The Adventures of Ninja Mouse

Once upon a time there was a mouse who became a ninja. He lived in a house with a family of four and a dog with a broken smeller. It had to be broken because this dog never even indicated that he knew a mouse was ever in the house!

Anyway, one day Ninja Mouse made the decision to go out in the daytime to forge for food. What a mistake! Although he made no sound, one of the occupants in the house saw him skillfully glide along the baseboards. Eeeeekkk!!!! was the scream he heard, then suddenly a giant broom started coming towards him. Ninja Mouse quickly ducked behind the giant book case for cover, and just in time too, for the giant broom quickly came crashing down where he had just been. As ninja mouse tried to think, there was a ton of commotion going on in the house. Books and boxes being moved, and the large couch being flipped over. It was total chaos! Finally, things seemed to calm down a bit. This was his chance to get away. Swiftly and silently Ninja Mouse moved towards the grate he had entered through and finally he was safe. For now. His brush with death made him reconsider ever going out during the day again. No, it was too dangerous. He would have to wait until things calmed down and try again when it was dark out. That was his best chance to survive.

After a day and a half had passed, Ninja Mouse felt that it was time to try again. He was hungry, and didn't know how much longer he could stand listening to his little stomach grumble. Slowly Ninja Mouse stuck his little head out of the grate. No noise, no movement. The coast was clear. As Ninja Mouse entered the room, he began to smell something. Something irresistible that caused not only his stomach to growl, but his mouth to water. It was the smell of peanut butter! The smell was intoxicating. Ninja Mouse no longer cared whether or not he was to be seen, the only thought in his mind now was how to find the place where that irresistible aroma was coming from.

As he crept into the little plastic house of delicious smell, ninja mouse never noticed the large metal bar looming overhead. At last! Ninja Mouse had found the source of the wonderful smell that was calling him. He quickly and silently ate his meal, making sure not to miss a drop of the delicious and creamy substance. With his mission accomplished, Ninja Mouse turned to leave and WHAM!!!!!! The metal bar above him came slamming down in less than a second, quickly breaking the neck of Ninja Mouse. And there he lay, with the smile of satisfaction still on his face.


In other words, we caught the mouse! THE END or is it..................................?

Turtle Surfing!

No, we didn't take the turtles to the beach. Too cold. But that would be so awesome to see wouldn't it? Surfing turtles!

Anyhoo, we did make it to the beach for the first time since we moved here. It was so much fun. Very cold, but a lot of fun. My sister and her daughter were with us and that made the trip more exciting. It was great watching the girls explore the beach and running away from the waves. They also made sand castles and buried each other. Later we went to dinner and we saved our strawberry tops for the turtles to munch on. They love strawberry tops as you can see in the picture.

New story:

So yesterday I was sitting on the recliner working on my computer when out of the corner of my eye I noticed something scurry along the baseboard across from me. I was in total denial at first, thinking that I must have been seeing things, but no. I truly saw something, and that thing was a mouse. A little brown mouse who has a death wish because I am not about to share this place with a disease carrying mouse. So, after I screamed a bit and finished freaking out, I proceeded to tear up the living room trying to find it. No luck. Those little bastards can truly hide like a ninja.

Eventually it ended up escaping the way in probably came in which was through the vent under the fireplace. I have nick-named him Ninja Mouse. And ninja mouse is going down! Shad went and found some traps and we have them in the house now and I am just waiting for them to go off. I will also make a call to the rental company to inform them of the issue. Ninja Mouse will die. One way or another. I will update on the progress later.

What's on Your Mind?

I woke up at 6am! I know, crazy but true.
Today we are headed out to spend some time with my sister and niece. This should be an interesting trip as we haven't really seen each other in over a year or so. As a matter of fact, we really haven't spoken much either. Hmmmm......

Things on my mind lately:

Money
School
Getting a job
School
Family
Suzie QZ
School
God
Friends
School

Can you guess which one keeps me up at night? Yep, it's money.

Sunsets and Snails

My kids are growing up and I am getting older. There, I said it. Don't you just love a good sunset? Me too. This one was while we were in Vegas. I miss the way the sky glows just before it gets dark there. The sunset is just different here.

So here is a funny story. I went up to my room to change clothes for the night and was greeted by MacKenzie who introduced me to her pet snail Sally. Now this snail was unlike any I have ever seen. Its shell was made of a toilet paper roll and the small trail of left over tissue still stuck on it. And her eyes were made of bamboo skewers that were poking out of the "shell". She even had little bendy straws that slid over her eyes "to keep them warm and block out the light when she sleeps" according to MacKenzie.

I said hello to Sally with a little giggle and praised MacKenzie on her creativity. Then as I passed the bathroom I stopped laughing as I noticed that our trash can was full of toilet paper. It took me a moment to accept the reality of what I saw but there was no doubt that someone had unraveled an entire roll of T.P. and dumped it into the trash, and I was pretty sure I knew who it was. Upon further investigation it was confirmed and MacKenzie admitted her guilt but defended her position. This led into a little refresher lesson on the cost of T.P. and a comical lesson on it's importance.

She's 13 now! sniff, sniff....sob...........

I am now the mother of a teenager. Did you hear what I just said? A teenager. Yes I knew this was bound to happen some day. As a matter of fact I knew exactly on what day and time it would happen. But this doesn't change the fact that I am still having a hard time coming to grip with the reality of it all.

My life just became a little more complicated by this daughter's change in status. Not a lot complicated, but just a little. Now I have two separate age groups to deal with. It was so much easier when they could do everything together. Those days are gone now. Flown right out the window! And now there are going to be outings with friends like trips to the mall and movies. And boys! Oh my gosh I just realized that I met the man I married when I was 13!!!!!!!!! Oh brother! I think I need to lay down.

Didn't See This Coming

Who knew? Life is sure strange. We have been so focused on leaving this place and getting back to Vegas, or some place close by, that we totally didn't expect to hear the comment from Shad's grandma in Ohio let alone contemplate on it at all. But we did, and we are. Well, just a little right now.

Basically, every day I ask Shad about the transfer stuff at work.
Has he heard anything?
Does he know anything new?
I get the same answer every day. "No." I'm certain it annoys him but I feel like I should keep it fresh in his mind every day. Why? I have no idea. I think it makes me feel better. Like in some warped kind of way it is progress.

Anyway, yesterday I did again asked the usual questions, and got the usual answer with a "but" on the end of it. But what? Apparently Grandma in Ohio is contemplating moving to the city where she would be closer to the doctors she is frequently visiting. (Not by choice.) That is great! She needs to be some place closer to the hospital instead of being so far away all by her lonesome.
But....she is said to have made the comment of "I wish Shad and Sherry could move into my house and live in it." Or something to that affect.

What? Move to Ohio? That is so not close to Vegas. As a matter of fact, that is pretty damn far from Vegas. What?

