A little place for me

A new year means a new outlook on life

2011-01-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

He new year came in with me living in a new location. A move of 2000 miles again. This decade, just like last decade has me starting over in a new state. This time I have moved to Kentucky. I am closer to Angie and happily Casey and her family and Ellis and his family relocated here as well.

This move has been great for the family. We have been reunited with Angie and it means that all 11 grandchildren are now in one city. One small city named Winchester. This is the city that Daniel Boone lived before the civil war. The history here is interesting, and since I love history, it is conveniently located. We had plans to attend the open house at Fort Boonesboro, but it was closed because of bad weather. Once spring arrives I will be touring the fort and learning more about how the lives were led back in the early 1800's.

The house I rent is backed up to a sheep farm and so Beau and Arrow, the Australian shepherds love to herd them by running up to the fence and barking. They can herd the sheep all the way up to the house on top of the hill. They feel quite a sense of accomplishment and head in for dinner.

The winter here has been a bit cold. We have had snow several days and one ice storm. The power has never gone out, so I am thankful for that. The dogs seem to enjoy the snow to a certain degree. They do however come in quickly when there is snow on the ground. Arrow has developed the bad habit of slipping past Gerry when he comes home from work and running loose for about thirty minutes. She returns after checking out the back yards that connect all the houses on the dead end road.

Hubpages have been occupying much of my time as I try to increase my presence at the site. This is a site that allows you to write on a variety of subjects and have people comment and leave feedback. I enjoy the site immensely and have been writing there for over a year.

Casey writes there and has some interesting hubs on some very unusual topics. After much convincing, Angie has set up an account and I hope to read some of her work soon. I know she will have a wealth of information once she takes a few minutes to start writing.

Ellis has moved his five children here and they are settling down nicely. They have a cute house with the best fireplace in Winchester. I love the feel of that fire and find myself sitting close to it and soaking it all in. Tyler has really been talking and talking well. He is potty trained and very proud of that accomplishment. The children from all three families had a wonderful Christmas and the day was full of happiness, good company and good food.

Angie Casey and I have started an exercise program. It is called Zumba and it is fun to exercise when you are dancing to the Brazilian music. The weight is slow to come off, but the fitness is the main goal. So slow and steady is the goal as long as it is fun, I am comfortable with that. There is a website that we use which tracks nutrition, exercise and fitness. The website is called Sparkpeople.com. There are so many tools available on this site. A place to track not just your weight, but your inches as well.

This is a recap of what has been going on in my life and will get me back in the blogging mode.

A New fun Gaming Addiction

2010-07-06T07:10:00.001-07:00

Recap on the weekends activities. This weekend was spent both on Hubpages and on Facebook. I have found a great way to spend a little time when on Facebook. The game I have recently picked up is called Backyard Monsters. The game is so fun that I have created several pages on how to play and what to expect from the game. These two pages will get you started with hints and tips that will speed you on your way.

The game is a Civilization, Age of Empires type of game and has a very involved tutorial which will really get you off to a great start. The stories that I have written about the game should teach you everything you need to know about getting started and what creatures you should create in order to protect your village . If you are more aggressive, there is a thorough description of each monster so that you will choose the best monsters to build before you take off to attack other villages.
The game has both defense and offense available so that you can play in the most aggressive style or be able to concentrate on building up your monster army to protect your lovely village. Much like Starcraft, you will have to face monsters that come over trying to zerg your village. Towers will assist you in keeping your buildings and creatures safe.

If you just enjoy the match three type of games more than the war games, I have created a few pages to help you enjoy Jungle Jewels and Bejeweled Blitz.

Posted via email from vicgoodwin's posterous

Backyard Monsters game on Facebook What Fun!!

2010-07-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

Awesome little game on Facebook. Fun to play and fun to see the little monsters take shape. Want to know more about it. Check out the story. http://hubpages.com/hub/Backyard-Monsters

History of Pleasant Grove's Mining Disaster

2010-07-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

History of Pleasant Grove's Mining Disaster

I researched this when I lived in Pleasant Grove, Alabama. I spoke with the families that remember this like it was yesterday. Some of these children I spoke with were in their 80's and still recalled the last time they spoke with their daddy before leaving for work that morning.

Preparing for New York Fashion Week

2010-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Preparing for New York Fashion Week

Moving to a New Writing Gig at Hub Pages

2010-06-29T21:21:00.002-07:00

I have recently been making a move over to the Hub Pages and this is where I am doing my writing. I have been writing at Mahalo for over a year now and they have moved on to a different format. I was making a nice amount working from home on the pages that I made with love and a lot of research. The management decided that it wasn't profitable for them to share the page revenue with the writers, so some changes were made. I am not running down Mahalo. They can run their business any way they choose, I just was enjoying the freedom that writing had offered me for the last year and I am not going to stop writing. So I needed to relocate to a site that will continue to pay me for my work.

If you are interested in my writing then I will continue to link my stories so that you can see them if you so choose. I hope over the last year you can see an improvement in my writing. I admit I still write with a southern accent. Not that I think that is a bad thing. I actually write some things with a southern spin intentionally. I think the southern way of saying some things in some situations is just perfect and says it in a way that is so much better.

This is simply an announcement that lets you all know what is going on. I hope you visit my pages at Hub Pages and like what you read. Just to give you an idea I have been writing about, I have published a page using the history of my family and I wrote a little page on Nessmuk. Nessmuk was my ancestor and he was one of the first conservationists and a writer in the 1880's for the magazine that became Field and Stream . There is a section on some of the games on Face book like Jungle Jewels.

Let me know how you like my work and if you see changes I need to make, just let me know. I am here on this planet to learn and grow, and I count on you all to help me on the journey.

Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2010-05-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

This year the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is 75 years old. That is one thing I remember about being a small child, the trips to the Smokies. Going to the Deep Creek Campground and the smell of the campfire. My Grandmother cooking an amazing breakfast over that fire and the thick Black coffee that we were (as a treat) allowed to have a little taste. The fishing in Deep Creek river, I remember the fishing because we all cried about having to eat the fish we had caught.

The chilly morning air would wake us up and we would sit around the fire shivering and trying to get going for the day. While my Grandfather planned out the day's adventures and packed up the car with the items we would need. Bathing suits on and hiding under our perfectly matching shorts outfits just in case we ran into a swimming hole. We also had on our snow white Keds. Everyone knows once you had on your Keds, you were ready for the day.

We always had some fun and unexpected adventure while on vacation. Crossing a swinging bridge with wasps chasing us because we had stirred them up with the movement of our walking. Now three little children trying to out run a pack of angry wasps will always make a lasting memory. This was a time before Dollywood and big amusement parks. This was even before Six Flags over Georgia opened its doors. Times were simpler and looking forward to the Smoky mountain vacation was just part of being a kid.

When I took my children to the Smoky Mountains many years later, I had my children stand on the same wall that my sister and brother and I had stood on as children as I snapped their picture. We, guided by my memories of vacations past, traveled over the top of the mountain over to Maggie Valley Ghost Town in North Carolina and saw the bears that were at the small village near Maggie Valley and yet another chance for Deja vu. We saw the old western town that when I was a small child had looked so large and complex, which now had been built up into an amusement park. When I was a child it was a more simple Ghost Town. It was one of those rare moments in time when you actually could go back and relive a part, a very important part, of childhood.

So congratulations on 75 awesome years of being the best place to take a family to see bears and pristine woods, mountain rivers and streams and thank you for taking this time to make sure we have a place to visit and continue the family traditions.
Thank you Great Smoky Mountain National Park for 75 awesome years!

Posted via email from vicgoodwin's posterous

2010-03-04T06:15:00.001-07:00

Today I was taken back to my childhood and that is a funny thing to have happen at 5 am. I was reading a few of the questions on Conundrumland.com and one question was "What is your favorite silent movie". I was immediately taken back to the Alabama Theater in Birmingham Alabama. The bland brick building facing the 3rd Avenue traffic, with the gleaming Box office complete with mirrors and bright lights, giving the only clue that something special was in store for anyone that crossed the threshold. Once you stepped past the heavy lead glass doors, your breath was taken away at the mere sight of the three-story lobby and the grand staircase to the balcony. I remember the marble floors and the velvet ropes that kept you from entering the wrong area.

I loved to go to the Alabama Theater. I remember the day that I was able to go and see the silent version of "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney. It was the version where the organ came up out of the floor and boomed out glorious chord after dramatic chord. It was not so much songs as the dramatic and frightening sound effects that took you closer and closer to the edge of your seat.

I think I was more afraid in that movie due to the organ than I would have been if the silent movie had been silent. The entire day was a day of beauty. Even the restrooms or lounge as they called it at the theater was decadent with gold leaf and elegant sitting chairs and chaise lounge chairs placed around on marbled floors. For a preteen, it made it a special event to go down stairs to the restroom at the Alabama Theater. Even at a young age I was able to realize I was in a special place where no detail had been left out. To remember such beauty set the tone for my day. Thank you for joining me on my trip back to the Alabama Theater.

2010-02-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

We had a great dinner with Ian and Beth. Mindy and Dan were there as well and it was a really fun evening. We went to a place called San Felipes Cantina and the appetizers were great.Quesadilla and chicken wings. What a dinner!
Ian is looking at relocating over on this side of the ocean in the near future and I think that will be great. Beth is such a wonderful lady. She works so hard and her company is just a joy.
Mindy and Dan were fun as always.
Ian lives about 200 miles north of London so it is a beautiful accent that he has with a great sense of humor and just a very intelligent man. Beth is the hardest working woman I know. She is a teacher and works 3 part time jobs. Shew as gracious enough to spend her one off night with us and we loved it. I totally enjoyed the evening. Gerry and I really had a great time.

I watched the catwalk shows of Prada and Armani last night and they were beautifully done.Milan doesn't get the same amount of press as NY Paris and London, but they do a wonderful job. Maybe it is because it is the established designers and not the up and coming ones.

Yesterday at work they celebrated Gerry's 10th anniversary with them. Hard to believe he has been there 10 years already. Congratulations on staying that long Gerry. Congratulations on not just staying but doing as wonderful a job as you do. It is awesome to see how far you have made it there.

Have you ever had a day where a password refused to work for you? Even when you have had the same password for years and you know that the last 20 times you keyed it in, it was right? But the computer on the other end says login failed... oh what a wonderful start to a day. A day where I have to sit on the phone with customer assistance for an hour as I wait for one of them to become available. Yay I was wondering what I was going to do this Saturday. thankfully my computer made plans for me.

Guitar Hero 3 Song List

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Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo Coupons

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Dinner plans

2010-02-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our friend Ian is in town from England and so we are meeting he and Beth for dinner. It is a new place we have never been before so it will be fun going to a new restaurant and seeing this wonderful couple. He is only in town for about 6 weeks then back to his life across the sea until his next visit in the fall. They are an amazing couple to make this relationship work from two continents. They are so in love but their situation is one that makes it impossible for one or the other to move any time soon. It is always so sweet to spend time with them. Ian has some wonderful and funny stories I cannot wait to hear.

Tonight I have to get my Avon order ready to go in. I have one person I have to follow up with and then I will be able to put this order to bed.

I am going to work on an E-party with Angie so if you are in her address book, you will probably get an e-invitation. They are fun to do and simple. We will send out the email and she gets awesome amazing and wicked prizes. See how much fun it can be! You too can have an e-party and get awesome, amazing, and wicked fun prizes by simply hosting an online party. No one comes to the house and no one spills any drinks on the carpet. It is a win win and I am willing to help you host one. Just let me know when you are ready and I will do all the e-work. I love to put an e in front of my words. It makes me feel e-professional.

If you are like me, you are a bit shocked to hear that one of the most highly trained trainers at Sea World was killed by a killer whale today. I mean I guess forget they have the word killer in the title. Still they seem really well trained and then the wildness comes out.

Speaking of wild, we have the three little kittens and they are attempting to escape their bathroom sink home. They know we exist now and they want to come out and join us. The "mama" she is not too thrilled, but they are growing up and in only 3 weeks, we can find them loving homes and go back to being overrun by the other animals here.

Bahama Breeze Coupons

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Time to start planning that Alaskan cruise for this time next year. There is actually probably still time to fit one in for this year if you have a couple of free weeks this spring. It is my dream vacation.

Alaskan Cruise Vacation

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2010-02-23T22:32:00.002-07:00

Today was the Burberry live fashion show. It was great. the look of the coats and dresses were beautiful. Kate Hudson, Mary Kate Olsen and Mia Wasikowska, the actress from the new Alice in wonderland movie, were all there in the front row. Burberry did this show with interviews and even some locations had 3 D screening of the show.
Wow I can tell you with all this weeks shows live I have seen some really outstanding pieces and then there was the blue outfits that had blue dresses with blue rings around the center of the dress that was making them look like they had blue rolls around their waist. Very hard to describe and very hard to have watched.

So it seems to have warmed up enough in Alabama for a trip outdoors and Kathy was able to try out her Bow and Arrow. She is now going to have to purchase a wrist guard because her arm has been all bruised from the string and arrow banging into her forearm. First she drives a race car at over 100 miles an hour (in fact I believe it was close to 200 miles an hour) on Talladega's raceway and now she is learning to use the bow and arrow. She is such a daredevil. She makes me proud to call her my friend. Me, I am struggling to leave the house again, and there she is out there mastering all these new skills.

