardio to break up the rut I’ve been in with just walking. While I still love my walks, it just isn’t doing anything to help me get back the shape I had just a few short months ago. So Wednesday I started a lifting routine that works the whole body. Then I did 15 minutes of boxing – jabs, crosses and uppercuts. Ho-ly Toledo. I could tell yesterday that it had some impact on my bod but today? Oy. I hurt. But in a good way (that’s a demented thing to say but it’s true). I feel like I felt after working with the trainer a few years back….hurting but satisfied I had accomplished something. My arms and abs? are sooo sore! It hurts to laugh. I can’t bend at the waist without groaning. Reaching for something hurts my upper arms. Should make painting the living room this weekend interesting ;0)

Sophomore Dayz

2009-07-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Got out the yearbooks last night, let my fingers do the walking thru the snapshots of my years as a Grizzly. Tons of memories flooded back seeing the people and events captured in time as we were then…young…carefree…had the world by the ba….um, by the throat. Our biggest worry back then was passing our mid-terms and whose party we were going to Friday night. And we did party. A lot. The first high school party I ever went to was at Shawna and Chad Phillips’ house my sophomore year…two of the “popular” kids in school…that was a HUGE deal. Shawna was my age (as sweet as the day is long and 20 years later is still one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen), her brother Chad was 2 years older. A Senior. The Phillips’ lived out in the country so it just made sense that they had their party out in the barn and not in the actual house (damage control). Tons of people - wall to wall - music blasting, people dancing, a couple kegs on ice. Lots of Seniors. My sophomore mind boggled at the thought…me! at a party with Seniors! Well yee haw and pass me a beer! This was also where my first hangover came from. I remember crawling down the hall toward my room but suddenly needing to veer sharply to the right and into the bathroom where I worshipped the porcelain god for an hour or so. Ick :0( Overall I think my sophomore year was the best one; almost all the good memories I have from high school come from that particular year. Joined the spirit squad with some jr high friends the summer between freshman and sophomore year, the squad ended up cheering in the 4th of July parade…lost my voice from yelling cheers for 3 hours, hands were sore for days from all the clapping, and the whole lot of us were sooo sunburnt. When school actually started, it was pretty intimidating being the little fishes in a big pond. Ya’ll know what I’m talking about, you’ve been there. Things settled out soon enough into normalcy, letting life just move on in a blur of classes, homework, trips to the mall, dances and parties. My first HS year – skipping assembly to drive to the mall for a Mrs Powells cinnamon roll (those of you in Idaho Falls will understand); Mr Newton’s choir class and our trip to sing at Ricks College at the Messiah (the guys and Mr N all gave an impromptu rendition of “Duke of Earl” in the restaurant we ate at, drawing applause from surprised diners); basketball games; showing up for Mr Backstrom’s last period typing class soaking wet after Corey Peterson, JJ, and Ron Janeczko (seniors) caught me (I managed to fight loose twice before Ron cornered me in Mr Harris’ room) and threw me in the canal (when I asked Aundria to hold my camera I didn’t mean TAKE PICTURES!!) out back of the school, which was a “right of passage” for the sophomores in the last couple weeks of the school year…strangely enough it was mostly the girls that got the heave-ho; driving!; the bonfire before the Emotion Bowl, which I was the only one I remember we had…think we made too much racket (and I’m sure created a bit of havoc) doing the big human chain through the streets from the school to the vacant lot where the fire was; journalism class, where I was once told that I “looked like Delilah from One Life to Live”; tots with cheese and Ranch at Tam’s; going to the Dusk to Dawn movies at the drive in on the north end of town – man those just a big ol’ party!; football games; hanging out with the Z103 crew – Mike (and his girlfriend Gina), Randy and Eddie…was “guest voice” on the radio a few times, which was a ton of fun:0); “after game” dances in the commons; hanging on the cruise Friday and Saturday nights; Mike Smith being dogpiled by the senior jocks - I think they broke his arm but I know they did give him a huge concussion (some memory loss came with that little souvenier) and was hauled off in the ambulance (yeah, the guys got into bookoo trouble over that one, as well they should have); the Jensen “clan” riding around in Damage; Darla painting her room pink, and I mean it was pink; pizza at Sbarros; sucking helium out of the tank while the spirit squad was filling balloons, getting too much and passing out, taking the big tank down with…guess damn near the whole store heard it crash to the floor…whoops; lock-ins at Theresa’s church; Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers (“we thank you for your support”). I used to have oodles of pictures but they have been lost in the moves over the years. Sigh.

I asked my friend Aundria what her favorite high school memory was the other night….she relayed a story that I had completely forgotten about that is in my fav HS memories as well. We had choir together…don’t remember what period. One day there was something going on with Mr Newton – he had a conference with somebody’s parent or some such thing – that required him to leave class for a short period of time. Aun and I took this opportunity to go outside and have a smoke (yes, I was a bad girl). This was pretty easy since our class was a short stroll down the hall from one of the side entrances. So out the door we went to the sophomore and junior parking lot. Neither of us remember where we sat down but the end result was Aundria blowing the rear end out of her jeans – rrrriiiiiippp! She froze. I froze. Ho-ly sh**…that wasn’t what we thought it was, right? Oh no....it totally was. She stood up and turned around…biiig hole in the seat of her pants. I remember a few moments of panic while we tried to figure out what the heck to do – were there shorts in her PE locker that would get her by? Nope. Was there a sweatshirt she could tie around her until she could go home at lunch and change? Uh-uh. Should we just go right now so she could change? Yes! We would simply go back inside, explain the situation to Mr N (who was super cool to begin with) so he could excuse us from class to go to her house and change. Newt was awesome…surely he’d let us leave. WRONG. When we returned to class, he was back from wherever and in a foul mood, a rare thing for him. Great. Walking as carefully as she could, tugging her shirt down over her rear as much as she possibly could without tying a 20 pound dumbbell to it, Aun and I approached Mr N in his office, explained the predicament, requested a short “leave of absence” to change her clothes. He thought we were trying to pull a fast one! Didn’t believe either of us! We lobbied our case for several minutes, pleas falling on deaf ears…he wasn’t buying it. Finally, Aundria did the only thing she could do to make her point – yep, she turned around and bent over – ‘LOOK!!’. Yep, my best friend mooned our teacher. It was all over from there…I’m certain all the blood drained from my face at that point and I was figuring that spending some quality time in detention is in our very near future, but once his face returned to a normal color and he quit laughing enough to get some words out, he let us go. Now how in the world could I possibly have forgotten about that?! :0)

Musical Flashback

2009-07-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Since this weekend is, as mentioned before, my 20 year HS reunion, I thought I’d continue with the whole HS/80’s theme. A retro weekend (kind of channeling Minnie Driver’s character in Grosse Pointe Blank here, just without the radio show), if you will. Back to a time where big hair, short skirts, skinny ties, neon, jelly shoes, Vans, pegged jeans, break dancing, Val speak (like, gag me with a spoon), parachute pants, big boom boxes, “Thriller”, banana clips, high tops, Trapper Keepers, synthesizers, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood were cool. I have retained possession of my Swatch watch (they still make those by the way) and Max Headroom (catch the wave!) tee shirt over the years. Max is currently enjoying a renewed career on Sirius/XM radio doing song intros (along with his brother, Less) for the “80’s on 8” channel that I listen to a lot while cooking dinner….last night they played “Girls on Film” by Duran Duran, “Affair of the Heart” by Rick Springfield and “China Girl” by David Bowie…when was the last time you heard THOSE?! It was totally bitchin’, dude! Fer shure! Its so funny how hearing a certain group or song can take you back to a specific point in time (could be this is just some odd quirk I have - maybe you all don’t do that? I seem to have an entire soundtrack for my misspent youth in my head). I thought about that while I was walking last night I had Guns n Roses debut album (yes, still had vinyl back then) “Appetite for Destruction” blasting on the iPod for my “motivational music”…good tunes to run by. From the very first note of “Welcome to the Jungle” I was back in the weight room during last period, student aide for Coach Guilford, listening to that playing on the boom box while the football players lifted and horsed around (believe it or not, I earned half a credit for sitting in the weight room for an hour watching cute teenage boys with their rippling muscles and listening to music…it was tough but I managed to get through it). There are quite a few songs that I associate with specific times in my teen life. “The FinerThings” by Steve Winwood? Senior Sob assembly for the class of ‘87…bawled my little sophomore heart out at that assembly over seniors that I would miss the following years. “Dirty Deeds” from AC/DC and “Send Her My Love” by Journey….reminds me of Kelly Covert, the first song from grade school…6th grade to be exact, her listing to that on a Walkman (she later had a Levi jacket with that on the back)…and the latter from her funeral our sophomore year. A slice of Godfathers pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing to dip it in at lunch with Jana Rydalch? “Rock Me” or “Cassanova”…we’d play one or the other on the jukebox while we ate…mostly the Great White tune. I was “Lovin’ Every Minute of It” in Kalispell, Montana with my friend Kim Cook (one of the 2 Kim’s I ran with growing up) spending a week one ERJHS summer at her grandparents house. Being at my first dance in jr high? “You’re the Inspiration” (really…you are). Chasing down Ron Storer and his friends in his big ol’ Ford out on the cruise? The Whitesnake tape (“Still of the Night”, “Here I Go Again”…that one). “Blow My Fuse” will forever be associated with the Jensen crew. And Pineapple Bomb’s snuck out the back door of Pockets. I rolled my truck on the Lewisville Highway with Darla while listening to “She’s Like the Wind”. Going tanning with Chandra Claver listening to “Venus” (by Bananarama). Rolling with Theresa Hanek in the Toyota listening to “Master of Puppets” and “Electric Circus”. Singing “Funky Cold Medina” (it took me years to be able to sing that song without saying ‘chunky cold Purina’…don’t ask…you had to be there) driving thru Tautphaus Park in Aundria’s car. I could go on. And on. And on yet even more. But you get the idea…I will take pity on you and spare you any more torture. Think I’ll go home and put on some Prince…” dearly beloved,we are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called life….”