My first reply of course was "Um, I don't think so." And then later that day we began to think about it. What would that look like? How would we manage that? Could we even manage that? There would have to be many cosmic things fall into place.

Just the other day I was commenting to one of the girls about how it is important that family takes care of family. That God wants us to take care of each other, especially when we are in need. So many of our family and friends are in need back in Vegas. But we have family in other places too. Grandma Kathy is in Vegas with a ton of family taking care of her. Grandma Ruth is in Ohio with, well, she is pretty much alone.

It has us thinking pretty hard and praying about some things. I didn't see this coming!
I'll keep you posted.

Another sign?

We went to a park in Alameda yesterday so Shad could practice softball with some of the people he works with. They go to a tournament every year in Vegas, but get only one or two practices in. Last year it was one practice, this year they are shooting for at least two.

Hailey's friend Cally came along with us and the girls were having a great time at the park when they suddenly realized they were hungry. They were very verbal about it, so we piled into the truck and left Shad behind while we went on an adventure to get lost in a little island city I have never driven in before. We managed to only get a little lost, and found a cute little park where an art exhibit was going on. Nope, no food there so we moved on. We were on a mission you know. Finally we found a shopping center that had a huge Trader Joe's in it. Thanks Trader Joe's! Crisis averted! We finally managed our way back to where we started by sure luck as I was totally lost.

Oh, the sign? Yes, well on the drive home from the nasty little bar-b-Que place Shad took us to for lunch after his practice was over, he informed me that the word in the office is: three new openings in Vegas. This means he has an even better chance at getting us back.

I am not getting excited though. If it is to happen, then it will be right? Shad will send in his transfer request and life goes on. It sure would be nice if we were to be back before Christmas though. :)

A sign?

I am currently procrastinating yet again as I am struggling to write a paper that is due tomorrow night for my History class. Oh well, at least I am consistent.

So today I went with Shad to his MRI. He has some back issues. Nothing serious that we know of yet, just old age at this point unless we are told different in a couple of weeks. During our ride back home, Shad got a call. It was his boss telling him that there had been some changes done. Major changes. Anyway, the result was that he is going to have to issue a new transfer request.

I am hoping that this is a sign. I have been thinking about how this December would be the perfect time for us to transfer to another place as I will be in between classes and we would be buying at a most opportune time. The fear was that the transfer would go through right away and make things difficult. However, after much thought, it really doesn't matter when it happens. It is just important that it does. So, I will be praying about that.

Anyway, I guess I should get back to that wonderful paper I have to write.

Yippee!

Warning!! Another very small look into my brain...

Traveling is something I love to do by car. I love it because it forces a time of quiet at some point in the journey, and with quiet comes deep thought. And thinking leads to realizations and discovery.

Well, traveling to Monterey this Saturday was one of those times where I found myself in deep thought about life and God and the future. The realization? I am an impatient person when it comes to the big things. Well, possibly all things. For instance, if Shad were to say "Lets take a month off and drive to the East Coast just to say we put our toes in the water," I would be like, "Let me just pack a few things and let's go right now!" I am becoming impulsive and crazy again.

Let me back up, I used to be impulsive and crazy. In my teens and twenties I would do wild and crazy things at the drop of a hat. No planning required, let's just do it! Do it right now! If I wanted something, well if I could, I went and got it because there was no time like the present. No fear, no regrets, and no planning. (Not always smart.)

Then something happened and I got a little lost. I still can't determine how or when it happened exactly, but when it happened I became afraid. Afraid of everything new and different. That fear lasted a very long time.

Now let's move forward. On the drive to Monterey I realized that I am getting impulsive again and the fear is not so strong anymore. But, the real realization that came to me was the reason I was like that in my teens and twenties. The thought of death. I didn't fear death, but I thought about it differently than most of the people I hung out with and I am realizing again that I am starting to remember the lessons I learned from watching the people I loved dye while growing up.

One lesson for me was that we only get so much time on this earth to do the things we are blessed with the opportunity of doing. And that we sometimes only get one opportunity to do them at all so, if you are faced with an opportunity take it.

For example:
Looking back, I can see that when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, I took the opportunity to be a mom. When faced with the opportunity to love someone despite their addiction, I did it and survived. When faced with the opportunity to forgive someone for something heartbreaking that they did to purposely hurt me, I forgave. And the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I am some wonderful saint of a person because I am not. No one is. I've done some horrible things in my life. When given the opportunity to help my mom take care of her mom when she needed the help most, I chose not to. When faced with the opportunity to spend time with a dying family member, I chose not to. When faced with the opportunity to support my brother throughout a bitter divorce with his now ex-wife, I chose not to. The list goes on here too. In hind sight, I think these events happened when I was lost and afraid. That is something to ponder on later.

I guess the point I am getting to is that the lessons I learned in the past are all coming back to me now and I am again beginning to understand that fear is still evil and sometimes we all just have to jump in and trust that God will take it from there.

I found a cool quote on someones blog: "leap and the net will appear"

I want to live like that. I want to have that faith. No regrets, just jump in and let go. Let God be in control of the direction you fall and see where you land. Trust that he will catch you.

More later..................

Summer Vacation!?

Well, we have had such a crazy summer vacation time. The kids went to Ohio, Vegas, and the county fair. Tomorrow night we are taking them to a concert, then we are going to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium on Saturday. We hit Vegas again at the end of the month, and end the summer vacationing with a huge party for Hailey's 13th birthday. Throw in movies, park days and other non planned activities and we have been busy!

The crazy part is that there is more travel to come, and more activities and school hasn't even officially started yet. But it is so clear to me how much the girls are still learning during this break. I love home schooling! I love that it can be so flexible and that there is so much learning going on the whole time.

I am coming to realize more and more that home schooling is really just living life. You might think I am just crazy and, well, I have no argument there but I know how I feel and what I see. There is no denying that learning is happening when the kids go out in the corn field and capture fireflies and question how their little butts light up. (The fire fly butts, not the kids). Or when kids try to calculate the distance they have traveled. And when as a parent I am constantly asked questions like why a word is spelled the way it is spelled, why something is called what it is called, or where something came from by my children, I am forced to do a little learning myself. So, I know learning is taking place no matter where we are, or who we are with. It is happening all of the time in so many different ways and I love that we have the freedom to learn this way.

Okay, I am done now. I sometimes get a little carried away I guess. I just love what I do.

So we are off to run an errand or two, then it's laundry time and then I have school tonight. Man we are busy. I am deffinitly looking forward to my little mini vacation in Sacramento.

Now go learn something!

