Di's Life Photos

2011-10-06T07:30:00.001-07:00

Jace

2011-07-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

My new grandson, Jace Lipari Vasquez

I SPOKE OUT

2011-02-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, I read on Violence Unsilenced: "Don't lose today. Don't ever forget that you are strong and powerful and perfect, just the way you are. And anyone who doesn't believe that, and cherish you every minute of the day, does not deserve to walk with his hand in yours."

Today, I have a voice.

Mom's visit, part 1

2010-12-21T08:14:00.001-08:00

(Me, Terri, Nancy, Mom, Bunnie, Tina, Patti)

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Patti, Terri, Me, Nancy

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Mom, Bunnie, Tina

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Katy, Isis, Aaliyah, Patti

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Mom, Katy, Isis, Aaliyah, Patti

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Isis, Aaliyah, Katy

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Summer Randomness

2010-09-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Jade held a very successful carwash for the Foundation Walk for Health.

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We celebrated Donna's 50th birthday!!

(Donna, Katy, Stacy)

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Austin and Brutus waiting for Mommy

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I took Katy and her friends to an Angels game.

(Kirsten, Andrea, Katy)

The Angels beat the Mariners, 7-4

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Katy rocks in her first volleyball game.

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2010 Harvest Crusade

2010-08-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Harvest Crusade.

Austin stayed in Anaheim from Thurs through Sunday to hit the streets and invite and witness.

Katy and I went Sat and Sun.

So amazing seeing so many people show up to hear great music and hear such wonderful messages from Pastor Greg.

Sunday night it was over-packed, 48,000 people, they had to turn people away. MercyMe was there and they were incredible.

This is Katy's friend Victoria. She has gone with us for 3 years now.
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This is Austin with the S.W.A.T (Students with a Testimony) Team.
The girl he is standing with is Dayani.

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The S.W.A.T Team

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Dorks

2010-07-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

The other day the kids spent the entire day cleaning out their rooms...going through old stuff.

This is what I cam home to........

(Austin had borrowed a hat and wig from his friend)

Things Katy found in her room.

They get so bored during the summer.

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HEAT

2010-07-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

I bought a swamp cooler a few nights ago because the wall air conditioner died at the end of last summer. It will be installed on Saturday. In the meantime, I get home from work yesterday and it was 108 IN THE HOUSE! And then, I noticed that the heater was ON! I panicked and called Terry and called the guy in the office. He couldn't figure it out. The switch on the thermostat said it was off. So Terry and I are out back looking at the heater and there is a toggle switch when you take off the cover of the heater. I said, "what does that switch do?" He flipped it and the heater shut off. So I will get that checked out on Saturday also.
Thank God that the clouds started rolling in (although a thunder and lightening storm was definitely NOT what I needed). It cooled down to around 90 outside and about 95 inside by the time I finally fell asleep at 9. Lesson learned: don't panic, I'm the one that found the switch. If I had stayed calm I would have seen it sooner and not have to call anyone.
In other news, Katy is camping with a friend and her family down near San Diego until Sunday.
Austin is busy with church and hanging out with his friends. I'm trying to pin him down for a date tomorrow night to watch Blazing Saddles (his first time). I even bribed him with mini-meatball sandwiches. He hasn't decided if he wants to do that or hang out with his "amazing friends". (I told him I'm amazing, too).

Corona 4th of July Parade

2010-07-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

These are from the 4th of July Parade in Corona:

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Looking up Main Street towards Ontario. The first signal is the new signal they put in at Citron and Old Mill.)
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This guy was funny. He was taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.

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Check out the faces on the 2 kids on the other side of the street.

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This is for mom.

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John and Nicole

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The kids from karate. Jade is doing flags.

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Always one of my favorite parts of a parade: The Shriners

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I don't know her but she was soooo beautiful!

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The original Barney Fife car.

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We had a wonderful time. The kids actually got along and did not complain once. They actually maybe enjoyed themselves. And as big as Corona has gotten, there is still a small town spirit there that I just love!

June Party

2010-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

We had a party for June birthdays and Father's Day at my sister Patti's house.

It was full of fun and family.

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Here's the birthday kids:

Austin and Isis

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Aliyah, Nathan, Thea, Brianna, Katy, Austin and Isis
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Isis

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Patti and Isis

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Patti, Becky, me, Debby

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Our wonderful hosts, Patti and Walt

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Ryan, Everett, and Austin

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My favorite photo of the day....Aliyah and the bubbles

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What the big kids do in the bounce house.

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The little kids use it properly.

Aliyah

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Gangsta Katy

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Debby and Tim

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Austin and his cake

(and his sister trying to be sneaky)

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Anticipation...

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Celebration!

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Katy

2010-06-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Katy graduated from Jr High today!!!!

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Last Friday was her 8th Grade dinner/dance:

I cannot believe I am the mother of two high schoolers!!!

Universal Studios Hollywood

2010-05-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

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While KT went to the river this weekend, AC and I went to Universal Studios.
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The cars from the Fast and the Furious.

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This use to be 1313 Mockingbird Drive, the home of the Munsters.

Now it belongs to one of the women (can't remember which) on Wisteria Lane

in Desperate Housewives.

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These two really need no explanation.

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This was from War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.

It was actually kind of traumatic to see.

It was a jet crash scene with a real 747 and a neighborhood totally destroyed.

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Some nice oriental man took this for us.

I reciprocated by taking one of him and his wife.

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Krustyland and the Simpsons Ride.

This ride was by far the best. Think Star Tours at Disneyland, only on this ride, instead of the action just being in front of you, it's all around you. You actually felt like you were in the cartoon. It was my favorite of the day.

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We ran into Lisa Simpson when we got off the ride.

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AC and the dudes from Apollo 13.

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The Mummy Returns ride.

OK, but very, very short. Not as terrifying as I thought either.

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Me, excited that I made the height requirement for the rides.

The Jurassic Park ride was fun. Of course, we were in the very front row and got soaked.

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When he shook my hand he almost broke it.

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The stunt show was pretty cool.

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The animal show was very short and very lacking in content and substance.

But the monkey was cute.

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All in all, we had a really fun time, but I don't think I will go back for a few years.

There just really isn't that much to do.

There are only 4 rides and 4 shows.

And at $70 a pop, I'd rather go to Disneyland.

The rides were fun, but, call me biased, they were missing that magic that

Disney rides all have.

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Family

2010-04-19T12:56:00.001-07:00

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Me and Debby

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Becky and Patti

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Me and Becky

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Debby, Patty, Me and Becky

Randomness

2010-02-27T07:03:00.003-08:00

Just a bunch of randomness:

I had to mix ketchup and water the other night. The result was kinda scary

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My candles oozed wax all over my table.

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She can't help photobombing whenever she gets the chance:

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My beautiful girl on her birthday:

RIP Kathryn Grayson

2010-02-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

Meet my friends

2010-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Class of 81

2010-01-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

Me and Cathy Cardie

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Me and Karen Adkins

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Me and Lorraine Garcia

Me and Toni Gutierrez

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Front: Karen Maxell, Karen Adkins, Cindy Jacobson
Middle: me, Lorraine Garcia, Chris Greene
Back: Lisa Arias, Cathy Cardie, Marty Johnson, Toni Gutierrez
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We had so much fun!!! And we are starting to plan our 30th!!!

Goodbye 2009.....Hello 2010!!!!

2010-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve

Spent with our good friends.

.......

1/2/10

Went to see the Rose Parade floats.

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Then we went on an adventure to find Hollywood.

I knew we just had to get to the other side of the hills and it would be there.

We found it.

Graumann's Chinese Theater:

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It got real annoying having to explain to the kids who everyone was.

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They had some new people there, too.

Bruce Willis....

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KT and Snoop Dogg

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AC and Samuel L. Jackson

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These guys were putting on a street show.

They were insane!

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Christmas

2009-12-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

AC and Jade messing around while I set up the camera:

AC playing with KT's new camera:

The awesome nutcracker Jade made for me:

Me and my sister Patti:

Patti and Walt:

Aaliyah, Katy, Austin, Thea, Katarina, Nathan and Isis:

2009-12-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

Our tree:

...

