I woke up way too early.

The wind was incredibly loud this morning pushing the palm trees back and forth and making the windows in my home rattle. So, I dragged myself out of bed...I wasn't sleeping with all that racket outside anyway and sat down in my favorite chair and started wandering on the internet. My mind drifted off into the past couple days and realized jsut how fast my children are growing up. I look at them in awe knowing full well that each were pulled from my tummy over a decade ago and that they have grown so much in that time. I have decided to be much more thankful instead of looking to see what others have. So, here is what I came up with:

I am thankful for...
Corinna...my oldest and a crbon copy of myself. She spends a lot of time with her nose in books and truly is a sweetheart. She is shy and reserved, but incredibly sarcastic...yes, she inherited that trait from me as well. She has a good heart and will always be my baby.

Bryan...my only little boy. As a baby he always had a smile for his mommy. He is nearing his twelfth birthday which changes his entire life around. He will now attend mutual at church where he will have a lot of fun activities even though he is the tiniest little thing. He is tall for his age, but being that most of the young men are much taller it will be hard for me to watch someone so young be with the older boys. I'll just keep my eyes closed tightly until he fills out. I noticed on Sunday as I relaxed in my chair...computer in lap...that he kept giving me hugs and gave me a bigger and bigger smile each time. he reminded me that just because he was turning twelve didn't mean that I would never get hugs and kisses from him. What a guy!!!

Molly...oh my dear little curly girl. She was my last baby and will always be known as my baby. She is a snuggler and always has been. She very much likes to climb into bed with her Daddy and I in the morning when we aren't rushing out for work. She is quiet at times and is a thinker. She gets frustrated easily, but in the end when she conquers something you can't wipe the smile from her face. She is my little bug.

My hubby...yes, that big sweet guy that I married almost 16 years ago!!! Myheart aches when he struggles, but when he finally succeeds I get excited. He is my eternal sweetie and I love him. Working together and basically being togethr 24 hours a day seven days a week can have its drawbacks, but I have seen him grow as a person and watched over the years as his spirit grows. I lvoe to watch him as he kneels down and says his prayers at night. Humbleness and a grateful heart have always gone hand in hand with him. he is a fun-loving spirit who loves to spend time with his family. I remember when the neighborhood boys would come and ask if he could come out and play. A child at heart!!!

My home. It is an older home and not as pretty as most. There are drafts and problems we encounter with every project that we start, but home is where your heart is and slowly it is coming to life and beginning to be our own and not just the house where he grew up.

My car...The Goofmobile as we call it gets me from point A to Point B which is a wonderful thing. It can be frustrating at times not to have a car that you can trust, but it helps me complete the things that I need to do. For that I am thankful.

My church...From outdside eyes religion can be a binding thing, keeping you from really enjoying life. For me the rules and beliefs that I have set me free. Yes, I can do what I want to do...and I have done them. Many on the outside looking in don't undersand how saying no alcohol can NOT be binding. I will give you an example. I didn't join this church until I was 20 years old. I did hang out with people who drank and not surprisingly I did drink alcohol. I am a bit of a control freak and so I did not like losing control of my mouth, my thoughts and my actions when I drank. I watched my friends get toasted and then turn into idiots. I watched them smoke pot and bit by bit lose the intelligence and passion for life they once had. It didn't seem cool to me any longer. Outsiders complain about the fact that the women do not hold the priesthood. Quite hoenstly, i do not desire to obtain it as holding the priesthood is a great responsibility as is having children. I mean really think about it. God created life...Adam & Eve... priesthood holders cannot. Women create life on this earth. What a beautiful blessing we have to create a life where there was none. Holding a newborn in your arms and knowing you have created them is an icnredible feeling that the men in our lives cannot truly treasure like we can. I love my religion. It frees me to soar like the eagles overhead.

Those are jsut a few things I am thankful for today. Aside from the regular...hot showers, chocolate, foot massages....you get the point!!!

Sometimes the journey is worth it...

Being that it is monday, our last day off for the week and the kids are off track for the month of May from school we decided to make each Monday an adventure. Well, we certainly did today. We were bound and determined to head out on a bike ride with the kids and hopefully get a little exercise today. We drifted off for breakfast when we woke up and then headed off to the good ol' Banta Inn for breakfast and then off to Del Valle.

We biked around for a bit before deciding to go call it a day and lift our deeply exhausted bodies into the truck. We decided to go for a drive as we are going to head over and camp in two weeks at Del Valle. Now the best part is that it is thirty minute drive from our house to the campground. Not too far, but far enough to get away.

After our quick tour of the campground we were heading on out when we hit Mines Rd. Don said to me: "Do you want to see where Mines Rd. takes us?" Now, most of the time I can get lost in a paper bag, but Don has an excellent sense of direction for the most part so if he wants to try a new road it usually turns out faster....not this time. We ended up driving for an extra hour and a half just to get home. Wow!!! THough what I noticed in our drive is that my three kids...still babies to me... were together and were playing and laughing. Time passes far too quickly in my mind and it was at that moment I savored my three kids goofiness and their laughs. It is a treasure that is worth more than anything. Needless to say, by the time we got home we had a very little time to run and buy Bryan his first suit, grab some milk and then run home for Family Home Evening. Now we are all laying in our beds worn from the day, but it was an adventure with the four most important people in my life. I enjoyed my Monday adventure. I wonder where we will go next Monday!!!

