More from the Northern Redwoods!

More pics from our trip up north to the giant trees. We came upon a man who did wood carvings with a chain saw. He was in the middle of creating a bear when we found him. We stopped and stared for a moment, he was totally in the zone, and I got a quick shot of him in action. The place was full of his carvings. It was amazing to me that he could get such fine details with a chain saw. The big horned sheep made me miss home. The place smelled of redwoods and pine and a cool breeze blew in the air. I could have sat there and watched him all day.

Wow!!!!!

The Avenue of the Giants was a very cool trip! We had a great time and were stunned by the huge trees. Can you believe these pictures?!?! The one with Shad and the girls shows them standing by a tree that had fallen over. They are standing at the base of the tree by the broken roots! Shad is 5'7 so figure it out.
You can't go there and not be humbled by their greatness. One is quickly reminded just how tiny we are in this world.

Look! It's Patrick doing a little jig at the San Francisco Aquarium!

Okay, maybe not, but the little guy is cute.

Today we are going to drive to the Giant Red Woods to check out the Giant Red Woods and maybe do a little bit of hiking. (We will also be stopping by the little shops on the way as well, but not everyone in the family knows that yet.)

More pics on the way!!!

What?

So I am driving on the 680 north to go to a place I have never been before, to meet up with a lady I have never met, to get a key to a 100 year old building I rented for four hours to do a home school event, (breath) and I see that the guy in the car in front of me is driving while eating a bowl of cereal!!!! How the hell does that work? I mean, he wasn't even swerving or anything! I was almost impressed.

Here is another one for you:

Shad and I meet up with a guy who he went to training with, for dinner. Now, this guy is a paranoid person who seems to have all kinds of bad things always happening to him and I am not talking just little bad things but lots of big bad things as well. It is like he is a walking Murphy's Law or something. Anyway, we are sitting at dinner, and this guy has already been yelled at by the waitress for some stupid reason, and has burned his thumb on his plate to the point of getting a huge blister. Then, we are just eating and talking and I go to grab my soda, and it slips out of my hand and ends up all over his lap. A full cup of soda! I was so embarrassed! All of us couldn't stop laughing because it was so hilarious because this guy has so many bad things happen all of the time. And he is just sitting there with this look on his face and decides to just grab all the napkins he can and sits on them while finishing his dinner. I felt so bad! I couldn't believe it happened.

Crazy weekend, crazy week.

Here are three of the 500 pics I took while family were here.

I would love to share more with you, but I think you would fall asleep by the 300th shot.

Everyone stayed here at our house, so come on down Carder family. Free place to stay in Northern Cal!

What a Trip

Some family was here for a week of fun and adventure. We went shopping, went to the Muir Woods, and drove all over San Francisco to places like Twin Peaks, Lombard St. (which is that really curvy road), China Town, Pier 39 was fun, the aquarium, you name it, we drove it or saw it. Oh, there was this sub that we went into. Very tiny place with no room for anything but work and sleep back in the day. I can't imagine the men that lived on that thing for months and months.

I have pictures of Mackenzie and her cousin Dana. They had gone shopping and bought new outfits. Hailey too. She loves her new sweater. Also there is one is of the family at the woods. We went on a small hike and enjoyed the fresh air and cool weather. (The pictures will not upload so you will have to wait to see them.) Having them all here was great, and we really had an awesome time. (Now, we are a little on the depressed side. We miss them, and all of the people we left behind in Vegas. But, life goes on.)

I have school to keep me busy, and the girls will start their school year a week from today, so that will keep them busy. I will try to post the pics later. Hey Alicia, we miss you too!

Another Day...

Hey there! Having technical difficulties with the pictures this week as Shad went and made a few changes. Oh, well!

Nothing new going on. I am about half way through my Philosophy class and getting ready for Math next. Sometimes I wish it were over, and other times I am glad it isn't. School has been fun for the most part, and full of good experiences.

I don't know if I ever updated, but we are no longer looking for a home here as we just can't justify spending so Much money on such little house. We plan to save up what we have and just buy when we land some place new.

Family is on their way for a visit this coming week which will be a nice change. We don't get to talk with anyone very often, and the girls miss their family back in Vegas, so this will be a nice healing time for them. We plan on going into the city, and maybe taking the kids to the zoo. If time permits, we might also take a trip to Monte ray.

Just something to share:

Nan-in, a Japanese maser during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

-N. SENZAKI AND P. REPS, "ZEN STORIES"

Another three credits earned and another class on the horizon. Will it ever end? Yes, but not any time soon.

Shad has been chosen to take a class on teaching defense to other Inspectors, so he is busy this week studying as well. Ha, ha, ha, ha!

And....the girls drove me a little bonkers this weekend, so I started them on a little bit of structured work today. Okay, it was just one worksheet and it took them about five minutes to finish, but that was the quietest five minutes I have had in a while and well worth it.

I have been taking pictures of the work the girls are doing on their studies for the Trip Around the World thing. They made some great display boards and are now gathering up all of the info and trying to get it all organized. It has been fun learning with them.

I am going through a hard time of missing my home. We received the EAGLES year book in the mail today, and upon looking through it, it became so apparent just how much we are missing out being here. The group there was so much more organized and so much more fun than the group we are with here. I miss the ladies nights out, and the meetings and well, just about everything EAGLES had to offer.

This group here is so worried about offending others that they never put anything up to do, or if they do it costs $100 or more which is ridiculous! Okay, I am venting. I mean, I know we are blessed and need to leave it at that.

The birds are gone. Within a two week period they were born, grew and flew off. I will post those pics later.

So now it is off to read my last chapter for school, then write my paper that is due the first night of class. Hope your day is a blessed one.

We have new babies!

Baby birds that is. The new Mourning Doves arrived last week. They are huge and healthy I believe, and so very cute to look at. Mackenzie discovered them right away when they hatched which was awesome. It caused a lot of excitement and we were right out there with the camera and mom was gracious enough to let us take a few snap shots.

They are very fuzzy little things, and they eat a regurgitated milk like fluid from mom which is what is happening in the picture where it looks like they are kissing.

We were also introduced to mom's "life mate" as it is called in the research book. He happened to stop by after we had put the camera away. Probably to check in on the family. A very cool experience for the girls for sure.
Enjoy the pics!

Just Stuff

We finally made the decision to start looking for a more permanent home here. We love the house we are in, and are fine if we end up having to stay where we are, but we would rather not pay the equity on someone else's home, so we thought it time to just find our own. We will take our time, and be picky, as we have specific things we are looking for in a house. And we are looking for something cheap in a land where cheap is not easily found. It's not going to be easy, but it will all work out though.

The girls are doing Studies on different countries. Hailey has changed hers to Iceland and Mackenzie is studying Spain. It has been a lot more fun this year to watch them learning about the different countries. Right now Mackenzie is writing down a recipe for buttermilk biscuits that she found while searching for info on her country. She will make them tonight to have with dinner. This should be a lot of fun!

Yesterday the girls when to a friends house to play on a trampoline with a hose. They were soaked when I picked them up, and they had a lot of fun. It was a nice change for them. They have decided that we need a tree or two in the backyard of our new house so that we can have a tree house or a swing. Hailey has also requested a larger room to fit a larger bed. She is so tall that her little bed is just not big enough anymore. Crazy!

Time to go. Blessings to you all.

Moving In

We have a new neighbor. I am assuming it is a she as she has created a nest right inside the holder of what holds my newly dead plants. (See, the plants were alive and well until we had a heat wave and they suddenly died. I have tried to water them and bring them back but with no luck.) This was certainly unexpected.

This morning I had to make an unplanned trip to the store, and when I got back to settle down in my favorite spot to have some ice tea-lemonade and read a little, something caught my eye. A little bird creating a new home right in the middle of the dead flowers that are hanging in front of our house. And my first thought was "How cool is this! Now we can do a study on birds." (Oh how I've turned into such the home schooling mom. And all thanks to Amy! Thanks Amy!) But now I am wondering how this is going to work. Shad is definitely not going to like this. Then again, he doesn't really notice little things like birds living in dead flower baskets. Perhaps I will just let him figure it out for himself. Anyway, the girls are excited to watch what happens and all from the comfort of our front window.

Does anyone out there know what kind of bird this is?

It's Raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring.

Of course in this case it is the old woman. I slept in until 10am. Okay Amy, I know that is a bit early for you, but I am averaging about 9am and so 10am is late for me. Kiss, kiss!

