Sooo Cute!

The notoriety of my profession has come to it's fruition. I was asked to judge the dog costume contest at my sister's animal hospital. What fun! They were so cute. Even the chihuahuas that wouldn't shut up. Laurel, one of my SCR coworkers & I had the hard decision of choosing 2nd place. Please, 1st place was no contest. Here are a few pics from today's festivities:




2nd place, winning a free bath, was...the lobster!
1st place, winning a 1 year wellness package (shots & stuff) was...Carmen Miranda!

Here's a close up of her headress complete with hoop earings!


There was a professional photographer there taking portraits of the pets with proceeds going to emergency animal clinics to help pay for the cost of care for an animal who's owner doesn't have the means to pay. The photographer will also be there with a Christmas set-up on November 11th for anyone interested.

Punch, cup-cakes, dogs & photos. A wonderful way to spend a couple hours.

Happy Birthday, Boy!

Yesterday was Kaisara's birthday. Unlike 2 years ago he actually knew how old he was turning. 33. Happy Birthday to the my perfect match!

This was the earliest picture I have of him. He's in the upper left wearing the boater. His brother Tony is in the lower left. I think this picture was taken in New Zealand with one of his aunties & other cousins.

Inspiring

I cried out loud & like a baby while reading & watching this. Kaisara came in to check on me to see if I was o.k. This is so great. I want to be this guy.

Be sure read the following story before watching the video.

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

And the video is below....



here's another video of them. aren't they great?

Happy Birthday, Mer!

I'm a bad sister. This post is a day late.

The best big sister that ever was & that ever will be turned 35 yesterday. Isn't she a cutie? She's 4 1/2 in this photo. Her beau brought her flowers at work, took her to lunch & dinner. I've a couple little gifties for her but I'm not sure when we're be doing the family birthday festivities.

Happy Birthday, Mer! I love you!

New Couch & Other News

We got a new couch. It's used but it's new to us. This is our 4th used couch & so far we've only had to pay for one of them (not this one). Our previous three have been through people at church. Our latest is from Dana's parents, Debby & Gregg. I went over to their house last week with Dana to pick up some curtain rods for her & Jeremy's condo. During our visit Debby asked me if I'd like a couch. Umm, yeah! Mom came over with her van today & we picked it up. Yeah for us, new couch. Yeah for the Williams', it's not in their dining room anymore.

In other news, I ended up at the doctor for my broken butt. I fell on Sunday afternoon & by Wednesday afternoon my back was beginning to kill me & I couldn't raise my left leg. I called & got an appointment for the next morning. I'm so glad I called when I did since I woke up Thursday with my left arm & leg feeling really weird. Like there were almost asleep. Freaked me out. The doc ordered a bunch of x-rays & it turns out I'm not broken. Yeah! The back, arm & leg thing were a result of swelling keeping nerves from doing their job right. He gave me prescriptions for 800mg of ibuprofin, muscle relaxors & vicadin. I've never had so many drugs at once. My back, leg & arm are back to normal & my tailbone is getting better. Still hurts pretty bad but I'm relieved to know it's not broken so it shouldn't hurt for too long.

Gotta go. Dana & Jeremy are picking me up soon for one of the band's last Diedrich gigs. Stupid Starbucks is buying 'em all up at the end of next month.

I Gotta Cracked Butt

A few weeks ago I picked up a pair of rollerblades & wrist braces at a garage sale for $10. What I find! I took them for a little spin in my parking lot that day & was almost taken out by the speed bump so I've been conquering my fear of them just being in my closet for 2 weeks. Today was the day to beat those mocking chunks of plastic. I'll show them!

Crista & I went out this afternoon. I let her know that I haven't gone out on them yet because I didn't want to be by myself when I fell & wouldn't be able to call the paramedics :-). Why is skating so hard when you're old but such a breeze when you're little. And more importantly why does it hurt so bad when you fall when you're old but no big thing when you're a youngin'? Man! Here's the route we took because I foolishly thought it'd be flat. You know, since it's my first time out with the death wheels strapped to my feet. Over 3 miles! Go us!

I'm pleased that I met my top two goals for my little venture. #1 no broken bones (i think) #2 no broken skin. Our route proved to be very hilly & I very much hit the pavement on the first hill. My poor butt. I kept going with some bruised flesh & ego. I knew I was going to fall but want to do this bad enough to get past the falling stage. It's more of a work-out than I realized as well. Man, I was huffing & puffing.

It was lovely day for my first venture with a beautiful breeze to cool us off periodically. I'm so glad Crista was there with/for me. She's great and was very patient. I told her I knew she was a true friend because I knew I'd be looking like a fool & invited her anyway. She was very encouraging. We've committed to walking after work on Tuesday (my cheeks won't be ready for the skates by then) & I can't wait. I hardly ever fall just walking (be quiet Kaisara!)

Sweet Sounds

I was just at my dining room table, eating my lunch of left-over pasta, flipping through a magazine when a sweet sound made me stop, look up & smile. I love the sound of a fall breeze going through trees. It's one of my favorites. Next time you feel a breeze surround you, close your eyes & listen. It'll be time well spent.

