It has started again...

Only twelve pages into the new book I find myself starting to click again with the characters and wanting to stay up for those few extra moments to get any words I can muster out onto paper/ computer. I am struggling at this point because I hate sitting in one place for too long. I want to move onto the next point of the book which will be much easier to write. I hate beginnings. I struggle through them every time, but at the same time they are necessary. While reading any of the harry Potter series I would sit and read dutifully the beginning at the Dursley's. I hated them and I hated the way they made Harry feel about himself. I wanted to skip right ahead to Hogwarts and jump in with both feet. Are people going to feel the same way about my story. I look way too deep into things at some point and consider the beginning and setting the story as a necessary evil. I hate, hate, hate the beginning. Knowing that once I finish the entire story I will go back and re-write the entire start anyway it makes it that much more frustrating to deal with. However, in order to get into the middle you have to start somewhere. Sad but true. now you have another strange glimpse into my world. I know, I know, you are beginning to wonder about my mental stability? Never question, just let it all go!!!

Today I am grateful for...

Alarm clocks...problem is. I don't use one. I am normally up early anyway so I really don't use ones, but on those rare occasions when I oversleep I am thankful for those alarm clocks. I woke up this morning after having a horrid dream at 5am. Normally I can turn them into something funny, but this one I could not and woke up in panic mode until I realized. It was just a dream. I fully expect to conk out fairly early tonight.

Today I am grateful for...

Mouse Traps!!!!

I tell you, there is no better feeling than finding a little critter dead in a mouse trap. WHY!? Because it means they are no longer roaming my home. Sounds fair enough don't you think? I sure do!!! As I have said before I am not a critter lover. They can live their happy lies out in the wilderness and I will not bother them at all, however once their little paw crosses the threshold of my house then it is game on and I will win!!!

Conversations...

I have daily conversations, not with myself, but with my Heavenly Father. I am not praying, but when I am trying to figure out things I always find that He is my best advisor by far. Over the past few days I was thinking about the inevitable clearance sale looming in our future once the property sells. No, I am not dwelling on it, I just know it is there and coming. I had a quiet moment where my thoughts came through and we had another sweet conversation. it went something like this:
Me: Boy! There just seems like there is so much for us to sell. I doubt we will ever be able to get rid of all of it.
Heavenly Father: Why not?
Me: Well, I am not too worried about all of the clothing, feed or boots. I can donate the feed to the animal shelters and such. I can donate the vet supplies to the local heartland Stables that has riding lessons for the mentally retarded. I guess I worried about the stranger items that don't go normally. You know, like the stallmats that weigh over a hundred pounds each, the two complete horse corral panels sets along with the gates, the old seat cover for a truck, the tee-post puller and all sorts of stuff like that. I just don't know how we are going to get rid of all of that stuff!!!
Heavenly Father: You worry too much.
Me; I know, I just can't help it.
Heavenly Father: Child, have you learned nothing of faith?
Me: You're right, i really should have faith.
Heavenly Father: yes, you should.
Me: OK, I'll try.

So, now that you all think I am nutty....During the past week we have sold all of the stall mats, both sets of corral panels and their gates, most of the water troughs in back, the t-post puller and yes, even the ugly car seat cover that has been hanging around at least since the late 80's. I am amazed at what a wonderful experience it was to have it all happen like that. I watched with eyes wide open of the small miracles happening in my life. I know Heavenly father gives us each the same attention that we need and has these same conversations with each of us. Today i am choosing to be grateful for a Heavenly Father who cares for a daughter who sometimes feels like an insignificant grain of sand on a beautiful stretch of shoreline. I know with a surety that I am not insignificant. I must be special for him to take so much time with me.

Today I am grateful for...

My little green blankie!!!! I bought it from Pier 1 this summer during a clearance sale and I love it. With the changes in the weather my knees ache incredibly bad once the cooler time settles in. Once my body is used to the cooler weather then we are fine, but until then tucking my little green blankie around my legs when I am relaxing in the evening wards of the pains. I am actually using it around my shoulders now...It is a wee bit before 6:30am...on a Saturday. Oh and not to make you think I get up early or anything, but I actually woke on my own at 5am ready for the day. I thank my mother for my sleeping disorders!!!