One more update on Sunday...

I snuck into the back where they called on my Bryan to give his talk. he stood taller than most of the boys there, walked up to the podium and brought tears to the eyes of many as he spoke about becoming a deacon and moving on out of Primary. he was truly touch and I am deeply grateful for such a kind and sweet spirit in my life and most especially as my son. His smile is infectious, his eyes are a dream, his hugs are squishy and his spirit is priceless. Thanks Bry guy for making my life brighter!!!

Need To Smile? I think I can help you!!!

A friend sent this to me. Now, I have to admit. I love the song: "Sweet Home Alabama," not ebcause we own a general store, but because it is just a fun song. Well, it has taken a leap over the big pond and found a way to makw mw think the world is a bit smaller. I would like to introduce you the the Leningrad Cowboys (who didn't do a half bad job & I just love their hair) backed by the Red Choir. Enjoy!!!

One Last Sunday...

Today is kind of a sad day for me at church. Today I watch as my son walks into primary for his very last time as an enrollee. He will give his talk and say good-bye to his friends and next week he turns into a twelve year old and walks into young men and becomes a deacon. Most of my friends in the ward don't know how heartbreaking, yet exciting, it is because we have a very young ward and they all have much younger children. I do admit though...I am excited for Bryan to live up to some new experiences...passing the sacrament, collecting fast offerings, scout camp, attending mutual with the other young men, becoming one of the guys. I will be sad to see him go and change into a pre-teen, but to be honest...once they turn 11 they are soooooo over primary that it is not even funny. I am thinking more it is what is represented today. He is leaving his little man status to start on a new path for him. I am excited, but I know my days are numbered where he wants to snuggle on my lap, look up at me with his big blue eyes and tell me: "I love you mommy." Yes, he still calls me mommy...when his friends are not around, or sisters for that matter. I am excited for the new fun that he is allowed to have though. Still it will be hard to watch him leave primary. This week we will need to get him some nice church clothes to celebrate. He will roll his eyes, but I suppose since he will be a teen soon that I should get used to it!!!!

I found a partner in crime!!!

I am thrilled that I now have someone that is willing to travel half way around the world to go and dive with great white sharks. My good friend , who is just as insane as I am, has told me that she is just as fascinated with sharks as I am. So we will eventually make it over to South Africa to see those huge beasts throwing themselves out of the water as the seals break for their hunting grounds. I am so thrilled as Don will not go and watch me jump into the cage. I'll let you know right now it will not be until the kids are into college...Perhaps while Don is off at his tracking school for three weeks. We will fly off to South Africa. This could be fun.

However, before I get there I do have my 40th birthday coming in 3 years. I am thrilled that the kids, Don and I are going to be taking off to Australia to visit with the Aborigines and let them teach us how to throw spears and boomerangs. We will learn of their tales and dine with them. From there we will be tracking down Nemo to the great barrier reef which we will find some time to snorkel in some really great spots, visit a gator farm, a zoo, a sheep ranch, Sydney Harbor and basically have the time of our lives. I am going to love my forties. I've loved my thirties.

before we reach that trip Don will hit his fortieth and him and I will take off for a cruise which will be a blast!!!! I am excited to return to Rome and see the sights in Italy, Greece, Turkey and head back to my beloved Venice. I love traveling but I am thrilled to be sharing my fortieth birthday traveling with my kids. It's going to be a blast!!!!

Anyone want to join us?!?!?!

Annoying customers...

Yesterday seemed to be a very long day at the store particularly because there were not a large amount of customers coming in and buying to their hearts content. We were told earlier in the week by a supplier that we do not buy enough from them and basically were considered "small potatoes" and basically we weren't ordering enough from them to keep their pockets filled with our hard earned money. I hate to be a complainer, but it happens sometimes. very few of you will ever see me in my frustrated state ebcause I am an incredibly brilliant actress...that is why i won the Donald R. Bisbee award for acting excellence. Oh? You haven't heard of it. Perhaps that is because it was named after my drama teacher in high school who created the award and named it after himself. I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, I am usually fairly easy going because I have learned not to get upset about the thigns that I have absolutely no control over. However, at the same time I get frustrated and bottle it up til I explode like a bottle of champagne.

oops, back to the real meaning of my rant. We have heard from a few customers that come in once every two months...very loyal you see... that we are going out of business. That is always good to hear. This rumor swirls around about once every six months. It is a pain in the neck to hear people who know absolutely nothing because they never come in and start saying that we are going out of business. This particular woman is a know it all and will spread the rumors as far as she can because she is one of those women that could make Cinderella's stepmother look like Mother Theresa. And beleive me I am dead serious.

