Happy Birthday to me and Amelia!

My 40th birthday was last friday and I had an OUSTANDING birthday weekend. To begin the weekend we had dinner out with 8 friends and then went to the Keith Urban concert! Jim and I were on the floor close to the stage and at one point Keith was singing about 20 feet from me! He is HOT! And an amazing artist!

On Sunday we did a family celebration to celebrate mine and Amelia's birthdays (Amelia is one!), fathers day, my Dad's 10 year heart transplant anniversary and my parents 43 wedding anniversary..... The pics here are from that celebration!

A message from my mom

"Tom just completed his 10 year post transplant evaluation. All is well, his heart biopsy shows no evidence of rejection, and his labs are close to perfect. As we have thought many times over the past 10 years, it is nothing short of a miracle. Thanks for all of your support and caring."

Field Trip

Here are pics from Drew's filed trip last week to an indoor climbing wall. If you think he looks gigantic, you are right! Those are loooong legs! And biiiig feet!

Pretend

If you can not live in the country, the next best option is to pretend that you do....that is why I have chickens! That is Betty in the pic (and Rowdy's feet).

Here is my latest animal....a cow. So, there are laws against having real cows in the "burbs", so I had to get a picture instead of the real thing! I thought it might make the chickens think they were in a barnyard so I put it on the inside of their coop. Think of it as their own chicken artwork.

Culinary Treat

Meatloaf is a very rare occurrence in our house because it requires someone touching meat to make it. And that "someone" who makes dinner at our house who would need to touch the meat is ME! And those who know me know I DO NOT touch meat - especially nasty ground meat.

But Drew and Jim LOVE meatloaf!

So every once in a while if the timing is right and Jim is home I throw all the ingredients in a bowl and he mixes it and puts it in the oven and then monitors it to see when it is done.

Last nite was one of those nites. But this time, I made a vegetarian meatloaf too! I used fake meat and all the other meatloaf ingredients and it turned out great! Weird but yummy!

Garden

Here is my latest garden.....it is tomatoes! This is called an aero garden and is automated so it gets the right amount of light, water and nutrients. My last crop was herbs and they grew like crazy. I don't have any tomatoes yet but the flowers are starting.

Friendship, Fatherhood and Love in a Family

I have been wanting to write something profound since I got a call from our best friend Marty yesterday morning telling us that he had just found out that his Dad had died unexpectedly. But it is hard to write profoundly. Sometimes it does not come until the heart warms up a little after such a shock. I have been thinking about this for the last 24 hours and comtemplating on friendship, fatherhood and love in a family.

Death of course if part of life. Although death is always sad, it seems to me that there are degrees of sadness that you can feel with death. The death of a young child seems devastating to all. The death of an old man is sad but somewhat more pallatible. The death of a young mom who leaves children behind in heart wrenching.

So when I think of Tom's death, I am sad...sad for his family that he leaves behind, sad for his friends who will miss him and sad for the people who never got a chance to know a man who was so kind.

I also have a sense of happiness and gratitude.
* Happy that this was a man that any family could be proud to call Dad
* Appreciative that this man raised such wonderful children and that his success in his raising his family has touched my family making it richer and better.
* Happy to have seen unconditional love that has carried Tom and Phyllis thru so many years of marriage
* Appreciative that his being on this earth made it a better place for all that who knew him

Tom was a kind, gentle man that I wished I knew better. But thru his legacy, he leaves me his greatest accomplishment --- the love and committement of a great friend, a kind and gentle man in his own right, who no doubt learned it from his father --- his son and my friend, Marty - a living testament to the great father he had.

Our love is with Marty, Tina and their family.

Cherry Cobbler

The other nite, we picked a bunch of cherries off of our cherry tree in the backyard and make homemade cherry cobbler! This is Drew pitting the cherries....there were some quality control issues as I had 5 pits in my cobbler. Gracie is making the batter. We all stayed up late waiting for it to come out of the oven. Yum!

Close-up

Look at that sweet lab face! Gracie took this pic.

Remember Stretch?

Dog Shoes!

Check out my great new shoes! They have black dogs on them and the white spots on the dog are shoe shaped! Sooooo cute!