Class of '89

2009-07-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day!!! I hope everyone’s week is going well :0)

So this coming weekend is my high school class reunion…the big 2-0 year reunion. Am I going? Um…no. I really have no desire to see 99% of the people I went to school with. Most of “them” I grew up with…we went to grade school and junior high together. Being a military kid, I never really fit in with them. Even though I started going to school in the first grade with these folks, I was always the outsider. I was quiet and VERY shy so I got picked on and harranged all through my academic existence. Yeah, that helped bring me out of my shell (can you see my eyeballs rolling??) “They” made my life hell. Needless to say, I don’t have a whole lot of “happy school memories” and I hated even setting foot in school because of “them” (I ditched every chance I got). In class I never wanted to be called on or sit in front; my goal was to sit in back in quiet non-existance and not draw attention to myself. Those school friends I was tight with I still see and keep in touch with. The rest of my HS class? I wish them happiness in their lives, but don’t care to spend time reliving the “glory days” over dinner, thanks anyway. Not that they’ll miss me. Occasionally when I am in the old hometown I run into some of the class of ’89. Most don’t show any acknowledgement. Some have actually turned out to be pretty decent now that we’re not in HS anymore. I admit that it has been interesting peeking in on the class reunion website to see where everyone ended up and what they look like now. Some of them look so different that I would never recognize them in a million years. Some look the same as they did in school, just a little older. I think I look pretty much the same - just a bit more of me (I would LOVE to still weigh 115!), no orthodontic “accessories” (my son gets to enjoy that now) and my hair is lots smaller. Oh yes, I had the “bitch flip” big hair going on. What can I say??...it was the style…the bigger the better. Man was my hair big…lotsa teasing and lotsa hairspray…I should have bought stock in Paul Mitchell…oy vey. I hope the friends who are attending the reunion with have a good time. Send me pics of you with your hubbies all dressed up for the dinner….I know ya’ll will look amazing! :0)

Doing a random survey today…prompted by a question posed by a local DJ on my local rock station yesterday morning. Now that they have 500 different kinds of M & M’s, what kind is your favorite? My vote has to go to Peanut Butter…those little drops of peanut buttery “melt in your mouth not in your hands” goodness are hard to beat in my book….but dark chocolate is a close 2nd. I wish they’d bring back the cherry ones and the crispy kind. But I was raised never to look a gift chocolate in the M, so I will happily munch down any kind ;0)

Stormin on the Desert

2009-07-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Took these last weekend while out on the Arco desert (well, the edge of it anyway). The day started out sunny and bea-u-tiful. As the day progressed I started to notice some storm clouds gathering...and they got closer....and closer....but we managed to dodge the nasty little storm that wreaked havoc on the surrounding areas. High winds, hail, monster rain and subsequent flooding (hmmm...sounds like home for the whole month of June! Just kidding). Sure looked pretty moving on through, though.

Declaration

2009-07-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--"

Happy birthday, America!

Where in the world

2009-07-01T11:39:00.001-07:00

In a totally random conversation with my darling husband recently, we were discussing (and I don’t know how we even got on this subject to begin with) places in the world we could live in. If we didn’t already live in America. Okay, mostly it’s places I’d like to live (or at least see!) before I die…kind of a travel “bucket list” for myself. After pondering, I figure if we were independently wealthy, we could actually live in each of these places during our lifetime. I think growing up as a military brat can either push you to like to travel, see different places, or make you to want to set down roots in a town and not want to go anywhere. Ever. For me, it is definitely the first of the two. I like to travel. I yearn to explore. There are days I would love to just drive to the airport, blow my paycheck on a ticket to wherever and…go. I long to go somewhere new. See someplace I’ve never been. Guess I’m a nomad at heart. Anyway, here are my “top 5 places”:

5. Scotland (lotsa plaid and a monster in a lake…no way I’m eating haggis…sorry)
4. Ireland (Guinness, blarney and a 7 mile walk is considered a “good stretch of the leg”)
3. England (how do you play cricket and what the heck is a crumpet??)
2. Japan (Mt Fujii, kimonos, samarai…stay away from the sake…whoa Nelly!)
1. Italy (um, hel-lo…Rome!? Venice?!? Tuscany!!? Oh, and then there’s pasta)

Italy was pretty much the hands-down winner for the hubby too…the history is amazing and the food is deeeelish!! He’s not big on eating fish or seaweed so he claims he’d starve to death in Japan; however I know that if I could just get him to TRY sushi……

PS
Where would YOU go???

MJ, Farrah and the Media

2009-06-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

You know, I’ve about had it with all the coverage of Michael Jackson passing away. And it hasn’t even been 24 hours. I was tired of hearing about it after about 30 minutes. It was everywhere! I understand the relevance and importance of how his talent affected our culture…I totally get it. Trust me. I was a ‘80’s child - his impact on my generation was HUGE. Giant. Iconic. (I still love “Dirty Diana” and “Billie Jean”) But once he started with the plastic surgeries, got really weird, and then was accused of molesting kids, I just couldn’t enjoy his work anymore. The freakshow that he turned into robbed the world of a great talent, no doubt about it. He could have done so much more, been so much more than the oddity he ended up being. For that, I am very sad. But enough already.

The death of the “Gloved One” completely eclipsed the passing of another icon of my generation, Farrah Fawcett. Watched “Charlie’s Angels” every week when I was a young girl. My friends and I would argue about who got to be Farrah’s character, Jill, when we’d play “Charlie’s Angels”…we all wanted to be her. She was beautiful and spunky, and boy could she kick some butt! I admire her so much for publicly chronicling her battle with cancer in a documentary earlier this year. She seemed to handle the whole situation from the first time she was diagnosed in 2006 with such grace and dignity. I know that I could not display even an ounce of her strength and courage if faced with the same fight. I’d like to think I could, but I know better.

One final note…the media disgusts me. Or maybe it’s our culture nowdays that I should be appalled with. Maybe if we weren’t such voyeurs now the media wouldn’t find it necessary to show certain things. Or maybe because they do, we are. Sort of a chicken and the egg kind of thing. Anyway, last night I saw 2 things during the coverage of MJ’s death that just enraged and sickened me to no end. First was the news helicopter following the LAPD chopper that was transporting MJ’s body from the hospital to the coroner’s office, where they showed his remains being unloaded and taken down into the building. Second was a still photo – God knows what sicko took the shot and then sent it to the media – of Michael, on the gurney, unconscious, with an EMT holding a respriator thingy – you know, the mask with the big squeeze bulb that they use to breathe for people who aren’t on their own? – on his face. Nobody needed to see either of those things!!! NO ONE! Especially not his FAMILY. Dispicable. Disgusting. Unforgivable. You out there in the news business…make me sick to my stomach…where is your sense of decency??? That is not news! That is the end of someone’s life. It should be a private thing, not splashed all over the television and tabloids for public consumption.

Yummy!

2009-06-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

Some things are just too good to keep to yourself. This recipe is most definitely one of them!! It’s also the best kind of recipe: quick and simple. I made it for dinner (for me mostly, since the hubby isn’t a seafood fan) last night and was very pleased with it. The only change I made was that I used about a pound of medium shrimp that I happened to have purchased the day before instead of the jumbo shrimp it calls for….and it turned out fantastic. So without further ado, here it is – bon appetit!

4 Minute Spicy Garlic Shrimp
Serves 2
• 12 shrimp (Jumbo sized, peeled, deveined, & tails intact)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed with the side of a knife)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning (Montreal Seasoning by McCormick is recommended)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and shrimp.
3. Season with grill seasoning or salt & pepper.
4. Cook shrimp 3 minutes or until just pink.
5. Toss with lemon zest, juice, & chopped parsley.
6. Remove shrimp to a serving platter, leaving the garlic cloves in the pan

Sick of RAIN!!!!

2009-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I’m tired of living in Seattle!!!! Enough with the rain already!!!!! Holy. Cannolli. It has RAINED every stinkin’ day for 3 weeks!! Well, almost every day… I think there may have been 3 days in that period that we didn’t get rained on. If it doesn’t stop soon I may fling myself off a bridge ((sigh)) Honestly, y’all…I don’t know HOW people can live in places where it rains a lot. I caught a serious case of the blues from all the gloom outside. Boo-koo bummed out. Weepy, droopy, sad. Dragging my sorry self to work when all I really wanted to do was crawl in bed and stay there. I finally went tanning Friday and that seemed to snap me out of it….fake sun is better than no sun, right?