It is clouded over and the girls keep trying to play outside but it keeps raining on them. It is a nice change from the heat though. The birds are chirping and loving it too. I hear them every morning right outside of my window. It has red on its head and chest and is small. I wonder what kind it is? It also has a very distinct song.

Today is supposed to be park day. I wonder who will show up if it is raining? We will still go just to get out of the house. I plan on bringing towels and snacks. If nothing else, we will play in the rain and have lunch in the truck at the park. I find it funny that no one will go out in the rain here. It isn't like Vegas where it pours down and floods the road in five to twenty minutes. It rains a steady and slow rain and I find it fun to run around in it. I will bring the camera and take pictures too.

I broke down and watched some of the news today and it totally sucked. Horrible things going on all around. I really don't like watching the new as they usually are all about the shock of a story and how much it can make them. I wouldn't even have a television if it weren't for Shad.

I am going to look for the largest puddle to jump in.

We went into San Francisco last night to see the Giants play Oakland. The Giants lost, but it was a fun experience anyway to watch the girls at the game. I thought they would be totally bored and want to go home before the game even got started, however they are now Giants Fans. It all starts so innocently doesn't it?

The first picture is of part of the field as we saw it from our seats, and then there is a picture of the girls being crazy with excitement. Next is B. Bonds standing in the outfield. He really is a good player, and Oakland was afraid to throw him anything worth hitting, so they walked him a lot.

Overall, the trip was a lot of fun and in the end, the girls were super happy to have had the chance to see a game.

I look forward to our next adventure which looks to be the Alameda County Fair which starts today and lasts for 13 days.

Well, I am off to the farmers market. Blessings to you!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/grooviemomma/

Check it out.

Busy

We have been doing a lot in the last month or two. We took a trip to the local mini golf coarse and had a great time playing in the wind. Notice Mackenzie's awesome golf stance. We did a little site seeing of some of the homes around San Fran., we went to Vegas to see family which was awesome and we just got back from Utah to go to my sister's wedding. The picture is of her and her new husband John, her daughter and new step son. It was a great wedding. Very beautiful and fun. We had a great time.

Now we have to get back to things here at home. I have my last class for Communications this Thursday, and then I move on to Research. The girls are working hard on piano and we are preparing for visitors as they are coming. Family in July and August, then September, and we will be going to Vegas for Christmas if I have any time off of school. I found my cousin Rocky who lives in San Francisco and so I will get to hook up with him soon.

Friday we are going to our first baseball game (San Fran -vs- Oakland) and I will of course take pictures and share the experience with you all. It can't be like the football games right? So I wont need battle armor. Or will I?

It is music that has been missing in my life these days. I turned off the big box and turned on music and have listened to it all day. It gives me energy which is probably why I loved metal back in the day. It fills me with emotion and sometimes affirms where I am at at the moment.

Life is moving right along. We have a busy week this week with meetings and park day, school and packing. We go to Utah this weekend to see my sister get married. I look forward to having some fun time with my family again. However, I am praying that certain people like my father and others are on their best behavior while we are there so that the visit becomes a little less stressful than it already is.

The turtles are growing a little, but still small. I believe it was about two years before my niece and nephew's turtles began growing at a rapid pace. I can only hope ours don't grow super fast as we live in a place that is way too cold for them, and I don't really want to have to buy a huge glass container for them right now with no place to put it except the middle of the floor. Wait! I could use them as a coffee table! Now that would be cool. Different, but cool.

Looks to be getting late in the day so I better go get some dinner plans made. Oh, and turn the music down so the neighbors don't get upset. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Back from Vegas

What a strange trip it's been!

It is rather weird, but going to Vegas was exciting and I was very happy to see family and friends even if for a short while. But I have to say that I am so glad to be home. I still miss my church the most and wish we could find that here.

The girls got super tan after being in the pool for up to eight hours a day for four days and I even got a little bit of sun. We had a great time visiting family, going to movies, and the best part for me was visiting with Susie and Zack. It really made me miss our church family though.

So now that we are home, I have taken on putting together a home schooling event for our group. A trip around the world in a day. It should be fun and has me dealing with difficult people. You can't please everyone. I am enjoying it though and look forward to sharing the experience with you all when it is all done.

Time now to go take care of some animals. The turtles are getting restless.

I'm watching Hailey watch the news. Her reactions to the stories are very interesting. She was so concerned about a fire she heard about until she heard that no one was injured and then she was so relieved. She sometimes has a curious look about her, and then she has a confused look. Watching the traffic report she was so worried because she thought we might get stuck in the traffic on the Bay Bridge when we leave for Vegas. I had to explain that we went in a totally different direction when driving to Vegas. Hey, I think I will take out the map and have her find out the way from here to Vegas.

There are flowers of all kinds growing in my yard which is really cool because back in Vegas, nothing grew for long except the palm tree in my back yard, and even it was dying. So I went out to take a picture or two of the plants in my
yard, and there were the squirrels, ready to drive my dog nuts. As you can see in the picture, she was up on the couch watching a squirrel climb the tree in the front, and she has this funny curl in her lip as she was giving us a low growl to let us know she was on the hunt. Those little critters just drive her insane. But, I have to admit that it is kind of funny to watch her try to chase them. Hopefully she will never catch one, but it could happen. Let's just hope she doesn't try to bring one in if she does. Maybe we should take down that doggie door. Hmmmmm.

The home schooling group I joined has been having some very interesting conversations over the group email loop about unschooling. Some are very defined in what they think it is or is supposed to look like. Others are very concerned that they are being labeled. Isn't it amazing how by raising your children in the way you feel is best you can get caught up in a battle of what it is supposed to be called and what it is supposed to look like? I mean, in my opinion, all that really matters is that you are loving your children the way God intended. Yet we have people that we place in some type of authority and let them define what learning should be like for our children. And I feel like these children aren't ours in the first place. They are children of God in my opinion. He basically created them and placed them in our care because we had that something to give them that would help define who they would be so that they could become and do what was intended for them to do. And sometimes I feel like He gives them to us because He has something specific for us to learn or do that is provided by something the children have to offer us. But either way, God is entrusting us with his creations. That is HUGE! Wow, thinking about it that way makes me hope I don't screw up!

Anyway, I am just throwing out there some thoughts from my brain which isn't always functioning properly these days.


So Mackenzie is learning the theme to Star Wars on the piano this week. I am so proud! She has the beginning down and is currently working on the next part.

Hailey is learning super-cali-fragile blah blah, Okay, I don't know how to spell it, but it's that really annoying song from Mary Poppins. She plays it so well, and I loved it the first hundred times, but now it is just really annoying.

I found a house that was really perfect for us, 4bedrooms, 2baths with a bitchin back yard and great hard wood floors, and it is just over 1800 sq. feet. But the price is all fuc%*^ up!!!! 789,000! Let's see, if we actually agreed on that amount, with crappy financing we would have a house payment of about $3500.00! The part that really sucks is that it is right near a park, and a home schooling family live right across the street! I would love to buy that house, but just not for that much money!!! Perhaps some day we will find a home we can call ours. But for now, I won't complain because we are super blessed to be where we are.

Hope to see some familiar faces at the end of the month in Vegas. But most of all I am looking forward to the pool! I am also wondering if it will feel weird at all coming back to Vegas after living here for the last five months.

So the trip to Deer Hill Farm was awesome. The girls really had a great time. We made cotton thread by carding the wool from a sheep and then pulling it and twisting it all the while trying to make it as thin as possible, and the lanolin in the wool gets all over your hands and it feels kind of good and makes your hands soft. The kids also went into the hay loft and it took quite a few kids to lift a bail of hay. They fed chickens, groomed horses, ponies, and mules. They held rabbits and chickens, went into the hen house to get eggs right from under the chickens, saw and handled the baby chicks, climbed fences, among other things. It was really great to have the girls get to experience it all. We will have to make another trip some time. They have summer camps there and there are all kind of trails around the property. Fun! Our next adventure is to travel to the Red Wood forest. But that won't be for a little while.

We are about to leave on a fieldtrip to Deer Hill Farms. I will make sure we take lots of photos to share of our adventure.