Just Stuff

So we flew to Vegas and I had a great time visiting with some friends I have not seen in a long time. I also had a pretty good time visiting with family. As you can see from this picture, the kids did a lot of swimming, and grandma loved having these little visitors. But if you look at grandma, you can see the stress in her face and eyes. She is having a hard time dealing with her mother being in the hospital. I am speaking of Gram. Gram was in the hospital the entire time we were there and is still there. She has pretty much given up on life which is very sad because her body is healing otherwise. They need a lot of prayer.

Other than that bit of drama, life is going well for our Vegas family. It sure was hot there though. 114 in the shade! I sure don't miss that kind of heat, but it was great to be home for a while. I don't know what it is about Las Vegas. Perhaps it is just because I was born there, but I love that place. Not the casinos, lights, and traffic but the mountains, the desert, and yes, sometimes the heat. Perhaps I am just crazy.

Back here in Northern California things are nice and cool. It managed to get up to 102 before the weekend, but even that felt cool compared to what it was like in Vegas. And in the evenings here it cools down to a nice 65 degrees. It almost makes a person want to stay. I said almost. :)

Tomorrow we start a new week with nothing major planned. I have plenty to do for school, and the girls have piano practice, but other than that we've got nothing. This weekend we are going to an aquarium with the kids. I will share pics when we get them. There are more I could share from Vegas but maybe later.

Have a cool summer night.

Following Through, the story

Follow through. It is a big issue in this house. Thanks dad! Yep, I blame him. Why? Well, I sometimes feel that due to his lack of follow through in his marriage to my mother that it launched an idea in my head that following through is not necessary in life. If you follow through, okay, if not no big deal. I mean, life goes on and we all get through it some how right?

That thought in my head was not practiced by me too often though. Thankfully I had my mother constantly on me about the things she thought were important for me to follow through with. Like school for instance. Had I dropped out, well, in the direction I was headed back in the day, I would probably be dead right now. But thanks to mom for pushing me forward, even if her methods were a little different than most.

Anyway, I had this little melt down last night because my kids are bad with follow through in certain areas. I blame myself of course. Most of them are the same areas I have issues with, like cleaning up my room and doing laundry. Yes, my room still has clothes on the floor and hangers everywhere, and my bed is rarely ever made. We just go sleep in it and mess it up at the end of the day anyway right? wink, wink, winkety- wink!

So, today I had a long talk with my kids (because I am great with lectures thanks to dad again) and spoke with them about why I feel strongly about them learning to follow through on things. The conversation went really great and I think they understood better why I nag them about certain things like cleaning their bathroom and throwing out the trash in their rooms. Anyway, they followed through on a few things this morning and that just made me happy. And I too followed through on a few things I had been putting off. It felt great to get them done. And it showed my kids that we all have things to work on no matter what our age or hair color. :b

Follow through. It is an issue in this house, but we are working on it and one day, it will be history.

Fun at the Fair

We had a great day at the fair on Friday. There were tons of rides and exhibits, as well as creepy carny people. We spent almost seven hours there and still didn't see everything there was to see. Before we left we stopped for funnel cake topped with apples and whipped cream and super yummy fudge which Shad hid when we got home. It was one of the best family days we have had in a while. And because we live so close to where the fair is, we were able to stand outside our house and watch the fireworks! It was an expensive outing, but well worth it.

It's a new day

Well, the family got back safe on Monday. I was happy to have some noise in the house other then me talking to myself and the dog. And some how I managed to get my living rooms clean again before they were home. I also managed to clean up the upstairs without too much distraction. Shocking I know.

I finished another class last night and have a new one starting this Thursday. It is so cool to have them going so fast. The last class was really fun, and I learned a lot which is good since learning something is the point. Next is a history class which I am looking forward to.

So I was thinking about all of the things my girls did this school year that most would consider school and I was wondering if they learned enough. Then I started putting together this photo album of shots from various events we attended and classes the girls took and I realized that they learned a ton this year. So, now I am thinking I should do a photo album for every year so I can be reminded of all of the fun stuff we did and all of the things the girls learned. That way I won't freak out and go buy tons of curriculum we don't need or won't use. As of now I have the planned curriculum stuff for next year up on the shelf and I was thinking it was looking a little thin. And actually that is a good thing. Too much curriculum turns them off to leaning. (Something I have to remind myself of often)

The County Fair starts here today and we are going after Shad gets home from work. I am excited to take pictures of the girls on the rides. We bit the bullet and bought unlimited ride passes for them this year. I am also excited to see the exhibits and find the person in charge so I can get our home school group involved for next year. There are a ton of talented kids out there in the home schooling world you know. I will share pictures when we get home.

So we are about to take off to the art studio so the girls can finish a project they started in a class they took a couple of weeks ago. They made wind chimes out of clay. They are going to be awesome! I can't wait to hang them up. Maybe I will share a picture of that too.

Hope your day is filled with fun and laughter!
Peace people

A look into my head. Scary!

Two days left before the family gets back and I have taken a cleaning spree and turned it into an obsessive compulsive mess. You see, after waiting two days for the carpets to dry, I was finally able to get the living rooms put back together. (Our house has two right next to each other for some reason).

S0 I moved on to the upstairs and was cleaning upstairs when the phone rang. Since we have two cordless phones and can only locate one right now (which we keep down stairs by the kitchen), I had to run down to answer it.

After the conversations was over, I looked at the book cases while passing by and decided that I needed to go through our books and down size a bit. Like right now! So I started taking all of the books down and piled them up on the floor. In the middle of this I decided that I wanted to move a little bit of furniture so I moved the piano over (yes, I moved a piano by myself) and brought in the book case. At this point I decided I would make this book case my school book case for the girls and started arranging books on it when I realized that I needed to go through my school materials and possibly get rid of some stuff. So I went into the den and started dragging out a bunch of school books and such. Now, I have books everywhere, things piles on the floor, furniture moved here and there, and my upstairs cleaning still isn't done!

After starting with this nice clean slate, I have turned it into a total mess by being so easily distracted. Sometimes I wonder what causes my brain to switch channels so easily.

I bet you can guess what I am going to go do right now. Yep, do the dishes, oh and I have to get the bills done! And there is the laundry, but I should go get some lunch...................................

Isn't that just grape juice?

So my week is working out well. Even though I miss my family, I am managing just fine. Yesterday evening I had a meeting that went well but a bit long. Afterwards I took the opportunity with no kids to go shopping for myself. I bought two pair of sandals and two outfits. It was nice to say the least. Later, I had dinner and watched some tele and finally made my way to bed around one. An over all nice and relaxing day.

This morning I woke up to Hailey's alarm going off at around 6:30am. I was sure I had turned that thing off yesterday. Anyway, I got up, cleaned the hallway clear of the clutter, vacuumed the hall and the stairs and then went down to have breakfast. While eating, I sat by the window and watched outside in between journaling. A very quiet and productive morning. At around nine the carpet cleaner guy showed up. He was a pretty pleasant fellow who found a way to mention that he was recently divorce during our conversation. That struck me as kind of weird. He went on to tell me about how he had to move out and find a place in Livermore. He had found a great home for rent that was very reasonable. And eventually he began telling me about how he works hard every day but always takes time to spend time with his son who is spoiled rotten by his mother.