Burberry

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Todd Lynn

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London Fashion Week and Avon products

2010-02-21T04:38:00.000-07:00

The London Fashion Week has arrived. I have been watching the live streaming of the catwalk shows since yesterday and they have some strange fashions I admit, but the ones that are not out of this world crazy are spectacular. The Sass and Bide show was just beautiful. they had some of the most beautiful dresses I have seen. Here is a video Denise made while we watched. The show today was from Betty Jackson and it was a great one. The catwalk for Betty Jackson had some beautiful clothes.
After seeing some of the strange ideas that one designer passed off for clothes I wanted to assure you that these are clothes and well designed clothes in the video. I felt compelled to save you from the catwalk disaster Casey and I watched yesterday. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the Video.

Sass & Bide

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I am trying out the new product by Avon called Anew Reversalist and I love it. It makes my face feel so much tighter and healthy. Bet you really needed to know that my face was beginning to feel loose, but it was. This day cream is so nice and is not greasy at all. It feels good and smells very good. Those are my main criteria on face creams. I refuse to look and feel slimy just for the sake of some firmness and I want it to smell pleasant. So if you are looking for a product that really helps firm up the face and neck then I would suggest this Anew Reversalist day cream by Avon.

Avon Catalog

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Spring is right around the corner. In case you were forgetting that I live in a different climate than most, this rainy February we are having is Phoenix' version of ''April Showers brings May Flowers''
We are getting our rain again so Mother Nature must be preparing the way for the spring flowers which usually arrive about March and are burned to a crisp by June.
So it is time to choose a garden fountain so that you have that nice running water when the drought returns.

How To Choose A Garden Fountain

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Fashion Designers

2010-02-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have a new area I have been working in Mahalo. Fashion designers! There are so many and wow, their style differs so much. There is a designer named Holly Fulton and I really enjoyed her last collection. She showed it in London in September and it was featuring skyscrapers in geometric design. What a beautiful collection it was. Today I did a page on Todd Lynn and although I was not as in love with his creations, I could see why they are gathering a following. If you can afford his clothing then you would certainly want people to notice them. With horsehair coming out of the sleeve and metal cones coming up from the shoulder, I have no doubt that you will be noticed. I love the showmanship of Todd Lynn but I just like the clothes of Holly better.

Both are new as far as their own label, although Holly is so much newer than Todd.

Todd has been designing clothing for Rock stars for about 6 years. When asked to design the video clothing for Marilyn Manson right out of college he agreed, and from there he blossomed into a tailor for the rock stars. He has even designed for Bono and U2's tour clothing. He is still on contract with U2 to design their clothes.
Another designer that has really down to earth style is Matthew Williamson. He is brilliant and not out of this world like so many others tend to be. I think you will like his work.

He has his new label and it is amazing. He has been active in the Fashion Week for 10 years now so he is well known in these circles. I can't wait to see this new collection.

Holly has only had 2 seasons and she is about to present her third collection. I will be following her this season to see how she does. She has her catwalk show on February the 20th. This weekend all the catwalks will be busy.

If you have a favorite designer that is showing in London let me know. I would love to see the different tastes of everyone.

Matthew Williamson

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2010-02-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

So when you think you have heard it all they come out with a new drug that was derived from gila monster saliva and it is an injection that addresses diabetes. The drugs name is Byetta and it is administered in doses that you inject into your stomach.

The purpose of the medicine is to assist people with type 2 diabetes.

I live in the Southwest but never did I think that they would produce a medicine from the spit of a gila monster. Have you seen those things? I mean they are very scary looking.

Payday came from Mahalo yesterday and I was so happy to see that go into Pay Pal. I am paying a couple of bills with it this month so I was anxiously awaiting the deposit. It was made exactly when it was promised. Good work Mahalo!

There is a few bugs on site today and I am hoping that is the cause of Casey's problems. Other wise I might have to say something about how blatantly unfair their taking pages from people that are trying is when they leave bare pages up for months on those that do not even log in,

But I will work this out since I think it is all part of the bug that is happening today.

I watched some of the Olympic coverage of the pairs skating last night and it was magnificent. to watch them complete all the jumps and tosses. It was just beautiful to watch these two compete.Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett were flawless in this performance. She is just 16 years old. What grace and poise she has at such a young age.

The Avon delivery should arrive in a couple of hours and then I am out to sell and get more customers. I have a few people that wanted me to stop back by so maybe I will have a couple of new people I can call my customers. That is the most fun part of Avon is listening to people when you bring them a brochure and they always tell me how much they love it
I think I will put the Mahalo Olympic TV listing for my widget this time., as a celebration of the amazing athletes that are there.

Winter Olympics TV Schedule

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Broken hearted and touched during the Olympic Opening Event

2010-02-13T00:24:00.003-07:00

My heart broke today for a 21 year old Olympian named Nodar Kumaritashvili a young man from the country of Georgia, that I had never even heard of before today. I was watching the news and to have seen him fly out of his luge and crash into that rail made me physically ill. He was so young and yes he was doing a dangerous sport, but never do we ever expect it to turn out so badly. I never have thought about the possibility of an Olympian getting killed either during the actual race or in a practice run at the Olympics.

Tonight when I watched the opening event and I saw how shocked and confused his team looked I was once again hit with such deep sympathy. That small contingent of Olympians came across the world to compete and now for one talented young man there was only one final run and now he is gone. The rest of the team have to find solace and peace within themselves.
I think that the moment of silence for him was a wonderful tribute to pay to his memory.

The Olympics opening event was absolutely breathtaking. I loved every moment of the extravaganza. And it was just an extravaganza. I loved K D Lang's version of Hallelujah. It was phenomenal.
The operatic prayer was just out of this world. It was a beautiful song and the Dress was brilliant. I can not find her name anywhere so if you know it drop me a line. I want to know who she is.
I liked the performance of Sarah Mclachlan, and yet to be honest, I didn't know she was from Nova Scotia.

The Scenery, dancing, and the indoor snow made it just a beautiful performance. I loved the Totems and the whales coming up out of the floor. That was super spectacular. I was in love then they turned into birds that flew up out of the stadium. They really had some creative ideas and they all worked together. It was a beauty of a show.

Tomorrow they start the Olympic sports and I will be watching a good bit of them. I am all about the winter Olympics. One last thought about that young man comes back to me, I hope that when it comes time for the actual luge event, they have some type of pads up. I can not even imagine wanting to go out there and pass that spot where he crashed. Especially if I was on a sled flying down that track at over 90 miles an hour. It is just too soon and too horrible.

Below is a full schedule of what is on NBC for the 16 days.

Winter Olympics TV Schedule

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Dewey Color System

2010-02-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

Dewey Color System

Dewey Color Test

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Why New and Improved isn't always an Improvement

2010-02-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Why New and Improved isn't always an Improvement

Mondays Are For Learning

2010-02-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

The Avon meeting went well tonight. I have been to two now and I think I learn something at each one. Tonight we discussed the skin care regimen and it makes sense to care for your skin and even start to reverse some of the damage that sun, stress, diet and pollution can cause. There is a new product that I am trying and I think I am going to like it. It reverses some of the wrinkles that years of squinting and laughing have caused.
The district manager is a funny little thing. She went across Arizona in a recruiting frenzy and couldn't find a gas station in any of the reservations she was visiting. She was only .25 gallons from empty when she finally found a station. She had even passed a truck that had a gasoline can in the back of it so that if she ran out of gas she was strategically placed in front of him, so that if she ran out he would stop and share gasoline with her. This woman is a hoot. She is fun to hold the meetings and she is all about helping her Avon ladies but she makes me laugh.

News alert! Drop Dead Diva starts back in June 2010.

Drop Dead Diva

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Before the Avon meeting I was asked if I wanted to fix up an ailing page on Mahalo . This page was getting some attention and the subject was so fascinating I almost didn't get it made because I was researching the entire concept. The subject is the Dewey Color System test. Children up to adults can take this test and their personality comes to light. Employers love to use this because it lets them see if the person is a good fit in the position in which they are applying. The test takes less than 5 minutes to complete and the results will tell you a wealth of information about yourself. Amazing information, but take a look for yourself.

Dewey Color Test

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Super Bowl Bad Bad - Half time show

2010-02-08T01:55:00.001-07:00

The commercials made me laugh and they made me enjoy the hours that the game played. The one part of the festivities that was terrible was the part where they let The Who come on and totally ruin any memories I had of liking any of their music. It was too hard to watch. I left the room and tried to drowned it out with music from my computer. I was thinking that this is why retirement is something to embrace and admit when you are not longer the cool band that could harmonize. We have moved past that and now so should they.
They have lost it if you asked me. I know I am not a singer, but they were singing at two totally different times. No way did they ever even sync up and make it worth listening to.

Maybe I am being too harsh, but it is late and I have thought about it a lot longer than I should have. Why do they keep getting these old acts that embarrass themselves. With that said, I will admit the drummer seemed to be in tune and able to hold the beat, and the light show of the stage was outstanding. So I leave this blog on a high note and Since I am spitting a little fire I will leave my insurance widget to keep it company.

Homeowners Insurance Quotes

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2010-02-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

We have rain. That's right, once again it is raining. Not just raining but gusting winds and heavy rain, Someone forgot to tell the clouds that this is a desert. We have had so much rain in the last 30 days. It is amazing. I love the sound of the rain, it takes about 30 minutes of rain before I figure out what that tapping sound is. Then I realize it is actual rain.
Now we just had the first thunder to go along with this uncommon storm. Prepare to the East, it will be there in a few days. Every time we have had one of these storms it has kept going until it reached Alabama. So I will be your early warning device. Heavy rain and thunder is heading your way.
I do not want this misunderstood, I am not sad about the rain,.we need it terribly, but it is just so unusual. I wanted to share it. Oh, there was another thunder clap before I could even send this out. Yes, watch out Alabama, you have one coming that way.

My local weather forecast and information is here enjoy!.

New Blogs of Fellow Mahalo Members

2010-02-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

I have been visiting the sites of other Mahalo Members and they have some amazing sites to read and view. Vlad has a wonderful gamers site. Vlad's blog It is all about the game pages he works so hard on.

Baka has a very interesting blog that he is about to move to another site but it is here for now and worth checking out.

When I asked if anyone had a blog I was told to check this one out I did and now I pass it along to you,
thekoup28 has a very witty site.

I looked at Lidya's blog and I felt the stirrings of jealousy. Her's looks so professional and mine looks like it is a bit home made. Take a look and see if you agree

MaggieRay has a very very nice page which has a lot of information about cooking and some easy and great recipes I was happy to spend some time over there today reading. Read what MaggieRay has written and enjoy.

EdwardClint has offered his page as a new blog and looking for traffic. He has political and interesting information on his blog.

so if you are in the mood for some blog jumping then hop from one site to the next and see just how diverse the Mahalo community is.

And perhaps you are wanting a free online game, then see if this reminds you of the good old early days of the Nintendo and duck Hunt.

Free Bird Hunting Games

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Ellis meets Mickey

2010-02-05T17:27:00.003-07:00

My son Ellis has been offered an Internship at Disneyland. This would be a 3 month commitment for him to work there and it counts as a semester of Communications. Then at the end of the semester he decides if he wants to go permanent . Jessica and the kids can stay here for the semester then move if they decided to go, or stay here and have Ellis come back with an Internship at Disney to put on his resume.

They have a lot of thinking to do but everyone knows how awesome Disney is.

Rainbows and gardens Spring is coming!

2010-02-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

We had rain!! Look out East side of America you will be next. It was a beautiful rain that had a massive double rainbow for the people driving home from work to look at.
I have noticed that Arizona offers up rainbows many more times than I ever saw in Alabama. sometimes the sky is just riddled with them. Yesterday there were just 2 massive rainbows and that was totally worth seeing. The sky then became vivid pink and then sunset was upon us.
So maybe we are in Arizona's version of April showers right here in February. If so I am going to get ready to plant. I am going to work on my raised garden this year. I need it raised because for one reason, the dogs walk over my plants and are making my shrubs break. If I elevate it, then they will keep those muddy paws out of there. The soil being what it is here, this will allow me to have a better chance at a successful garden.

How to Make a Raised Vegetable Garden

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My insurance agent will not leave me alone. He wants to meet with me and I just know he wants to add more coverage on me and I am not looking for new coverage. Did someone contact him to tell him about the push over on 31st ave? I think they might have, he is pretty insistent that we meet. I keep cancelling the appointments and he keeps making new ones with me. ARGH....
No one will believe what we did last night. Gerry brought home Rock Star or Guitar hero.... one of those games and we all sang on the microphone. Yes we have stay at home Karaoke night!!!!! It was fun. We sang several song all of us but Casey and she is next. She was cooking. ( I think it was planned that she miss it like that) By the time she finished the mic was packed up and we were all exhausted. No wonder all the stars suffer from exhaustion... It is hard work, but it was fun.

Sarah Katherine went to the doctor for her check up and she weighed in at 8 pounds and 9 ounces. She is really growing like a weed. She is a petite little girl. She was only 5 pounds at birth. That is a 3 pound gain in just 2 short months. She also got her shots so she had a rough day yesterday.

Ellis has started his second year in college and he is taking Spanish and communications. He will be getting his associates degree in December and he is still maintaining his A average. I am very proud of his commitment to school and getting his degree. Once he has his associates he will start working on his bachelor and then he will be ready for Radiologist training. That is what he his ultimate goal is. There is a 2 year waiting list here for the Radiology program so he will work on his degree while he is waiting. He has it all planned out and I am for one very proud of his achievements. Working a full time job while going to school full time is quite a commitment.

Casey's friend Lisa is going to be the newest Avon lady in Birmingham starting tomorrow. So happy to get her started selling and now she will be out there providing samples and brochures in the age old tradition. An exciting time for a young lady to start with her very own business. She is so excited and is already making her contact list. That is what will make her a success.