First though, I had to share this little story.
We were at the park and since it was during "school hours" there were no other kids there, however there was a group of 4-5year olds doing soccer over on another field far from where we were. So I am looking off towards the trees that surround the parking lot and along comes this little kid. He could only be one of the soccer stars because of the way he is dressed. So I see him, and then start looking for the parent who must be behind him a ways. I see no one. This little boy wandered from the soccer group and decided he was going to stop at this playground and play. I asked him if his mom or dad knew where he was and he tells me that his mom dropped him off for soccer and she won't mind if he is there. I restate my question and he ignores me. So I tell him that mom's and dad's don't normally like not knowing where their kids are, that it scares them. He looks at me and smiles, perhaps giggles and continues to play. So I decide to wait it out and if no one shows up by the time we have to leave, I will call the cops. Pretty soon, here comes this black truck screeching into the parking lot, and a hysterical mother races out screaming the name of her child. He runs to her and she is flipping out about how everyone is looking for him. The kid, seeing his mother's look starts crying and mom precedes to have a little talk with him.

How easily he could have been gone. If it were not me, but some kind of child predator sitting in that park, in the amount of time it took for someone to get there, (around 10 minutes) this little boy would have been gone, probably never to be found. I prayed right there for those two people. Then Mackenzie comes to me and says, "who drops their kid off alone?" Hailey says, "you have do be dropped off alone for school. Every day kids get dropped off alone at school." Mackenzie looked at me and said, "Yes, but not little kids like that." Hailey tells her about kindergarten and daycare. Mackenzie shook her head and walked away saying "glad I don't go to school or daycare."


Oh, time to go, well, I will have to share the rest of this story later. Blessings!

I grabbed my bag of school books and folders to head out to my team meeting. It was 6:30 and I had to be at the meeting place by 7. I reached for the door and my cell phone went off. That's odd, I thought, who would be calling me? I already talked to Gram today.

It was my brother. Curious, he doesn't call me often. "Hey, it's your brother. What's up?" He sounded tired and a little under the weather so to speak. We exchanged greetings and then the true nature of his call began.

"So I thought I might do something nice for mom for mother's day." He said.

"Well isn't that special." I said, waiting for the blow.

"Wouldn't you like to have a visit from mom for two or three days so she can hang with you and the kids?" He asked.

Silence.....

"I thought I would surprise her by buying her a ticket to fly up to see you, if that is alright with you." He waits patiently for my reaction.

Silence......."Of course she can come visit us." I say. ( What in the hell am I supposed to say, "Hell no!" Nope, can't say that. He took her in, cares for her by way of groceries and deals with her on a semi daily basis. The guilt enters along with the reality that I am not doing a thing to help him.)

"I thought you might like that." He laughs.
" Great idea. I'm sure she will love that. Just let me know the details when you get them." I say with a slight tenseness to my tone.

We speak of a few other things and hang up, then I go on to my meeting.

So there you have it. I am going to have a visitor next month for three or four days. Prayer. That is all I ask for. For those of you who don't know, I don't really mesh well with my mother. I haven't since around age five. So I ask for lots of prayer.

Woohooooo!!!!

I am so happy! Shad finally got to play a game of softball last night. Okay, the team has had no practice, ( to much rain) and they pretty much sucked, but it was so great to be out on a Sunday night watching Shad do one of his favorite things. The girls and I bought hot cocoa and sat on the bleachers. It was a little cold, but it was worth it.

Tonight is week three of my second class, then it's two more weeks and off to the next class. It's great going to school like this. It is a bit stressful, but at the same time it is just the right speed for me. I am sure that could change as soon as I get into the meatier classes, but for now it is just what I need.

Last night Hailey and I were doing are before bed time reading, and in the story it talked of oil lamps. Hailey wanted to know what they were. She also pointed out that the people in the story had a television and it mentioned turning the dial to change the channels. She inquired as to what this was all about as well. Now, I am only 34, and oil lamps were around my house, but as antiques. I know all about channel changes with dials though. Man, our kids are so un aware of what life has been like for the people before us. Needless to say that today we are doing some research on oil lamps and we are taking a trip down the road to the antique store to see if we can find one, and to see if we can find one of those old time televisions. (smirk, smile) This is home schooling at it's finest.

We are about to go to the Farmer's Market to see what is available in the way of fresh fruit and veggies. We will walk as it is only about three blocks from the house. I love the energy there.

I took the girls to a "game club" at a local pizza place. These kids were so cool, and friendly, not to mention extremely intelligent. The parents were rude and hard to talk to. However, the girls had a good time. Hailey played a game called The Settlers of Catan which she seemed to like. Mackenzie and I played Who? What? Where? Jr. which is a lot of fun. You get three cards that tell you who to draw, what to draw them doing and where to draw them doing it. Then everyone has to try to guess the answer. I had to draw a butterfly playing a guitar in a tree and a donkey sneezing in New York City. Mackenzie got a centipede bowling in a submarine and a seal blowing bubbles in a movie theatre. Very fun game.

We haven't heard from anyone, but are sure it's all good back in Vegas. We will be there in May, then in June we go to see my sister get married in Salt Lake. That should be loads of great times and produce many memories. I get to see my favorite uncle, and my niece who I haven't seen in such a long time. We will take the girls all around down town Salt Lake while we are there and perhaps get in a school lesson or two as well.

check out www.artakiane.com

Blessings

I still don't like the people here, and I am starting to really hate renting, however I started my second class last night and that kind of took my mind off of all of the crap. I am stuck with the same team as last time and I know there is a reason for this. I am doing my best to deal, and approach it in a positive manner. See, one class and I already grew up!

I have a book I came upon at the book store. It is called Akiane - her life, her art, her poetry. It is a super inspiring story about a young girl who is an artist, a poet, and, well, you just have to check it out. Here is an example of her poetry

The Hollow Compasses

Our thirst is drying the distance

There are no longer silent streets

It is not our eyes that see God's love

Time watches us like naked seeds

The liars are timing the truth

With blisters trapped in the strife

When knives of conceit divide us

Who will find our forgotten life?

The doubt we paint is always a prison

The dried-up light escpes last hail

The darkness sheds its poisoned voices

With hollow compasses we sale

-Akiane

Hi Sabrina! Good to hear from you!
I will send you my info.


Blessings and love and peace and chocolate cake!!!!

:(

I am really not likeing Northern California right now. Making friends is a lot harder than you would think. Okay, the place is beautiful, the people aren't.

This is where we go for park day. It is right near a school, and there are so many trees and plants. It is always cold as the sun is always hidden in the trees. I love the green.

The second picture is of my nephew. He was sad that the "big boys" wouldn't let him play Jedi swords with them. He got over it in about five minutes, but those five minutes when he was upset were just heart breaking. So a note to all of you "big boys" out there, try to remember the little guy once in a while. You were little once too.

Jellies!!!!! They are so awesome! I love to just sit and watch them hang out and float around. They are not easy to capture on film, especially when they are behind a huge glass wall, but I got the best picture I could while being surrounded by a huge crowd of on-lookers, most of them children.

These were the big ones, but they had some that were no bigger than the tip of a pen. Crazy!

Jellies!!!!!!! Look them up, they are so cool!!!!

These are some of the shots I took a couple weeks ago when in San Francisco. I just love to take pictures here as there is always something of interest to shoot. The first one is Alcatraz, the second is the City of San Fran and the third is a street in the city. All of the hills are crazy, and I often wonder what this place must have looked like before it was covered in concrete.

I am going to try to remember to take more pictures around here and then share them with everyone.

I finish my first class this Monday night and start my next one the following week. I am looking forward to the new class but am not sure I want the same team to work with. Sadly this is not my choice, and in the end, I will end up learning a whole lot more dealing with the difficult people than avoiding them.

Peace and blessing to you all.

Visitors From Home

The girls cousins came to visit, as well as their Aunt Shonna and Uncle JR. We have been spending time traveling and playing and well, just having a good time.

They leave tomorrow, and the girls will be very sad. I am just glad we got to spend time with them. It has been great having visitors from home as we miss everyone so much.

Prayers to the Carders, and the Palmer family. Prayers to Sara and Jules. Thinking of you Susie, and praying as well. Miss you all!!!!!

Just a moment of thought

One of the first things I noticed when I moved here was that the people here are more friendly. Back in Vegas, no neighbor ever come up and said hello. You had to make first contact by going out when you saw someone getting the mail, or sneak in a hello when people were getting in their cars to leave. Around here, every neighbor on each side of us come over to say hello. They introduced themselves and were friendly. It's just an observation.