Is anyone else wondering why this total stranger whom I had only just met was telling me his life story? Well I was totally wondering that myself during his visit. Later on, after thinking about it, I had a little realization if you will. This is why I am in school to become a counselor of some sort. It is totally my calling. As long as I can remember people have been coming to me to tell me all about their problems and about their lives. Even total strangers whom I have only just met. And I don't even try to pry into their lives, they just dish it out. It's bizarre really. And I just listen. I don't offer advice in anyway, I just listen and nod and give a "u-huh" or a "Oh, I see" and that's about it. Okay, sometimes I do give some advice, when asked for it. And sometimes I will share a relating story or two if I feel it is right to share. It was just a very real confirming message to me that I am doing the right thing.

So the other day I went to Trader Joe's to find some of my favorite snacks that I get to have to my self this week, and I came upon non-alcoholic wine. Yep, the label says it has been de-alcoholized. They totally made that up right? I mean, isn't non-alcoholic wine just grape juice? But here I sit with a glass of red non-alcoholic wine and it tastes great. I used to drink wine all of the time way back when, and then gave it up. I am so glad I can now have a glass once in a while without all of the nasty effects. Who knew?

Keep the peace people!

This sucks!

My husband and my children are currently in Vegas about to embark on another plane ride that will take them to Indiana where they will rent a car and drive into Ohio. Me? I am here at home in Northern California, with the dog, and the turtles. Yep, I thought this would be a nice break, but this totally SUCKS!!!!!!

I had Mackenzie on the phone overly tired and hysterical last night wanting me there with her. Yep, I had flash backs to when I used to take her to daycare and she would be smooshing her little chubby face on the glass while crying for me, hands stretched out and clawing at the glass. I felt like such a bad parent for leaving her there and I feel like a bad mom for not being with her now.

However, let this be a lesson to those of you out there who spend every waking moment with your kids. One day you too will go through this kind of stress. It will suck, but it will also teach you many things. It will teach your kids many things as well.

So my phone conversation this morning went something like this:

"Hey Mackenzie, how are you today?"

"Good."

"You were pretty tired last night weren't you?"

"Yep."

"So, everything going better today?"

"Yep. Daddy bought me some disposable cameras. Here's Hailey."

And that was that. See, kids get tired and totally out of control some times. But they are quick to forget you when things are fine and they have had their rest. (And daddy just bought them some disposable cameras). It's all good now.

And me? Well, I hate to miss out on things, but I am glad to have some time to myself. As a matter of fact, I think I will take advantage of getting to go to the mall alone. Yep, I have a meeting tonight and the meeting spot is right next door to the mall.
And it just so happens that my favorite store is having a sale. The candle store is my favorite store (since you asked). I will get to brows the candles and not be interrupted or hurried. It's going to be nice. And it will help me prepare for my next round with the tired cranky kids that will certainly call me later tonight.

From Paris to Ohio?

I am so glad to see someone finally put a public figure who broke the law behind bars like they should! Yep, I am totally talking about Paris. Sometimes it takes tuff love to make a much needed, totally over due point! Did you see her face? That shot was priceless. Perhaps this will be a little wake up call to the rest.

Enough about that. I just had to share.

It's Friday and the girls are done with piano and we have started getting them packed for their trip to OHIO! I am also currently making plans for my week without them. I have all kinds of wonderful plans such as going to school, getting the carpets cleaned, and having the piano tuned. I know, I should make plans for a movie or something. Maybe I will, and for a pedicure too. But this seems like the best time to get all of these other things done as well. I also plan on getting the front porch cleaned up so I can sit out there with a book or my journal in the evenings. Right now it is covered in dust and leaves and little spider webs. I'm going to be busy!

I could sit here and write all day, but I think I better get some other things done first.

peace people!

Hailey and Mackenzie make the perfect geeks when they want to. I love these pictures! We were at the art studio and one of the other kids there had these glasses. They were all trying them on and started to behave like crazies as soon as they did. It was so funny. They were magic glasses! :)

From these pics you wouldn't think we were having too bad of a day, but I really fell into a funk later on in the afternoon. A deep and dark funk that I have not seen in a long while. I was headed that way again this morning as I was laying in bed with the covers up over my head desperately trying to fall back to sleep in order to not face the day, until I suddenly jumped up and told myself that I wasn't going to go through this. I would not tick, tick, tick, let my time fly by with me doing nothing so I jumped up and came down stairs and started laundry. It was busy work and I was able to think while folding. I came to the conclusion that I was just not going to go down that dark road today, and that I would just abruptly change direction and flee. Let it pursue me! I will throw down on it later and kick it's ass to the curb!!!!!

So, later I will have to concentrate on getting a paper written that I have due tomorrow night, but for now, I am going to concentrate on other things. Some of my favorites actually; Hailey and Mackenzie.

Peace my friends.

Another lazy day...

for just sitting around and doing nothing. Well, actually we went to art class this morning, and the girls did some free drawing projects. They were really cool. After that we came home for lunch and talked. I did make a trip to the post office with Mackenzie to mail some letters, and well, that is about all I have accomplished in the way of errands today. It is a lazy day.

I'll share a story:

A few moments ago, I went outside to grab some leaves off of the tree and right there on the steps was a huge lizard! And I almost stepped on him! He was just sitting there and had his eyes closed, so I bent down to get a closer look and noticed that he was missing an arm. One of his front arms was just gone! And for a moment I thought he might be dead and started to reach out to touch him.

But then I thought, if he was dead, then why is he only missing an arm you know? If I was a bird and I was going after this lizard and had wounded him, I would go in for the kill and eat him all up, not just run off with his arm. I mean, a bird has got to eat right? So I decided that he must be trying to fake me out. He was probably sitting there with his arm under him and his eyes closed praying I wasn't a giant bird about to eat him for supper. Like I would see him missing his arm and feel sorry for him and just leave him be.

I turned around and went in to get my camera just then because I had this thought that I could take a picture and send it to one of the Carder kids and have him identified, but when I came back he was gone. He was faking me out! Wasn't he? Then I actually sat there and wondered if I truly had even seen this lizard. Perhaps I made the whole thing up. But just then the bush rattled and I knew I wasn't crazy. :) But I never got his picture. And I am still not sure if he really was missing an arm.

Just sitting here in my PJ's with socks on and a sweatshirt too. It is cold in the den. I have had the windows open at night for the last three months to save on our power bill and at night I freeze! But it is worth every penny we save. The house fills with cold air at night, and in the morning we close the windows to trap it all in. We stay cool all day and then we open them in the evening. Last summer we had a bill that was over $400. We were just so used to having the air on all of the time from living in Vegas. That bill brought me to my senses though. I have come to realize that we can live without using the air or the heat. People did it before us. We are just spoiled rotten.