I've been egged now tagged! So....let's get started!!!!

Here are my 7 strange facts:
1. I am loud and obnoxious to most people, but when I am around people I do not know...I am very shy.

2. I truly fear rodents...although Mickey is one of my loves!!!

3. I love to write and although I have had a ton of encouragement and everyone is so sweet I truly get embarrassed when I see someone reading my book.

4. I have a fear of success

5. I hate letting people down.

6. I truly hate shopping. They make no cute clothes for larger women...I mean really. i wear size 2x and I am nearly 6 feet tall and when I want to find clothes that are a little more fashionable they are not there. Therefore apparently I have to learn to sew for myself. This is not good.

7. I am a huge homebody unless we are heading out on vacation...there is no middle ground for me. It is either home or vacation. Wandering around aimlessly seems like a waste of time for me, but hubby loves it so I compromise.

Now for my tagging....Lora, Laura, Jenni, Liz, Lynne, Red & Tami....Good luck girls!!!

I have made a decision...

I have made a decision that I am going to try and not focus on the move as much. I have also decided I am going to look for little reasons to be thankful each day. Like in my last post the two women came in, I see examples of goodness and strength daily. That is where i need to focus my mind and heart. Everything else will take care of itself!!!

Another Happy Ending...

We just had two customers in our store that have had two very different stories, but happy endings nonetheless. Carrie had an accident with her horse and ended up having the horse's hoof come down right on her face breaking her skull. Normally, a shot like that would kill anyone. Not her, she recovered fully and is a fabulous example to me for overcoming adversity. She is a champion in my eyes. Joanne, who is an incredible artist...anyone who has seen the tailgate of our truck would agree...was riding her horse when she was thrown. She was already sick coughing up blood, but riding relaxed her and helped her cope with being sick for such a long time. When she was thrown she busted her shoulder and broke her ribs. She may have even had a minor stroke at that time, it was not proven. A few days following the accident she went through a major stroke cutting off the use of the right half of her body. It was found that her body was riddled with blood clots. She had a 1 inch hole in her heart that would gather the blood and spit out the clot to spread out in her body. Apparently her lungs were filled with them. She went through open heart surgery to fix her heart, a surgery to repair her shoulder and treatment for the clots. One week ago she was finally given the go ahead to head back to work painting and designing. Her work is amazing. Both these women have grown in their faith and determination. I look at these examples of dealing with adversity and the strength and grace they used to get through. What a wonderful example for me!!!

Million Dollar Day!!!

No, sadly we did not sell the store quite yet...however that is in the works so I am not worrying about it. What happened yesterday was better. We had a very slow day, but I am appreciative of what did come in. What made it a million dollar day was a man named Larry. Larry has always had a very sweet spirit when he came in. I am not joking whatsoever when I tell you that Larry is part angel. He has always seemed to come in at just the right time to share his thoughts and bring peace to our lives. When we were taking over the store and we were being driven nuts by all the red tape and legal work needed to be done then Larry would surprisingly show up. he came in yesterday. He said he saw the for sale sign and wanted to talk. he wanted to share with us that our move would be all about attitude. if we have a bad attitude then we will be miserable in our move. If we have a good attitude then we will feel the peace and everything will move a lot easier. He even had told us that with Don's positive attitude and personality he believed a nice ol' Texan would just run by his pathway and hand him a job no questions asked. It is always a pleasure talking to Larry. After we talked about attitude either Don or I mentioned going to church down in Texas and Larry asked which church we went to. We shared that we were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints and his eyes got big. Honestly, I couldn't figure out the look of whether he was going to bolt from the store or it was a good thing. he promptly jumped into a story about how he was touched by something one of the missionaries had told him. he was investigating the church already and is looking forward to General Conference coming up. He goes to the building closest to him and told us that when he doesn't attend on Sunday he feels something missing. He shared a lot of his feelings about our church, all positive, and told us his favorite meeting of the month was testimony meeting because he loves to hear the simple testimonies and hear the hearts of the people around him. he spoke of getting baptized, but his wife is not ready. She believes our people are brainwashing her husband. He just laughs and takes it in stride. His wife is Catholic and when she chooses to go to church he happily escorts her, but when she chooses not to he goes over to our church. He is very deep in thought about being baptized. He let all of his thoughts and questions out and we answered the best we could. After explaining that I am not a wonderful scriptorian and that I remember the stories and the meanings behind them, but I could not tell you where that story was, like hubby who can rattle off everything. it was a fabulous conversation and it lasted a good two hours before Larry had to run.

