Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to each of you. I hope your day was filled with happiness and joy. I know some of you have had a harder year than you'd be willing to admit and things just didn't go right for Christmas. Your friends and family love you. The material things don't matter.

Happy New Year to each of you. I hope each of you are able to do the things you say you're going to do in your blogs. Me? I am just going to keep going as I am: spending time with my family, my friends, writing and enjoying not stressing about things or people who do not have permission to try to make me feel bad.

Best wishes to everyone and your families.

Freedom of Speech Rules!

Date - Nov. 25, 2006
Place - MGM Grand Arena
The Event - Dixie Chicks, Accidents and Accusations Tour

An absolutely wonderful concert. Sound was good. The girls sounded great. The opening act was entertaining. All in all, well worth the money spent.

The bad of the whole thing? I had a somewhat large woman sitting on my left hip the entire night. She even acted offended when, after standing up when the DCX walked out on stage, I sat down. Like, how dare I want to sit in the seat I paid $100+ for. She was also nice enough to share the peanut shells with me from the peanuts she was eating. I think I have enough shell pieces in my shoe to make at least three complete peanuts.

The good? Again, an excellent concert. Loved spending the time with Terry away from the kids. Dinner with him was delicious. We talked about the new book and he helped me come up with an idea of how to get Shayanna to talk to me. She's a stubborn elf, but I think I've found the way to get to her.

Wonderful night. So glad we did it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's hoping each of you have a great Thanksgiving.
Try to be thankful for your family, as well as your friends.
Tell your family how much they mean to you verbally, not just in a blog or a letter. Remember telling them means more than having them read it.
Call someone you haven't spoken to in a long time and just let them know you care.
Move past those hurts you think you suffered, or the pain you think you endured and make it a good day. Remember, while you feel the hurt, you're not the only one.
Eat lots and look at the scale on Monday. Friday is a bad day to do that.
The shopping on Friday can be hectic and dangerous. Try to remember it's the thought that counts, not the time you spent in line waiting for the present.
Try for one day, just one day, to be happy without any strings attached. Enjoy the day, enjoy the food, enjoy the company. Save judgements and criticisms for another day.

Birthday Fun

So, this year, Derek had to attend a campout with the Boy Scouts of Troop 430. Normally, I wouldn't make an effort to follow, but they were going to Zion National Park and I've always wanted to see it.

And was it worth it! I drove 2.5 hours and after leaving St. George, it is a very beautiful drive. I even found a parcel of land I would love to own, if only we could afford it. 78 acres, from the highway to the Virgin River. Well worth it in my opinion.

We stayed at the Cliffrose Lodge and Gardens just outside of the park. If we looked real hard, we could even see the campsite for the scouts. We didn't though. We were too busy enjoying ourselves. Turns out my parents once stayed there as well.

Springdale was a beautiful little town. No fast food, no shopping centers, just little stores and restaurants that could handle the traffic created by the park.

Friday, I drove up with Micaela and the son of a friend of ours, who was unable to be there. We had lunch at a place called Panda Garden Chinese, which wasn't too bad, though I have definitely had better in Las Vegas. Then I dropped the boy off with the scouts and Micaela and I drove through the park's scenic route, just to look at things. Terry was coming up later and we had a few hours to kill. She and I had dinner at the Pioneer Lodge and Restaurant. I had the prime rib, with a rosemary and thyme aujus. Though the meat wasn't cooked the way I like, it was still the best prime rib I've had. Mouthwatering and the aujus was just.... to die for. Terry showed up later and we watched TV, then went to bed. Well, ok, Micaela went to bed, but the rest (to quote Lela) is none of your business.

Saturday, we drove the scenic route again with our friends. We took the path to the Lower Emerald Pool, and even got to see the scouts. Derek made a strong effort to hug me and tell me happy birthday and that he loves me, in front of ALL the younger scouts. He made my day. I'm very proud of him. I got to talk to my dad and everyone else who called me got voicemail. I appreciate all the calls I got. All of you really helped to make my day special. After the Emerald Pools, we had lunch at the Zion Lodge, which was pretty good. Then we went to The Weeping Rock. A natural creation causes the water from 1000's of years ago as well as recent rainfall to come out of the rock and makes it look like it was crying. Terry called it a big crybaby and made us all laugh. You should also see his version of deer caught in the headlights of a car. We almost died as we were trying to cross the street. And I'm sure the driver of the car he did it in front of thought he was insane. Then we drove up to the Temple of Sanawava, which leads to The Narrows, where the older scouts were. We took the path to the Narrows, but I missed it because the wind picked up and got dirt in my eyes. Terry took pictures for me. Dinner was at The Bit and Spur, which my father tells me once was a real mexican restaurant. I had the Rib Eye steak with onion strings and a sauce that was great. Cooked exactly the way I like it. I enjoyed every bite and actually had to force myself to stop eating or I'd explode.