All Clear

Went to the dentist today. No cavities! Yeah me! Although Joanne, the hygenist, didn't give me an "A" due to lack of flossing. Man, you can't fool those people! She didn't have to scrape too much & I'm more than happy with getting outta there with no repeat visit necessary. Joanne loaded my goodie bag with lots of paste, new toothbrush, a refrigerator magnet with my April appointment written on it, and of course, floss.

I'm also excited because I've been inviting Joanne to Bible study for a long time now (albeit twice a year) & now she's coming. Last week was her first time & she said today that she really likes it. She even brought a friend & is hoping another friend & her sister will come.

I'm Fired

Not fired, fired but fired for a week. The show I've been working on at SCR is opening tonight & the next show is a small contemporary one in terms of costumes so my help isn't needed. I start back there a week from Monday working on the first children's show of the season, James & the Giant Peach. All I know for sure is that I'm machine quilting an earthworm costume. Cool! I love costuming!

In random order here are my plans for my week of unemployment:
1. CLEAN THIS HOUSE.
2. Finish my side sewing work that I got from a lady at Pageant.
3. Start back up on my Couch to 5K program
4. Do my Bible study homework in a timely manner rather than at my lunch break that day.
5. Make myself a couple of things to wear.
6. Go grocery shopping & actually make decent food for dinner.
7. Bathe my dog. She's filthy.

Looks like my docket is full. Better get to it!

Consider the Pavement Pounded

We did it! Team Galatians 6:10 completed the Race for the Cure. Thanks to all of the team members & their donors we have raised over $2,300 to fight breast cancer. By the time all of our money is counted (we've got a couple donations on the way) I'm sure we will meet our goal of $2,500. How cool is that!? I'm very pleased with this entire experience. I hoped to get 25 people on the team & I almost did. We ended up with 21. Cool. I hoped to get each of those 25 people to raise $100 making our team total $2,500. Even though we were a couple people short, we'll make the financial goal. That's even cooler!

I was a bit nervous. I've never participated in this race before & I found myself wrangling others into the experience with me. What if it was a bad one? What if they didn't have fun? What if they wished they hadn't done it? I just kept reminding myself that none of us were there because we were looking for fun. We were there to fight a horrific disease. But we had a great time anyway I think everyone said they want to go back next year. Friends of mine from several different circles of my life came together for a cause. They day was sunny with a great breeze. There were high school cheerleaders & dance teams cheering us on. There were bands playing to keep us moving. There were boy scouts handing out water. Everyone was great.

Two of my teamates ran & finished the 5K in just over 30 minutes. I walked behind a mob of thousands of people & finished much slower than I normally would have but I was enjoying the experience & the great company. Kaisara, Cat, Kathy, Randy, Casey & I finished in 1 hour & 8 minutes. Wow that's slow! But like I said, it was a great experience, with great company. I'll definately do this again next year! You all should join me! I've got a few pictures in my online albums up & am hoping to get more from other teamates & I'll add those later. Feel free to check them out.

Wanna Help?

A week from today is the Race for the Cure in Newport Beach. I started up a team & together we've raised over $1,700. Go us! It's not to late to join team Galatians 6:10 nor is it to late to donate. You can donate to a specific individual on the team or make a general team donation. You can join the team or donate by clicking here. Hope to see you at the race or at least to see your name on our donors list.

Through this experience I've learned that 1 in 7 women get breast cancer & that men can get it too. Check those pecs guys!

Pictures up!

Finally got around to uploading our Colorado pictures. Take a look if you'd like. The link is on the left. Thanks again to Geoff, Melissa & Elijah for a great visit! We love you guys!

Goodbye

Today was horrible. We had to put Lucky to sleep early this morning. He was awesome. We were with him to say good-bye. He was ready, even if we weren't. Today was horrible.

Restin' up

This has been the most restful vacation ever. I always thought a restful vacation would be boring. Just sittin' around, doin' nothin'. "Not so" says this rested vacationer. We've driven into Denver & saw Geoff's super scientific gynormous ultra magnet. We've watched a movie. We've played cribbage (I even beat Melissa once) & black jack. We drove to Boulder & walked up & down Pearl St. I mended Elijah's two quilts that I made for him. And needless to say we're enjoying Geoff's cooking. Today, while Geoff's at work, the rest of us are driving to Garden of the Gods to see some cool rocks & we're packing at picnic lunch.

We've gotta be at the airport at 1:15pm tomorrow. Cat was so awesome to let us park our car at their place & drop us off & pick us up. She rocks! Then normal life begins again. Normal 5-day work week, seeing my hubby on a regular basis life. It's good!

Chillin' in the C.O.

So here I am sitting on the Armstrong's nice cushy coach, typing whatever comes to mind...

We arrived in shorts, t-shirts & flip-flops to 56 degree rainy weather. We thought, "well, we're screwed". But it's turned out to be lovely. It's really green here. Geoff's explanation was sprinklers but I swear it's greener here.

Yesterday we had breakfast (I had the hen pen thank you very much) at Le Peeps. Delicious. Then we walked around Cherry Creek area. Had a tea at Peete's. Kaisara made enchiladas for us for dinner. Geoff & Melissa, the crazy Canadians that they are, pronounce it on-chiladas. That's grounds for teasing there. :-) We then ended the evening learning black jack. I liked it. If I weren't so cheap, that's a game I could play in Vegas.