How to Suceed

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Caution: Adult Material

Drew is doing Family Life Education in the 5th grade (AKA: Sex Education). So last nite our dinner conversation was all about male anatomy. He had a cross word puzzle and would read us the clues and we would try to figure out the word. Gracie got scrotum and testicle right! He told us all about what they learned in the class, what questions the kids asked and that his teacher's son had a twisted testicle (bet that kid is not so happy with his mom).

Then we moved on to a discussion about erections....complete with sound effects (something like..."boing"!). I literally thought I was going to choke up my salad while Jim and Drew were making sound effects back and forth.

Later in the evening, just Drew and I had more discussions about the physics of erections....

Overall, I am really pleased with the program and what he is learning. But most of all I am so pleased that both the kids feel comfortable enough to talk about this type of stuff with us. And they talk about it with no embarassment, in fact it just flows with the normal conversation at the dinner table. One minute we ar discussing erections and the next minute we are discussing the talent show at school.

A weekend of adventure

So as usual we had an eventful weekend. We took our first successful Cherry Lake trip of the summer and spent 3 days and 2 nites. Here are the higlights:

* We saw a bald eagle on the top of a tree about 40 feet from where we were on the boat. We saw it take off and fly to another tree. AMAZING. Jim said....."Your probably will never see that again in your life...." The next day we say the eagle again, chasing a smaller bird over the water! We think the smaller bird had a fish.

* We got distracted from watching the eagle when Gracie spotted a snake eating a dead fish head! The fish head was about 3 times the size of the snake's head. Gracie and I had just been on a field trip where we learned about snakes and we knew that snakes could disclocate their jaws and eat big things.....but this thing was HUGE compared to this snake! We watched it sit there with this fish head in its mouth for hours. Finally when we weren't looking it slithered away. But not before it gave Drew enough ideas for 3 nightmares that nite!

* It was snake trip....we saw 4 other snakes and met up with someone who saw a rattlesnake close to our camp! Rattlesnakes are not common in the area. The guy who saw it had been going to Cherry for 30 years and that was only the third one he saw.

* The trout fishing was not as good as normal but we still tried at least twice a day in the magic fishing hole. My favorite part of fishing is the casting.....I love doing a great cast. I was so good at it, I kept telling Jim that I was going to get my own casting tv show, sort of like the Rachel Ray of casting.....he just shook his head. But I was serious!

* The blue gill fishing was outstanding! Drew and I fished each nite for at least an hour and pulled one in after another.

* The kids did some knee boarding and wakeboarding.....our new engine worked great! But true to the story about boats, we had trouble with the trailer....if it is not one thing with a boat it is another. Coming home one of the hubs got burning hot - and I mean BURNING HOT! We made it home and Jim took it apart the next day to find the break pad and rotor were rubbing together. I swear that man can do anything!

*We did have one major screw up for the weekend. When packing up to leave Cherry, we accidently left the kayak on the shore. I know that sounds crazy but the boat ramp was chaotic and we were so worried about running over the redneck children whose redneck parents let them play on a boat ramp, that we got distracted! We made it all the way home before we remembered it. So we had a little dinner and Jim drove back to get it.....and sure enough it was still there! Now that never would have happened in SJ! Luckily his dad was in town and rode along with him. They had fun seeing a fox, rabbits, snakes and a skunk trying to cross a cattle grade.

* We saw lots of kayakers coming down Cherry Creek. It is an early kayaking year because of the lack of snow. In one group, there were 18 kayakers!

* The kids made a Tom Sawyer type raft out of logs in the lake! It was great! They even made seats. The only design trouble they had was with an anchor. They tried tying a big rock to a rope but everytime they tried it the rock came off! I think a raft will be a new tradition.

* Of course we did kayaking and log rolling like usual. We had to hunt a bit for the perfect log, so Jim and Drew went out in the kayak and dragged back two enourmous logs (30 feet long and 3 feet in diameter!). One was like a flat sidewalk. The dog would go out and walk back and forth on it while waiting for a stick to float by!

* Lastly, we read that book about deaths in Yosemite out loud. We finished the chapter on waterfalls and read some about snow. What we are learning is......people can be really stupid! The kids have clearly learned that you must not swim up stream from a waterfall!

* We had a couple injuries which is normal: Drew fell getting into the boat and smashed up his knee, I fell getting into the boat and smashed up my arm! Glad it was nothing more serious.

Those are the highlights of the weekend.....and I wonder why I am so tired!