For those of you who have kids or are still a kid at heart (like moi), you have GOT to go see “Up”. I went with the hubby Saturday night and laughed until my sides hurt. I think it will be way more humorous for those of you who have or have had dogs….if you haven’t had the pleasure, the dog humor won’t be nearly as funny (i.e. “the cone of shame”). But the interaction between the old guy and the kid was funny by itself (snipe hunt anyone??) Most certainly worth $8 and an hour and a half of your time.

We’ve made plans to take a trip south, to Moab, Lake Powell, Kanab and the Grand Canyon. Originally Steve suggested it coincide with our anniversary in July. After some discussion (while the heat doesn’t bother me much, I know that Steve and Chris would NOT enjoy themselves in the 100+ degree weather that is the norm in those parts at the end of July) we decided on going in September. I am super excited to see the GC, since I didn’t get to on my trip in March. And of course, while we’re in the area, I will be spending some time volunteering out at Dog Town. YAY!!!! I am so happy to be returning to the sanctuary and to be able to show my family Dog Town and the rest of Angel Canyon. I enjoyed my stay in Kanab so much the first time with my friend, Laura, it will be extra special to share time there with my fam :0)

Have a great day!!!

Cards for Daniel

2009-06-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

At work, I tune in to Dr Laura in the afternoons. Mostly because it’s the only station I can get on my poor little radio…too much interference to pick up anything else, really. I listen off and on while she’s on, but I mostly have the radio on for background noise. I can’t stand the quiet in the office when it’s not on….drives me nuts. Anyway, I was listening Wednesday afternoon when Dr Laura started the hour with the story of a young serviceman who has been severely wounded in the line of duty and the request his parents have made to help brighten the day of this brave soldier. I think this is a very worthy endeavor and wanted to post it to spread the word. This is what Dr Laura related on her show:

"Sgt. Daniel Thornhill was seriously injured in Afghanistan two years ago by a suicide bomber. This soldier has lost both legs, is paralyzed from the waist down and has suffered severed burns over his arms, hands and body. He has been rehabbing at the Fisher House in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. (WOAI.com article: Veteran loses limbs in battle, but not hope)

His parents have reached out for support -- not financially, but they are asking for as many service members, veterans, and others as possible to please send him a birthday card. His birthday is this coming week and it would be nice if a lot of us send him a note to show him how much we love him for what he has sacrificed for his country.

And if you're in the in the San Antonio area, stop by and visit not only this troop but others who may be in the same situation and Sgt. Thornhill and his family.

Please brighten the day of a hero."

Mailing address:
Sgt. Daniel Thornhill
Fort Sam Houston Fisher House
3623 George C. Beach Rd
Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234

Update

2009-06-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well it’s about time! Jeez Louise!!! I really hadn’t intended on not posting for this long, but you know how it goes….things get crazy at work, at home; you find that while you have things to share, you just don’t have the time to write. Or, when you do have time, you just don’t feel like firing up the ol’ PC and clickty clacking away on the keyboard. It’s been a busy couple weeks…work has been…well…stressful and exhausting, to put it mildly; home has been a wonderful refuge from all the chaos of the workday, which is as it should be. The fam has had plenty of playtime over the last few weeks as well. From a family outing to the Arco desert (I’ll post some pics later) the day after my DH’s birthday for a day of target shooting, to lunch and a movie in a complete monsoon, to tossing the football outside in the evenings, to a trip to SLC for a Moochie’s sandwich and a new toy for the hubby. Yes, we have a new addition to the family…I have to admit, it’s a cute little guy :0) It’s German…fahrfegnugen (lol). Sounds a-maz-ing. I’ll snap a pic or two to share. Oh! I planted 2 tomato plants…for a container garden since I don’t have time for a REAL garden. I am pleased to report that they have blossoms on them – yay!!! I’ve never planted tomatoes before. Thought about it lots. Wanted to do it for years. Finally took the plunge. Am being rewarded with the promise of yummy tomatoes to come :0) I also got some raspberry starts from a friend, planted them; my darling husband trimmed them with the weed whacker on accident. I almost had heart failure. Steve felt terrible. The poor little things were only in the ground for 2 weeks before they got whacked :0( The good news is that the stalks are still green. The local grower that these plants originally came from said they should be okay. (I put some Miracle Grow on them anyway. Couldn’t hurt to have a little nutrient boost, right?) Dreams of fresh raspberries may have to wait until next year, though. Sigh. FINALLY settled on paint colors for the living room and kitchen – woo hoo! Looking forward to getting those 2 rooms (and the hallway) painted. They’ve needed it for quite some time but we – okay, I – could not decide what color. I waffle. What can I say?? On our little excursion to SL last weekend, we took the scenic route back out to I-15 from Moochies: down Highland Drive, through the cities of Sugarhouse and Liberty Heights. Never been to either city, so it was something new. I have to tell ya, if I HAD to move to SLC, those would be the places I’d want to move to….beautiful older homes, cute little neighborhoods, adorable little shops. And a Barnes & Noble the size of Rhode Island! Loved it loved it loved it. Well, I guess I’ve babbled enough for now. Have a great day all!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-05-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

My DH is celebrating his birthday today...he took the day off work to have some "me" time, which is always a good thing. He's spending the day recording (HIS material, not someone else's band...been a while since he's done his own stuff) and probably catching the matinee of "Wolverine" after my son gets home from school. I'll be finishing up his cake (Devil's Food with Bavarian Creme and Raspberry filling...sugar-free, of course) while they're at the movie. I hope you're having a wonderful day, babe...you deserve it in spades.

Mucho love-o!!!!
your wife xoxox

Murder so...sweet??

2009-05-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books – everything from Ernest Hemmingway and Charles Dickens to Stephen King and Jackie Collins. There really is no specific genre I prefer although I tend to get stuck in ruts (my latest one has been vampire stories…the Sookie Stackhouse series, The Hollows series). I have to share with you the book I just finished up, however. It’s a murder mystery. With cookies. The book is called “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder”….the name of the author escapes me at the moment. It is the first in a series, with the next book being “Strawberry Shortcake Murder”. Followed by the “Blueberry Muffin Murder”. You can see where this is going, right? Main character is named Hannah; she owns a busy bakery (The Cookie Jar) in a small Minnesota town. After stumbling into a murder case, she decides to help her brother-in-law the cop solve the case. What makes this book unique (I can’t wait to see if it holds true in the rest of the series) is that when Hannah whips up a batch of her famous cookies to take to an event, such as her Chocolate Chip Crunches or Black and Whites, the author gives you the recipe so you can enjoy them as well. Kind of a “two ‘fer”…a whodunit and a cookbook all in one :0) Haven’t tried any of them out yet…however the Chocolate-Covered Cherry Delights are calling to me….

The Oscar Song

2009-05-07T12:07:00.001-07:00

My bologna has a first name
It’s O-S-C-A-R.
My bologna has a second name
It’s M-A-Y-E-R.
Oh I love to eat it every day,
And if you ask me why
I’l saaaaaaay:
“Cause Oscar Mayer has a way
With b-o-l-o-g-n-a!”

Pain, Dope and BLS

2009-05-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

I’m running on fumes this morning so y’all bear with me if I ramble, babble or just flat out don’t make an iota of sense. 3 hours of sleep tends to do that. Oh but it was worth every minute :0)

First off, the Depot is quite the venue. They’ve done a fab job of remodeling the old UP train station. It’s beautiful. Some of the art deco era touches – such as the large silver door pulls on the wooden doors into the main level, the paint colors - from the days when the building bustled with busy travelers are awesome. Of course, your average dude wouldn’t notice this; being a person with an X chromosome, I tend to notice the trivial things like décor and architecture. Plus, I LOVE old buildings/houses. So much character. But I digress. The Depot has 3 floors to it; we had tix in the VIP section, which was on the top floor. We shared our suite with 3 guys who had driven from Wyoming just to see Zakk (Wyoming Chapter in the house!). Now when we arrived, our original plan was to grab our tix from the box office where they were held for us, then go over to the Gateway for dinner. We figured we had plenty of time, since it was just after 7 and the show wasn’t scheduled to start until 8. Au contraire, mon cher. The person at the box office window had us go thru security, into the building to the inner office to claim our tickets and be shown to our suite. So we went in. Ordered a beer. Wandered the main floor, ordered a couple Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches & fries (definitely not a Moochies Philly but pretty good). Then the first band started! At 7:30! Who the heck ever heard of a concert starting EARLY?!? First band: Cycle of Pain. This is a new group formed by Black Label Society’s bass player, JD. They kicked butt. Completely rockin’ tunes; if you happen to be in the mood for some in-your-face attitude music, I would recommend their cd. Second band: Dope. From Chicago. Been around a while apparently as the singer said that their new cd was their 5th. Wasn’t sure what to expect. These guys put on a good show, really worked the crowd (the mosh pit was loving it…that is something I will never understand – mosh pits….don’t get it, does NOT look like anything close to fun). They played “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol which cranked everyone up and got the place rocking. And then. At last. BLS. I have to say that given the choice between seeing a group in a large venue (arena) or a smaller club venue like The Depot, I’d choose the club every time. You have a much more intimate, one-on-one experience with the artist you are seeing in the smaller venues. We were maybe 20 feet from the stage. Having Zakk up close and personal like that was just the best. Loved his tribute to Dime. His 20 minute guitar solo was phenomenal. And his rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” …is awesome.They tore up the stage, the crowd rowdy and loving every second...except maybe the bouncers. Suicide Messiah is still running through my head this morning. The show was fantastic and was over way too fast. This member of the Doom Crew Utah Chapter was left wanting more more more, anxiously awaiting my next chance to see Black Label Society. And it can't be soon enough.

