Camera Critters

The King of the Beasts was really bored the last time I saw him. Just watching the world go by.

My brother got a new car

He's never had a new car before, but decided to bite the bullet and get this one. It's a real sweet ride and comes with a year of satellite radio for free. He'll get hooked on it. I got Randy a subscription to Sirius Radio for Christmas last year. He'll never go back to regular radio again. I have to admit, I'm loving their hard rock and 80's channels!

A day at the dam

Yesterday was Randy's one day off until next week, so we wanted to make the most of it. I had a meeting to cover in the morning that just wouldn't end. It started at 9:30 and it was almost noon before I got home. Ever been trapped in a meeting like that? It just wouldn't end! Finally, the chairman said meeting adjourned and I ran out of the building and I was home!

It wasn't raining, a small miracle in itself, so we grabbed the beach stuff and went out the door. We stopped by to see Randy's parents first. They had a bunch of wasps building nests on their garage and needed help getting rid of them. Nasty creatures. We went for lunch and were off to Parker Dam. It's only about 20 or so miles away and the new car can do that on less than a gallon of gas. Isn't it sad we had to think about the cost to drive for a much-needed day off?

One of the medicines I take makes me very susceptible to sunburns, so I stayed mainly under the beach umbrella, but really enjoyed the day just watching the kids and taking photos. They rented kayaks and went swimming. Randy had the video camera and used that. They were still talking about how much fun they had when I fell asleep.

It was such a relaxing day, with smiles and laughing. We need more of those. I already have the beach bags re-packed and ready for our next chance to go.

Sharing the Love

My new blogfriend Sarah of sassyfrazz passed this on to me today.

Crystal at Memoirs Of A Mommy created this award in honor of the donor that saved Noah's Life. Noah is her son and he had a heart transplant when he was under one month old. He just turned one earlier this month!! Her hopes are that in passing this award around, we are creating more awareness of the importance of organ donation.

As Sarah did, now it is my turn to pass on the award to Share The Love and spread the word about Organ Donation. I am passing this on to:

Mama Zen, Ash and Phil.

So long, George

One of the true legends of comedy, George Carlin, is gone. He broke more than a few rules and laws with his Seven Words you can't say on TV. A battle over his comedy -- namely his "Filthy Words" routine -- went all the way to the Supreme Court.

He was great in Dogma (one of my favorite movies) and all the other Jay and Silent Bob movies.

We'll miss you, George!

Camera Critters

Not an animal I'd like to run into out in the forest, but he's still beautiful to look at. Especially when I'm safely behind the barrier and he can't get near me. :)

Lawn Care Will Travel

My son is an avid gamer and is constantly seeking new games and game systems. Of course, that means, he's constantly seeking new ways to convince us to buy those games and systems.

I haven't been able to work as much since I got sick, so that means less fun money from my checks. He's old enough to earn a little money on his own, the way most of us did as kids - mowing yards. He takes care of our yard, both sets of grandparents' yards and a neighbors.

Yesterday, he strapped the weed eater onto his scooter and took off to get a head start on his weekly rounds. He looked too cute, so I had to snap a few shots.

Congrats Gage and Devin

Our two newest cousins were baptized yesterday morning. Their mothers are sisters and their sons were born just a few weeks apart. Their last names both begin with "K", so they'll be sitting together all throughout school. I pity those teachers already!



Randy and I took their formal photos and ones during the ceremony. I'll get discs burned out this week, so they can have all the photos and video we filmed.

Does holding a baby make me wish for another one? Yeah, I'd be lying if I said it didn't pull on my heart a bit, but I know my body would never survive another pregnancy and I enjoy being able to just take off when I need to and not have to worry about finding a sitter. Having a 13-year old and a 16-year old has me spoiled. They can do their own thing, but still need me for now. I'm sure once they both are off on their own, the empty nest will hit hard. Until then, I'll just enjoy what love they give me. :)

Review: Jumper

We had seen the ads for this movie, but never got to see it at the theater, so we grabbed the DVD the other day. Not sure what to expect from it, but it was a very good movie! Has anyone else seen it?

The premise behind the movie is: A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them "Paladins."