Hot Sizzlin' Beagle Sausage!

We have a house guest. He has been staying with us for a week. And for those who know him, we have had as much fun as ever with him. Our house guest is a 7 year old beagle. His idea of a good time is to lay on the couch all day. But when he comes to our house we drag him all over the place living our chaotic life. So far he has been to a soccer game, to the cabin, to Cherry Lake, pontoon boating, swimming, hiking and fishing. He just looks us at with a disgusted beagle look when we move on to the next adventure. In the past when we have taken him camping, he slept in a tent with us, but we have started camping without a tent. So now he sleeps in the wide open wilderness. The first nite he refused to lay down for the longest time. Then he woke me up growling accross the lake - I couldn't see anything. Then in the middle of the nite he was so cold he was shivering. From then on he had to have his own set of blankets for the nite. I have been telling his owner that he needed his own sleeping bag, but he did not believe me!

Chad has a new nickname - we have started calling him beagle sausage because he is a little thick around the middle. Every joke we can think of revolves around beagle sausage.....if he lays in the sun, he is a hot sizzlin beagle sausage and we tell someone to go flip him over to cook the other size. If he is wet and drying in the sun, we say that he is a basting beagle sausage...

He is still itchy as ever and takes 6 pills a day plus ear drops. It is a fulltime job to administer his meds. I think I may need to get a nursing degree to care for him.

He comes to visit again in July and we will take pics then.

New Book

I just got a new book - Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite. Sounds creepy but it is really interesting - it chronicles the 900 deaths that have occurred in the park since 1849, the year the park was "discovered". It includes info on geography, flora, fauna and history. Last nite I read it out loud to the whole family. We started on the chapter telling of people falling over water falls. Then we discussed what was common in all the stories: people getting to close to the river above the falls. A lesson learned for the whole family.

A Mom and Her Boy

My sis in law gave me this pic in a frame for mothers day and I LOVE it! It is from xmas and I had never seen it. Drew has grown about 2 inches since then, so we would now be looking eyeball to eyeball with me.

Jaraldo

This is Drew's buddy Jared, who goes by the hockey name of "Jaraldo". A couple nights ago he was over playing hockey with the boys on the street when one of the boys came running down to report an injury. Although it looks like he took a stick or puck to the eye, he actually fell and hit his head on a tool box in the neighbors garage! Stitches were probably called for but being he is a tough hockey player, he refused and they are using butterfly bandages to hold it together. As we say in our family.... "no worries it will just make you look more rugged!"

Creative

Here is my handiwork from the weekend. I made these to hang my necklaces and bracelets. I started with standard wood peg shelves and added some drawers pulls, to give it an artsy look. Then I painted them the accent colors of the bathroom/bedroom. I just love being able to see all my jewelry.

Stretch

Thanks to Lani, our new " pet" lizard has a name....stretch! More pics to come but I can assure you that he is in the bathtub growing as we speak.

New Pet

You all know how I am....I can't go more than 6 months without a new pet. So this is the latest addition and the best one yet. It is a plastic lizard that grows from 4 inches to 3 feet long when it is placed in water. It takes a few days for the growth to occur, so we have it growing in our extra bath tub! I thought this would be a great adventure that you would all enjoy, so I will document the growth with pics. We have not named him yet, so if you have any ideas, let me know!

Stretch

Last nite I insisted that we measure Drew because I swore I could see him growing. Sure enough, he has grown 3/4 of an inch in one month! So he is now 11 years old and 5 foot 3 1/2. I estimated that he would be as tall as me by the end of the year. But it looks like he will be as tall as me by the end of June!

Hot Mamas from the Hood

Had a girls weekend with all my girlfriends from the neighborhood. All of our kids are friends and/or go to school together. It was a great group of strong, smart, beautiful hot mamas!

This is a pic in front of a giant sequoia tree - it is estimated to be 4000 years old. We had a fabulous day in Yosemite with the highlight being drinks at the Ahwanhee Hotel on the patio!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

This is my favorite Mother's Day gift......

Pics from the Cherry Lake Trip

Cherry - 1 trip of the season

This weekend we took our first trip of the season to Cherry. We had planned on staying overnite close to the magic fishing hole and start scoping everything out for the season. But the trip was BIG bust. The morning started with Jim slipping when getting out of the boat in the driveway and taking a major tumble. He was all bruised up on his side, elbow and leg.