Unfortunately what she didn't think about was that this time with the economy so bad here we are lucky to be alive right now. We watch helplessly as other businesses fall under and disappear into the dust, but we are still fighting to stay alive. Why? Because this is my husband's dream. It is in his blood to run his own store and we were able to make that dream come true. You see, life is more about experiences than anything in my book. What can we learn from the experiences that we have had?

Don encourages me to dream about my writing. He tells me on late nights, when I am sitting in my chair typing ridiculously fast so not to lose the words that are in my head, that he can't wait to see my book on the best seller list. Of course, if you knew how badly he struggles with dyslexia you would also know that he would never read one of my books, but wait for the movie to come out.

So, what can I learn from this experience with the rumor going around that we are closing?

Simple...I hate stupid people who don't check facts before they jabber on and on about things they know nothing about.

Sitting Still...

It's nearing the time of night when I turn into a pumpkin, but I am thrilled I have finally been able to sit down tonight. We had a marathon shopping trip tonight. We spent a lot of time at Costco grabbing our gallon size jars of mayo and buckets of pickles plus enough toilet paper to fulfill my required year storage. After our trip there we dropped the items at the house asking my two oldest to put away the gorceries while we headed to the local market to pick out some fresh fruits and veggies to top off our shopping experience.
Surprise surprise when I made it home to find that my two kids at home cleaned the kitchen and washed the dinner dishes while we were gone to the market. My youngest rolled her eyes in the way only she can and dismissed them as "suck-ups," but after working for nine hours and then having to come home and head out to shop until I was literally ready to drop. Even then we still needed to replace the heavy oak bookcase we has moved for the flooring plus my butcher block cabinet in the kitchen. By the time it hit 9pm I was ready to drop and my allergies were killing me while the dust was stirred up and we wiped down each and every book. Ugh! What a way to end the day!!!

Houdini did not escape...

I have a sweet little dog named Lexie. I rescued her when she was 5 weeks old. She wouldn't eat solid foods so I got her along on puppy formula and at some point even though we did not think she would make it...she did. She is now 2 years old with a sweet gentle heart. One thing Lexie is extremely good at is escaping. She loves to dig out and squeeze out of the yard through the most insanely small openings. We tried to keep a collar on her, but somehow the next day when we go out it is chewed to bits and I do mean BITS. Needless to say it is very frustrating when you own just over an acre and the dear little pup will not stay where you put her. One day she came back home with a huge gash on the top of her head. We mended it and took care of her. She healed incredibly well. Needless to say that every morning I will hear our collie, Patch and our other dog, Buddy- our chocolate lab, barking for no good reason. Every morning when I hear it I brace myself because it usually means that Lexie has escaped and she is frolicking around in the open land next door, while their big bodies cannot make it through the crevices that hers does.

This morning, that familiar signal kicked in so i went ready to hunt down my little Lexie. lo and behold...she was still there. She did not escape last night to run around. Could our blockades finally have stopped her? I don't know how long it will hold, but I truly hope she stays forever this time.

Done!!!

Well, aside from the carpets being tacked down at the edge of the flooring our flooring is finished and I LOVE IT!!! For those of you who don't know...the house that we live in now we bought from my in-laws who also owned the general store that we bought from them last year. It has always been the house my hubby grew up in and so it always has driven him crazy to live in the house that he grew up in and it still has felt like his parents house. Honestly, just the new flooring brought the house to a whole new breath of life to it. We are dead set in making it "our" home. It will get there, but it will take some time. We shall see what happens. For now though, my grin is from ear to ear!!!

Daydreams!!!

When I am stuck here at work and it is quiet, besides the wind whipping along the roofline outside I tend to fall into daydream after daydream. Viewing movies in my head of my own creation. SOme are fabulous, others...well let's just say I have also created a dumpster for my daydreams, but what else can a girl so to keep her mind going? I am working on a story that was created out of an experience with my family several Christmases ago. My father dresses as Santa for the grandkids, as the patriarch of our family is required to do every year. It is tradition after all. While we were visiting my parents one Christmas with my kids, ages 5,6 & 7 (yes I am slightly insane). my 3 year old, Molly, carried her grandfather's shoes to his closet and saw the jingle bells and my father's Santa suit hanging in preparation of that night's appearance. Molly's imagination took over and she told her two cousins, also five years old, that there was a door in the back of their grandfather's closet that leads to the North Pole and that their Grandpa was the "real" Santa. needless that was where the story took off and with my storyteller's imagination it turned into a great adventure that really was a fun thing to do. I have put that story on the back burner as I was consumed with another. I am happy to say that now with the other story done I am turning my attention back to finishing and retuning the North Portal. I will perhaps work on some pictures to add to it and then I am planning on self publishing it to give to my father for Christmas. It is something that he has asked me repeatedly for Christmas to have. I painted a picture once and he framed it...I was in my late twenties so it is a meaningful gift that will be sent out to all family members for the holidays. I guess my daydreaming has a purpose sometimes...and it is cheaper than renting movies!!!

Good-bye dust hugging carpet!!!

The work started today on out flooring. Honestly, I was a bit nervous that we had chosen the correct color for the floors, but we were thrilled to be done and over with the entire dust trapping carpet that is slowly killing my lungs.

