Boy, Oh, Boy!!

Well, tonight I met me new group of students and I just have to say that I am going to have a fun year! I wish that I could include on here pictures of them, but alas, I can't. Just know that I again have adorable kids. I have one little boy who is just a riot. He is going to be so much fun. He is so verbal and excited about school and was so ready to go. Then there was an equally excited little girl. AND THEN, there was the little boy with his grandma that didn't want to leave. He actually left with his head hung down. Cute, huh? And I have a little girl with the cutest eyelashes ever! You know I am a sucker for long eyelashes. I had three kids that didn't come, but I guess I'll meet them on Tuesday. Fun times!

Mike

Okay, I need to do a post about this picture! I didn't know that Mike Cook played the guitar. My mom came to visit in May and we went to the Farmer's Market at the Capitol and I about fell over. Check this guy out. You know everyone has their twin. This guy was Mike. I don't think he is nearly as fun or interesting, but it made me a little CA homesick!

My Neglect

Okay friends. I am feeling bad for neglecting my lovely little blog. And super sad that I have left that particular picture of Gina up for this long. As we all know there are many more lovely pictures of Gina out there. So, sorry Gina!

1st item of business: Koodos go to Rachel for the institution of the blog letter. It seems that there is a craze for the letter writing. Should I join in? Yes? OK

Dear Stupidest Teacher on the Planet Who Didn't Really Want to Live Past Today,

Remember this afternoon, when I was leaving the staff room after turning on the laminator to warm up? I saw you and informed you that I had done so and that there was VERY little lamination film left. Remember that pile in your hand and my mentioning that I was going back to my room to get my stuff that I needed to laminate? Do you remember any of this? I really need to assume that you honestly don't remember any of these things because as I was sitting in my room moments later (getting my papers together) you walked past my room on the way to yours with your arms full of your laminated work. Hmmm... did I not mention the note that was attached to the laminator saying 'Don't be greedy and jump ahead of someone in the laminating line when there is almost no film left.'? Okay, so the note didn't say that, but as a fellow teacher, you know the lamination etiquette. It is one of the top teacher laws around. Next to 'Don't eat my food out of the fridge.'

Did you also forget that unlike you, I would not be back at the school again before parents and kids arrive on Thursday night? Do you remember me mentioning that to you, explaining that it was important that I get mine done today instead of waiting for the new film to be loaded tomorrow?

Well, lucky for you, I have been reading my scriptures lately and really focusing on being a nice person. Not so nice that I won't blog about this incident, but nice enough that I didn't take down one or two of your student's names from your door, making you feel silly and forgetful on Thursday night. See how well this nice thing is working for me? Maybe you should give it a try.

Your friend,

The other teacher

Item of business #2: I HATE MOSQUITOS!!!!!

Since our flooding we have been overwhelmed with mosquitos. Last night John and I were out in the garage working on something and I sprayed thouroughly with OFF! I think it contains 800% DEET, so it should work right? Wrong! A mosquito crawled in my shoe!!!!!....and bit my heel!!!!!!!! HELLO? Isn't that a lot of work for a little bug just to ruin my life? Does anyone know how annoying it is to have a never ending itch on your heel? And that one is to match my other 37 mosquito bites that I already have! I HATE MOSQUITOS!!!!

Item of business #3: If you have not heard about Landon's amazing progress, you need to stop right now before leaving a witty comment and immediately go to Sara's blog and read about Landon coming off the ventilator! Miracle of miracles.

Item of business #4: I love you guys and miss you terribly!

Thursday Night

Okay, John and I cancelled our cable during one of these post season moments when I realized I never really watched tv. Mostly because our basement is freezing. On really hot days it is heaven, but most days it is not really freezing, so I don't make my way down to the basement where resides the only tv in the house. So, we canceled the cable. Now that The Office is going to start back up, I am having a serious desire to reinstate the cable box. Plus, I miss Paula Deen! Well, the other day I picked up some magazine and saw something almost too good to be true. There is a new show...of course on Thursday nights...with, get ready.....Michael Vartan AND Dylan McDermott! HELLO!!! I was pretty excited and almost ready to give up The Office if the time conflicted. Not really, but almost! Then I went to ABC.com and checked out a trailer for it. I am so sad. It seems to be a show about obviously hot men who are tramps! Sad, huh? Extra-marital affairs seems to be the main feature. I think we should all write letters! Waste of talent and eye candy!