After we decided he didn't need 911 we headed out only to arrive at a very full Cherry Lake - with 40 mile per hour winds and white caps! But you know us - we are always up for an adveture, so we gear up in our foul weather gear and head out. About 1/3 of the way down the lake, while taking waves over the front, the brand new engine sets off an alarm saying "no oil"! WHATTTT THE !!!!!?????

We pulled over at a spot we had never stopped at and while coming up with a game plan, made the best of the situation hiking around and building a dam in the creek we found (see pic). Jim sat back and read the boat manual and determined that we should not run the engine all the way to the end of the lake so we decided to head back home! What a disappointment!
On the way in we did stop to fish but did not get anything.

So we had to bring the boat all the way back to SJ and it is in the shop again.....

A Dad and His Son

I love this pic of Jim and his Dad up at the lake this weekend. They stood out on the dock for about 45 minutes chatting while watching the rest of us fish. They talked about work, family, fishing, hunting, etc.....

Cabin in the Woods

This pic shows why that cabin is my favorite place in the world! I wish the flowers in the foreground showed up better - the field is full of purple wild flowers. And that is the cabin in the distance. Peaceful!

An unusual spot for a horse

At the cabin this weekend, we went down to the lake on Sunday morning to do some fishing. We drove up and there was a horse in the volleyball court! The horse stables is way on the other side of the lake and no one on our side of the lake has horse on their property so this was totally unusual. In talking to the folks there, the horse had been seen for the last 3 days in the area and at one point was seen on the highway (which is really just a two lane road). During the nite, the horse found its way down to the marina and was hanging out.

They brought in the local cowboys and they spent three hours trying to rope it but it was really skiddish. So they resorted to bringing down the portable corral and just placed it around the horse while it was standing in the sand - which is where it seemed to feel most comfortable. Then they brought in the horse trailer and talked it into climbing in. The cowboys were going to take it back to their ranch. NOTE that the cowboys were just a couple in the area who has a ranch - not real live cowboys!

The horse was skinny and its hooves needed some work. But other than that - it seemed ok.

Versatile Dog

Daisy is a very versatile dog. One pic is of her being a rugged outdoorsy dog laying in the dirt and the other is her in her apron helping make banana muffins. She has many other hidden talents such as:

* alarm clock - she wakes up early every morning to go for a run and if it is at the cabin the alarm goes off beginning at 4 am!
* hoover vacuum cleaner - she can suction up food, grass and deer poop at rapid speed!
* fumigator - need to rid an area of people? Daisy can empty a room with her "butt explosions"!

Marty and Jim Get Married

This is what would happen if Jim and Marty went off to get a fishing license together! Of course, it would probably include a 30 pack of coors light and a bag of beef jerky.....

That darn dog.....

Here I am making her home made dog food and she goes and acts naughty. I ran Drew to school this morning and while I was gone, the dog ate a one pound block of cheese off the counter!!!! I bet she didn't even chew it! And I bet even more that she is going to have a big fat belly ache. Oh well - she is in the back yard with the chickens and she can get sympathy from them.

My new engine

Well...the pontoon mama has a new engine! We put a 75 horsepower motor on it. We have to test it out in a local lake and then will take it back to the cabin this weekend. Now it will pull any chubby person in our family(well....I guess I am the only chubby person in this family....).

Grandma Girl Power!!!!

Grandma Anna has major girl power! She and her friend Zena hiked up to Vernal Falls in Yosemite last week. The trail is 1 1/2 miles one way, which does not sound like a lot but it is 1000 feet in elevation gain. And there is a mile or so hike to get to where the trail begins. So Grandma Anna, who is 70 years young, hiked about 5 miles with 1000 feet in elevation!! You go Grandma!!!

Along the way she encountered a group of Japanese hikers, one of who was very impressed that she went all the way to the top of the falls and gave her a "two thumbs up sign"! I little farther down the trail she encountered the man again who then asked her how old she was. When she responded that she was 70, he told her that knowing that she was 70 and made it to the top of the falls "made his day"!