In the end, we didn't make too much money, but we still had a million dollar day if you ask me!!!

I Got Egged!!!!!!

I drove off a bit early for mutual tonight as we were at Maddie's house for a night of talking and cooking. We talked about college and what their plans are. We talked about dorm-life and dating. We talked about so many different things going on in their lives and how they worried about what it would be like to live away from home. I remember that time in my life. Although I never took the chance to go to college for long. I will go back someday on my own terms. Right now, it is not the time.

Anyway, as I got back home I found that we were egged by some unscrupulous hooligans. It seems that while I was gone and my dear hubby was resting someone got us!!! I wish I could find out who these fabulously talented people were so I could thank them. These little creatures were absolutely adorable and I appreciated the thought. Perhaps someday I will find out whose they sweethearts are, but until then I will pray for them to be heaped full of blessings. I love my new little creatures and friends. They hollowed out the eggs first and then decorated them as different animals. 2 cute!!!! Thanks eggers!!!!

Update...

Hubby is fine and not sad any longer! He just needed to talk and verbalize his frustrations of having to wait. I mean really, who likes to wait for anything. However, he is back to being Mr. Happy Go lucky...well maybe not THAT happy!!!! You can't turn a rock into a bunny...I'll let you philosophize that one out!!! Anyway, we are fairly well. I e-mailed my agent last night who told me that he was in contact with three different seriously interested people...well, let the bidding war begin. I know I know!!! In my dreams, but it could be a good thing. I had a couple flashes mixed in with my dreams two nights ago....NO!!!! Not a couple flashing!!! Anyway, I had a couple of what I call flashes that give me glimpses into the future a bit. No I am not psychic or anything, it just happens once in awhile. To give you an example it is like turning the channels. You see one channel for about 3 seconds while you are changing to another channel. I know, now you are going to think I am nutsy, but the way I figure it...you've already figured that out. Anyway, the two flashes were #1 clearancing out the store and #2 packing up the moving trailer. We were smiling the entire time. So, I have no worries, we will be moving and grooving soon and there is no use worrying about things that you can't control...even if I am a control freak!!!!

Sad Hubby

I felt bad for Hubby yesterday. As some of you saw he looked incredibly sad and down. He was. We didn't talk until after he had a nice long nap, because he was very tired, but he was still down. After talking I discovered that he really was down because he was having doubts on the move. He truly thought we would have sold right now. No, I am sorry, but that is not the case. I told him that he has to have faith, it would sell, but I am sure that if it doesn't go within the next two weeks he will be incredibly down. I tried to explain to him that when we are given direction by our Father in Heaven you can rest assured that He will keep any promises made. I just pray all of the time that it will happen soon. I truly don't know how much more his sweet mind can take. I stay calm because although inside I am turning inside out wanting to get this move in gear, I can't let him see it. He has always depended on my attitude to keep him level. It wasn't until I discovered this that we really leveled out in our married life. If he is having a bad day I can pull him from it by just smiling and being cheerful. If I am having a bad day and the stress of the job has taken me over then he will have a bad day as I will drag him into it. Now since I have realized this I am very careful with my bad days. I will literally tell him that I am having a bad day and then try to keep it as upbeat as possible. He levels out from there. Isn't it funny that we are depended on by different people for different things?

