Laughing Through Parenting

Greyhound

2012-02-11T08:10:00.001-08:00

The weekend before Christmas my son went to see his Girlfriend in northern Arizona & meet her family. He decided to take a Greyhound bus to Flagstaff, that's as far north as it goes & she would drive down & pick him up there. I saw him off here in Phoenix & he had a great time while he was gone.

Until his return trip turned into a nightmare. He got back into Flagstaff on the morning of his return trip, the bus was to leave after 2 in the afternoon. He checked in & they told him his bus had been canceled & they were putting him on an earlier one, around 1. So they went & had lunch, a little disappointed that their time together would be shortened. :)

When they came back to the bus station for him to leave he was told the Bus had broken down, they were working on it & would try to get it there at 7 that night. He asked what if I go back home with my girlfriend & leave another day? They said if he didn't leave today he would have to purchase a whole new Bus ticket.

So they hung out in Flagstaff & headed back to the station at 5 (to be there 2 hours before departure time like they always tell you to) They get there & the station had CLOSED at 4! Which they neglected to tell him that much needed fact. His girlfriend needed to leave, we didn't want her driving home for hours alone too late a night.

So he would have to sit alone, outside in the cold & snow in a strange town, for 2 hours to wait till 7:00, to see if they were able to get the bus fixed & there. And if it then didn't show he (who does not have a smart phone) would then have to find a way to find a Taxi to come pick him up, find a hotel to have them take him to, then make his way back again in the morning to the Bus station to try to get another ticket home. Does this sound reasonable to anyone?

So I told him to have his girlfriend drop him off at the Flagstaff mall. I knew it would be open, warm & safe, & he could eat. Then my husband & older son left for the 6 hour, round trip, drive up to Flagstaff to pick him up.

Yes, Greyhound abandoned my son. He is a college student who works every summer at different National Parks around the country & could have been a very good, long time customer of theirs if he had just gotten basic customer service, but they didn't even afford him that. He had no issues what so ever traveling alone before with the Airlines.

The way I see it, at the very least, Greyhound owes him reimbursement for half of his $66.00 ticket price, since they only took him half of his trip! And for our tank of gas for the trip we had to make up there to get him. I guess were out of luck for the wear & tear on the car going up & down the mountains in the snow, and the time this Mother spent worrying about her child.

I can not tell you how disappointed in this company I am. It is pretty safe to say that I will never let him, or anyone I have influence over, to travel by Greyhound ever again.

My Favorite Song Lyrics!

2012-01-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have always loved music. Even before I fell in Love with, & married, a Musician. Before I become a Mother of four, who all turned out to be Musicians. My love affair with Music continues . . .

And as a Blogger I love the written word. Words used in different ways. Words that are Clever or Witty, that can make you think in a way you hadn't previously thought . . .

The other night as we were watching American Idol, a contestant auditioned with a song by Adele. (not very well mind you) but after they were done, I said "my favorite line in that whole song is _____!" And just like that the idea for this Blog post was birthed! That's how it usually happens for me. Random.

Through the years there have been song lyrics that have stuck with me. That have made me love a song I might not have really liked, or even an artist or band. And I'm going to share some of my all time favorite song lyrics with you.

Starting with that Adele song that I love so much:

"You know how the time flies,
Only yesterday was the time of our lives.
We were born and raised
in the summer haze.
Bound by the surprise
of our Glory Days."

(Someone Like You)

Speaking of Glory Days, how about John Cougar Melloncamp:

"Let it Rock, Let it Roll,
Let the Bible Belt come and save my Soul.
Hold on to 16 as long as you can,
changes come around real soon
make us Women and Men."

(Jack and Diane)

Too true. And I Love how The Band Perry puts it, for those of us who have lost a loved one much too soon:

"The sharp knife
of a short life."

(If I Die Young)

But as Price put it:

"Life is just a party
and parties weren't meant to last."

(1999)

Whenever I am tempted to feel sorry for myself, I think of my favorite all girl Rock Band, Antigone Rising who put it best:

"I took off my Pity Party Dress
and I don't dance no more."

(Don't Look Back)

After all, as Danny Gokey put it:

"Gotta get a little life on ya,
Ain't always pretty,
Gonna get a little dirty."

(Life On Ya)

And what is it we're really looking for? Daughtry has the right answer:

"All that I'm after is a life full of Laughter,
as long as I'm Laughing with you."

(Life After You)

Well that's a start for now. Keep Singing, and I'd love to hear what are some of your all time favorite song lyrics?

Twitter Tuesday!

2012-01-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

I'm starting something new on the Blog, I'm calling it Twitter Tuesday! (Cute Logo the Hubby made for me huh?!) And today is the first installment! You know how much I LOVE Twitter! I even now have ALL my kids on Twitter! We are a Social Media loving family. (Well, except for Zach, who goes along just to appease us. We got him on Twitter, so he could keep us updated from Mt. Rainier last summer.) I follow Friends, Family members, Authors of Books I've read, some Celebrities & Politicians, other Bloggers I read, etc.

And it's not just for socializing. I must say I've learned from Twitter. The other day there was a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire that I got correct, because of Twitter. It was who said some famous quote, I knew it was Elenore Roosevelt, because I had seen the quote on, of all places, Twitter! I get my News from Twitter. Celebrity & Political gossip. And even get great deals from companies all on Twitter!

So at least one Tuesday every month (maybe more, as I see really great or funny Tweets!) I'm going to share them with you right here on the Blog! If you are on Twitter you can follow me here. So, welcome to Twitter Tuesday!

Since as I'm writing this it is the Chinese New Year, I thought I'd start by sharing something I Tweeted about this time last year, straight form a Fortune Cookie I ate that day:

"Be Quicker of Mind than of Tongue,"

And here's one from WomenOfHistory Inspirational Quotes that I just love:

"Well behaved women seldom make history."

This one comes from Greatest Quotes:

"Never let your memories be greater than your dreams." - Doug Ivester

And as we are starting out this New Year, I leave you with a Tweet from Oprah:

"Doing the best at this moment
puts you I the best place for the next moment."

Let's make our next moment, this New Year, our Best one yet!

New!

2012-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are starting out the New Year at a New Church, with a New Job!
Yay! We are so excited!

John was hired at Glendale Nazarene Church, In Glendale Arizona.

It's a fun, active Church of about 500 people.

It is on the west side of Phoenix,
about an hour drive from where we live on the east side of Phoenix!

We're not moving at this time with it just being a part time position.
So for now we drive an hour each way.

The Boys also get to play with their Dad.
Kyle on Drums and Zach on Bass
(who unfortunately can't be seen in any of these pictures!)

I can not tell you how great it is to see him once again doing what he loves to do.
And what he does so well!
Leading People in Worship.

It's The End Of The Wrold As We Know It! (Or Not!)

2012-01-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, so rumor has it that the world will end in 2012. Because, I guess the ancient Mayan calender stops then. (I believe it goes up until the middle of December 2012) We've been joking around about it for awhile. There was an event invitation sent out on Facebook asking if you were going to attend 2012. :)

Well, I could not pass up the opportunity to turn this into a Blog Post! (But, of course not!) There are some days quite frankly, I wouldn't mind the world ending! 2011 has been a hard year! (Actually the past few years have been tough!) With John being let go from yet another job. And living with a lot of stress.

But, it is a New Year! And good things are happening. John's been working a retail job & was just offered a job at a new Church! It is just part time, but we are very excited about the opportunity. So, I got to thinking; What would this New Year bring? And let me state for the record I do not believe the world will end in December, 2012. (The Bible does tell us what will occur in the end times.)

But, lets just say for arguments sake, and the fun of a Blog Post, that the world was going to end in December of this year. What would have happened in 2012 prior to that . . . Well, My Twin Daughters will have started High School! (Okay, maybe the world really should end, then! Yikes!) My Boys will both have gotten Associate Degrees. My Husband and I will have celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary! And, since my Birthday is the end of December, I wont have turned another year older! :) Not a Bad Year! If I do say so myself! And that's just the things I know of! So, 2012 is shaping up to be a pretty good year! And I, for one could certainly use a good one.

And I hope all this talk of the end of the world hasn't brought you down, it's all in good fun and to ask you what you think this New Year might hold in store for you and your family. I hope you had a very Happy New Year! And I pray we are all Blessed in 2012! (Even if it is our last year!) :)

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Barbie In The Nutcracker

2011-12-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

The other day we were playing a Christmas Trivia game & the question came up: What did the Nutcracker turn into after he killed the mouse king? And Zach, my 20 year old Nature boy knew the answer. He got teased for knowing The Nutcracker trivia, and I said you know why he knows that? Because when he was younger, his little sisters favorite movie was none other than . . .

Barbie in The Nutcracker! And so this entire family, including their big brothers watched it over & over & over again!

And I must say it is done really well. It really is a good movie! Even the pre-teen boys liked it back in the day! (And obviously still remember it to this day!)

There were other Barbie movies to follow, The Princess and The Pauper among them, and they all were really good. Now the newer Barbie movies with Fairies & Mermaids, I don't know about, since my girls are older now. But we have several Barbie movies that are really good!

After seeing how much my girls loved Barbie in The Nutcracker, I took them to see the actual Ballet. We went to a performance done for Toys for Tots & admission was a donation new toy. It was so good! We all loved it.

That year, after seeing the Ballet, Santa left Nutcrackers in the kids' stockings. :) A friend gave my Boys some really cool Nutcrackers one year, Zach's is playing a Guitar & Kyle's is a Pirate Nutcracker! :) You will enjoy this Movie. And the Ballet, if you ever get the chance to go, do. Oh, and here's a hint at the answer of the trivia question that sparked this Blog post . . .

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Frosty The Snowman

2011-12-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I had to choose Today's 12 Days Of Christmas Movies, because it's Christmas Day, & since today is also My Birthday . . .

"Happy Birthday!"

That's right, it is none other than Frosty The Snowman! Such a good Movie! And his first words when he comes to life are of course "Happy Birthday!" :)

Boy: But you can't take that hat back! It brought Frosty to life.
Karen: You saw it happen!
Professor Hinkle: I saw nothing of the kind.

You silly children believe everything you see.
Wen you grow up, you'll realize that snowmen can't come to life.
Silly, silly, silly!

And today, of course, there is another Birthday today that is even a bigger deal than mine! :) "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

Karen: You've got to excuse him, sir.
You see, he just came to life, and he doesn't know much about such things.
Traffic Cop: Oh, well okay. If he just came to life.
Move along!
hat silly snowman. Once they come to life, they don't know nothin'.
Come to life?!

Whew! Stay i hear much longer and Ill really make a splash in the world.

May you and yours have a Wonder-filled and a Wonder-full Christmas!

Santa: Don't cry, Karen, Frosty's not gone for good.
You see, he was made out of Christmas snow
& Christmas snow can never disappear completely.
It sometimes goes away for almost a year at a time
& takes the form of spring and summer rain.
But you can bet your boots that when a good, jolly December wind kisses it,
it will turn into Christmas snow all over again.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: On Strike For Christmas

2011-12-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

This next Movie in The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies, is On Strike For Christmas! It was made for Lifetime last year, and we found it at Blockbuster for rent! But my love affair with On Strike For Christmas started long before I saw the Movie.

I just make my list!
And get her done!

You see it is a Book. A really good Book. John bought this book for me as part of an Anniversary gift, knowing that I love to read & I LOVE all things Christmas! Right away I liked the way the Author wrote.

The Holidays are not about all the entrapment's!

The Movie is good, but the Book is better! :)

If I don't do it, it doesn't get done!
I don't know if I can make Christmas happen if I don't get some help soon!

We're gonna get our side of the story out there
and turn the tide on this strike!

I Tweeted about how much I liked the Book as I was reading it, and the Author, Sheila Roberts saw my Tweets & Tweeted me back! (You know how excited I get when an Author Tweets me!) Then when I was running a Book Club I chose another one of her Books, called Bikini Season for the Club to read. Sheila (over Twitter) offered to call my Book Club when we were going to discuss her Book. Can you imagine getting the opportunity to discus a Book with the person who actually wrote it?! I was beyond excited! She quickly became one of my all time favorite Authors!

Christmas doesn't have to be done my way to be perfect.

I've also read a second Christmas Book she's written called The Snow Globe. And she has another new one out this year as well called The Nine Lives Of Christmas, I haven't read that one yet, but I'm sure I will! :)

What makes Christmas perfect isn't what we do.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Christmas With The Kranks

2011-12-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are going from the Griswolds to the Kranks! :)

The Movie Christmas With The Kranks is based on the Book Skipping Christmas by: John Grisham. Not Grisham's usual fare, but a good book none the less. And the Movie sticks really close to the Book. Probably closer than any other Book turned Movie I know of!

Luther & Nora's only Daughter joins the Peace Core, I think it is. And since she won't be home for Christmas they decide to take a Cruise to a tropical destination & skip Christmas all together.

Spike: You're skipping Christmas!
Isn't that against the Law?

The towns people try everything in their power, from sympathy to threats, to change their minds, to no avail.

Blair: I'm bringing home Enrique'!
Luther: What's a Reeke'?

But then a change of plans leads to all kinds of Chaos! Last minuet Party planning, decorating and shopping lends to a lot of Laughter!

Luther: What happened to the hickory honey ham?
Nora: Don't EVER say hickory honey ham again!

I have thought I'd like to just skip Christmas this year myself. Get right to the New Year & new season of our life. But Christmas isn't just about the amount of money you can spend or how many gifts you can give (or get!) But about celebrating another year together. It's about being with the ones you love. And that too is what the Kranks have to learn.

Luther: Skipping Christmas, what a stupid Idea!
Nora: Maybe next year.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Christmas Vacation

2011-12-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, you knew I'd have to get there sooner or latter, right?! And I'm sorry to say that that day has finally arrived.

That's right, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. If you like stupid humor, this movie is for you. But, this year I'm feeling more and more like the Griswold's!

Clark: We're kicking off our fun old fashion family Christmas
by heading out into the country in the old front wheel drive sleigh
to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape
and select that most important of Christmas symbols.
Audrey: We're not coming all the way out here
to get one of those stupid ties with Santa Clauses on it are we?
Clark: No, I have one of those at home.

We're gonna have the hap hap happiest Christmas
since Bing Crosby tap danced with Danny freaking Kay.

Ruby Sue: Uncle Clark, are you sure you ain't Santa Clause?
Clark: I'm sure . . . I can't even afford to be an elf.