Sunday, we picked up the boys, which took way longer than we had expected and drove home. Then we watched the football game, GO BRONCOS! Had dinner with my dad and stepmother, brothers and girlfriend, then came home and just vegged.

Overall, a very nice weekend. I can't wait to go back to Zion. It's just really a great place to see. Pictures later!

If Your Life Was A Movie, What Would The Soundtrack Be?

Via Steve, Via Lela, Via BD... Thought I would give it a listen. See what kind of weird stuff I came up with.

What to do...
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, Etc)
2. Put it on shuffle/random.
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits:
Please Remember by LeAnn Rimes

Waking Up:
Cowboy by Kid Rock

First Day at School:
Because The Night by 10,000 Maniacs

Falling In Love:
As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins

Breaking Up:
Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd

Prom:
Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton

Life's OK:
Unusually Unusual by Lonestar

Mental Breakdown:
Come Together by Michael Jackson

Driving:
If I Can't Have You by Kim Wilde

Flashback:
I Stand Alone by Steve Perry

Getting Back Together:
Here I Go Again by White Snake

Wedding:
Vindicated by Dashboard Confession

Birth of Child:
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion (appropriate, Derek's fifth grade class sang this at their graduation to sixth grade ceremony)

Final Battle:
Tearin' It Up by Garth Brooks

Death Scene:
Hold On Loosely by .38 Special

Funeral Song:
Take It To The Limit by Eagles

Sex Scene:
Give Myself To You by Train

Dance Sequence:
Entr'acte by Andrew Lloyd Weber from Phantom Of The Opera

End Credits:
Against All Odds by Phil Collins

Not sure about this. Some of these just seem really WAYYY out there.

Vegoose - October 2006, Halloween Weekend

Vegoose is Las Vegas' version of Woodstock.

Drugs? Oh yeah. I walked by some chick asking another couple if they had drugs. There was even a woman who had taken drugs Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., had no recollection of what happened between 2 and 6 p.m., then around 8 she comes looking for someone to help her. And, there was a group of about six people smoking pot behind the stand I was working in.

Smoking? Yes.

Alcohol? What concert doesn't have alcohol?

Three stages, music from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Audio overload. It was funny to see people younger than me try to act like they're hippies. Who knew dreadlocks were part of the hippy wardrobe? I certainly don't remember seeing any dreadlocks in the pictures my parents have, or any of the other pictures I've seen about the Flower Age.

Missed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Miss The Killers. Got to hear Phil and Trey, good music, not sure who they were. And I was inundated with the sounds of Widespread Panic for three hours.

Besides some personal issues and being on my feet most of the day and allergies wrecking havoc on me, it was a good day. Very cool to see.

Character Update: Shayanna Silvermist

(Borrowing Lela's format, cause she said I could :) )

Villain Name: Shayanna Silvermist
AKA: Nightdove
Server: Virtue
Level: 14
Archetype: Sonic/Sonic Corruptor
VG: Order of the Bloody Rose
Personality: Calculating, blood thirsty
Currently: Shayanna thought she had found two men she could trust, besides Kaleb Lucian and Thorn of Hate. She has recently learned that because she has shut herself off to every man, getting her into bed has become a conquest in the eyes of the men she had wanted to trust. Lyria and Rose have approached her with the chance to help her heal psychicological wounds or block her emotions behind walls that could not be guaranteed to hold the flood back.

Character List

Champion
Sister Vixen (50 mind/storm controller)
Solitaire Wolf (41 DM/DA scrapper)
Sweet Revenge (23 MA/Regen scrapper)
Rylanna (16 Storm/Rad defender)
Midnight Cross (15 Eng/SR stalker)
Fire Scorpion (12 Fire/Kin controller)

Virtue
Amira Dynasty (20 DM/Regen scrapper)
Shayanna Silvermist (14 Sonic/Sonic corrupter)
Darkest Angel (9 Warshade)

"Mrs. Campbell... This is the school nurse"

*sigh* Ok, who doesn't dread that call from the school? You always think the worst, to find out it was something small, like they fell and the school has to notify you verbally that they treated your child with ice and let him/her rest for a few minutes before sending them back to class.