This morning we woke up to Geoff pancakes. Delicious. We then walked to the farmers' market. We bought fresh ground peanut butter & cashew butter. Delicious. Geoff's baking banana bread at the moment. I'm sure that'll be nasty. I hope he doesn't make me eat some. That'll be awful :-)

Hmmm...What Should I Do?

I had to smile at work today. It was getting toward the end of the day & a little thought began to slowly sneak into my mind. "What should I do tonight after making dinner?" How cool is THAT?! I get to make dinner (ground turkey tacos by the way) and THEN I get to choose to do something, or for goodness sakes, choose to do nothing at all. I'm a REAL girl!

Every year after Pageant I go through this. I don't find it odd that I don't have to be at work (as most people there say they do). For cryin' out loud why would I have to get used to the idea of not going somewhere that I've counting the hours 'til it's over? That's not a habit I find hard to break. What I do find odd is that I can do a variety of different things. Yeah!

Gotta go know. My man & I are walking to the store for tortillas (tacos remeber). Chow!

...And Scene.

Pageant's over. For me, it's over for good. Some of you know that I gave my notice earlier in the month to my supervisor that this would be my last season. There are several reasons but the biggest one is the time it takes away from my life.

There's the two months of 7 nights a week. Big drag but there's fun to be had. There's lots of great people there in the summer. The problem is the two months of every night is following almost three months of lots of over time. Don't get me wrong, the time and a half & even double time is great for the bank account. It's not good, however, for me personally. I've missed many a wedding, baby/bridal showers, parties, barbecues, out of town & out of country family these past 4 years. Not to mention not seeing my amazing husband on a regular basis for almost half of a year. I'll never be able to get all that back. With no sign of things to change, I figured I'd be the one that has to make the change. With that comes a smaller paycheck & even no paycheck at times, as freelancing has no guarantees. It's all worth it & my LORD will provide.

This season SCR has lots of work for me so that's good. It love it there & always learn alot. Our first show opens this Friday. Kaisara & I will be in Colorado so we'll have to see it the following week (you gotta love comp. tickets).

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me (& kicked my butt when needed) throughout my Pageant career. My time there was an experience worth having & time was not wasted. Thank you.

Happy Birthday To Me!

In celebration of my birthday...I'll go to work and then after that, I'll go to work! I did, however, order myself a carrot cake to take to work #1 for all to share.

It's Only 3 Weeks, Right?

Today is my last free week day. I start working at SCR tomorrow on their first play of the season, "Nothing Sacred". I'm excited to have been asked back. I'm not excited, however, to be working all day & then go straight to Pageant every single night. SCR is only Monday through Friday so that's a good thing. SCR's shop hours start at 9 not 8 so that's another good thing. Until Pageant closes on Friday, September 1st I'll be working almost 70 hours a week. Good for the bank account, bad for Cate's sleeping & seeing her man. This will be my fourth season of double duty during August. Each year it gets harder & harder. I guess that's an age thing.

Well, I'd better sign off to go finish my side work since today's my last day for it. You'll forgive me for only but a few posts during the next 3 weeks, I'm sure.

Oh, I Almost Forgot

It seems that that Summer of Cate is bound to continue. I broke my right little toe last Friday. Man! I hate it when that happens! Our metal coffee table had it coming, but alas, it gave it to me. Is summer over now please?

Less Computer, More Imagination Please

Kaisara & I finally got around to seeing "Pirates" yesterday. It was entertaining. I liked it. I liked the first one better. That's pretty typical for sequels. I'm getting REALLY tired of the over use of CGI in films now-a-days. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you have to squeeze as much of it into a film as possible. I get that the big, stinky, scary, sea monster is a big, stinky, scary, sea monster. I don't need 2 separate 10 minute scenes of a big, stinky, scary, sea monster to get it. I'm smarter than that & I've got a GREAT imagination. I could have gotten the outcome of Captain Jack Sparrow's last scene if they had cut that scene 20 sooner. That way I'd be saved from watching the horrible use of a green screen that looked totally fake. Pirates is not the only film that's guilty of this for me. There's plenty out there.

I'm finding that the overuse of CGI takes away from a film's magical ability to take me away to a far off place when that's what they're trying to do with it. I don't hate CGI entirely, just don't base every moment of every action or panoramic sequence on it. Frankly, I believe it takes less skill & imagination to spit it out of a computer than to find a way to pull something off in our basis of reality and the laws of physics & make it looks like it's not.

Annnnyhoo...I liked the story. Coulda done less of the slimy, barnacle clad crew of Davy Jones but liked Davy Jones himself (he's grown an interesting beard since leaving The Monkeys).

Kaisara's already guessed the end of the third film & I thinks it's totally possible. Disappointing, but definitely possible.

Tired of Transition

It never occurred to be before this afternoon that transition is tiring. Actually, I'm rather tired right now. Life's always in flux. That's a given. But when one area of your life is constantly inconstant, it's tiring.

It's been numerous years now that Kaisara's & my church life has been in one phase or another of transition. We love our church family(ies). Even more, we love our Savior and seek His will for our us. We want what He wants. I'm just tired of, "This is going to be a time of transition." I want a constant, consistent place for worship, for service, for being fed and feeding others. Needless to say, our church is in "a time of transition". All could very well work out for the better there. I hope so. I'm just tired. I want a home again.

Nothin' much, how 'bout you?