Wanted to let you know the kittens are doing fine and Filhinha is a great mother. She spends all her time with those babies. She isn't one of those wandering off mothers that you see sometimes in the cat world. Her name, Filhinha means Daughter in Portuguese.

2010-02-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

My cat had her kittens, one black and white, one grey and white and one solid black. Since we told her she was only allowed to have 1 or 2 babies she of course had 3. Cats are so stubborn and find a way to do everything in their own way.
She found an almost empty cabinet in my bathroom to have them and so it has been like she has an apartment for them. No pups can open the door and neither can the 2 day old kittens.

Luis promoted my last hub so well that I had a huge number of hits on it. I wrote about my love of the Brazilian's and the guild that I am a part of. The hubs are another place I can write and it allows me to have a bigger audience of strangers reading. Mom you will notice I smiled in this picture. You can see my dimples.

This week has been spent on sprucing up my Mahalo existing pages and working on a bulk project. 13 pages so far on games that are available online for free. I am hoping for a good turn out and if you are curious, please check them out. Here are some widgets so you can click those and visit Mahalo.

Free Cooking Games

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Free NES Games

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Have you heard about Glue. It is a great little assistant to see what others are loving on the Internet. I find that when I love something others come and visit and when they find something worth gluing I rush to check it out as well.

My Avon project is going pretty well. I went out today and met some of my neighbors and they seemed interested in the products and wanted the catalog. It is a little hard to spout off the web address while standing there at their front door.
Since the new catalog is online now I wanted to route some of them to it, so I hope they read it off of the back cover.
Jon ( Tony's Brother) said that he got his order within 3 days of ordering. He was shocked it was that fast, but he lives near a hub. He is a former Avon representative, I may ask him to reconsider selling it now that they do it online. He was a very popular Avon rep. Gave up the business because he was spending too much time delivering his orders. Now that is where I would like to be in a few months :)

The Grammy's were amazing. Pink and her high flying act was amazing. It was worthy of Vegas!
The Michael Jackson Tribute song was enough to bring me to tears. First it dealt with the rainforest and second he died too young and then the song was so good. so very good. I am not the biggest Michael Jackson fan but I have grown up with him and I believe he was a very talented song writer and singer.

This has been my week and I would love to hear about yours. So let me know what is new, amazing and fun in your lives.

My contribution to the Grammy 2010 coverage

Eminem Drake Lil Wayne Grammy Performance

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My little Brother

2010-01-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my baby brother's birthday. Happy Birthday Ray!!

If you were closer I would bake you a cake and sing happy birthday.

Ray is in Oregon and I have not seen him in several years now. This is becoming the most common thread in my adult life. I nver see my family that is now spread all over the USA. From Kentucky, to Alabama and Westward to Washington state and Oregon.
I was fortunate in getting Ellis and Casey to relocate here so I can selfishly see them all the time. I can't ask Angie to relocate, because she has an awesome life there in Kentucky and Tony has an excellent job. Casey was too young to have a carreer or a reason to deny my request that she move to Arizona. Ellis was ready for a move and I think it has been a good move for him and the family.
But I have not made it north to see Ray and Cheryl and I should do that. I miss them both and then when it is one of their birthdays I get all nostalgic for them to be in the same state with me.
Happy Birthday Ray one more time :) since it is the big one, I wanted to make it special for you.

2010-01-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

There are many places online to play slots for free. This page on Mahalo will link you to many of them. If you have not played in a while online they have become more casino like and more fun.

Free Slots Online

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If you love Sudoku then you will love this little page about Free downloads of Sudoku online.

Free Sudoku Download

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These pages and more are on Mahalo and you can read all about the Free games and downloads of some of your favorite games.

I am selling AVON

2010-01-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

AVON. I am now an AVON Representative. This is a very fun thing for me to say. I have always loved the products and now with my being out of work, I decided to go back to selling Avon.

The greatest thing is that they now have an online store all set up for me and all I have to do is direct people to the site and people all over the world can order directly from me. http://vickigoodwin.avonrepresentative.com/

Most people that have purchased AVON know that the products are excellent quality and usually very nicely priced.

If anyone wanted to try some of the products I offer free shipping on orders placed through the online site.

So if you are needing some lotion or some shampoo or any other product then you can find those at the website.

AVON isn't just about the make-Up and the perfume. They offer so much more.

If you want to do a fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness or any other fundraiser, then contact me. We can set up an event that will raise money for breast cancer awareness or Domestic abuse or any other cause. I will be participating in a fundraiser at hometown Buffet the first weekend in February and 10% of all sales go to breast cancer awareness.

If you have thought about selling then let me know. The start up is the lowest it has been in a while. I would love to get you started in your very own business.Contact me and lets talk AVON vicgoodwin@gmail.com

Unusual blog from me I know, but I wanted to share with you what was going on in my life and give you the opportunity to have my links. I would love to hear from you.

2010-01-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Bahama Breeze Coupons

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LEarn more about becoming an Island Insider at Bahama Breeze.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

http://hubpages.com/hub/Merry-Christmas-2009

My Christmas Story to you all I hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas

Vicki

Christmas Village

2009-12-03T16:04:00.003-07:00

There is no real snow in Phoenix. But snow lives in my heart. So I have my winter snow Christmas Village all over my house. I sometimes think it drops a good 10 degrees just walking past these little houses covered in snow with all the children and parents working together to get those snowmen carefully draped in their colorful woolen scarves.

The children ice skating in the park and sledding on the snowbanks starts to cause me to become energetic and suddenly I am craving hot cocoa.

Sipping my cocoa ,I think about the simpler times and think that life for them must have been so nice and calm and just lovely. To be able to see the lawns and trees covered in snow in your neighborhood. To hear the carolers as they stroll from house to house spreading good cheer to all they encounter.

So yes, once a year I bring out my little village with the cozy villagers and let them enjoy 30 days out of their packages and out of the heat of the Phoenix closet. I let these little happy people ice skate in their little pond inside my house and sled in my living room.

And me? I just live vicariously through them.

2009-11-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Christmas has come to 31st Ave. I have all my exterior lights up and I think it looks charming. So I made some pictures and thought I would share them with you.

This is how I wanted to end my Thanksgiving weekend. All Decked for the holiday fa la la la la la la

2009-11-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Time to put up the Christmas decorations. I have the 3 trees for the front lawn and my Christmas village ready to go out. I will send up some pictures when everything is done. I hope to get it taken care of tomorrow, I would like for the weekend to show some amount of productivity.

Today I was car less and for the first time in months I thought about going out. Isn't that the way it always works? When I have the car sitting in the driveway I am reluctant to step outside. When the car is parked 27 miles away all day I get road trip happy.

Question of the day!!!!
When someone calls on the phone and asks to speak to you by name how do you respond?
This is she
It it I
or do you have one I have not considered.
Just so you know I say "this is she".

Thanksgiving meaning

2009-11-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is here. What does that mean to me? Well it means that I grew up with the best thanksgivings ever known to man. Grandparents that loved unconditionally and were willing to take on anything or anyone that life handed them. Not just take it on, but take it on with grace and the most wonderful spirit I have still to this day never seen matched in another human.
A family that when they came together greeted each other with genuine love and affection. Uncles and Aunts Cousins and Great Grandmothers alike.
Family that truly were thankful to be there at the cozy small house in Fairview. Thankful for one day of normalcy and beauty and happiness. That is what I strive for every year for my family now. Sometimes we get so close that it becomes a reflection of my childhood family Thanksgivings and nothing is nicer than knowing we got that close to perfection. It saddens me only when I realize that some of my children never got to see the original ultimate Thanksgiving. But I am not sad for long because I have a turkey to bake and a ham to cook and pies to get into the oven. Yes I have one more year to make it the ultimate thanksgiving for my family, and so I need not dawdle. That is what Thanksgiving means to me. Thankful for all these years of thanksgiving memories and my family to share them with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending Happy Thanksgiving wishes early.

2009-11-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

As Thanksgiving gets close I just wanted to say how thankful I am for my family and my friends. For the little kindnesses you show and the huge things you do for me. For the large kindnesses you show and for the little things you do as well. Mainly I am thankful to have you all in my life.

Sometimes it seems that we have nothing to be thankful for, but that isn't the case and I wanted to say to you all. Happy Thanksgiving and I for one am thankful for you all.

2009-11-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

It is cold here. I mean 47 degree cold. The firpit is lovely because it is warm and it is beautiful, but some times it is too chilly to go out and build a fire. Thank goodness for Kenn. He is willing to get a fire going anytime he steps outside. the cats and dogs love the cold. They get all bushy and go prancing all over the back yard. The one cat is a little run away, she can even open the sliding glass door with her toe nails. She just scratches until it gives up and slides right open. Then the chase is on. People and dogs racing along the back yard trying to cut her off. Her ears laid back like she is a horse in the Preakness galloping close to the ground and determined to win.
So we have to be very careful with the doors here, or we are out trying to stop the steeplechase with our bare hands.

Lexi and Jessica head to Birmingham this morning. they are going to be there for 8 days. If you get a chance to see her you will not believe how much she has grown. Very hard to believe she is nine years old now.

Angie is getting close to delivering Miss Sarah Katherine and I know she is ready. I was going to go visit when the baby was born so that I could watch the boys for her, but it looks like I am not able to do that this time. So I will plan all of this as soon as possible, But just know I will pass along pictures of the little bundle of joy as soon as she arrives.

Stay warm. I know I will be trying.

Enjoy some Christmas Music if you wish

2009-11-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you blog

2009-11-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

Writing this month has been such a refreshing time for me. I have written my entire life. I have novel after novel started and placed in my box of writings. I never had the nerve to attempt to show my work before. I appreciate everyone that has tolerated my putting these blogs out and allowing me to express myself this way.

Writing was my great love in grade and high school. I wrote my first play in the 3rd grade and I made my first comic book character in the 9th grade. I have placed small characters on paper since I could write.

No one knows how or why I lost my confidence when I was a teenager and no one ever will, but now at this age I have found enough to press on and present my own work out for people to see. You that get the update on these writings are my most trusted friend and family and I do not intend to bore or brag only to share.
Thank you for allowing me to share these little simple writings with you.

I am back to writing and I hope you find the courage to do the one thing you love and do not make time for and make time for it.
I am almost 40,000 words into my book and I am so excited to finally have this story out. It has cleared up a lot of brain space for me
:)
Thank you all again dear family and friends, you have made all the difference in my life.

Christmas Blog

2009-11-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

There is a fellow Mahalo writer that has started a Christmas blog. Check it out and see what you think. She is one of the best writers on Mahalo so I am sure it will be an amazing page. When I went over and looked at it she had some good ideas about how to have an economical Christmas.

FishVille has released on Facebook

2009-11-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

November 6,2009 Zynga released FishVille Their newest game on Facebook. It was only 1 month after applying for the Trademark.

On November 9,2009 Zynga pulled FishVille due to a third party disagreement. It comes from the pay to play accusations that came to light this week.

It seems that Zynga wasn't letting people know that in order to get the offers you had to sign up for a monthly contract with the vendor. I believe this will start a moving away form the Doubleding and Offerpay companies that are on every application in order to get them more income.
So when you play these games on Facebook remember to read very carefully anything that provides you with an incentive. Some of them come with monthly contracts and some come with offers that will cost you money through your cell phone.
Be careful with your facebook apps.

A Thanksgiving contest like no other

2009-11-12T01:51:00.002-07:00

There is an amazing contest out at http://jaypeeonline.net/
Jaypee Habaradas of JaypeeOnline.net is giving away $1.500 worth of prizes that ranges from cash, to premium WordPress themes and web hosting. It is an amazing prize package and totally worth checking out and taking the time to register. What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving, and as he said in the blog "Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks and express gratitude" I am thankful someone was able to put an idea like this together at a time when people are looking for a reason to be thankful.

This contest is sponsored by :
1. StudioPress
2. Pro Theme Design
3. Press75
4. WP Zoom
5. WP Now
6. Elegant Themes
7. WP WebHost
8. Jehzeel Laurente

The Prizes are as follows:
1st Prize
Pro Plus All-Theme Package from StudioPress ($199.95)
Single Theme License from Pro Theme Design ($79)
Single Theme License from Press75 ($75)
Single Theme License from WP Zoom ($49)
1 Year Theme Club Membership from Elegant Themes ($19.95)
1 Year Hosting w/ Free Domain from DreamHost courtesy of Jehzeel Laurente
$50 Cash via PayPal from Jehzeel Laurente

2nd Prize
Single Theme License from Pro Theme Design ($79)
Single Theme License from Press75 ($75)
Single Theme Package from StudioPress ($59.95)
Single Theme License from WP Zoom ($49)
1 Year Freedom Plan Hosting from WP Web Host ($80)
$25 Cash via PayPal from JaypeeOnline

3rd Prize
Single Theme License from Pro Theme Design ($79)
Single Theme Package from StudioPress ($59.95)
Single Theme License from WP Zoom ($49)
Single Theme Licenses from WP Now ($29)
1 Year Freedom Plan Hosting from WP Web Host ($80)
$10 Cash via PayPal from JaypeeOnline

He is even offering Consolation Prizes
Single Theme Package from StudioPress ($59.95)
Single Theme Licenses from WP Now ($29)

If you sign up and are from the Philippines he will be rewarding 5 lucky people with a tee shirt.

Check out his site @ http://jaypeeonline.net/contests/thanksgiving-giveaway/ and register for the contest. It is a great prize package.