Several Reasons Why I Am Not A Puma

So, as usual for me I woke up at 5:30am for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I do this every Tuesday. Today is my Monday so I ahve a bazillion things running through my mind. I try to be kind to hubby, since he did not sleep well the night before, and I grab my cell phone...which I use as an alarm. Unfortunately I had also dropped a handful of change that clanged as I picked up the cell phone. I grabbed my good friend, the laptop, and started for the door. hello Mr. Door!!! THUNK!!! Ouch that hurt!!!! Little birdies are still circling my head. I crept out into the living room...SQUEAK SQUEAK!!! screamed my floors. I found my may to my chair and in an attempt to keep my computer running I decide to plug it is. CRASH!!! Whoops!! Sorry, grandma. I knocked over her picture. I sit down in my favorite chair and BAM!!!! I lean bag and bring the foot rest up. Hey! There's a coffee table there! How did that get so close?!?!!?

I really am surprised my entire family is not awake and glaring at me right now, but honestly I doubt even a puma could be stealthy in this place!!!!

A Day of Rest...

That is what I wanted and that is what I got!!! Yay me!!!! After rushing back and forth from church I came home and threw together a chicken salad for the hubby and kids and dove into my bed where I promptly fell asleep!!! Again yay me!!! now I am well rested on my day off and I have to consider just what I am going to do next.I have no idea just what is in store today. I know there are things to do and never enough time, but we are getting there. we have tackled a very large part of the work needing to be accomplished here at the house.

As for the update on the property selling, there is no news yet, however I feel something is in the works somewhere. I can't explain, but it is there. Our neighbor, who works for another realtor as a fix it man, has sweetly brought our flier into the office and is passing it around in hopes to stir up some interest and apparently he has. I am grateful again. I guess these days I am feeling more and more humbled and grateful for the little things around me. Someday we will be settled and will be on our way down south. I was hoping we would be gone by now, but somehow I have discovered wanting something is not enough. So, I continue to pray and now wait. we shall see where that takes us.

I am truly grateful for my friends who still love me with all of the craziness in my life right now. I think the saddest part of us moving is that there are so many friends that we really have never had enough time to spend with. We are always at work and can never do anything fun on the weekends. That is what is going to make me the most sad!!! However, I also know there was a reason for everything that we experienced here in the store. I am grateful for that. Experiences make us what we are and form our lives. What are some experiences that have formed your life?!

I have calmed down now...

I truly have calmed down now. I am not as preachy as I was in the last post...thank you for enduring it my friends.

Yesterday I was working and it was a rather different day, relaxing almost. Not as many people came into the store, but we still had a great day, thanks to my Heavenly Father for that one. Anyway, I tried something new. Unfortunately I had no idea that my lovely daughter, Molly, had come to see what we were doing in the backyard as we were "playing." I also had no idea she would be taking pictures. So, if you would like to see what we were up to feel free to take a look on her blog. I think the funnest part of having kids is that they don't uunderstand how to do some things and yet they still make sense of it in their own way. Again...check Bee on the Go and you will find out what I mean.

This last week has been a busy week and I am happy that it is over so far. We have been trying to get as much ready as we can around here for whenever the move has to happen. I am truly thankful for the support we have had. Although we were hoping it would be a done deal for now we are learning patience and continue to learn patience for the time being. Patience is a good thing and we will learn it one way or another!!!

What is wrong with Modesty?!?!

Ok!!! SO, I am going to be standing a soap box real quick. if you won't want to hear me preach then it is time to move on to the next blog. As a mother on teen girls and a soon to be teen boy I have to say what in the world happened to modesty?! What is wrong with covering your body?! I was in the market tonight stocking up on some goods for dinner over the weekend when I made the mistake of looking at the magazine rack. I was looking at pictures of some of the newcomers to TV wearing their finest gowns on the red carpet...oh... I'd sorry, I truly don't consider those gowns. They are more like pretty material draped over and barely covering might I add an incredibly skinny young girl. WHAT IS THIS WORLD THINKING?!?!?! Truly the girl's chest could have flopped out at any time!! No, I am not kidding. Perhaps I am a little sensitive to this tonight because I cannot sleep and I have thought about this over and over.

As a parent I am trying to teach my girls that their bodies are sacred and they are not for flaunting and showing off in that nature. They have learned since they were very young that the viewing of that much skin is reserved for their husbands. I have also taught my son that he should look for a young woman who has standards and who can be beautiful and not show everything. Am I the most popular mom in the world for having these standards...no not quite, but it doesn't matter. Am I the mom that lectures teen girls who are complete strangers on how they should go home and cover their bodies up instead of looking like a tramp and leaving very little to their date's imagination?...and trust me this girl went WAY overboard. If her picture was on the front of a magazine in that same section they would have to cover up the picture. Why do I bother telling my girls and anyone else who will listen? because their parents aren't telling them they are worth it.