Lucky is doing well. We were able to cut his meds & fluids down to twice a day. I can tell he's really feeling better excepts he's still not really eating. His super-vet thinks there's something else going on in his little body, killing his appetite, but we're not going to find out. The finding out may be his undoing & whatever it is we probably wouldn't or couldn't treat anyway. So for about another month or so he's just gonna be a happy guy who doesn't eat much. Although we found that he's enjoys flour tortillas a great deal.

I went to tea with Cat, Kathy & Kathy on Friday. That was divine. The tea was lovely even though the server lady wouldn't stop talking. Our reservations were at 1:30 and we didn't leave until they kicked us out at closing time at 5:00. I love those girls. After spending some time with them (some of them or all, it doesn't matter) I just feel lighter on my feet. They're good for me.

Kaisara played the drum set in church again on Sunday & kicked some butt. He's so great! He's really good at the percussion stuff so doesn't get to play set much. I was glad he had the opportunity & that he did such a good job.

I've got several sewing side jobs going so that's nice to the bank account (even ever so slightly). I'm trying to get most of them done before returning to SCR next week while still working at Pageant at night.

I'm REALLY looking forward to our Denver trip in September. Seeing friends, drinking some Peete's, zerberting my godson. Ya' know, all good things that need to be done.

Had a nice day of hanging out with my sis. Yesterday. Got some scrapping done. Showed her the bizzare mansion on the hill in a housing tract in Tustin. Taco Bell for lunch. Trip to Michael's. Good day!

Charlie Brown

I've been needing some new clothes. Mine are either too hot to wear right now or getting grungy. I've been keeping my eyes out for sales & the like in hopes to pick up an item or two. I was at Kohl's today looking for shorts for Kaisara & I (we only had one pair each). Bought a couple pairs and a couple shirts from their 80% off rack. While driving home I realize that the last 3 tops I've purchased for myself are brown. HELLO!!! Pick a new color girl! Just cant find a top that 1, I like, 2, will fit and 3, that's not brown.

Ahh well, at least my pink hair brightens it up.

Weekend Update

Here's the latest. Lucky's blood test numbers continue to improve. YEAH! We're still giving him sub-q fluids a few times a day & a pill 3 times a day. The fluids he doesn't like due to the needle. The pills he doesn't mind due to the peanut butter :-) Now we just gotta get him eating more.

The trailblazer repairs will be covered by our insurance. $250 deductible for the carport incident & $100 deductible for the windshield incident. Neither claim will affect our premiums. Praise the LORD!

Kaisara is so handy that he was able to replace the starter in the Jeep. Rather thant a couple hundred for someone else to do it, we got the port for less than $100 & $20 for the socket set he needed for the removal & installation. Goodness! My man's the BEST!

Kaisara's cold is mostly gone. I don't feel any of that funk coming on so that's awesome. My cold sore is starting to retreat & that's good since it hurts to smile. Yes, I'm smiling more these last couple days.

Thanks everyone for your prayers, words of encouragement, & support. It all made a difference. Even in the midst of the horrible, no-good, very bad week, I realized that I'm still truly blessed & that entire week is still far better than some peoples best days. God is good.

Ahh, yes

...and now...the cold sore. great.

Just Keeps Gettin' Better

Was pulling out of a friend's carport today. Munched the car. Great.

Oh yeah, and Kaisara's got a cold. I'm sure I'm next. Great.

I'm Living a Country Song

My dog's dying, & my truck's broke. Both of them.

Kaisara got rear-ended in the Jeep a little while back. No problem. No one was hurt & the other guy's insurance is covering the repairs. The body shop called today. The repairs are done but the starter is dead. Needs to be replaced. Couple hundred bucks. Great.

A few weeks ago, I was headed home from work & a big Ford pick-up threw a rock. The Trailblazer's windshield suffered a small smooshed spot with several hairline cracks coming from it. Found out today that it can't be repaired. Gotta be replaced. Couple hundred bucks. Great.

I'm Sad

Kaisara & I found out this weekend that Lucky's gonna die relatively soon. His kidneys are failing. We're giving him sub-q fluids & have changed his food. And he's obviously got the best vet there is. We're keeping his as comfortable as we can for as long as we feel we should. He's not suffering. We'd never allow that. Bummer, though.

I often wonder why God allows us to love our pets so much but he doesn't allow them to live longer than they do. I'm not questioning Him. He's a loving, just God & I trust Him. He's got the big picture, I don't. I just wonder.

You can pray for him (& us) if you think of us. I'm sad.

A Good Day

*Slept in.
*oatmeal for breakfast whilst reading a magazine.
*Continued my reading of Genesis.
*Worked on a baby quilt. Sewed for fun? It's actually possible again! Yeah!
*Used a gift certificate & had a 1 hour back/neck/shoulders/arms massage at BadyCentre Day Spa. The perfect massage for a seamstress! Makes a great birthday present by the way ;-)
*Not so good part of the day was mopping the bathroom floors.
*Relaxing shower.

Next up:
*Make dinner for me to eat early & Kaisara to eat late.
*Then off to work. I wonder what snack fodder will be available tonight?

Fine at Nine

Today is Kaisara's & my 9th wedding anniversary. Yeah us! 8 years of dating & 9 years of marriage means that we've been together for 53% of my life. Awesome! He's so great!