School is going fine. My Learning Team is weak, yet we are muddling through. I have learned a lot this first semester which will be over in two more weeks. Then I go right on to my next class. For the final day of this first class, the team and I have to put together a Power Point presentation on Ethics. Oh, this should be good. (I am being very sarcastic)

I started reading some books outside of my school reading. (this helps me not stress over the amount of reading I have to do for school. Strange I know) One of them was a book on Alcatraz. It is written by the son of a former guard who worked there during one of the escape attempts. I am amazed at the way things were done during that time. Families lived on the Island along with the prisoners. Would you feel safe doing that? It was a good story, but sad. It is called Battle at Alcatraz by Ernest B. Lageson. I even got him to autograph the book which was cool. It allowed me to find out some information straight from the author.

I am also reading a book on homeschooling. It is called Teach Your Own by John Holt and Patrick Farenga. It has really opened my eyes to some of the things that went on in the past, and helped me to realize just how long people have been homeschooling their children. I have only just begun reading it, however it is really interesting and insightful. It talks about the different questions homeschoolers always get regarding socialization, special needs children, quality of the education and so on. I am enjoying it.

So we will be visiting in May around Labor Day. Perhaps we will get to see some of you. I wonder if there is a gathering around that time? I will have to look that up. I can't wait to see the babies!!!

I tend to read Mark Palmer's blog ever day, even though I have never met him. He is in need of prayer, more than usual. Could you please pray for him?

Blessings to you!

Just a quickie!

Thought I would share a few things.

School was cool. I enjoyed it and look forward to the fight ahead.

A quick story:

My cousin has been down a long and crazy road. He has chosen many a wrong path. His brother dis-owned him a few years ago, and he went to jail for six months for some crazy things. His wife divorced him and left with his child while he was in jail. Before he was put in jail, I had the chance to talk with him a little about the path Shad and I have been on with God. He listened, but said something to the effect that God couldn't possibly forgive him for all of the things he has done in his life. He was very depressed, and I was not sure he would make it through the night. He did of course, and then went off to jail and that was the last I have heard from him.

He has been on my mind a lot, and in my prayers even more.

So, today, I talked to someone in the family to see if they have heard from him or know how he is getting along. They say my cousin has been going to church, reading the Bible and stopped drinking and smoking. This alone is huge. But I also found out that he went to see his brother, knocked on the door with a Bible in his hand and simply apologized for all the things he ever did wrong to his brother and asked for forgiveness. The news brought tears to my eyes.

God is so amazing! I just had to share.

Our house sale didn't go through, so if you know anyone who wants a house, well, we still have one for sale. Or maybe God is trying to tell us something? HMmmmmm.........?

Just a quick note

School starts for me on Monday night. I am filled with anticipation, horror, anxiety and the such, but I also know that God is right beside me. So with that said, I guess I should just pray and meditate and move on with my day.

The girls and I are going shopping for my sister today. I love to go to the mall during the day. It is so quiet. Her birthday (My sister's) is coming up and I want to get her something real nice. We have at least one birthday in every month in my family. August is full of them, as well as May.

I am trying very hard to stay in touch with everyone but it is hard to do for a person who sucks at it. I just need to practice. I am writing more letters though. School will put a dent into that I am sure.

We have a couple of home school families coming over tomorrow afternoon to hang out. I am trying hard to start a community of God loving people who will feel free to visit at any time. Our door is open, so lets see who God brings our way. If you could pray about that, well, thanks.

Blessings to you all, and prayers for all.

Someone turned 8 today! She picked out her own cake, got a new bike, and went shopping at the mall. She blew up a bunch of yellow smiley face balloons and has been playing some kind of game with them most of the day with her family. She is very happy and has had a greatly blessed day.

Her mom and dad are very proud of her and love her very much.

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

This is my favorite picture from yesterday in San Francisco. We went to see our Nephew who was visiting with his school. It was cold, but we had a super time walking around, showing the girls the city and going to Alcatraz while hanging out with Ryan. He is an amazing young man.

Mackenzie said her favorite part of Alcatraz was solitary confinement. Should I be worried?

Hailey loved seeing the Sea Lions that were being lazy in the dock. There was one that looked like he or she was praying. They were cool.

I am finally savey on the whole downloading pictures thing. Wow, if only someone could have pointed it out a little sooner I could have been sharing lots of pictures with you. I am a picture addict. We have photo albums everywhere and tons of pictures on our computers. While this one is not mine, it is from my computer and is just a test to make sure I have it down. I will be adding lots of things for you all to see very soon.

life moves on

I am now a college student. Weird!

Our house is also off of the market as we received an offer. I am so happy because now we will be able to pay off our truck and have no debt other than the usual. Except that I am now about to be in debt because of school. It's all good though.

I was just reading my email from the home school group I am with and someone went to their childs doctor and was treated pretty crappy as soon as the doctor found out they were home schoolers. The doctor made comments regarding kids being too protected when they are schooled at home and how they should have to go to school so they can deal with "shitty" teachers. Okay, so the doctor thinks teachers are shitty and that it is our duty to send our kids to deal with these kinds of people? What about dealing with shitty doctors? Doesn't that count? The doctor also started talking about home schoolers being a red flag. What in the hell does that mean?

While this lady was able to turn the other cheek and not say anything, I wouldn't have been so nice. I am pissed just from reading her email. I am so happy to have not had the chance to deal with assholes like that. I could care less what others think about me teaching my children at home.

Not much else is gong on. We have a nephew coming up with a school group this next weekend and then we will get to celebrate Mackenzie's 8th birthday on the 20th. Hailey starts tennis this weekend as well.

We miss everyone and are looking forward to getting to see some of you in May.
Peace and blessings

Shad went to work today at three in the morning. His usual time is around seven, but today is a special day. He is making an arrest. Anyway, that is how his work is going for those of you who are interested.

We are still unpacking, still looking for things, and our house is a mess most of the time. It is driving me a little crazy because I need to get all of this stuff done soon so I can take on school. I am about to start college again. I will be needing a lot of prayer. It isn't easy going back to school at 34 years old. I feel that God is directing me in this way though, so I am doing what He wants.

We are studying California History as required by law and my searching for a book led me to a place called The Golden Apple. It is a lot like L.I.F. but not so expensive. I found a book that is perfect. God has been doing that around here a lot. Showing me things, leading me places. We might be starting a house church here is a few months. In the History of the World that we are doing, we started reading about Ancient China and how silk is made. Then last night I was reading with Mackenzie from one of those Magic Treehouse books and it was about Ancient China as well. They even have a little thing about how silk is made and Mackenzie was amazed that we were reading this and how we had just studied about it. Her eyes twinkled with excitement which put a smile on my face as she is loving to learn more and more every day. Thanks Amy.

I am officially off of my depression meds. I dream some super vivid and crazy dreams too. But other than that, I feel good. Now I am going to tackle the other med I take.

Running and walking is nice up here and very popular. Sheba pouts if she doesn't get out to walk too. She sulks in front of the window watching people go by with their dogs. It is so sad. Oh, at the vet, we found out that Sheba is two years older than we thought. They said that a lot of places will put down a younger age of an animal so that they have a better chance of being adopted. Hailey is upset now and worried that Sheba will die sooner. And, of course I said she would, but that it doesn't change the fact that she is alive now, so we are all doing better with that now.

Missing you all.

Today is VET day for the dog. Sheba has the longest nails I have ever seen only because she tries to run and bite when we try to cut them. I look at her and she seems so happy and eager to get out today. She won't even know what is about to happen until we get to the door of the office and she smells the place. Once she becomes aware of her surroundings, she will start to shake with fear and shed like a tree in fall. Poor Sheba! However, once her nails are cut she will feel a lot better. So will I as this means she won't be making the clicking sound any more on the kitchen floor. It is driving me insane!

Pray for me as I am looking into going back to school. God has placed an urgency in my heart to learn to counsel. For what or whom? I have no idea. I just know I am supposed to go back to school.

Every Saturday we go to the Farmers Market down the street. On the way there last Saturday, a car was pulling out of a parking spot, and the wheels were making this horrid squeaking sound, and Mackenzie turns around and says "Geeze! Get your tires fixed would ya!!!!" Shad was so proud.

I am still working out the bugs so I can post pictures. I have many from our trip to Washington D.C. that I would love to share.

Nothing is new. The sun is out and Mackenzie has Soccer today. Other than that, I am just being a lazy mom and hanging out in the living room in front of the T.V.