With John & I both working retail this Christmas season, we don't have much time for much of anything else. So, we are doing things a little bit differently this year. We got our tree up, and that was about it. Just the tree. Then the next day we managed to add the lights & the pearls. Then on another day came all the rest of the ornaments!

I give you the Griswold family Christmas tree.
Lotta sap in here!
Mmmmm . . . looks great!
Little full, lotta sap.

Ellen: Welcome to our home - what's left of it.

Uncle Lewis: Hey, Grizz, Bethany and I figured out the perfect gift for you!
Clark: Aw, you didn't have to get me anything.
Uncle Lewis: Dang it, Bethany, he guessed it.

John & the boys put up our outside lights while I was at work one day. I came home to a nice surprise!

Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?
Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.

My Family always gets together to bake our Christmas Cookies together! It's always a huge mess and a lot of fun. But unfortunately this year we have to work & can't join in. But I still want my kids to have the experience & of course, we want the cookies, so we're going about it in a different & much easier way . . . ready made cookie dough & frosting! Don't tell! :)

Clark: Since this is Aunt Bethany's 80th Christmas,
I think she should lead us in the saying of Grace.
Aunt Bethany: What, dear?
Nora: Grace!
Aunt Bethany: Grace? She passed away thirty years ago.
Uncle Lewis: They want you to say Grace.
The Blessing!
Aunt Bethany: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands.
One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Clark: Amen.

And to top it all off, I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year. I LOVE Christmas cards. Picking them out (or in my case designing them with my husband!) Writing my world famous Christmas letter. (though now that I'm Blogging, do I really need to send out a letter?) It's just too costly & time consuming for us this year. So, this will have to do:

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: The Polar Express

2011-12-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Polar Express came out in 2004. My girls had just turned 7 years old. It was Thanksgiving weekend, my sister in law, Debbie & I took her daughter Rachel, & my girls to see it. The theater was crowded and we found seats where Debbie & I could sit in the row right in front of the three girls. I fell in love with this Movie. At one point in the movie I turned around to look at the girls, and found all three of them staring up at the screen just in awe! It truly is visually stunning. We had to go out & get the Book as well, and of course the Bell from Santa's sleigh now hangs on our Christmas tree every year! Because we Believe!

The things about trains . . . it doesn't matter where they're going.
What matters is deciding to get on.

On Christmas Eve many years ago I laid quietly i my bed.
I did not rustle the sheets, I breathed slowly and silently.
I was listening for a sound I was afraid I'd never hear:
the sound of Santa's sleigh bells.

The Conductor: Well, ya comin?
The Boy: Where?
The Conductor: To the North Pole, of course!
This is the Polar Express!

The Boy: I'm looking for a girl.
Hobo: (burst out laughing) Well aren't we all?

There's no greater gift than friendship.

This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas - as am I.
Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.

At one time most of my friends could hear the bell,
but as years passed it fell silent for all of them.
Even Sarah found one Christmas
that she could no longer hear its sweet sound.
Though I've grown old the bell still rings for me,
as it does for all who truly believe.

Seeing is believing,
But sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: The Holiday

2011-12-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

The next Movie on The 12 Days Of Christmas list is The Holiday. A fun, sweet Romantic Comedy in which two women, one from L.A. & one form England, do a house swap in order to take a break from their real lives for the Holidays. We follow them on their adventures in self discovery.

Hannah: I've just noticed how pathetic you are.
Iris: Really? I'm SO aware of it.

I would love to stay in either of these two houses. If you could get away for the Holidays, where would you want to go? For me, It's New York City! I heart NY! I want to Ice skate in Central Park & see the shop windows all decorated for Christmas. I've also always wanted to visit Disneyland at Christmas time. It's magical even in the summer time, just imagine it at Christmas, all decorated & lit up.

I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life.

I need some peace and quiet . . . or whatever it is people go away for.

There are touching moments & great characters in this film. There is a sweet side story involving a neighbor at one of the houses. It's another really good movie to watch this time of year.

Arthur: In the movies we have Leading Ladies and we have the best friend.
You, I can tell, are a Leading Lady,
but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right,
You're supposed to be the Leading Lady in your own life!
I've been going to a therapist for 3 years,
and she's never explained anything to me that well.
That was Brilliant. Brutal but Brilliant.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Samantha An American Girl Holiday

2011-12-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned the American Girl Dolls. My Daughters & I Love them! They take stories of young girls throughout American History, make Dolls of them & write books telling their stories. It inspires girls to read & to play with dolls (two of my Favorite things!) :) But my Favorite is Samantha. When my girls were little we got them the Dolls & Books of Samantha & her best Friend Nellie! The Samantha & Nellie Dolls are now retired. And though my girls are now Teenagers, they still have their American Girl Dolls & Books, and will probably have them till they have Daughters of their own to pass them on to.

A few years ago we even have had An American Girl Doll Birthday Party. Then they decided to expand & make Movies of their stories. And I must say these Movies are done so well & are all great movies! Kit is the latest one & was released in Theaters, Molly & Felicity were released on video only, like the first one they did, which is of course my favorite, It's Samantha An American Girl Holiday. And it is today's 12 Days Of Christmas Movies selection.

Set in 1904, Samantha (played by Anna Sophia Robb, of Soul Surfer) a girl of wealth who lives with her grandmother, who she calls "Grandmary" (I don't know why, but I just love that! After I read Little Women as a girl I started calling my Mom "Marmie" because they do in the book!) :) Nellie, along with her Father & 2 younger sisters move in next door as her neighbors servants. The 2 girls become fast friends. Samantha sharing her life of privilege & teaching Nellie how to read, & Nellie teaching Samantha how to do things like beat rugs, darn socks, etc. The two girls become very close.

Aunt Cornelia: They're not supposed to separate the families.
Nellie: Ma'am, they do a lot of things they're not supposed to do.

But Nellie's Father dies after an illness & she and her sisters are sent to a terrible orphanage until Samantha sneaks them out & hides them in her attic. Nellie secretly takes a job in a factory to earn money to support her & her sisters until Samantha tracks her down & speaks out against Child labor. Samantha just wants a sister for Christmas, & her uncle & his new wife adopt the girls & the best friends finally do become sisters! It is such a good Movie! (much better than I am making it sound, trust me) I highly recommend all the American Girl Doll Movies! They promote Girl Power! Which any mother of Daughters hopes to instill into her girls.

Nellie: First snow. Do you think we're dreaming?
Samantha: If we are, I hope I never wake up.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Miracle on 34th Street

2011-12-03T14:25:00.001-08:00

"If you're really Santa Claus, you can get it for me. And if you can't , you're only a nice man with a white beard like mother says." Weather you prefer the Original made in 1947, or the remake from 1994, Miracle On 34th Street is a Christmas Classic. Both are great movies, in which the real Santa finds himself working, playing himself, at Macy's Department store! And ends up on trial to determine his sanity for believing he is who he says he is. And a bit of trivia for you Moms & Daughters out there, who like us, love the American Girl Dolls, if you look closely in the end of the newer version, under the Christmas Tree you will see a Kit Doll! (just thought I'd throw that in for free!) :)

Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see?
It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for.
It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.

But the real Miracle of Christmas isn't Santa being able to fly around the world on one night & fill our stockings. It's that God sent his only Son to earth to be born a baby who would grow up to be the sacrifice for our sins. So that we all could become the son's & daughters of God & have eternal life with him! And this Christmas finds us in need of a Miracle. Many of you know my Husband was laid off from his job as a Worship Pastor. In this economy, so many Churches are struggling financially. Which means the majority of Churches are using volunteers, or are only hiring part time leaders. We have sent Resume's all around the Country & are excited for the next season of Ministry in our lives. But to be totally honest with you, the longer we wait, the harder it is to stay positive. Even for a glass is half full type person like me! :) Yes, even I find myself struggling. My husband is the most talented, hardest working man I've ever known. And I question at times why would God give him so much musical talent & the skills to be a great leader only to have him standing behind a cash register?

Oh, Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind. . .
and that's what's been changing.
That's why I'm glad I'm here, maybe I can do something about it.

And I'm reminded again of that first Christmas, when God put a Star in the sky to point the Wise Men in the direction they should go to Worship. (And of course being named Star & being born on Christmas day, this part of the story has always held great meaning for me!) :) But right now, it's us who need to be pointed in the right direction. We are willing to follow. It's hard at times not to feel alone or abandoned, yet I know God is always in control. And His timing is perfect. Even though we don't understand why things happen, we can rest in the knowledge that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

This is quite an opportunity for me.
For the past 50 years or so
I've been getting more and more worried about Christmas.
Seems we're all so busy trying to beat the other fellow
in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less
that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle.

And even in my struggle, I'm reminded time and again by my own kids of the Miracle of Christmas, a month or so ago my 20 year old son, Zach came to me & said "I don't need, or really want anything, so I don't want you guys to get me anything for Christmas, and I have some money, I can pitch in to help with the girls' Christmas." Then my girls went to hang out at the mall with a friend & when I picked them up they were telling me all about all the fun they had & they had used gift cards they got at their Birthday Party to buy me a Christmas present. Breaks my heart. And I came home after a long day at work to find my Husband & Sons had put up our Christmas lights. So even when things look bleak, God is Faithful.

Someday you're going to find that your way of facing
this realistic world just doesn't work.
And when you do, don't overlook those lovely intangibles.
You'll discover those are the only things that are worthwhile.

The 12 Days Of Christmas Movies: Serendipity

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last December I thought I'd do something fun here on the Blog. Since I am a Christmas Junkie, & I LOVE all things Christmas, including Christmas Movies, I decided to do a 12 Days Of Christmas in Movies! I would pick 12 of my Favorite Christmas movies & post about them during the month of December. It was a big success. I've gotten hits all year long on those posts. People really are interested in opinions on Christmas movies I guess. So, I've decided to carry on the tradition I started . . .

The first one on the list is a good one: Serendipity. A romantic comedy starring Kate Beckinsale & John Cusack. They are shopping on Christmas Eve in New York City & both pick up the same pair of gloves, they argue over who gets them, she does, of course! So she takes him out for a Coffee to repay him for his generosity. She takes him to her favorite restaurant called Serendipity. Hence the title of the film!

Jonathan: How'd you find this place?
Sara: I first came in because of the name: Serendipity.
It's one of my favorite words.
Jonathan: It is? Why?
Sara: It's such a nice sounding work for what it means:
a fortunate accident.

They totally hit it off, but since they are both dating other people at the time, she doesn't want to pursue anything. So they decide to let "the Universe" decide for them. They put his name & phone number on a $5.00 Bill & buy some gum with it, and put her name & number in a Book she has & sells it to a used Book Store. If they find them again someday it will be fate! Well years pass & a lot of fun ensues, and well you just have to see it to find out how it ends up!

Jonathan: I hope you enjoy the gloves you bought yourself.
Sara: Oh, I'm sure I will, I usually enjoy my own thoughtfulness.

As someone who enjoys picking out her own Christmas presents, I can relate! :) I watch this movie every Christmas season. But this year was the first year my (now 14 year old) daughters watched it with me, and they really liked it too! It's a sweet movie.

Sara: well, if we're meant to meet again, we'll meet again.
It's just not the right time now.
Jonathon: Maybe we're supposed to meet on British time
and we're five hours too early.
Sara: You don't have to understand. You just have to have faith.
Jonathon: Faith in what?
Sara: Destiny

Is there really one true Soul Mate out there for each of us? If you are a romantic, you will like this movie. And if your not, well, you just might become one. Like Sara's friend Eve tells her: And if you're smart enough, you learn from your mistakes. You figure it out. You . . you think. You realize that life isn't some elaborate stage play with directions for the actors. Life's a mess, Sara. It's . . . Chaos Personified. So, Here's to some Serendipity, or fortunate accidents coming our way! We could all use some fortune, accidental or not! :)

Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Since this is the last Thursday of November & my last Thankful Thursday post (until next year, anyway) I thought I'd do something a little different. A list. It's always hard just to pick one thing to do a Thankful Thursday post about, so today, I'm not choosing just one. Since it is Thanksgiving Day, 2011, I'm going to share 11 things of which I am deeply Thankful for. We should all be doing this, after all that is what Thanksgiving is for, to remind us to stop and count our Blessings. And remember to give Thanks for all we have . . .

1. My Husband, John. A Great Man, Husband & Father. I love you babe.

2. My Kids. Kyle, Zach, Erica & Alexia. They bring me so much Joy in life!

3. Our Family. Today we will get to be with many of them. First The Forbis' at John's Mom's house in Casa Grande & then The Finks at my Brother's house in Glendale! Which of course means we will be eating a lot! I LOVE Family time!

4. Health. We, Thankfully, are all pretty healthy. Having lost people close to me, I realize just how fragile life really is. And am grateful for every moment.

5. My Home. Yes, it is way too small for 6 people to be living in, (especially when half of them have a lot of musical equipment) but it is our home, a place we can be ourselves and be together.

6. Our Cars. Even after this week, when on the way home from work I had a flat tire. But without a car, I couldn't get to work, or Church, or my kids activities, etc.

7. Social Media. (Don't laugh!) Through things like Facebook, Twitter & Blogging I have reconnected with many old friends, people who over the years I had lost touch with. And made many new connections, with people I would never have met otherwise!

8. Good Books. You know I love to read! And Books can become our Friends, our Teachers, a Mirror, an Escape, etc.

9. Tinkerbell. No, not the Fairy, though I do like her! Our little Dog, Toy Rat Terrier to be exact. We've never really been pet people, until Tinkerbell came into our lives. She was given to my girls for their eighth Birthday & has become such a fun part of our family.

10. Education. My kids are learning so much more than I'll ever know. Both my boys are in College and both with Scholarships that I am very grateful for! We should never stop learning. And always be Life Learners!

11. Last, but certainly not least: God. He is ever Faithful. Even when it might not feel like it. When I have doubt or worry, He is always there for me to turn to in my time of need. He provides for us, comforts us, guides us. Thank you God, for all You are & all You do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are some of the things you are Thankful for today?

Our Breaking Dawn Adventure!

2011-11-21T10:35:00.001-08:00

The latest addition of the Twilight Saga films has just been released!
Breaking Dawn!
I took two Vacation Day's from work just for the Premier!

We started out the week by rewatching all the three previous Movies!
Erica & I have read all the Books,
Lexi is reading them now.

I headed up to our local theater at around 3 in the afternoon to get in line.
(the Movie Premiered at Midnight!)
I of course was armed with a good Book! :)
Some people got there as early as 6 AM!