We all went to a water park today. Actually, it is a little park area with a man made lake and some water slides. Mackenzie wasn't sure about going on the water slides, so I told her she could ride with me. I figured it would make us go slower and she would see that they are really a lot of fun. Boy was I wrong! Not only did it make us go faster, we almost had a blow out on one of the walls, and Mackenzie was screaming "I want to stop, I want to stop!" the whole way down. Right before we came to the end, there was this huge drop off and I knew immediately that when we landed in the pool Mackenzie was going to go way under, so I held on to her so I could make sure to pop her up out of the water as quickly as possible. We both went way under and took in a bunch of water up the nose. She was still holding her breath as I held her up out of the water and I had to keep telling her she was alright before she would breath. As you can imagine, that was our only ride on the water slides. But Hailey, Shad, and Hailey's friend had a great time. Mackenzie and I sat and watched them the rest of the time we were there.

Updates on family for those who care:
Gram in Vegas starts her third round of chemo this Tuesday. She is hanging in there, but getting tired. Grandma in Ohio isn't doing well, but is hanging in there as well. Shad and the girls go to see her next week. It's going to be quiet around here. No new news to share on the sister-in-law.

The girls have just gone to bed so I should go say good night.
Keep the peace!

more stuff

Just thought I would share some more photos. Hailey at the park, a picture from the train ride, and one of art class.

I am planning a few trips. One to the beach in Half Moon Bay, one to the zoo in Oakland, and another to China Town in down town San Fran. There are a ton of places on the list that we want to explore, but these are on the top of that list for now. It will be a fun summer. I will share pics as we get them.

Keep the peace people!

We have been busy. The girls are doing an art class and I will post pics of that later. They are making some awesome art pieces.

A few weeks ago we went to the Chabot Space Center and that was cool! The girls wore space suits and set their feet in the footprints of the first astronauts to the moon. We also saw some very cool movies about the earth and space.

Yesterday we went to take a ride on a train at the Niles Canyon Railroad which is connected with the Transcontinental Railroad. It was fun and we learned some history, but most of the old guys on the train were grumpy. And there were so many kids it was super loud for the first half of the ride. Hailey hung out with her friend Haley on the trip, and Mackenzie enjoyed the sun and fresh air.

I will have to write more after school.

Stuff in my head today

It's time to asses the kid's education this year and decide what to use for the next year so I am going to two different home schooling conventions. One in Vegas and one in Sacramento. The one in Vegas will be small and familiar, the one in Sacramento will be huge and unfamiliar. I am looking forward to both.
The one in Sacramento will have tons of activities for the kids as well, but get this, I'm planning on going without them. Momma is taking a little weekend vacation people! I will get three days and two nights alone in a hotel room by the pool. I can go and brows the vendor hall and not feel stressed out. I can sleep in, or get up early, or read a book or journal. I can hog the bed and hog the blanket or........ let's just say that I am very happy to be going. I need a break. It has been a stressful year of new everything, so I am taking a much needed trip to re-energize.

On another note, the grandmas are doing okay, but not great. Shad and the girls are going to Ohio next month to visit and help out for a week. I am going to have a week of school, cleaning and babysitting the dog and turtles. Actually, now that I think about it, I get a whole week to myself! Wooohooooo! A double vacation of sorts. Yet, I wish I could go because I really like Ohio and I would love to get to know grandma a little better. This is going to be a not so fun trip for them I think. :(

Grandma in Vegas is feeling the affects of the second round of chemo which was a little stronger this time. She is loosing her hair too I am told so I am getting ready to send her a beautiful red sun hat that I found. Knowing her, she will wear it once out of self made obligation and then give it away to someone in the family, or to a friend. But I don't care. If she just puts it on her head once that's good enough, She is a fighter! I love that about Gram.

Hope your day is a happy one. Keep the peace!

Life

I was realizing that I get so fired up about certain subjects. Subjects like family and education, art and music. It feels good to feel for a change.

My den is all cleaned up and newly organized. I spent two days going through old papers and boxes of art supplies so I could get things in order. For some reason I am on a serious cleaning and organizing kick this week. Crazy! My next project is the filing cabinet. :) Shredding is good!

We have been looking for a house. Shad went out back to check on the girls the other day and saw them playing in the hose on this super small square of concrete in the backyard and came inside and said "That's it, we have to find a house." It was funny actually. So we have hooked up with a realtor and we have an appointment with him this Saturday to go look at a few places. Part of me is excited, but I am planning on being super picky about what we are willing to buy. The prices here are so fricken crazy. The house across the street, if in Vegas, would go for about 500,000. Here they are trying to sell it for 1.4 mil. Unbelievable! I am ultimately leaving it all in God's hands because I am fine with where we are right now.

I am creating my own home school record book that if any good I will try to make available to the masses. Right now I have a first copy that I am making some changes to, but I should have my first one done by next week. It's been a fun project and has helped me get connected with some of the home schoolers around here. You wouldn't believe some of the responses I got during my research on it. Wild!

Gotta go to the park now. Keep the peace!

Vegas

Some how we always have card games going on when we visit Vegas. We always end up with all of the kids spending the night with us and we end up going out to eat at least once at Macayos too. Tradition? I guess to some degree. The card game is Trash Can, the snacks are root beer floats, and the dinner, well, I can't quite remember, but it was pretty good.

I miss them a lot, and through the tears we managed to have some fun. It was a good trip.

We are off to art class! Keep the peace people!

Here are the bees from the other day. I guess the plan worked because they were gone the next day. Who knew you could trap a bunch of bees in a box with soda in it.

These are also some recent pics of the girls. They are growing way too fast for me. Hailey is 5'4 now and Mackenzie is quickly catching up.

Later I will post some pics from our trip to visit grandma.

Today is sunny with a bit of wind. It is a lazy Sunday for sure. I have a lot of school to get done this week, but I am finally on the last leg of this current class. 14 classes down and about 21 more to go! If I can find more school money and keep up this pace, I will be done by November of 2009! Wooohoooo! Okay, I am trying real hard to keep a positive outlook here so just stay with me. Time is passing by fast though so it's all good!

Hailey is currently learning French now and Mackenzie is studying Spanish. It has been fun to learn along with them, although I do better with Spanish than French. It must have something to do with taking it three years in high school. It's fun to listen to them speaking another language. I am taking them to art classes starting Tuesday and will share pics of that here later on. They will be working with clay and oils, then do a short study on drawing. At the same time I will be getting some instruction on some teaching techniques. We are also taking a trip to the Chabot Space Center this Thursday and I will share pics of that as well.

Hope all is well with friends and family. I think of everyone often and wonder what they are up to. I'm sure it is nothing but peace loving goodness!