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-11T01:24:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month is here and I am 18000 words into my novel.http://www.nanowrimo.org/ The path has been fun so far, confusing yes of course, but fun and exciting. The first time I started writing I was not sure what the people in my story wanted to do. It seemed as if they wanted to just relax and not steer me in any logical direction.

Finally one by one the characters started leading me into their private lives and their intentnios and after a bumpy start I was able to get a nice section started. Then lo and behold in walked a new character. I had not been warned that we were going to have such an awesome character drop in and make some changes and bring it all closer to my mind that I have basically 15 days to write until I get to my 50,000 words. Can I do it? I think I can I think I can and with that I think I need to get back to writing. I have to get to 25000 words before the 15th. Don't worry I know I can do 25000. It is the other 25k I am a bit worried about.
So keep me in your thoughts and I will keep listening to the little quiet voices of the characters in my book and any unknown characters that have not show themselves to me.

This month is zooming past and I am trying to get as much written as possible so that I can do my final word count before the 30th of November. this way if there is a discrepancy in the count I can address it.

Saturday was a good day

2009-11-08T03:02:00.002-07:00

A very happy Birthday for me today. I received so many birthday wishes cards ( one from my work signed by all my co-workers) and letters (Ray) . It made me feel so loved and supported. I also was given a very wonderful gift from Gerry. I know you will all know how I feel about this gift. He gave me a fire pit. So I have been out toasting my toes. It is still hard to wear shoes when it is in this desert. So my toes were a bit nippy.

I did not pick up the logs. Silly me. So we burned some limbs I had cut from my shrubs last week that were all nicely dried and ready to be burned. Had a beautiful fire for about 40 minutes and that was just enough to christen the fireplace.

Next time you are in Phoenix come on over and get warm with my outdoor fireplace. I think you will love it as much as I do.

After I warmed my toes I came back in to write on my quest of 50 thousand words by November 30th and today I hit 10,516 and I still have a few more thoughts about my story. The writer of Ella Enchanted gave us our pep talk for the weekend and she is a very clever writer.

Lexi is here tonight and I can already see such an improvement in her teeth. She is really being responsible about the brushing of them and I am proud of her.

Today I wrote a page on Feng Shui and it was accepted on Mahalo and so if you have ever had any interest in Feng Shui then I hope you will check it out. It turned out quite nicely I think.

I wish I cold have been in Birmingham for the service for Steve. I would have loved to be there to let the family know I love them all and am keeping them in my thoughts and prayers.

I will tell you all about my garden ( one hint is I bought some vegetable seeds today) tomorrow.

Vote here

Baby hit the buffet

2009-11-05T19:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight was Raevyndaun's first visit to a buffet and she has it down cold. She will take some of the bananas and some fish please. A little Chicken if you don't mind. Please hold the cantaloupe it is a bit yucky to her taste.

I will be remembering Julie in my thoughts and prayers, her Aunt has been given only a few months to live and that is so hard to accept and face.

I saw Darrell's tattoo and it is amazing. The pictures did not do it justice at all. the blocks look like they are going to pop off the skin.

today it was cloudy and 90 degrees. But the sky was just beautiful. This is when I wish I had a swimming pool for fall days and summer weather. Would be fun to just hop in for Thanksgiving.

I talked with Angie today and she is having a lot of trouble sleeping due to the baby sitting on those leg nerves making rest very hard. At least the baby isn't knoicking the leg out from under her like Jacob liked to do. spealing of Jacob I wanted to share his picture on Halloween when he was Chuckie. Nathan was Darth Vader and he looked awesome and also had a groovy light saber. Sometimes it seems that the light saber is enough of a costume. Angie said she believes that was the purpose of the whole outfit lol.
I hope the day is good to everyone. It was an adventure for me. I actually got out of the car and took the baby up to my work and sat on a bench until Gerry came out then we all left. But I did see some of my co-workers.

Being a Grandmother

2009-11-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Being a Grandmother

Desert drabness can be changed one plant at a time

2009-11-04T21:59:00.001-07:00

If you live as I do in the desert, then you have come to accept the little pebbles that they call the desert landscaping. Sometimes it is too dreary for words. Sometimes it makes you lose your sense of style and originality, or maybe that is just the Home owners association. Sometimes it is just painful to run catch a fleeing cat before she leaves your yard.

So perhaps you remember that a month ago I decided that this year I would have a garden. I would not try to incorporate the plants form the East as I have tried and failed so many times before. No, this time would be the building of a winter friendly, summer surviving garden.

November has arrived and the flowers are surviving except where the pups are dining on the leaves and on one of the portulaca. But no weather damage and they have survived thus far the strange dip in the temperature we encountered last week. It was into the 40's in the night and back only into the 60's during the day.

The next venture into the garden is adding in a pond for the Water element and a fire pit for the Fire element. I already have the plants growing in Earth and my wind chimes celebrating the wind. This will give me all the elements that I have been looking to have in my garden area.

I truly believe this will be good for the feng shui chi of the family to have all four represented.

Countdown to the Hallowedding

2009-10-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

2 Days from the hallowedding. Casey is a basket case from the last minute details, decisions and concerns. She has little projects going on all over and she spent the day trying to get them all completed. She has done an amazing job in less than 1 month. Even with unexpected purchases she is still working on getting all the details like she wants. I am really anxious to see the cake. To know this lady has worked so hard to make this amazing gift for Casey and Kenn. Just amazing. I will post pictures of the cake and the ceremony and the reception. I can not wait to show everyone her beautiful ceremony she has planned.

Sue Springer is going to officiate and this is her second wedding. She will do some of the original ring blessings and declaration and benediction. I know she is a bit nervous, but just know she will do fine. She is a little scared knowing that Channel 10 is now planning on coming and if possible doing a live remote during the wedding. I say possible because the Arizona Scream Park arranged the media and they said that the reporter wanted to do a live remote so if it happens we will have that to save as well. What a fun time we are expecting to have. Between the Ceremony and the reception Kenn and Casey have pilled out all the creative stops. No one knows what to expect and so I think... everyone will be pleasantly surprised.
So if you haven't decided if you are coming or not, feel welcome to drop on over into Scottsdale and celebrate with us, or head over to my house for the reception. there is plenty of Jello shots and cake for everyone.

2009-10-27T23:37:00.001-07:00

Mama Kate, my grandmother always had copies of Arizona Highways on her coffee table and in her magazine racks. It was one of those magazines that you never tossed out. It was the magazine I could look through time and again. The one thing that always stood out to me was the Reds. The reds of the dirt, the red of the Grand Canyon and the reds of the sunsets. The towering white clouds edged in red, contrasting with the turquoise sky between. Now I realize they took the pictures of those tall massive clouds because they were rare.

In my mind that was Arizona. The Indian School on Indian School road. This was the place that my grandparents supported with financial donations all while I was growing up and we would receive little Indian dolls. This was the gift my grandmother received for her devotion to the little school that helped the Indian children learn English, math and science. As an adult I have learned that they were not all happy to be here, but my grandparents helped out of the goodness of their hearts and the faith in the beliefs of the times.
Again in my mind that was Arizona.

Today all that came flooding back when I saw a woman that had gotten out of her car on the side of the road and was taking pictures of the sky. The towering clouds with the little touches of turquoise between. Oh did I mention the reds. Because each white cloud had just the faintest hint of red and in my mind, I had just sat down on the floor with my back up against the cold marble coffee table with the Arizona Highways Magazine.

Other than wishing I too could pull over on Indian School Road as that woman had, and watch the sunset melt into the ribbon of red that it would soon become I realized I am living my own copy of Mama Kate's Arizona Highways Magazine.

Goodbye my friend

2009-10-26T23:35:00.001-07:00

Steve I heard of your passing today. I was sad but I also was touched that you had reached out to me after all this time and we had one awesome day together. Chatting about the old days laughing and recalling things that were so important and so minute. But it was a wonderful visit. A day full of hugs and laughter and happy thoughts about those that we shared a bond with all those years ago. The neighbors that liked us and we had no clue why. The people we talked about that had not been brought to mind in so long. Silly times and fun times. The fact that we were friends that went to the sweetheart banquet at your church because we both wanted to go. The Performances in the basement of your church. We talked for about 9 hours straight and it is 9 hours I will never forget.
I will share some of the things Steve told me. He said that Nellie was the best mother and she was a beautiful person that had always accepted him with no hesitancy. He loved her for that. He loved Martha, Ruth and Libby and thought they were awesome sisters to have. He said he had no bad memories of them and that when he thinks of them he always thinks of them happy and smiling. His family meant so much to him. He is proud of David and Terri and He told me about Eddie and Ken and had only nice things to say about each.
He was so proud of his dad. He said in a time when people would struggle with just a few kids his dad had provided very nicely for 8 children and his father was an amazing man. He told me he had made some mistakes but that the family always was there for him.
I wanted to share in case anyone ever thinks people do not discuss their true feelings, they do. and Steve I will never forget you and I am so so thankful God gave us 1 day to forge a new memory that is helping me and hopefully others through this time.
You will be missed Steve. I still look out the window every time I hear a motorcycle hoping it was you dropping in for a visit. My regret is at my missing your phone call when we could have had another day to make memories with our pups.
I am glad you greeted me with those hugs and kind words and that wonderful visit.
Farewell Steve. I will miss you!

2009-10-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday party for Bella. She is turning 1 tomorrow. She is one of the most adorable babies out there. Reyes has been stressing over this party and I know it will be a blast. Raevyndaun woke up this morning ready to go to the party. Cody spent the night Friday night but when he found out his mama was buying him the toy Bakugan he decided to head home.

Tyler got the phone and talked to me on it and he was so giggly He was running all over the place while he was chattering to me. He is so adorable and he is finally wanting to hug and get kisses. I have some little clothes for him and I can't wait to see him in them. He is totally in his terrible 2's now but he is a cutie and not too bad at all.

I am working on a review for Smart E Bear. This cuddly bear can speak in 3 languages, English, Spanish and Chinese. He learns the childs name and then sings to them. It is similar to Teddy Ruxben from the 80's but there is no hard batterypack all of his information is downloaded into a small packet of electronics and no matter how much you snuggle with these guys you can not feel the pack.
You download games songs and books and then the bear plays with the child. The music isn't electronic it is actually well known artists that have contracted with the Kids Preferred LLC.
There is also a cat and a dog as well as the bear.
Yesterday I had 4 pages accepted. That was the most I have had accepted in one day. I came in 9th place on a contest on Mahalo last week and that was from submitting 40 pages this month. Between the swag and the prize money I have really been enjoying Mahalo. Getting positive feedback from people that have work I really respect is a nice feeling. I know I talk about Mahalo alot but I find it such a positive release for me. A way to write and learn and grow and even get paid some. How can I not be going on and on about it.
Angie and Kathy both reminded me not to be pulled in by the media frenzy on the H1N1. I will resist getting the shot or worse the nasal spray vaccination.

Angie passed on some really good advice about the flu:
Wash hands often and stay clear of germ filled areas.
Then she reminded me not everyone that gets the flu is going to not survive it. thank you both Angie and Kathy.

H1N1 Vaccinate or not to vaccinate

2009-10-24T08:20:00.003-07:00

The news is over flowing with H1N1 news adn I am not sure what to do. Do we all go and get the vaccination? The lines are full already this morning of people waiting for their shots. They expect to run out before the day is over. What a scary time. But how bad is this?
According to the Washington Post,"the campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country’s population within a few months, something never done before.
The first of the vaccines will begin arriving in October, after testing on human subjects as young as six months old to determine the drug’s safety.

they have arrived. Desert Schools Federal Credit Union gave out free employee shots yesterday. This morning that is the top story.
According to World Health Organization’s (WHO) global statistics, 2,185 people have died from the H1N1 virus, while another 209,438 are confirmed to have caught it, as of Aug. 23.

What this also means is that 207,253 people recovered from the virus—a recovery rate of 99 percent. Bear in mind that all of these recoveries were before an official vaccine for the H1N1 virus was released. The common, seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people each year, globally, while causing severe illness in between 3 million and 5 million people, according to the WHO.
When the first cases broke out there were daily swine flu counts of the number of people world wide. I believe that has caused a very real panic over something that is not as hazardous as the name first implied.

As of today I have not had a vaccination and tomorrow.. who knows. I will watch a little more news and see what they think is happening world wide and chose after that.

Friday slow and easy

2009-10-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

I have a dress to wear to the wedding. YAY Thanks to Casey I have a dress. It is beautiful and I love it. I wouldn't have ever thought I could wear something like this but I love it. I will have a picture in it. Just to show how much I appreciate it.

they went tonight with Cody and when they came back they had Cody his outfit ( well most of it) and me a dress. What a wonderful family I have.

I am worried about Ellis he had a possible Basil Carcinoma on his arm removed. I am happy he had it removed, but not sure how someone his age could have one of those on his arm. I suppose it is because he is so fair and out in the sun all his life.

Casey is a little stressed and freaking out a tad since it is only 1 week before the wedding and she has plenty left to do. But it is all coming together. I know she is nervous. Cody is here tonight and he gets to go home with about 10 new shirts for school. and for weekends since they wear uniforms 4 days a week.

Gerry got his flu shot today and so he is a little blah tonight . He is even a little feverish.

Wednesday and writing and wedding all W's

2009-10-21T22:39:00.002-07:00

A long day. A full day. A day of wedding arrangements going on around me. Hair being planned and decorations being chosen and food being discussed.