An evening with Zakk

2009-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

What was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread?? When Meatloaf sings that he would “do anything for love, but I won’t do that”, what IS “that”? If heat rises, why is it colder in the mountains? And why in the name of all that is good and holy will people wear shorts paired with a big ol’ North Face bubble coat in 70 degree weather?? Just a few mysteries of the universe that came up on my visit to Kanab. Kaylin’s sweetie gave us the answer to the Meatloaf question (although I still love the answer one of my friends at work gave – the dishes!) but we’re still on the hunt for the rest. Especially the last one….

The hubby and I are having a date night….we’re going to dinner and then to a concert of one of our favorites – Black Label Society. Those of you who aren’t familiar with the name (and that’s probably 99.9% of you), BLS is the band for Ozzy Osbourne’s guitar player, Zakk Wylde. Zakk is actually quite the guy, and a completely amazing guitar player. He may look a bit intimidating (okay, he looks like a Hells Angel in bell bottoms!), but is really a super dude. And super busy! If he’s not on the road with BLS or Ozzy, he is in the studio with one or the other band. Right now, he is just beginning his band’s tour, after finishing up a loooong tour with Ozzy, is just releasing his newest CD, and is in the process of writing songs for Ozzy’s next cd. (I’m getting tuckered out just thinking about all the irons he’s got in the fire…yeesh!) I bought tix for my hubby and my dad-in-law to go see Zakk 2 years ago (which they LOVED) and I am looking forward to a fantastic show tonight. Doom Crew forever!

We spent the evening on Saturday with my mom-in-law and her husband, who were in the area to watch his son race motocross. We had a leisurely dinner and chatted up a storm. The 2 ½ hours we were at the restaurant flew by! Then we took them by Steve’s work to show them some of the cool gear they make. It would have been nice if the weather had been decent…maybe we could have picnicked in the park or BBQ’d. Hopefully next time we can do that.

Have a good day everyone

Strawberries

2009-05-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

A sweet little recipe to share with you to add a little strawberry goodness to your weekend :0)

I found this on a recipe site I check out often and ended up making this for my son's birthday. There are 2 ways to make this - the fully-loaded version and the better for me but still deeeeelish "unleaded" version. I made the "unleaded" version. If I hadn't told my husband and son, they never would have known...it was that good.

The Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake
20 min | 20 min prep
SERVES 12

• 1 quart fresh strawberries (or more if you like)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping
• 1 (14 ounce) angel food cake, cut into cubes (I buy the cake already made)

1. Wash, stem, and cut strawberries in half.
2. Add sugar; toss to mix well.
3. Chill.
4. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar well.
5. Fold in whipped topping and cake cubes.
6. Spread cake into an ungreased 13x9 dish.
7. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
8. Cut cake into squares; top with strawberries.

"Unleaded" Version:
I used Splenda in place of the sugars, sugar-free Cool Whip, fat-free Philly cream cheese and I baked a reduced sugar white cake. I also didn't use quite as much "sugar" as it calls for. And I found that the topping made as directed did not seem to be enough for the whole 13x9 pan..don't know if that was because I made one or not. Thought I'd mention it so you could buy double the cream cheese and Cool-Whip if you wanted to.

ENJOY!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Livestock

2009-04-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

First mad cows....now sick pigs. What next?

(Cow photo taken by The Pioneer Woman)

Brain cramps come with age

2009-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

I think I’m suffering from some writers block. Can’t seem to come up with anything to write about. No earth-shattering events, no terrible tales to tell, no pet peeves to percolate. I guess that the monotony that is ruling my life at the moment is a good thing. If the biggest controversy I’ve chatted about this morning is how one of our friends is staked out at KFC waiting for his free piece of their new chicken, life’s got to be going blissfully smooth, right?

We did have some milestones in our little clan in the past week however. Both our son and our oldest daughter celebrated birthdays. If anything will make a gal feel old, it’s looking at your youngest kid, your “baby”, and realizing that next year he’ll be in high school and driving; then looking at your oldest child and realizing that she will be graduating from college next year. College! Holy. Cow. WHERE did all the time go?! It never went that fast when I was a kid. Jeez Louise. If I sit very still in a quiet room, listen very intensely I think I can hear new grey hairs sprouting out of my noggin. Sigh. That must be why I’ve been having the brain cramps…all those grey hairs clogging up the works.

Oh my gosh – Rat Pack week on AI! Love it :0) I like Frank and Dino tunes, not to mention Bobby Darin. So this will be a good week for me. LOTS better than Disco week last week…ugh. Not a big disco fan, folks. Not at all. I about fell over when KC of KC and the Sunshine Band fame strolled out on the stage…was waiting for the Bay City Rollers for the grand finale there (lol).

Have a great day everyone!

(somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Chris!!!

Daybook

2009-04-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY April 20, 2009
Outside my window I think it may finally be….spring!
I am thinking about why I make some of the decisions I do…even knowing the consequences will be bad.
I am thankful for books!
I am wearing my “fat pants”, brown plaid Airwalks with the skulls on them (my "rock n roll chick" shoes - ha ha), and a sweatshirt
I am creating a dinner menu for my son’s birthday with all his favs on it
I am going to be a better mom and wife
I am reading Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
I am hoping to get home from work early today (pleasepleaseplease)
I am hearing Dr Laura on the radio
Around the house it’s actually still pretty clean from Friday –woo hoo.
One of my favorite things is enjoying the sunrise on my deck with a cuppa Joe
A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday celebrations!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: don’t you just love sunflowers? :0)

25 Things

2009-04-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

My DF, Darla, posted one of these about her the other day...thought it was nifty so I decided to do one as well...here goes:

25 Random Things About Me

1. I was taught Japanese in kindergarden (remember very little of it now, darn it)
2. I have a yellow-belt in Tae Kwon Do
3. Math was the bane of my existence in school (do you REALLY use that algebra?)
4. Purple is my favorite color ever…I love purple everything….except Barney the dinosaur
5. I am exceedingly shy around most people
6. I like fresh coconut but not coconut flavored stuff; ditto with bananas
7. I want to go skydiving and learn to surf
8. I have buried the needle on my speedometer before (one of those dumb HS things)
9. I have drag-raced an on-duty cop (I repeat: one of those dumb HS things…but it sure was fun!)
10. Centipedes, millipedes and earwigs completely freak me out
11. Wish I would have learned to play the violin growing up
12. Love to cook, hate doing the dishes afterward
13. I can not make fudge to save my life (just can’t do it!)
14. Hammocks kick my butt (apparently I am not coordinated enough to work one of these contraptions without falling off)
15. I drowned as a kid (an uncle pulled me off the bottom of the pool)
16. I have worn a Super Bowl ring
17. I still watch cartoons
18. I wish I would have done better in school and gone to college
19. I am a big ol’ bookworm (books are everywhere in my house!)
20. I have toured an active volcano site (the majority of the trails I was on are now under a ton of lava)
21. My biggest fear is losing my husband or kids
22. Someday I hope I can be the person really want to be…I think I’m going in the right direction
23. I still eat raw cookie dough and eat the cake batter leftover in the bowl (unless my son beats me to it)
24. I love to eat with chopsticks
25. I think good soak in a hot bubble bath with a book is one of the best things in the world.

Daybook

2009-04-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

For April 13, 2009...
Outside my window the much-enjoyed sunshine is slowly giving way to clouds :0(
I am thinking about what to make for dinner
I am thankful for being married to my best friend
I am wearing sweatshirt, jeans, Doc Marten boots (yes, I’m at work)
I am creating a list of possible birthday gifts for my son and oldest daughter
I am going home to have lunch with my son today!
I am reading “A Fistful of Charms” by Kim Harrison
I am hoping to pick up the latest Sookie Stackhouse paperback this week
I am hearing the guys making racket out in the shop
One of my favorite things is my cat Fred
A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday shopping…that’s about it so far

Quilts

2009-04-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

This came to me a couple times today in my email. Loved it. Think its appropriate to share with ya'll, especially heading into Easter. Enjoy.