I am so frustrated!!! maybe I am more sensitive to it because I am working with the young women at church or maybe it is just because I am tired of being quiet when these girls need to be told they look like a cheap hooker on the side of the road. They are all beautiful girls inside and out. I would never assume their character followed the way they dress at all, but they do need to know. Perhaps I am feeling overly frustrated because while watching a replay on the net of the VMA's on MTV.com, searching for a friend's daughter who was a dancer in the program, I had to listen to a babbling idiot from across the ocean making fun of the Jonas brother's choice to wear purity rings and to stay pure for marriage. There is nothing wrong with that and perhaps that is why they have half of the screaming girls as fans. Perhaps that is why I do not mind my girls listening to their music. I can't tell you for sure, but I know that with all the pitfalls out there for our youth it is a good place to start.

For all you poor souls who actually read this rant of mine...I would apologize, but honestly I am not sorry at all. I believe that the young women in the world are worth everything. There is not one whose worth is less than another. I guess I just wish I could explain to them that they don't need to wear nothing to attract a boy they like. If that's all it takes to get their attention then how do you follow it up? If they learn to like you for your fabulous personality and love you for who you truly are...quirks and all...then that is who you need to be with.

I am done...for the time being. I hope you all have a good day!!!

Burnt Out...

Have you ever felt completely burnt out on life in general? I am that way right now. It is really not a big thing, but I am fairly done right now. Everything is at a stalemate until the property gets sold. We are trapped in limbo for the time being. Anyone who has sold a house before I am sure can relate, but truly I think this part of the entire transition is my least favorite...for now. After all is said and done and we are settled in then we are going to look back and more than likely think the worst part is being trapped in a car with our kids for the entire 26 hour drive down to San Antonio. Amazing how it just does not sound appealing at all, but at the same time everything will be all done and there will be no weight on our shoulders. After all of this, do you know what I am looking forward to the most? Vacation. Not the kind we have taken getting away for the weekend, but a real entire week vacation. Nothing to hurry us...no store on our mind the entire time. It will be heaven compared to the past two years.

Until then we chug along getting the things done that we need to do. We have a lot of the unnecessary stuff packed up and brought to the garage. I think we have made a lot of headway on it all. Now, when it is time we will pack the kids' rooms which will be no problem, pack our room, again no problem and then pack up the rest of the house. I am thinking that in a couple days of good packing we could have it all done. Really, we have gotten so much done and that is a relief. Loading up shouldn't be too bad if we are able to schedule the load up for a saturday evening so we can get some help in the loading process. I can plan all I want for now, but that still won't be able to get me to where I need to be

Driving Lesson

OK! I confess, my daughter is only 13 1/2, but the thought of actually driving a large truck seems terrifying to her. So, I was the mean mom last night and forced her to sit behind the wheel. Oh and before all of you call your favorite police officers to site me. She was on our property the entire time!!! We were taking some items from the house that we had packed away to put them into the garage in the back. I mean really, face it, we are moving so why not get a step ahead of the game right? Anyway, back to the subject at hand!!! So we live on an acre lot and to drive from the garage you need to drive across the lot, around the store until you get to the driveway reaching the house. If you ask my daughter it was quite the traumatic experience. All I had her do was to put the car into gear and then lift her foot from the brake. We did not work on the gas pedal at all. She freaked a few times and slammed on the brake...I think we were going at least 2 mph. Better safe than sorry!!! Anyway, She made it! I was so proud of her. She conquered a bit of her fear. She will need to conquer much more of her fear later on, but it was a start. way to go Corinna!!!!

Just another weekend...or was it?