Me, Dad, and Patti
...
Of course, we didn't get a good one on the first try:

...

Our November

2009-12-01T08:18:00.001-08:00

We had a busy November.

KT's team got 2nd place in the volleyball tournament:

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We all worked very hard at the Peppermint Ridge Lovewalk (especially AC):

I can't wait to be on the committe again next year. It was something that was so foreign to me to be involved in but I loved it!
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On Thanksgiving we went to the movies and then to Dave and Buster's:

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It took me

all of these

pictures

to get

one

normal one:

(I swear they're worse than 4 yr olds!)

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I got the high score of the day in virtual bowling:

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The day after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas decorations.

These are my favorites:

My Nutcracker musical snowglobe:

These two from my childhood:
And my Nutcracker collection:
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Saturday, KT and I got beautiful:
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Payback

2009-10-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is what people who sneak up and scare other people deserve. I'm sorry, but Halloween is my least favorite holiday ever. I've hated it since I was a child. Why? Because I'm a big fraidy cat!

I'm sorry. YouTube is dangerous.

2009-10-23T08:53:00.001-07:00

What is it about a pie in the face that cracks me up so much?!?
This one is so fun! It's got Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Bruce Willis, Jack Lemmon, Three's Company...

RIP SOUPY SALES

2009-10-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is for my Dad

2009-10-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

(taken last month)

(and it's not Photoshopped, it's real)

(because of the fires)

UPDATE

2009-09-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my laptop won't let me type above the first picture so I'll just start right here. The above little guy kept me company the other day when I was doing yard work.
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We've been busy. School, church, recovery meetings. On Wednesday my English prof pulled me outside and said it was obvious I didn't need to be there for the lectures on sentence structure and grammar so if I wanted to, I could skip Mondays and only come in on Wednesday for the writing part of the class and he would still give me full credit!!!!! Of course I took him up on it!!! I also finished my Intro to College course. It was only a 6 week course. And I aced my first Sociology mid-term. I started the Women's bible study at Harvest and next Friday I start one of the small home group bible studies.
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The kids both had the flu super bad this past week. Thank God I never did get it. It is a really nasty one, too. Fevers of over 103 for at least 3 days. Just terrible. But everyone is fine now.
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Some randomness:
My children thought I was insane for taking a picture of my leaky faucet outside. I think it's kinda cool.

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Today was Jade's big breast cancer walkathon in Corona (well, it's not in Corona, more like El Cerrito).
The place it was at was gorgeous.
Here's the walkway...

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There was a small lake there, too.

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I didn't walk due to the ligament in my leg, but KT walked with Jade.

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Best tshirt of the day...

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My baby made a small speech about what the Foundation did for her. She was awesome!!!!!
I am soooooo proud of her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This is when the breast cancer survivors release their balloons.
Gets me every single time.

KT, Jade, her sister Nicole, and Nicole's mom, Debbie..a survivor

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Why I do it.

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This is Jade's nephew Logan. He liked my camera.

IN REMEMBERANCE... 9/11/01

2009-09-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

So many things.....

2009-09-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's been soooooo long. First of all, my mom is in the hospital. She had about 8" of her intestines cut out. Please pray for her. She's doing better, but not great.
I've been so busy with school and church and work. The picture above is from my alma mater. I went to an all-class reunion a few weeks ago. It was amazing to see people who graduated in the 40's, 50's and 60's there!

We went to the Harvest Crusade both the Friday night to see Third Day and the Saturday night to see Reliant K and Skillet.
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My fellow class of 81 friends got together for dinner:

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Last Friday was my 46th birthday.
Guess where we went?

The Happiest Place on Earth of course!!! We had a blast!!
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Every other Saturday this summer, we've joined our church's Surf Fellowship at local beaches. We just hang out, have church on the beach with worship and a message and then bbq lunch. It's pretty awesome to have the guy leading the worship do it soaking wet in a wet suit.

AC's Baptism. Go to the 1:11 mark. It's him in the water with the high school pastor and then him talking to the cameraman.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-08-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

UPDATE

2009-08-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

AC is home!!!! He got home Saturday night and then Sunday night, promptly left me to go to church and spend the night at a friend's house so he could go to the beach with the High School ministry yesterday. Now he's home for good.

KT, her friend, my friend, and I went to the Surf Fellowship again on Saturday. Awesome as usual! After that KT and her friend participated in Jade's women's self defense class. I couldn't due to my ankle, which is still not healed.

This is just KT being KT (look at her tan!)

This is AC being baptized a few weeks ago!!!!!!! (He's the one under water.)
.

UPDATE

2009-07-29T13:25:00.001-07:00

Not much to really update. AC is STILL stuck in Denver, hopefully they will be on their way home tomorrow. KT has spent most of the week at Jade's. On Monday I had a little adventure. I went chasing the circus train!!!

I found the train and decided to wait at the arena because I knew they ALWAYS walk the elephants on the streets from the train to the circus. I was not disappointed!!

And of course, after the elephants comes this....

UPDATE

2009-07-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

This week was pretty normal. I stayed on crutches all week long. Now I'm back on the compression boot to see how I do.

The big news this week is that when Austin went to High School church on Wed night, he got BAPTIZED! Made the decision on his own. Wish I would have been there but happy and proud none the less!!!!

KT and I went to the Angels/Yankees game on Friday night. It was an awesome game and the Angels won 10-6.

To answer your questions....I am going back to school to get my AA in Human Services with a minor in Alcohol/Drug Studies. It will take me years as I'm only taking a few classes each semester and I don't know what I'll do with it yet. Just going where God leads me.
.
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At the 7th inning stretch GREG BRADY (!!!!!) sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame. KT didn't understand why I was excited.

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After the games on Friday nights they do an awesome fireworks show:

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

2009-07-04T22:19:00.001-07:00

KT and her friend and I went to Bolsa Chica State Beach today with my church's Surf Fellowship. It was wonderful! It was super windy and actually cold! It was awesome to have church on the beach, though and we will be going back every time they do it.

Tonight, we went over to my old boss's house to watch the fireworks from Mt Rubidoux.

We are both super sunburned and really tired. AC went to the mountains with a friend overnight.

Oh yeah. I went back to the dr on Thurs because my ankle was not getting better, but worse. Turns out I didn't just sprain it, I tore a ligament, also. Sooooo, I'm in a hard splint 1/2 cast and on crutches at least till Tues. I HATE crutches!!!!

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(this is one of my favorite shows)

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Yesterday, I got to meet up with one of my old high school friends, Mad, who I haven't see in about 25 years. It was soooooo wonderful!!!!!

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The last hollyhock:

I got good news in the mail yesterday!!! I qualify for a waiver of all my fees for college AND a federal grant. How cool is that? They're going to pay me to go back to school!!

I have a confession......

2009-06-30T08:34:00.001-07:00

I've been unfaithful. His name is Facebook.
I met him a week ago and have been enraptured ever since. I am sorry I have neglected you, blog. I think we can work things out, though. Me, you, and Facebook, all together, one big happy family!
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Things have been going wonderfully. I'm at a very happy place in my life right now. Re-connecting with old friends, making new ones. The past is over and done with and I've moved on.
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Just call me "Red"...

The kids and I have really been growing closer as a family. Doing weird things together.....
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My beautiful Jadey....

Click on this and look on the screen. It's AC (in the black tshirt next to the girl; I'm behind her) at the Angels game...

2 weeks ago, I missed the bottom step at T's house. My ankle took ALL of it. Really bad sprain. Crutches for 2 days until I got sick of them. Compression boot for 2 days, until I got sick of it. Now just an ace bandage and trying to stay off of it. Do you have ANY idea how hard that is?? It's getting better but is still pretty bad. We took these pics right after I did it. They don't do justice to how ugly it got the day after.....

This past Saturday, AC, his cousin Ev, Kt and I went to see Transformers 2 at the IMAX theater. Wow! ( and Josh Duhamel, let me just say....hubba hubba!!!)...

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY, AC!!!!!