Here's to 90 more, my love!

Fine at Nine

Here's a post I started but hit draft instead of publish. Aren't we cute?

Today is Kaisara's & my 9th wedding anniversary. Yeah us! 8 years of dating & 9 years of marriage means that we've been together for 53% of my life. Awesome! He's so great

He's to 90 more, my love!

An Awesome Quote I Found

"No success can compensate for failure in the home." -David O. McKay

Say "Cheese!"

I've posted pictures for our Canada trip. Just click on "Photo Albums" located in the column on the left. Hope you like them!

Bummer

I came to the realization today that I'm not going to be able to follow my couch to 5k running plan with any regularity. Man! I get home from work well after 11pm so getting up early to run before it gets hot isn't really possible. (please, like it'd be possible anyway!) It's way to hot to run in the middle of the day (tried it, almost fell over, literally). And starting in August, I'm back at SCR (yeah!) during the day only to race over to Pageant each night for the show.

I'm still going to do the Race for the Cure. I just won't be able to run the thing as previously planned. I'll just have to get a run in when I can & not expect myself to improve much. Man! I was actually looking forward to it! (the improving, not the running).

Glamour Job

I made 8 metallic lycra "banana hammocks" at work today. What'd you do? ;-)

More to Follow

I'm working split shifts most of this week so I don't have much time. In no particular order, here are a few highlights of our Canada trip:

1. It doesn't get dark until 11 at night. Not really sure what time the sun rises but it shot through the curtain of our hotel room like a laser by 5:30 am each morning.

2. Daryl leaving his wallet (therefore birth certificate & drivers license) on the plane in Denver. We didn't know if he'd be let in the country. Once we got him in we didn't know if we'd be able to get him out.

3. The guy at the car rental desk with an accent sounding a great deal like Kermit D. Frog.

4. Manitoba is flat, people. Crazy flat. You can see forever.

5. Mennonite women ALL wear sensible shoes & definitely don't have pink hair.

6. Kyle & Lydia's wedding was wonderful. I can't wait to spend more time with them.

7. The Mack's are AWESOME people. I wanna be like them when I grow up.

8. Who knew that our hotel in Winkler would have a great water slide? Much fun was had. Went down it so many times, so fast that I made myself woosy.

9. Three solid days with my man & great friends. Pretty much exactly what I needed coming off of a 60+ hour work week.

I'll post more later including photos. It's good to be home.

I'm Brave, really.

Guess, I'd better rephrase item 18 on my list of 100 things about myself. But I went with pink rather than purple.

Okay, That Was Hard

Perhaps my from couch to 5K program will take a little longer than the prescribed 8 weeks. That's okay since I gave myself 10, from week one of training to race day.

Today was the start of week 2. 90 seconds jogging, 2 minutes walking, repeat for 20 minutes. I barely made it. But I made it! Go me! Not that I could have improved very much just from week 1 (remember each week is only 3 runs) but today I didn't check my time at each jogging interval until it would have been over last week. That's cool since last week I was checking it 30 seconds into my 60 jog. Sad.

I've got to get some good shoes though. My ancient, broken down cross trainer Nike's aren't doing my shins & knees any favors. I plan on going to Snail's Pace for shoes. I know a couple people who buy their running shoes they & they're always very pleased. They have you run up & down in front of the store while they're watching you. How you carry your body, do you pronate your feet, etc. Then they give you a shoes that's right for you. WAY less chance of injury.

Day 3

My couch to 5k training program said to train 3 times a week. Check. Did it! Kaisara & I went out tonight after our friends wedding. Day 1 was definately the worst. We won't be able to "train" tomorrow but on Sunday...week 2 here we come.

BTW: no one's joined my team yet. Where are you people?!

Really?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Sucked Again

Did my second day of training last light. It was gross. I got through it though. I told Kaisara that after we've kicked week three's butt we'll need to go back and do an evening of week one again just for the ego boost. It will be a boost won't it?

He hasn't officially committed but Kaisara's toying with the idea of joining my team. Yeah!

That's Not Fun

I decided I want to try to run as much of the Race for a Cure as I can. I found a training program online called "Couch to 5K Running Plan". Yeah, that's me. It's takes 2 months. Kaisara & I started the first week tonight. After a 5 minute warm-up walk, for 20 minutes you alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seaconds of walking. It sucked. Running's not fun. It's horrible! What's gonna be awesome is when I'm at the end of the Race for the Cure, I'll look back at my sad little week one & realize how much progress I've made! Yeah!

By the way, go here to join my team or here to donate to help me reach my goal.

I'm Inspired

I have some amazing friends that do some amazing things. The latest amazing friend is Geoff. He amazing feat: completing a marathon (that's 26.2 miles people!). My super-long commute to school was only 25. He RAN further than my dreaded commute! His goal was to finish. He hoped to finish in 4 hours. As Kaisara commented, "4 hours! I don't do anything for 4 hours!"

While talking with Geoff about his experience, Kaisara & I became more & more impressed with our friend. He accomplished his goal. 26.2 miles. All at one time. He even came close to his time goal. He finished in 4 hours & 44 minutes. According to a professional runner I know, that's a great time for a first race.