To be honest this weekend was a rather sad one. We were supposed to be in Disneyland riding the rides, enjoying a break from our lives and we wouldn't have gotten home until tomorrow. I woke up last month and felt strongly that we should not go. I had, and still to this day, have no idea why I had this feeling. We are waiting patiently to try and find the answer to something that we may never know. Yesterday, while cleaning and taking some items to the dump we realized that yesterday felt a bit different. Something was going on that we could not quite put our fingers on. Even the kids felt it. We still do not understand, but we stayed pretty much to the area in case we needed to be home for any reason. I truly am hoping that there really was a reason for us not going to Disneyland as it would be really sad to have it be one of those...you'll understand in the eternities...things. Don desperately has needed a vacation...he hasn't had one in two years!!! It would be sad to have no seeable reason for not going. Oh well, there is a reason for everything!!!!

I was enjoying the silence of the morning...

I really was enjoying the stillness and quiet in the morning. Reading my morning blogs and news before getting ready and facing the world. I was none too thrilled thought when I heard a loud snap from the kitchen followed by a series of loud squeaks. My mouse trap had been effective. For what seemed like five minutes those squeaks sounded in the kitchen. Apparently it did not catch its head in the trap but its tail. I finally had it and decided it was time to end that mouse's little life. I marched in...set to become the executioner...and feeling no guilt. I know I can hear some of you: "But Tammy! I am so ashamed of you! they are God's creatures! How could you?!" yes, they are God's creatures, but when they invade my home and work then they become trespassers and trespassers must be dealt with. So, after calling in my sweet hubby...who was sleeping ever so nicely for once...he joined me for battle completely with his sleepy eyes, messy hair, camo shorts and his biggest pair of cowboy boots ready for a stompin' good time. Would you believe that silly creature escaped somewhere in my house. Oh, believe me it will not be long...those whiskers are mine!!!

Do you ever get to that point?

I am at that point where my entire life that I have been living is bothering me. Do you ever look back and then wonder what you were thinking? I am teaching two lessons at church this Sunday. One is on keeping the word of God as a standard in my life and the other discusses the cycle that we see so often in the scriptures...righteous & prosperity,pride & wickedness,destruction & suffering, humility & repentance...and then we start the entire thing over again. No, I have not formed a secret combination dead set of wreaking havoc and destruction. That is very wrong. More of the battle I am talking about is an internal one. I have been reading scriptures all this morning and felt like I was in that humility & repentance part of my cycle. I know that we went through the prosperity and such and now we are getting hit down low. The economy is not a good thing around here and I am not kidding you when I say that I had only 6 customers yesterday...barely enough to pay the electric bill. It is slow again today and I am feeling it. I have taken to a lot of prayer and reading of the scriptures today which is a good thing. I see now how my spirit has been neglected and I need to change that. I need to refill that spiritual bucket. It is interesting to me that the last time I hit that part of the cycle I ended up having the most incredible spiritual growth of my life and feeling so close to my Heavenly Father that I could touch Him. I want to feel that again and if it means that I have to humble myself through trials then so be it. Most people look at trials as a bad thing, but i have noticed that when trials come it is better if I face them head on. Bring on the trials that in the end will make me a better person. Bring on the trials that will bring me closer to my Father in Heaven. Bring on the trials that will draw my family closer and make our lives draw farther from the world's standards and closer to Heavenly Father's.

Yes, I know I am preachy. To be honest I don't think of it as preachy because I know that I am talking about my life and not yours. I tend to think better as I write my thoughts out. For this one instance I have decided to let the world into my head for a brief glimpse. And, although much of the time the thoughts in my head are as crazy as Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory there are times when my thoughts come together and I have the ultimate epiphany on making my life and my family's life better. Maybe sometime I will let you into my chocolate factory mind....NAH!!!!

I have seen the lists of 100 things about people on the blogs and thought, boy that would be nice to do. However!!! I ahve also decided that I am not quite interesting enough to list 100 things because indeed they will get very lame as the numbers grow. So....I will give you 50 insider tips on my life: Enjoy...and yes, please laugh with me!!!!