Derek tripped today coming out of his Orchestra class. Landed on his left wrist, ball of the wrist, wrist bent, probably jammed it, but nothing is broken. We went to the Quick Care, had it x-ray'd and they put a sling on it. He gets out of P.E. for a week and Orchestra, because he plays the Cello and can't do it now. Doesn't matter what instrument he plays, he would have had to gone a week with no playing anyway.

Update On The School Shooting

The police found the kid who shot the girl. It was a 16-year-old boy. Not sure the reason still, but they arrested him Tuesday. Fortunately some of the students on the bus came forward and ID'd the kid. Guess we'll find out eventually why he did it.

School Violence Hits Home

In the past few weeks, Las Vegas has seen an increase in children taking weapons to school. This is not in addition to everything else that has been seen in the country itself. This is purely in Las Vegas.

Last week, as I was driving to the airport for my trip to Alaska, I drive right by an elementary school that was on lockdown. I found this out as I was driving past it. There is a high school not too far from the elementary school and both schools were on lockdown because a former student of the high school had returned to the school with a gun. The most frightening part? I was within a two mile range for the schools my children attend. What was to keep the guy from going to my daughter's elementary school or my son's middle school? Not a damn thing. Violence is not restricted to certain streets just because the police do a lockdown.

And then, when I arrive in Alaska, and get to my hotel room and watch the news, I hear the story about the school house back east where the girls were held hostage and shot in the Amish community. If an Amish community is affected by all this violence, what's to protect my own children? No matter how hard I try, I can't be with them 24 hours a day.

Boy, that was definitely a lesson that hit home hard on Monday. Derek had been home for about 30 minutes, having walked home from school. As I leave the house to pick up Micaela, I notice the loud helicopter sounds and the police copter flying over the area of her school. "That doesn't make me feel good," I said as I got into the car and began the less than 5 minute drive to her school. Yes, I remember exactly what I said. In this kind of situation, I would be surprised if any parent forgot exactly what was said and exactly what they did.

I drove to the school, and as I got closer, the huge cluster of vehicles I had noticed immediately upon turning onto the street became clear. There was yellow crime scene tape across the street. The road was blocked by police cars; metro, highway patrol and school district. A group of students was walking in my direction as I slowly inched my van closer to the yellow tape, a knot forming in my stomach. Micaela waved her hand at me and though the knot didn't go away, a wave of relief swept over me.

She gets into the van and I immediately begin crying, trying to hold her close to me. She kept saying, "Mom, I'm ok. No one was hurt." She didn't know what had happened, only that there were lots of police and her school was put on lockdown because of it. Even the note that came home with her from the principle only said 'police activity'. The police escorted the children across the street instead of the crossing guards.

So, after I finally stopped bawling, I drove us home and began the search through the channels for some news. My mother-in-law, who teaches at the school, didn't even call me to tell me what she knew.

Turns out, a high school student was walking home after getting off her bus and she was shot in the leg by an unknown assailant. No one knew why, or at least they weren't saying and they didn't know who had done it. And they didn't know where he/she had gone.

So here I am today, sitting at home, trying to work and pay attention to conference calls while my daughter goes to a school that had a shooting within 100 feet of school property. Terry is out of town and doesn't truly understand how upset I was yesterday and I can't make him understand, not right now. He has a lot of stress to deal with at his hotel.

I watched my daughter walk away from me, into the school yard and it scared me. I haven't been this scared since I took my son to his school on September 11, 2001. I don't know what I would do if something happened to either of them.

D&D Campaign Over

Well, if you've gone to My Writing, you'll see that our characters died this past gaming session. Not exactly thrilled about it. What makes me unhappy is that we were not given a chance to try to escape. We were told, "you're captured, you're tortured, you're killed. Next game, what do you want to do?"

I understand Rob probably had it planned like that already and I will admit, the situation we were in was not a good one, so the chances of us escaping were pretty slim. But still, even the slightest chance would have been nice.

So, now we are starting a new campaign. Terry is going to play a monk. I am either going to play a ranger that is half high elf and half drow, or a moonknight. A moonknight is a prestige class Rob created. I have played one previously and she was pretty powerful. Rob has toned the class down some, which is actually pretty good in some aspects. I will be test playing the class for him, which means there will be things changed at the drop of a hat.