So in discussing our impressive friend & his 26.2 mile accomplishment I brought up a half marathon is 13.1. Heck! I walked 12 for March of Dimes years ago. What's another 1.1 mile! I'm afraid after 12 miles, another 1.1 is much farther that it sounds, right Geoff? Of course my 12 mile walk was "years ago" & I am now "years ago" older & "years ago" outta shape. But so what, I think I'd like to complete a half marathon.

In preparation for my eventual half-marathon, I'm going to try to organize a team for The Komen Race for the Cure®. It's on Sunday, September 24th. It's 5K so it's very do-able for even the most pathetic fitness level known as mine :-) If anyone would like to be invited to join the team I'm trying to organize let me know. If you don't want to run or walk 5K but would like to throw money at my team to support this worthy cause (fighting breast cancer, not me), let me know & I'll let you know how to do that when the time comes.

Hmmm, maybe I should buy some running shoes...

My Table Is Better Than Yours!

My Dad's been building a patio table for Kaisara & I for over a year now. It's actually been finished for a couple months but we had to borrow a truck to get from Dad's garage to our patio. Beautiful isn't it? The base is polished stainless steel, the table top & seats are red wood. He didn't put a seat on one of the ends so that my sis can pull up to it in her wheelchair. He thinks of everything!





He turned the removable lamp that plugs directly into the top on his lathe. It's crazy heavy. It's made from brass, copper &, of course, stainless steal.



He had his good friend & carpenter, Jay Shanor, make a gorgeous storage box for the lamp when it's not in the table. Daddy even put adjustable Teflon feel on the bottom of the legs so it sits level on our slanted patio slab. GENIUS!

My Dad is so talented. I envy the patience he has when working on a project. He is very meticulous & detailed. If I'm not finished with a project within a few weeks, MAYBE months, it's never gettin' done, friends!

Though you'll never even see this blog: thank you Daddy from the bottom of my heart! I will cherish this beautiful table always!

Doing Better

After much needed time with great friends and family, a nice little drive with my man, a great church service & now a quiet afternoon. My spirit is feeling refreshed.

They can't touch my soul but they've broken my spirit.

Sewer McSewerson

I've decided to start a collection of photos of things I've sewn. (is it sewn or sewed?) The beginnings of this collection can be seen by clicking on the "photo albums" link in the left column.

If I've sewn/sewed something for you & it's not pictured (I know there's a ton out there) please email a photo to add to my collection.

Thanks!

Hey, "Bud"dy!

Is it true your taste buds change every 7 years? If so, mine are slow.

I had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich (pb&j) every day for lunch in the 3rd grade. Guess I got so sick of them I didn't have another one 'til last summer. Nasty. Now, I can't get enough of them. Creamy, chunky, jam, jelly, preserves, white or wheat. Doesn't matter. I want one.

Never liked guacamole before. LOVE it now. Still don't care much for the regular ol' avacado though. Spice one up & put it on a salty chip & I'm there!

Lights Out!

Last night our whole block lost electricity for over an hour. It's a good thing we'd already planned on barbecuing. MMMM...tritip! Not knowing how long we'd be without power we settled in for a great evening. We lit the grill, lit a bunch of candles on our patio, ate tortilla chips with guacamole, some frozen veggies (good thing our stove is gas) & our tritip steaks. After that we played Scrabble. Just like camping, drunk neighbors & all! After dinner & shortly into the game the lights came back on. The whole neighborhood cheered. Kaisara & I just looked at each other. He got up, went through the house & turned all the lights off & we continued our game. What a great night. Sure beats the evening of laundry we had planned.

Happy Birthday!

The birthday greeting is for DeAnna. Happy Birthday! May this year bring tons of joy & excitement for you!

DeAnna was my first cutter at South Coast Repertory. We built alot a neat things together. She's great!

I went to mail your card but can't find your new address. Keep a look out!

It's a Blur But Here's My Weekend

Saturday I had to go to work. I left at noon to go home & set up for Sew What. Sew What ended at 4. I hopped in the shower, because...dang!... then Kaisara & I headed to his gig at Diedrich's in Brea. First we needed to stop at Crate & Barrel to get Karen Ford's bridal shower gift. It'll be snug, but we can make it! We're 10 miles down the road & I hear "Uh, oh..." Yep, Kaisara forgot the drum so we had to turn around, go back home, get the drum & head straight to Brea 'cause there's no time for bridal shower gift shopping now, Mister! We get to Diedrich's, help set up, I know that Karen is registered at Macy's so I hop on Diedrich's free wireless internet on Kaisara's computer that I had him grab when getting the drum & hooray, there's a Macy's at Brea Mall not 3 miles down the road. See ya' boys!

After the gig, we go to Daryl's place to unload the sound stuff & to meet his new kitties. Sooooo cute! (get to see 'em again on Saturday!). We head back out, grab a bite to go from Jack In the Box & get to Chris & Ashley's to hang out with them & Justin & Brendon. We get there, Brendon already left, so did Justin 'cause he was only there to hang with Brendon (thanks Justin!). So they boys played Mario cart for a bit & we ended at home at 1am.