The girls are playing some pretend game and soon they will start thier reports. Hailey is writing about African Elephants, and Mackenzie is writing about Desert Tortoises.

It is the most amaizing thing that Mackenzie has never been to school a day in her life and she is reading and writing now. I guess I'm doing okay.

I think I will take a nap.

I am a craft artist now. I started making crafts and am sending them to a shop to be sold. How cool is that? Okay, the shop is in the family, but still, it is kind of cool.

My dog is trying her hardest to catch the phantom squirrel that is living on our roof. The little thing comes down once in a while into our back yard to, well, I really don't know what it is trying to do, but the dog takes off chasing it and it is the funniest thing. I just hope the dog doesn't ever catch it. Go little squirrel!

Mackenzie started soccer yesterday and it was such a joy to watch her play with all of the other kids. She didn't know any of them, yet she jumped right in and played and laughed. The coach had certain games for them to play like "shark in the water" and "tail grab." Mackenzie said it was "great!" Worth every penny in my book.

Hailey starts a babysitting class next week. We shall see how that goes. Pray for her anxiety as it has gotten a little worse with the move. She starts tennis in February. Watch out Stephanie!

Love and miss all of you Apexers! (my spell check wanted to replace Apexers with abusers. What's up with that!?!?)

Where am I?

I am missing my friends badly. This whole move to another state and start over thing is not easy. People here are not that friendly and it is cold.

Okay, I will stop. I went to a new doctor today. It was weird. I have a chest cold, so he gave me a pillow case and a huge bag of rice. He said to put the rice in the pillow case and warm it up in the microwave. Then I am to place it on my throat and chest four or five times a day. He also wants me to drink hot water six times a day. Did I mention that he is about the sweetest little old man I ever did see?

I think we moved into the twilight zone.

Happy Christmas

We took a road trip to Vegas for Christmas and it was awesome. I ended up driving most of the way and it wasn't that bad. Then, on the first night we got in I went with Shonna to help feed some homeless Vets Christmas dinner. That was the most awesome experience. So many stories, and the kids put a smile on every face. One of the vets said that they saw God's love in the kids smiles. How great is that? I would have to say that my time there was the best part of my Christmas.

We never were able to make it to the Carder Ranch as we had so many things going on with family. However, we did see the pictures on Amy's blog and oh my! We missed a good party. And Oh my goodness, welcome to the world Noi!!!!!! What an awesome surprise to see your picture! I wish we would have had more time to visit everyone.

The plan for today is going to Park Day in Livermore to meet some of our new homeschooling family. My prayer is for the girls to get connected with a few friends this week. I am also in the process of getting Mackenzie hooked up on a soccer team.

I am still not sure why God placed us here, but I am trying to get this house ready for visitors. I feel like that is the mission I need to be on right now. We love you all, and miss you. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Where does all the rain go?

It has rained for two days now and I keep wondering where all of the rain is going. I mean, in Vegas is just collects in to a huge flood and we get all kinds of news on it, but here it just seems to never collect very much. Weird.

I think I am finally starting to have a little bit of reality hitting me. I woke up thinking I was in Vegas, and then I caught myself wishing I could see the awesome mountains that Vegas is surrounded by.

We found Target, and this Cost Plus World Market that has all of these cool things from all round the world. It is way expensive though, so Shad made me leave the store. Party pooper!

My first purchase here for the house was a new shower head. Ours is a little worn for such a nice house. I need prayer as I am constantly looking at all of the items that still need a home and not finding the interest to put them some place out of the way.

Do kids get louder as they get older? I don't remember ever being louder, but my girls are so loud these days. It really is getting on my nerves, and is damaging my hearing as I have to turn on the radio really loud now. But then, we are supposed to loose our hearing as we get older, right?

Baby it's cold outside

I am not sure, but I think it is in the 40's today, and there is rain. I might even put on a fire in a little bit to warm us up a little. Northern California is nice, but they sure make it hard to live here. We went to get our new California drivers license today and was told that we had to have a copy of our marriage cert. and a copy of our birth cert. Which seemed wierd. On line it just said you had to fill out a form and pay a fee. We also have to take some kind of written test. I guess it is nice to know your $25 is paying for something.

The last few weeks have flown by and I am still trying to come to grips with us living here. I feel as though we are on vacation. It still has not hit me or something. I have to say I am super happy to be here away from my mother. I miss friends and family, but boy am I happy here.

I signed up on Yahoo with our new home school group and am planning to invite people over as soon as I get the boxes emptied and out of the living room. Unpacking isn't all that fun, but it is nice to reorganize things and get rid of stuff we really don't need anymore.

Shad is doing well so far with work, and I am going to attempt to drive around this week to learn my way around to the different freeways so I can take the girls to some of the home school events. I don't know where San Ramone is but we are going to find it so Mackenzie can play soccer this year. There is an indoor team starting in January for home schoolers. Kicking a ball around will be great for her.

Our dog is smelling everything all of the time. She has been so good through this whole thing and loves to go out for walks. I took her to the park yesterday and she was so happy.

I have to go, and will write more later.

We leave this Sunday! How did it get here so fast? I am happy, excited and yet sad to be leaving the desert. I have lived here all of my life and now we are going to a new place. It is just wierd.

The movers will be here tomorrow to pack us up, then they take off with our crap on Thursday, and we end up at the in-laws for a couple of days. I don't like good-byes. There are always tears involved, and then tissue and then a mixture of sad and happy laughter. Hugs are good, and knowing that we can always come back to visit is nice. I am really going to miss church family, and home schooling friends, my nieces and nephews, and my vegas family.

Well, I will stop all of that talk for now. Shad is in morning over the loss of his beloved huge ass television. It went out the door last night never to return. (Thank you so, so, so, so, much Zack! ) I am trying to be supportive, but it is not easy.

Our car is all messed up I guess, and we had to choose between a $300 fix and the other $1200 fix which would be the air, so we decided to go with the $300 fix and live without air. I figure we don't really need it in Northern California right? I am also kind of glad we didn't sell it. It has been the best care ever. And most of all, it is paid for. I like having no payments.

Well, I am off to check on Mackenzie as she has a flu bug going on, and I have some packing to do. Pray for our family if you wouldn't mind.

More later........

Wow!

I am sitting in a hotel room in Walnut Creek. It sure is different here in Northern Cal. The weather is awesome, and the green is a nice change, but the traffic sucks and everything costs a f*^&%$g arm and a leg.

We found a house to rent in Pleasanton that is beautiful, but expensive of course. We will have to live on soup and crackers for a while, like about the next four years, but I am glad to do it if it allows us to stay in such a great area.

We went to Alcatarz today and it is way bigger than I thought. The cells are very small and the place is kind of creepy, but it has some great views of the city and the Golden Gate. We drove over all three bridges today as well. That was really cool. Clam chowder in a sour dough bowl rocks too!

The one thing that kind of sucks is that we will have to leave on Saturday instead of Monday to the new house. Shad has to be at work on Wednesday the 14th and we have to do an inspection on the 12th. It is crazy how fast it is all going.

Guess I will go and pack for our trip back home tomorrow. We are leaving early becuse we have all things ready to go on this end. Now to get all of the things ready on the other.

Can't wait to see the Carders, and holy crap!!!!!!! Congrats Steve and Jules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Can't wait to hear of the happy day that the little one arrives!

At the airport waiting to go to San Jose. Shad is bugging me to check his email. Can't a person write a blog note without any interruption? Guess not.

This is the only trip we have ever been on with just the two of us. I am happy about it and excited as to what awaits.

I will update more later.

The wind is blowing like crazy right now. It is kind of cool.

The dog got to go on a field trip today to grandma's house. She fell into the pool twice before realizing that she just can't walk on water. It was fun to watch but my girls freaked out thinking she would drown. I told them it is called the "doggie paddle" for a reason. Although, not all dogs can swim. I realize this, but I believe ours can now.

No lookers on the house as of yet, so I am getting a little worried. We did have a couple of people look at the car though. It would be great to have all three things taken care of before we go to San Fran, however, I just can't stress over it. Too many other things going on.

I was reading about how as a Christian I am supposed to be honoring God by using my spiritual gifts to help others. What is your take on how to find out about your gifts? Someone gave me a test to take, but who made it and how do they know if it is correct? And what other way is there to find out what they are besides asking others?

I also read that if you have questions, you should find the answers in the Bible. Because I have not read much of it, how do I know where to go to find the answers?