Breaking in the New Rig

We took a trip down to the river in my new rig this weekend. That means driving 5 miles down a dirt road into a canyon. We went over huge ruts and big puddles. The truck was covered with mud and dust on the the inside and outside! At one point we were graphing (making chart to keep track of what we found) the animals and plants that we spotted and when going over a bump, my pen got out of control and I wrote a great big mark on the roof! Ooops! (In case you wonder - butterflies won the game - we spotted over 30 of them - squirrels came in last - only saw one!)

Then we used it to pull the pontoon boat all the way home to SJ.

Let's just say we use the "U" in SUV (Sports UTILITY Vehicle)

Falling apart - the tale of an old lady

This is a story about the injustice of someone wanting to stay in shape but having nature work against her......I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder on Thursday. It has been really bad - so bad that my neck and shoulder blade were killing me from compensating. I have an impingement injury which basically means the tendons in my shoulder get smushed everytime I move my shoulder. That causes pain and swelling. This is the second bout that I have had with it. The doc, basically said she feels bad for me because I am so young and so active and will have this shoulder issue my whole life. She said there is a surgery they can try but it is not likely to work. I just need to manage it by changing my behavior (ie not doing push ups, lifting weights, kayaking, washing windows, not helping load the kayak onto the top of the truck, using poles while snow shoeing, etc) and treating with pain/anti inflammatory meds. Not exactly what I want to hear. My strategy is to just get it under control again and then go from there. It makes me grumpy!

Happy Feet

These are my new shoes and they make me happy! What could be better than red shoes with a big jewel on the front! Sort of a Dorothy meets Hollywood!

Chef Chris

OHHHH - I have been making yummy dinners lately. I was tired of the same old thing so I was quizing friends on what they make and came up with the following two new dinners this week and they were yummy!

* pork chops coated with Dijon mustard and bbqed, asparagus with browned butter/soy sauce/balsamic vinegar, artichokes and macaroni and cheese casserole.
* stuffed shells (stuffed with fresh spinach, basil, oregano, garlic, onions, mozerella and ricotta), garlic bread, turkey italian sausages and salad.

But I do have to admit that last nite, after we ran out of good stuff abd I was tired from the week, we had turkey hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls and baked, baked beans, corn and carrots with dill.

Next weeks menu is meatball subs, turkey tenderloin, pasta pesto, ribs and burritos.

A Future Attorney?

Gracie is beginning the fine art of negotiations already. Plus, like a true attorney, she wants the deal to be put in writing. Here is how it all went down: Gracie and I were in the bathroom and I was talking to her about making sure she picked up after herself, including putting away dirty clothes on the floor and picking up toys she had all over the bathroom. She told me, all while brushing her teeth, that if I wanted her to do that then we needed to put together a contract!!! I kid you not.....she told me that! I asked her where she heard about contracts and she said, "I don't know but sometimes Drew and I need to have contracts to get things done."

I better save money for law school....

Thief

I was getting packed up to go to work late yesterday morning and went to pack myself some home made lemon bread that I made the nite before. I was looking forward forward to having a slice for an afternoon snack. Boy was I shocked to find out there was a lemon bread thief in the house....that's right - the big guy took the whole loaf to work and left me high and dry. Boy was I bitter!

I have made another loaf and have it hidden away where he can't find it!

No Junie B for me....

I have decided against getting the French Bulldog. I had a long talk with the breeder tonite and she has lost 3 of the 4 pups to some type of respitory problem. The one left does not seem to be afflicted as she is thriving. I also found out the the mother dog has behavioral problems - aggression. She has actually removed the mother from the remaining puppy for fear that she will hurt it and/or teach it aggressive behavior. With the mother's history and the known health issues of the siblings, I decided this puppy is high risk and I am not willing to take the risk.

We discussed it as a family and everyone agreed that it is not a good fit for our family. I was proud to see the kids working thru the data we had and not making an emotional decision. I hope it is a lesson that they will take forward in their lives and apply to other situations.

So we are sad but pleased that we made the right decision.

We will continue to keep our eyes peeled.....

Spud Launcher

As promised....pics!

Bazooka zooka spud gun...

You know you are married to a red neck when you go away on a business trip and your husband and kids make a potato launcher when you are gone. Pics will come as soon as I get a chance to down load them, but the story could not wait.

Picture this - a 4 foot long bazooka style gun that shoots whole potatoes out of it! It has a bbq ignitor and it uses aquanet hairspray as the fuel! The kids spray painted a target on a piece of plywood and they shoot it across the yard at the target - causing the potatoes to explode and disinegrate upon impact! All while the dog hides inside behind the couch and the neighbor comes running over to watch.