Sunday is church at 11am. Sorry, Kaisara. I know you gotta be there by 9 to practice but that's just not happening for me. See you at 11! Church gets out so I head to the parking lot & am copying my recipe on the card provided for the bridal shower. I kiss my man goodbye, head to the shower, make it on time & everything. I even remembered to bring the gift! The shower was lovely. Though it was outside (the invite mentioned nothing of that sort). There I was in a t-shirt, skirt & moccasins with no jacket, socks or parka to speak of. Yikes! While driving home I had the heater cranked & I couldn't get warm. I went home, put on some sweats, dove under the covers for an hour & still couldn't warm up. Finally got warm & watched the season finale of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. That one was tough, but I only teared up once. In an attempt to postpone going to work Monday morning, we then watched another movie borrowed from Daryl, Shop Girl. Didn't care for it.

Prom Dress: Accomplished

Here's a picture of Alexis in her prom dress. Doesn't she look beautiful? I finished the dress Friday & dropped it off at her place. Prom was Saturday. Nothing like the last minute. I'm pleased with how it turned out. It's a gorgeous color on her & please, who doesn't look good wrapped in silk charmeuse? I think she was pleased with the results as well. She's going to school in New York next year & plans on wearing it dancing. That's right, my work will be cutting a rug in the Big Apple. I'm practically famous already.

The Goings On

I realized I haven't really written about life lately. I'm not up to putting it down in sentence & paragraph form so here's a list:

Went to Charlie & Beth's wedding last Saturday
Going to Dan & Laurie's this Saturday
Got a new nephew on Monday
Trying to finish Alexis' prom dress
Cried at work again today (o.k., it was more like sobbing. last time was bawling)
My house is a wreck
Had salad for dinner chased by peanut butter & jelly
Actually remembered to get dog food today
Having lunch with my fam for Mothers' Day on Sunday
Going to baby Emma's dedication at WCC on Sunday. Total miracle baby!
I miss my friends
I'm sad my Bible Study is over 'til September
Borrowed seasons 1 & 2 of "Scrubs" from Daryl. Great show. Disk 1 of season 2 is missing though
Need a haircut like nobody's business

Gotta get back to the prom dress. Bye for now!

Can't Wait

I'm REALLY looking forward to X Men III. I can't wait. It's gonna be AWESOME! Even got Regal Cinema tickets at Costco today for it. Yeah!!!!! Btw: could Hugh Jackman have nicer shoulders & arms? I think not! 2 1/2 weeks to go.

Betcha' Didn't Get One of These Today!

I got a brand new nephew today! Here's his picture at 4 hours old. Cutie, huh? Savelio (saw-vay-leo). 8lbs, 6oz, 21". Mom & baby are both doing great.

Here's my count: Neices: 3, Nephews: 6, Godson: 1. Two of my neices are Kaisara's brother, Tony's girls, Kayla & Tiana, the other is Cat's oldest, Annabelle. Two of my nephews are Tony's, Iese (yes-say) & Iosua (yo-sue-a), two are Kaisara's sister, Luanei's, boys, Saimasina (sigh-ma-seen-a) & Iosia (yo-see-a), one is Cat's youngest, Alexander & now this new little one, belongs to Kaisara's sister, Urusla's. My Godson, Elijah is our friends Geoff & Melissa's boy.

Am I a lucky girl or what?!

100 Things

My friend Brendon did this a long time ago and I liked the idea. I thought it to be a good introspective exercise. "I'm gonna do that someday", I told myself. He's since done it two more times & Melissa did it last year. So did Crista. The hard part is not coming up with things that aren't really about you, ie: my dad's a Harley-Davidson mechanic. So, here's my list about me:

1. My middle name is Jeanette
2. I’ve been with Kaisara for over ½ of my lifetime
3. I’ve broken 4 bones, dislocated 3 joints, severed a tendon, had 1 concussion & almost choked to death too many times to count
4. My faith has been my own since Spring, 1988
5. I love to laugh & make others laugh
6. Depending on the time of day I’m between 5’8” & 5’9”
7. I’m a homeowner
8. It took me 7 years to get my Bachelors degree
9. I like my fingernails
10. I’m good at crafts but don’t like to keep them

11. I changed the spelling of my nickname from Kate to Cate
12. I’m rarely doing just one thing at a time
13. I won a horse show year-end championship for English Equitation
14. I took clarinet lessons for 2 years & piano for 5
15. I don’t like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream
16. Aside from being born, I‘ve never spent the night in a hospital
17. I have a fear of being alone when I’m old
18. For over a year now I’ve wanted to die my hair purple but haven’t because my clothes wouldn’t match
19. Beautiful strangers intimidate me
20. Flowers for no reason get you way more points than flowers for an occasion

21. I’m a good seamstress
22. I have a phobia of diving headfirst
23. Though I’m only 31, I’ve been receiving newsletters from the AARP for years
24. I can’t get interested in politics but I do vote
25. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon
26. My sister’s & my nickname for each other evolved from the dog’s nickname
27. I don’t drink alcohol. I think it tastes like poison
28. I own 5 sewing machines
29. I volunteered in the library in junior high so I wouldn’t have to sit by myself at lunch
30. I like to go camping but always love coming home

31. I think I struggle with depression
32. I have 2 nieces & 4 nephews, not counting the 2 babies due this year
33. I know how to change the oil & tires on a car
34. If someone is whispering, I think it’s about me & never good
35. I was next in line for the rope swing on which my sister broke her back
36. My first car was a 1989 Jeep Wrangler. Still have it
37. I never moved before I got married
38. I’ve been to the southern hemisphere
39. My shoe size is 10
40. I love gum, chewing or bubble