It was fun to see the carpet go bye bye. The blue color was just not what I liked. However, it was wonderful carpet. The problem is that it would trap the dust unerneath and everytime the kids would jump or stomp the dust would fly. So, this is why we planned this change. If you would've seen the dust trapped under the padding your skinw ould crawl. It's been there for nearly two decades so it has lasted. I am looking forward to my new room though. It will be fun!!!

Anyway,we had a lot of progress made on our floor. By tomorrow night our living room and kitchen will be complete!!! I am thrilled. I hope you enjoy the updates!!! I can't wait to show you the room once it is all finished tomorrow!!!

New Twilight Update...

Can I just say I am loving the looks of this movie!!!! I truly hope it does not disappoint!!! Enjoy!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Mission Accomplished for Super Mom!!!

Now all I need to do is learn to say "no" to people...although secretly I don't mind when asked for help with things. I did my lesson though I do not like leading discussions. i don't feel that I do it well, but that being said more than likely I did fine as I am truly my worst critic. My lesson will drift off into nothingness as I tend to remember bits and pieces of lessons but never the person who gave the lesson unless it was a truly meaningful lesson for some reason or another. So, I am thrilled it is over with as I am not the person that loves limelight, although you would truly laugh at me if you knew that I was a drama geek in high school that ended up winning the senior award and had my name put on the plaque that lies still in the theater there at my dear Tracy High. Since then I turned inward as I put a lot of thought into things. I even pondered why I do not like the limelight and that is because while being in plays and musicals I played a character. When I have to speak in sacrament meeting of teach a class the thoughts and beliefs are my own that I am laying out on the table for all to see. I am a bit more private in my thoughts and feelings so it is hard to deal with that sort of thing. I must admit though, I become stronger with every terrifying lesson that I teach. Someday I will be unshakeable...until then, let my knees shake!!!

Amazing video

I know many of you are not western/horse people, but to watch this woman with this horse is amazing. Normally, in this event you have a saddle,reins, stirrups and such. To do this without any of that...especially the stops and the spinning is absolutely incredible. Cut and Paste. I gurantee you will not forget it!!!



Let me know what you think!!!

D-Day is approaching!!!!

Well my dear friends Monday is the day that will drive me beyond crazy. I had better take extra allergy medicine because if one doesn't get me the other will. Though Monday is a day off I will be working like no other!!! After dropping the kids off at school Don and I are coming back home to tackle the backyard. We need to pull weeds and haven't had the free time to do it. So, Monday is it. With the wind whipping around it should be no problem in making my allergies flare up. Of course I could go inside to escape, but not even that will help since we are getting our kitchen and living room floor replaced with laminate flooring. When my in-laws picked the carpeting it was fine. it really is a wonderful carpet, but when you have allergies like mine it is a death trap. I can vacuum for hours and still pick up dust out of it. It is so thick that it traps the dust below and then I have to deal with the dust popping out of it. If one of my kids jumps in the room you will see that dust is now flying. Now I understand why my house seems to be so dusty all of the time. I am going to need to move my books tomorrow or even tonight so that way I don't need to worry about it all....and truly take tomorrow as a day of rest!!!! Probably not, but I can dream can't I?!?! So, hopefully by the end of the week I should have new flooring in these two rooms. Eventually it will go throughout the house, but for now our pockets tell us it is those two rooms that we need it the most.

Super Mom Update!!!

I thought you would all get a laugh out of this...I got a call tonight and forgot that I had agreed to teach the lesson in Relief Society this Sunday. Woopsy!!! I guess Super Mom is ready for one more flight!!!! Keep Laghing! I lvoe to hear it!!!

Special Advisory

For those of you with small children iving in the US you may want to check out this blog:
http://www.buzzbishop.com/blog/2008/04/16/what-to-do-about-bpa-bispehenol-a/

It talks about the types of plastic that are used in bottles and such that can increase chances of early puberty. I don't know if this is out here, but in Canada this report has come out. Thought you should know!!!

SuperMom Syndrome

Has anyone else ever had this syndrome?

The symptoms are:
1. Believing we can do everything
2. Saying "yes" to everyone that needs our help
For example: "Yes, I can sew 30 costumes for the school pageant they are performing in three days."
3. Not taking a deep breath and realizing it is ok to think about ourselves for once.
4. Never let anyone know you are not "SuperMom"

I seriously have had that syndrome. You can ask a few of the primary workers that saw me ask what time it is and when they saw the look on my face they asked how I was doing. "Fine," was all I could say with a fake smile plastered across my face. Really, we need to all realize that we cannot do everything. if we could then we would all have lovely capes in various shades of red and fly from one task to another...Even Superman needed a vacation once in awhile. Why don't we get one?

So, cheers to all of my "SuperMom" friends. may your cape fly brilliantly in the wind and may you always have time to take a deep breath before carrying on with the day. And...may you always know that we cannot accomplish everything by ourselves, but together we can do anyhting!!!

Hanging them up!!!