It is all so corn-fuzing but so simple at the same time.

I used to have a stuffed animal puppy dog when I was little. It was my favorite, and I took it with me almost every place I went. At about the age of 12 my father took it from me because he was afraid I would keep it until I was 20. Well, at the ripe old age of 34 I just went out and bought me a Snoopy stuffed animal. How do you like me now pop?!?!? I am taking it with me every place I go, and I sleep with it in my arms. He is cool and very acrobatic. Snoopy rocks!!

I am sitting here thinking, wow, this house is bigger than we thought. That is because we took out all of the crap we had, now I can really see just how much crap we have that we don't need. Living with less is nice. Living with less with Shad will be torture. Okay, not really. Well, it might be. He is very much into his stuff.

So the house is for sale, the car is for sale, and the TV is sold!!!!!!!(I am so very happy about the last one.)

So we leave for Maryland in another week and I am so excited because we get to go to the White House while we are in DC and we get to go inside and check it out. My kids are going to love it! They are so excited about it.

Hey Amy, I am going to Trader Joes, anything you need? I have a box ready to send out to you! Just name it and I will send it if it is poss.

Peace and love to you today!

This has been one hell of a weekend. My in-law family was here all weekend helping me get this house ready to sell. What a huge blessing that has been. I couldn't have done it without them. I am not done, but things are way better. I really didn't know that this would cause so much stress, but it has been very stressful. I wish Shad was here to help.

Thinking about anything other than moving and selling and cleaning has been almost impossible. This has been a fly away month so far and the excitement is just getting started. We still have a trip to Maryland to prepare for, then finding a home in San Fran will not be easy, however I am looking forward to the changes ahead.

God is awesome.

It's alright

Our house is for sale, our car is for sale, and our TV is for sale. We have to down size to fit in a smaller living space in a larger city. I don't really understand it either. I am willing to play along though.

It is all about tests and trust

The study I am doing is pretty cool. I was a little critical of it at first, but I am really learning a lot. Like it isn't all about me, at all. It is all about God, and I need to be thinking about what the driving forces in my life are. Like is it greed, or envy or the longing for acceptance? How about anger or fear? And have you ever thought about how we are only a blink in this life? But did you forget that God wants us to live forever in eternity with him? I honestly never really thought about it all that much. I was always too busy worrying about me in the here and now. And the thought that God is always testing us, and has trusted us with all of His creations. Wow, never thought about it that way either. I mean, I know we are tested at times, but never thought about it all being a test in this life for the next. And God trusts me? Whoa!

I listened to 1 Corinth. Last night and heard a lot of what I needed to hear about some of my issues. The one that stuck out big time was when it said that we will always be tempted, but God will always give us a way out. Think about it, every time you have been tempted, there was always another way to go and although we might not have made the better choice, God was right there by our sides seeing what we would do. That's kind of freaky. Like he is always watching us and stuff.

And the craziest part? He loves us anyway, no matter the choices that we make. Even when we do the really stupid things.

Anyway, I just wanted to share what was on my brain today. Hope your day is filled with the constant reminder of Gods love for you.

Memories

I remember taking my tent out in my backyard and finding a nice flat spot in the dirt, setting it up and playing in it all day and night. Well, until the dog pissed on it and I had to go find a hose to wash it off with. That part sucked, but the rest was very cool. Of course I was by myself, but I had a lot of fun anyway.

Tonight, my girls are sleeping in the backyard, in a tent, in the rain. Funny, because as soon as they started telling me how they wanted to get a tent so they could sleep outside, I couldn't say no. I remembered my adventure and couldn't deny them the experience and fun. I mean, life is uncertain, and things happen. Why not live a little? I am tempted to go out there and sleep with them, however I want them to have the time to be together. Mackenzie said that when the lightning pops and the thunder roars, they hug until it is safe. Earlier I heard them wrestling. God is so awesome.

40 days

I started a study today, the 40 days of purpose study. It is all I can do to not read on to tomorrows chapter. I know that this is a good thing for me, having to wait. I tend to get going on a book and move so fast that I end up not getting all that I could out of it. So, I will take it one day at a time.

Yesterday was my last day of billing. Sad, but good. I need this time to get things in order for our move. It will all happen very fast, and there are so many things to do.

I am off to make smoothies with the girls. Blessings to you today.

I didn't go to the concert. I am still not over this sick thing completely so I figure I better behave.

The weather is beautiful these days. It was a great day yesterday and we spent most of it outside. My favorite part of the day was watching my girls try to hoola-hoop and Mackenzie kept having to stop because it tickled her ribs too much.

Today we will have some school lessons, and then probably end up outside for a while. I can't wait to see what will happen today. It seems like every day is an adventure and something happens either good or bad out of the norm. What will it be today? God is so awesome.

Know you are blessed.

It seems weird to me how bad things make us change. Why does it have to be that way? Being sick for so long, and in bed for so long has changed me. I am finally feeling better and all I want to do is be outside, eating veggies and fruits and enjoying God's creations.


I started out my day by wanting to go buy cleaning supplies and ended up at Floyd Lamb State Park talking to the birds and reading all about Tule Springs. Then, after finally going to buy my cleaning supplies, I decided to go to the Farmer's Market up the street, bought peaches, and ate some fresh, grilled corn on the cob. I was tired and needed to go home and take a rest, but I just couldn't stop being outside. They had this really awesome grey and white three legged cat that was just the coolest little guy ever. He was very playful and up for adoption. I would have taken him home in a second, but realized that our dog would probably eat him.

So, now I am home and wishing I was outside, but realizing that there is a lot here to do. Oh, for my birthday, by best friend got me tickets to see Motley Crew with back stage passes. Will I go? Should I? ..................

Happy Birthday

It is the frickin pneumonia.

But, I am doing alright and today is my birthday and I am going to do something special. Maybe I will have some soup. MMMMmmmmm soup.

I woke up feeling a bit sore. Funny, I thought, to be sore when I haven't even worked out yet. Then I went to take in a deep breath to stretch and that is when I felt the sickness deep down in my chest. I didn't want to believe it so I ignored it for a whole day, but finally last night I came to realize that I am getting sick. It better not be that frickin pneumonia.

This morning I woke up at 6am because I just couldn't sleep any more. My body hurt too much. However, I took 800mg of Motrin and I am feeling pretty good now. I still see a quick care visit in my future.

Nap time


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

What the....!

So we get to have a visit this weekend from Shad. He comes in Friday night and leaves Sunday. Quick but needed. Then it is another month. :(

He then graduates in November, and right after that we go to find a house, then right after that the movers get here and we are gone. Like, just that fast! How does it all come together? How does it work out? Only God knows. Our date to be gone is Dec. 12.

Crazy shit.

In the mean time I am trying to get things packed up and cleaned up and moved out so we can be ready. I need to paint some and will be doing that hopefully tomorrow. Want to come over and paint? Right!

So life has been crazy, and I am trying to do school and be active in our group, but it has been hard. My baby is feeling much better and that has helped. My baby, okay so she is 7 and that realy doesn't count as being a baby, but she will always be my baby so get over it.

I miss my church family. I have been so crazy that I am not connecting with them as I should. And it is going to suck when we leave you all.

We need prayer. And I need help with this stinking house.

Blessings to you all.

Pneumonia

Yep, Kenzie has it and my poor baby had to get a shot in the ass. It hurt her and she cried and that just sucked. I wanted to slap the nurse at first, but then remembered when I had a job like hers. It sucks to be the one to have to deliver bad news or have to stab someone with a needle.

So, after a full day at the doctors, we finally got to come home. I have another week of activities to cancel, and a mountain of laundry to do to make sure we all don't get sick. Not to mention the fact that I am trying to sort through things and store things and move shit and find a house in a place I have never been to, do a job I can hardly concentrate on, all while teaching my children something everyday so we don't fall behind in school. Yep, I am totally dumping my crap all over this thing. Sometimes you just have to throw up all of the shit on your mind. Did I mention that I broke a toe? I know, whaaaaaah!

Good things: we have made some progress on the rooms upstairs, we have narrowed down the areas we need to be looking for a house in, and Shad will be here in less than two weeks for a visit. Hey Zack, if you are out there, PLEASE BUY OUR TV SO I CAN FIX UP MY LIVING ROOM!!!! PLEASE!!!!! and I just know that there are a lot of you out there who would love to come over and do some painting with me right?

On other news, well, I don't have a whole lot of other news. Just whinning and a longing for a night out.