Quilt of Holes

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

(I didn't take this pic, by the way)

Life on the Beach

2009-04-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

My name is Wildflower, and I’m a carb-aholic. Somewhere on a previous post, or possibly a few posts, I think I’ve mentioned that I am a total carb fiend. Bread is my food obsession. I love bread. Any bread - whole wheat…multigrain…sourdough…cinnamon bread…banana bread…french bread…garlic bread…English muffins….cornbread. I can pass up anything else but bread. Chocolate? I can live without it (not that I’d want to). Cake? No problem saying “no”. Ice cream? No thank you. But wave a slice of bread in front of me and I get almost rabid. It’s not a pretty sight, y’all. This being said, I am now on day 9 of Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. Not because I want to lose weight, though I will admit that I have gained a little while still doing my walk/jog/running each day. Mostly due to said carb addiction. And my home gym has been put away for the last 5 months while we were finishing the basement - my “tone” (ha ha) has gone to hell in a handcart…ick. But mostly because I needed to reset my system, get a grip on my insulin levels. I don’t eat a lot of junk food (pizza, burgers, chips, fried foods, ice cream, ect); I do eat lots of salads, nuts and fruits; the desserts I eat are normally sugar-free and I drink diet soda…very little sugar or bad fats; but I have a history of diabetes on both sides of my family, have noticed that when my blood sugar crashes I get down-right nasty, and am fearing pre-diabetes because the fat storage I’ve accumulated seems to coincide with what doctors describe when talking about insulin-resistant folks. I may be having a total hypochondriac moment about the insulin-resistance thing. Better to be safe than sorry, though, yes? Anyway. So here I am in the middle of Phase 1. It lasts 14 days. There are no carbs during this stage. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. No bread, oatmeal, potatoes, rice, nothing. Anything even remotely resembling a carb is forbidden. By crikey I have not had a crumb of bread in 9 freaking days!!!! I miss my bread!!! (sniffle sniffle) Oh and fruit is not permitted either. Yep, you read that right – no fruit. All my home made dried cherry/raisen/banana chip and peanut trail mix I love to munch on? Done. No apples and cheese for lunch or snacking. If anything could have made giving up bread worse, that was it. I am forever nibbling on either a carb (bread or popcorn) or fruit for my snacks. But. All things aside, the diet is easy to follow, the meals are surprisingly GOOD (the grilled rosemary salmon is delish!), snacks are portable, as are some breakfasts (great news for when I’ve overslept), meals are filling and they even give you a recepie for a dessert using ricotta cheese that comes in vanilla, chocolate mocha, almond, a lemon and a lime. Ohhh baby they’re tastey! I’ve been feeling good, energetic and healthy. No crashing in the middle of the afternoon – woo hoo!!! If I can just make it to Saturday, I can slowly add fruits and bread back into my diet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to keep a good grip on the leash of my carb demon. I think if I get to have bread again and blow it, then have to start over again with NO bread, I’ll become seriously deranged! (Just hand over the bread and back away slooooowly)

A strange thing seems to occurred in the past 48 hours…spring has arrived! Just when it looked like we’d NEVER see it too. Thank goodness!! I was feeling pretty darn put out about having snow every other day. Playing “now you see it, now you don’t” with my lawn has lost its appeal (lol).

I’ve been so bad about posting stuff about my Kanab trip. All the cool stuff I saw and did while there. I’m working on it….really. Been busy at work so I don’t want to look at my PC when I get home. Ugh. I’ll get some more posted, though…eventually ;0)

A quick opinion

2009-04-03T14:37:00.001-07:00

I have no tolerance for, nor any use for guys who beat their women. I am outraged at the women who stay with these scumbags. Do yourselves a huge favor and throw the bum OUT....for good.

Kanab pt1

2009-03-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Keeping with what turned into our nightly ritual, Friday evening (the 17th) found Laura and I sitting in the “breakfast room”, on the sofas, with our cups of coffee (sometimes it was actually coffee); she was answering emails off and on while we chatted and watched Nick at Nite. The great part about coming downstairs to the breakfast room each night was that we always had the place to ourselves. There would be the occasional hotel guest that would wander in to grab a cuppa coffee or some tea, but otherwise we had the run of the place…complete remote control :0) This particular night, however, I think we both had the “gloomy gus” vibe going since neither of us wanted to leave Kanab. The “party” was over but no one wanted to go home.

My part of the Kanab trip started on the 15th. Being a Sunday, the traffic was light; blazing down I-15 through the metro areas of Ogden, Salt Lake and on past Provo was a snap. I’m not much for driving metro area I-15 so the lack of mad traffic was a blessing. With my tunes cranked up I be-bopped down the road, singing and grooving along my merry way, arriving to Kanab at about 4 p.m. Anyone who has been to the southern part of Utah will know what a huge difference there is in the landscape…it is so beautiful there - not that it isn’t in the northern part also – with all the different rock formations and the colors..oh! the colors are stunning! I checked into the hotel then headed back north of town to scout out where we would be spending our week working with critters great and small (the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is about a 10 minute drive from Kanab) since Laura and the girls were still several hours away, coming north from their stay at the Grand Canyon. Snapped some pictures, looked around, then headed back to town. Laura, Kaylin and Ashley arrived while I was downstairs in the gym so it was a pleasant surprise to open the door to our suite and see them!

There is just so much to say about my trip…tons of things to tell you. I don’t want to continue with a blow by blow account, so I will try to post each day some of the highlights (and silly stuff) that happened thoughtout the week. I made notes that final night so I wouldn’t forget anything. Had I been thinking I’d have brought a notebook to chronicle the day’s events each night during our lounge time in the breakfast room. Next time I’ll know, won’t I ;0)

Alrighty then…Monday morning we arrived just as the van for the tour was leaving the parking lot…luckily they turned around for us (missed orientation too…oops…should have remembered to print out the schedule) so we got to see where all the different areas were. Filled out some paperwork and then were turned loose to go have lunch before we started our work. And where did we go? DOGTOWN!!! Laura and I were assigned to the Garden complex, while the girls went to another area of Dogtown. Our “task masters” at the Garden were Skip and Karen, who were so awesome and funny. They made us feel right at home. Thus began the dogwalking…between us we walked every one of them! Miles of dogwalking, dog jogging, dog running. In sand. Up hills. Down hills. Whew!! After which we got to have playtime, where we could go into the runs, play with, brush and love the dogs (tough job, but someone needs to do it). I spent most of the time in the outside run of a dog who LOVED to be walked but did not like people very much…very very leary of anyone but Karen and Skip…abused and neglected before he got to Dogtown. Can not think of his name (see, if I’d have been writing this down as I went along, I’d remember now wouldn’t I?). Anyway, armed with some dog treats, I just sat in the yard with him, not getting close at all but letting him come as close as he felt comfortable on his own. Throw out a treat, entice him to venture a little closer. By the end of the day he would come up to my feet and take a treat, felt comfortable enough with me to lay down under the tree about 3 feet away. I hope that it helped reinforce that not all people are bad and want to hurt him. 5 o’clock rolled around fast, fun over for the day. Heeding the advice of Karen on the local eating establishments, we trooped back to town and into Escobar’s for chips, salsa and a monster chicken burrito. And ooooh was it good :0) If you’re ever in Kanab and in need of some great Mexican food….this is the spot, y’all. With full tummys, we headed back to the hotel to digest and take much needed showers, grab some coffee and lounge in front of the tv downstairs.

(The dog is one of the ones I walked on our first day...a cute hound mix named Amara)

Daybook

2009-03-30T14:33:00.001-07:00

FOR TODAY March 30, 2009...
Outside my window...there is MORE SNOW, darn it!
I am thinking...about all the errands I need to run after work
I am thankful for...a tall cold glass of diet Pepsi…ahhh :0)
I am wearing...standard work attire – jeans, sweatshirt and Docs
I am creating...less paperwork on my desk
I am going...home after work to run 2 miles
I am reading...”Seeing Redd” by Frank Bedor
I am hoping...to put together a rock-climbing party for my kiddo’s b-day
I am hearing...Dr Laura on the radio
Around the house...there is chores to be done
One of my favorite things...snuggling into my down comforter at night
A few plans for the rest of the week: aside from cleaning, finish my book and start the one my DH bought me for my b-day, write about my Kanab trip

Here is a picture thought I am sharing: this is Riley, one of the rescued horses they have on the Best Friends sanctuary, hanging in his stall to have some lunch before he goes back out into the pasture…he has a prosthetic leg and is one of 70 in the country who have one. How awesome he can “be a horse” instead of being put down for a birth defect :0)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Monday

2009-03-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

I'm back!!!! Soooo much to share with y'all about my trip but it will have to wait.....after being gone for a week I am still trying to locate the top of my desk!! (lol) I know it's here somewhere under all these papers ;0)

Angel Canyon

2009-03-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

At last…my favorite day of the work week has arrived!!!! Friday! The Cure made a song about Friday (those of you 80’s children will probably remember it) which pops to mind occasionally on a good workday Friday….”oh Thursday I don’t care about you, it’s Friday – I’m in love.” Fridays are normally pretty laid-back here at work; contractors who visit on Fridays tend to bring goodies with them…cookies, bagels, doughnuts…all that good junk food that makes my butt grow by just thinking about it. The best is when Spencer Brown makes up a big batch of salsa and shares a gallon or so with us…sooo dang good! He could seriously bottle it to sell in the stores…yum yum yummy stuff. Unfortunately, this particular Friday, the big honchos from corporate have arrived as well. Guess I won’t be seeing much of my boss today. He’ll be attending meetings all day. And when they boys from corporate have a meeting, they have a freakin’ meeting, ya’ll….we’re talking 6 hour meetings. All day meetings. All day Saturday meetings. I don’t know much about how they do things in Brazil, but here in my little neck of the woods, we don’t do marathon meetings. Anything longer than 2 hours is ridiculous.