The wedding is on Halloween and so that has certain implications on the decorations and the foods. The cake is already being arranged so that is out of the loop and nothing for them to worry and stress about.

Lexi had her dental appointment and she has braces now. they are pink and she seems happy to have them ( as much as anyone can be happy to have them). One less life drama to face as a teenager. Braces on a teen are not a good thing.

My phone has changed and most of my numbers were not saved,so if I have not spoken to you in the last 3 weeks then I no longer have a current phone number so you can call me or write me and give me the number.

The poems are my way of building courage to wrote so I appreciate the chance to post them here. I am working very hard on my confidence, so feel free to tell me when I stick a comma or other error in my writings.

Chrsitmas list

2009-10-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

I can hear those sleigh bells ringing and all I want for christmas is an Apple Airport Express because when we have those gamers over here knocking out a few levels in WoW I want us all to be able to access the internet together on the patio. Now what would make that happen? An air bridge.
Merry Christmas!!!

The Pilgrimage

2009-10-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Warm sunshine falls gently to the ground

Rays warming the skin as It begins to brown

Sand and salt make the ground glisten

Waves send a message to those that listen.

Crashing waves cover the thoughts of the day

The slight undertow causes me to gently sway.

Unburdened from the daily world's weight

A moment to myself a moment of quiet.

A smile spreads across recently clinched lips

Memories flood of forgotten childhood trips.

Sinking into the sand, as if in a world all alone

peace, serenity, a sigh ah at last I am home.

Pulled to the present I feel a slight touch

I focus on the child that I love so much.

His newfound joy of this wonderful view

Impatient to try, taste and see everything new.

They seems so simple the lessons of childhood

Like the wonder and buoyancy of driftwood.

I watch him explore all the textures of the land

Shells are gathered, examined and placed in the sand.

The waves gently push and not so gentle pull

The sounds of the ocean trapped in this shell.

The memories are being formed and stored

Soon forgotten or perhaps just ignored.

The memories of this day will one day appear

Amazingly fresh and surprisingly clear.

Then suddenly there is this mysterious need

To find a special place to escape with great speed.

The need to escape returns every generation

This pilgrimage known as "the Family Vacation".

The Haunting

2009-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Boo… I plan on haunting you.

Boo… This warning is overdue.

Boo… Maybe I don’t mean you.

Boo… Then if not you, then who?

Boo… I mean it, I am going to haunt you.

Boo… I only say it because it is true.

Boo… Perhaps you think I can't mean you.

Boo… But if not you… Then who?

Boo…

Stepping out

2009-10-19T19:13:00.005-07:00

This is the first evening of me trying a different approach to this Blog. I have been a little newsy I have tried to keep it positive and not too boring. I am going to continue to update my life here but I am also attempting to write some fiction. I am not sure I will put it on here until I am relatively happy with the product. If I find this too stressful then I write where no one can see. I have entered a competition and I will see how it goes.

It is going to be something I have never done before and there is no loosing. It is a learning experience.

So I hope you all will wish me luck as I learn and grow over the month of November. I used to write so much more than I do now and so this is like a step back into my youth. When I had the courage to write a little comic book and actually show it around my school. Or the poems I wrote and share with those that know me best. Maybe you even remember the audition for the Alabama School of Fine Arts. A very exciting time for me to go back into my youth. We shall see.

Lexi spa day

2009-10-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today we had a spa day for Lexi, we curled her hair trying different looks so that she could see how beautiful she is. She took a few portfolio shots with her hair all up and curled. I also have a little movie of her reading to Raevyndaun.

I forgot her medicine so Kenn had to run out and get it over there. I was hoping to meet half way, these little fast paced runs from one place or another are hard on me. My memory is shoddy at best.

I am working on a Britney Spears page on Mahalo about how she is preparing for the release of her new collection album. The song 3 is a bit much but it sounds good. I love finding pages that I can work on and enjoy.

oh great I learned a new trick. I am learning to upload videos to you tube! Now all these little movies have a home! This is my test to see if the uploading and linking works.

thanks for sharing my experiments :) This way I can add some of the wedding video's after the ceremony.

Phoenix Zoowalk 2009

2009-10-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

If I were Fred Rogers I would totally be singing it is a wonderful day in the neighborhood.

Today. We walked our 3 miles at the zoo and saw some awesome animals. Bella and Raevyndaun met and seemed to approve of each other. Our team name "Walking for Kids" showed up on the t-shirt for the Zoo walk

Lexi got her very own shirt as did Casey and Gerry and I.

Took Raevyndaun and had her ears pierced. She looks so cute..

Gerry got his ears pierced today too. I was way shocked by that. He got a really nice looking set of titanium balls. He almost went with a cartilage piercing but decided against it for his first piercing. now I expect him to be getting a tattoo.

Today continued when I checked the mail and I had 2 packages. One from Cheryl Anne, and it was a copy of her book. "Home Planet A Life in Four Seasons" It is awesome. I love it!! I love the dedication too. Beautiful sentiment.

The second package was from my beloved Mahalo. I had won what they call swag a week ago and I got the box today. I got a hat and coffee cup a beach towel and a Mahalo Tote. Plus a cover for my iTouch. an awesome day It was like the most surprised filled day ever. It was so awesome I even took my picture with some of the swag lol.

Now I am off to write some more on Mahalo.

Walking for Autism in the morning

2009-10-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at 6:15 we meet at the stadium in Tempe and shuttle over to the Phoenix Zoo for the walk. WE are walking to raise money for the Autism Foundation. Our team name is Walking for Kids and we have only raised 190.00 of the 1000.00 we pledged.

The baby is so excited she can't sleep.(I feel sure that is the reason she is still awake} Lexi is here for the zoo walk so she is sleeping. she has been so awesome today all happy and helpful and sweet, They found the perfect dress fro the wedding and she looks amazing in it. I can not wait to see how the wedding pictures turn out. Casey has gotten everyone's things together frothe walk so that we can just leave in the morning since it will be so early.

We went to the store and got some more items for the wedding. This is going to be the most unusual and amazing wedding. Thank you Angie for starting this off. what a great idea you had.

I have been in the back room with Kenn Casey and Raevyndaun. Seems tonight Raevyndaun decided that she would learn to pull herself up and walk along her dad holding onto his jeans. A totally mobile baby. I believe she isn't sleeping too well because she is chattering up a storm and is keeping herself awake. She has the cutest voice. I will make a video and add it this weekend. Everyone deserves to see her in action. Yes! The camera will be with us tomorrow at the walk.

Lexi has really been good on this visit and I think she is looking forward to the zoo trip tomorrow. She has been interacting with the baby and the animals so much this time. I can not believe she is already 9 years old. She is a great little girl.

I suppose I should try to sleep a little before the walk tomorrow.
If you want to check out the Mahalo writing then skip over to my MahaloVic blog

Thursday

2009-10-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

This morning angie and Sarah Katherine met with the doctor and it seems she is going to have the birthday of December 1,2009.
Our first December grandchild. I hope hope hope I can make enough money to go out there and see the new baby and Jacob and Nathan too
Angie sounds happy and healthy and just a joy to talk to first thing in the morning. I need some Angie joy at my house for aobut a month, or 2 or 6.

Working on some breathing exercises and I think I finally have a notion of the breath in tummy goes out thing. I never learned to sing from my diaphram only my throat. This might even help that as well. Oh yeah I can see me as an opera singer afer all this practice with the tummy breathing.

So it seems the lungs are balloons and when you sleep you breath perfectly and correctly. When you breath with your shoulders you are not involving the lungs at all. I was even told, "your shoulders do not fill anything up with air" :) I like my breathing coach. He can make me laugh sometimes.
He is a good idea man. Milasia and Elyssa have their clothes for the wedding. WHEW.. Cody an outfit Tyler a cute little outfit and Lexi her bridesmaid dress. Looking for the perfect dress for Raevyndaun too. This is hard shopping this much. Poor Casey is having to shop...
Took Jessica out Monday and we got the outfits for the middle girls and I really think they are beautiful.
The Wedding invitations for Casey and Kenn went out, so if you did not get one, let me know. I will be happy to send one to you.
We did Email ones so they oculd get all the way across country in 1 minute. Since it is so far. I was hoping we could do a nice one like we did for Angie, but this was in such a short time frame. Seemed impossible.
The cake has been ordered and I will include pictures on the wedding blog. If it looks as she drew and designed it will be spectacular.

Kenn's brother is flying in from Michigan for the wedding. This was a bit of a surprise for Kenn but it really seemed to make him happy.

Sorry about some spam getting on my facebook page, I was clicking on things and turned on some spammer accidently and I wanted to say I am sorry about any annoyance.

Jessica said Lexi is willing to spend the night. She has been reluctant to stay all night anywhere in quite a few weeks. So I am very happy to say she is choosing to come here with me :). I can not wait to see her in the wedding. She will be so happy I know. She was smiling so much when Casey asked her to be in the wedding party. Now I have to run to an appointment.
Will blog later and keep you up to date.

Weekend

2009-10-11T01:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a little more pressure than I needed but I made it through. A late sleepless night and an early start to help Casey put out the items for the yard sale. Casey chose the best weekend for this, because it is perfectly beautiful here today.

Gerry came in today at 12:40 but his plane landed at 12:20 and since I was still en route I was a bit nervous about being late to pick him up.

Tomorrow is the pups spa day, Rabies shots and the whole works. I am hoping to make enough on the yard sale to buy the items I need to work on my yard and garden. I can not even call it a lawn. It is not attractive as it is,but that is what I am here for. I am going to be the lawn whisperer.
I will have to resist being the lawn mumbler. I am sleepy so I am going to try to get me some sleep. I hope to sleep past the 4 houre

Wednesday night

2009-10-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

Gerry is still in Oakland. It is quiet without him here. I think he will be happy with some of the changes we have made here this week. I miss him,
We are having a much needed (too much junk) yard sale Friday and Saturday. this way what is gone when he gets home he will not be remember ever owning it.

I would live to be able to hypnotize people to my way of thinking. We are 1 week end away from the Autism walk.

I was accepted on the Street Team on Mahalo it is a wee little paying position and when I say wee I mean tiny. the fact is I feel good about being chosen. There are published authors on this site just cranking out information Casey and I are. So it is a bit humbling.

for the first time ever I used a straightener on my hair and it was amazing. it totally made my hair feel good and healthy and shine. I think I will take the time to do it each morning and see how long that lasts. lol tomorrow I will probably be able to confess that I did not have time in the morning.

Filhinha and Irie are such little buddies. both female cats they share every chair in the house. not sure if it is love or jealousy that allows them to stay in the same chair for hours on end.
But they do and they bathe each other lol it is quite cute.

Raevyndaun is sitting up from a laying position now and she is quite quite good at it. She loves to be independent I noticed.

Jacob wrote me on Facebook Monday and he was so cute. he is like ok...I have to go I will call you later lol what a doll he is. Nathan came on and chatted a very few minutes with Casey and I as I cooked and he was maybe not happy that my attention was all over the place.

well I am goning to leave you with the most amazing little video clip of the most amazing little movie ever.. and I mean EVAH :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3W5GDkgf2w
enjoy the clip :)

3:17 and still awake

2009-10-07T03:35:00.000-07:00

No dreaming no nodding off no rest of any kind, All day I ran from one place to another and still not sure what I need to do. I can not sleep and that is very stressful to me. Never to relax. Never to unwind. blech... this is a good for nothing, horrible very bad no good night. Thanks to Alexander I have that phrase to call my own.

Between appointments and errands today I made a few Mahalo pages and I am quite happy with them. I think I am getting the hang of them now and I still love it. Even when my fingers are lazy and want to type fake words... I think my fingers make typo's to catch me unaware and see if I always proofread. I sometimes think that proofreading gets forgotten by me. I realize Oh no.. I did not write that did i? Then I cringe and go on to the next exciting proofreading episode of The Isle of misspelled words.

The pups have their spa day Sunday and I think they will be bathed before that happens. I believe they need a bath.. In a pretty big way :)

I have been getting amazing pictures from Rio this week from Luis and oh it is a beautiful city. It does nothing to dissuade me from wanting to go there and be an English teacher. Imagine a while city learning to speak southern. At the 2016 Olympics they will be standing there torch in hand saying "y'all come back now ya heah"

The English teacher idea came from an ad online that said they are coming to my area to train English teachers to send to Brazil. Well well ... what an idea. But really. I have been seeing some beautiful pictures and I do think Brazil is such a spectacularly beautiful country. But I love America. It is my home and my heart.

My latest page that I am pretty proud of on Mahalo is all about Desert Gardening. I hope it is a success and people are interested in that subject. I admit I am all over the place with this topic choosing but every page I have done, I have a great love for the topic.
I also get to learn more and more about each subject.

Well I am going to try to sleep the next 2.5 hours until time to get up. I am not sure if I am able to relax enough to even close my eyes, but I think it is time for me to try. Otherwise I will be forced to crank out another page or 2 or 3 oh dear.... :)
Enjoy your night and we will go and do it all over again tomorrow.

Saturday

2009-10-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Good morning to a beautiful cool Saturday morning. It was about 60 this morning and considering a few days back it was 80 this time of the day it is Nice!

We walked down to a yard sale to see if they had anything irresistible. Found a shirt for Kenn. So when I got back Gerry was in the car with both pups. He was going to grab some breakfast and taking them with him. So I was invited and went with him .

Going to go get Milasia today to spend the night. Still working on wedding plans and still working on wedding details. We are trying to blend Halloween and wedding and so far there have been some realy nice ideas springing up.

Invitations today and then timing relaxes some.
Decided not to do the firepit until after the wedding. So no one gets burned.