Last night, I came home from work and was able to sit for approximately three seconds before the mayhem began. Now, beofre I go through this please understand this is nobody's fault, these things happen therefore I do not blame a soul in anything, but these evenings happen and that is all there is to it. I ran to get Molly from her activity and dropped off her friend at her house. From there I took Molly home and gathered up Corinna. We had a few minutes so I finished typing up a report for one of the kids...the second report i had typed that day!!! I took Corinna to mutual and waited for the other girls to show up. Nobody was there.The message had not been sent properly to all of the girls and half were at the church. I had to go there anyway, camp duties, so I ran over and picked up the girls. From there, I took them back over and dropped them off, ran to the store in my free time and picked up milk and items for dinner tonight. At this point it was nearly 8pm and I still had not eaten. my blood sugar dropped like someone threw it out of an airplane so i stopped at McDonald's..the drive thru was outrageaously long so I ran inside, got my meal, ran home where I scarfed it down in about 5 minutes as I had to go back and pick up Corinna and two other girls who most definitely needed a ride home since there was the change in where mutual was. I got home jsut after nine, used the restroom, changed into sweats and then fell into bed telling my dear hubby, who had been sitting and watching tv in bed since we got home, just how tired I was to which he replied: "I don't see why you are tired." So, I am hanging them up!!! Someone else can do it next time!!!

Dream Translation Anyone?!?!?!

What a wonderful dream I had last night...except for a few oddities it was wonderful!!! Don, the kids and I were back in Rome and we were going to show the kids around. Other friends were there too. Don was insisting he wanted to take the kids to the Vatican to see all of the incredible artwork that resides there. It is beautiful!!!! Anyway, I called from the lobby to tell him that our table was ready for breakfast and he brought the kids down. Curiously, I had apparently made a quick shopping run not to buy a beautiful pair of Italian shoes, but a broom. Who doesn't think of brooms when they think of Italy? WHAT?!?!? It is driving me crazy that I held in my hand a broom in that lovely dream. Any ideas where that came from?!?!

Update from Stephenie...

Another update from Stephenie wandering on the set of "Twilight" I enjoyed the pure fun on the set.



This is me with the humans—who don't get enough love—and director Catherine Hardwicke in the "Forks" high school cafeteria. I got to watch the filming of several key lunch scenes, and see how amazingly well the actors were portraying those human characters. Watching them be Mike and Eric and Jessica and Angela and Tyler made it feel strangely like it all might just be real—which was a crazy feeling. So the humans get two thumbs up from me. And Greg (Tyler) wants us all to know that Bella would definitely choose a guy with an awesome van over some vampire.

Funny story: on April first, I got to watch as they shot Bella's first scene in the hospital (after the above mentioned van careened into her) with Charlie (Billy Burke) and Carlisle (Peter Facinelli). Between takes, Peter came back to the monitors where I was hanging out with Nikki Reed (Rosalie), and producers Greg Mooradian and Gillian Bohrer. Nikki and I were talking about how Kellan Lutz (Emmett) kept eating during the Cullen's cafeteria scenes (Kellan is always hungry) and how the editors would have to cut around that. Greg asked the question many of you have asked: what happens to food eaten by a vampire? (He referenced the infamous bite of pizza Edward takes in the book.) I explained the icky truth—they eventually have to cough it back up. Peter was listening to all of this very quietly, and then he and I had the following conversation (I'm paraphrasing, because I don't have a vampire's perfect recall):

PETER: So vampires would never eat food, unless they are trying to fool humans? They would never eat at home?

ME: No, of course not.

PETER: Huh.

ME: Why do you ask?

PETER: Well...when we were filming one of the scenes in the Cullen house, Esme brought me a bowl of Raisin Bran. I was eating it through the whole scene. I don't think they could cut around it, because I was chewing through some of my lines... I guess that wouldn't make a ton of sense for Carlisle to do, though, would it?

ME: (slightly panicky) Er, no. It really wouldn't.

PETER: Oh, well.

ME:

PETER: And also, April Fool's.

(The part I can't covey here is how convincing he was. Peter is, after all, an excellent actor. He got Kristen/Bella at dinner, too, so I wasn't the only one.)

6 fun facts from the set:

1) While watching the playback from a very intense scene with Bella and Edward, the girl next to me literally slid right out of her chair—I think her bones melted. She also may have stopped breathing for a few seconds, too. I know I did.

2) Mike Welch can dance.

3) Hugging Kellan Lutz is the closest you can get to hugging a vampire; he is made of granite. (But please do not try to hug Kellan without his permission. Thank you.)

4) Portland is too cold. For anyone. But especially for Arizonans.

5) Jackson Rathbone can really play the guitar. Our taste in music is not exactly the same, but we found common ground with Radiohead's Creep, with which he then serenaded me.

6) As you might guess, I do a lot of internal swooning on the set. However, I have an excellent poker face.

To conclude, I would like to make a few comments about Rob and Kristen, who are the true heart of this movie. First, they are both amazing actors. Second, they are channeling Edward and Bella like nobody's business. Third, you might want to bring a paper bag to the movie, because their on-screen chemistry may cause hyperventilation. That is all.