Love to all

Crappy week

I have had to cancel all of the things we have had planned this week because Mackenzie is sick. And, I am a stress case these days. There is a lot in my life that I don't share with my friends. I should. Maybe.

So I am off to find storage containers and boxes and such. I have a ton to do with this house and am not getting enough done. I make to many plans with good intentions, and then act horribly on them. I just have to remember that I can't do everything and I can't please everyone. I just have to take one day at a time.

Our new additions to the family...

Welcome Little Baby and Tiny to our family. They are the girls new turtles that just arrived home tonight. They are so small, and cute.

Oh, right, don't tell Shad because he doesn't know yet. It's kind of like a surprise!!!!!

If you know me and live around here and have kids who would like to come over and take a look, let me know. This has been a great education for my kids and has caused them to have to work together. I am loving it.

Some turtle facts that we learned:
The shell is made out of bone. It is an external skeleton. There are tons of different kinds, some that look very funky. They need warmth, water and eat all kinds of veggies. You shouldn't keep a turtle in a glass tank without covering three of the four sides, otherwise the turtle doesn't feel safe and some have been known to smack their heads into the glass enough to hurt. Turtle insanity!!! You can measure the growth of your turtle by tracing it on a piece of paper every month. You can also almost tell how old a turtle is by counting the rings on its scutes. Scutes are the sections of the outer shell. They are ectothermic, or cold-blooded.

Like I said, we learned a lot.

Slow

Could this week go any slower?

Here we go.....

He made it there safe and sound. That takes a load off of my mind. Now the fun part begins.

So the tv is off and the girls are reading and writing and having fun. I am enjoying this because the tv is usually on all of the time in this house. It is going to be a quiet four weeks.

Taking some time to myself before Shad has to leave. There is a lot to do in the next three months so I am trying to get things done a little every day. It's hard to believe that we will be living in San Francisco before Christmas. I am excited though.

We took a walk to the Orchard the other day and we found the largest zucchini I have ever seen and it cost me a whopping $0.40!!!! I love that place!

So the girls start school this week officially and I am so very glad that we don't have to fall into the whole "Back to school Sale" crap. What a rip off. Let's jack our prices up and then knock them down to what they would be if you bought them for full price so you feel like you are getting a deal. I have to admit that we do go out and buy up all of the crayons and markers we can find though. Okay, I am sad.

Because we are moving, we have to learn the new Home Schooling rules for California. They seem to me easy, but in such a liberal state, I am going to find some back up in the way of HSLDA as they seem to have a home schoolers back when in need.

I have to thank Amy for introducing me to home schooling. It brought MacKenzie and I together, and has just made my relationship so much better with my kids. I used to yell, and get frustrated and have melt downs, but now I listen, they listen, we communicate. Hailey tells me everything and I mean everything. They ask questions about everything and are interested in learning about all that they can. I love that! I learn along with them and we get to experience so much together. I know it isn't for everyone, but I sometimes think and wish it could be. One day they are all grown up and living their own lives away from us. I want to take advantage of the time I have with my children. I want to develop the best relationships I can with them before they are grown. It isn't always a cake walk, but mostly it is. Praise God for home schooling!

I will stop my soap box now. Time to fold some laundry. Oh Joy!

I can do it!!!!!

So grandma has to go to the doctor today and guess who volunteered? Yep, I bet you would too if your grandma asked you to cut her toe nails. I took one look and said, "Gram, you need a toe doctor, not a grand-daughter."

Anyone want to buy a big screen TV for $2000? Please!?

I bought my girls some Bright Minds books for school. They rock! Great for home schoolers and in schoolers a like.

Today we have already learned about Vikings, and now we are about to do some loving on the grandma. Then it is going to be music practice, math, and critical thinking.

Holy crap, look at the time! I have to go!

I had a dream about a really cool house that I wanted to take a picture of, but didn't have my camera.

Shad leaves very soon so there is a lot to get done in the next three months. I see a lot of dust, cleanser and paint in my future. I also see a lot of exercising and a diet as well. Anyone want to buy a house? How about go on a long walk?

The girls had a recital today and it was very good. They played beautifully and I am very proud of them. There is nothing like watching your children accomplish something they work so hard for.

My Jags kicked butt today. I knew they would. It is just the preseason but it was nice to watch them finally knowing that the season is upon us. I know, I have been brainwashed by my husband. It was destined to happen. :)

100%

Yes, we received the letter today. The one we have waited four years for. I was excited, yet now I feel the slightest fear. Fear of the unknown. Our lives change every day, so why is this different? Could it be that we are about to sell our house, and move to a totally new area where we will know not one person? Oh, well, it could be that. It could be worse too.

I am happy about the move, yet sad that Shad will be gone for so long before we go. We have been through scarier times in our marriage. We will make it.

My mom is already on the guilt ban wagon about how she never gets to see her grandchildren. Funny. I totally won't go there with her. I am happy that it causes her concern. At least there is a heart in there some place. I was beginning to wonder.

So, time to do some planning.

Life

I have been sick for over a week now, but seem to be getting better finally. Getting sick really sucks.

We are still waiting to hear the final word on our moving situation, so that is a bit annoying. I found these really cool storage boxes for our movies that take up way less space, and am starting to get things way more organized with the intention of making our move (when it happens) much easier. I am about to do something that a few people will understand just how awesome it is. I am about to get rid of all of my cd collection. All 150 or so of them. I really don't know the true number because that would cause me to actually step into reality about it and that would be just icky!

I plan on selling them, and then donating the money to the Palmers in case you really had to know.

School is going good, although sickness allowed for laziness and now we are having a hard day of reality. The girls are struggling to finish their work. All I want is to get to Art. My favorite subject. Home schooling is the greatest feeling. Watching your children learn, watching them light up when they finally "get it" and seeing the happiness on their little faces, all proud of themselves. Just amazing.

Happy Birthdays and Realization

My daughter, my oldest daughter is 11 today. Wow, that was fast. I am proud of her, and love her even so much more today than ever if that is even possible.

This week has been a hard one filled with difficult problems and troubles, yet we seem to get through each day with so many blessings. I feel as though I am being prepared for the next three months. The three months that Shad will be gone.

Good things always come from the bad in some sort of way.

Thoughts

I am such a sad case. I read all of these blogs and think, what is the big deal? Some person makes a comment, spills his opinion and everyone freaks out. Perhaps that is because we are all guilty. Guilty of lacking in the loving others department, the mission department. Who knows. I only know how lacking I am in these areas. Yet God has a plan for us, and is going to move us to a new place with a chance to share our love of God. Awesome! I just hope I don't screw up too badly. I just want to love people, and not worry about the rest.

Perhaps I should just keep on keeping on and that is that. Yes, we watch too much t.v. too. Have you ever watchted the veggie one about the sports utility vehicle? Classic!

Book Club info

We will get together next Wednesday the 3rd at the home of the Citizens and Parkers.
For more information, email me.

Thanks!

Life

Going out with a bunch of other home school moms can be tuff. I didn't get home until 2:30am! How time can fly when you are having fun. It was great to get away from everything for a little while and just hang. I just love my fellow home school gang.

Praying for my brother is helping! He is currently divorced, but they are both now getting counseling and it sounds like things are looking better. They need much prayer still as things are still weird and confusing for them both.

My father had his party in Mexico this last weekend. It kind of snuck by me. I almost feel kind of sad that I missed seeing everyone, however, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the last time I went. Perhaps one day I will get past that. I miss my dad a lot at times.

Test results finally came in from the standard testing my oldest daughter took. Looks like I am not all that bad at schooling my children. She did awesome, however, I knew she would. She is awesome.

Time to run errands, do my house hold chores, be a biller and teacher and mother all at the same time. It can be done you know!

Just Stuff

The places we could end up are around and near San Francisco, and so we are cool with that.

The book we read for book club was good. I am hoping to hear from those of you still interested in getting together to discuss it. It is the last week of July and so we need to plan a meeting.

I had a great time listening to a youth group pastor tonight talking about the kids he ministers to and a trip they took camping. Most of these kids are super talented musically. I was floored. They all seemed to have had a profound trip. Reminds me of my first outing with Apex. Well, sort of.

God has been showing me a lot these days. Most of all He is showing me more about love. Love for His children. His love for me. I am such an ass, yet he loves me anyway. I screw up all of the time, and am a total sinner, but His love is always there. And He is always giving me choices, and I am constantly making the wrong ones. I am working on it though. Because He loves me so much, I am able to start making better choices. I still make wrong ones, (who doesn't) but am doing better.