So I am in a mad frenzy of trying to get all my ducks in a row for my week-long adventure in southern Utah. My DF Laura and her girls began their drive from St Louis today and I will leave early Sunday morning to meet them in Kanab. Yes, I said Kanab. No, we’re not going to St George, Vegas, or Phoenix…when I have referred to my “trip south” previously, this is my destination. We are all volunteering at the Angel Canyon animal sanctuary for a week. This place is incredible…acres and acres of land with one purpose – save animals. They are a non-kill animal shelter. They take in abused, neglected, and abandoned animals of just about every size and shape – cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, burros, pot-bellied pigs, hawks, parrots, llamas…you name it, they save it. They work to rehabilitate the animals so they can be adopted into loving homes; if the animal can not be rehabbed, they simply live at the sanctuary until they pass away. The folks at Angel Canyon are the people who took in the pitbulls from Michael Vick’s estate when he was busted for running dog fights at his house. Happily, 2 or 3 of these dogs have be rehabbed and adopted :0) Animal Planet channel film a series here at Angel Canyon about the dog section called “Dogtown”. So Laura, Kaylin, Ashley and I are spending a week working with various critters – I chose to work a couple days with the dogs, a couple days with the horses and a day with the wild outdoor birds. I am just elated and grateful to have this awesome opportunity. I’ve been to Kanab once before…there is an area just before you get to the town that is very desert like….lots of dunes, sages and juniper trees…but the sand is the most gorgeous pumpkin color! It’s really pretty. We are going to take one day off to go “sight-seeing”…hope to go to Zion NP or down to the Grand Canyon :0) I will take as many pictures as I can and I hope to be able to throw some up on the blog throughout the week.

Need to give a big big BIG “atta girl!!!” to my DF and Crash Crew buddy, Darla, who is just a few pounds away from reaching her weight loss goal. Darla Lou, you are an inspiration and I am so very proud of you!!!!! :0D

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!!

(not so) Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am breaking with the “wordless” part of WW today because I just have to comment on these pics (I took these pictures around 12:30 Monday afternoon while I was home for lunch). Let’s start with bit of background, though, shall we? Sunday afternoon I was enjoying sun streaming through my windows. I had at some point wandered over to the sliding glass patio door and was watching the little finches in the plum tree, thinking to myself how awesome it was to have the backyard free of snow. All gone. No snow at all; a little left out front where the piles hadn’t quite melted away completely, but the backyard was free and clear. Ahhh…so nice. And then Monday hit. Now mind you I had heard the weatherman on the 10 o’clock news say that we had an 80% chance of snow, accumulations of 3 – 6 inches. Okay….I’m thinking 3, maybe 4 inches…it was still fairly warm out so we had a chance of skating out with even just 2” with a little luck. No problem. The snow began sometime after midnight, picking up in earnest around 4 a.m. And it snowed. And snowed. Then it got serious and really let ‘er rip. TWENTY SEVEN INCHES LATER, it finally stopped. Oh my goodness y’all. All I could do each time I looked outside was just stand there with my mouth wide open, looking very much like a big-mouth bass I’m sure. WHERE did this come from?!? What the heck happened to the 3 to 6 inches?? ((((sigh)))) At least my dogs enjoyed the snow. They LOVE snow. Poor Trixie was pushing snow with her chest like a little furry black snowplow….cracked me up to watch her more or less burrowing her way around the backyard. The forecast calls for our temps to be up to 50 by Saturday/Sunday. Let the melting commence!.....again.

Daybook

2009-03-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY March 9, 2009...
Outside my window...it is snowing like mad….18” and counting.
I am thinking...I wish it would STOP SNOWING!
I am thankful for...my waterproof warm gloves!
I am wearing...my Doc Marten boots, jeans, long-sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt
I am creating...a big dent in the pile of paperwork on my desk
I am going...on a trip!!!
I am reading...”Ice Cold Grave” by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping...that I will have everything ready for my trip by Saturday
I am hearing...”Lifeline” by Papa Roach on the radio
Around the house...it’s snowy and quiet, since we are all at work and school
One of my favorite things...the sound of a child’s big ol’ belly laugh
A few plans for the rest of the week: study for finals, study for finals, and study for finals

For Steve

2009-03-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

"Better than I was
More than I am
And all of this happened
By takin' your hand

And who I am now
Is who I wanted to be
And now that we're together
I'm stronger than ever
I'm happy and free

Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in, no
And if you asked me why I changed
All I gotta do is say your sweet name

It's your love
It just does somethin' to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love"

Daybook (finally!)

2009-03-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY March 2, 2009...
Outside my window it’s overcast but warm (46 degrees)
I am thinking about what a great time I had over the weekend!
I am thankful for the blueberry crisp Clif bar I had stashed in my purse...starving!!
From the kitchen is the wonderful aroma of dinner warming
I am wearing jeans, sweatshirt, my cute RocketDogs
I am creating a list of stuff I need to do before my trip
I am going to go tan!
I am reading “Every Which Way But Dead” by Kim Harrison
I am hoping my head will unclog soon :0(
I am hearing Boneyard on XM Radio
Around the house all is relatively quiet
One of my favorite things my mom-in-law’s fresh-baked cookies – YUM!
A few plans for the rest of the week: begin studying for my finals next week!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: A picture of Jeff Gordon's car at the Las Vegas race Sunday...with a little luck I will be there next year :0)

C is for Cookie!!!

2009-02-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

“C is for cookie and that’s good enough for me. Oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C!!” Cookie Monster's song is right on, man...cookies rock :0) It is that time of year again…..Girl Scout cookies!!!! Mmmmmm :0) I will be snagging my boxes of Thin Mints (my FAVS), which are going immediately into the freezer (frozen is the bestbestbest way to eat those….especially in the summer!), and the Do-Si-Dos (my sweetie and kiddo’s favs). Yum!

I am heading to IF to stay the weekend with my BF since junior high, Aundria, and her 2 girls. I’s so jacked about going I about can’t stand it! Having a “girls lunch” with Aun and a few other friends. Should be fun…girlfriends, gabbing, good eats…what more could a gal want?? Taking Aun’s girls out rollerskating or bowling Saturday night….I am leaning toward bowling, myself; I haven’t been on skates in eons. Driving home Sunday with a broken leg could be difficult (ha ha ha). Going to spend some time with my MIL and her hubby while I’m in town as well. Looking forward to seeing them since we don’t get to visit as much as we’d like. Maybe I can talk my MIL into letting me cook them lunch or dinner :0) I’ve never had the chance to do that for them and I’d really like to….they always take us out for dinner when they are in town to see us, or have dinner ready for us when we come to their house. It would be a nice treat for me to do this for them.

Everyone have a great Friday!!!!

PS
They gave Megan the boot on Idol?!?! Are you kidding me???? Jeez!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T07:34:00.001-08:00

Larry Bird and Tessa

2009-02-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Before I get to my story, I'd like to explain why I missed my Daybook entry again yesterday. Intentions were there to post it at some point during the day, but unfortunate circumstances arose that left me feeling less than up to writing. A member of my “work family” suffered an unimaginable loss; word came to him in a phone call from his wife just after lunch that their son in law had been killed while serving in Iraq. Upon hearing this news, my heart just broke in a million pieces for my colleague and his family. With heavy heart I finished my day at work, but thoughts of my friend’s loss weighed upon me the rest of the day. I did hear the story surrounding the death this morning: this young man’s unit was on a mission to clear out a suspected terrorist hideout. He was first through the door of the house. The terrorists came out of a trap door (“spider hole”) in the floor with guns blazing. He was hit numerous times but was able to kill 3 or 4 of them before he died. Sadly, 3 of his fellow soldiers lost their lives in the attack as well. It could have been many many more if not for his actions. I hope that the knowledge that this soldier died heroically in the line of duty will give some small measure of comfort to the family. My thoughts are definitely with them.

Have I mentioned that I know Larry Bird?? Yep….he used to be a bouncer at the bar I worked in during my wild days. Goes by the name of Guy these days. He’s incognito, you know. Larry doesn’t like the spotlight, can’t stand being mobbed by autograph hounds, so he lives in Idaho as an average Joe, relishing his anonymity. He stopped by to see my BF over the weekend, which is a treat since he doesn’t drop in and chat too often. My youngest niece,Tessa (what a cutie patootie) was awestruck at how tall he is. (I had a moment like that when I was around 6 or 7 when my family saw Wilt Chamberlain at the Honolulu Zoo….holy cow was he TALL!!) Our Larry’s 6’6”. Or, as he told Tessa, “5 foot 20 inches”. I got the above picture from Aun yesterday and it just cracks me up…. looks like 2 Tessa’s = one Guy!! LOL. I’m sure I will hear all about the visit from Tess this weekend when I see her. Can’t wait for all the details ;0)

Enjoy your day!

Day and Ny-Quil

2009-02-20T06:54:00.000-08:00

((sigh))

[[SIGH]]

Sick.

Flu?

Throat is irritated (and irritating)

Ears hurt

Nose runs

Head feels like someone used it for a pinata

Shivery

I ache all over

Looks like a "Night" (Ny) and Day -quil weekend

Ugh :0(

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T07:41:00.001-08:00

Flaky Tuesday

2009-02-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday to ya! I’ll bet you all had a great Valentine’s day and spent the weekend relaxing and having a good time.

Monday was a very busy day…work kept me hopping with learning our new Kronos and PeopleSoft systems, handing out our new ID cards and learning the new task codes. Lots to remember but it will get easier over the next couple weeks. Or I will totally screw everything up and cause tons more work for myself. Either way (lol)

It’s snowing like a banshee this morning! It’s that super heavy wet stuff that is back breaking to shovel. It also packs down real good and turns to ice…that the roads are bad goes without saying. Going home at lunch should be a treat (not!!)

Sounding like we are heading north over the weekend to visit with my father-in-law….lunch/dinner, probably a movie at the house….along with our oldest and her hubby. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to see my FIL so we are very much looking forward to our visit. Just hope Mother Nature cooperates.