You see all kinds of people in line:
People with Babies, yes, waiting all day in line & seeing a Midnight Movie! :0
There was a group of women (with NO teenagers, or kids!)
all wearing matching shirts that said "Member of the Cullen Wedding Party"
all doing each others hair & make-up!
They were quite entertaining!

My daughters joined me about an hour latter,
after they got out of school!
They too were armed with Books, Games & even some homework!
I may be a "Cool Mom" doing the Twilight thing,
but they still do have to do their homework!

We had friends join us through out the afternoon & evening.
Bringing us dinner & snacks!
The line now wrapped all the way around the mall!

My girls went to walk the line, to see how long it had gotten,
and asked what should they do if they see someone we know?
So, I took the opportunity to teach my girls the art of "Small Talk!"

Later, a friend of theirs joined us in line & wanted to see how long it had gotten.
And as they were going to see Erica turned around & said
"Don't worry Mom, if we see anyone we know we'll do that small talk thingy!" :)

We played a few rounds of Twilight Trivia
along with some other games.
And laughed a lot.

We were let into the Theaters at about 9:45 PM.
We had a plan, and sent some in the group right to the Theater to get seats,
and others of us headed to concessions.

I had gotten us so close to the front of the line we got great seats
(at the rail!) :)
And were first in line at the concession stand!

My son Kyle, who goes to a lot of Midnight Movie Premiers,
brought the girls up to me when they got out of school.
He had class that night,
then met a group of friends from his College Church Group
at Tempe Market Place to see it
wearing this . . .

That's right, he's a trader!
My girls & I are of course Team Jacob!
Many of our Friends we saw it with are Team Edward,
but we let them stay anyway! :)

The above picture is Kyle & his group at the Premier.
(Yes, Jena, I stole this off your Twitter account!) :)
It really was quite an event!
And a really good, very intense Movie!
It was so much fun!
Though I was VERY tired! (I'm too old for these Midnight Premiers!)
And now we have to wait an entire year to see part II! :(

Goodbye Teenage Years!

2011-11-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today my Baby Boy is no longer a Teenager!
How did that happen?!
How did he get older, and I didn't?! :)

I remember when I turned 20,
I was sad I wouldn't be a Teenager any longer!
I don't think he feels the same way! :)

We Love you so much, son!
And are so proud of the Man you are becoming!

On to the adventure that will be your 20's!
Happy Birthday Zach!

Thankful Thursday: Quality Time

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

I remember being a young wife, after we had moved across the country & ending a day of my husband working late in tears, when he asked me what was wrong, I exclaimed "You don't Love me!" He was dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?" he asked. I responded with "You don't spend any time with me!" A light bulb went off over his head that night, that looked something like "I need to spend time with my wife in order for her to FEEL how much I love her!" We made sure we had Date Nights from them on.

A few years latter we discovered what would become one of my favorite Books of all time. It is called The Five Love Languages by: Dr. Gary Chapman. In this Book, Dr. Chapman tells us there are Five Love Languages (hence the name of the book!) :) They are how we give & receive love. And how we show others we love them & why we feel (or don't feel) loved. We need to speak all five of them to keep our spouses "Love Tank" full.

The Five Love Languages are: Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Gifts & Quality Time. There are a few questions to help you uncover the Love Language of the people around you, as well as your own. Maybe your husband gives you flowers & your thinking I wish he'd just tell me he loves me, or just take the trash out with out me asking him too. Those are clues into his Love Language, as well as to yours. In short: Physical Touch means exactly what it sounds like, You need physical contact, the hugs & hand holding, etc. Words of Affirmation is needing to be told how much you are loved & appreciated. Acts of Service means you feel Loved through someone doing something for you. Gifts is you need tokens of someones love. And last but not least is Quality time . . .

My Love Language is Quality Time. I feel loved when someone spends time with me. (Remember my little story at the beginning?) Now I have always appreciated my husbands high work ethic, but I need TIME with him in order to feel loved. He realized that before we had ever read this book, which just confirmed what he already knew. Good Man! That's why things like Date Nights & Family Vacations are so important to me. To me Time = Love! We also discovered that his Love Language is Physical Touch. Unfortunately that is my least spoken Love Language, as I'm not a touchy feely type of person. I have had to literally remind myself to do things like hold my Husbands hand when we are walking together. Now it comes a little more naturally to me. :) But, let's get back to me! :)

You are probably wondering why I'm telling you all this in a Thankful Thursday post, right? Well it's because as you are reading this I am right now spending Quality Time with my Daughters & some friends of ours, standing in line all day for the Movie Premier of the newest film in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. That's right. My girls & I have a shared love for the Twilight Books & Movies. And we even went on a Twilight Tour in Forks, WA. this summer. I love spending time with my kids & this is something we love to do together! Quality Time! And I will forever treasure these memories of time spent together. Thankful for Quality Time with those I love & who love me.

I highly recommend the book The Five Love Languages. I give it regularly for wedding showers. It can & will improve your marriage. He has gone on to write The Five Love Languages of Teenagers & Children, (along with some others) Both are really good. We can all benefit from knowing how we & those around us receive Love, so we can speak to them in ways they not only understand, but benefit the greatest from. Today I encourage you to be Thankful for those around you & to spend some Quality Time with those you love the most.

In-Spite Vs. Inspire

2011-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Over on my About Me page you will find this paragraph: "I do not in any way think that I am a great mom. I might be a good mom (or at least a good enough mom)! But I do know that I have great kids! They are not perfect by any means, but they are great none the less. ~ I pray that some of why they got that way was "INSPIRED" by me, and I know that part of how they got that way was "IN-SPITE" of me!" No truer words have ever been spoken.

I take great pride in my children and I have been told many times over the years that I have Great Kids! And Trust me in this, like everyone else, my kids are flawed. And believe it or not, so am I! (You're shocked, I know!) :) Yet, God has truly Blessed me with 4 Amazing kids! I'm sure every parent feels that way. Or at least I hope they do, & that they let their kids know they feel that way!

I Blog about parenting, but am quick to admit, I am not the perfect parent. But nevertheless, In-Spite of me & all my flaws & shortcomings, I can post a Thankful Thursday about my family (scroll down to see it) who I am truly thankful for. They really do make me look good! :)

I looked up these two words (or phrases) In-Spite and Inspire. In-Spite of means that something happened even though something tried to prevent it. And Inspire is to stimulate to think, to act, to influence.

I pray I can Inspire my Husband, my Children, my extended Family & Friends, my co workers, and anyone I come in contact with, or who reads this Blog. An Inspiration is something that stimulates imagination & good will. I have always consciously tried to Inspire Imagination in my children, and they are dreamers! Just like their parents! :) And who has more influence over our children than we do? Especially while they are little.

But even as they grow up & become more & more influenced by those around them, like Friends, Teachers, Television, Movies, Etc. As their Parents, we still have great influence in their lives. We continue to help shape the people they are becoming, even when they are spreading their wings and it doesn't feel like they are listening to us. :)

Who can you Inspire today?!

Thankful Thursday:A Family That Plays Together & Stays Together!

2011-11-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

I can not convey to you just how Thankful I am for my Husband
of over 24 years
And our 4 Children! I Love my Family.

None of us would be who we are without the Love & Support of our Family!

We stick together through thick and thin!
The good times & the bad.

Loving & Supporting each other,
Every step of the way!

Being there to Laugh with you!
Or at you when the situation calls for it! :)
Or to be a shoulder to cry on when you need one.

The day looms ever closer when my boys will be ready to leave the nest.
I'm not looking forward to that day,
But I know it won't change who we all are to each other.

I'm not the best Wife/Mother there is,
but they all make even me look good!

I'm glad that we can be, and are
A real Support System for each other!

I love my Family more than words can say!
And today, and everyday I am beyond Thankful that they are mine!

We All Need A Little Insurance Sometimes!

2011-11-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

We went to a friends Costume party on Halloween. We ate, played games, sat around a fire pit & handed out candy to neighborhood kids, while ours went around the neighborhood as well. It was a lot of fun!

I wanted to come up with good (& inexpensive) costume ideas. I though I'd go as Flo, the Progressive Insurance lady, and John could be the Geico caveman, but he'd need a wig to cover his bald head! :) Then a commercial came on for Allstate Insurance, with Mayhem, the guy who causes all the accidents & wallah! He wore a suit & the best part of the day I got to beat him up! :) He ended up with a scar on his forehead, a band-aid on his cheek & a big ole black eye & a little blood running out of his mouth! For Flo, my daughter Erica straitened my hair & there was a whole lot of teasing going on, to make that big ole poof! I found a blue headband at the dollar store & a plain white apron at Hobby lobby for under $5.00! Kyle made & printed out the name tags & Guess What?! We won the best couples Costumes & a Walmart Gift card! Yay Us!! And we saved on a bundle on Insurance! Ha ha.

Lexi, my little Flower Child, went as a Hippie! No surprise there for anyone who knows her! She looked so cute! "Peace Out Man!" And Erica had the brilliant idea, (which Zach claims he thought of first) at the girls' Paris Birthday Party, to be The Eiffel Tower! Look how cute it turned out . . .

And she also won a prize for the most Creative Costume! Her hair is the only thing holding the Eiffel Tower on her head! She braided it around the legs! Magnifique!

"It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman!" Or rather Zach, as Clark Kent himself! Though he's having a hard time finding a phone booth now a days!

Kyle decided to go as a Tourist! As always, Living Aloha! "Hang Loose Dude!"

We hope you all had a Happy & Safe Halloween as well. And now that we've all eaten our weight in candy, admit it, you know you have! Let's bring on the Holidays! I'm already listening to Christmas music! Yeah, that's how I roll! :)

Thankful Thursday: Even A Mom Needs A Mom!

2011-11-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I started a tradition here on my Blog, I call it Thankful Thursday's. Where every Thursday during the month of November I will Blog about something I am Thankful for! You can read my previous years' entries here & here, then just scroll down through the months posts.

And well . . . It's Back!

I spend a lot of time talking about being a Mom.
But, even a Mom needs a Mom!
Today (and Everyday) I am Thankful for mine!

My Mom, Pat Fink, just celebrated her 80th Birthday!
Happy Birthday Mom!
You are & always will be Forever Young!

Family Portraits:
(My Mom in red gingham! and yes, that's me in the yellow ruffles!)

(At my Brother's Wedding, 25 years ago)

(Our last Family Portrait before loosing my Sister & my Dad)

My Mom & I with 4 of my Brothers at her 80th Birthday Party this weekend!

I have always loved the relationship between my Parents & my Children.
They have always shared a special bond.
I never really knew my Grandparents.
And am so Thankful that my kids know theirs, and are close to them.

Grandma's Girls . . .

Zach:

Kyle:

My Mom taught me how to be a Mom!
I couldn't be Me, without Her!
Thank you Mom, for Everything . . .

Three Generations!
Me, My Mom, & My Daughters,
Dancing through Life together!

Footloose!

2011-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have been overly excited, waiting for the new remake of the Movie Footloose to come out! I think I was about 19 years old when the original came out (just a couple of years ago!) :) I had taken dance classes all through High School & love dance movies, and Footloose was one of the best! As a Christian girl I also loved the storyline of the Pastor's daughter. I saw that movie too many times to count in the theater & then on VHS after that! I now own it on DVD & made my kids all watch it with me before the remake came out!

A remake is always a scary thing though. Can it ever even come close to the original? Especially a well loved original? Well, you will have to see it for yourself to see if it does! I have to say I LOVED it! It is still one of my favorite movies! Now I don't want to spoil it for you, so if you haven't seen it yet, I'm going to say something I thought I'd never say to you: Stop reading my Blog! :) Go see Footloose, then come back & finish reading this post! I don't want to persuade you one way or another. I'm gonna share what I loved about the Original & what I liked & didn't like about the new one! (And let me tell you, there are a few things I like even better in the second one! shocker, I know! But true) So before you read any further let me just say "Spoiler Alert!" You've been warned.

First and foremost is the heart of the Movie; the Dancing! The new one has everything from Country line dancing to Crumping! (Yes, I watch So You Think You Can Dance, I know what Crumping is! I'm hip like that!) :) Some of the dancing though in this new version is too sexually suggestive for High Schoolers to be doing. And yes I know the actors aren't really high schoolers, but they are playing them. And being me, I seized the opportunity to have a conversation with my Daughters about trying to grow up too fast & acting older than you are can lead you into trouble. We also talked about the character of Ariel, and how she is acting out due to her feelings of sadness & helplessness in loosing her brother & her Hero, & is rebelling against her Father & the laws in the town the only way she knows how. Thankfully she figures it out before she does irrefutable damage.

And speaking of Ariel, I have to say Julianne Hough vs Lori Singer in dancing is no contest! I don't know anyone who could say she was a good dancer in that original movie. Julianne (from Dancing With The Stars) is really good! And she does a good job acting as well. And I really liked how the new movie explored more the reasons behind her rebellion! It allowed you to see why she did what she did & how she was feeling when she did it. Lori's version was just a Rebel!

Some of the other characters that stand out is Rens Uncle & Aunt. They are so much more relateable in the new version. They are on his side & stand up for him. I love that! Ariels parents are basically the same in both versions. Her Mother especially. You could dub in lines from the first one & not know the difference. With her Father, again I loved that they allowed you to see more of his heart. Or maybe, it's just dawning on me, it's because as a parent now seeing this one, I understand why he'd do some of the things he did. I could only see the first one as a teenager would see it, since that's what I was! hmmm.

The characters I liked better in the first one are first of all Rusty, Ariel's BFF. The girl in the new movie is adorable, but you just can't help but like Sarah Jessica Parker! She is after all just so likable! You want her to be your BFF! I still want her to be my BFF in my 40's! (Hey, we both are Mother's of Twins now too! See, we're destined for Best Friendom!) And Ren's best Friend Willard. The kid in the new Movie is so cute & really does a good job, but in the original, you knew he really couldn't dance & it was so fun watching him try to learn how! In this one, you know he's really a dancer acting like he can't dance! And it wasn't just Ren teaching him how, several others were involved in the process. The little cousins, the football team crumpers, an instructor at the night club they go to. It just wasn't the same! And Ariel's Bad Boyfriend Chuck, in this version, hes a man & should not be going out with a High School girl! (okay, maybe that's the Mom coming out of me again!) And there was a Librarian, but no book burning in this one! That's a good thing! When we watched the Original, my girls, who I have worked very hard at instilling a love of Books into, asked in horror, why would anyone want to burn books? :) And then there is Ren himself. Kenny Wormald plays him in the new version & does a really good job of it! He's a good dancer too. But, the original had Kevin Bacon. 'Nuf said. No competition! Am I right?!