Keep the peace people!

Just an update...

Granny is doing pretty well with the first chemo treatment. She was sick and weak for a couple of days but doing much better now. She gets another treatment in a couple of weeks and hopefully will do just as well. We were able to help and give Shad's mom a break which she really needed too. Sorry to those who we missed, but granny was the main focus on this trip.

Now we have a trip to Ohio to plan. A trip that has come a lot sooner than expected. Yep, another sick granny. Such is life!

I found a copy of The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer yesterday and I love it! It keeps my interest and will make a great read for the girls later on. I also found these really cool books for reading and vocabulary called The Vocabulary Teacher's Book of Lists and The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists. They have tons of cool facts and explanations on all kinds of words. I will share an example with you:

Atom Bomb versus Hydrogen Bomb
The atom bomb uses fission and was as powerful as 20,000 tons of TNT. It flattened a city and killed 75,000 people in Hiroshima in 1945.

The hydrogen bomb is a thousand times more powerful. It blew a crater a mile wide and two hundred feet deep in a test on the Pacific Atoll in 1952.

Old Derogatory Terms
Scurvy- this is used to describe a mean, nasty, contemptible person who is probably ugly besides. Scurvy is also a disease caused by lack of Vitamin C that causes skin spots.

(These are from the book The Vocabulary Teacher's Book of Lists by Edward B. Fry, Ph.D.)

There is also another book we found that is pretty good so far. It's the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

Welp, I'm off to read for school (mine) and get the girls working on theirs.

Oh, one last thing. We were over by the KFC by our grocery store and we saw a police van with some caution tape around part of the parking lot. Out of curiosity we walked over to see what was up. I was not ready for what I saw. No, not a dead body, but a box tipped over with about a million bees swarming around it. The girls freaked out. Apparently there were some workers jack-hammering the parking lot and they were suddenly swarmed by bees. The cop put soda in a box and threw it in the area of the bees with the hope that they would swarm into the box and he would be able to collect them that way. Can anyone see a problem with this yet? He then said he would be back in an hour to check the progress. HMmmmmm. Well, we left after that but I keep wondering what happened. Think the cop caught the bees?

Keep the peace people!!!!

It's Friday night, um, I meant Saturday morning!

I'm sooooo done with nutrition class! Our final presentation was on the cabbage soup diet and it rocked! Okay, I'm kind of pushing it there. It was as good as a cabbage soup presentation can get I guess. I even found an awesome head of cabbage that we used as a prop and it is currently sitting in a bag waiting to be thrown out because no one wants it. Poor cabbage head!!

I am currently watching Conan O'Brian while typing my blog thoughts. It's kind of hard to concentrate because his show is funny and ......................distracting. And I love his hair!

I see lots of traveling in my future. Yep, I'm psycho, I mean psychic.

Well, I'm off to read about human motivation as there is nothing motivating me enough to keep writing about stuff you don't really care about anyway.

Keep the peace my friend!

Happy Easter

I made waffles for breakfast, and we spent time watching a movie at home together as a family today. We watched Zoom which was a fun kids movie. Around one we called our family back home and spent an hour catching up on life and finalizing travel plans. Later we went to an early dinner/late lunch (what Mackenzie calls dunch) at the Red Tractor, and followed that up with a movie at the movie theatre. We saw Meet the Robinsons which was funny and had a good message. We ended the night with a trip to Cold Stone for ice cream. Despite all of the doom and gloom over the last month and the months to come, this has been a really happy day.

Our talk with the kids went something like this:

Shad-"Gram had to have some tests and the tests showed that she has some pretty bad things going on with her lungs and liver. We aren't sure what they can do about it, but she is doing alright now. So we want to take an early trip to visit with her and spend time with her and the family."

Hailey-"You mean we are going to Las Vegas?"

Me-"Yep."

Mackenzie-"When?"

Shad-"We aren't sure yet, but soon. Very soon."

Hailey-"I can't wait to go swimming!"

Yep, somehow this talk just didn't go like I thought it would. Unfortunately I know that there will be more talks in time. And those will probably go a lot different.

Gram is the one in the Green. She is going to be 85 on May 14th. Our children, her great-grand children, are very close to her and love her very much. She is pretty active, and has a super sharp mind. And even though she is full of thorns sometimes, she has a huge heart and is loved very much.

Gram was told this week that she has tumors on her lungs and liver, and that she has about 3 months to live. Yes, she has lived a long life, but we love her and are very sad to hear this news. No one wants to watch a family member die of cancer, and no one wants to have to tell their children that someone in the family that they are so used to having around will no longer be around. But we have no other option. So how do you tell a child? Perhaps I will share our experience as we figure it out.

These are my beautiful kids. Yes, even the fuzzy one!

These pics are from Feb. right before a certain birthday. Actually, it was before Valentines day now that I think about it. Time sure flies fast. I am about to order pizza for the first time in a long time. Don't faint, I know it is a bit shocking, but just stay with me. It has Prosciutto, Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Feta, Caramelized Onions, Roma Tomatoes and just looks so super yummy that I am totally sold on buying one even though it is going to cost us $20.00. Normally I would not do this. We live on a budget people (Northern California, Duh) so we have not been doing the pizza thing too regularly.

I was recently attacked by some kind of starving spider. I say starving because the jerk bit me like ten times on the hip. I have had these itchy, bumpy things for over a week and the itch is getting old. Nothing has helped much and I am beginning to think these things will never leave. I hope he had a good meal, then choked to death. BIG JERK SPIDER!!!!!!!!!

I found out that a certain couple of people I know just got engaged last night. I am super happy for this couple because they have been through so much and totally deserve some happiness in their lives. So that is some happy news to take place of the yucky news I have been sharing.

Well, time to order pizza!!!!!! Yummy pizza!!!!!!!!!!!

Not the best morning ever

I find it very hard to keep in touch with everyone we left behind. It's like work and stuff. And it get frustrating too. Maybe I should do what they do and leave it at that. Sorry, rambling.

So, today I found out that Gram has some tumors on her lung and liver. Add that to my sister-in-law who will have to have brain surgery for sure, and the other grandma in Texas who has decided to leave the good doctors and go back to Ohio where the closest doctor to her will be over an hour away and doesn't specialize in congestive heart failure issues and you have got one sad morning.

But wait, there's more! Two family friends who are fighting cancer and not winning. One is now with Hospice which means he is being dosed on morphine to keep the pain at bay until his time comes, and the other just had surgery to take out lymph nodes and a thyroid although his cancer is in the bone, and his wife has been dealing with her own cancer issues.

I have been talking with God a lot these days. Things like this are what set me off on the whole "what is the point and purpose" questioning, and to tell you the truth, I still don't know. I have not been depressed for some time now, and I am fighting to keep it that way. These people all need prayer. They need miracles. They need love and faith. I just want to hold them all and be able to make it all better.