Terry and I had an idea of playing elves based on a couple I read about in the latest R.A. Salvatore trilogy about Drizzt Do'Urden. The elves fight in unison and in need of each other, completely dependent of each other. But, after the trouble we seemed to have in the last campaign playing a couple that were starting out, I decided against playing another couple. He asked if we were going to have our new characters together, even if we didn't play the elves, but I'm undecided. We are going to have to talk about it.

My Turn

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Terra Demon Your Superpower is Electrocution Your Weakness is Salt Your Weapon is Your Secret Decoder Thorns Your Mode of Transportation is Phone Booth

What's your Superhero Name?

via Lela and Steve

To Continue What Mike Started

There never seems to be enough time to say it as many times as people deserve to hear it.

Friends -
I love you, Lela, Mike, Steve, Vinnie, Mark, J.D., Kelly who lives so far away and though our lives always seem to keep us from talking enough, Rob who deserves it even when he irritates the hell out of me.

Family -
I love you, Paul, Crystal, Jack, Diane, Dad, Junebug and Mom, even if we haven't spoken but three times in the past three years.

Loved Ones -
I love you, Micaela, beautiful girl that you are, joy that you bring me, stress you create.
I love you, Derek, handsome boy, maturing every day into a handsome man. God, I wish you would turn in your homework.
I love you, Sweetie, Bubba, the man who has stood by me through everything, who makes me feel better even in the worst of situations, who accepts me for my faults and praises the good.

Because Lela Needed It

I sent Lela the song a few weeks back and as she says in her blog, it's been on her mind lately. So here are the lyrics, cause I personally love the song as well. And for the ones who just can't leave her alone and expect her to keep being nice, despite the fact you treat her like shit, SHOVE OFF!

And here's a reminder --- THIS IS MY BLOG, NOT LELA'S. YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH WHAT I JUST SAID, COME TO ME. OTHERWISE, STUFF IT. Leave Lela alone. She deserves better than the crap you're dishing out to her.

Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price
And I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I know you said
Can’t you just get over it
It turned my whole world around
And I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I Knew It

You Are Rogue

You're reluctantly special. In fact, you long to be normal. You consider your powers to be a curse, and something you can't control. Powers: absorbing other people's memories and abilities, weakening and killing people with your touch

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Via Lela

NANOWRIMO - 50,000 Words in November

It's that time of year again. Time to sign up for National Novel Writing Month, 50,000 words in 30 days. This takes place in November. Not a single word can be written before 12:00 a.m. November 1. Outlines can be done, notes can be created, but not a single word within the body of the novel. Works out to be about 1667 words per day. And, guess what? That also means on Thanksgiving.

If you are interested, the website is www.nanowrimo.org. I will be cross-posting this to my writing blog and keeping track of my progress there as well. Also, if you go to the website, you can pull up the authors that are registered and follow their progress through their profiles. If you do decide to give it a try, let me know. I'd be happy to follow your progress as well and maybe we can exchange a little moral support in this very stressful 30 day period.

My Time, My Dime

Lately, I've been spending my time in World of Warcraft. I love the bubbly, cartoonish look the characters and landscape have. I like how the quests are so much easier to find than any of the quests available in EverQuest ever were. And I like how there is no drama of any kind there. Tuesdays are a lot of fun. Mark joins Terry and I, and the three of us run the land as Taurens. This is my first Horde character and I think it's hysterical my character actually moos, cause... she's a cow. Terry and I usually play our Night Elves. He has a rogue and I have a hunter. Or we play our paladin and mage. The mage is a lot of fun, even at a low level.

I play CoH now when I plan things with Lela, Steve or Mike. Sometimes I want to log on, cause I haven't played with any of them for awhile, but things happen. Like tonight, Terry and I spent a lot of time with the kids. We taught them how to play a card game Terry and I have enjoyed ever since we married. Derek was reluctant at first, but after the first game, he really got into it. We had a lot of fun.

And I didn't miss CoH or WoW.

Basically, the point of this is, for those of you who think I'm avoiding CoH because of you or something that was said, or boards being opened up for the world to see... Well, sorry to disappoint. I just don't care. I play with who I want, when we have something planned and I'm not working or spending time with my family or playing tabletop.

Star Chasers is fun. Honestly I'd like see how my Warshade will progress. Blood Nights are hysterical. Shayanna cracks me up with her lust for blood. I'm surprised I haven't macroed something to say "Runs her hands through the blood and then over her face." Probably wouldn't surprise anyone if I did. Mavericks are fun. Sweet Revenge so needs to find something to distract her from shopping for clothes that irritate her brother. And getting Solitaire closer to 50 gives me a satisfaction only a few understand.