Hockey pics

These are some recent hockey pics. That is Drew and his buddy Jared. They are on the same team and in the same class at school. The other pic is of Drew in front of Cheechoo's locker - my favorite Sharks player. Drew and his hockey team mates were given a tour of the Sharks locker room. Grandpa Tom went with Drew on the tour.

Lucky Dog

Daisy Mae is one lucky dog! She is getting home made dog food these days. Because of the pet food recall, I have started making her food. It is clear that we do not yet know the depth of the contamination in the pet food market. I just heard yesterday that there are now dog biscuits being recalled. And it makes sense - how many wheat gluten suppliers could there be in the pet food market?

So I have been making gourmet food for Daisy for almost 10 days now. The food looks good enough to eat. It often looks like jamablaya or a pasta meal! I use brown rice, pasta, eggs, ground turkey, deer sausage, carrots, peas, cottage cheese and fake meat. And I season it with beef broth. She has gotten to the point that when I take out the rice cooker, she starts drooling!

Happy Easter

So this isn't exactly "easterly" language - but like my friend who sent it to me said...."it is too funny not to pass along to a chicken person.

New Rig

What do you think about my new rig?

Sure beats the big beast I have been driving. It is fully loaded with every bell and whistle and is like driving down the street in your living room. It has an entertainment center (dvd), navigation system (a lady who comes on and gives you directions where you need to go), heated seats, dual air conditioning/heat, automatic folding seats so you can get into the back seat, bose sound system, etc.....

What a bummer it will be the first time the wet dog gets into it! Or we fill up the back with wet snow shoes or sandy towels. Or we four wheel thru brush.

Oh well! You gotta live!

Tina the Sporty Chick!

This is Tina, our daycare provider, which is not a title that even comes close to describing the value she adds and role she plays to our family. She is like a second mother, aunt, personal chef and friend all rolled into one. Really --- the perfect combination of personalities and skill sets! She enriches our lives beyond explanation. And the lives of other children too! A real gem!

This is another pic of our full moon snowshoe hike -- Only in California do you snowshoe at nite wearing only a sweatshirt!

Junie B or Cheechoo?

Got some info from the breeder late last week. She lost one of the female pups. So now there are two female and one male. She is going to keep a female, which leaves one male and one female available for adoption. She said she thinks only the male is going to be pet quality. The remaining female will be show quality. We are going to continue to keep in touch and I may go up and see the pups in late April. But it is not looking as good as it was. If we do decide to get a male, his name will be Cheechoo - which is the name of my favorite Sharks hockey player.

Road Trip Canceled!

We did not go pick up Lucy today. One of her siblings had a reaction to the shots they received on Friday so the vet wanted the breeder to keep them and watch them for 5 more days. Darn!

Hockey - Go Sharks!

This is Drew and couple of buddies at the hockey game today. They tied 3 to 3. I think that thi is Drew's "I am a big tough guy" face! We all know the truth - he cries while watching "Cheaper by the Dozen" and if a pet dies in a movie - even if it is a cartoon!

He had a couple good checks - including one that was an exact replica of the check he put on me in the kitchen yesterday! He hit me so hard I was sure I broke some ribs. I actually felt my ribs compress. Of course him and Jim called me a whimp! Next time there is a checking clinic at the ice rink, I am signing up!!!!

Anerican Idol Potato

Just in case you did not think that Gracie was a nut, this will prove it. Today she made a potato woman and then said she was an American Idol Potato - complete with stage! She used sticks for arms and eyes, paper clips for a nose, paper for skirt and the gardening plastic used to tie up plants for a scarf. This was entirely her idea and she worked on it for a good 45 mintes.

Medic!!!

Just picked up the kids from school and took them to get a slurpee on the way home (it is hot!). When driving home, I turned a corner to see a little girl laying in the sidewalk face down. I pulled over and jumped out of my truck. She was laying face down and whimpered when I started talking to her. Then she turned around and sat up. Apparently she had fallen off her bike and lived around the corner and her brother was on his way to get her mom. She was crying and said her leg and hand hurt. I stayed with her for a few minutes until her dad came. I think she was fine - just dramatic! I had the kids come out of the truck to see if she knew them to try to comfort her because I was not going to drive away leaving her sitting there crying. She said she didn't know the kids but knew where we lived because she has seen Daisy in the front window --- Daisy was hanging out the drivers window of the truck!!! I loved that she stopped crying and smiled when she told me she has seen Daisy in the window! See how Daisy Mae brightens everyones lives!!!