I did like that they went into more of Ren's back story, of him & his parents. You feel like you know him better. And I was glad to see his yellow VW bug made the new Movie too! :) I also loved that they went more in depth regarding the accident that set off all the rule making in the first place. That was a nice touch.

Even though the setting, the clothes & dancing were updated, they kept some of the same lines in this movie! And some of the great songs from the original soundtrack were in this one too! Some were updated & some new songs were added & it all sounded great! So weather you prefer the original or the new version, both Movies make you want to get up & dance! Or, I should say make you wanna "cut loose - Footloose!"

24 Years!

2011-10-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

24 Years ago today
10/17/87
"Sweetest Day"
I Married the Man of my Dreams!

God Blessed us with 4 Amazing Kids!
Kyle, Zach, Erica & Alexia

We've had our Highs and our Lows,
But through them all,
we always had each other!

Looking for Laughter
in every Moment along the way!

And 24 Years Latter,
We're still Dreaming Together!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

I Love You
Even More Today then I did back then!

Do It Yourself Paris Party!

2011-10-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Viva La France!

A few months ago at Bath & Body Works
we launched a brand new Fragrance
called Paris Amour! It's Lovely, and is made of Tulips & Pink Champagne.
And I got a Brilliant (If I do say so myself!) Idea.
A Paris Themed Birthday Party for my Daughters
who were about to turn 14!

My Manager allowed me to borrow some Eiffel Towers from the store
(once they were no longer required in the Windows!) So Cute!
We used the big one to put gifts, on & around.

But, we ran into a major problem!
There is NO Paris Themed Birthday Party favors/decorations out there!
Any where.
So we improvised!
And being the Party Planning Extraordinaire that I am, :)
I had a lot of fun putting it together!

I started with my right hand man (literally,
my Graphic design loving Husband) :)
I wanted a "Postcard from Paris" for our Invitation.
And he created one!

I found the girls shirts at Target!
Lexi's has The Eiffel Tower on hers,
and Erica's says "Cest La Vie" (say la vee) which means "That's Life!"
And I had a top with Paris on it!

I Found this cute Jewelry Box at Marshalls! Cheep.
And the coffee mug I actually bought in Paris for my Dad
who collected them!
(After he passed away my Mom made sure I got it!)

The Party Favors for each guest consisted of
a purse size Paris Amour lotion,
3 Nail Files & Paris Lip Gloss!

The Treat Bags with the Eiffel Tower on them came from B&BW as well.
The adorable Hat Box I found at Ross! Score!

We made a play list of songs with or about Paris in them:

Like Yesterday: Colbie Caillat
Paris Nights/New York Mornings: Corinne Bailey Rae
Good Life: One Republic
Postcard From Paris: The Band Perry
Paris: Faith Hill
Our Last Summer: Mama Mia (or Abba) :)
Cest La Vie: Shania Twain
Pink Roses: Olivia Zelechowski :)

We also found a Tin Plate at Hobby Lobby.
Perfect.

This Eiffel Tower poster the girls found at a Boarders Closing
a few months ago! Love Great deals!
It went perfectly on the front door to welcome our Party goers!
They knew they were in Paris now!

Since there were No Paris themed table ware,
we used both Girls favorite colors;
Erica = Pink
Lexi = Green

I ordered this adorable cake from Sams Cub!
It's called Bows & Dots,
and they let us choose the colors!
How cute is that?!

The ONLY thing we did find at a Party store was these cut outs!

I placed The Arc De Triumph & Notre Dame on end tables,
& The Eiffel Tower cut out on the restroom door.

For a game I used an old French Dictionary I got in 1985
to take on my trip to France with me,
and came up with words & phrases. Then John made up these cards,
The Eiffel Tower on the French cards
& The Statue of Liberty on the English version.
And the girls had to match them up.

We had two teams & the race was on!

Some words were obvious, and others weren't.
But a lot of Laughter was going on trying to decide what meant what!

Then later we used the back of the cards to play Charades!
And a lot more Laughing ensued!

Our next game was called Mail Call,
going along with the Post Card from Paris idea.
But before we started the girls had to get ready . . .

A girl I work with gave me these Mustaches,
because all French men have them right?! :)
Left to right top row: Samantha, Mykenna, Michelle, Cailin & Lexi
bottom: Erica, Shannon, Briana & Isabeau

One person is in the middle & says "Mail Call for everyone ______"
(fill in the blank)
For example: everyone wearing make-up, or in 8th Grade, etc.
Then everyone who fits that description has to change seats,
the person in the middle takes one of the seats in the shuffle
& whoever is left without a seat is now in the middle!

Warning: It can get a little crazy! :)

Then we went back inside for some Cake
& of course French Vanilla Ice Cream!
Joyeux Anniversaire! (jwah-yurz ahnee-vair-sair)
Happy Birthday!

We gave the girls Paris Journals!
You know I LOVE Journaling!
Hoping they become Bloggers some day too! :)
And wait. What's that inside the Journals?
It must be tickets to the Breaking Dawn Midnight Movie Premier!
(Yeah, that's right! I'm a cool Mom like that!) :)

Magnifique (mahnee-feek)
"Wonderful" Erica!

Tres Joli (tray joh-lee)
"Lovely" Lexi!

"Merci!" (mar-see)
Our "Thank You" cards.
I LOVE Parties with a Theme!
And this one was one of my favorites!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

2011-10-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the Best Husband/Father God ever created!

Happy Birthday Babe,
Love you more than life itself!

Praying God Blesses you with a new job for your Birthday!
(And a Detroit Lions win!) :)

14!

2011-10-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

My Baby Girls turn 14 years old today!

Where has the time gone?

They are Smart, Beautiful, Talented & Funny Girls!

Happy Birthday Erica & Lexi!
We Love you both so much!

Walking through Life Together!
I'm so glad I get to be a part of it!

Season For Change

2011-09-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Just like there are seasons of the year, there are seasons in life. Our kids go through seasons, different stages of life, and so do we. There are different seasons in Marriage. And in Ministry there are seasons as well. When one season ends, another is starting.

Today is the first day of Fall. The beginning of a new Season of the year. There are things I love about each season. And Autumn brings cooler weather, beautiful colors as the leaves change, and Fall Fashion! :) And best of all Fall ushers in the Holidays! Yay!

Well it is also ushering in a new Season for us. The Church we have been serving at can no longer afford to keep us on staff. And so we begin the job hunt. We are sending Resumes all over the Country and this could mean a move for our family. Whatever this next Season brings, we are ready for it!

We are not the type of people that fear change, like so many do. It's actually kind of exciting! Of course it is kinda scary too. Not knowing what's going to happen. What our future holds. But we do know that God is in control! And He will always take care of us! Through all our Seasons in life, He is the one constant! Our Love for Him & our Love for each other will see us through. Please Pray with us that God would lead us to where we need to be for this next Season of life. And stay tuned to see what exciting things unfold!

A Time for Everything

(Ecclesiastes 3)

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Non Fiction

2011-09-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

As you know, I love Books. I read (almost exclusively) Fiction. With a few Parenting, Political, Self Help, and Christian Growth books thrown in for good measure. I do like Biographies & Auto Biographies from time to time as well, if they are about someone I'm interested in reading about.

In school this year, (Eighth Grade) my girls, instead of having the Accelerated Reading program, where you read a book of your choice & take a quiz on the computer about the book to earn points, have to do old fashioned Book reports! I Love it! And I must say so do they!

Each month they get to choose a book in the category given. The Teacher approves the book, they read it & then follow a format for a report on it. This month was Non Fiction. I pulled out some I have for them to choose from. Here are their choices;

Erica chose Soul Surfer
A great Movie too if you haven't seen it yet, What are you waiting for?!

Lexi chose She Said Yes
A Book about one of the Students killed in the Columbine shooting
who stood up for her Faith.

With Boarders going out of Business (so sad!) we went to our local store a few times to take advantage of the great deals. Browsing through the Non Fiction section a Book caught my eye, & I decided to read a Non Fiction book along with my daughters! (So unlike me I know! But I think you'll understand when I tell you about this Book!)

Summer At Tiffany By: Marjorie Hart is about two Best Friends from The University of Iowa, who, in the summer of 1945 decide to go to New York City & try to get jobs for the summer. They end up becoming the first two Female pages on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co! Talk about a cool summer job! They are even in Times Square on V-Day, when the end of World War II is announced. One of my favorite lines from the Book is "Money may not buy Happiness, but it sure takes you shopping." :)

I had just finished this book & then yesterday (thanks to Twitter) I learned that it is the 50th Anniversary of Breakfast At Tiffany's. That iconic Movie staring Audrey Hepburn. (Love her!) The song: Moon River was made popular by Breakfast At Tiffany's too BTW.

I also made sure to stop by the fabled store when I visited New York City a few years ago! It was everything it was cracked up to be too! (And notice I'm donning my Breakfast At Tiffany's T-shirt!) :)

And you can tell my boys were just as thrilled to be there as I was . . .

Okay, maybe not. But I'm sure they will thank me someday! :)

I really enjoyed this book. Even more than I thought I would. What are some of your favorite Non Fiction Books?

LOL No More!

2011-09-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I love to Laugh! We do a lot of Laughing in this family! (Hence the name of my Blog!) When I get overly tired I can become slap-happy. That's when my kids love to try to get me Laughing so hard to see if they can make me cry. It becomes a family game (at my expense) they have threatened to video tape me Cry/Laughing to send into America's Funniest Home Videos, they are sure we can win big money!

My girls, who are now 13 years old & easily embarrassed by their Parents (or just about anything else!) :) Have told me I can no longer type LOL, I have to start using L2L! Because I "Laugh Too Loud!" :) And I have to be honest here, I do Laugh kinda Loud! (But, I think it's kind of endearing!) So if something happens & I Laugh Out Loud, they say "Mom, L2L!" And then it makes us all Laugh even harder! It's gotten me a few funny looks, but It's never really gotten me into trouble before, that all changed this past Sunday.

Our Pastor was gone for the day so my Husband was speaking at our Church, in all 3 services. (2 Sunday morning, which are the same sermon & 1 Sunday evening, which is a different message.) And he did an Awesome job! Well in his Sunday evening message he was being funny (I mean come on, would I really Marry someone without a sense of Humor? This is me we're talking about!) and he made a joke about himself, in a kind of self depreciating way, about how good looking he is. So, me, being the devoted wife that I am, who always laughs at her husbands jokes, Laughed!

Well, you see the issue here, (remember, I Laugh rather Loudly.) It really wasn't a big deal at all, until my Husband then pointed out to the congregation; "Did you notice the first & biggest laugh I got on that joke was from my own wife?!" which sent the entire Church into Laughter! Busted! Now, don't get me wrong, even though he doesn't believe it, I think my husband is the sexiest man alive, but it was funny to hear him joke about being so good looking! It was funny. So I did what I do . . . I L2L'd! :)

Have you ever Laughed at the wrong time? Share it in a comment so we can all Laugh with you! (Or at you!) HaHa!! Well they say that Laughter is the Best Medicine! So we should be pretty healthy!

9/11, 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's a day in our History that we will never forget! We will never forget what happened. We won't forget where we were when it did happen. For me, we were living in the South, my boys had gone to school. I was home with my 3 year old Twins. I turned on The Today Show & couldn't believe what I was seeing. What's happening? Were any of us safe? Should I pull my Boys out of school?

We went to our Church, where other staff members were gathering to watch & pray. I remember us walking in, they had set up a T.V. & one of my girls said "Daddy, we already saw the plane crash into the building." Just thinking it's another T.V. show, Thankfully not knowing what we were watching was actually our new reality.

In July 2008 I went with my Boys & their Youth Group on a Missions Trip to New York City. You can read more about our Amazing trip & see some pictures by clicking here and scrolling down. While we were there we visited the sight of The Twin Towers.

As soon as you come up out of the Subway, there is a hush about the place. Even though it is a construction site, it is truly the only quiet place in the City! Below is a picture of the three of us at Ground Zero. We read the names of those who lost their life that day on a Memorial wall & spoke with some local Firemen.

We met some people in New York City who had been personally affected that day. Among them was a Man who worked on Wall Street & after 9/11, quit his job & got involved in a Ministry to Muslims. I spoke with a Beautiful Women at a homeless shelter, living there with her children, who was downtown shopping that day & due to all the dust she inhaled, now has many health problems & can not work.

Tonight on Own (Oprah's Network) they are airing a special called The Twins of the Twin Towers. There were over 40 people who lost their Twin that day. As a Mother of Twins myself the thought of that is so heartbreaking.

This morning in our Church we showed a video to remember 9/11, 10 years later & then followed it by singing the following song, I leave you with now:

You Never Let Go

Even though I walk

Through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught
In the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear
Whom then shall I fear

Oh no You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no You never let go
In ev'ry high and ev'ry low
Oh no You never let go
Lord You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming
For the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on the earth

Oh no You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no You never let go
In ev'ry high and ev'ry low
Oh no You never let go
Lord You never let go of me

Yes I can see a light
That is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You
Still I will praise You

CCLI Song No. 4674166
© 2005 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Beth Redman | Matt Redman
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License No. 2053190

First Day Of School

2011-09-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Then & Now!!

It's gonna be an Epic Eighth Grade Year!

(Hope I Survive it!) :)

Shut The Front Door!

2011-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

While we were visiting our good friends Paul & Jill we were talking Twins! Like us, they also are the parents of Twins. Jill was telling us when her babies were little & she had a Dr.'s apt for them a friend offered to keep her older son for the day while she took the Twins to see the Dr. And she said "No. I need him there. He holds the door for me & helps me more than you can imagine." And of course I could relate, having older boys as well. And thankfully so!

Then Paul who we've known since he was a College student said that he remembered going Christmas shopping with us when our kids were little & how Kyle & Zach (then about 7 & 9) would run up ahead of us to open the door & hold it so we could get the double stroller in. (I had forgotten all about those days!) And I told him it's funny that he should mention that, because just the day before, when we were sight seeing in down town Seattle, we walked up to a building, I believe it was the Space Needle & another man arrived at the door at the same time we did, he opened it & then jumped in front of us to hurry inside. I didn't think much of it, but I heard my 19 year old son Zach, behind me say to his Dad "Dad, did you see that guy, he didn't even hold the door open for Mom & the girls!" And John replied with something like "Well son, there are a lot of guys like that out there." And when I was telling this story to Paul he said (about Zach) "That is an attitude that will serve him well in life!"