--Stephenie

Acqua, Wasser, Eau, Agua

What does all of this mean? I am finally taking my last step and i am now drinking water...plain and simple in any language...water. I still look at Coke and think: "It can't hurt to drink just one?" Isn't that the pathway back to drinking coke all day everyday. needless to say I am somewhat thrilled, but I will let you know the effect it has on me later on when it is really easier to see the results. I am thinking that this will incredibly cut down my calorie count. Hopefully some weight will drop off. At least I can dream, but I need to manage myself bit by bit. I know no other way. There seems to be no sense in dieting if I am just going to be drinking sugary sodas and such. Once in awhile will not hurt but I am not ready for "once in awhile" quite yet. For now, I will deal with the aches and pains of withdrawing the mass of sugar from my body and see how it reacts!!!!

So far, I am still alive...

I'm Suing!!!!

That's it! I have lawyers contacting Mr.Kirkpatrick MacMillan although I think it will be rather tough since that dastardly man has been dead since 1878!!! What do you mean what am I talking about?!?!?!

Ok! So, we started the day simply going out to breakfast and ready to just relax and have a good time. I picked up my bike from the cycle shop here in town...I left it there last month to get new shifters put on...No such luck apparently. I took it over to Livermore Cyclery which was a breath of fresh air. As it turns out the repairs and everything it would take to get my bike running again totaled up to enough to make it worth me getting a new bicycle. So, with a new bicycle what else is there to do but to ride it. When the kids came home with no homework we instantly loaded up the bikes and drove out to Del Valle Regional park and biked some of the paths (some paved, some dirt). At that time I had a strange sensation that I detected as the precursor of a heart attack. No, not really, but it was a bigger workout than I had expected. needless to say my body aches in places that it didn't yesterday.

So, who is Mr Kirkpatrick MacMillan you may ask? The man who invented the bicycle with pedals...If I ever see him I plan on knocking him down!!!!

Another bit of Twilight clips..

Here is another clip from MTV for you Twilight Fans!!!

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1585325&vid=224215

Enjoy!!!

Lean on me......

When I first moved back down here to good ol' California after growing a becoming stronger spiritually and stronger in my marriage I was not in the best of minds. my husband had just lost his job and we had completely uprooted ourselves. It broke my heart to see my children be torn apart and having to make new friends. I will forever be appreciative of my parents for helping us and I know that Don will always feel the same.

While we were up in Oregon we had a very tough time. Don worked out of town three weeks out of the month and it seemed that I was raising three small children on my own. It truly was the hardest thing I have ever done. I walked and sometimes crawled through the depths of depression. It was the toughest and darkest and most lonely time of my life. it was then I made a new friend who happened to live in Scotland. We began to write and soon became fast friends. She is probably the best friend that I have in the world and yet barely understands just how special she really is to me. We have been through so much together these past 6 years writing back and forth. We often wonder why Heavenly Father separated us on this earth. Perhaps life would be too easy to lean upon each other so close, but a bit harder being an entire ocean apart. Heavenly Father is never cruel so we have been blessed to have the Internet to relay messages back and forth to one another.

She helped me through the last few wards trying to make friends, but finding a cold shoulder. There are several in this ward that know me as outspoken, but also know that truly I am a shy person. I just put on good front sometimes. I often see my friends struggling with different obstacles in their lives and I wanted them to know that they are not alone. none of us are perfect. I have been dealing with many anxieties this tax season and I am praying that it will all soon be over with and I will no longer need to deal with all of it and things will calm down. It will...I promise. It takes time for things to even out. I will make it through this...with a little help with my friends. I just want to let all my girlfriends and those passing on through know...you will make...just lean on a friend and know that you are loved!!!

But I don't wanna get up!!!

My obnoxious alarm went off this morning. Ok! I confess, it is the least obnoxious alarms, but it went off and I was all snuggled up and in the middle of a lovely dream. I don't remember all the details, those I do remember I will keep tucked away in my head. So, if you see a sly smile spread across my lips, you will know what I am thinking about.

Aside fromt he dream though I was incredibly comfortable and quite willing to spend the rest of the morning curled up in a ball under my covers. Alas, it will not be so. Church duty calls. I am just a few short days away from finishing up having the girls turn in their funds for camp so I need to be on track with all of the girls and their parents get the money in. !!!! Beleive me that is never fun!!!

However I will survive this!!! I always do!!!

Complete Twilight Cast List

Here's the list you may want to see who's who!!!If you are curious as to who is really who you can go to www.imdb.com and search under the actor/actress names and see a list of credits!!! AND don't forget to scroll down a bit to get the link to see the behind the scenes movie shots of Twilight...The ending fight scene looks very intense and fabulous. It made my heart pound just watchign the un-edited film!!!!