Every family needs a dog!

My handsome husband!

My husband is in his element in the outdoors - doesn't he look handsome snow shoeing thru the woods!?

Snowshoeing with no kids

These are pics from our snowshoeing trip with now kids. That is Mari and Kyle in the top pic and Kyle on the bottom. Kyle is the guy who looked so scary in his halloween costume - he was a fairy! Let's just say he looks better in winter gear than he does in a skirt! Mari is also known as "Beautiful Mari" - that's what she makes the kids call her when she is taking care of them!!! The pic above is from the moonlite hike!

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

That is an old song....but this is a NEW puppy! This is Lucy, my girlfriend, Heather's new puppy!!! She is 7 weeks old today and is a Brittney Spaniel. Heather takes posession of the puppy on Sunday. Lucky me gets to go with her to pick Lucy up in Simi Valley - 5 hours and 11 minutes from here. We are going to go down early Sunday morning and come back the same day.

Date nite

Gracie and I have a date nite tonite with our friends, Maddie and Tina. We are going to dinner and a play. Our friend Jeremy is in the play - he is 10. Last nite I asked Gracie where she wanted to go for dinner and she said "to Indian food". I responded that not everyone likes Indian food and it is likely that Maddie (who is 8) would not like it. So she said, "ok - let's go to sushi". I cracked up because someone who is not big on Indian food probably won't be big on Sushi - especially a kid! Gracie and Drew are so well cultured when it comes to food! Most kids would pick McDonalds but Gracie picks different ethnic foods and thinks nothing of it!

The skaters....

More from Grandma's birthday.

Half Dome

This is the view from the Curry Village ice skating rink in Yosemite. This is our favorite place to ice skate....and you can see why.

Grandma and Grandpa

This is a great pic of Grandma Anna and Grandpa Roy from Grandma's 70th birthday in Yosemite. This is at the bottom of Bridalveil Falls.

Mountain lion sighting

We got an automated call from the kids school tonite to let us know that a mountain lion was seen on the levy in the hills above the school. Which is not really a threat to the kids because they don't go up there. But it is a threat to me because I run up there!!!!! Not every day, but at least once or twice a week. And I have always joked about wearing an id while running in case I get attacked by a mountain lion! Will keep you posted as more info comes in.

Indian Food

We had a great dinner tonite. We went to an Indian restaraunt with my brother and his family. We are not big Indian food fans because we don't like curry or mint. But Brian and Diana know the food and advised us. It was really yummy!

Interesting Book

I started reading the most interesting book this weekend. It is called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon. It is written from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with autism. The author worked with autistic kids and has a fascinating insight into the mind of someone with autism. The main character is trying to figure out who killed the neighbors dog....

It is a quick read - definitely worth a trip to the library or the bookstore.

Snowboarder

This Gracie snowboarding in February at Badger Pass. This day was so beautiful that there were girls snowboarding in bikini tops.....not Gracie, though!

Junie B has arrived

Junie B was born On March 15 via c-section. There were 3 females and one male. I have not yet seen pics but was told they are all brindle pied, some with more color then others. We hope to go see her in mid April. I will keep you posted.

It is all in who you know.....

I have often been given a bad time because of all the people I know who have some kind of info or contact to get info, product or services that helps me out! Whether it is someone who knows someone in a position of importance/power, or its a mechanic that let's me borrow his truck while he fixes my truck, or its someone who knows someone who is breeding the type of dog I want..... I have been pretty successful at reaching out to those who can help me out. But at the same time, I always feel that I return the favor whenever possible.

So anyway, this leads to my thoughts this morning about MY neighbor vs other people's neighbors. I have a friend whose neighbor delivers babies..... My neighbor, Rob (who is Toby's dad -- Toby is Daisy Mae's best dog friend) delivers bread and baked goods. When I break things down, delivering babies may be considered a more prestigious way to make a living BUT delivering bread/baked goods is a much better occupation when it comes to real life. This morning I found 4 bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies on my porch. I bet my friend with the neighbor who delivers babies didn't find a baby on her porch this morning.....nor would she have wanted to find a baby!!! But ME.....I LOVED finding the cookies!!!!