I guess the fact that I have already experienced a lot of loss in my life has led me to want to love on people more. We only have so much time on this earth, and only so much time to experience the joy that is family. We are all family after all. Every one of us no matter where we are from. I think that is what God created us for. To be his family. And families should take care of each other.

So, I guess I will go and pray and concentrate on how I can be a positive light in all of this mess. And then, after that, I will put my thoughts and prayers into action because prayer and thought can be great, but action is greater.

Piano and School

Hailey can play Fur Elise now! She has always loved that music and can now play it in it's entirety. Mackenzie is working on Beauty and the Beast and has the first two pages down. They have been working very hard and it shows. We are proud of them.

We grew green beans in a cup and now we need to find a place in the backyard to transplant them to or they will die. I wonder how big they will get? I should do more research. Our science studies have us learning all about plants and cells and such and now we are waiting for our slides to come in the mail so we can start using our microscope. I can't wait until dissection stuff starts, that is going to be so much fun! Well, for me at least, not the girls.

Our turtles are getting bigger finally. After their long winter sleep and getting them their new turtle mansion, they are looking healthier and happier, and growing like weeds. Hopefully they don't grow too big before we find a place to live that has a yard where we can build a good habitat for them.

Oops, need to go! More later....................

Luck-O-The Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beware of green beer!

Some lessons........

Things I have learned since living in Northern California:

Parking here is a dangerous sport and costs lots of time and money, especially in the city.

Driving here is a dangerous sport, especially in the city, and requires packing snacks and activities to keep you occupied while sitting in traffic.

People are either really nice or really shitty, depending on the amount of money they make and the kind of car they drive or house they live in. (Wait, isn't it like that in Vegas too?)

Heath and environment are super duper important subjects around here. Way more important than in Vegas.

If your kid is a home schooler, you get frowns and dirty looks because you are "steeling from the public school system!". Oh how sad! As if that were true!

This place is full of 9-13 year old gang banger wanna-be's throwing gang signs at you for not hitting them with your car as they walk down the middle of the frickin street. Yep, that really happened. Maybe I should have run his little punk ass over?

The weather here rocks!

The housing market is a joke.

Prices here are well above the cost of living. They just have to be!

Gas prices are insane!!!!!!!!!!

Earthquakes arent' all that scary. The little ones anyway. :)

Computer on!

Star date, 03042007. Mission, to get Shad off of the Star Trek Legacy game that he continues to play, even though his ship is being destroyed. I have tried to mind meld with him, but it was no use. His brain function is being over run by visions of war ships and laser beams. I've begun to lose hope of him ever coming back to earth.

Yet, perhaps there is still hope. I've heard tell of a "plug" that comes from the wall which if pulled with the proper force should pull him free from his torment. The mission is a risky one, but we are left with no other alternative. I must go inform the rest of the my crew about the mission. We must not fail!

End Transmission

New and Exciting Things!

There have been new things brewing. First the girls started going to a new writing club which has been very positive. The rules of the club are:

1. Each member must bring something they have written and share it with the group.

2. The club is run by the members, so no parents allowed. (I thought this one was funny).

Since attending, they both started writing stories, by their own will, and are loving it. MacKenzie even draws illustrations for hers and now she wants to start a drawing club. We are currently in the planning stages for it but I will share more as things get started.

Hailey has decided to create a book club for girls ages 12-14 and even created a web site for it, all on her own. (Amy, I just love you for helping us find the home school door!) She is also doing a study on ancient vs present day Egypt with a friend for the Trip Around the World event that I am going to host again. They went to the library today (to the library on a Sunday!) and checked out books and made plans for their display. She is very happy these days which fills my heart with so much joy.

It's funny because I was going to avoid hosting the Trip Around the World event this year because school has kept me very busy these days, but I broke down and got it put together last week. And I am glad because it has prompted the girls to get interested in more learning.

Both of them are still taking piano lessons, and doing great, and we are planning a trip to Ohio to visit Grandma Ruth's farm in the fall. (EIEIO) I can't wait to see the fire flies! They are my favorite part.I am also going to take a trip to Sacramento in August for a homeschooling convention. There are a ton of reasons why I should take the girls with me, but I am planning on going alone so it can double as a mom's vacation weekend at the same time. Dealing with two school schedules wears a person out!

And as if I don't already have enough on my plate, I am taking on writing an article for a magazine. It is a one time thing and for no money, but it is something I feel I've got to do. It could end up being a lot of fun as well.

MacKenzie celebrated her 9th birthday this month with a chocolate cake and a trip to the Mall for a new outfit. (It is not the one in the picture). That was a lot of fun. She is way into her own style and I will share birthday pics next time.

And that is about it for now. I will write more later.

The Christmas pics...

Here are some of the pictures from Christmas 2006. It was a fun trip! The kids were the best part and I look forward to next year. There are more but I will have to show them later. Enjoy!

Waiting....

I keep waiting to put anything down here until I get my pictures uploaded, however that is proving to take way too long. Only because I have come in the habit of doing everything on my computer as I sit in the living room. Sitting at a desk for me is so uncomfortable. I like to be able to stretch out and have a nice blanket over me to keep me warm. Yes, I am still cold, but warming up gradually.

Let's see, school has been really good. I have done much better than I thought I would in my current class. This Thursday is my final class in PSY and then it is off to Religious Traditions.

OH, and I went to Vegas for my brother's 40th birthday celebration. It was everything I anticipated and then some. We even had family drama, because what is a celebration in my family with out the drama?

I had a great time hanging out with my dad and brother before things got started. And during the party I got to hang out with my niece and nephew which was great. I really miss them. And I even had, um, I mean got to see my mom who isn't taking very good care of herself still. Shocker there!

Then there were the cousins I grew up with that I consider brothers. They are all getting older and perhaps a little wiser. (There is still hope in that department.) There were a few members of the family that were missing. My sister who travels way too much and couldn't be there because of work. (Damn work!) And another cousin/brother who has been banished by the others because he is an addict/currently in recovery but no one can trust if it is really true or not. I missed them, and wish they could have been there.

Oh the love of family and the wonder that is "family get togethers". I miss them all, even my mom. There are times when I wish I could have just one normal moment with them in a room together. But then, we have never had a "normal" moment in a room together as long as I can remember. For now, I am just glad to have family, as screwed up as we all are. And I will leave it at that for now.(As if I could do anything about it anyway?)

My girls are doing so much better these days. They have made a new friend, and we started going to a new event right down town on Wednesdays. We can walk there because it is so close, which is why I am so excited about it. But more then that, it has finally found us some home schoolers in our area. Although, most go to a charter school, which in my opinion isn't really home schooling. But like I said, that is my opinion. And it is based on knowing very little about charters, so who the hell am I to say what is and isn't?