I pray that you start seeing Gods love for you. Then, lets start spreading the love.

Narrowing it down!

So the choices are now Stockton, Richmond, San Jose, or Oakland. Not our choice, thiers.

Will update later.

School Days

Well, my kids asked me last week when school was going to start. Being that we do school at home, I said "When do you want to start school?" They were getting bored, and so we are starting school today.

I love that my kids want to start school early. It helps me to feel like I am accomplishing THE most important thing about home schooling. That thing is giving them a love of learning. I get it now Amy.

So this day will be filled with Math lessons, writing, reading, science experiments and art. Not to mention the awesome fun of lunch making, music and house cleaning. Music and house cleaning always go together so well, don't you think?

On another note, the San Francisco thing is about 90% now. However I found out that just because they said San Francisco doesn't mean that is where we will end up. It is just the major hub and the places we could end up are San Fran, Hawaii, Guam, San Jose, Sacramento, and Oakland to name a few. I hope it is San Francisco, but we shall see. Could you imagine if we ended up in Hawaii or Guam? Whoa! Break out the surf board and sunscreen dude!

Okay, I am seriously going to find out how to put pictures up on this thing. I have wanted to share pics for a while. I am off to find out how.....

The hunt for a job by October!

Okay, I just thought that up. (you get it right? Hunt for Red October, Hunt for a job by.....) Good huh? Maybe I could get a job in advertising! RIIIIGGHHTT!

So how's it going? Good, good.

I started reading the book club book finally as I just picked it up today at Target Greatland. I am liking it so far, but I am only one chapter in. Perhaps the book club will spill over to San Fran once we get there.

So I got to see Tara today. She is the little girl with the screwed up life. Her mom was given a chance, and was doing really well. Not so well now though. Mom is screwing up again. It is sad and makes no sense to me the one side of the story that I hear. I don't get the full story and so I have to fill in the gaps and just trust that God is working in this case. Tara said she loved us and that she misses us very much. Just kick me in the heart!

Pray, pray, pray that this little girl is taken care of. And for her mother who seems to have trouble with alcohol and drugs and a questionable mental state.

So how about those Boyds huh? Just up and running off to California like that. Who do they think they are? Oh, we are going to do the same. Right on!

Pray for my brother as well, for his broken hand and wrist, for his broken heart, and for his children. Yep, I could write books about the crap in my family. You too huh? Cool. Maybe one day we can get togther and combine stories for some really great reading. I would have to learn how to spell though. Nawwwwwww!!!!


Love you all.

Time to think

I have had much time to think about the new adventure that is about to take place in my life. Not just my life, but my families lives. We are very blessed with an awesome family, and church family here, and leaving is going to be hard. However, it seems as though this is what God has been preparing us for.

I am very excited to live in a cooler climate yet the desert has been my home from birth. I will miss the mountains and the heat. Sad, I know. How can a person really miss temps of 113 with zero humidity? It is oven weather, but I will miss it.

Prayer needs to be for a smooth move, and that we find an affordable home.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I am trying to figure out how to make an income while we are there while staying at home with my children and home schooling. Prayer is needed for that as well as I will have to stop my billing biz here. Can't really take it with me and so I will need to do something. Any suggestions?

The results..........

12 months of school starting in Sept. and then it is San Francisco.

Cool!

and the place is.............................okay, we don't know because they have to call us back. So, tomorrow for sure.......I just know it.......

News Flash

So the job was offered. Will he? Won't he? They didn't tell us where, and then by the time Shad got to call back they were gone. So, although I am calm, I have a small place inside my stomach filled with anticipation as to where we could go.

So until tomorrow........

By the way, Alisha, I love you back and am so proud of you for taking flight! You are free!!!!

Book Club

I sometimes think it is such a dull title. You know, Book Club. Instead lets call it The Intellectually Stimulating Ladies Night Out. Nope, too long. How about The Weenie Roasting Book Club. Nope, can't say weenie without laughing. Oh well, lets just stick with Book Club.

So the last book was a real drag for me in that it made me angry. But, lets move on shall we!

The next book is The secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

We will get together some time towards the end of July at the "Intentional Community" of the Parkers and Citizens. (Sorry, I don't know the other last name of the other family.)

Happy reading!!!!

For all of you who are wondering why I changed the book, see the comment from Kelly on my last blog entry.

Tagged!!!!!????!?!?!?!!?

Well, okay,

1.How many books do you own?
As I look around the house, I seem to notice that we have books everywhere! I am talking in the kitchen, den, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and one in the laundry room. I believe we even have some out in the cars and I know we have a stack or two in the garage. Who knew?

2. What was the last book you bought?
Well, as it happens, we just bought four books. Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, To Be Told by Don Allender, and The Joyful Christian by C.S. Lewis.

3. What was the last book you read?
I am currently reading Messy Spirituality which I am enjoying very much. It has brought a lot to light. Before that I read Tara Road by Mauve Binchey. ( I am sure I spelled that wrong.)
I didn't like that book. It made me angry, and brought up a lot of old feelings that suck. Not to mention that is was an Oprah book. But I won't go there.

4. Name five books that mean something to you.
Umm, well, okay. The Bible means a lot to me, as it has changed me forever and continues to do so every time I read it. Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a book that means a lot. It was one of the first books I fell in love with as a child. It brings me lots of funny memories. Dangerous Wonders by Michael Yoconelli is another one that I love. It reminds me to stay as a child. My Journal is another book that means the world to me as it is the reason I am sane today. It is the story of my life and has taught me many lessons. It has been my best friend and trusted advisor. It keeps all of my secrets and never tells them to a soul. It is my direct path to God's ear.
I can't think of another one right at the moment. Perhaps I will fill in the blank later.

I guess I will tag Alisha, Amy, and Dave......

Good morning

I am finally feeling better. I was very tired from our trip. The best part of Sea World was petting the dolphins. They are so cool to watch. And the Clydesdales ( my spelling has got to be wrong on that one.) are huge.

At the Zoo, well, I really loved the Giraffe. They are amaizing creatures. Oh, and the Galapogose Turtles were very cool too. I watched as one lifted itself up on all four legs and streached it's head way up to reach a leaf on a tree. The gorilla were giant as well. I would hate to meet one of them in the wild.

It was great to see the ocean again too. I miss it. The girls were finding all kinds of shells and collecting seaweed for hours. I got to take a nap and a walk.

God is great!

Vacation

We left town and went to California to visit the zoo and Sea World. We had a great time. We have been stressed over the choice to move and Shad take a new job, or stay and continue life as it is, so this trip helped a lot.

I am tired, and ready to catch up on some sleep.
Perhaps I will write more later.

I had to be interviewed for the job Shad is trying to get. How cool is that? It went well even though I was nervous. I had a feeling like this was what God wants our next step to be. So with that said, I am mentally preparing for the next events that will (in my mind) certainly take place in the next three month. Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere yet.

I saw the pictures on Amy's blog and they were awesome! It makes me wish we could just hop on over there to Iceland and check it all out too. The kids are looking great, and I was blown away by the beauty of the place. I can only imagine what it is like in real life.

The book club location has changed, and the day and time will as well. Michelle Hunt has graciously offered to host it at her home. So look for the announcement for that.

I started reading Wanting More by Joel Vestal. It is a great book. Check it out!

Stuff

Book club will be on June 26 at 2pm at my home. Please RSVP with me by emailing me, or responding with an RSVP comment. :)

I also wanted to put out there that the Home School Convention will be on June 24th and 25th at Calvary Community located at 2900 Torrey Pines Drive. It runs noon to 9pm on the 24th and 8am until 7pm on the 25th. There will be a lot to hear and learn so check it out. There is an entry fee, but if you want to only go in to the vendor area, it's only $5.

Our house church started a cool program called Kids Around the World with our children. It is awesome, as our kids are learning all about other cultures and how there are so many billions of people in the world who have never heard of Jesus. Last night the kids got to eat some different foods that they had never tried before. It was fun to watch their faces as they tried different things. They also took turns praying for these different cultures. It was awesome to hear what was on thier hearts.

Shad is moving ahead with one of his job prospects, and we should know something pretty soon, say like the middle of this month. Pray that God's agenda happens, not ours.

Lastly, I would just like to say I miss my Carder family.