2009-06-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

(I know I'm a few days late. Sorry.)

My boy

My strength
.
I love sharing the exciting times in your life.
.

I'm so proud of how much you've grown and matured in the last few years.

You can ALWAYS cheer me up. Make me laugh.

You're such a goofball at heart.

You are my boy, my strength, my laughter.

I love you Boo!!!!!

Hockey

2009-04-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

AC started his new "job" last Sat. He got to coach the little kids who were just learning how to skate. He loved it!! They even gave him a sweatshirt with the rink logo and "Coach" on it.

The last few weeks....

2009-04-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been quite busy at work again the last few weeks.

The day before Easter, the kids were at their aunt's house so I took a little day trip. Guess where?

I'll give you a little hint:

I went to Laguna beach. I've never been to this beach before and it was gorgeous:
This is bird rock. Those are mainly pelicans:

There were a few tide pools, too, and lots of rocks.

Here's a sea anemone:

There were also alot of beautiful flowers:

This one is when I decided I needed to stop trying to take pictures of the waves crashing. I almost crashed with this one.

My favorite, it looks almost like a postcard:

These are mainly for my mom. Mom you were asking about some of these places.

The Rusty Pelican on PCH:

The bay from the bridge:

That building where the street splits:

Woody's Wharf:

The Crab Cooker:

The church:

The library in Balboa:

And this is my prize for the day,

a Wentletrap, my favorite shell in the whole world:

Easter Sunday, I went to the sunrise service:

Have you ever seen a grasshopper lay an egg sack?

We got to on Friday evening. It was the freakiest thing I've ever seen!

This past weekend, our city had the privilege of hosting the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour. KT volunteered to shag balls. It was so much fun!! Sunday there was no work for her to do so her and I just watched the matches:

KT and her fellow shaggers getting instructions from the official:

These guys in blue were the champs. Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.

The were unbelievably awesome!

AC also started up with hockey again last week. He's hoping to be able to help out with coaching the little kids on Saturdays. KT is completely into volleball now, more than she was.

So, yeah, we've been a little busy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!

2009-04-10T08:54:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!!

I wish I could be there to take care of you!!!

Take it easy and have an absolutely wonderful day!!!

I love you!!!!!

My Jadey

2009-04-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY, JADE!!!!!!!!

You are more than just my daughter. You are my friend. We pretty much grew up together. I am sorry for all the horrible things I put you through while you were growing up. I hope you can learn lessons from my mistakes, I know I have. You KNOW I'll always be here and have your back.

I BOO YOU THE MOST IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND DISNEYLAND, TOO!!!!

I'M HERE

2009-03-31T12:36:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm alive. It has just been a really tough couple of weeks....a couple of medical procedures, Katie's death, not feeling real well... just a bunch of hard to deal with stuff. And it's starting to get busy at work.
We haven't been doing that much because I haven't been feeling up to it really. I did get my electrical fixed, and it wasn't all that expensive so praise God for that. The kids have spring break next week and will probably be spending some time with Aunt P, letting me get a little of a break and some much needed ME time!!

Here are some random pictures I've taken in the last few weeks. I haven't had the chance to date and number them all for Project 365.

(this little guy is one of AC's old toys. He's been in our yard, headless, for years.)

This is a rogue lettuce plant. I have 2. I guess I dropped some seeds last year or something.

This guy scared the crap out of me. I was trying to take pictures of the ladybug, getting all close and everything, and in the corner of my eye I saw him. Needless to say, I screamed.

MY KATIE

2009-03-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

MY KATIE

11/4/26-3/9/9

My childhood memories are so filled with her – Friday pizza nights, the felt storyboard in her hall cupboard, driving with her to pick Jim up from work, the costume trunk, the nativity set, all the oriental things in her house (it was such a magical place to me), the puppet she made me when I got my tonsils out when I was 5 (which I still have), the time she came running because she heard my screams when I got stung by a bee. But my most cherished memory of Katie—one I still think of quite often – is when she would have the polling place in her garage and when my mom went in the booth to vote, I got to sit on Katie’s lap. She made me feel special. Her love for my sisters and me was unconditional and unreserved.
When I was little, I would ask people who their Katie was. I thought since I had one, everyone did. But I was wrong. I was the lucky one. No one else had one. My Katie was one-of-a-kind.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-03-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Last week during the week was quiet. We had quite the busy weekend, though.

Friday night the kids and I went to a concert of Kutless, Stellar Kart, Disciple, and Esterlynn. It was awesome!!!!! I upgraded us to the VIP tickets and we got to sit in on a question and answer session with the bands......

The kids with their VIP badges....

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It took me this.....

this......

and this........

before I got this.....a nice picture.

Since I wasn't looking through the viewfinder, I couldn't see that they were making faces.

First up was Esterlynn, but I was having to adjust my camera, so I didn't get any pictures of them.

This is Stellar Kart. They were great!!!

Disciple. Man, they were really heavy metal. But really good.

And then, Kutless. By this time, AC was all the way up at the foot of the stage. He said the lead singer touched his hand 6 times and the lead guitarist once. He was soooo excited and I was so happy to know that he had a really good time.

Afterward, KT got Disciple's autographs....

And AC got StellarKart's. THEN as we were walking out, Kutless was just standing around letting people get pictures of them........

Then on Saturday, KT and I went to Orange Co. to get our hair done. We were there for almost 4 hours and because we both have so much dang hair, she didn't get to finish. We have to go back next week for my highlights and more cut on KT's.

Here's KT's now:

And here's mine....

PROJECT 365

#237; 3/2/2009....like I said....weeds.....everywhere..

#238; 3/3/9...the tree is budding....

#239; 3/4/9....first Hollyhocks of the season...

#240; 3/5/2009..

this is what I was dealing with on Thursday. This is the outlet where the air conditioner is normally plugged in. We had an electrician out because when I turned on the air conditioner on Monday, the whole dining room and bathroom went out. The breaker wasn't flipped. We couldn't figure it out. He tested everything. There is power going OUT of the breaker, but no power going IN any of the receptacles in the bathroom or dining room. He's coming back on Wed. He's going to have to trace the wires from the breaker box to each receptacle to find the problem.

#241; 3/6/2009... StellarKart

#242; 3/7/2009

#243; 3/8/2009......

Once again, Sunday found me weeding.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-03-04T08:04:00.001-08:00

I know, I'm really late. It's been busy here at work. Which is a very good thing! Not much happened last week. Just the usual. I did spend hours and hours in the yard weeding on Saturday. (And no, Crossview, I'm sorry, I won't come weed your yard). KT took this pic of me. Ignore all the gray in the hair, it will be gone by Saturday!!!

PROJECT 365 PICTURES

#230; 2/23/2009--playing at dinner time

#231; 2/24/2009---free pancakes!!!!!

IHOP had a special deal last Tuesday....a free shortstack with a suggested $1 donation to Children's Miracle Network. Of course we took them up on it.

#232; 2/25/2009--Brutus getting some loving
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#233; 2/26/2009--poor Brutus after our walk

#234; 2/27/2009--beautiful day!!!

#235; 2/28/2009--weeds, weeds everywhere!!

#236; 3/1/2009---must be testing at the air reserve base again

FRIDAY FUNNIES

2009-02-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

Last night when we went to tacos, we had AC put our name in. For months, T has been trying to get the kids to tell them the name "Shatheed" only when they ask how to spell it you say sh--ith--ead. So last night, AC finally did it. When the hostess came to get us she pronounced it Shith-head. But when she saw it was us (because she knows us) she laughed and said we almost got her. She said it took her awhile to decide how to pronounce it correctly. So all night they had "shithead" written on their pad.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2009-02-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for my job. With the economy the way it is, I'm extremely blessed. Not only by just having a job, but having one that I love, by having a boss that is understanding and easy to work with, by working for a company that actually cares about it's employees. God absolutely blessed me 19 years ago when he put me here.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-02-25T08:47:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-02-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

Our week last week was quite nice. KT finally went back to school after having missed 6 days in 2 weeks. Everyone is all better. AC wasn't feeling too well yesterday but he didn't have a fever.