So, I've been thinking about this. I never made the conscious decision that I was going to raise my boys (now 19 & 21) to be Gentlemen. It just came naturally I guess. I do remember very vividly my first day of High School, I walked up to the school as a new Freshman, my older brother Marty, was a Senior & when we got there, he opened the door & held it open for me to walk in. And I remember thinking right then & there: If my own Brother can hold a door for me, than ANY guy who wants to Date me better be willing to! And I stuck to that! A few years latter I was going on a date with some guy, it was our first date together, he came up to the house & we went out to his car. Where he preceded to get in the car. I stood there in my driveway, next to the car. He realized what he had done, got out of the car, came around & opened my door for me then went back & got in his side. I can make a joke about anything & it was funny, but I think I made my point. :)

Now, I am all about Girl Power! I'm a Mother of two Teenage girls who I sing to regularly, "Any thing Boys can do, Girls can do better!" (you know it's true!) :) And I, like every other girl out there, can certainly open my own car door. I just feel like it's a matter of respect. It doesn't mean I think I'm better than a man, or that I feel I'm beneath him. I can & do hold doors as well. And as I was thinking about turning this little story into a Blog Post the thought occurred to me: is Chivalry dead? Are Gentleman really a dying breed? If that is the case, then what a sad world we would live in!

I have been Married now for almost 24 years to a Man who still holds the door for me! He did from our very first blind date! (Or there probably wouldn't have been a second!) :) And I'm sure THAT has been the biggest driving force in my boy's learning to be the Gentlemen they are today. I've seen my son hold a door for groups of people who all shuffle by without so much as a Thank You. I always try to remember to say Thank You, when a door is held for me, even when I'm in a hurry. When Paul & Jill were taking us on a tour of their Church while we were visiting them, their two little boys (who are now about 7 & 9) would open & hold every door we walked in or out of!

So, Where do you stand on the subject? Next to your car door, waiting for it to be held open? :) Or opening it yourself & giving the man trying to open it for you what for?

Should we be raising our Sons to be Gentlemen?

The Help

2011-08-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've Blogged before about reading the Book The Help. And you know I usually wait till after I've seen a Movie to decide weather or not to read the Book. I've learned if I like a Movie I will Love the Book! But too often if I've read the book & liked it, I'm always disappointed in the Movie! Because they obviously can never put everything that is in a book into a two hour movie.

But this time I did it backwards (or like most "normal" people!) I read the Book first. And I LOVE this Book! I can honestly say it is one of my Favorite Books of All Time! And that is a Big deal for me to say! I love a lot of Books, but there are very few (only a handful) that get into the All Time Favorite Category! But The Help is one of them!

Love Emma Stone, who played Skeeter
and is an Arizona Girl, born & raised BTW!

So needless to say I was very skeptical about seeing this Movie. I was really hoping the Movie would do the Book justice. But I was mentally prepared to be disappointed & not like it. I wanted my 13 year old daughters to see it with me because having read the Book, I knew it was an important message for them to hear. A bunch of Girlfriends I haven't seen in way too long all got together to see it. There were 9 women & 3 teenage girls! So good to see those friends again.

Ron Howard's daughter Bryce (who also played Victoria in Eclipse)
did a great job playing the evil Hilly!
(Though I bet it will be awhile before she eats Chocolate Pie again! haha)

And I must say I LOVED the Movie! Yay! I was so pleasantly surprised. Having read the Book & knowing what would happen I found myself giggling at what I knew was about to happen in the Movie before it did. :) I also knew since having read it, that I wouldn't cry during the Movie. Wrong! I Blubbered like a baby! Surprising even myself. I went to work the next day & my eyes were still sore & swollen from crying so much! I think maybe I cried even more because having read the Book, I felt like I really knew these women!

Loved that my girls were repeating this all important line
after seeing the Movie!

The Book does give you much more details & background into the characters. And there were several things that happened in the Book that I really wish could have been in the Movie, but of course not everything can. But over all, they really did a great job adapting the Book into a Movie! I love them both! And I would highly recommend you see the Movie & read the Book. ASAP!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!!

2011-08-20T21:44:00.001-07:00

He left home back in May!
A Boy, going out on his own for the first time.

He returned in August!
A Mountain Man.

Welcome Home Zach!
You were missed!
(Now it's time for a shave & haircut!)

Old Friends are the Best Friends!

2011-08-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

After spending time with Zach at his Mountain, Touring Forks & the Rain Forest, and Spending time in Seattle, we dropped Zach back off at Mt. Rainier :( & we headed east for some very special reasons. Some good friends of ours from Michigan now live in Eastern Washington so we got to spend the weekend with them.

We had moved to Michigan with our boys (Kyle was 2 years old & Zach was 10 months old) We met Paul soon after. He had recently gotten out of the Navy & was going to college on the GI Bill and started attending our Church & soon became John's Bass Player. As a starving College student he ate many meals at our house. He even offered to watch our boys so we could go out from time to time if we'd just feed him. :) He was good practice for someday (like now) when we'd have College age boys of our own to feed! And our boys were good practice for him for someday (like now) when he'd have kids of his own! :) But, I'm skipping ahead.

Paul met Jill at a Christian student even at school & soon she was all he could talk about. I'll never forget the night we knew he was going to ask her to marry him, we we're all a little nervous! (I'm sure no one more than Paul!) :) I remember pulling up to our house & me saying to John "Well, if Paul is sitting on our front stoop, we know Jill said no." Thankfully, He wasn't sitting of our front stoop! :) John sang at their wedding. Paul likes to remind John of how on the night before his wedding, John hadn't learned the song yet! (Thankfully Jill was not aware of that fact, and as always John pulled it off without a hitch!) Paul became an Engineer for GM. Jill got her Masters Degree I believe in Art History. They are so smart, I don't know why they hang out with us! :)

We then had twin girls & for some reason Paul never volunteered to babysit again! (He's no dummy!) We moved away from Michigan when the girls were 2. John, My Dad & Paul along with Kyle & Zach drove all our belongings across the country. My Mom & Jill flew with me & my 2 year old twins to help us move. Now that's Friendship! But I have to interrupt this story to share a life lesson I learned on that trip . . .

We flew out of Detroit, were to change planes in Memphis & then on to our final destination. Now as a mom of 4 children, trust me, I know how to travel with kids, I packed snacks and activities, I was ready for our 4 hour trip. But due to bad weather after we boarded our Plane, we sat on the tarmac for over 4 hours! I exhausted all our snacks, books, toys, etc. I called John to say don't go to meet us at the airport, we haven't even left Detroit yet! They were heading out right then to go pick us up. Thankfully my girls slept most of that flight! (Even on this road trip at the age of 13, they pretty much slept or read in the car! Some things never change!) :) We landed in Memphis long after our connecting flight was long gone, it was late, and pretty much everything was shut down. A couple things to keep in mind here: 2 year old Twins, no snacks, no food to be found in the airport.

I love my Mom dearly, but she is the type of person that if you have a problem, or need to return something or send back a meal, you want her to do it! She seems to thrive on that kind of conflict! (while I hide under the table) :) So here she is, yelling at the airport attendant something along the lines of "Do you see these two Babies? They have not eaten, there is nothing open here! We've missed our flight. And we can not stay the night in the airport to wait for the first flight out in the morning! You do something! And do it now!" The girls were crying, (I'm sure I was on the verge!) We were frustrated, the Airline Attendant was frustrated. Everyone was standing their ground & getting nowhere! Then Jill steps up. Now Jill is so much fun, but I must tell you, I'm pretty sure that everyone who has ever met her would tell you their first impression of her would be quiet, shy, sweet! Well sweet little Jill pushes forward into the heart of the conflict & says in her soft voice, something along the lines of "Excuse me, I'm sure you can see the predicament we are in with two small children & our flight being delayed, isn't there anyway you could get us a flight out of here tonight? We'll even fly to another town two hours away from where we're supposed to be going & have our husbands drive there to pick us up." To our surprise the clerk said "let me see what I can do" and the next thing we knew we were on a flight, not to the town two hours away, but to our original destination! Wow! I learned then & there that old saying: You catch more flies with honey than you do with Vinegar (or however that goes) is true & really works! I made a mental note of that fact & never forgot that! Thank you Jill (& Mom) for that life lesson!

Over the next several years they had a baby boy, followed by Twins (they are really trying to be like us, aren't they?! Though their twins are Boy/Girl) & then a baby girl! Paul took a (literal) Leap of Faith & left his job to go into full time Ministry! They moved across the country & are now Music & Youth Pastors. John & Paul have remained Great friends throughout the years. (Do men call each other BFF's?) We've visited each other in different places over the years. And ALWAYS have a great time together! We were so happy to get to see them on this trip.

A real Blessing to us was getting to hear Paul Preach for the first time. It just worked out that his Lead Pastor was out of town the Sunday we were there, so Paul was the speaker. He did such an amazing job! He's grown so much. I told John We raised him right! (haha like we had anything to do with how he turned out! But hay, I am not above taking credit, where credit is not due!) :) My girls & I LOVE Scarves! And Jill confessed she just never knows how to wear them, so us Arizona girls gave Jill some scarf wearing lessons! Now she is part of the club!

Then on Sunday night at their Youth Service, Paul asked John to lead Worship and John & Paul got to play together once again!

The day before they took us all out to the lake and we got to meet some of the kids in their youth group & their parents. My girls got to ride on a speedboat for the first time! I Tweeted that night that I had just let my girls go out on a lake in a boat full of Teenage boys I don't know! Yikes!

And then they got out of the boat! And got to learn a new sport: Tubing! Where you lay on an inner tube, & get pulled behind the boat & go over the wake! They had a ball! Even through the wipe outs! :)

Paul & Jill's kids are about the cutest ever! The last time I had visited them, a few years ago, Jill & I took her kids to a park & her son, Ben asked her: "Is it alright if we eat our lunch on top of the play structure?" I never let her live that one down! I told her only HER kids would call a Jungle Gym or a Swing Set a "Play Structure!" :) Yes, even their kids are smart! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess! But little Elisabeth, who didn't remember me from when she was a baby, soon became a girl after my own heart, we found her fast asleep in her bed, with a book! And she didn't even wake up when we took her picture! We had to show her the next day!

Their kids loved my girls & my girls loved them! "Sorry!"

My girls braided Natalie's hair. Daddy's & Daughters made Brownies together! Yes, Jill & I were both smart enough to marry men who love to cook! :) Hey, there's another life lesson for you! ;)

And of course we had to get some group shots! Starting with Two sets of Twins! Erica & Alexia, Natalie & Noah!

Then all the kids! Ben, Elisabeth, Erica, Lexi, Natalie, Noah!

Then of course we had to add the parents!

But things got out of control! And in Church! Oops!

We had such a great time getting to see them. Noah thought about hiding in a suitcase & going with us, but being a home body (like Zach) he decided against it! (But, watch out, look where Zach is now!) :) Ben even offered me a dollar a day if we would stay there! I was very tempted to take him up on his offer! Like I said, Old Friends are the Best Friends! (not that any of us are old!) Even when they live far away!

Seattle

2011-08-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, you knew this City Girl couldn't go an entire vacation climbing Mountains & touring small towns (even if it is in Twilight!) for long. The City calls to me! So we spent a day in Seattle! John & I had visited there once before, but our kids hadn't been there. So we had to correct that! After all Sleepless in Seattle is one of my all time favorite movies!

No trip to Seattle is complete without seeing the very first ever Starbucks! Or as my hubby calls it: Mecca! :) You know he loves his Starbucks!

A friend of mine named Lee Gunther, from my Teen years, who was part of the same Youth Group, now lives in the Seattle area, and like my Husband, he is now a Worship Pastor as well. We haven't seen each other in probably over 25 years. He and his lovely wife were able to come meet us downtown! It's always so much fun to reconnect with old friends! (not that he, or I, is "old" of course!) :)

There are all kinds of little shops & alley ways that give the look & feel of being in Europe. We saw all kinds of Street performers. We saw kids playing Violins, a young man playing a Sax with a sign that said saving money for Band Camp! Then we saw a pan handler with a sign that simply said: Need $ 4 Weed! (Hay, at least he was being honest!) Lexi said if we lived near hear I would so play my Flute down town! We told her as long as her sign didn't say what that guy's did! :) We saw a man playing Guitar, singing the Black Eyed Peas all while Hoola Hooping! (I'm not kidding!) There was even a full size Piano on the street! I saw a boy doing a Rubik's Cube for donations! I think I found a new Career path for Zach, he rocks the Rubik's Cube! :)

Of course we had to visit Pikes Place Market! So full of people! I love it!

Where you can watch them tossing fish!

But, the other side with the fresh Flowers smells a whole lot better! :)

And of course I made everyone stop at the spot where some scenes in Sleepless in Seattle were filmed! Love it!

We saw a young woman making Bracelets, and she had my girls names on some. You do see Erica's name but it's almost always spelled with a K. This one had a C! And once in a great while you will find Lexi's name but it ALWAYS is spelled Lexie, not how we spell it. Her full name is Alexia & you NEVER see that. Only Alexis. Well this place had it! They even had Zach spelled with an H instead of a K! But, guess what name they didn't have, that's right, no Star!

With a family full of Musicians, when visiting new cities we always look for a Hard Rock Cafe! John collects the little Guitar Pins from all the different Cities & Countries! You can read some Blog Post's from our Vacation on his Blog as well!

Then it was on to the Seattle Space Needle. View from the bottom . . .

View from the top . . .

Seattle is such a Beautiful City. It's Cool & Hip! (kind of like me! haha)

Hang Loose Seattle! If you look close at the picture below, you can see Mt. Rainier behind Zach.

Our Twilight Tour

2011-07-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

When we talked about going to Washington for Vacation there was one thing my girls wanted to see: Forks, Washington! Yes, that's right, Forks, the town the Twilight Books & Movies are set in. So I found tours & booked one I thought sounded the best. It's called Team Forks!

Zach & John of course were not interested in doing the Twilight Tour. (Go figure, right?!) There was one thing Zach really wanted to see (besides Mt. Rainier of course) There is in Washington State a Rain Forest. (Who knew? Not me! Zach did though!) :) It's one of a very few Non Tropical Rain Forests in the world. So we looked that up to. (Gotta Love the Internet!) And it is on the Olympic Peninsula, not far at all from Forks! (Score!)