Twilight Movie Cast List Character Name Actor/Actress
Bella -Kristen Stewart
Edward- Robert Pattinson
Charlie- Billy Burke
Alice- Ashley Greene
Rosalie- Nikki Reed
Jasper -Jackson Rathbone
Emmett- Kellan Lutz
Carlisle -Peter Facinelli
James -Cam Gigandet
Jacob Black -Taylor Lautner
Jessica -Anna Kendrick
Mike Newton- Michael Welsh
Eric -Justin Chon
Angela -Christian Serratos
Billy Black- Gil Birmingham
Esme -Elizabeth Reaser
Laurent -Edi Gathegi
Victoria -Rachelle Lafevre
Rene -Sarah Clarke
Tyler -Gregory Tyree Boyce
Waylon Forge-Ned Bellamy
Phil -Matt Bushnell
Mr. Molina -Jose Zuniga

Just for fun..

I checked to see what the rating of my blog was. Here is what they said:

TV Reviews

I guess genius runs along the same roads as insanity!!!

SUPER COOL TWILIGHT UPDATE!!!

Here is a link to see a behind the scenes footage of the new Twilight movie!!! Take a look at the fight scene towards the end...It's going to be amazing!!!
http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/04/60435/index.html

Much more rested...

After three days of not getting a good amount of sleep I FINALLY slept the entire night until my alarm went off this morning. I am thrilled!!!! I feel soooo much better. Not to mention the fact that we did not rush off somewhere which is great!!!!

Yesterday was a little bit sad as both Don and I took off our wedding rings...because they needed repairs. I didn't want anyone's heart to stop or anything. Mine actually broke and the setting needed to be repaired so as I was taking it off the silly thing snapped. I took mine and Don's down to Uncle Richard who is having a really tough time lately with the economy down and everything, but he was happy as usual to take my things in to repair. Just for a note he actually made my wedding ring and whenever the gold wears down to much or the setting needs to be repaired he has always added a little more gold and fixed it. I am hoping this time he will actually charge me. He tends to not like to charge us as Don is his favorite nephew since he worked for him during his high school years. I hate that! Especially when he needs the money. So, I think I had gotten my point across to him this time. We shall see.

A New Beginning....

Yes, my feet are up and I am relaxing this evening. We did not rush off to one place or another, but instead we stayed at home and ended up cleaning up the kids' rooms. my little guy's room needs to be gone through like I did the girls. We settled for attacking what we saw on the outside and will tackle the rest at another time. Bryan should be able to finish what we ran out of time for tomorrow once he is home from school.

Work was long today. There weren't as many people as we had thought would normally come in, but we will get busier tomorrow. We had a shipment of wranglers that we needed for the fair kids so we were thrilled to have it all in. Now we are ready for them. We shall see what happens.

For now I am relaxing and my dear hubby has surprised me a few days ago by making sure i made it to my concert. He doesn't like me to have to drive in all the crazy traffic especially with the car that we have not proven to be healthy enough to go out of town. You see, he has had planned on the same night a pheasant dinner that my oldest lovingly refers to as a "man date" where he goes to a fundraiser for hunting groups. He had his planned long before the concert had popped up. I told him that there was no problem in him not going that I would find a girlfriend to go with me. Again, no problem. I was not upset and he understood this is a concert that I did not want to miss. So, instead...since he refuses to show up at a hunting dinner driving my little plum car...I don't know why!!! He has decided to really pamper me a bit and has hired a limousine to take us to the concert. I am thrilled. it will be so relaxing!!!! That is one thing I can never complain about...he loves to take care of me. I am grateful.

So, now that relaxation is a part of my life now I am trying to really embrace the slower lifestyle again. I don't care what drags at me...I will not budge!!!! What do you do to relax?

Where have my friends gone?!?!

I am a bit sad...Well, in a weird sort of way anyway. I have fallen in love with my blog and I was excited to get a new layout which is a little more fun and splashy. Anyway, When I did it deleted all of my links, pictures and extras. Needless to say my jaw dropped to the ground, but I managed to get a majority of it back. However, the one thing I could not get back was my map. I love having my map down below because I am always curious as to who pops in. Well, I managed to get a dot in the small country of Mali where my niece is in the peace corps and I was so excited because we were connected again. needless to say...it was wiped out. Ugh!!!! So i was a bit sad to have to say good-bye to my map, but I have a new and improved version so we shall see where my friends are. I love it. I feel connected with new people throughout the world. Funny how the computers make the world seem a little bit smaller.

Slightly early...

This morning was blissfully awakened by our dogs barking like crazy. Normally, that would mean my dear little Lexie has found a way to escape, while both Buddy and Patch looked on with happiness. Of course, when it happens at 4:30am....I was not pleased as punch I can tell you that right now. You see, once i am awake in the morning...I am awake!! There is nothing I can do about it but grin and bear it. Needless to say I was not thrilled one little bit. So, here i have sat in my chair checking up on everyone since 5am. Ugh!! I will be exhausted by the end of today.