Gerry just was notified that his grandmother passed away. :( I am very sorry to hear this. He has been trying to contact her for a while and wasn't able to get through to her. He is sad and I am sad for him.

So I am about to head out to work in the yard. I am loving the plants and the improvements. Pictures will be added soon.
Home improvement here I come.

Friday :)

2009-10-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I guess sunce I only worked 1/2 day this week I shouldn't be celebrating, but I am . It is 4 am and I am awake and thinking about plans for building my fire pit this weekend. I know I need the river rock. I have the cement. My question at this time is.. do I put in a metal liner? Not sure if I put in a liner will it heat up and cause problems. I am going over to a how to site to see what I can find. I have found the one I want to build. It is an east DIY plan.
Casey got her invitations today for the wedding. She has to send them out tomorrow. Just dawned on me I am not sure I have everyone's correct address.

I found the dress I am going to wear at the wedding. This reminds me of helping Angie get her wedding together. It is fun and it is a bunch of work. But the end result is totally worth it.

Reyes and Darrell are in Disneyland this week. I am jealous. I have got to start working more. I am making us broke I think. Oh well... I will be back to work soon enough I think. At least the Doctor is realizing what is going on,

Tonight I got a How To page accepted on Mahalo. That was a nice bonus. I know everyone is tired of hearing how awesome Mahalo is. But it is.
Enjoy this Friday :)

Sunday

2009-09-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Last night Gerry came out to have dinner with all of us and then we all went out back for smores. It was fun and I had forgotten how lovely smores can be. A nice reward for being so good about our new diet change.
Today we found the perfect wedding dress for Casey. It absolutely fit like it was made for her. It was exactly what she had described. It called out to her and it was amazing to see it on her. That is one huge step we have taken.
Took Elissa home and visited with Jessica and the kids for a while. They are really making the house look amazing. You can see how much work they have done in this short time just to get it presentable. The red walls are now painted a toupe and it opened the house so much. It makes it look so beautiful. This house was built in 1921 and it has that old Phoenix look to it that is unmistakable. Flat roof, sand colored brick exterior, hard wood floor and huge airy rooms. I will take the camera next time and show it off. I think if they keep it up it will be invited to be a showcase in the historic district.
The children are settled and seem to love having their own spaces. I had hoped to see Ellis today but we spent too much time at the store looking at dresses and uniforms for the kids to wear to school. I was happy to find one pair for Elissa, Milasia and Cody. I still have to find something for Lexi. She is growing like a weed.
Now we are looking at tiera's for Casey's veil and invitations. It is alot of work for one day but Happily we have the minister and the dress these are 2 huge milestones.
Raevyndaun is trying to push up into a sitting position now. She twists her little bum when she is on her knees and will probably be sitting up in a few more days. It sounds like she says hi when you see her for the first time.
Cheryl is on a train to Vienna right now having just left Budapest. She said Hungary is beautiful and she is having a dream of a time. I hope she and Bruce and Jenna have a wonderful trip. What an adventure. Maybe next trip I will pull the little sister card and ask to tag along :) Just Maybe...
Beau has been working on his agility training with me. He is now able to jump over a trash can in the back yard, but only if he is on a leash. He is totally in training mode. I believe I told this before, but it is worth mentioning again because he looks so beautiful when he does it. once I have him trained I will pass along pictures of him in the air.
Well I will try to sleep and try to go into work tomorrow. I have missed so much and I feel so guilty about that. This feeling is just hard to handle all day and looking like I have seen a ghost is not acceptable in an office environment. Surely he can get this fixed soon. Surely he can.
Well Monday is looming and I hope it is a good one for everyone. I hope we can all get up and face the day like a trooper. I am going to try, that's for sure.

2009-09-27T10:53:00.001-07:00

Elissa spent the night again last night. We are heavy into the planning of Casey's wedding. The Arizona Scream Park media guy wrote her back and he gave her an amazing price on the wedding. Sue Springer is going to perform the marriage forthem. She is a person I work with and Casey and Kenn will have to write their ceremony,vows and all.
So many plans going on in my head and this morning I woke up pretty over whelmed. We are going to look for dresses today.
Last night we made smores over the grill after Kenn Bar-b-qued.My big Mahalo news is that I made my first BIG how to page and it was accepted. It is the "How to Earn Experience points in Farmville".
Here is a little widget of that page.

How to Earn Experience Points on FarmVille

Embed this widget See full results for How to Earn Experience Points on FarmVille

So as you can see I was busy while I am all freaked out at the same time. I can totally get lost in the making of pages. To get paid is even better.
So feel free to go over and click around on the page and see what it is all about.
We are going to look for wedding dresses and so I am off.
thank you to Diane and everyone that sent ideas for the reception. You are all awesome. Keep sending the ideas. We need them!!

Friday was a rough one. but it is over.

2009-09-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today was not a fun Friday in many respects but I will not dwell on that. I have spent the afternoon adding rocks to my garden to keep the water from washing away the soil. Shows how much I know about the desert, as little rain as we get, should it even be an issue?
I only know that when I had plants and flowers in the same bed before, they washed away on the first rain. So these rocks might be saving a portulaca's life. Elissa is here spending the night. Lexi was supposed to come but when Kenn arrived to pick her up she had changed her mind. WHEW she usually changes it at about midnight and then I have to make a run to her house. I wasn't up to it today.
I have been working on Mahalo Pages this evening, when the Internet wasn't down. Darn Cox Cable was being rude tonight. ok... poor Cox Cable.. it was the pups they ate through the cord.so Darn Pups...
But on the good side of the pups. I taught Beau to jump over things. He is beautiful when he leaps over the little basket and it is awesome. He will jump over and back and over and back as long as he is on a leash. he equates the leash with being in training. When he is off leash he thinks he is on his own time. Arrow only nips his heels when he does his tricks. When she realizes he gets alot of attention, she will start doing it too.

Casey got a phone call from her dad and he said An (angie) and els ( Ellis) and Ca ( Casey) she was so thrilled because that was the first time he had said more than Mama in over a year. She felt sad at the same time as happy. It is always a sad thing to know how he is now. She loves him of course and it is just sad.

So Ellis' shift started at 4:30 and he had to have his homework online and turned in by 11:31 pm so he sent it over here and I filled in his answers for him. How sad is it that I never learned enough math to understand what I was putting in. Maybe I should go back to school as well. How embarrassing would it be if I had to do remedial math lol.

Cheryl is in Europe. This made me want to get my passport even more. So now I am not going to procrastinate any longer. I am going to have a passport. I figure setting goals one step at a time is the only way I will get anything done. Casey and I had a long talk about that today. How if you don't do things one at a time you will end up over whelmed,and that is the last thing I need right now. So we are trying to get more organized and get our house, life and head more into the Fung Shue mode.

all good news :)

2009-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Casey is plannning her wedding. I am so excited for her because she is so thrilled. It will be a little untraditional as you would expect. She and Kenn are a pretty unconventional family.
Gerry is going to be involved in the wedding and I am so touched to know she asked him and he accepted to at her wedding. For them to get along means alot to me. So last night was pretty happy and emotional at the same time.
I earned over $200.00 with my Mahalo page creating and I am so excited. I can go as far as I want with them and make as much as I want. So this is becoming a dream come true for me.

Today Raevyndaun came to my work and she was perfectly awesome. She was happy and interested in everyone and everything. She is going to want to work in an office. I can tell already. She looked beautiful and smelled so good. Nothing smells better than a baby. She was creeping all over the table in the cafeteria. She was determined to get Gerry's hands. Her 2 teeth need something to be used on them at all times.

2009-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

I went to sleep sleepy and I woke up sleepy. How strange a feeling that was. I have not felt sleepy in months. Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. Just a different thing. Well that passed fast enough. I am wide awake now. I got a beautiful yet very sad letter from Julie, expressing her pain.

Julie is grieving for her cat Aspen. She woke up to find he had passed during the night. She and Timber and Sydney are all feeling out of sorts and sad for this little friend they loved so much. He was given an egyptian style burial and I am sure he was appreciative of that. I really liked Aspen alot!

Milasia has taught herself to read and now there is no stopping her. She loves homework and writing and reading, She is way too smart for having just started Kindergarten one month ago.

The outdoor space is coming together and calling me to be outside with Casey and Kenn. Picking up some rock to fill in the space in the garden where the rain falls off the roof. Yes on occasion we do have rain. Now to decide what type of tree I want. I do not want a massive tree only a small type tree. Like an oraange or a fig. the orange can get sun damage and the Fig brings birds. I think I would rather have trees with birds than trees with sunburns. Another step is finding the outdoor fireplace for winter.

If I had a boat like Luis has, then I would be always outside. but since I do not I will add water features and a fireplace to my oasis. Think about it the water feature the plants and the little Cessna's flying overhead and a nice crackling fire and marshmallows for the kids. Ahhhh this is a good place to be right now.

Work Work work work

2009-09-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Monday is not too bad today. Decent workload and since I had such a busy hectic physical weekend, it is a bit boring.
Lucky for me I have my pictures of my garden to keep me company. Casey woke up all enthused about how it looks and made a few Mahalo pages to celebrate. Thanks Casey for all the hard work you did.

Gerry is going to call the HOA today and see if we have permission to paint our trim. You have to get permission orr they fine you. How strange is that. Ding you for making the house look nicer. Weird. I hope so it needs a freshening up, a little sprucing up as it were. I want to go with a color that will accent the beige stucco and not make it look too uniform. So I am thinking about a nice Sage green. If I have to go with a blue shade then I am nnot sure what to do. Blue is a bit 80's & 90's isn't it? So I am going to start checking out houses. If you see me outside your house, fear not I am just checking out your paint colors.

Filhinha escaped into the yard yesterday a few times, but she never left the enclosed back yard. So that was a comfort. Not sure if you have seen the mahalo blag I do, but you are welcome to go visit it and see the websites I have been making and since I am actually being paid some for them it is a total bonus. Here is the link to the blog http://mahalovic.blogspot.com/ and if you want to visit the pages, please let me know how you like them. I would love your feedback. I am going to make it the best day I can. To help that along here is a picture from my albums.

2009-09-20T16:42:00.001-07:00

Planting and wanted to update. I just got back with 2 red tip photinia shrubs and 2 massive plantings of Portulaca and 1 container of my much missed Liriope Silver Dragon ( looks like monkey grass). While I was at Ellis' I got 2 cuttings from some cactus and now I am researching how to best plant them and have them survuve and thrive.
So once I cool down I am going to go finish planting them and then I will hopefully get a nice picture. I am so ready to move outside for the next 2 seasons. I have more on my wish list but for only an $11.00 investment I am well on my way.

Went to Ellis' house and wow the changes he has made already. He has gotten the Living room and Dining room painted a very nice sandy taupe. This painting job made those wall open right up. I am not sure what color drapes she wants to get but maybe she can find some nice colorful ones that will really pop in that room. His room is a nice blue and it looks so wonderful. The entire house needed painting and they have done an excellent job on it.
Cody spent the night. I think he only comes over to play World of Warcraft. He is obsessed with making new characters more than actually playing.

Work is creeping up on me.. I am hoping for a great and calm week. If it can't be calm let it be entertaining.

Sunday

2009-09-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Diane is loving her retirement and wrote and funny that Kat and Diane both asked how much medicine I was talking.. LOL Good thing I am not sensitive about it.

I am still waiting on a picture of Angie while she is expecting. Today we are moving some furniture around the house and I am feeling confident this will make the Living room feel larger.

Actually found a solar skylight (DIY kit) for $169.00 instead of the $300.00 they said on Television. It is amazing that an 8 or 12 inch tube would let in such light. I will take a picture of my living room before I install it and after so I have it documented. I am still very excited about the prospect.

After watching the Wind Turbine DIY video and reading the instructions, Elllis thinks he will be able to help me with the wiring so that we can at least run the laptop while outside. Also run the pond pump. The pond will be different from the 6x14x10 pond I dug in 1996. This pond will be totally above ground with rock surrounding. One step at a time.

Solar tube 1st.

Well back to the back yard to help Casey. She has been working back there so hard and it is really satrting to take form. We will be planting salad greens so that we can garnish our salads with them. Casey makes one mean chef salad. They are simply yummy :)

Arrrghhhh me hearties!

2009-09-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

A blasted good day to ye. Well shiver me Timbers I woke to a red dawn which means we must take warning. Avast batten the Hatches and pull her aft.

Whew that was harder than it looked.. argh me parrot be wantin to speak with ya. "squawk" "squawk" "avast me maties"

There she spoke now I can finish wishing you all a happy "Speak Like a Pirates Day" so that we never lose this tradition.

3D ultrasound day!!

2009-09-18T13:56:00.001-07:00

Today we get to see Sarah Katherine even though she isn't even born. Today is 3D ultrasound day. So as soon as Angie gets back she will post the pictures so that we can see that cute little face.
Now how would I know it is cute? Have you seen her other to handsome ( grandmama's can't call big boys beautiful even though in my head I do) Sons? Eyes faces and noses all beautiful. I can't wait to see.

I have been talking about Kenn and to those that do not know him this is Casey's soon to be husband. Might be a Halloween wedding :) but dont' tell her I said anything in case it is a secret :). He has been so amazing to help me with so many projects and he gave me my Tattoo. He is going to help me go Green!! They are living with me for a bit while they get a little ahead. I love it because I love being around them and having a baby at the house is awesome.
Casey helps me so much and that has been so important to me lately. I have been a bit lonely and so having a little happy family makes the days and nights so much brighter for me.