So the boys dropped us off for our Tour & headed into the Rain Forest, then came back to pick us up. We continued on around the Peninsula, making a complete circle. And let me tell you, some of the most beautiful country we've ever seen. More trees than this City Girl, Desert Dweller has seen in her lifetime! Though I did find out Forks is the logging capitol of the world! Guess that explains all the trees! (I'm so smart, I figured that out all on my own!)

Our Tour was supposed to last 2 - 3 hours. We were having so much fun, it went a little over 3 and a half hours! We saw, among other things, the High School, The Hospital Dr. Cullen worked at, The Police Station Bella's Dad works at, Bella's house, The Cullin's House, Jake's House, The Treaty Line, The La Push Beach, The restaurant Bella & Edward go to in Port Angeles. Yes, it was a little cheesy, but also very cool! Kind of like us! :)

Forks is a cute little town, everyone seems to like the attention Twilight has brought their way! There are several tours & gift shops. One restaurant we saw there in town had a sign posted outside that read: Vampires & Werewolves welcome, shirts optional! :)

Now the movies weren't actually filmed in Forks. The Books are set there & the places described in the books are really there. They took stills of the houses, school, town, etc. to build their sets, but most of the filming was done in Canada & in Oregon. On the tour bus, between stops we watched a behind the scenes video on the making of the movies!

I'll show you the Rain Forest pics first & save the best for last! :) They really loved seeing the Rain Forest & talked about how incredible it was! The pictures can't really do it justice.

Told you it was Beautiful!

John, in a land of Giants!

Moss, it guess it rains a lot in a Rain Forest!

That's Zach under that tree

Even the fallen trees grow new ones!

Hope you enjoy our Tour of Forks as much as we did!

The Hospital

Actual Parking sign outside of the Hospital

The High School

Bella's Truck as described in the Books

Bella's Truck that was used in the movies!
(It's a few years newer than the other one I believe)

Bella's House

The Cullen House as described in the books
(Though the one they built for the movies was much cooler!)

"Alice" was home!

Edwards Piano & the Graduation Caps!

Lexi & Erica with Alice, their favorite Vampire!

The restaurant in Port Angeles where Edward & Bella had their first date!
You can even have the Mushroom Ravioli that Bella ordered!

The Treaty Line!

Jacob Blacks House

Team Jacob!

The Beach at La Push

The girls ready to hear the story about "The Cold Ones"

Don't Jump!

We even found "wolf" prints in the sand! :)

And I thought I'd save the best picture for last! Jacob & I going for a spin on his motorcycle! :)

Mt. Rainier

2011-07-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

We left Arizona really EARLY Monday morning & drove for 2 days through California, Oregon & into Washington State. To get here . . .

Entrance to the Mountain

The Lodge with the Mountain as it's backdrop

Paradise Lodge on Mt. Rainier National Park, where our 19 year old son, Zach, has been working all summer.

Zach in his room he shares with up to 3 others

We got to see where he lives, works & plays! Met some of his friends & co-workers. Then he showed us just a tiny bit of his mountain!

We even did a little hiking! (A very little, I mean this is me we're talking about here!) :)

It is so Beautiful there! We saw some breath taking scenery. Including some Awesome Waterfalls!

Lexi

Erica

Zach

Yours Truly

John

The Bridge we are sitting on goes right over the Christine Waterfall, and Zach said all the Shuttle Bus drivers call it Butt Bridge, and I think I now know why!

Zach in front of the original Shuttle Bus

While on the Mountain that day we saw some Deer, Chipmunks, Foxes, and even a Black Bear! It was so exciting, but I didn't have time to pull my camera out before the bear was gone. :(

When Zach was in High School he & his friend started a company making & selling Long Boards. He called us the night before we were leaving to go see him & said his partner had made a board for a friend of his up there, could we go by & pick it up? So we did & brought it with us. Just wait till they get our delivery bill! :)

Zach & his friend Mark with his Flyboys Long Board
with the mountain as their back drop

Zach left us all clean shaven with a buzz haircut! But after two and a half months, his hair is much longer now & he even has a goatee for the first time in his life! He looked so much older. :(

Zach with his sisters playing in the snow
there was still so much of it

He said when he first got there back in May, when there was 18 feet of snow on the ground (it's down to about 10 feet now!) & he didn't get his boxes right away with all his winter gear in them, he thought, what have I done? But, now I can tell he really loves being there! He's made all kinds of new friends from all around the world! He loves being in the wilderness & hiking! He said he doesn't know how he's gonna handle being back in a city and with the heat of Phoenix! Ouch! He only has about 3 weeks left there, then he will come home & start his second year of College.

We've really missed having Zach around, and we're so glad we got to see his mountain! We took him with us for a couple of days & went into Seattle. More Blog posts to follow soon of the rest of our adventures . . .

To Read Or Not To Read?

2011-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

That Is The Question . . .

I just finished reading the Hunger Games Series. Different from my usual reads, but very good. These books grab you from the get go! Right from the start you find yourself caring about the characters & you really want to know whats going to happen to them. They get pretty intense & do have violence in them, but are a love story at the same time. So after reading The Hunger Games, I knew I wanted the next Book I read to be something a little lighter. :) Decisions, decisions!

Now this next Book was something of a Dilemma for me, you see my FAVORITE BOOK OFF ALL TIME is of course, Little Women By: Louisa May Alcott! (I'm sure you are getting sick of hearing, or I mean, reading about it if you've read this Blog for any length of time now!) :)

Having said that, when I fist saw this next book, my immediate reaction was "I so have to read this book!" Then the more I thought about it, I got nervous. Would this book take something away from the magic that is Little Women? Would it ruin it for me? I couldn't let that happen! Then the Borders near my work closed & I saw the book there for 60% off. I couldn't resist! So even though I've had it for a while now, I still couldn't bring myself to read it. But, after finishing The Hunger Games series, I thought this just may be the book I need to read next. It will be good to take on Vacation with me! You know I NEVER take a vacation from reading! Except of course when I had young babies & no time to myself. But thankfully that chapter of my life is over! :) So I'm taking the plunge . . .

Like so many girls, Kelly O'Connor McNees didn't like how Little Women ended with Jo & Laurie not together. And she thought there must be a reason. So she took it upon herself to research the life of Louisa May Alcott, who never married & some would think probably never knew love. So, how could she write about it the way she did? humm. Many of her personal Journals she burned, but not all of them. And it is with those Journal entries & letters she'd written, this Author has come up with a FICTIONAL story of a summer when we know the Alcott family went to stay at an uncles home in Walpole, New Hampshire. Louisa was 22 years old, and Little Women wouldn't be published for a few years.

So, as Curiosity Killed the Cat, I started reading. And 2 things happened that helped me to know it was going to be okay! First, In the second chapter I came across this quote "she began to wrestle with the question that would trouble her all her life: Why would God give a woman talent if He meant her to be confined to the kitchen and washtub?" Oh, yeah. I'm in! :) Then the Author Tweeted me! I know it's silly, but I get as giddy as a Pre-Teen girl at a Justin Bieber concert when an Author of a book I'm reading or have read, follows me on Twitter & especially when they Tweet me! You know how I love to talk about Books! Especially if I can talk about them with the person who wrote them! How cool is that?!

So, what are you reading this summer?

Cold Mountain

2011-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Next week we will go to Visit my son Zach at his Summer Job up at Mt. Rainier in Washington State. I can not wait! He has been there since May. We miss him terribly around here. Though he is having a great time!

Those of you who follow us on Twitter & Facebook knew a little bit about what was going on with his roommate & I just want to say Thank You for all the Prayers. Here is what we know . . . Zach texted us early last week saying his roommate (the one he's had since the beginning of the summer, a man in his 40's I believe, he's had other roommates that have came & gone) had gone out hiking the day before, alone & never came back. They had rescue teams out looking for him. The Ranger interviewed Zach, to ask him if the roommate had said which way he was going, if he seemed depressed, etc.

They had rescue teams out through the night and all the next day. They came & got some of his clothing for search dogs to get his scent. Finally after two and a half days they found him. Injured but Alive! I guess that (I think anyone who hikes for real, knows this, but of course I didn't) When your hiking in packed snow, you shouldn't step too close to the trees, because I guess the way the roots of the trees absorb the moisture from below, if you step too close to a tree, you can fall into a sink hole. Well that's what happened. He had hiked up into the snow, stepped too close to a tree & fell into a sink hole. Not far, yet broke his ankle in two places & broke a rib. He climbed out & found a patch a dirt (as opposed to snow) to sit on & wait, he spent two whole nights out there in the wilderness. He also had Hypothermia & Frost Bite. Once they found him it took them two hours to get him to an area where a Helicopter could pick him up to get him to a hospital. He is still there recovering & should return to the Mountain in a couple of days hopefully. And again thanks for the thoughts & Prayers, I'll let you know if we hear anything more. And we made sure to remind Zach never to hike alone!

Zach has made so many new & many International Friends this summer! All these pictures on this post, we stole off some Facebook pages of some of his new friends! :) Don't you just love modern technology?! I sure do! It's allowed me to see my baby! :) And he looks so much more grown up already & even has a Goatee! :) I'm afraid when we see him next week, he won't be the same kid that left home.

He's gone Hiking & Camping. Plays Ping Pong! He found a new sport he loves! It's sledding on the glacier (Ice) on Plastic bags. He has hiked to Base Camp. Today he got to take a day trip to visit Mt. St. Helen. He was very excited about that! I guess one mountain just isn't enough! :)

These picture also gave us the chance to see him in his work uniform! When he left I told him his motto for the summer was "Work Hard, Play Harder!!" I guess he's living out those words! That's my boy! :)

We are going to Mt. Rainier & will get to see where he works & lives. He wants to take us on an easy hike. (after all, this is me we're talking about!) Then he will go with us into Seattle for a couple of days! If I have to spend time on a Mountain for him, he has to spend time in a City for me! Right?! It's only fair! :)

Though one of our days in Seattle my girls & I are taking a 3 hour tour of Forks Washington! That's right, where the Twilight Books & Movies are set! We will see Bella's & The Cullins' houses. The High School, The Hospital & Police Station, Restaurants seen in the films, etc. And we will also get to go to the La Push Beach & see Jacobs house! Don't forget we are Team Jacob! :) And the only thing Zach really wanted to see was the Hoh Rain Forest! Yes, right near Forks is Olympic National Park & an honest to goodness Rain Forest. So that's what John & Zach will be doing while us girls get our Twilight fix!

We are so excited for our trip & can't wait to be with Zach again. We will download all the pictures he's taken (if he's remembered to take any! After all this is Zach we're talking about!) while we are there & we will take many pictures ourselves! And of course, I will Blog all about our trip after we get home! That is of course if we all survive the 2 days of driving it will take to get us there! :) And back! :0 We are also excited to get to see some old friends who now live in Washington while we're there as well! And you know we'll be singing "On The Road Again!"

Watch Out World!

2011-07-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

21 Years ago today I gave Birth to my first child!

Kyle Micah Forbis

What an incredible Man he is turning out to be!

Grandpa's Best Bud!
Such a cute baby boy!
And still Grandma's Boy!

Such a fun & funny kid!

Somethings never change . . .

The Fearless Big Brother!
Leader of the Pack!

Watch Out World,
Here he comes!

Happy 21st Birthday to our Baby Boy!

3 Years!!!

2011-07-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

I started Blogging in June of 2008. Just over 3 years ago!

As of late I've been doing very little of it.

Working full time, raising 4 kids, fitting in Date nights with my wonderful husband, finding time to spend with family and maybe a few friends, reading, trying to fit in some laundry now and then, keeping up with the world around me, well, you get the picture.

Though Blogging is very important to me, & something I LOVE to do, I just don't have the time in this stage of my life that I'd love to put into it.

Though it's never far from my mind. Or my heart.

I was just talking today with my husband & daughters about how I need (okay, make that want) to Blog more, and as today is my day off, I was thinking about possibilities I could Blog about, when it hit me.

I think I missed my Anniversary (or Blogiversary!) The Anniversary of when I started my Blog. I looked it up & sure enough, I was correct.

I launched my Blog in June of 08. It is now July, 2011. It's been 3 years!

I wanted to part some sort of Bloggy wisdom, but this is me we're talking about! :)

So, as I type, I'm coming up with 3 things I've learned in my 3 years of Blogging! (I'm certain there has to be at least 3 items I can pull out of the air, right?! We'll see.)

So, here we go . . .

3 Things I've Learned In 3 Years Of Blogging:

1. My Opinion Matters! (If only to me! And sometimes that may be the case.)
After all Blogs are for sharing your opinion. It isn't always the right opinion (except in my case of course!) But it is mine. And by choosing what Blogs I read, shows I care about that persons opinion. And I'm so Thankful for those who choose to read my Blog. Weather or not you agree with all my opinions, I'm grateful you take the time to read them & share with me your opinions on the matter at hand, weather it be Raising Our Children, Marriage, Politics, Pop Culture, Books or Movies, Travel, and any Important or Silly Subject Matter I choose to address. I can not thank you enough.

2. Writing things down helps to solidify them in Memory. (And at my age, I need all the help I can get remembering things!)
The other day my son asked me about something that happened years ago in his life and he couldn't quite remember all the details. I started telling the story in all it's details and someone asked "How can you remember all that?" I simply stated "I Blogged about it!" Even when I was younger in school or in classes at Church when I had to memorize something for a test, Bible verses, or lines for a play, the first thing I did was write it down. It helps you to remember it! Blogging has done that for me with events in my Children's lives! Another thing I am forever grateful for!

3. We're all the same! (only Different!)
As Moms, as Women, we're all basically the same. It doesn't matter where we come from, our age, how many children we have, Married, Single, we're all the same to a certain degree. We all want whats best for our kids. We may go about getting it in different ways. We may parent differently, some more strict, some by trying to be their child's friend instead of their parent, some (like me) who try to Laugh their way Through Parenting! :) There are any number of ways & we're not the same in the way we get there, but our intent is the same. And when I share whats on my heart as a Mother, or things that work well with my kids, or that haven't worked at all, I know others will be able to relate to it. And they do. And in turn, share with me (with us all) what has and hasn't work for them as well. And That's what this Blog has always been about.

So here's to many more years of Laughing Through Parenting together!

Me, today, doing what I love to do, Blogging!

Era Of Choice (Past, Present Or Future?)

2011-06-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

"Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover"

(Or can you?)