Sadness

Oh, where, oh where is my little book 'The Giver'? Oh, where, oh where could it be? I have been getting so over-anxious about school starting and it is taking it's toll on me. So the other day, I decided that since it has been raining almost non-stop, I should just get a good book, curl up on the couch and read while listening to the rain and forgetting about school. So, I went to my bookcase and searched and searched for The Giver. I think it is probably my favorite book. And, guess what? It is nowhere to be found.

So, I gave up the search and went to nap. It was a good alternative, but today I have determined to just relax and try to forget about school. I didn't bring home any little projects to work on and every time John catches me on a teacher website he is now kicking me off. So, I am needing to start a book. I am feeling like a re-read, so I need some help deciding.

Choice #1: To Kill a Mockingbird

Choice #2 Ender's Game

Choice #3 My Side of the Mountain

Choice #4 Bras & Broomsticks

Now you have probably already heard of the first three, but may need a little help with the fourth one. So here's a little link. Bras and Broomsticks

Another moment from my perfect day

Well, I have already blogged today about my peeing pup. I was so hopeful that that would be the low point of my day and considering that it was SO bad, it would be hard to imagine that the day wouldn't turn better at that point. Wishful thinking.
After my Visiting Teachers came over, my new Relief Society President stopped by with her daughter. Her daughter is applying to be part of a gifted and talented class at school and she had to write an essay. She approached me last week and asked if I would help her with it. I said yes, because we habitually do that at church even without realizing what we are thinking.
Let me mention that I don't actually like writing. So, helping her was a bit out of my comfort zone to begin with. Why would she ask me for help? Well, because I am a teacher so I should feel good about that. Hmm...should. So she brought the essay to church yesterday and I told her I would take it home and review it and then she could come over today and I would give her my suggestions. Sound good? Yeah, it was. The essay she wrote was good and I only had a couple of ideas for her. So she and her mom are sitting on the couch across from me as I have my legs crossed in front of me. We are chatting about quilts and other things when to my complete embarassment I realize that my second pair of pants of the day are my slippery zipper pants. That is right.
You know how you go and buy a lovely pair of pants that are new and beautiful and perfect in every way except that for some unknown reason the zipper just falls down all the time? You know those pants. We have all had a pair. If you haven't, I don't want to be friends anymore.
Now, of course you realize that the really bad part isn't necessarily that the zipper is down, but it is the wondering how long your pride has been wounded without even knowing it. I'm just wondering if the lovely pefectly white haired Visiting Teacher was embarassed for me earlier in the morning and didn't have the heart to say anything because I had already shared my embarassment of being peed on?