Yep, having fun doing what I want.

The Dogs

Licorice - half bassett hound, half labrador, all pain in the ass. Despite how Terry tries to tell me that Licorice is everyone's dog, this dog definitely belongs to him. He's about the only one who can bet the dog when he wants to, play with him and keep him in place. This dog has a bedtime that is more strict than the one we have for the kids. By 10 p.m., Licorice becomes the biggest jerk ever created. He growls at everyone. If I go near Terry and Licorice is laying near his chair, he growls. If we even talk to him while we're going to bed, he growls. My favorite quote for the dog is "he's an asshole." It's definitely a love/hate relationship. There are days I absolutely love to hate the dog.
Amira - About 75% wolf, 25% siberian husky. Amira is Anceint Egyptian for Princess and she is definitely a princess. She is very lovable, talks to us all the time, hardly barks, but loves to destroy things if allowed to. She will sit at her bowl of food, fill her mouth, then drop all the pieces on the floor, picking through them one at a time until she eats them all. Then she does it all again. She goes into the kids' rooms, checks on them, then sits either at the top of the stairs or at the bottom, waiting until I go to bed. Her neck is soft and she's absolutely gorgeous when she has a full coat of fur. She sleeps on the porch in the middle of winter and on the kitchen floor during the summer.
Coco - part golden retriever, chocolate labrador, australian shepherd and pig. Pig? Yes, pig. Her tail curls up like a pig's. We love her, but she has the most annoying bark. And she barks... all the freaking time. I can't take a shower without her barking at the shower door shutting. She barks at the garage door as it opens. She barks at Derek and Micaela when they go outside to play. She barks when we come home, for who knows what reason. She and Amira have an ongoing struggle for dominance in the pack, which varies on who feels like chewing on the other the most that day. The good thing about Coco, she loves the kids, she loves the family and she plays with both Licorice and Amira equally.

Winchester Mystery House

The room where Mrs. Winchester died. Outside the window, there is a crescent moon shaped hedge, with the tip pointing at the window. There are those who believe it has some supernatural meaning, with the tip pointing to the room. It's just coincidence, right?
One of the unfinished rooms on the ??? floor of the house. We walked up and down so many stairs, it was hard to tell where we were. This room was in the front of the house, which was closed off and not worked on again after the earthquake of 1906.
The front of the house. The house was painted in the 70's, thus the horrible yellow color. Currently, though the state of California has it registered in the state historic locations, it is privately owned and has been for quite awhile. Even if you ask the employees who signs their checks, the only answer they can give you is "Winchester Mystery House". I would love to own this house. The history behind it, being able to walk through it whenever I wanted, not to mention the money it brings in during October and on Friday, the 13th.
One of the two basements in the house. This one had the coal chute and when it was unlocked, there was coal still covering the floor. This basement is considered the most haunted of the two basements. With all the fireplaces (47), Mrs. Winchester had grates built into the floors of each one, which the servants would use to send the ashes from each fireplace down a chute into this basement. Instead of 47 fireplaces to clean and carry the ash from the house, the servants would only have to clean 7 chutes, which was supposed to be easier.

There are so many amazing facts about this house, so much history and information. Mrs. Winchester had the modern of all conveniences, including elevators. For further information, you can visit the official website, www.winchestermysteryhouse.com, or do a Google/Yahoo/MSN search, whichever you prefer to find out more.

Will These Photos Never End?

The family at the Redwood Forest at the top of the mountain near Brookdale Lodge. Not exactly the place I had intended to take the kids. When I was living in California with my mother and stepfather, we used to go to the Redwood Forest that had some of the largest, oldest trees on the North American continent. There was one tree in the forest that had grown so large that by the time it had been discovered, it had already fallen over and died. It was old when America was discovered. The bottom of the trunk, with the roots still in the ground, was smoothed over and finished and was once used as a place for square dancers. A portion of it, still standing next to the trunk, was used to show the rings and distinguish the age of the tree. There was also a tree that grew in such a way, cars used to be driven through it. You know, the small Model T's.

Nevertheless, this was not where we went. Needless to say, I was extremly disappointed and after we made the journey through the trail and discovered the Mother of All Trees, over 400 ft tall and the Father of All Trees, almost 400 ft tall, we left and made our way to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. The drive through the forest was beautiful, if a bit curvey. The small towns we came across were beautiful. And the house was worth the trip.

Despite everything....

No matter how hard it gets or how upset I get, I know that true friends know the truth. And my father will always send me an email that makes me smile, just like he knew I needed it.