With my love for reading I've gotten pretty good at picking out books! After all, I know myself pretty well by now! :) I can usually tell if a book is my "type" of book. I know what I will like & what I most likely wont. There of course have been a few mishaps along the way. I think a book sounds great & it turns out to be bad. I hate that! And there have even been a few times a book that I've chosen to read is so bad I can't even finish it. (And believe me, for me to put a book down, it has to be pretty bad!) Thankfully that doesn't happen very often.

But fortunately the opposite is sometimes true as well. I don't think I will like a book then I'm happily surprised when I do. I have a few criteria I go by when picking out a book. Now I know you are not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but lets just be honest here, we all do it! If a cover isn't appealing to me, I will pass it up. I have a few Authors that I know I like their writing style, so if I see a book by one of them, I will give it a second glance.

I also pay attention to what Era, or time period the book is set in. You won't find me me usually with a book set in the Prairie Days. Not even if other people tell me how great the book is, if it's set then, I'm not interested. I know this probably sounds strange knowing that my favorite book of all time is Little Women, which is of course set during the Civil War time. (I can't explain it either!) I know what I like is Modern Day Fiction. The only Historic Fiction I am interested to read is usually set in the World War II Period. That I like! I also enjoy books that are Nostalgic & go back & forth between decades. I've read a lot of those recently, some of my favorites have been: Firefly Lane, The Girls From Ames (Non Fiction), Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, I Think I Love You, The YaYa Sisterhood, to name a few. But generally I stick to Modern times.

But, recently I have been discovering a new time period that I'm enjoy reading about. When I started a Book Club, the first book we choose to read was The Secret Life Of Bees, a really good book, set in the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Being born in the 60's, of course I don't remember them much, :) but I've always known all men are created equal. And that the color of our skin shouldn't matter. But still, I wasn't prepared for how much I would come to love another book set during that time period . . .

Now, I had heard a lot of people talking about this book. I looked at it, the cover doesn't give much away, the story didn't seem like my kind of book. I didn't really understand what it was about, but it wasn't appealing to me at all. I had passed on it a number of times. Then I saw the Movie Trailer. I thought "I have to read that book!" It looked so good. So I got the book for Mother's Day. And now that I've read it, I must say, the Movie Trailer that made me want to read the book, I now look at and think how silly it looks & it better do the book justice!

I can not tell you how much I really LOVE this book. I honestly didn't want it to end. It was funny & touching & intense. I know I will always consider it one of my favorite books of all time. I loved it that much.

"Lines between black and white ain't there neither.
Some folks just made those up, long time ago.
And that go for the white trash and the so-ciety ladies to0."

"So you saying they ain't no line between the help and the boss either?"

"They's just positions, like on a checkerboard.
Who work for who don't mean nothing."
"All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries."

And because of how much I loved this book, I'm willing to give another Era a go. One that I've never really cared to read about before. The Future! What am I'm reading next? I'm so glad you've asked. There is another book series I've heard A LOT about that just didn't appeal to me. (Again with the cover & the story line) But everyone says how incredibly great they are! They are Young Adult Fiction (As is the Twilight Series) but the last straw for me was seeing a grown man pumping gas into his car with this book in his hand. I thought that book must be good, if a man can't even pull himself away from it long enough to pump his gas! So I'm giving it a go . . .

And just in time too I'd say, since they are making a Hunger Games movie to be released soon as well. I hope it lives up to all the hype! You can rest assured I will let you know what I think. :) So, what Era, or time period do you prefer to read? Have you ever been surprised when you find a book outside of your "norm" that you really like?

Summer Job Update

2011-06-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since my son, Zach left us to go work for the summer at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington State, so I thought I'd give you an update as to how he's doing away from home & how we're doing without him at home . . .

He traveled for the first time alone & got there just fine. His boxes we had sent ahead of time arrived in town ahead of him, but since the lodge wasn't opened yet, they weren't going to deliver them, until the next week. Which meant he had no bedding & no winter gear & there was almost 18 feet of snow on the ground! (Today, 1 month latter, there is still 16 feet of the white powder stuff on the ground!) They provided him with bedding. But since the lodge is a half mile hike from the dorms, and he has to be at work at like 6 in the morning, this Arizona boy was cold! It was a few days until he could even see the Mountain he was living on!

He finally got his boxes, which made life more easier! (Not to mention warmer!) He is working in the Paradise Lodge, in the housekeeping dept. He, it seems is the heavy lifter! He walks up the 4 flights of stairs (there is no elevator) several times a day! Carrying bedding & laundry up & down. He deals with shipment, & stocks all the supplies & makes sure all the maids & their carts have everything they need. He's filled in for a Porter, which works the lobby, keeping the fire going & helping people with their luggage! But he likes his own job better, even though he gets tips when he does the other! :)

He has met so many people from all around the world! He loves Geography & History, so getting to talk with people from different parts of the world is a thrill for him. There is a group of students from the University of Singapore that he seems to hang out with quite a bit. On his day's off they take a shuttle down to an area of lower altitude on the mountain, that doesn't have snow, in order to hike. He has seen Foxes, Coyotes, Brown & Black Bears, all kinds of birds & deer! Says it's absolutely Beautiful there.

He has had 2 other roommates come in & get moved to other areas, his one roommate he's had since the beginning he describes as a gay man, who loves to quote Scripture. :) They had a water line break in the dorms & had to sleep in the Lodge for a few days. He liked that! :) And those of you who know Zach, know how he loves to play ping pong, and he's pretty good at it. They have a table there. He's played a lot. There are a couple people from China, who beat him pretty badly, people keep asking him why he keeps playing them, when they keep beating him? He says because they challenge him & he'll know he'll get better by playing them. And he even beats them sometimes already. I told him by the time the summer's over, he'll be Forest Gump! :)

There was a week we didn't hear from him because a storm blew in & they get no Cell Phone coverage when that happens. When the sky is clear, he can call! He will text from time to time as well, but we usually don't get them until the day after he sends them. He has taken some pictures, but doesn't have a way to upload them so we can see them. :( We are planning a trip up to see him in July. Then you know I'll be Blogging & posting pictures! I've asked him if there is anything he needs, or things he wished he'd taken with him that he didn't? He said he has everything he needs, he's glad for some of the stuff I sent with him that he thought I was crazy for making him take! (Once again, I prove Mother knows best!) :)

It's quiet around here without him. And grocery shopping is so strange since Zach is our biggest eater! I asked him if he's loosing weight with how much exercise he's getting, and his reply was "the cafeteria is all you can eat!" :) He asked about the wildfires burning in Arizona. And we try to update him on what's going on around here. Our little dog Tinkerbell, slept down stairs the entire first night he was gone. She usually waits up till the boys get home, then will come up to bed. And I think she just kept waiting for him to come home! :) We're glad he's having fun & getting this incredible experience, but we sure do miss him. I pray everyday for his safety & well being. I just don't understand why kids have to grow up & venture out on their own! I'm sure he could give me a couple of reasons! :)

Carry On My Wayward Son . . .

2011-06-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

The other day at work one of my co-workers gets a phone call from her husband, some friends of theirs had bought tickets back in February to see Kansas in concert. Something came up with their kids & now that the concert was here, they couldn't go. But, my friends husband had a meeting at work, so they weren't able to take the tickets either. I mentioned my husband & I might be interested in the tickets if they couldn't find anyone. They had a few more friends they wanted to offer them to. I didn't think anymore about it, nor did I mention it to my husband, who we all know is a Rock'n Roller! :)

The next day I get a text from my friend that no one could use the tickets, so she had them for me if I still wanted them. I asked John "Do we have any plans for tonight? How would you like to see Kansas in Concert?" Well, even if we had had plans, I'm pretty sure he would have changed them! So, we went out to dinner & got an unexpected date night!

The concert was at Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. It's a small round theater in which the stage turns in a circle, so no matter where you sit, you get to see the performance from front, back & everything in between! To a musician like my husband, that is what its all about. Actually being able to see the Guitar players finger positioning, etc. (It's all Greek to me! I just want to hear some good music & dance!) :)

The seats were amazing! The only thing between us & the stage was the small Orchestra pit, in which held the sound board. And with my husband being a Music & Arts Pastor, he loves to check out all that equipment at any concert we go to.

We were both wearing our Toms Shoes (cause we're cool like that I guess) Before the concert started, we had our feet up on the ledge overlooking the pit, so we had to snap a pic.

This was a view of the stage before the concert started. A local comedian opened the show.

But of course a Guitar player has to take pictures of the instruments of choice. After telling me of course what kind they are & a little of the Guitar's history, etc. Please don't ask me to repeat it, because, well, you know me! :)

We had so much fun. The concert was really so good. They are such talented musicians! I've never seen a Violin Rock out like that before! As the stage turns you get to see everything even how the drummer plays from behind.

The crowed was mostly our age & older people. :) After all the band has been around for 4 decades! But I loved seeing a few younger people there too. You can't really tell from this picture below, but this boy (with the Justin Beiber hair) was standing up by the stage & one of the Guitar players handed him his Guitar pick! Loved that moment! Someone parents like we do, making sure our kids know old school music along with the new!

When our oldest son, Kyle, graduated from High School a couple of years ago, for his Graduation party we put together a slide show of pictures throughout his life, & we did it to the Kansas song: Carry On My Wayward Son. So, that of course is my favorite Kansas song! And the one they did very last! And oh yeah, it was worth waiting for!

Competition Between Twins

2011-05-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

My girls both ran Track for the first time. They've spent many years watching their older brother, Zach run in both Jr. High & High School, and they always said when they got to Jr. High, they were gonna do track as well! Earlier in the year Lexi ran in Cross Country & Erica tried out for Softball. She didn't make the team, but the coach told her she had a really good arm! She went & cheered her sister on in all the Cross Country Meets.

Twins sister & Team mates!!

In Track, they did some of the same events & did some separately. Both girls threw discus & ran Hurdles. Lexi also did Long Jump & Erica did Shot Put. They made a lot of new friends, had a great time & really loved being part of a team.

Lexi on the Long Jump!

Erica doing Discus!

At the end of the season, the coaches chose a group of kids who could possible go to Conference, the rest of the team didn't have to come to practice or work out any longer after the regular season was finished. Both of the girls were in that chosen group. At the end of the week they posted a list of the kids & alternates that would be going to Conference. Only one of the girls names was on that list. This is what Lexi Tweeted that day: "not going to conference for #trackandfield but @Erica7starr is! you go sis!!"

It's always hard when one child gets something the other doesn't. But, I've always tried to encourage my kids to be happy for others, even when things don't work out the way you wanted them to. Erica went to Conference for Discus & got her longest distance that day! And Lexi was cheering her Twin sister on! We are so proud of both our girls!

The school made T-shirts for Conference with all the kids who represented their school names on the back. Both my girls wanted a shirt! And even though Lexi's name wasn't on it like her sisters was, she wore her shirt proudly! And likewise, when Lexi played her Flute solo for her Band concert, all the kids were talking about it the next few days at school & telling her how great she did. Erica was right there saying "yeah, she did really good, didn't she?!"

I'm always happy when one of my children exceed in things, and like all Moms, I'm proud to show off my great kids! (hence the Blog!) :) But, when you are a Mom of Twins, people always ask you questions like: who's the bossy one, is their a "good twin" & an "evil twin?" Do they get along? Is one a leader & one a follower? Are they best friends? Etc. And here are some of my answers: One is more bossy the majority of the time! Neither one is Evil, and if you say that again, you will see how evil I can be! :) They get along great most of the time! They also fight like I suspect any siblings do. They seam to take turns leading & following, though each has her own personality type. They are best friends (but can be worst enemy's from time to time as well)

Showing their team spirit:
Lexi (above)
Erica (below)

And this year, for really the first time in their lives, I got to see how they would handle competition between each other. And I must say I'm proud of they way they have handled it! Which is a good thing, cause I'm sure we have many more years of competing in sports, music, for friends, grades, attention, etc. (hopefully one thing they will not compete for is boys!) I might not survive that one! :)

Going Solo!

2011-05-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

I've talked before about how important Music is schools is. To our family & MANY others. My Husband started by playing drums in the 4th grade. And continued on into College. We moved during my boys elementary school years & different states don't all offer the same, so Kyle taught himself how to drum & Zach took some piano lessons privately as a child & it wasn't until he was in Jr. High that he took his first Guitar class. And has been playing ever since. My girls started band in 5th grade. Lexi on the Flute & Erica on the French Horn. When the girls started Jr. High this year, Lexi knew she wanted to stay with band, Erica wanted to switch over to Choir. (She's our little song bird!)

Lexi had a scare toward the beginning of the school year when she lost her beloved Flute. We were heart broken thinking she might have to give up playing the instrument she loved. But she was rescued & given a new Flute! Read about it here. She went on to become first chair Flautist in her 7th grade band! We are so proud of all our kids & are thrilled they all love music! Yes, I am the ONLY family member who isn't musical! But, as I've said before EVERYONE need a Fan! :)

The girls just had their end of the school year Choir & Band concerts. And I thought I'd thought I'd share some videos! Erica's Jr. High Choir is singing Seasons of Love from the musical Rent. Erica is in the top row, about the 4th one from the left. (she had her hair up, which makes her harder to spot!) :)

And Lexi performed her very first ever Flute solo! She is playing Firework by Katy Perry, accompanied by none other than her Daddy! She brought the house down! She was nervous, but did so good! Everyone loved it! Enjoy:

And thanks for letting me brag about my girls! I'm one proud Mom!

Leaving Home

2011-05-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is John with our little boy, Zach.

They were sporting the same haircut back in the day!

Well, that little boy is grown up now.
And just left home for the first time.

And this is where he has gone: Mt. Rainier National Park
to work for the summer.

These are the boxes we packed & shipped ahead of time
with his bedding, snow clothes, etc.
And thankfully they arrived there before he did! :)

Zach at the airport, guitar in hand,
ready to board a plane.

Though we have traveled around the country as a family, and Zach has gone on trips with his Choir & Youth Group, etc. this is the first time he has ever flown alone. He had it all planned out; he would fly to Seattle, take a shuttle from the airport to his hotel, (this would also be the first time he'd ever stay in a hotel room alone) walk to a restaurant to have dinner, (he'd found out ahead of time what was right around his hotel!) he had scheduled a Taxi to pick him up in the early morning to take him to his meeting spot with the Mt. Rainier people. I was a little nervous, he'd be thousands of miles away from home in a city he'd never been in before, I think he was a little nervous too!