The Amanda Conspiracy

When I was living at the McMillan's house, I realized what was named by Dave, 'The Amanda Conspiracy." This consisted of a pitcher with water and ice. It doesn't sound so intriguing or dangerous, but for some unexplainable reason, these elements combined to create a very upsetting phenomenon. EVERY time that I would pour a glass of water, the ice that had been trapped in the pitcher behind that little spout, would somehow break lose at the very moment that my glass was just about full. This would create a sudden and rushing waterfall into an already full glass. Water would go everywhere and I would then be searching for a change of clothes. As cautious as I got, I could not avoid it. This went on for years until now, I refuse to use pitchers like that, or ice goes in the glass first!
Well, I have rid myself of that conspiracy, but I feel that Max is working on a new one to keep me alert and on my toes. I know that I have previously mentioned that my dog is wonderful and I adore him, etc. These loving feelings frequently flee as I am faced with a VERY naughty puppy.
The other night I came home with just enough time to fix dinner before the Sister Missionaries were to arrive at 6pm. So, I open the door, with arms full of groceries only to smell the most unmistakable odor in the universe! DOG POOP! Yep, you guessed it, Max had once again pooped in his kennel. He has been housetrained for a long time now, but as you all know, he has been a little 'runny' lately. Sorry about that, but that kind of poop is so much more difficult and disgusting to clean up than just regular ole' poop. So, I am racing around the house, kicking the dog (just kidding, even though I wanted to), trying to clean and get dinner on!
Now, come with me to my lovely bathroom where I am this morning washing my hands as I prepare to go down and meet my Visiting Teachers who are coming over for a little chat. Max was upstairs and wandering in and out of the bedroom. I didn't realize he was standing by my side until.....I felt something on my pant leg. I looked down and to my HORROR I see my dog lifting his leg and PEEING on MY LEG!!!!!
I don't even know what to say here, because I know that you are all just laughing in your seats at this very moment. So, I'll give you a second to compose yourselves and gain a little compassion and empathy. ....... another second?.......Okay. Back with me now? Yes, that is right, my dog that I love very much and feed daily, pet and take out, buy cute toys for at Petsmart, PEED ON MY LEG! 5 seconds after changing my pants, my brand new VTers come to the door with smiles, wanting to know how I am doing!!
So, I am realizing that I no longer can have visitors from church over at the house. Somehow Max senses that they are coming and decides to ruin my life. Is there really any other way to view this?
John thinks that because I am nice to him that he is marking his territory. Maybe I shouldn't be so nice. He also said that the internet article he read said that when that happens you shouldn't get mad because it is hardwired into their brains to mark! I am going to hardwire him in a very different way if he continues to pee on me! And how exactly are you supposed to not get mad? It was also suggested to me that perhaps, since he has never peed by lifting his leg before (he always just squats) that he was trying to do one of those 'Look Mom what I can do now' things.
Either way, he is not on the list of my favorite things today!
Anyone looking for a new dog?

Highlights

I keep sitting down to write this blog and update about my trip and for some reason it feels like writing in my journal after a lot has happened. Then I realized that you don't want all the details. Just the blog worthy highlights. So, here they are:

Saturday was our D.C. day.
The Korean War Memorial is probably my favorite thing in D.C. The Vietname Memorial is astounding in the number of men and women who lost their lives, but the Korean War Memoril is so personal. You are looking into the faces of those young people who gave up their future dreams to represent their country. I have such a deep feeling that regardless of how we personally feel about whatever conflict we are involved in, theirs is such a tremendous sacrifice. Time away from friends and family and all things familiar and always with the knowledge that they may give their lives to represent their country!

Sunday we drove down to Jamestown. We actually attended church there, (at the Jamestown Settlement) :) and a man from Texas and myself took turns addressing the humble congregation of about 7. I spoke about prayer!

So, this picture is not of me at the pulpit, although I do have one for those interested parties. This is on the ferry on the way over to Jamestown. We asked a woman to take a picture of us. I don't think she'd ever used a camera before!
She looked so awkward holding the camera all crooked. Funniest thing.

I was making a little cornmeal for some delicious biscuits that I cooked up on the hearth. Well, not really, but look how cute I am! Makes up for the fact that I didn't make a treat, huh?
Jamestown was super fun and I learned something about John. He likes to meander through museums. He reads the stuff and checks out all the displays. It was wonderful and relaxing. The only problem of the day was when we went to the two vending machines that sold water, they were both out! Isn't it nice to know that in the original Jamestown, clean water was so readily accessible?

Okay, this little fella was a cutie. I am normally not a huge racoon fan. We had a few especially brave ones during our recent camping trip that I know were conspiring to nibble on my toes. But, this guy was very none threathening. He was just looking for left overs. I think he found a muffin and was happy. What shall we name him? When I was little, the mascot of our Girl Scout camp was a racoon. Ricky Racoon, I think. But then again you know my memory, so I might just be making that up.

Well, this is of course my second favorite picture of the trip. You'll see why it isn't my favorite picture in just a minute!! John and I were driving along and we saw that and about died. I just love it. Jammin for Jesus! We flew past it and John said, 'Do you want me to turn around so you can get a picture of that?' See why he is the perfect man? He knew that picture was too good
to pass up!