Saturday night, the kids went to the truck races at Perris Speedway with T and his son (I stayed home). They were throwing out hats and AC caught 2 and T caught one and gave it to KT. They announced that 2 of the hats had a ticket for a free helicopter ride. KT got one of them!!! So her and T got a helicopter ride!!! They called me and asked if it was ok. I didn't believe them so I told her sure she can, just send me a picture from the air. These pictures are from her cellphone.

This is a picture of the racetrack from the air:
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Sunday, we got up really early and went to Adelanto (in the high desert) to watch some of our friends race their motorcycles. We sat right near a jump so I was able to get some good pictures. It was really cloudy and sprinkly.

The snow on the mountains was beautiful!

This is the start of one of the races:

This is Trent.

This is Justin.

This is Troy.

My favorite part of the day was petting our friend's dogs.

PROJECT 365 PICTURES:

#223; 2/16/2009....does anyone know what "germ cakes" are?

#224; 2/17/2009

#225; 2/18/2009..the kids insisted this be my picture for today; it's a cheesecake that now looks like PacMan

#226; 2/19/2009....Thursday nite after Tacos we went to my niece G's talent show. That's her on the far right. They sang the Hannah Montana theme song.

#227; 2/20/2009...the latest addition to our household. KT says hell has frozen over because I'm eating so many fruits and vegetables. AC said he saw a pig fly.

#228; 2/21/2009.....these were surprisingly ok. KT and I had fun popping them out of the pods. They were flying everywhere.

#229; 2/22/2009....a surprise competitor in the race

RELAY FOR LIFE

2009-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

My high school friend, Cindy, invited me to join her team this year for the Relay for Life. I joined up and will be walking in May. I know so many people whose lives have been touched by cancer. I want to help in any small way I can.

Check out my page: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/dianed

Donate if you can!!!!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-02-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

I caught a computer virus last week and the guy had to come fix it. In the process, I found an old folder of pictures. I just randomly chose these today, not even knowing what they were.

(this is Brutus as a puppy!!!!!)

WHY DO THEY MESS WITH PERFECTION

2009-02-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

Watch the Disney marketing machine at work.....

When I first read the story about this I thought, "it can't be too bad." And I was right, for awhile. I mean, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland in England wasn't too bad. And Aladdin and Jasmine on the flying carpet, I was ok with that. At least they look like the Small World dolls. But the 3 Caballeros in Mexico! Then I started thinking, I bet they put Ariel in the clam shell under water. The boat turned the corner....and they did! And she was singing. It only went downhill from there with Nemo and Lilo and Stitch and Woody and the cowgirl from Toy Story 2. At least the ending seemed untouched.
What can I say....first they put Nightmare Before Christmas in the Haunted House, then they put Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, now this. If they keep this up, I just might not take them up on my free birthday visit.

(P.S. Sorry if the song gets stuck in your head.)

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-02-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

WEATHER.....kinda cool; lots of rain on Monday, even hail. Ptly cloudy the rest of the week.

WHAT WE WATCHED....KT and I watched The Mummy 3, it was ok, not near as good as the first two. I watched The Notebook, sniffle, sniffle.

FAVORITE MEAL...... last night's breakfast for dinner.

FAMILY HAPPENINGS.... Not much going on. KT had strep throat and missed most of last week at school. AC got to go to the snow with Josh on yesterday. I've been dealing with allergies/or a cold since Saturday. Just not up to snuff.

PROJECT 365

#216; 2/9/2009....enough rain already!!!

#217; 2/10/2009..this blimp has been hanging around alot lately
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#218; 2/11/2009....our new label

#219; 2/12/2009....once again, the skies here have been beautiful

#220; 2/13/2009

#221; 2/14/2009....Pruda's plant that has come back to life.

It's a Breast Cancer pink something or other.

#222; 2/15/2009...homemade hashbrowns. These were fantastic!!!

Recipe is on my recipe blog.

MONDAY MORNING MEME

2009-02-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do over the weekend?

grocery shopping, cooking, weeding

2. What was your first impression of your spouse or current partner? Now tell us about your first date with this person.

Uh, I'm single so I can't answer this question.

3. How many lurkers do you think you have that read your blog, but never comment? Have you ever been successful at getting them to say hello? Do you mind the lurking? Are you a lurker? Or do you try and comment every time you visit?

Oh, I have no clue. I almost always comment wehn I visit a blog.

4. Trials and difficulties are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy . It is through these that we grow closer to Him.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-02-11T08:54:00.001-08:00

BRUTUS THE CENTERFOLD

WEEKLEY WRAP UP

2009-02-09T13:26:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP UP

2/2/2009-2/8/2009

WEATHER: it was beautiful most of the week. Then Thursday it started raining. It hasn't stopped all that much ever since.

SUNDAY SERMON: We had a guest pastor Skip Heitzig. He has a documentary out about the Jesus Boat and the fall and rise of Israel. He spoke about God's promises and how we can rely on Him.

FAVORITE MEAL: bbq'd steaks and baked potatoes on Saturday night

TREASURED MOMENT: ok, it's silly, but.......seeing the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile

WHAT I READ: Slash's autobiography; When Your Hormones Go Haywire; Victory Over the Darkness

WHAT WE WATCHED: the kids watched City of Ember, I tried but I fell asleep

WHERE WE WENT: nowhere spectacular, except for my sister's house (see below for a photographic essay)

BLESSINGS/CHALLENGES/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: eating better has been all three to me this week. I actually ate an apple!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, this is huge!!!!

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: KT was sick the first part of the week; AC and I were sick on Friday. Saturday, KT got to go to Aunt P's and spend the night and make cookies.

I really got back into my camera this week for some reason. Here's a cool one I took the first day it rained. When I thought it was clearing up:

Need I say more:
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Ever see the inside???

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OK, now the photographic essay on my sister's house. I give all credit to her and the wonderful garden she has created:

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This one is from inside of her house.

Isn't the one on the left the most adorable child you have ever seen in your life?!?!?!?

(Haha, it's me)

PROJECT 365

#210; 2/3/2009

#211; 2/4/2009

What happened when I asked AC to please fill the jar with M&M's

#212; 2/5/2009

#213; 2/6/2009

I was beside myself when I saw this. Ask KT. It was embarassing.

#214; 2/7/2009

So was this. They hated me for pulling over and taking their picture. We sang the "Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner" song and all got weinie whistles.

They were not amused.

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#215; 2/8/2009
Part of one of my windchimes, with the only little bit of sunshine we got yesterday.

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MONDAY MORNING MEME

2009-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

1. How many coats do you own? Do have a good coat? Casual coat? Summer jacket? etc. Do you wear coats very often? Or do you have a tendency to leave your coat at home whenever you go out? What is your favorite coat? Why is this one your favorite? Care to model it for us?
I don't have any coats just jackets. I probably have about 5 zip up jackets and 2-3 hoodies that I wear as jackets. I wear a sweater every morning. I only wear the jackets on the weekends. My favorite would have to be my gray Mickey Mouse zip up sweatshirt. It's my favorite because it is soooooo comfy!

2. You’ve learned a thing or two about this thing we call blogging. Tell us one thing you don’t recommend to other bloggers. Tell us one thing you do recommend to other bloggers.
I don't know what I WOULDN'T recommend. I know I would recommend to do it for yourself. I do it mainly for me and my family. I also love the friends I've made through this.

3. Is cursive writing a lost art? Should good penmanship be taught? Tell us about your handwriting - good / bad? Do you think your children have good handwriting (given their appropriate age, of course).
Yes I definitely think it should be taught. My writing is horrendous, only through years of trying to hurry through it. KT and Jade's handwriting are both beautiful. AC's is messy like mine.

4. Have you ever struggled with infertility? If you haven’t, or if it wasn’t the hardest thing you’ve ever had to go through — what was?
LOL, not at all. I think, back in the day, I probably could have gotten pregnant at the drop of a hat. The hardest thing I've had to go through.....hmmmmm, so far in my life, the alcohol problem. But I know I have much tougher things to go through.

SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

This is how I felt 6 months ago.

THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not had a single sip of alcohol in SIX MONTHS!!!!! I've done Vegas, I've done the Superbowl, a few fight nights....and no alcohol. Again I say, THANK YOU GOD!!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2009-02-05T10:07:00.001-08:00

Today, I'm thankful for my new small group study on Monday nights. It was such a nice time and it's a nice study about honoring God in everything you do. It's really deepened my prayer life, also, in that I am now praying for 5 other women. God is just awesome!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY--They're still silly!!!!

2009-02-04T06:21:00.001-08:00

2005

2009

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-02-03T09:31:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

1/30/09-2/1/09

WEATHER: It was beautiful all week, except for the wind. Highs around 75.

SUNDAY SERMON: I didn't make it to church this week because I had a doozy of an allergy attack Saturday night and took a Benadryl, didn't wake up in time. BUT I did start my small group Mentoring Matters class last night. It was great! There were only 6 of us and last night we mainly just got to know each other. I've never done a small group before. I loved it!

FAVORITE MEAL: It wasn't really a meal, it was an appetizer...spanakopita. Look at my recipe blog.

TREASURED MOMENT: What can I say......THE STEELERS!!!!!!

WHAT I'M READING: Slash's autobiography; Victory over the Darkness; When Your Hormones Go Haywire (this book is awesome! I am totally changing the way I eat....I know, y'all can't believe I can eat healthy, but I have been for a week now!! Hopefully, it will bring my hormones into balance and I can do away with the paxil.)

WHAT WE WATCHED: nothing special but the SUPERBOWL

WHERE WE WENT: Taco night; IHOP; our friend's house to watch the UFC; AC went to Castle Park with friends; KT & T helped some friends move into their new house; T & I met with the lender.

BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: This isn't really either but I paid off the 3 bad things on my credit. We qualified for more than we expected.

BLESSINGS: we qualified for more so we have a little playing room if we need it. My credit is CLEARED of negatives!!! Having a realtor for a friend. My small group.

CHALLENGES: being the ONLY Steelers fan in the house on Sunday; making the spanakopita; even showing up for my first small group.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: see Challenges

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: AC got headbutted in practice on Wed and got a pretty nice split lip; He got to go to Castle Park with friends on Saturday; KT, T and I went over to our friend's house to watch the StPierre/Penn UFC fight. We had a really nice time this time except for the fact that my eyes, nose and whole body were itching like crazy from an allergy attack. I cooked most of the day on Sat and in the morning on Sunday. We just hung out at home to watch the game. Just us. It was really nice except that I still wasn't feeling all that great. KT woke up in the middle of the night Sunday, throwing up. She stayed home yesterday and is home again today.

PROJECT 365

#203; 1/27/2009

Tug of War

#204; 1/28/2009

First football blood

#205; 1/29/2009

It's on the market!!!!!

#206; 1/30/2009

My ever-growing "to read" shelf

#207; 1/31/2009

Spanakopita (see my recipe blog)

#208; 2/1/2009

Superbowl Potato Skins (see my recipe blog)

#209; 2/2/2009

Mentoring Matters small group study

MONDAY MORNING MEME

2009-02-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

1. When was the last time you vacuumed out your car? How often do you wash your car? Do you wash it, or do you run it through a car wash service? How much money do you generally spend to wash your car?
Me, personally, I haven't vacuumed my car ever. The carwash did it about 3 weeks ago. Sometimes I get my car washed every few weeks, sometimes (I'm ashamed to say) it could be months in between washes. I usually spend $15-20.

2. What kind of car do you drive? What color is it? Do you like your car? How long have you had it? Is it reliable? Would you recommend it to a friend? If money were no object, what car would you buy for your family? Now, which car would you buy for yourself? Do you have an opinion about people who drive expensive cars? (Jealous? Disgusted? Curious?)
I drive a 2007 Nissan Quest mini-van. It's dark brown and I LOVE MY CAR!!! It is very reliable, very safe, just the most awesome car I've ever had. If I had the money I would buy exactly the same car, only I would buy the upgraded model (mine is practically stock). My opinion about people who drive expensive cars would depend on the person's attitude toward it. If they thought they were all high and mighty because of it I probably wouldn't like them very much. But it would have nothing to do with the car they drive.

3. What’s the biggest thing on your mind right this moment? Why is this issue so important to you at this time?
The biggest thing on my mind right now would be that KT has been throwing up all night. We think she might have overindulged in chips yesterday. The 2nd biggest thing on my mind right now is buying a house. Well, actually, it's selling T's house, since we have to do that before we buy a house.

4. Have you ever cried when hearing about the death of a celebrity? If so, who? And if so, why? Who was the last celebrity you remember feeling sorry for? Why? Pick one celebrity you would miss if he/she were to die. Why this person?
I've cried quite a few time when I hear of celebrities deaths. When I was in my early teens, tv stars and movie stars were like my family to me. In the past few years, I remember crying when Howard Keel died and when Jerry Dunphy (our local newscaster for years) died. I feel sorry for Britney Spears mostly. I wish people would just leave her alone. Hmmmmm, I'm not sure who I would miss.

PROJECT 365 PICTURES

2009-01-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

#198; 1/22/09..the fog on the local hills

#199; 1/23/2009....Where T paid up on the football season bet I won. It was WONDERFUL!! It was the best seafood I have had. It's connected to Bass Pro Shops.

#200; 1/24/2009

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#201; 1/25/2009....Crestlawn Hill (I drove around Sunday after church to take pictures of The Hills of Riverside. I guess there are a bunch of them and they all have names. It just struck me as interesting.

#202; 1/26/2009....my boy being strange while I'm trying to take a picture of a crescent roll that looked like a butt.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-01-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

1/9-1/25/2009

Not a whole heck of a lot going on here. Just been super duper busy at work. Oh, and we're probably, sorta, maybe gonna be buying a house in the near future. We put T's house on the market a few days ago. Once that sells, we'll buy a house and then sell mine. We spent a few days last week doing drive-bys and we found a few houses we really liked. We'll see if they're still around when we're ready to buy.

I promise to get back to more regular blogging next week.

WEEKLY WRAP UP

2009-01-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

I figure I'd better do this before my mommy gets mad at me.

The big news last week was, of course, KT's bday.

We celebrated at home with just us 4 on Friday.

Here's her choice for dinner:

Butter chicken nuggets and cheesy hashbrowns:

Here's her cake:

After dinner and cake, the kids and I played one of the games they

got for Christmas:

We had alot of fun. I won. But in their defense, it was a pretty adult game.

Saturday morning, I woke up to this:

I grabbed the camera and got in the car.

Here's what I found on the street right outside our park:

Saturday afternoon, we took KT and 3 of her friends to John's Incredible Pizza.

Everyone had a blast!

The cousins and our friend Stacy showed up, too.

Right before we left, AC hit the jackpot on one of the games and won around 600 tickets.

PROJECT 365 PICTURES:

#188, 1/12/2009

#189; 1/13/2009...A sign I got from Pruda.

#190; 1/13/2009....yes, my boy is a Star Wars geek

#191; 1/15/2009-----KT blowing out the candle on her sundae at Taco Nite

#192; 1/16/2009

#193; 1/17/2009.... KT talking trash to T while he tries to bowl

#194; 1/18/2009....the streak of light in the middle is a blimp

#195; 1/19/2009

#196; 1/20/2009....Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

recipe forthcoming on my recipe blog tomorrow

MY SUNSHINE

2009-01-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

TODAY IS MY BABY'S 13TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know, dear

How much I love you

Please don't take

My sunshine away.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-01-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

It's the Beehives in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. (close Christine!!)

Nothing major happened last week. Except on Tuesday I came home at lunch to find my street full of fire engines (and firemen, which normally would be a nice thing for me). Seems the house 4 doors up from me was on fire. It was contained to the kitchen and dining room, so that was good.

The other exciting thing was the Tropicana gave us a free room again so we headed up to Vegas on Friday night. We stopped in Baker for dinner at the Mad Greek, hitting Vegas around 7pm.