1. I wanted to have 6 children...before I found out what having children was like...three is good.
2. I truly have more fun shopping for others at Christmastime.
3. I absolutely love to travel.
4. I was once given the opportunity to get on stage and perform at the Improv in San Francisco.
5. I am glad that I didn't...I would miss the kids and hubby I would never have receieved.
6. I sued to make a pizza called the Tammy Special at Mom's U-Bake while in high school.
7. I am such a nerd...I love the smell of school supplies and sharpened pencils.
8. I dream of writing a novel that lands on the best seller list.
9. My hubby, though never having read my wntire book last time...beleives I will be on the ebst seller list.
10. Once moved to Texas hubby offered to do all of the housework until he finds a job so I ahve all of that time to write.
11.I married my hubby in the Oakland Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
12. I truly believe that age is just a number...simply because I can't remember how old I am.
13. Phrases pop out of my mouth faster than I can stop them.
14. I grew up in South Lake Tahoe
15. My ski coach was a member of the New Zealand Olympic team and truly wanted me to make it to the Olympics.
16. I LOVE ANYTHING DISNEY!!!
17. My next trip out of the country will be back to Italy, then off to Greece, Turkey & Malta.
18. I've bene to Tiajuana...if you have never experienced it then I suggest you don't...I was very young.
19. I was excited to head down to mexico and use the spanish I had spent 6 years in school learning to speak, only to find out that once they saw my light blonde hair and fair skin they would speak english....AAAARGH!!!
20. I was a cheerleader for half the season...the other's attitudes were so far off from where I wanted to be that I couldn't take it and quit.
21. I do not like owning my own store.
22. I do not like shopping for clothes
23. I do like shopping for groceries.
24. I like to cook when I ahve the time.
25. I do not own a dishwasher.
26. Once i move I will have a dishwasher
27. I love the teens in our ward
28. I have a tough time with negative people.
29. I love to laugh.
30. Sometimes I have to sleep sitting up...lucky that we have adjustable beds!!!
31. My sleep number is 35...like you care. hee hee!!!
32. I have been covered head to toe in walrus vomit...on Easter Sunday growing up. I was 5!!
33.I hate walruses
34. I like to watch Pride & Prejuidice on Sunday afternoons...it makes hubby roll his eyes!!!
35. I went to high school with my hubby and he thought I was cute, but was too shy to ask me out. I never knew who he was.
36. I want to go back to school...now is not the time though.
37. When I was a baby my parents out ran a tornado with my brother and I in the car.
38. I still want to get into the water with a Great White Shark...cage and all.
39. I love to snorkel.
40. I have designed my own line of shirts for the store here.
41. I am a huge Charger Fan.
42. My grandfather has his own World Series Ring.
43. I love lightning storms
44. Christmas is my favorite season...it never lasts long enough!!!
45. I burn chocolate chip cookies everytime I try to bake them.
46. I can bake any other cookie fine
47. I make my own wontons
48. I can smile and not bat an eye at a customer even though they are covered in cow poop and they smell to the ends of the earth.
49. I am terrified of heights
50. I have been sitting here for two hours and not one customer has come in...I hate the economy!!!!

What do Chip N Dale have in common with my popcorn machine?!

No, I did not find two chipmunks inside my popcorn machine, but while we were out wandering around I was thrilled when we found a Disney outlet store. Now, this Disney outlet is not like the other outlets you would expect. It does not clearance items from the Disney Store, but form the parks itself. So, I was thrilled to not only find a watch that I had seen at the parks that I loved...let's just say I saved a hundred dollars off the normal purchase price, but I was able to buy some of the popcorn buckets that you can buy only at Disneyland!!! They had Chip & Dale buckets for $1.29 each which also included a lid and handle. Whenever we have friends over I have their little ones wanting popcorn. I can't say no, so I usually pop up a few batches and they refill their bags throughout the night. Now I have a fun way for the kids to carry their popcorn around AND I was able to bring a bit of Disneyland into my house...I love it!!!

Welcome Home Michele!!!!

Wew ere lucky enough to surprise out niece Michele who is taking a little break from the Peace Corps to visit with family. She has spent the past few years in Mali helping out a town

with their water sanitation. It is very cool for my girl's to have such an example. She has finished her time there in Mali and has re-signed on for another tour. This time she will head to Senegal in a health position. She will be heading out to North Carolina to see her Mom before flying back, taking a bus then riding her bike into whatever village she is sent to. She hopes to find a permanent position in the government to help the people there. Have a safe trip Michele and God be with you til we meet again!!!