This picture is titled 'Livin' the Dream.' Why, you ask? It looks like a normal picture of you taking a hike. Well, yes that is true, but the where is very important here. I am hiking on the Appalachian Trail!!! That's right fulfilling a lifelong dream. Actually, the dream is the camp and hike the whole trail, but that is not in the current plans, so this was certainly a great 'tide me over until that day' moment. We didn't hike for very long, but it was wonderful. The Blue Ridge Mountains are really spectacular. We couldn't have asked for a better day.


Well, here is is ladies and gentlemen!!! The best picture of the trip!!! I mean seriously. And just one more 'I really married the right man' moment. John saw this guy walking up behind us and he said 'hey Amanda, I need to get a picture of you.' I have edited myself out of the picture to make it more dramatic, but it was a classic fake a photo moment! Well done John. I think it is hilarious that some of my favorite moments of our D.C. trip have nothing to do with D.C. I just love it that men like this exist even though I didn't know that men that old wore boxers. I just wanted to share the love with you guys!

The Joyous Hotel

So, we got our airfare, hotel and rental car as a combo offere which really was a great price. So, having looked up the hotel on-line, I thought we would be in a great hotel. Look at the lobby. Doesn't it look nice? Well it was suspiscious to me that there was only one other picture of the hotel. So, thinking nothing of it, off we went. We got our car and drove to the hotel. We pulled up and went inside to find the lobby a little warmer than expected, but still cool. It had been unfortunately hot in D.C. the week before and cooled down just for our visit. So, we checked in and started to make our way to the room. Let me mention before you view these next pictures that the hotel did provide little 'Please excuse us while we make our hotel more comfortable for you' signs. So as we headed up the elevator and down our hallway, I was a little surprised by the very old carpet, etc. This is one of those hotels that has a prime location (Dupont Circle) and beautiful old esthetics, so they can pretend that they are a luxury hotel, while not providing basic things like functioning air conditioning!! That's right, when we entered our room, it was sooo muggy! We went to turn on the AC and realized that it was on! So we called the front room and they brought us a box fan. It did make all the difference in the world. I do have to say that our room was very beautiful and the hotel was in a great location, but when you stay in an old building you are bound to get surprises. I guess? Here are a couple pictures.

Okay, I'm pretty sure that most old towns/cities honor heroic men by giving them statues in the center of town and it seems that in D.C. they must always be on a horse. This statue was right outside our hotel window and I didn't even take the time to check who it was honoring. Partly because there are about 807 similar statues in the city. That may not be an accurate number, but if anything it is a little higher than that. I saw them everywhere. I hope someone takes the time to read the inscription because it seems to me that if you are going to get a statue like this, especially in Washington D.C., you probably did some great stuff. If anyone ever wants to make a statue of me, make sure that I am riding in a convertible or something. Horses are too much work.

Since our hotel was undergoing some construction,

this was a daily sight in our lobby. Yep. That is a table saw. I obviously was being super sneaky while taking this picture.

So, here is the little side hallway that apparently doubled as a storage room. During the weekend there was a mattress and box spring in the hall. Hm.... That door near the room service tray was luckily not someone's room. Yikes is really all there is to say. It became kind of like a game. "I wonder what is going to be in the hall today!" And, check out the carpet!

So, word to the wise, Stay somewhere else.

I Ran Away!!

I haven't blogged in a few days and since I am newly addicted to the blog it is surprising. However, I have a very good excuse. John and I were expecting a visit from his brother and family last Friday. Well, unfortunately they have been having some family sickness that took it's toll on Angie (sister-in-law) who happens to be pregnant with her 7th child. They were planning on road tripping from Idaho to our home which in ideal circumstances can be trying. So, they decided to postpone their trip. We were sad that they didn't come and visit us! Since John already had the time off of work, he decided to vacation anyway. So, he called me from work on Thursday and said 'You need to start packing. We are going away this weekend." A very good reason to always have the laundry done. So incase you need to leave on a last minute vacation you are prepared. Knowing that this is possible with John, I will make sure I am more on top of my domestic responsiblities. So, I scrambled to convince some good friends that they wanted to come over twice a day to take our dog out and give him medicine that he was on. Luckily, they said yes and we were off. Friday morning we got on our plane for Washington D.C.!!

Liz? Who knew?