The moral of the story....surround yourself with people who add value to your life and to whom you can return the favor!

Thanks Rob!

Soccer

Gracie starts soccer today with her new team. She is all fired up and looked so cute heading off in her new cleats and with her new ball! This is a comp team that she tried out for and is the youngest comp team they have. She is playing in the under 9 division and is only 7! But with her height, she easily looks and plays like a 9 year old. I will keep you posted on how it goes. The only reason we went with a comp team this young is because she wants to play year round and I couldn't find another way to get her on a year round team.

New "hair do"

Got a new hairdo today and it looks really cute! Thanks to my very talented "hair do" consultant! She is amazing!

Bicycle Drama

OMG! You won't believe this one.....

We went on a bike ride last nite because it was such a beautiful evening. We had to drag Grace kicking and screaming because she did not want to go but once she was out there she was happy as a clam. We rode up on the hill for a few miles and then came down to the street to head over to the elementary school. Drew and Jim were ahead of us. I was a little ahead of Gracie riding in the street. She was on a side walk.

All of a sudden.....I hear this god awful crashing sound and a scream!!! I literally jumped off my bike while it was still moving, left it in the middle of the street and starting running back towards her.......READY?????? She ran into a stop sign!!!!!!! She was in a pile in the gutter and her bike was laying on the other side of the stop sign. I thought for sure that we were going to the hospital in an ambulance. It was so loud that people came running out of their houses and stopped their cars and backed up to help!

Jim and Drew heard it too and came riding back. We quickly sized up the situation looking for broken limbs or head/neck injuries and thankfully all she had was a skinned knee, shoulder and elbow. And it was not even skinned enough that she was bleeding. We sat for a few minutes and then she walked it off while we tried to fix her bike. She completely totaled the hand brake for the back tire. It looks like it took the brunt of the impact!

I suspect that she was singing a song and not paying attention to where she was going. Her typical gypsy girl behavior.

It is a miracle that she was not injured! Once again, she amazes us in ways we never would have guessed. Girl power!

xray

Cuki, the mom of my puppy to be, just had an xray and there are 3 puppies, maybe 4! That increases the chances that we will get one! C-section still scheduled for next Friday March 16. Maybe the puppy should have an irish name since she will be born the day before St Patty's day.

New Dishwasher

I have not been blogging much because I have been too busy washing dishes. Our dishwasher started dying about 4 weeks ago. It took us awhile to get someone out to look at it because we were at the cabin so much. Finally someone came out and told us the motor was dead and it would be $360 to fix it. We did some research and decided to just get a new one. We decided on a Maytag and so far so good. It is really quiet and gets the dishes clean - which were my ONLY requirements!

Babysitting

We are watching the neighber's lab - Toby - the next couple days because the neighbor is in a class all day. So we are suppose to go over and let him out in the morning. OH SURE! That is not the kind of babysitters we are - he has been out front with us for the last 4 hours while we washed the truck and cleaned the garage. Poor guy is going to be exhausted. He lives with a quiet single guy and we drag him into the middle of our chaos and run him into the ground.

Yesterday he was over while I was on a phone call for work. I was in my office and it sounded like the world wrestling federation was in my living room. Drew came in and reported they were wrestling like mad!

He is a sweet dog and we really enjoy him. I just wish he would relax a little - he is really timid and gets nervous when we are all up and moving around. I guess I can't blame him - yesterday while he was here, Gracie was making up cheers about him and Drew was building a house out of the new dishwasher box! It actually made me a little nervous and its my house!

Wild Hogs

We saw the movie Wild Hogs last nite and it was great! I laughed out loud thru the whole thing. Definitely worth seeing especially if you are feeling like you are having a midlife crisis and wondering what life is all about.

Moonlight snow shoe

Last weekend we headed to the cabin with no kids and did a moonlit snow shoe hike at Badger Pass in Yosemite. It was a full moon and unbelievably beautiful! It was only about 1 1/2 miles but it was straight up a mountain at about 8000 feet. We did 7 minutes of silence where everyone in the group was quiet and just listened to the night - very cool! I hope to post some pics as soon as our friends send them.