There has been some drama with our home school group too. And because I am on the committee, I have been dragged into just a smidgen of it. Mostly by choice. Our group communicates via email, so I chose to make a comment that was a bit bold for me. In the end, it will all work out though. The people here floor me. That is about all I can say.

Well, that is all I can manage for today. Perhaps at some point this week I will be able to get my computer into the den and get it hooked up to allow my pictures to be down loaded. Then I can show you my crazy family members whom I love so much and reminisce about Christmas and anything else that comes up. For now, stay warm!

Time

Seems like the time in between posts gets longer and longer. And not just for me, but every blog I read on a regular basis. Could it be that the blog generation is moving on to bigger and better things? Who cares!


School is right back on track and moving full force. For both the girls and myself. Mackenzie has been studying the states while Hailey is studying the globe in all it's glory. We were having a fun time with it too until the world fell off of it's base. Yep, just up and fell apart! Poor world!

Being that I didn't see anything else wrong with it other than it couldn't stand on it's own, I decided that one of us would hold it while the other looked for information. (We had the whole world in our hands!...) This was working fine until we noticed that our globe has some issues.

There are certain places and names we can not find that should be there. At least, according the the curriculum we are using, they should be there. I am pretty sure that the names of the major deserts of the world should be there, right?

Anyway, in the end, all of this has led me to investigate the possibility of purchasing a new globe. In my search I found this cool one that talks to you and gives info on money exchange and such. It is expensive, so I am giving myself a week to think it over first before buying it, but I really am impressed with it.

Life here has been good. We are freezing our butts off today with the high around 49, and the low last night around 29 or something like that. Shad laughed at me yesterday because I went grocery shopping wearing three shirts and two pair of socks. I can't help it! I was born in the desert people! Yes, it gets cold there too, but not that often! I like the 100 degree weather!

He called me before I left and I kept telling him how the house was too cold, like "fricken arctic" were the words I used. I guess a wife needs to provide comic relief at times, but I really wasn't joking. I was fricken cold! I want my desert back!

I have class tonight which I am looking forward to, and I already received info on my next class. World Religious Traditions. It will be very interesting I think. The reading in my present class is crazy but I am getting a lot out of it. I'm going to one day rock the psychology world! Or....not. Either way it's alright.

Time to gas up at the local coffee shop and dive into the wonderful world that is laundry. Hope your day is full of warmth!

:)

Starting Over...

...that is what this new year symbolizes for me. So, in the spirit of the new year, I am starting over in many areas of my life. Perhaps I will share more on that later.

Christmas was fun, lots of family QFT, the annual trip for big gulps, a yummy dinner and lots of screaming children. We had a great time. I loved seeing friends and hearing how everyone had changed. I felt very blessed to be able to hang out with "the Ladies" at dinner. (Thank you Amy!) They are an awesome bunch of women. And I am very happy that I got to see my Susie! Hang tough and TRUST lady!

It's off to bed for me as tomorrow starts our first day back at home school. (We took the last month or so off.) Pics of the vacation are on their way.

Have a peaceful night.

It never fails, Christmas time always seems to be sorounded by hard times. sickness and death, sorrow and saddness. This year, we have seen much of this with our friends and family, but I feel that all of these things are ment to bring us closer together. That is what it does after all, brings us closer as we step up to support each other, sharing the love and respect we have for one another.

This all leads me to wonder if I have done enough this year. I don't think I have. Not this year or any other. I haven't done enough, loved enough, shared enough, the list goes on. So how do I change all of this? I am not sure I can, other than just continuing to try. We are flawed after all, and so we will never be perfect in anything we do in this life.

So, enough of the pondering, and more with the doing.

Right now, I am preparing for another class after my Christmas break. The Psychology of Personality. It looks hard as there will be a lot of reading, at least four papers to write, and at least two presentations so far in the fast five weeks that it is. It's going to be a fun class though. Hard to believe I have been in school almost a year already. (A year in February) Time really has flown by. I am thinking about going to the local community college and taking extra classes to speed up the learning process. Even though I am flying through my classes at UOP already, school could go a little faster, and more importantly, I'd save some money.

I had a visit from my father this weekend. It was great to see him, although with all of the white, he looked very much like the man in the red suit. We eventually put a santa hat on him and had the girls take a picture. It was very funny, and saved us an hour of waiting in line at the mall!

My father wouldn't have even visited had it not been for the car he bought as a suprize for his wife. He purchased it over the internet and asked us to check it out and pick it up for him, then hold on to it until he could come get it. That is when he "killed two birds with one stone" by doing the suprise here while he visited with us for a day. Given the parents I have, I take what I can get in the way of thier love and attention. It is hard at times, but my cards were dealt a long time ago. I play with a whole new deck now thankfully.

So the visit went very well. They came, we visited, they left. One quick day of conversation with a few hugs thrown in. All worth it to me. I think Shad is beginning to understand now the relationship I have with my parents. We tend to argue about the things I am willing to put up with in order to spend time with them. A whole story I can go into maybe some other time.

Well, I am off to study for my final which will be on Thursday, and then it's off to battle the cold and crowds at the mall for one last attempt at Christmas shopping. Can't wait to see eveyone in Vegas!

Seasons greetings!

Just stuff...

Wow! It's December and Christmas is almost here! What happened? Am I the only one who feels this way? This has been one of the quickest years. Sure hope the next one slows down a bit.

Here are a couple of pictures from our Thanksgiving trip. Hailey and her cousin, then Shad and one of his sisters with the girls behind them being mean. Such fun!

The girls and I went to the mall today to do a little shopping. As I was sitting in the parking lot, at the very end of the parking lot, like in the last space available in the parking lot, I had to wonder just what it was that made me have this idea today. Why were we going in there? Did we really want to do this? I have to admitt that I had visions of huges crouds, long lines and crappy attitudes.

As it turned out, the mall really wasn't that bad. Shocking I know! I was a bit mystified myself. However, we went in, we shopped, and we left without a problem and found some really great sales. No long lines or crappy attitudes at all. It was also a great lesson for the girls because they had to remember that we were there for others. I told them ahead of time that we would not be making any purchases for ourselves. And it worked. Yes, another mystified moment.

School for the girls is slow right now, but going well. Hailey has been having doubts about conitnuing piano, and so I have challenged her to come up with some creative ideas to make it more fun. So far, nada. I just might have to intervene. Mackenzie is still doing great with piano and reading a lot. I have started her on learning about the different states, beginning with Alabama. It's been fun. We found a great book at the Golden Apple to help us along.

School for myslef has been great this class. A grammar class, with writing papers and using correct punctuation. It's been fun. We even watched School House Rock last night. Hillarious!

Speaking of school, I have grammar lessons to finish and a paper to write. Guess it's time to stop playing and start working. It's raining! How's the weather where you are?