Well, I was unaware that Liz Long has a webpage. I did a google search for your name and lookie lookie. http://www.geocities.com/wellesley/7187/ Turn up your speakers ladies.
It's just good to know that you are out there preaching the word! Hallelujah!

Little House in the Praire (Sun Prairie that is)

Well, considering that I have spent my last hour reading on websites about homesteading, I figured I would blog about it. I didn't know exactly what homesteading was either, but somehow one of those random search chases ended up at this little site http://www.homestead.org/. If you have gmail, you know about those little side links to your emails, right? Well, one of them said LDS ringtones (which I think is hysterical to begin with), then I jumped to a modest clothing link that actually got me to websites for Jewish and Muslim women's clothing(very fun), and then I was off to a different blog of a woman who decided to homestead and then on to find out what homesteading was.
Anyway, I have always had a fascination with living off the land. We gardened growing up and made paper once and visited some friends of my mom that owned their own farm. So, through my childhood, somehow I gained a little part of me that wanted to see if I could learn to make things and support myself off of God's creations. Now all of you know me and this may actually come as a surprise to some of you, due to my general distaste for cooking. Hmmm..are there any Amish women who don't cook? I'd like that gig.
One of my all-time favorite books is My Side of the Mountain. It is about a young boy who decides to go and live on the mountain that his family owns and survive alone in the wilderness through the winter. Really, I like any of those books. I remember my mom reading us Julie of the Wolves and Island of the Blue Dolphin-both great survival stories.
Bronwyn's family also lived in an actual tee-pee one summer and I still regret that I didn't know them then. So sad. Unfortunately, I don't think that John will ever have a strong desire to sell our comfortable home and move somewhere and live off the land, so I may just leave this little dream behind. Hmmm....he has mentioned that he wanted to buy a tractor! Ya think?
As I have a long list of things that I would like to do before I die, I have realized that some of those things may never happen. The time and season for those things may be over. What do you do with those ideas or dreams that will never be, but still hang around teasing you? What dreams have you put aside or which are unlikely, but you still hope to accomplish?

Max's Dr. Visit

Well, I know that most of you are not going to sleep well until you know how Max is doing. So, here I go. We just got back from the vet not too long ago and apparently Max is quite ill. You wouldn't have noticed by the way he was jumping around the Dr.'s office. I assured them that generally he is a calm dog. I don't know if they believed me. He just loves people and the smell of other pups is more than he can really handle without losing it completely. So, the vet poked and prodded (I won't tell you where, but you get the idea) and said that he had several irritations and he gave him 4 different kinds of medicine. So, my little pup is on the mend. I am just praying that his kennel is nice and clean when he wakes up tomorrow morning. Any extra prayers are welcome.

Isn't it about...time?

Okay, even though that is the line from some church commercials, I am feeling in my bones that it is nearing the time of a semi-sacred event that I have enjoy for the past 5 years. The other day, I had an overwhelming need for some cotton candy! You guessed it...The L.A. County Fair. I am a fair addict, but apparently this year I am going to have to start my meetings with the Stake addiction program to ween myself off because I have moved unreasonably far away from the fair and will not be able to share in this year's festivities. I sit here pondering about all the things I love about the fair and wonderful memories rush in and fill my soul with joy. I just typed that last sentence with a little more drama than usual but then realized that even though it sounds a little over the top, that is truly how I feel about the fair. I think someone needs to write a poem about the fair. It will of course not be me because I am embarrassed out of my mind to write a poem and even worse that someone might ever read it. Even if I was good at writing poems, which I assure you I am not, I would never think of sharing. So, that leaves the task to any of my friends feeling up to the challenge. I happen to know for a fact that many of my friends are talented in this department, so I await anxiously a poem expressing the pure joy of the fair.
Top Ten Things I Love About the Fair
10) The anticipation of walking through the tunnel before you actually enter the fair... I can feel it already
9)Little baby anythings. Last year we saw some little goats (I think) right after they were born. Kinda gross, but miraculous anyway.
8)Demolition Derbies. I have actually never been to one of these at the L.A. County Fair, but they just have to be on the list because they are so fantastic. If you haven't ever been because you think they are a little white-trash...you are kind of right, but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable.
7)Fried dough
6)Hot-dog-on-a-stick. Especially those hats! I really need one of those. If someone could round up one at the fair this year, I'd pay you for it. Don't you think you could talk one of those high school kids into giving it to you. They don't like them anyway. Just an idea for the best birthday present ever.
5)The ice cream shack. What is the name of that place? I know that every year I read it wrong and it seems like it says something about boobs. Maybe it is Bob's ice cream shoppe?? Someone help me out here.
4)The crafts!!!!!!! I can't get enough of quilts. Also, does anyone actually know someone who wears crocheted clothing? Even a baby? Have you ever seen a baby in a crocheted outfit? I mean I can crochet, but what is the sense in that. So I don't like those, but everything else in the craft department I just love. That is where I remembered how much I want to learn how to spin yarn.
3)The milk production presentation. I know how milk is made, but every year I am drawn to sit in those bleachers and listen as if it was the most miraculous thing in the universe. Of course that leads me to #2.
2)The chocolate milk!!!!! What else can I say?
1)The Chinese acrobats. I just wonder if they start stretching and balancing like that when they are in the womb, because these guys are amazing.
Well, I hope I have given you all reason enough to get psyched for the fair! Take lots of fun pictures for me. Hey, maybe I should send Flat Amanda back to enjoy the fair.
L.A. County Fair Homepage