My life has been so busy lately it has become noticed that I am tired...exhausted...ready for bed the minute I wake up in the morning. That is really sad. i just try to get by from thing to thing. I really do, but I am tired. Why does the world have to spin so fast?! I know not everyone deals with this, but here in good ol' California I have discovered we all like to go non-stop until we pass out or get sick. When we lived in Oregon for seven years we did not run like crazy people, but yet here we are today. Honestly, I do not understand it, but what can I do? I can put my foot down, but it doesn't work. The soil from beneath my feet just keeps moving on its own. Perhaps someday I will figure it all out...for now...my head will continue to spin!!!

Before my eyes...

As I sat watching conference from the comforts of my own bed I watched a great man become greater. To be honest, as a convert, not seeing many new prophets come to the stand or being able to recognize exactly what was happening when it happened, I knew something was happening, but was unclear exactly how to put my finger on it. Then I realized...he is our prophet and the mantle was literally being passed in that moment. My heart became full and tears poured down my cheeks realizing what a beautiful and sacred moment that was. I have always loved President Monson. He has been one of my favorites because of his wonderful humor and quiet service. I ahve heard some people refer to different prophets as "their" prophets. I never understood what they meant. President Hinckley I adored because he was always so cute to me...if you can calla prophet cute, but for some reason I always connected with President Monson. When he speaks my heart is always touched. He is "my prophet."

Where has the time gone?!

As I watched conference yesterday I started wondering where the time had gone. Corinna used to toddle into our bedroom and peek over the side of our bed until we pulled her up into our arms. Molly and Bryan used to be so tiny. Now, my Corinna is 13 and excited about her next birthday in January because that means she gets to go to church dances. My Bryan is getting ready to receive the Aaronic priesthood next month as he turns 12 and becomes the ward's newest deacon. He is so excited about the young men's program and the possibility of going to scout camp. Molly is 10 now and learning so many new things. She has mastered her bike now and really enjoys going out there and riding. In just a few short years Corinna will be preparing college applications and enjoying her senior year. How sad it is that my children are growing so big. At the same time though, I love to watch them grow and go through new experiences. Bryan will love Young Men. He needs that extra activity. He needs to be around the boys more. I am excited to watch him pass the sacrament. There are so many things that I am thrilled about him doing. Corinna has always been so grown up and has known what college she has wanted to go to since she was 5. She is already focusing on her grades to make sure that she makes it into the school that she chooses. I am sure she will pick a few others as a backup plan. We shall see what happens. Molly is dying to get into young women...1 1/2 years away. What will I do with my free time?!

A little thought...

Honestly, I didn't feel like going. I was exhausted and ready for bed at the exact moment I woke up. I still had a full day of work ahead of me. I made it through work and was truly thankful. We got dressed and piled into a friends car. We arrived in time to see a line forming to get into the temple. to be honest I had never seen that before. It was a wonderful sight!!!! What was even better was when I entered the Celestial Room of the temple. There was barely room to stand. I found my way to a spare bit of wall and waited for my hubby. In the meantime, I smiled because I thought of our return back to Heavenly Father's presence. Would it be the same? Would we emerge one by one, our eyes searching through the crowd just to find our eternal sweetheart? I thought of President Hinckley returning. I could picture hundreds of people and his eyes would scan the crowds to find his beloved Marjorie and then in a burst of speed he would make his way quickly to her side. I saw Don do the same thing I had imagined. All in all, it was a lovely night.

What a day!!!

My dear friends it has been a bit of a crazy day today. I am completely and utterly exhausted as i did not go to sleep until midnight last night. This morning while keeping busy helping customers I somehow managed to embed a long sliver...nearly a half an inch long right under my fingernail. I managed to get half out, but still I am working on getting the rest out. Needless to say I am not truly enjoying my typing right now. Ugh!!! There is something crazy happening with our septic lines, but as with everything the bad parts of the day have been leveled by my teen's 5 word question when Don was nervous and feeling a bit of anxiety over the septic tank..."Why doesn't he just pray?" Out of the mouths of teens. I think I will follow her example!!!!

Finished....

Well, my dear friends...it took longer than expected, but my projects are done. The room I finished on Monday, but it took me until about 11:30 last night to finished the bulletin board projects. Molly's and Corinna's were fairly easy and they totally loved them, but Bryan's took me a bit longer.

I am not lying when I say that I took out 5 lawn bags of garbage and toys they do not play with and you now see why. It is better now and the girls are very happy that their rooms have been changed. They are also very excited to be keeping it up as well...OK! I confess, I am excited to see them keep their rooms clean now!!! The next major one is my Bryan. He has one room and I need to go through it when Don is not there as well. There is junk in there that belongs to Don as kid. Bryan needs to get it out of his room. I can take care of that. I am planning to box it up and take it away!!!!

Molly is very much into the beach and so she received a beach scene to hang up on her wall.

Corinna, my teen, is very much into her music so it was natural to make an IPOD to match her own.

And then there was Bryan...Bryan was difficult because he is a Star Wars fan and nothing will ever turn out just the way I want it to when it come to painting those characters. Which is why it took me so long. No, Yoda is not perfect, but since Bryan will be sticking pins in the poor chap I am not feeling too bad about it. Bryan has yet to see his board as I finished late last night, but I am sure he will love it...he is a very forgiving little guy...nothing has to be perfect in his eyes.