He got there, got his luggage, it took him awhile, but he found his shuttle to his hotel. Got to the hotel, (the desk clerk was an east Indian man, who when he found out Zach was from Arizona, kept him there asking him all kinds of questions about Arizona's controversial new Immigration law.) :) He called to confirm with the Taxi company his pick-up time for the morning. Set up a wake up call. Walked over to Taco Bell to eat. And actually slept okay in his hotel room. The next morning, about 20 minuets before he was to be picked up, the Taxi company called to tell him they couldn't come. He didn't panic & just called another Taxi company to take him! (that's my boy!)

When he left home in Arizona it was sunny & in the 90's! Seattle is in the 50's & raining! Ouch! He said he was under the Space Needle & it was so cloudy & rainy that he couldn't even see the top! (Well Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!) He meet up with some other employees heading to Mt. Rainier for the summer, most of them had worked there previous years as well. They told him housekeeping is the hardest job on the mountain! :) Before he left I told him his motto for this summer is: "Work Hard! Play Harder!"

Now before he left we knew he wouldn't have internet access while there. We are a Social Media loving family, so, being as brilliant as we are, we set up a Twitter account for him, because then he can just text in to Twitter from his phone & that will update his Facebook page as well. So he can keep us all updated during his summer. Or so we thought! Today he gets there to find out, not only is there no Internet access, but there is also NO CELL PHONE COVERAGE! Really? How do these people live?! :) So that means no Tweets, no updates, no calls! :( There is only a payphone. So tomorrow we are sending him a phone card! Since we only have cell phones, I don't think you can call a cell phone collect from a payphone. And it would take way too much change! :)

We had looked up on line the boxes we shipped ahead of time & saw they had been delivered. I was so relieved, but when he gets to the mountain tonight he finds out his boxes aren't at the lodge, they are in town at the post office, so he won't get them tomorrow. It's freezing cold, he can't believe the amount of snow still on the ground, they have had a record amount of snow fall this year & it's still piled up to the second story windows of the lodge! Wow! But no boxes, means no bedding! And no winter coat! My poor baby! I sure hope they take care of him.

Seriously, how am I going to survive this? My baby boy out there on his own, and I can't just reach him whenever I want! So this week I will also be putting in my vacation time at work so I can go & visit him! :) Getting him ready this past week, reminded me of the first time I traveled alone, I was almost exactly his same age. I traveled farther than he is but not for as long . . .

Yes, I went to France!
On a Missions Trip.

That's me in the Yellow top sitting on the far left!
I was the only one on our team from Arizona,
I flew alone to Miami to meet up with the rest of the group
who were from all over the U.S.
We spent 3 days there, getting to know each other,
learning songs & skits, and preparing for our trip.

We did Drama in the streets.
Held services at local Churches around France.

Met some boys from Sweden! :)

The year was 1985!
(Notice the clothes & hair!)

Then we got to spend a couple of days sight seeing (& shopping) in Paris!
I loved every minuet of it!
Before Zach left I gave him a Journal.
I still have the one I kept on my trip to France!

I wonder if my Mom felt then like I'm feeling now?!

Happy Me Day!

2011-05-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I sure did. I was actually supposed to work, because we had a floor set. But, my manager is taking all this week off for vacation, so told me she would work the floor set so she didn't have to use another vacation day, which gave me the day off!

"Let's go Outback tonight!"
(me & the kids)

And I had a whole day of being spoiled! :) I love my family. When I woke up in the morning my girls were making me Breakfast, which consisted of Eggs, Bacon, Toast & Pineapple. Delish! They also gave me cards they had made for me. Then we went to Church, and after, out to lunch at Outback Steak House. Yum!

Zach got me a book I've been wanting to read. Yes, I have not yet read The Help! It wasn't until I saw the Movie preview for it, that I really wanted to read it. I don't think I ever really knew what it was about before then. Better late than never right?! (Since everyone & their brother has read it already!)

Kyle got me my first pair of Toms Shoes! And they are sparkly! (Just like me!) :) If you don't know about this company, you need to. For every pair you purchase, they GIVE a pair of shoes to a child in need somewhere in the world. In third world countries so many kids can't attend school because they have no shoes to wear & therefore can't meet the dress code! Kyle has several pairs & he now has bought his Dad, his Grandma, both his sisters & now me, Toms! Check out their website here.

And of course I have to get Bath & Body Works! This new fragrance, Into The Wild, just launched. I LOVE it. And this messenger bag is so cool. Yes, it's Cheetahlicious just like me! :) Hope I'm not too old to carry a messenger bag. Oh well, I'm gonna anyway! :)

Kyle & My Mom showing off their Toms!

We celebrated Mothers Day with my mom on Easter, because she is on Vacation back in Ohio & Michigan right now. And I Hope she's having a ball! But we were able to see John's mom on Mothers Day evening! He cooked us all dinner.

John & His Mom!

Our Mothers help to shape us & make us who we are!
Hope your Mothers Day was filled with Love & Laughter too.

Tonka Truck!

2011-05-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

My son, Kyle has been driving a little car we bought cheep & now it won't pass emissions testing. It needs a new transmission, which will cost more than the car is worth. I HATE car trouble! So, while we've been deciding what to do with it, he got a ticket for driving with expired tags. UGH! It's an expensive ticket too. So John & Kyle went to court & got an extension. Then with Kyle working full time now (while still being a full time College student) And his income tax return, he was able to buy (and pay cash for) his first car! (And the judge lowered the fine for the ticket with proof that he no longer is driving that car!) He got a cute little black truck. Chevy S10.

Cute!

Proud of his first vehicle!

"Riding in cars with Boys"

Even our little Tinkerbell had to check it out! :)

Congratulations Kyle! Now no more tickets! :)

Seems like just yesterday he was playing with
Tonka Trucks!
Now he's driving one! :)

An Open Letter To Donald Trump

2011-04-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Trump,

I am a big fan. I have not missed a single season of The Apprentice, or Celebrity Apprentice, since it's inception. I'm writing this letter to talk to you about your Political aspirations. First of all I must touch on the subject that seems to be the only thing you are willing to talk about these days. Birth Certificates. I am a Mother of four great kids. Two of them were born in the fifth largest city in the United States, Phoenix, Arizona. The other two were born in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. All four of their Birth Certificates say "Certificate of Live Birth" on them. That is what we were issued. And they are official. And if they ever choose to, they can run for President of this great country of ours, and would make great Presidents I must say, of that I am sure! :) What I'm not so sure of is why this is of such importance to you, regarding President Obama, who I'm not always a big fan of, but had proven a long time ago that he was born in Hawaii, which is part of the United States of America.

Speaking of documentation. If you do choose to run for President, are you willing to show all that may be needed? For instance, I don't know where you born. And wouldn't you have to show all financial documents as well. You might want to consider that before demanding others do it, if you are not willing to. Just food for thought. And not being willing to answer questions, or saying things like "none of your business" or "next question" only makes you look ignorant, which I do not think you are.

And on the subject of a Political campaign, I would much rather hear what your views are on the issues, rather than your opinion of Obama. Bad mouthing anyone, deserved or not, will not get you any votes from my household (we have four registered voters) or it sounds like most other registered voters. Smear campaigns only turn me & hopefully most people, totally off!

I would love to take this opportunity to let you know about some of the issues that are important to me. First of all is Education, why do we continue to cut the budget in the one area we can't afford to? We will pay someone with no education, who can bounce a ball, millions of dollars, yet those teaching our Children, our future leaders, get next to nothing. I manage a retail store with at least three part time employees who are teachers, or teachers aids who can no longer make it on their salary. That is appalling. Public Education should be the profession all our top graduates are vying to go into, for the pay, for the benefits & for the pay off of making a difference in the lives of students.

I think you have proven that you can run a company better than most, but does that translate into being able to run a country? I don't know. Have you ever been in the military? If not, what makes you qualified to be our Commander & Chief? There is more to being the greatest country in the world, than just what's in it for us. Making money can't be the bottom line when deciding which wars are right for us to take on. If you or someone you loved was living under a regime like in Libya or Iraq, you would pray everyday for a super power, like The United States, to come in & put an end to it. Whether or not we get anything out of it, is not the issue. We must do what is right. For all people, not just for Americans. The Bible says "to whom much is given, much is required." Are you willing to do what is required?

I live in Arizona, and some of the big issues in my state are Illegal Immigration, & Gun Control. This country of ours was founded by Immigrants. My ancestors & yours, I'm sure, came from somewhere other than America. And just because they signed a book when they landed at Ellis Island, does not mean that they left their country legally. This is the land of Opportunity & I pray it continues to be. Not just for those fortunate enough to be born here, for any who dare to dream of a better life for themselves & their families. I'm sure you can relate to & understand that. And I am all for those who wish to own firearms, to be able to do so. But, unless the reasons they choose to are not on the up & up, they should by all means be willing to endure a waiting period & undergo a background check. The Tragedy here in Tucson involving Congresswoman Gifford's, and the Virginia Tech shootings, would not have happened as they did, if that were the case. In both instances, the perpetrator, walked out of the store, the same day with guns and or ammunition. This should never be allowed.

These are just some of the issues that are important to me. I would need to know where you stand on them & which issues are important to you, before ever even considering to give you my vote. If this is all just a publicity stunt, then way to go! More power to you. If you are seriously considering a run for political office you probably need to stop ranting on & on about unimportant things. (Maybe you've been hanging out with Gary Busey too much as of late!) :) It reminds me of that old saying: Put up or shut up! (I can't believe I just said that to you) (or the pretend you, since the actual you, will never actually read this! But just getting it off my chest makes me feel better.) :) Just let us know when you make up your mind. Until that time, I will continue to watch your show, and route for my favorites to win! I'll let you know when the time comes if that can include you in a presidential race. But as it stands right now, like I've heard you say many of times in your board room; you've got to defend yourself. Let us know why we should fire someone else & keep you.

Sincerely,

Star*

Impromptu Family Photo Shoot

2011-04-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well, my husband John is finding himself once again in need of updating his Resume'. And he needed updated Family photos to put in it. It's been a couple of years & the kids are much bigger now. (Hopefully I am not!) :) My manager asked me last week to switch days with her, so I found myself with an unexpected Saturday off. So we decided, spur of the moment, to take advantage of it & get some pictures.

A Cool Look on the Basics:

The Fam.

Just the Two of Us!

The Kidos.

We have a couple of really nice parks around here we thought of going to, but this is Arizona. And even though it is only April, we're pushing 90 degrees here & we didn't want our Family pictures with all of us squinting in the sun. So John suggested we go to the Parking Garage where we took some of Zach's Senior Pictures at. Good idea!

The Wall:

Lovebirds.

Baby Birds.

Chirping! :)

With the location decided I thought instead of trying to coordinate all our outfits to match (hard to do with 6 people!) the easier thing to do was have us all wear Jeans and a solid color top. A different color for each. Sounds simple right? Well Zach pretty much lives in Graphic Tees, he doesn't have many that are just solid, so he brought out his 3 or 4 choices. Lexi says "you can't wear the green one, I'm wearing green!" So then he tells Lexi (who of course is a Twin) "Are you gonna wear that face? You can't wear that face, Erica is wearing that face!" Haha.

Just for fun:

T.N.T.
(Twins in Teens) yikes!

Goofing off!
(What they do best!)

So off we went armed only with a camera that has a timer & a tripod! (no photographer) And, surprisingly I think they turned out really well. We tried to see who could come up with the most ridiculous poses to do. We took some of just the parents, some of just the kids, and some all of us together. We did some with a "serious" look (no smiles) some that are "kinda serious" some "smiling" and some "LOLing!" (big laughs) Hopefully you can tell which are which! :)

On The Stairs:

US!

Them!

John thinks we look like a band here!

The break down for the color coding is: John in Purple, Me in Champagne (Taupe? gold-ish?) Kyle in Red (and notice he threw in his "murse"! (Man Purse!) haha he's cool like that!) Zach in Brown, Erica in Pi nk (shocker!) & Lexi in Green! Enjoy.

That's all she wrote!

Coolest Summer Job Ever!

2011-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday I was sending my youngest son, Zach off to school. Now he is coming to the end of his first year of College, & will being leaving us in a bigger way. He has his first ever summer job. And boy, it's a cool one!

He will be working at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington State. You can see it in the distance from Seattle! Beautiful! He loves being outdoors and hiking. Very UNLIKE his Mother in that way! :)

He decided to apply at National Parks all throughout the western half of the United States. Since we live in Arizona, we wanted to him to be close enough we could possible go visit him while he's there. He didn't think he'd really hear from any of them. Being an Honors student & in Band, Choir & Sports, he never had the time for an after school job. So, he's never had a "real" job before, though he has put in a lot of hours "working" at Church. And both my boys have a very strong work ethic!

Mt. Rainier called him the week after they received his application & offered him a job. He will be working in a Lodge at the park. Doing Housekeeping, retail, stocking, etc. basically whatever they need him to do! I sure Hope he will bring some of those skills home with him! :) And he can do all the Hiking he wants to! (at no charge! Even if he wanted to summit!)

Oh, and have I mentioned that Zach is my one child who is a total home body?! He is content to just be at home. Over his Spring Break, he wrote out a schedule for the homework he had to do, dividing it up over every day of the week. (And he ACTUALLY stuck to that schedule! What kid does that?) He does the same thing with his exercise routine & practicing Guitar!

He's talked on & off about joining the military, I think this will give him a chance to see how (or if) he would like that kind of life style, of traveling & living with other guys you don't know. (besides your brother of course!) And he's gone for 3 months, not 4 years. He's been on Youth Group & School Choir trips before, but that's about it!

It will be an adventure for sure! He can bring his Guitar with him :) (but not his Long Board!) :( Plenty of books, good thing (like his Mother) he loves to read! We were going to have him start a Blog to keep us updated & share all he's doing, only to find out there is no Internet access on the Mountain! Ouch!

It will be strange around here with out him, that's for sure. He is so excited to go! He's researched the area & what animals he could see out there. He's really been paying attention to the news of late hoping there won't be a Government shut down, since that would mean all National Parks would be closed down as well! And he'd loose his first job before he ever started it! Now All that's left is to figure out how to get him there with everything he will need for 3 months! Including Guitar, Hiking & camping gear! Summer, Winter & rain gear! There is snow (& glaciers) at parts of the mountain all year long! Very different from Arizona that's for sure! I'm so excited for him and will miss him tremendously while he is off having the time of his life!