P.S. Somebody better go see the B-52s and sing 'Hot Pants' super loud for me.

What a day!

Well, by my other post today, you can tell it wasn't the best of days. It got worse when as I was vacumming the kitchen floor, Max decided that he needed use the restroom. He has been sick since last week and apparently has forgotten the his restroom is found outside where all the grass is. He neglected that information and I again found myself doing something no self respecting person should have to do. After cleaning it up and on my way out to the trash can, I saw my husband getting out of his car with a vase of flowers. He just felt like I would need some today! He's a good man! Just thought you'd want to see my beautiful flowers.

Oi Vei

This morning I woke up to a highly congested husband. I had a 'my poor baby' moment and then to my deep distress I realize a few hours later that I am the one to be pitied. I have a sinus issue. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a bad week. Not only am I feeling sinusy, but it is sooo humid here right now. I made the mistake of getting motivated to be healthier this morning and I decided to take my beloved Max for a walk. There is a really darling cemetery near my house. You might be wondering about my use of the word darling for a cemetery, but it is one of those old ones. It is surrounded by fields of what I think are soybeans, right next to a red barn. Have I mentioned how glad I am that I live near a red barn? If I was going to play the Glad Game, I would mention the red barn. So, anyway, after I had committed to the walk, by packing my little bag of water bottle, banana, ziploc baggies for dog poops, keys and cell phone, I opened the door and my common sense not stopping me, I headed for the cemetery. I was sweating by second 2 of my walk, but I perservered. I know, props to me. So 50 minutes later I returned home. I don't think it is actually a 50 minute walk, but we are trying to train Max not to pull on the leash. To accomplish this you have to stop everytime the leash gets too tight and stand still until he lets up on it. For the first 1/4 mile I stopped every 3 steps. He finally learned. Either that or he got so exhausted from the humidity that he had all he could do to keep up. Either way, the rest of the walk wasn't so bad. Here's to hoping the week gets better!

Irene Cara - Fame

John found this for me this morning and I couldn't love him any more at this moment. If you want to send him Thank You cards, feel free. Ok, girls our job is now to get these moves down so we are prepared for an impromtu dance off! Solid Gold!

P.S. Rachel's Birthday

For all of you who love Rachel like I do, you would want to know that her birthday is coming up here quickly. August 17th to be exact. So, if you have not as yet planned a special day with her (if you live in Ca) give her a call. You know that she loves birthdays (primarily her own) more than most people, so get ready.
Need an idea about what to get her? I thought you might.


Rachel's Amazon Wishlist

Ode to Wikipedia

Okay, I am just amazed! I knew that Wikipedia could reveal most truth, but I did not think that extended into the world of the Care Bears. Well, I was wrong. Apparently, Rachel was correct with the 'Care Bears Stare.' You have won membership into the 'You are cool enough to be my lifetime friend' Club. Not just for the Care Bear thing, mind you.