Did I mention that our “Houdini” dog, Moe, ditched his collar and bailed over the fence last week? He had a good 2 hour start before my hubby told me what had happened (Steve let the dogs out in the backyard while he was in the shower….by the time he went to let them in, Moe had got off his chain/out of his collar and jumped the fence…which is why he has to be on the chain when he’s outside in the first place). I left work, drove around the neighborhood for about 10 minutes until I stumbled across his sorry rear end. Over the weekend we noticed that he was developing a big ol’ bump on his schnozz….looked like he was trying to sprout a horn (lol). Well, it has since opened up and wept/bled, along with some sores he has on the right side of his muzzle that appeared late Sunday night. He also has assorted wounds on both ears. Near as we can figure, he got tangled up with a cat somewhere in his run-about, the wounds taking a couple days to become infected enough to manifest themselves. If I didn’t know better I’d swear he got tangled with a porcupine….but there were no quills. Whatever he messed with, I hope he learned a lesson. His nose began to scab over last night so it's not quite as icky looking and raw..now he just looks pathetic. Silly mutt.

Have a wonderful day y’all!

The week from Hades!!!

2009-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

When you have a week that starts with a full moon and ends with Friday the 13th, you should have some sense of how it’s going to go. And that would be “not well”. Between absolute chaos at work and crap happening on a personal level, it has truly been the week from hell. I have stongly resembled ol’ Homer up there in the picture most of my waking hours every day this week. I am SOOOO ready to get this week over and done with. I’m done!!had it!!fed UP!!! (LOL) Yeah, I can laugh about it a little, but seriously y’all…it’s been a doozy of a week! I won’t bore you with all the gory details, but suffice it to say that I have contemplated flushing myself down the toilet and hanging out with the Tidy Bowl man…sigh. The high points of my week? The 100% on my mid-term last night (woo hoo!) and the gorgeous bouquet of roses that were delivered about an hour ago from the love of my life (and certainly my better half). Big smooches to you, honey…love ya!!!!

wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Daybook

2009-02-09T11:43:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY February 9, 2009...
Outside my window...it is lightly snowing
I am thinking...about rugs, pictures, light fixtures for the newly finished family room in the basement
I am thankful for...spending a few quiet minutes in a hot bath to regain my sanity
From the kitchen...tonight will come the wonderful smell of sausage and potato cassarole
I am wearing...sweatshirt, jeans, Doc Marten boots
I am creating...a list of stuff to take on my “girl’s week” trip next month
I am going...to be studying lots tonight for my midterm test on Wednesday
I am reading...”All Together Dead” by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping...to pass my test and do good in lab again this week
I am hearing...Rush Limbaugh on the radio
Around the house...it’s pretty peaceful as everyone is at work or school…only the critters are home
One of my favorite things...flannel sheets in the winter
A few plans for the rest of the week: study, look at rugs, study, make cookies, study
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: one of the places I want to visit in my life…Japan (pictured is Osaka Castle)

Daybook

2009-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY February 9, 2009...
Outside my window...it is lightly snowing
I am thinking...about rugs, pictures, light fixtures for the newly finished family room in the basement
I am thankful for...spending a few quiet minutes in a hot bath to regain my sanity
From the kitchen...tonight will come the wonderful smell of sausage and potato cassarole
I am wearing...sweatshirt, jeans, my Doc Marten boots
I am creating...a list of stuff to take on my “girl’s week” trip next month
I am going...to be studying lots tonight for my midterm test on Wednesday
I am reading...”All Together Dead” by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping...to pass my test and do good in lab again this week
I am hearing...Rush Limbaugh on the radio
Around the house...it’s pretty peaceful since everyone is at work or school...just the critters are home
One of my favorite things...flannel sheets in the winter
A few plans for the rest of the week: study, look at rugs, study, make cookies, study
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: One of the places I really want to visit in my life...Japan (pictured is Osaka Castle)

a tragic accident

2009-02-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

Life can change forever in the blink of an eye. I think this is something we all know, but push it to the furthest recess of our minds until some tragedy reminds us. That little “reminder” came to me yesterday morning in the form of an email from a friend, who also happens to be the safety director at my company (the irony in that is not lost on me). After starting some reports to print, I opened up my email, noticed that I had quite a few in my “In” box and began going thru them. I noticed the one from M (don’t want to use his name without his permission, so I’ll use his initial), checked the subject line – it said simply “Seatbelt”. I figured that being the safety guru here that there had been someone busted in a company vehicle (probably one of my guys) not wearing their seatbelts. It had a couple pictures attached…maybe an accident at another facility owned by my company?? Hmm. So imagine my surprise when I opened the email, which was addressed to all the department heads and myself, to read the following:

Please take a look at these photos. This is the reason the Safety Manager reminds everyone about a seatbelt in company vehicles. If you get in the habit here at work it will help you get in the habit away from work as well. That is what happened to me. I was bad about not wearing my seatbelt until I got into the safety department and started enforcing the company policy. It made me get in the habit away from work and I believe it saved my life yesterday. Please share these photos with your people and help me spread the message about the importance of seatbelts here at work as well at home. Thanks

Accident??? M was in a wreck?!?! And then I opened the pictures…..I don’t know really what I was expecting (I think my brain had not processed the part about “saved my life yesterday”) to see but it certainly was NOT what I saw. Flabberghasted and completely stunned probably would touch on it, but it was so much more. I hollered at my boss in his office (yes, hollered…at my boss) to see if he’d seen the email and pics. That’s when he related to me what he had heard so far….I’m pretty sure at that point my eyes were as big as hubcaps (you youngsters who don’t know what a hubcap is, ask your dad or grandfather) and if you had breathed in my general direction I would have fallen out of my chair. Truly. Shocked me to my core. The man in the other car had been killed on impact. Dead. Just like that. And someone I know would now have to live with the knowledge (not to mention seeing what he saw) that he had ended someone’s life. The accident was not M’s fault, nor was it the fault of the other driver…there honestly was NOTHING either of them could have done; it was caused by a careless person pulling out from a cross street and into the lane of the driver who perished instead of into the turn lane. The dead man had done all he could when traveling at 55-60mph and is faced with another vehicle suddenly pulling into your lane, had swerved to avoid the head-on collision, only to hit some gravel and fishtail, spinning in to the path of an oncoming ’93 Suburban, driven by M, traveling at 55 mph, who t-boned him and ended his whole 20 years of life. The jackass who caused the wreck in the first place?? Gone. Left the scene. Local law enforcement are “being on the lookout” for the fleeing car and driver. I have long been in the habit of wearing my seatbelt; I can’t even drive 4 blocks to the store without buckling up. My hubby wears his religiously, my son is good about wearing his (sometimes after a reminder but does nonetheless). I have been in car wrecks and by the grace of God I was never seriously hurt...I was wearing a seat belt in all (I know that sounds bad but it’s only 3 and I was not at fault in any of them….no really) but one. After seeing the pictures from M’s accident, it drove home the point about making sure to always ALWAYS wear one. There is not a doubt in my mind that if M had not been wearing his, he would have been seriously injured. Or worse. That seatbelt more likely than not saved him from flying thru the windshield. Please use my “reminder moment” to remind yourselves to buckle up; remind your family, remind your friends. Remind the jerk in the next cube at work who annoys the heck out of you. If one life can be saved from this hard lesson, this young man will not have died in vain. And don’t forget to always tell your loved ones that you do….because you never know.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Daybook

2009-02-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

(((stinking 'net gnome ate my original post!!!)))
FOR TODAY, Groundhog Day!
Outside my window the skeletal remains of my rose bushes stand waiting for sping to return.
I am thinking about having a long bubble bath!
I am thankful for freshly brewed coffee in the morning.
From the kitchen the smell sweet potatoes baking in the oven...yum!
I am wearing my shorts, tank top and running shoes.
I am creating some relaxation time before dinner.
I am going to make time to learn some yoga.
I am reading "Definately Dead" by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping to do better in lab this week :0)
I am hearing the "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC, my dogs chewing on their bones, a plane flying over the house.
Around the house it is peaceful.
One of my favorite things is to listen to it rain.
A few plans for the rest of the week: finish painting, study for mid-term, play some board games with the fam.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...silly Benny the Pug

Phil

2009-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Well it's Groundhog Day....again. (LOL) If you've seen the movie, you'll understand :o) Curse that Puntxatawny Phil! The chubby little fart saw his dang shadow...again...which means we can "look forward to" 6 more weeks of winter....again. Has the little guy ever NOT seen his shadow? Couldn't they haul his fuzzy little rodent butt out of the stump while it's still dark so he CAN'T see it? Just once? Pleeeeease???? Sigh.

I know that it's Monday and I should be posting my Daybook entry, but I haven't had time to do it this morning so I will post it tonight after "24".

Enjoy your day!

Finally Friday

2009-01-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

It’s Friday…let’s party!!!!