Today was one of those days.

THE ROAD IS NEVER LONG BETWEEN FRIENDS

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend;
Someone who changes your life, just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop;
Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world.
Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.

LIFE IS SHORT

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them,
a day to love them,
but then an entire life,
to forget them.

Continuing Up The Coast

About noon, the clouds started coming in. At first it looked like there was a fire, but then we realized it was the clouds and we stopped a few times to look at the sight. It was amazing.
At one point, we stopped and we were above the cloud line. It was like looking at a bed of cotton balls. Again, Micaela was afraid if we got too close to the edge, we would fall.
We stopped at a small motel, restaurant and gift shop. There was a nature trail that led down the mountain, but it was blocked off. We were able to walk down partway though and get into the clouds.
And of course, the sunset. I've heard people say Las Vegas has the most beautiful sunsets, because of the heat, the pollution sadly and the way the sun lights up the mountains. But this sunset put every single one to shame. As we wound our way through the mountains, and drove to Santa Cruz, we had to stop several times, just to take the pictures. It was as if the sun melted into the ocean. Breathtaking, beautiful, amazing.

Vacation Pictures Continue - Drive Up Highway 1

Terry and Nick climbed down to the water from the road to touch the water. They had to stand on the rocks, because there wasn't a dry place anywhere for them stand. And the water was cold! Or so they said.
Micaela got very scared because the second time we stopped, the rocks down to the water were just a little steep and she was afraid everyone would fall down and hurt themselves. It was a beautiful sight to see though; the waves pounding against the rocks, sending up sprays of water.

Guitar Hero

So, since Vinnie took his with him, which is to be expected, it was his and he paid for it, I went out yesterday and bought the family Guitar Hero and placed a reservation for Guitar Hero 2, which is due out on Nov. 7. We are getting a second guitar with the second game, so the kids can duel each other.

As for me, I have completed the first set of songs on easy, cause I suck at video games. I have 3 of the second set done. No 5 stars yet, but a few 4 stars.

Yes, Vinnie, we were up until 3:30 playing with Paul and Crystal first, then just ourselves. It was fun.

Just For Caedyn and Steve

Why did Tigger have to wash his hands?
*
*
*
*
He'd been playing with Pooh all day.



What do you call a stinky fairy?
*
*
*
*
Stinker Bell.

You can thank the man who will be my son's Boy Scout leader for the next year.

Last Day At Disneyland - Part 2

The girls! Mom and Micaela. Micaela's such a ham. But we love her. Watching the enjoyment she and Derek had while we were at the park made the cost and the pain in the feet worth it.
Ok, so here's a picture of me. Now leave me alone.
Isn't this a beautiful costume? But can you imagine wearing it for the better part of two hours as you walk through Disneyland, from Main Street to It's A Small World?
The Boys! Nick really had a lot of fun. He said he rode a lot of rides with us that he had never ridden before with his friends. And Derek really bloomed into a personality we never knew he had.

Raising Boys

Another from my father:

RAISING BOYS

The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas...

Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):

1.) A king size water bed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on when using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super-glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool, you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB&J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Those who pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without boys do it because:

a) For those with no children - this is totally hysterical !

b) For those who already have children past this age, this is hilarious.

c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.

d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.

e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control !

Happiness

In an email from my father, before he went on vacation:

From Happiness Site

What if you could be happy?
When I realized that I was happy, I felt happy and in that moment I knew that I was happy. I wondered what could come along that was more important than the way I felt now. So I watched everything to see what I would give up my happiness for! In the last 15 ½ years, I have found nothing that is more important than being happy.

What I have learned, is that being happy is the smartest way of dealing with any problem. Unhappiness only exposes you to what you don't like. When you start with one problem and you add unhappiness you have now created a second problem to deal with. I have found that being happy enables me to make the best choices, to find the best solutions, and to use my highest mental faculties to create the best outcome for myself and others.

Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state that enables you to profit from your highest thoughts, intelligence, wisdom, awareness, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values.

Happiness is one of the most important things in your life.
Don't give away your power by being unhappy! Practice "Premeditated Happiness," because happiness is an issue of power. We give our power to others for many reasons. We mistakenly think that doing this will make us happy. The truth is that we have given others power over ourselves. We can now consciously reclaim our power and experience happiness. Happiness does wonders for your soul. Now is the time to learn to use happiness for dealing with challenges and difficult people so you can empower your life.


Quote: "Even if you are on the right track, you are going to get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers

Quote by Peter F. Drucker

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

Bad Joke Time

What do you call a spider that just got married?