So check out the link and become informed:

Care Bears on Wikipedia

My favorite piece of information is this:

"Connections with Arthurian legend
Some elements of the Care Bears franchise pay homage to the legend of King Arthur. For example, the name of the main characters' residence, Care-a-lot, is a play on King Arthur's legendary Camelot castle. The Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table, similar to the Round Table used by Arthur and his knights. In addition, Sir Lancelot's name inspired that of Love-A-Lot Bear."

Who the heck knew?????? LOL

And for a little sing-a-long Care Bears Video and Audio Fun

A Few of My Favorite Things

Okay, sorry about the two posts in one day thing, but I am pretty excited to be able to show you some of my favorite pictures now that they are all on my computer. So here goes and Enjoy!



Mom and I at the Olbrich Gardens when she came to visit in May. Incredible Gardens. Reminded me of the Huntington Library in Pasadena. Fun day.



One of my favorite things!! I know there is already a picture of him earlier, but you can't have too much of the pup. He is just so fun. Can't you tell how much he loves me. As I type this he

just walked in and licked my leg. Not an annoying dog lick, just a little 'I'm here and I love you' lick. You don't think it is possible for a dog to lick you and not be annoying, do you? That's okay, I'll keep him.

My #1 Favorite thing: My husband.

Last weekend we went down to the temple in Chicago and decided to spend Friday night. We left Max with a very responsible sitter and enjoyed our freedom. We had such a great time.






Okay, I don't even need to explain this one. Isn't Hayden just cute as a button? Holding hands with cute kids is just perfection. I love this little guy.












Aren't we the smarty-pants? Now for a moment to give a shout out to my favorite ladies. What a great day! You guys are wonderful. I miss you immensely. I hope you have a wonderful new year. Now Nan isn't the only Master Mestor. We've got Master Young, Master Gonzalez and Master Johnson. Don't you feel smarter when you make more money? :)

Care Bears Activate

I can't remember what the Care Bears say. Anyone? Was it Care Bears Activate? Who knows. Maybe I should do a blog entry about Thunder Cats instead, cause I remember their thing. "Thunder Cats Hoaaaaaaaaa." That doesn't really matter because this entry is not really about Care Bears or Thunder Cats. Had you fooled for a minute didn't I. This blog is two fold. 1)Get excited because now I have the little computer thingie that allows me to put my pictures on my computer without taking them to Target and standing behind someone that is ordering 17 t-shirts, 47 mugs and 1236 other random prints off of their memory card, just to make a CD with my pictures. Of course I have so many photos on my camera (540 to be exact) that it takes me 30 minutes to make 2 CD's only holding 220 of the pictures. So, now it is instant! I'm pretty pumped about this.
2) As if that is not exciting enough, I want you to see the house that belongs to my Crazy Old Lady neighbor. She lives around the corner and her yard is incredible. There's nothing else I can say about it. I do feel bad for her though because her husband died some years ago before which time he played the neighborhood Santa. They would light up their yard and all the kiddies would come over. Then apparently towards the end of his Santa stint, they realized their entrepreneurial ambitions and started charging $10 for the little kids to come up and see Santa and take their picture with him and see their lights. So, the Happy Valley Santa lost his draw. They live on Happy Valley Street. I didn't want people getting confused thinking I had packed up and joined Gina in Utah. So, here are the pics. Enjoy!

First Picture: Zoom in on this one. Poor little Tender Heart Bear. I can't tell if she likes stuffed animals or had a bad experience growing up and is taking out her aggression by hanging them. Any takers? Next picture: Heaven for all good little lawn tchotchkes.

Happy Birthday Switzerland!

For those of you who don't know, I have always wanted to go to Switzerland. Mostly for the mountains and the cheese, but I also love little grazing animals and I think they must have lots of goats and lambs there as well. So I wanted to celebrate this Swiss holiday with all of you.
Have a fun day, wear a little red and white, eat some cheese and most importantly pray for world peace. Okay, you really don't have to do any of the above, but frankly they are all good ideas. So, Happy Birthday Switzerland!