While looking on the web for free things to do in Vegas I came upon the Valley of Fire State Park, which is up by Mesquite, NV. So on Saturday we got up early and drove up there. It was beyond beautiful. I could barely move the next day because I did so much climbing and hiking around.

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I think this one looks like a gorilla.

This one was called "Arch Rock"

The rock in the above picture is what I climbed on top of to take the picture of T below.

We also saw alot of petroglyphs.

We were joking about this one, saying that the natives had made friends with aliens.

T had the wonderful idea, since I had never been to Utah before, to drive there for lunch. It was only about 40 miles from where we were.

We drove through the Virgin River Gorge, through the corner of Arizona.

We stopped in St George, UT for lunch. That big white building is the Mormon Temple.

We ate at Cracker Barrel. Oh my goodness!!!!! We decided we were going to start a petition to get one in California. It was soooo good. And I didn't have to ask for "no this" or "no that" like my picky self usually has to do.

We got back to the hotel around 4:30. T took a nap while I went on my mission to find the playing card that Criss Angel had somehow pushed through the glass door at the Luxor.

We didn't really win any money this time, but we didn't lose a whole lot either. We were home by 2 on Sunday.

It was a really, really nice trip.

I couldn't believe how beautiful Utah is. And now I REALLY want to go see the Grand Canyon, too.

PROJECT 365 PICTURES

#182; 1/6/2009.....I wish they were there for a different reason.

#183; 1/7/2009....what I need to try and get cleaned up this weekend.

#184; 1/8/2009....AC's neglected birdhouse

#185; 1/9/2009

#186; 1/10/2009.......my favorite

#187; 1/11/2009....sunrise in Vegas

SOOOOO BUSY!!!!

2009-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

I've been super busy at work and haven't had time to post about my week last week.

Here's a little sampling. I took a little road trip.

This picture is to make my Mom freak out.

Yes, that's me on top of the rock.

(Mom, if you click on it, it will make it bigger).

I'll post more as soon as I can.

PINK AND BROWN DAY!!

2009-01-08T06:21:00.001-08:00

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Is anyone else wearing PINK AND BROWN today to celebrate Gwyneth's 1st birthday??
To see what it's all about go to http://cfhusband.blogspot.com.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY GWYNETH!!!!!!

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2009-01-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

12/29/2008-1/4/2009

WEATHER: it was dry most of the week, chilly in the mornings but beautiful during the days, reaching 80 a few times.

SUNDAY SERMON: I didn't make it to church, I overslept a little bit.

LIFE LESSONS: quitting caffeine at a time with very dry Santa Ana conditions is NOT a good thing.

FAVORITE MEAL: I was really spoiled last week and didn't cook at all. I just heated up leftovers.

TREASURED MOMENTS: This was the first New Year's Eve in about 20 years that I didn't drink!!!

THINGS I READ: Pillars of the Earth, The Christian in Complete Armor

WHAT WE/I WATCHED: Dark Knight, football.

PLACES WE WENT: to the small mall, to the big mall, KT was at Jade's until Wed., AC was at Aunt P's until Wed.

BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: The kids used their Christmas money wisely and got quite a few good deals on clothes.

BLESSINGS: My kids behaved great! The few days of quiet time I got without them. Getting them back.

CHALLENGES: trying to quit caffeine

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I didn't drink on New Year's Eve

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: The kids were both gone until Wed so I pretty much did nothing but undecorate the first 2 days of the week. We went to the big mall, Ontario Mills on Sat, just the 3 of us and had a lot of fun.

PROJECT 365 PICTURES:

#175; 12/30/2008--the coolest tshirt EVER!

#176; 12/31/2008--my alma mater
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#177; 1/1/2009

#178; 1/2/2009--Brutus sucking and kneading on his santa

179; 1/3/2009--the kids watching the Hannah Montana 3D Concert

#180; 1/4/2008--Maple Sour Cream pancakes (recipe on my recipe blog)

#181; 1/5/2009--he was such an angel (he's going to kill me for this)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2008-12-31T07:39:00.000-08:00

This is from my devotional this morning "Streams in the Desert" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.
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"Forgetting the things which are behind." (Phil. 3:13)
"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee." (Deut. 8:2)
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Forgetting ills behind me, the sorrows past and gone,
Forgetting all my wanderings, to sad to dwell upon,
Remembering God's great goodness, in times of stress and strain,
Remembering His restorings, I praise my God again.
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We stand together at the gateway of another year. It may be a year of many blessed experiences. Follow Him who goes before --the One who went before His people of old--a guiding light, a constant protection, an unfailing Friend and Counselor, an almighty Saviour.

When shadows deepen, and fear rides on the moaning wind; when sorrow comes, and we wander in the misty vale of grief; when joy beckons, and our way is sunlit -- "remember" His past leading and know that all is well. When spectres rise hauntingly from the past, when old heartaches and sorrows seem to weigh us down and blot out the sunshine forget "those things which are behind," and reach forward to the joys before us. Paul says, "I press toward the mark"--here there is urgency, and nothing must be allowed to hamper the runner's progress.

We make our own hindrances many times -- our Master has done all He can to free us from every weight, giving us forgiveness for the past, help in the present, and assurance for the future. So, dear pilgrim, as we face the coming days of a new year, knowing that each one brings our Master's return nearer, let us "lay aside every weight...and press toward the mark," with singleness of heart "looking unto Jesus."

Forgetting all my doubtings, which dimmed faith's vision bright,
Forgetting all the earth-clouds, the darkness, gloom and night,
Remembering God's bright sunshine, and radiance of His face,
Remembering His long patience, I praise my God for grace.

Forgetting all unkindness which friends and foes have shown,
Forgetting and forgiving the wrongs that I have known,
Remembering God provided, unsought, each faithful friend,
Remembering love's devotion, I'll praise Him to the end.

Forgetting my repinings when disappointments came,
Forgetting all the murmurings, which filled my soul with shame,
Remembering God was ever true to His Holy Word,
Remembering He was faithful, I praise my sovereign Lord.
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I pray that everyone has a very safe night and a very BLESSED HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
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WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-12-30T09:57:00.001-08:00

This got all screwed up. This pic was supposed to be down with my PROJECT 365 pics but somehow it ended up at the top. I'm too lazy and don't have enough time to fix it.

#172; 12/27/2008...playing RockBand on fight night.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

12/22/2008-12/28/2008

It was a quiet week except for Christmas and the weekend.

Here's the highlights:

Christmas morning:

AC giving the dogs their Santa present:

AC really likes his Star Wars mugs filled with candy:

KT LOVES her Chargers blanket:

And her Chargers jersey:

AC fixing his Patriots shirt that KT had wrapped inside-out:

Another favorite: her Team Jacob tshirt from Twilight:

A poster of his hubba-hubba....Jessica Alba:

He was being cocky on Christmas Eve, so sure he was getting RockBand. Jade played a trick on him by putting KT's name over his on the box when she wrapped it. That and a few things all of us said had him convinced he WASN'T getting it.

He said we sucked.

My gifts....a keychain that Jade made, a Mickey Mouse picture, a set of knives (which are awesome, I have the cut on my finger to prove how good they are), Slash's autobiography, socks, M&M Premiums(yum!), a set of Burt's Bees stuff, and numerous books that were my present to myself:

They spent all day playing RockBand:

Brutus and Roxy REALLY loved their toy:

Saturday night we had fight night for the UFC fight (poor Forrest!!!)

It was also Tara's bday. I made her a cake:

Sunday we went to my middle sister's to celebrate Christmas with her and her family and my dad and Molly.

Here's my sister's 2 granddaughters.

Aren't they the cutest?

My sis and Is:

KT and Al acting mad:

My gift from my sis:

Mom THIS is a "pill" plate. Do you remember now?

We had this exact set of dishes when we were growing up. We called them pill dishes because the design on them looked like pills to us. My sis found this bowl in a secondhand store I believe.

PROJECT 365 pictures:

#167; 12/22/2008..our tree in the dark

#168; 12/23/2008....a boy and his dog

#169; 12/24/2008...our traditional Christmas Eve dinner...lasagna

#170; 12/25/2008....AC really loves Rockband

#171; 12/26/2008....how AC spent some of his money

#173; 12/28/2008.....what does this remind you of?