It was obvious they're hoping for a second movie from the storyline and all the cliffhangers. The movie is good for tweens and up. There wasn't overt sex or language. There was violence, so maybe real young children would be scared, but it wasn't a big slaughter scene.

Tonight, we're going to borrow my parents' DVD of Charlie Wilson's War. With Tom Hanks as the star, I'm sure it'll be good.

Life will never be the same

As of yesterday, my daughter is legally allowed to drive. Yes, she passed her learner's permit test and couldn't wait to hop behind the wheel of her car. We convinced her that driving in downtown traffic the first time ever wouldn't be a good idea though.

We drove out of town and stopped for gas. She had to pump that herself and wasn't pleased. "That's a boy's job!" she said. Randy wasn't amused and made her do that anyhow. She does get that from me. I hate to pump gas. It's smelly and not something I do if there's any way around it. I'll drive a few extra miles to find a gas station that will pump it for me. :)

We pulled over to the side of the road and she gets behind the wheel. Her little brother kept muttering under his breath, but was smart enough not to say it out loud. She drove for about an hour through lots of construction, then pulled over to let Randy take it into town. We took her to Red Lobster to celebrate. It was excellent. Daughter had a few gift cards, so she got a two-pound whole Maine lobster. She loves to eat there and always picks out her own lobster and holds it before it's cooked. She named this one "Brunch." It waved good bye to the camera before it was taken off.

Just before we left, the waitresses all came out and sang Happy Birthday to her since it was also a birthday party.

Randy drove until we were out of town and let her take over. We did stop at Michael's grave. There is nothing that can bring home more just how serious a car can be than to go there and see his headstone.

She did very well driving and put in two of the required 50 hours of behind the wheel driving for her license. Our State requires that and the first time she can try for it will be on December 22 of this year. We'll probably wait until spring for her to try. Winters can be brutal around here and the roads are horrid. She'll learn to drive on snow and ice though. That's vital, too.

Happy Sweet 16!

My beautiful daughter turned 16 on Friday. Where did all those years go? Doesn't seem possible, but we had a big Sweet 16 party for her. Took months to get everything planned - DJ, caterer, etc..., but it was all worth it once I saw the look on her face. She never stopped smiling, well ... she did cry when her grandparents' gave her their present, but other than that it was all smiles and laughter.

I had surgery three days prior to the party and wasn't in the greatest of shape, so I couldn't get out and dance or eat, but I had my chair set to let me take photos and I did that well. Took almost 500 of them during the four and a half hours.

This was the first party we've had for her with school friends since she was a little girl, we generally just have family since we have such a large extended family.
All but two boys who were invited came to the party. They all had a blast or at least I'm assured that what "Da Bomb" means? I heard them talking that it was the best party they've ever been to. One girl said it was like being at a MTV Sweet 16 Party in person. Guess that's a good thing? (When did kids start speaking another language?)

The DJ - Krazy Kat - kept everyone hopping all night and I highly recommend him for anyone looking for a DJ. I specified NO COUNTRY MUSIC (I'm allergic to it. Green pea soup starts flowing out of my mouth, head starts spinning, not a pretty sight) and he was great about just playing today's hits and special requests from guests. Randy danced with her to "Butterfly Kisses" and the tears started flowing for everyone. She just is too grown up! Then his dad danced with her. Mine wouldn't get out on the floor at all. He doesn't dance, never has. Didn't even dance with me at my wedding. I did get on the floor for about half a song. My 13-year old son had his first slow dance with me. :) His girlfriend took over then and kept him on the floor the rest of the night. Too cute.

The gift pile was enormous! We gave her a Wii and my parents gave her games for it. Then Randy's parents gave her their card. Out popped a wrapped set of keys. Yes, she got a car! She ran outside and just started crying. She then jumped in for her photos and all her friends were screaming that they got the first ride. Well, her 3-year old cousin climbed in and took the front seat to get in the photos. Nobody got a ride since she won't get her learner's permit until Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed that she passes the first time.

Back to dancing for the rest of the night. The kids just have too much energy! Finally, the last song of the night was played and her magical evening was over. We had TONS of food left over, so everyone took some home. Nobody in the family had to cook for the next couple of days.

Hopefully, I'll get back to normal soon and be able to sit up and post more often. This surgery has really kicked my butt.