Thankfully we are at the weekend. I am so ready. My ability to stay focused has been amazing today and so I am all caught up with my work and then some. So Come on Weekend!!
Today I brought my I-pod with me to work and so I have been less restless listening to music. So it does calm the savage beast.

Tomorrow is Talk like a Pirate day. I will be gathering up phrases and terms so that I do this World wide Holiday justice. Just warning you there should be a bounty of Pirate speak if I blog tomorrow.
I am off to research :) If you have a blog invite me I would love to read it.

little news from my ankle

2009-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I got my first Tattoo. I love it. It is beautiful. It is a vine that wraps around my ankle with 3 heart charms dangling from it with Ellis', Angie's and Casesy's Birthstones. The procedure was .... ummmm different and a bit painful but not so painful that I forgot about wanting a tattoo toe ring. All the Jewelry none of the allergies :)

At work no one has had anything but positive things to say about Kenn's talent. He has talent and now everyone can see that!

I have pictures on facebook of the tattoo. As it goes all the way around my ankle it is impossible to show it all in it's entirety on one picture. So let me know what you think. I will send pictures up here when I am home.

Back to work today

2009-09-15T10:44:00.001-07:00

I found an attic Fan I am going to get. It is $199.00 on Ebay and one mail order place has it for 179.00( the link http://cgi.ebay.com/Master-Flow-GAF-Solar-Powered-Gable-Attic-Fan-BNIB_W0QQitemZ110434370827QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19b666c50b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14) so you can see it and maybe you know if it is any good. I would appreciate any help so that I do it right.
It will be my first step into a greener home. It is great having Kenn around becasue he is willing to help me out with my green installations. I know Ellis will be coming over to help me too. It is good to have willing people to help me when I get ideas.

Angie is going to send a picture of her expecting this baby. I can't wait. I love her so much and think she is so so pretty. I am all stoked.
I have been still working on Mahalo and Ray sent me a note with a clapping audience. Now that is encouragement!! In case no one understood Cheryl had added me about my diet which is why I put it in the blog. I am still very happy with the health part of it and that I am enjoying cooking and dreaming up recipes is a very nice past time for me.

Reyes is going to town on the Mahalo site too. She loves it and somehow thinks I am responsible for her addiction. Just look at her coach page when she has added to it.

The Zoo walk has started getting some donations and that is just awesome. I know I have to wait till payday which is Friday. We have more people joining the actual walk every day. Debra the Temp that worked with us for almost a year was our first donor and I appreciate her so much for that. Reyes and Darrell and Isabella
Eva Montelongo and her husband Johnny are going to sign up today. Kenn's cousin Dee and her family are walking. Ellis' 5 kids are going to be walking. Casey and Raevyndaun will be there. We are walking for Autism so how can it not be an awesome thing!!!!!

My new food choices

2009-09-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

It is simple. It is all the fruit and vegetables you want and all the fruit each meal. Chicken fish and lean grilled beef.
Spagetti is only made with whole wheat pasta and is not a regular thing.
Fresh Apples and celery and carrots. Raisins and nuts for protein and Iron.
Salads for dinner
Casey makes an amazing Chef salad has been filling with cubed ham Sunflower seeds cheese boiled eggs. It is very filling and delicious.

a nice broccoli salad made with grated broccoli grated carrots and cauliflower and Celery. It needs no dressing in my opinion but Casey uses low fat ranch.
With the salad we had a baked skinless boneless chicken marinated in low cal Italian dressing.
Each meal has taken less than an hour of actual preparation time which makes Casey happy.

We had Cabbage and corned beef 2 nights last week and it was delicious.To make the corned beef and cabbage we filled with densely cubed potatoes ,wedged cabbage, half inch carrots celery (or celery seed) at the very end of cooking let it boil about 90 minutes until the cabbage has separated and become tender add 2 cans of corned beef (from Brazil) and serve. No breads are needed as the potatoes provide the density you would want in there.

A tablespoon of low fat peanut butter a day for protein and just because it is so good.
breakfast bowl of eggs and crumbled bacon with fruit on the side.
Mixed fruit plate makes a wonderful breakfast.
Cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons of low fat peanut butter with a can of V-8 makes a great breakfast

Well here are the basics, I hope you like it and think it is easy enough to try out.

Solar Attic fan

2009-09-14T01:14:00.000-07:00

I found a solar attic vent and a fan on eBay. I am not going to jump in and grab it just yet. I am doing some research so that I know what I am doing.

Well the blues hit and I never made it to Ellis' house. I think part of my problem is an aversion to leaving the house. The nightmares continue and it makes it hard for me to relax when I am running for my life all night.

This is probably the most problems I have ever had about sleeping. I have an awesome doctor that is helping me address the sleep and the nightmares. But no matter how much medicine I take I can not sleep more than a few hours. I am not napping in the day I am simply struggling all night. It is 1 am now and I cringe at the thoughts of closing my eyes and sleeping as William said perchance to dream.. but I think his was a positive perchance. Mine is a negative. LOL
So here I sit all sleeping pilled up and unable to close my eyes for any length of time.

'So Gerry frets that I might be out of work again tomorrow. I know it is hard to understand but I do not think he would be calm if he was in danger all night every night and unable to forget any detail all day long. It is not a fun place at all.
But I want to think about my skylight and my solar plans. I want to make my home more green and more environmentally friendly.
So Ellis forgive me for not coming by. I promise Iwill work on leaving the house and coming to see what you have done. I am so proud of you and I hope you never doubt this.
Fears are rediculous. I have to get past them.
Ellis would be able to help me with this solar adventure. He is amazing at electronics and wiring and such. Heck he has a crate of wire he carrys to every house he lives in.
While I am on the wish list. I want to finish my back yard complete with outdoor fireplace so I can enjoy the desert Winter. I mean it is what keeps me here.

Visit Mahalo if you have time. I love to see hits on my pages, and let me know if you like any of the work I am doing. I would love to hear.

Sunday a day of Rest

2009-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday is awesome. Woke up to have a wonderful Fruit plate for breakfast. A beautiful plate of Cantaloupe, Watermelon and Pineapple, no better way to start a day.

Going over to Mahalo to find I have 24 pages now and am up to $100.00 for something I love to do. Can it get better than that? Raevyndaun is in an excellent mood and I am in control of the remote.

So I am watching about the Dust bowl and to find out that the plains of the Midwest were green and lush when all I had ever seen before was the barren dusty plains.
Seems by 1918 the grasslands were replaced with Wheat crops.

The rest of the day will be spent at Ellis' house seeing how they have improved the house they are renting. Ellis is excited and I know they have painted at least 3 rooms now.
Last night I was researching Solar options for my house. I think I will purchase a solar attic fan and see if pulling out the hot air of the attic will all me to run the Central Air a little less. Since our Power bill is over $600.00 I really need to do something.
Kenn has offered to help me and Ellis said he will help me as well to make any changes I want on my house. I really want a Wind Turret as we have good winds here(although it is a hot wind) so we would be able to power ourselves. Another project I am looking at is a Skylight into my living room and one in the Den. Then I could put darker curtains on the West facing wall which would cool down the Den.

I am on my fresh food fresh veggie and fresh fruit diet and I am down 5 pounds. I am proud of the weight loss of course but I am more excited about how well I feel with less carbs to make me sleepy. By the time I am over all this internal Drama I may come out a better person.

shared Mahalo and Gerry

2009-09-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last night was the big poker night at Paul's (from work)house. A 4000 sq ft. house. Multi colored pool and game room that holds a pool table and then game tables. Kenn and Gerry loved it.
Maybe they will become inspired to give me some of the aminities they saw there. Any inspiration they find is fine with me.
They found some cards and beer and whiskey shots to keep them company and even the DD of the evening drank when they first got there. That's ok with me since he didn't drive home until 5 hours later. Well that's the official story any way. Kenn and Gerry finally were able to chat and it seems they get along really well. Kenn is one of the few people that got to see what I enjoy and like about Gerry. If he would relax and mingle, I believe people would see the real Gerry. I am looking at this as a turning point for us all.

Other excitement was at 1:00 am I see Reyes is on Mahalo. How awesome is that? When I woke up this morning I see she had hit Yellow belt. CONGRATS REYES!!

Casey found a beautiful stroller for Tyler to use on the Zoo Walk in October. I did not want to chase a 2 year old all over the Desert Zoo.

Yesterday I linked the Black eyed Peas and their Flash Mob,and I am still in love by the way.
Angie wrote me and said that they have an actual Flash Mob group where you are sent a meeting place and time and clothing instructions. I am diligently searching online for that here in Phoenix. Would I dance? You never know.

Meagan added me as a friend. I was so touched. She is just beautiful and I really was glad to know she remembered me. She and Casey were such close friends when they were little.

Laura has been located. I need to talk to her I haven't had a chance yet to really chat with her.
It is Saturday and I am up early and am aiming for a productive day.

Chicago was amazing

2009-09-11T08:35:00.003-07:00

I saw Reyes had posted a video on her facebook so I clicked it and what I saw was amazing. to see Chicago dancing in the streets in such an amazing manner. I was speechless. Funny I kept saying the same thing Oprah did. lol It was awesome and amazing.

I am going to try to link it here. it is worth watching.

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090908-tows-flash-mob-dance

Walkathon preparation

2009-09-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Reyes and I have started organizing the Zoo Walk for Autism. We have set a goal of 1000.00 and we sent out the invitations. I am going to get a stroller for Tyler and he is going to go on his first zoo walk. Lexi went with us last time and it was not as bad so I decided I would take more this time. Once we finish with our big 1 mile walk we can then tour the zoo at our leisure.

This is the chance for Bella and Raevyndaun to meet and have a day getting to know one another. I am sure the baby chatter will be awesome and non stop.
I believe Milasia will love it as much as Lexi did. I might take Lexi just to make sure Tyler is happy. Cody is never a handful he is always so relaxed and happy. I am sure he will know all about the animals and Milasia will read all the animals names.
I can't wait!!
Looks like Hillery will be joining us with her boys. So many people are responding with names of their autistic family members. It is amazing how many people are touched with this multi dimentional condition.
High functioning, Aspergers, Autistic, Turrets. So many different levels of Autism.
I guess you can see I am totally stoked for the walk. I will be grabbing a T-shirt for Martha :) Just a huge thanks in advance to anyone that participates in any way.

2009-09-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday Angie

2009-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe you are 29 today. Seems impossible that you were not an infant just weeks ago. Your childhood passed so fast and I hope that when you think about all the fun times we had you smile.
I hope you remember the silly times that we sang songs and like when we sang Gummy bears so loudly and badly that the cat would come running.

I hope you remember the walks to the school and the parade we made on our way to do our laps. I hope you remember the bedtime readings we did so that you would love reading and adventures all your life.
I hope you remember the pond and the quiet times spent there. The library we called your room. With all your alphabetized books standing in a row.
I hope you remember being loved. So very loved. I hope you rememeber how I would let you sit in my lap until we almost couldn't both fit in the chair. I hope you remember the bad times with a forgiving heart and know that I loved you even when I was not good for you.
I hope you know how many times I think of you everyday and know how much I love you how special you are to me and how Proud I am of you.
This birthday I give you the gift of memories, both good and bad and the love that went into each one and the tears that fell from love after I fussed or threatened you. No matter what happened I hope you always know how much you mean to me.
Angie I am proud to call you my daughter and proud that you are the awesome mother that you are. I am proud of everything you have done and I look forward to being proud of the rest of the accomplishments you have in your life.

Angie, Happy birthday Rorge. I love you!
Mama

Ellis is moving

2009-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ellis has found a house he can not only afford but he will be rewarded with rental credits for work her does on the house.
The house is in the Historic district called encanto and it is huge. Plenty of room for everyone. That in it's self is hard to believe.
The place is already looking so much better with just a few rooms painted and the floors polished.
The person that lived there before had no pride in the house. Repairs and tender loving care are really needed.
I will take my camera and post some pictures so you can see how it is going.
Ellis and all the children are back in school. January he will start either the CNA or EMT class and this will get him a 2 yeear contract with a local hospital which will get him familiar with workign with patients and dealing with the same staff he will eventually work with after he gets his Radiology degree.

I am working on my Mahalo pages and I think it is going well. I have 10 pages now and I really enjoy doing them.
click any of the widgets I put in here and come visit them. Feel free to click around on the ads and read the pages. I would love your feedback.
Did I mention Hurray it is Friday and a 3 day weekend? :) YAY!!!

2009-09-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

World Of Warcraft Cataclysm

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Working

2009-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am back at work. Scared and nervous but back at work. Everyone has been so nice and it seems that more people knew I was out than I imagined.
So many of the phone calls started with Hi! Welcome back! So that of course is a very nice feeling.

Without going into detail lets just say I have not been up to working for over a week now. I fought with myself this morning. I was shaking and convinced I would not be able to stay all day. But I am 5 hours into my day and I am ok. Sure I am shaking and nervous. But I have totally seen worse lately.

Birthday party for 5

2009-08-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have a secret. It is pretty fun to have a secret, and I am enjoying this one.
This afternoon I will be trecking over to Ellis' house with a birthday cake and basket of gifts from Casey and we will have a birthday party for all 5 children.

Casey got some very nice items for them and with the cake and ice cream, I can not see how it will be said that the kids did not have a party.

But I will of course have to wait and see what is said. Seems I promised shoes to Cody if he came and spent the night. Thank goodness Cody told me what was promised or he would have gone home without the "promised" shoes.