It kinda freaks me out.

#174; 12/29/2008....GO VIKINGS!!! They clinched a spot in the playoffs!!!

YOU'VE GOT TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MY LIFE!!!

2008-12-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

CLICK ON THE LINK. IT IS REALLY AMAZING!!!
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http://www.sun7news.com/index.php?code=2z229hv73iE720B8dFQN&CMP=OTC-WWYCOVS1001

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-12-22T09:02:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

12/15/2008-12/21/2008

WEATHER: mostly cloudy, cold, and rainy. We got SNOW!! on our hills behind the house. Only about 1000 more feet and it would have been us!!!

SUNDAY SERMON: Was really, really nice. Pastor Greg talked about the real meaning of Christmas.

LIFE LESSONS: (for my loved ones) if I say I want to crawl into a hole and be by myself, let me!

TREASURED MOMENTS: hanging out with AC Friday afternoon, bonding when we went to Kmart

THINGS I READ: Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx; The Christian in Complete Armour; The Pillars of the Earth

THINGS WE WATCHED: I don't think I watched anything but Intervention and Celebrity Rehab all week.

PLACES WE WENT: shopping, church, to get our tree, tacos, T and I went to my company Christmas party, KT went to her Aunt's yesterday.

BLESSINGS: my great kids!!

CHALLENGES: taking care of T because his back is out

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I'm completely done with Christmas

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: Last weekend, a kid from AC's school was shot and killed at a party. All week the school was on heightened alert with a major police presence due to the fact that it was race/gang related and there were many threats. KT's school was on alert and locked down for much of Friday because the threats had spilled over to her school. Thankfully, due to the police presence no violence ever happened at or after school and this 2 weeks off will settle things down.

The BIG NEWS is that T's son proposed to his girlfriend over the weekend. SHE SAID YES!!!

I straightened KT's hair on Thursday:

We watched the cousins overnight on Saturday.

The girls made a tent:

The boys played video games:

We had octopi for dinner (see recipe blog):

PROJECT 365 PICTURES FOR THE WEEK:

#161; 12/15--isn't this the coolest!

#162; 12/16....AC walked out of his room with tape on his butt

#163; 12/17...KT and Brutus

#164; 12/18...WE HAVE SNOW!!

#165; 12/19....AC's new jacket

#166; 12/20....dead octopi

167; 12/21....Mt. Baldy

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-12-16T10:22:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

12/8/2008-12/14/2008

WEATHER: some wind, mostly sunny around 80, until Saturday then we started getting rain.

SUNDAY SERMON: Pastor Greg spoke of Christmas and Christ's return.

LIFE LESSONS: I'm a big girl now and can drive a far distance all by myself!

FAVORITE MEALS: onion taco cornbread

TREASURED MOMENTS: I got to shop by myself! Drinking my Godiva Dark Chocolate Decadence drink; taking a wonderful nap (even though I felt horrid).

TALKED WITH: mom, big sis

THINGS I READ: Praying God's Word, Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries, The Pillars of the Earth

WHAT WE WATCHED: the kids and T watched Drillbit Taylor

PLACES I/WE WENT: I had an adventure (see pics below); the recycling place; T and I went to superwalmart; I went to the mall; to the Tapout wherehouse.

BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: Well, it was kind of a mixture, I mean, buying Christmas presents is a buster but I got some pretty good deals.

BLESSINGS: my little adventure

CHALLENGES: driving 160 miles round trip all by myself (through LA no less); keeping up on my chores (which I did really well); walking every single day (which I also did really well).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: see challenges

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: KT had a dance on Friday. She got socked in the face by some 8th grade boy who was dancing crazy. She had a little bruise, but she's ok. It was totally an accident.

We went to the Tapout wherehouse for a huge sale late Sunday afternoon. I hadn't been feeling all that great ever since I was at the mall (hence I took that wonderful nap when I got home). I started feeling really sick inside the Tapout place and had to go outside and sit down. Extremely nauseous. I finally threw up sometime in the middle of the night. Austin and I were out for yesterday with it. We're both feeling better, but not quite up to snuff today.

MY ADVENTURE:

On Wednesday, I had to go to the corporate office on the other side of L.A. for a training meeting:

On the drive there, all of a sudden, there was the Disney Studios right off the freeway!!!! I didn't have time to stop. I spent most of the meeting thinking about jumping off the freeway on the way home.

So that's just what I did. Unfortunately, I didn't see the arrow pointing right, which is where I wanted to go and instead went left, onto Bob Hope Dr.

I thought I was lost. There was no Disney studio here.

But I did get to see this:

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And this:

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Then, finally, I went around a few corners, and I saw this:

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And then, there it was:

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This was the best part....the Animation Building:

The pictures aren't the greatest because I didn't get out of my car. Since I know where everything is now, I'm going to check on going on a tour.

I also got to see this on the way home:

I was almost home and just thanking God for taking what could have been a really stressful and/or boring thing and making it into such a fun thing,

and He goes and does this:

Not something you see every day (even in California).

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Project 365 pictures

#154; 12/8

#155; 12/9...my Rudolph shelf

#156; 12/10

#157; 12/11.....downtown Riverside

#158; 12/12....AC and friends playing RockBand

#159; 12/13....me trying to take a picture of the moon through some clouds; obviously I should have gotten out the tripod

#155; 12/14....what we do on a cold, rainy day

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-12-08T12:32:00.001-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

12/1/2008-12/7/2008

I had a wonderful week off!!! I got the house ALL cleaned up and put the Christmas decorations up. Haven't got the tree yet, or the lights up either. I'll do that this coming weekend.

Got some shopping done, too. I'm actually almost done. I'll finish that up this weekend, too!

We went to tacos on Thursday night which was nice. We hadn't all gone together in a few weeks.

Friday night was game night and the kids and I played Uno. I won, of course.

The big thing this past week was KT's volleyball tournament. Her team got 2nd place out of the 6 Jr High schools participating. They only lost one match! And can I just say...KT is the MOST AWESOME volleyball player. She's a natural. And I'm not just saying that because she is mine. She really is THAT good!!!!

Here's some pics:

Her wicked serve:

Setting:
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Going to the floor:

Popping one over the net:

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Here are my Project 365 pics for the week:

#148; 12/2/2008

My dad made this nativity years and years ago:

#149; 12/3/2008

KT's report card!!!!!!!! (the NM is in silent reading, they don't get a grade in that class)

150; 12/4/2008

Some of my Christmas decorations

151; 12/5/2008

These are decorations that have somehow survived since I was little. They are my favorites.

152; 12/6/2008

THE TROPHY!!!

153; 12/7/2008

More decorations

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-12-02T09:10:00.001-08:00

I'm on vacation this week. Just staying home and cleaning, decorating, relaxing.

Our Thanksgiving was very nice. The food all turned out great and we had a fun time watching Home Alone and the Jeff Dunham Christmas Special.

Here's some pics:

This is the grown-up table.

Well, all but one is a grown-up.........Jade

The girls mainly played their Nintendo DSs.
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The boys played football outside..

Here are my Project 365 pics for the week:

Jade teaching.

AC and I played a game of Jumanji. He won.

On Wednesday we finally got some rain!!!!!!

The remains of my turkey...

There were still a few sprinkles on Friday morning:

This web was on the ground under a plastic tote that was upside down.

I love when I click the shutter at just the right time!

This is our little bunny statue outside. A little worse for wear due to the rain.

THANKSGIVING THURSDAY THIRTEEN

2008-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. God

2. Jade, my eldest, my friend, my heart

3. AC, my boy, my football hero, my soul

4. KT, my girl, my sunshine, my life

5. T, the kindest sweetest best friend anyone could ever have

6. Mom, my hero

7. Dad, my foundation

8. Kathy and Patti, my sisters, always sticking together through thick and thin

9. Meg, the bestest internet friend EVER! My conscience, my sounding board, my cheerleader

10. Pruda and George, the most wonderful, kind in-laws. I am so blessed to have had them be a part of my life before they passed.