A newly web.

*groan*

Not Going To Conform

I am so NOT going to fall into the trap of wishing Vinnie a happy birthday like everyone else. I mean, honestly, it's just another day, and there's no need to wish Vinnie happy birthday. What good will come out of wishing Vinnie happy birthday? And would it serve any purpose to remind him that he's supposed to be asking for lasagna for his birthday dinner?

So, Vinnie, I'm not wishing you a happy birthday. And I don't hope it was a good day for you. And I certainly don't hope your dad got you something nice. And for dinner, I don't hope you get your lasagna, because we know mine is the best in the country.

The kids love ya, Vin and miss ya. Terry and I do too.

Last Day At Disneyland - Part 1

Family picture in front of the 50th anniversary flowers at the entrance of the park.
I'm not real sure what these two were doing, but I lifted up the camera to take a shot and they did this. Such goofballs. Like father, like son. Derek definitely gets it from his father.
Eeyore is my most favorite Disney character, next to Belle from Beauty and the Beast. But Eeyore is #1. I love getting pictures of him.
Waiting for the parade. The kids were 'forced' to watch it because we are so very mean to them.

Still Doing Vacation Pictures - Disney's California Adventures

The morning started with an early breakfast at Chip n' Dale's Storybook Restaurant. We were able to see Kenai and Koda, as well as Chip and Dale. Nick argued with us the entire trip about which of the chipmunks was Chip and which one was Dale. After Terry and I showed him the difference, it just became a way for him to irritate and harass his niece and nephew.

While we were waiting for entrance to the park, we were entertained by this most interesting looking woman. Her date, husband, boyfriend, whatever he was, looked 'normal', at least in regard to her dress. The shooes were canvas high tops. *shakes head* Wow, some people are stress relievers just because they make you laugh so hard.

Micaela and Derek enjoyed their day at the park. Neither of them wanted to ride the roller coaster, California Screamer, or The Tower of Terror. The tower was excellent! I really enjoyed it. From what I understand, at least for the one at Disney World, each ride is supposed to be different than any other. And Rod Sterling's voice was integrated perfectly.

While we were California Adventures, we saw Cruella DeVil, Hercules, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, The Incredibles and Woody. Terry and I watched the Bug's Life show, which was interesting. And at the end of the night, we watched the Electric Light Parade.

Journal Entry

Updated writing blog with journal entry for D&D session 7.29.06. I also have started a scene between Tal and Natani that will take place immediately after she finishes the journal entry. I will update the blog with that after it is done.

Father's Day At The Beach

Since we were in California for Father's Day, I tried to make sure Terry got to do what he wanted for the day. He had really been looking forward to the beach, so we went to Huntington Beach for a few hours.
The kids really enjoyed the water, and didn't mind how cold it was. It was a bright day, with a breeze, but the water was great.
Micaela just loves to pose for pictures. My dad would call her a ham, cause she's always hamming it up for the camera.

While I watched, after soaking my feet in the salt water for awhile, the family rented a few body boards, except Micaela. All three boys got sand burns on their bellies, however, Nick was talented enough to get a sand burn in other areas.

After the beach, we went to dinner and then Downtown Disney. Micaela bought herself a Hello Kitty stuffed animal from Build-A-Bear Workshop. We checked out the pins at the different stores, Derek was bought a collectors set of Star Wars Tie-Fighters (5 tie-fighters in one box) and we spent a lot of time in the Disney Store.

Even without going to Disneyland, I love Downtown Disney. You still get the feel of Disney, without having to pay for the admission.

Journal Entry

I've updated the writing blog with a journal entry about our most recent D&D session.

After Only One Day...

of amusement parks and excitement, the kids were already beat. But we had a 7 a.m. appointment with early admission to FantasyLand and 8 a.m. early admission to Toon Town.

In FantasyLand, we were able to ride Peter Pan and Dumbo before the lines got too bad. Those rides usually have an almost 2 hour wait. Then we rode the Matterhorn and the Teacups. With a trip to Small World behind us, we went into Town Town.



The taxi cab ride was a lot of fun and just enough to occupy us until the Toon Town show began. We were all made honorary Toon Town citizens. Then we were able to get pictures with the characters without waiting for hours. We were able to get Micaela to ride Gadget's Rollercoaster, which is still pretty cool, even for a small coaster, designed for the kids.