Gone Fishing!!!

It has been a week now that the sign went up. We have our flyers that we are handing out. There are nearly 3 or 4 heading off into nowhere daily. We have had lots of nibbles but two fairly good sized bites. I am thankful for our agent. I simply wanted to know about the nibbles, not to get excited, but to know that price-wise we were on the right track. I think we are. We were even asked how much for the inventory and fixtures if the prospective buyer wanted to purchase it all. I am sure that we will go through about 10-15 of these good sized bites until our fish gets on the line. Until then, we will continue prayers, fasting and thanking our Heavenly Father for both sides of our family supporting us in our decision. It could easily be turned into a sad sad thing, but instead it has only been a positive response from our family. For that I am truly grateful. Sometimes I find when you are following revelations it is not always easy. This one we must give up everything that we have and all of our fabulous friends and go to a new place for a new lifestyle...and I guarantee Texas is a much different lifestyle from California. We will be blessed for our decision and I can see the blessings waiting for us. Even in the difficult times there is sunshine blessed sunshine. I promise to blog something a little more original than just the move next time. For now I think I had better get some sleep. It looks like I am starting to type everything backwards. Not bad, but not good either!!!! Good night and happy fishing!!! I will try and get some special photos on my niece and tell you all about her adventures!!!!

I should ask Martha Stewart!!!!

Now, after talking to a friend, who I happened to graduate with, in the store we got on the subject of our 20th class reunion next year. In all honesty, and I am not the only one saying this. We have no desire to see any of our classmates. i know that sounds bad, but here is our reasoning. We really had no ultra close BFF's that we shared everything with. We we talk to our classmates, but there was just not that bond that many people have. So, we came up with an idea and I didn't know how this falls into the bonds of etiquette. Perhaps you all could help me?

Would it be a bad thing to plan an "Anti-Class Reunion Cruise" ?

I am dead serious! For those of us who really have no desire to see the people who made our four years of high school miserable we could get together and plan a cruise. We thought perhaps I could contact the classmates who didn't come to this year's reunion and invite them for the thirtieth or even the 25th!!! We laughed and thought it would be hysterical!!!
Just a thought...
What do you think Martha would say?!
I can only see her passed out at this point!!!

Just a thought...

hey! I just thought about this!!! If we are living in Texas by November and Corinna, Molly and I hit the midnight release of Twilight...we will see it before a majority of my friends here...2 hour time difference baby!!!! Wahoo!!!! Of course, I don't want to think of the gazillions on the East Coast that get to see it before I do either. WAAAHHHH!!!!!

Party Pong anyone?!?!

It couldn't have been more fun. Something I desperately needed. I woke up this morning and did a bit of writing and then made some good breakfast for everyone. We loaded up the truck with some of the boxes that were full and took them out to the garage. Finally I can start packing up a few other items I have been dying to get to. Yesterday, we took a couple items up to my parent's house that were theirs. We then spent much of the afternoon playing with the ducklings and chickens. The ducklings were cute, but the chickens...I don't know why, but I am still not a fan of chickens. Other than that I kept quite a distance from Dad's new bee set up. He has been given a few bee boxes and is going to be making his own honey. Grumpy Grandpa's Wildflower honey. Well, all day my family members offered to take me out and let me have a special visit with the bees...I am allergic to bee stings. Fabulous!!! Can you feel the love in the air?

Anyway, today we went over to some awesome friends' house for some fun. In the end we played quite a few rounds of Party Pong. If you have never played it before it is a fast paced game for 8 people. You race around the ping pong table taking turns volleying the ball to the other side. Every time you miss a shot you get a point against you. Three strikes and you are out. At first it isn't too bad, but in the end when you only have three players running around the table you can most certainly get wild and we had a great time! In the end as we ran around it had gotten so hot that we ran out into the back yard doing cannonballs into the pool, one right after another. It was hysterical. We got some rousing cheers from the rest of the group relaxing out by the pool. I needed the craziness to forget all the stress of daily life here. For me friends who hosted. I love you guys and I hope you had as much fun as we did.

Happy Labor Day All!!!