11. Chris, my mentor, my partner, my cheerleader

12. a great job with unbelievable perks and benefits

13. my own home

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES

2008-11-25T07:02:00.004-08:00

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I posted the recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes on my recipe blog.
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WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

11/17-11/23

WEATHER: warm, nice

SUNDAY SERMON: we had a guest pastor, James Merritt. He spoke on the book of Ecclesiastes and how nothing in life is worth anything without God.

LIFE LESSONS: kids are not immune to hard work; just trust God in everything and He will take care of you, do not fear.

FAVORITE MEAL: cheese pizza squares

TREASURED MOMENT(S): playing games with the kids (I am the War queen!!!), working on the yard with the kids.

WHAT WE WATCHED: the usual tv shows; VeggieTale's The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything; Sixteen Candles; Baby Mama

BLESSINGS: my kids rock!! They went above and beyond what I had asked them to do in the yard.

CHALLENGES: none really

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: think I've finally found my groove with things. It's been an awesomely simple week and week-end, but I got everything done that I wanted to, didn't feel too busy, didn't feel too lazy. I finally feel balance in my life.

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: the kids and I had fun this weekend, playing games and watching movies and working together in the yard. We made dog biscuits together yesterday, also. They both have this week off. KT will be going to Jade's today and staying until Thurs morning.

MY PROJECT 365 PICTURES FOR THE WEEK:

Black Bottom Cupcakes (these were the yummiest!!! recipe will come on my recipe blog in a few days.)

Homemade Chicken Nuggets (one of our favorite meals)

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My baby

A few more of my babies:

sunrise

clouds

sunrise ( I couldn't help it, we had majorly beautiful skies last week):

1/2 of my desk at work:

My new boots:

AC and KT went out and played football yesterday together, too!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-11-19T07:08:00.001-08:00

FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER.

We will really miss it. Until next year.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-11-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

WEATHER: started out nice, around 80 then by the weekend it was close to 100 and windy. Fires all around.

SUNDAY SERMON: Pastor Greg talked about the "Problem of Pain". That just because we're Christians doesn't mean we are going to have a struggle-free, pain-free life.

LIFE LESSONS: It's so nice to have wonderful friends.

FAVORITE MEAL: early Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.

TREASURED MOMENTS: watching AC play; calling my mom in MN last night and asking her if she knew who won the Dallas game because she's 2 hours ahead of us so it should be finished up there already, even though it was still on here. I haven't laughed so hard in a looong time!

Playing 10 games of Disney Guess Who? with KT.

THINGS I READ: just the usual

WHAT WE WATCHED: besides the usual weekly shows the kids and I watched "Get Smart" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

PLACES WE WENT: to AC's game, Walmart, Uncle D and Aunt W's house for an early Thanksgiving.

BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: I only spent about $70 on groceries; KT and I went to ColdStone for ice cream on Sat, had a B1G1 free coupon; bought a few things on walmart.com on clearance for $1-$4!!

BLESSINGS: wonderful children; my beautiful BLONDE mother!

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: Friday night AC went to the last varsity game while KT and I stayed home and played games. Sat AC got to go to the movies with a friend while KT went to the carwash with T and I took a nap!!! Yesterday we went to T's aunt and uncle's house for an early Thanksgiving. It was very nice and the food was wonderful!!!

PICTURES:

AC is #40, pushing on #73.

On the way to his game on Thurs, KT and I saw a car-b-que on the freeway.

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-11-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

At first I thought it looked like an angel, but then it started looking more sinister to me.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-11-10T09:43:00.001-08:00

WEATHER: everything...hot and dry and windy (in the 90's) to cold and cloudy (low 60's)

FAVORITE MEAL: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes & gravy

TREASURED MOMENT(S): watching AC play in his game on Thurs.

TALKED WITH: mom

THINGS I READ: The Christian in Complete Armor

WHAT I WATCHED: Intervention, Celebrity Rehab, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, FOOTBALL

PLACES WE WENT: AC's football game, taco night, the cemetary, Walmart, AC went to a motorcycle race, casino

BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: won at the casino

BLESSINGS: AC got to play, won at the casino, a few really nice quiet evenings

CHALLENGES: none really

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I took a walk every day but Thurs & Fri!

FAMILY HAPPENINGS: we all went to see AC play and went to taco night afterward; we went to the cemetary on Sat to leave flowers on Pruda's grave, it was the 3rd anniversary of her death; Josh invited AC to go to our friend's motorcycle race on Sunday

Here are some pictures I took during the week:

Yesterday it was really cloudy. This one looked kinda like a bull:

OK, I have a thing for clouds. These were kinda stacked on top of each other:

She gets really pissy when I try to take her picture:

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This is for Nicole. This is my entire collection of McDonald's Happy Meal Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz dolls:

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This is a really cool Halloween decoration I saw on one of my walks:

FRIDAY FILL-INS

2008-11-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

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1. My blueprint for success includes being kind to others.
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2. A good old-fashioned plain Hershey's bar was the last candy I ate.
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3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is...I don't know what the best is but right now I'm using Oil of Olay.
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4. Quiet time in the Bible can be good therapy. I am always lifted up after I read the Bible.
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5. I'd like to tell you about the fact that today is 90 DAYS!!!!!!!! since I last drank any alcohol!!!!!!
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6. My loyalty is my strongest characteristic.
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7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'll take and pick up AC from the varsity football game and just hang out;
tomorrow my plans include errands and the grocery store, maybe some yardwork;
and Sunday is church for me, then laundry, kid's chores and football!!!
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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY #22

2008-11-05T08:13:00.001-08:00

The few pictures I took on Halloween:

The boy is a dork!!

I was driving home and this struck me funny:
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My old boss is also a dork.

7 RANDOM THINGS

2008-11-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Jenny at DailyDose of Motherhood ( http://dailydoseofmotherhood.blogspot.com/ ) (sorry I don't know how else to do links).

Hmmmmm, 7 random things about myself......

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1. Like, Jenny, I am really, really shy. It's gotten alot better as I get older but new people can almost always bring on panic.
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2. I can't seem to sleep past 6am EVER! No matter how late I was up the night before, I will wake before 6am.
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3. I want to go back to school and be an addiction counselor.
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4. I'm pretty short. 5'1" to be exact. All 3 of my kids are now taller than me (and getting more so by the day I think).
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5. I have a thing for lists and calendars and menus and such. Even if I don't follow them exactly, I like having things written down.
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6. I'm in the middle of planning my Thanksgiving menu. I think I'll keep it simple this year. Last year I went a little fancy with the side dishes and it didn't go over too well.
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7. I recently collected all of the McDonald's Happy Meal Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz dolls. Even going so far as buying the only one I missed on Ebay. I love them!!!
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Consider yourself tagged if you read this!!!!

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

2008-11-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

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WEATHER: all the way from 100 and really dry down to the 60's and rainy.
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LIFE LESSONS: Wellbutrin is NOT the drug for me
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FAVORITE MEALS: for me, probably the Chik Fil A strips with polynesian sauce for lunch on Saturday.
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TREASURED MOMENTS: the fact that I didn't have to go trick or treating this year!!!
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TALKED WITH: mom
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THINGS I READ: nothing, I barely cracked open my bible
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WHAT I WATCHED: just my Thursday shows
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PLACES WE WENT: AC's football game, the kids went to see High School Musical 3, KT spent the night and trick or treated at a friend's house
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BUDGET SAVERS/BUSTERS: Winco had some really awesome deals this week
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BLESSINGS: I didn't have to trick or treat!!
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CHALLENGES: most of my week was spent in a haze on a new medication that was way too strong for me
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS: nothing really, I was too out of it
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FAMILY HAPPENINGS: My dr apparently misunderstood why I was on a low dose of Paxil (for the real bad depression I get with PMS) and thought that Wellbutrin would be good for me. BIG mistake! I was whacked out most of the week. I finally called her on Wed and asked to stop. I did. Other than that, not much really went on.
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Saturday was Brutus' 4th birthday!!!!!
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