But I have been planning on going and giving a small birthday party for them and tomorrow is the day I chose. Since they all have school Monday I believe all 5 should all be home and available for a party.

Only one question .... what flavor cake will make 5 children happy. Oh what a dilemma.

Wanderlust

2009-08-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

The word Wanderlust has always suited me to a tee.
When I was young I had ambitions of joining the air force and seeing as much of the world as possible.
As a young mother, I wanted to take the children on a variety of vacations not just the same tired places each year. It took a long time to get their dad to agree to heading north for a vacation... To him all vacations are to be spent in Panama City Florida. I loved Panama City I think it is the most wonderful place to walk in the white sand and to go to Captain Anderson's restaurant or his awesome dinner cruise.
But... Wanderlust would set in.

The desire to relive my vacations from when I was 4 5 and 6 years old. Waking up early to the cool mountain air and being right beside Deep Creek at the camp site with Mama Kate cooking bacon over the fire. The coffee simmering away and we have a chance to walk to the waters edge and wait for breakfast while just enjoying being in that beauty. Now I remember this from very early. The last vacation I took up there was when I was no more than 7 years old. I remember the packing before the trips. I remember the drive and the scenery. I remember Grandpa telling the others to hold on to me as we passed through wispy clouds so I didn't fly away.
So 20 years later when I talked their dad into going somewhere new.. we finally got to go back to the Smoky mountains.
Back to the rock walls that are not high enough to actually keep you from toppling over but they offer a small sense of security. Back to the Brown Welcome to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sign. All feeling familiar and beckoning me to remember. Grabbing a map and finding Maggie Valley and Deep Creek Campgrounds. Finding Cherokee and then going over the mountain to North Carolina and retracing the steps of my youth. All from 20 year old memories.
This is what wanderlust feels like to me.. the desire to go.. just up and go.. Wanderlust is packing a few things and grabbing the girls and taking off up North to see some states you have never seen before. Driving all night and feeling the chill in the August air once you drive farther north than Tennessee. Going into Kentucky seeing the signs for the birthplace of Lincoln. Seeing the signs about Daniel Boone. Seeing the rolling hills and realizing the really are rolling.
Topping the mountain and looking straight down into Cincinnati for the first time. Seeing a Major League Ballpark sitting on the bank of a river for the first time... Driving into Ohio for the first time and realizing that uncle Dick used to live in a place called Akron and finding it on the map. Driving over to it and then deciding.. Pennsylvania is right here.. Lets go see what Pennsylvania looks like.

Making the decision to traverse Pennsylvania without a map and without taking the freeway. This discovery makes me feel free and happy that I am making memories with my daughters. I hope positive memories. And instilling in them a little taste of Wanderlust...

I see the word Wanderlust on facebook this morning and I feel the pull of unknown places and almost forgotten locations asking me to come visit with them again. Tempted by Wanderlust...

Update on school and work

2009-08-10T12:27:00.001-07:00

Working today and happy to say that my work wasn't left for me. This is the first time I have ever come back from being off and had all my work caught up.

On the other side of Phoenix school started Thursday.
It is hard to believe 4 of 5 children at Ellis' house are in school now. Milasia loves Kindergarten. I knew she would. She has been ready for school to start for several years now. Finally she is there.
Cody is such a little serious student. He is a bit hyper but his love of reading and learning is so contagious. He comes over to spend the night and we study and discuss all manner of topics. he never gets bored of learning.

Ellis has completed his summer class and his grade point is still 4.0. He is really thriving in this environment and on his final Paper his teacher added glowing remarks about him as a human being and student. It is so awesome to have someone you respect validate that you are an amazing person.

Weekend research

2009-08-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to go back to work tomorrow. So I spent the weekend trying to get a schedule going and feeling better. As far as anyone knows it worked.

So how did I spend my time? I decided to write vacation pages for Mahalo.
I was a bit of an over acheiver and I wrote 3 pages.

If you like to see what my research discovered feel free to take a look. I will add the links here and feel free to drop over and see if you want to take a vacation to one of these beautiful spots. I assure you, I totally want to go to the beach as soon as possible.

http://www.mahalo.com/panama-city-beach-vacation

http://www.mahalo.com/smoky-mountains-vacation

http://www.mahalo.com/gulf-shores-vacation

Feel free to let me know if you enjoy them.

How sick is sick and how well is well?

2009-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

So you wake up and the world is not a friendly place. It is a scary place full of loud noises and overwhelming feelings. Not the usual world of loving family and co workers and friends.
Fears that you are being judged because you are not able to feel like a normal person. Fears that you will not live to see the things you want to see. Fears that you will go into a hospital and never come out or come out a totally different (worse) person.
So what else can you do but sit and worry and cry and fret. Wait for the other shoe to drop and bring your world collapsing onto you where it smothers you as it drains all life from you. No sometimes the world is not a beautiful and lovely place like you thought it was.

So you reach out for someone to help you. Someone to help you make it through this dark, cloudy, and terribly noisy state of mind you have found yourself in.
You go to the doctor that seems to understand you and she decides to trick you. In my opinion to trick someone that is already distraught is just cruel. She says here is what you should do.."Go to this place and tell them how you feel and they will change some medicine and you should feel all better by Monday". Sounds good in theory... but I decided to call and find out more about this place only to be told "it is in-patient care only". WHAT???
I am not driving down to an in-patient only place to get a little help. I will as always back my ears straighten my spine and adjust my thinking to pull myself out of this.
So I sit up and wait for midnight. Technically a new day, So at midnight I take my one a day medicine and wait. I stay awake until 4 am and then I sleep until 6:30. I wake with Dread seeping through my bones and into my soul. I can feel it in my blood and in my head. I call to tell my boss that I can not work until Monday. Then I begin to make myself better. I stay awake and do quiet and slow activities so that my over active nerves do not become startled. I stay in one small area of the couch and watch the TV but not listen not absorb the show. Just look.. I get the baby and I hug her and just feel her warmth and enjoy her silent smiles. Then I climb back into my quiet place on the couch and watch the day go by. A short nap then back to clock watching and I stay still and quiet and process the day slowly as to not jangle my nerves. Everyone goes to bed and I sit on my small section of the couch and watch the clock. Midnight comes and goes and I do not take my daily medicine. 1 am then 2 am come and only then do I take it. I go on Mahalo and look at questions and answer some of the questins that peak my interest. I go to sleep at 4:30 and when I wake up at 6:40 I do not feel quite so horrible. I do not feel so on edge my hands are still shaking but I am not consumed in dread. I am releived that I am not feeling the dread. I only feel the fear that has become my companion during this time. I wonder if after 3 weeks of this new medicine it is finally going to help me. It is too early to tell and I am afraid to make that snap judgement in case I suddenly become filled with dread as I have so many days before.
But without saying anything to anyone I feel lighter, and less smothered. I quietly moving through the house as to not startle myself and feel like I am going to survive this. I am going to keep working through this and not quit. I for the first time since May 5Th feel like the world is not burying me alive.

I sit on the patio and talk with Kenn and CAsey and watch the stars and we discuss personla beliefs and I remain calm and dread free.
Here it is 10:34 and I am planning what time to take my medicine. Thinking for the first time in a long time that tomorrow I might begin to feel well. I only want my being well to last this time. I want to be well for a long time this time.

I would like to have the pleasure of knowing at the end of this... how sick is sick and how well is well.

My Mahalo Obsession

2009-08-03T03:26:00.001-07:00

A month ago I had never heard of a website called Mahalo. http://www.mahalo.com

Now I am there daily answering questions, researching interesting subjects and managing a page that others can use as research.

What is Mahalo?

It is a human based search engine. It works like this, You have a subject of interest you search for it. A page will come up and will provide detailed information on it, or it allows you to make a page for the next searcher.
http://www.mahalo.com/porto-alegre this is my example. I wanted to know more about this beautiful city so I did a search. Nothing came up, so I was offered a chance to make a page. I love researching, so I started. Gathering one piece of information after another, until I believe it is a very informative page.
Then comes the decision to manage this page or leave it unmanaged for others to add to. This page I have not claimed as of yet, but I will before long as I had my managing limit raised to 6 pages.

The page I do manage is about Gymboree. http://www.mahalo.com/gymboree
I was researching on this because I love the clothes and when I searched I found there was no page for Gymboree so I found out so much information and started building the page. I updated the page and even more links appeared. Links on coupons, blogs, Stock news, classes and of course the branded merchandise.

Click a link and come on over and see if Mahalo calls to you at 3 am on a Monday morning to come on over and do some research. Let me know if you love it!

New blogs needed

2009-07-31T04:24:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for Angie to start her blog here. This one is simple and then we can all stalk each others pages. Makes it very convenient.
Angie has the most obscure thought process so it would be absolutely a good read. I always enjoyed strolling over to the other Blog place for a read. Keeps me knowing what is going on in her life. This is how I found out about game night and other revelations.

Casey is still thinking about making one too. I think it is a good place to mark what was going on at any particular time. She is a new mommy and so alot is happening and she should write about it. She is here with the baby all day and sees all the new things Raevyndaun is doing. I say ~~~Casey take notes ~~~ :)

Reyes should make one too. I think she has a 9 month old daughter Bella and she would have alot to write about. Reyes brought Bella up to the office today and she is so beautiful. She has the cutest grin and even though she did not let me hold her, she did allow me to touch her fingers once.
Reyes told me today about her husband's twin brother holding Bella and when her actual dad walked into the room. It freaked Bella out!! She had thought her daddy was holding her not his identical Twin!!
Can you just imagine the confusion... Oh to have seen a video of that! It would have been priceless.

So see you all have things to blog about... and you know I would read it happily.

Can't wait for ultrasound pictures of the new girl

2009-07-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Angie goes back and has ultrasound again in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see the pictures. It is amazing to me how well you can make out a baby in the black and white cone shaped picture. I have a male friend that thinks it might be too early when he looks at the ultrasound pictures. But I can always make out the little features. I think you have to look at them with a Mother's loving eye.
Angie has a page that allows people to vote on her baby's name and once I saw so many choices I was not convinced what name to give her. I am wondering if it is one of those times where you have to see her and know This is the perfect name for her!!!
So lets see if when we see the little black and white snapshot it just becomes the "Aha"moment and the little one has the perfect name.. She probably already has one picked out for herself.. now for us to recognize it :)

Weekend and Raevyndaun

2009-07-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Casey worked Raevyndaun so much this weekend. We increased tummy time to about 45 minutes and added in sitting up with assistance. She holds her elephant and makes him rattle by slinging him up over her head and back down by her side. Sometimes he flies out of her hand and that seems to surprise her. Rae has the cutest little squeal she does when she is happy. Her mouth opens wide and her nose crunches up and then this squeal just comes tumbling out. It is adorable!!
She is attempting to sit up and tackle her little *beep* *squeak* and *whirl* machine. Now I doubt that is the official name.. but it is an apt description. I was holding onto the back of her little onesie while she sat up there whirling and beeping and squeaking and she was balancing herself.
It was amazing to watch that little body take that huge leap. She started grabbing with purpose last week and then she decided that she was tired of laying on her back and watching her toys work without her. Her feet can move the buttons when she lays on her back, but she loves it even more when she is sitting up in front of it reaching for all the color coded buttons that make their own unique sound.
And her most wonderful discovery of the weekend was that when the "Binky" is missing she has a build in one on her right foot!! That toe is just the perfect size and shape.

Visit with Steve

2009-07-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Steve drove up from Tucson on his motorcycle. It is a beauty!! Red and chrome.. He looks so much like the Steve I remember. His hair is longer, he said "dad told him once I moved out on his own I could grow it to his ass if I wanted to.. So he did!

We caught up on all the families as much as we knew. Sorry to hear that his dad passed away from Lou Gehrig's. I really thought alot of Mr. Salter. He was a large and tall man but he had the cutest snicker and he laughed a lot. I had forgotten about the motorcycle that he had. But it all came flooding back to me.. Names of neighbors I had not thought about in so many years. Remembering the bicycle trip of a lifetime coming down cherry bomb hill with no breaks... Was able to go 2.5 blocks before coming to a stop. I can still remember how mama looked on the porch thinking I was showing off by going so fast. That smile was more of a snarl if she had been able to see me clearly!!

A great visit. Memories of the band in the dungeon and the shower in the middle of the 2 story basement. We have decided that we should do some touristy things here in Arizona. I think that will be fun. So many things to see and I do better when it is planned than just getting up and going. I used to be the opposite.

But the day was totally fun.

Ellis and Jessica went to the Grand Canyon

2009-07-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

They came over last night and told me abou ttheir trip. It sounds like they had a wonderful time with the whole family. They walked down into the canyon some then the trip back up to the top took 90 minutes. It was probably a good thing they did not push on farther.

They stayed in one of the Cabins inside the Grand Canyon and really loved the view. Once Ellis realized the kids were trying to toss pebbles over the side he explained to them that "there are people 1 mile down and you can kill someone" about that time... Something hit him in the head. He saw stars and wobbled and looked down to see what bolder had hit him and there was a still spinning half eaten apple on the ground in front of him.

Now how unfair is that ... he stopped his kids from beaning someone in the head.. only to be beaned in the head by half eaten food!!!

There is a bus that takes you from one scenic spot to the next and you have a five minute period before the next bus comes and moves you along the rim. I posted one of the awesome pictures he took.

Meeting up with a face from the past

2009-07-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Steve Salter called me today. He lives in the same state and is going to come up and see me tomorrow. How awesome that I am going to spend the afternoon with someone I haven't see in so long.
I am totally excited and can't wait to just talk and catch up.

I will write how it goes.