We spent the rest of the day with a ride on Autopia. Micaela got to drive her car by herself for the first time. Space Mountain was awesome. The new design and music was great and a definite improvement from before. Buzz Lightyear's ride was lots of fun and everyone enjoyed competing with each other for the highest score.

We bought lots of pins (we love to do the pin trading thing). Nick even got involved with it. Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, the pirate ship, Big Thunder Mountain, everything was fun.

After a break in the afternoon, we closed the park. Dinner wasn't the best. We ate at a place we love to eat at, but the food wasn't the best that night. Pirates was closed because they were revamping the ride for the new movie premiere and Fantasia didn't show the entire time we were there because of the big premiere they had planned. My feet were killing me. I had developed blisters the first day and could barely walk, but Terry helped with new shoes and lots of band-aids and love.

For our first full day, it was pretty eventful.

Derek and Nick

Derek and Nick in the old West town of Knott's Berry Farm.

From a Friend

Happiness keeps You Sweet,

Trials keep You Strong,

Sorrows keep You Human,

Failures keep You Humble,

Success keeps You Glowing,

But Only God keeps You Going!

Oysters are YUCK!

Micaela wanted to try an oyster. Terry and I tried to explain to her that oysters were kinda yucky and that she was not to chew them, but she insisted she wanted to try.



We tried to tell her to just let it slip down her throat, again telling her not to chew. I even made sure the oyster was clear of the muscle holding it to the shell.



But despite her best efforts, she couldn't swallow it. She even spit it out! It was the funniest thing I ever saw.

Too True

I received this from the woman who lost her son-in-law as mentioned previously in the post about the motorcycle.

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it' s harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute
of happiness you'll never get back.

Only My Daughter

She went outside to play at school and fell because a boy pushed her down. She smacked her mouth on the ground. When she came home, Dad and I made her wash her mouth, because it looked like dirt. Upon further inspection, we found it was a bruise and she had lots of little burst blood vessels on her top lip and inside her mouth. She says the boy did it because he's a "big, fat, stupid, ugly dork."



Then, when we were in San Francisco, she was wrestling with her brother on the bed and fell and smacked her eye on the nightstand. The next day, she had a beautiful black and blue mark on her cheek and her eye hurt.

Only my daughter could hurt herself in these ways. And now she's mad at me because I'm posting these pictures.

San Francisco Ghost Hunt Guide

This was our guide for the Ghost Hunt. To verify his stories, he spent quite a few years doing research on the houses, the stories, verifying his facts, talking to people who experienced events in the buildings, etc. He was very informative, very nice and very entertaining.

If you're going to San Francisco and don't mind an almost 3 hour walk around a very beautiful part of town, look this hunt up. The site address is www.sfghosthunt.com

Ghost Hunt San Francisco Style

Will O'Wisp, also known as J.D., joined us for the Ghost Hunt. He's such a sweet person and we had loads of fun on the walk.

We heard several of the more well known stories of ghosts in San Francisco and even a few things that could not be easily explained. A key connected to a murder flipped in the hand of the host as well as a guest. And, after listening to the story of a voodoo priestess, we each made a wish on a wishing doll and watched it stand up in our host's hand.

It was a really fun night.

Alcatraz From The Ferry

We made a visit to Alcatraz. Terry and I had visited it on our honeymoon, and we wanted the kids to see it. Story has it the government has decided it costs too much, so the National Park Service is doing everything they can to keep it open.

San Francisco Sea Lions

These are some of the seals that like to call San Francisco home. They have the life: Sit around all day and sun themselves. Jump into the water every so often, catch a fish, get back to the sunning.

Brookdale Lodge - Brook Room

These pictures are out of order. I still need to get the rest from hubby's computer.

However, this is the dining room for the Brookdale Lodge. In the middle of this room is a brook. The sound outside of the restaurant doors was really loud, so I could only imagine how loud it is inside.

It is said this is a haunted room because of a child that is said to have drowned in the brook. People have seen the little girl in a white dress playing on the second floor and in the main hall where the reception desk is.

There is also a mermaid room where it is said people hear the sounds of a big band and a large party late in the evening.

We didn't hear or see any of that, but the place does give a spooky feeling at times. Terry laughed at me because I got shivers down my back while reading the newspaper articles and said we needed to leave.

Family

This is part of the family.

Vinnie is no longer with us. He's moved back to Florida to be with his family and go to school.

Everyone else is Micaela (daughter), Derek (son), Terry {hubby(behind the plant)} Nick aka Nebin (brother), Crystal (middle brother's girlfriend) and in the back is my step-mother, Diane.