Glad it’s Friday; looking forward to the weekend. My FIL is coming tomorrow to hang out - catch a movie, go out for dinner, probably spend some time in Borders since he’s a big bookworm like myself. On Superbowl Sunday we are heading over to Bryce and Jen’s for the big game, along with a bunch of other friends. Good food, good friends, and hopefully a good game…with the Cardinals winning :0) It’s not that I don’t like Pittsburgh, it’s just that I really like Kurt Warner and am sick to death of seeing the Steelers. (I think they were on tv this season more than they weren’t…ick.) Going to make a big batch of Pioneer Woman’s “Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies” to share (if they make it out the door…just the thought of them makes me salivate...they're soooo dang good!) and some Buffalo Wing Bites. I’m sure that I’ll be running bookoo mileage next week as penance for my indulgence :0)

Gotta give a big “atta girl!!!!” to my wonderful friend, Darla, who has worked her way back up to running 2 miles straight. I knew you could do it! So happy for you, girlfriend…I know how bad you wanted to get back to that goal. Woo hoo!!!

Everyone have a great weekend....be good to yourselves, have some fun, try something new!.....and GO CARDS!!!!!!

Hi there!!!

2009-01-29T10:14:00.000-08:00

Thursday already…woo hoo! Y’all feelin’ like kicking some butt today?! Good! Me too! I’m a bit feisty and giddy this morning (an odd combination in my eyes, but what the heck…I’ll run with it) causing me to feel somewhat on the “30 feet tall and bulletproof” side today. Sort of a “Wonder Woman” day. I just need to make sure not to trip on my cape ;0) That would totally ruin my whole harmonious vibe! (LOL)

Oh, just a note on my Wordless Wed. pic yesterday….while that picture is originally of the famous “Dogs Playing Poker” painting, the one I posted is modified to include 2 of Chany and James’ dogs…the black lab and the pug in the visor are theirs. My DH Photoshopped them in after hearing about Benny the Pug hanging out at the poker table all night when Chany and James had a bunch of friends over for a poker night. We were joking that they should have pulled up a chair and dealt Benny in; so in a flash of brilliance, hubby came up with the idea of putting their dogs into the picture for a joke. I think it turned out pretty good, myself. DH is still looking for a good pic of a fat ol’ stogie to stick in Benny’s mouth as the one he has there now looks too small and skinny. If ya have a tough, poker-playing Pug, he needs a big old cigar to puff on. Right?

Class is going okay. I can tell this is NOT my cup of tea, however. I am finding some small measure of comfort knowing that I was never a junkie in a previous life; if I had been this experience would be WAY easier (lol). While I don’t completely suck, I am frustrated at the level of relative ease and confidence that my classmates are able to perform their venipunctures with. They all seem to be “wham, bam” and they’re done. Me, my confidence level is….well, lower than a snake’s belly, frankly. I know I can do it, and I have; last night I got 4 vials out of the hardest person in class to draw on…no one else has been able to do it thus far, so that’s a nice little confidence boost. But it really shakes my tree when I screw up and let the needle come too far back ruin my stick. I am not able to perform my draws as efficiently and quickly as everyone else, which bothers me as well. While I am relatively sure that everyone in my class does not have a rig at home to practice their draws, I have to wonder why it appears so much easier for them than for me. I tend to beat myself up a lot for not doing things well right off the bat (which my instructor has pointed out to me, which is not news to me…my tae kwon do instructor told me the same thing several years ago). I just stress out too much about messing up (((sigh))) I need to quit kicking my own butt about this....I know I’ll get better at it. I wish I could practice more than just in lab during class…I have an idea about doing that without the actual needle and draw tubes…give it a go and see what happens. I’m going to tough it out, finish the course, pass my state boards and get my nationals as well. Then on to bigger and better things.

Finalizing plans for a little adventure in the spring with my good friend Laura. I am beyond jacked up for this!!!! Can not wait!!!! This will be the first time I’ve taken a vacation in…maybe 8 years?! It’s about dang time, don’t ya think? :oD No boys allowed on our trip, either. This will be a week-long “girl’s night out”. Doing some volunteer work, seeing some sights (hel-lo Grand Canyon..woo hoo!!), hanging out. It will be a much needed break for us both. Good for both body and soul. So excited! Can’t wait! Did I mention that already?? :0)

Well that’s it for me. You guys have a wonderful day today! Carpe diem!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Daybook

2009-01-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY, January 26
Outside my window night has fallen, the sky is clear and the air is crisp.
I am thinking that I need to go to bed soon :0)
I am thankful for the return of sweet, fresh air - ahhhhh.
From the kitchen the smell of freshly popped Orville and the sounds of my son and hubby playing "Munchkin"
I am wearing my shorts, tank top and running shoes.
I am creating a list of books I want to read.
I am going to make time to cook a special dinner for my family.
I am reading "Dead as a Doornail" by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping that the weather will be good for my dad-in-law to visit this weekend.
I am hearing the soft hum of my computer.
Around the house it is peaceful.
One of my favorite things is the way my husband winks at me across the room.
A few plans for the rest of the week: finish up the primer in the basement, pick a paint color and start painting!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...deer tracks in the snowy field across the road.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T06:50:00.000-08:00

Plastered!

2009-01-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday to you!

And what a day it is too…the swearing in of a new President, the departure of the former Commander in Chief and the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our great country.…who knows what wonderful things (and unfortunately, what terrible things) lay ahead for us as a nation. Now anyone who knows me knows where I stand politically, so I will just leave my thoughts about our new President to rattle around in my little pea brain. BUT. I will state the following: I am sick to death of hearing about how he is the first black President (wait a minute…I thought Bill Clinton was our first black Prez? Those of you who remember the comment made by author Toni Morrison will understand.) So he’s black….so what? I’m serious! The color of his skin is the LAST thing we as a nation should care about! What about his achievements? What about his CHARACTER. Character is so much more important to being the leader of the free world than what color his skin is. I don’t care if he’s 3 foot tall and green and pink polka dotted as long as he is a person of good moral character. Wouldn’t you rather be defined as a person by your accomplishments and your character than, say your blonde hair? I would be so upset if people categorized me by what color my skin is or my hair or eyes are instead of, or before, the things I stand for and what I have achieved in my life through hard work and what kind of person I am. Can’t we get over the whole race thing….PLEASE? Especially you yuppers out there in the stinking media….yeesh….let it go already. Okay, I’m getting off my soapbox now.

Still waiting (hint!!!!) to see pics of the new grandbabies 2 of my dear friends welcomed into their families last week….the suspense is killing me! I bet they are each just cuter than a bugs ear :0)

My son in law finished mudding, taping and texturing our basement over the weekend. He graciously volunteered his time and talents…so who are we to argue? He knows what he’s doing :0) We made him a deal, though…an Xbox for his work. And let me tell you what, y’all…he whipped that basement into shape in short order!!! He arrived around 5:30 Friday afternoon, got right down to business, and by 2-ish Sunday afternoon it was DONE. It looks great! All we have to do now is prime and paint the walls…picking a color should be interesting….I’m sure I will change my mind a million times before we settle on one (ha ha ha). It would have taken us months to finish it on our own – would not have looked even close to as good as James’ work! So a big big HUGE thank you to James!!! While James was slinging joint compound, Chany got to spend time with her dad and brother (which I know they value just so much) and with me as well. And we all got to spend quality time with Benny the Pug (LOL). Always a pleasure to have Chan and James come for a stay….it’s never long enough though.

Hope your weekend was good, that you are all happy and feeling good. Have a great day and I’ll chat with you again soon.

Daybook

2009-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY January 19, 2009...
Outside my window...it’s twilight, the sun just peeking over the tip-tops of the mountains
I am thinking...about homework and studying, paint colors, taking the dog to the vet
I am thankful for...my son-in-law volunteering his time and skills to finish mudding and texturing our basement
From the kitchen...the smell of a big ol’ pot of fresh brewed coffee (aaaahhh)
I am wearing...my Snoopy pajamas
I am creating...the dinner menu for the rest of the week
I am going...to work instead of playing hookey today with my son who is out of school for MLK Day
I am reading...”Dead to the World” (Sookie Stackhouse series book 4)
I am hoping...to be more confident in lab this week
I am hearing...the news on the television, the coffee pot making coffee
Around the house...all is quiet, as I am the only one up
One of my favorite things...is my cat Daisy snuggling with me on the couch
A few plans for the rest of the week: prime and paint the basement!! YAY!!!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: sunset in the valley...gorgeous!!!

The Big Poke

2009-01-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Boy, they sure don’t waste time in phlebotomy lab. Last night was our second night of phlebotomy class. You’d think that a couple weeks in you would begin to actually stick people (each other!) and draw blood samples, wouldn’t you. Oh heck no! Let’s just jump on in there on night 2…break out the tourniquets and draw tubes, we can party on down! Do the words “nerve” and “wracking” mean anything to you?? Wow….I think that will be the worst lab, as far as everyone being nervous, because it was the first time. Should be easy-cheesey from now on. Right? I did it though!!! I drew twice, didn’t miss the vein either time. The first stick was soooo tough!!! Here you are, standing with your gloves on and needle in hand looking at the other person’s arm and thinking all kinds of things – I don’t want to hurt this person, what if I miss the vein, I have to really stick this needle in someone’s arm! Ect, ect – and you know you HAVE to stick them…sooo you kind of take a deep breath and just do it. Poke. Bleed bleed bleed. Release tourniquet, remove tube, grab the gauze, needle out of arm, gauze on….and I DID IT! What a rush of…relief…that it’s done…..of…adrenelin…because I did it. And did it……right :O) We will also learn to do the finger sticks….ick…..I hate those. They hurt. More.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T14:15:00.001-08:00