41. I wish my relationship with the Lord was stronger. That’s my fault, not His
42. Only 3 people in the world are allowed to call me Cathy. No, you’re not one of them
43. I’ve seen Counting Crows 3 times in concert
44. I despise rudeness
45. Getting a hug for no reason makes me melt
46. I like to play Cribbage
47. I don’t have a competitive bone in my body, other than against myself
48. I like disco
49. I have a good smile
50. Silk gowns, dresses & skirts, but the chonnies gotta be cotton

51. I’ve gotten two driving tickets
52. I miss my far away friends
53. Annie, at the Pantages was the first professional live theatre performance I saw
54. The sound of Kaisara driving up makes me smile every time
55. I’m an overeater
56. As a kid, I wanted my name to be Stephanie, so that was my name when playing pretend
57. My highest bowling score is 90-something
58. I grew 3 inches over summer break one year. It hurt
59. I miss the sound of the coo-coo clock in my parents living room
60. I walk really fast, even when I’m not trying

61. I organize my CD’s alphabetically & my sewing patterns numerically
62. I bake a mean cheesecake
63. I weaned myself onto eating fish. I love it now
64. In 7th grade some lady told me I looked just like Barbara Streisand
65. I’ve never had anyone really close to me die
66. I love shoes & purses
67. I don’t consider myself creative though most people would argrue
68. Dishes are my least favorite household chore
69. I only own 1 pair of jeans
70. I can’t play poker or chess

71. I like scrapbooking
72. I almost always cry when the mom’s light the candles representing their kids at a wedding
73. I never had a grandpa
74. I don’t remember a lot of things my sister does from our childhood
75. I don’t see scary or violent movies. They haunt me for years, even during the day
76. I watch about 2 hours of television a week
77. I like the smell of dog feet when they’ve been laying around, relaxing
78. Pralines & Cream and Mint Chip are my favorite ice cream flavors
79. I have Pat Cramer’s recipe for Heart Attack Surprise. If you’ve never had it, you haven’t lived
80. I don’t like video games because I don’t want to be bad at them

81. I’m several months behind in my magazine reading
82. I blush easily
83. I’ve only romantically kissed 1 person. Countless times, but only 1 man...I’ll be right back…okay
84. I had to wear a white robe with an enormous blue bow under my chin for children’s choir at church
85. I have a beautiful commute to work 8 months of the year
86. Cheetos on tuna is my favorite sandwich
87. I have my mom’s hands
88. I’ve gone to 5 schools. Green & yellow were the colors for 3 of them
89. I love taking ballet classes
90. I sang Lollipop with 2 friends in my junior high’s talent show

91. I have 2 yellow dogs, both of which have far too much fur
92. I like wearing Kaisara’s t-shirts after he’s worn them
93. I started sewing my senior year of high school
94. I was tested at typing 92 words a minute perfectly
95. I wanted to own a koala bear farm when I grew up
96. I have no idea where I’ll be professionally in 5 years
97. I wish I spoke up for my beliefs & myself more
98. I am loved by many people
99. I think I’m funny
100. I am blessed beyond measure

Anyone still there?...Beular…Anyone?...Beular?

A Self Realization

I noticed today that I'm very much intimidated by beautiful people that I don't know. That's so stupid! Where did that come from?

Feeling Yucky

I think I'm fighting something. Man! I don't wanna get sick. I hate it. On top of the being sick part, I can't take anything for it. I'm alergic. All I can do is suck on a Cold-eeze. This stinks! I'm achy & my head feels funny. Not quite a head ache or a stuffy sinus but not normal either.

Simple yet Addictive

Check this out. It's high-larious. Music option A is my favorite followed closely by option F. Enjoy!

The Magic of Safety Pins

Here's what I came up with for my group photo for work. I didn't want to be in all blace. Dee, the director, wanted some jewel tones amonst the group so I thought this would work. The dress is from Ursula's wedding & the fabric I was given for free last year & I had it in a bin. The ties are sewn but the drape is all safety pinned since I didn't have time to sew it.

Too bad it didn't show up in the picture. They had me sitting behind a table. Oh well. Maybe I'll sew it for real & keep it for my next formal emergency.

Another Baby Quilt

Today was Ursula's baby shower. She makes me sick. She totally gorgeous even at 8 1/2 months pregnant. I hate her. o.k., not really.

Here's a picture of the baby quilt I made for the baby (he hasn't a name yet). As I was leaving I told her I hope she liked the quilt. She responded with, "I love it! I love everything you've made for me." Isn't that sweet?! Melted my heart.

I'm So Good I Scare Myself

Here we are, an hour and a half from my last post. I, along with my muse, have solved my fashion crisis. Minimal effort, great impact, zero dollars. I'll post a picture when I get one. Now I've got to figure out the cigarette holder idea. Hmmmmm...

It's here...Finally!

I'm really glad it's Friday. We worked last Saturday & lots of hours this week. I've got 11.5 hours OT for this week. Paycheck will be nice.

Lots planned for this weekend. Kaisara & I are helping Daryl move tomorrow. Church on Sunday then an afternoon baby shower for Kaisara's baby sister, Ursula. Before then I've got to finish my gift. I better make this a short post :-)

Amongst the weekend plans & by Monday morning I've got to come up with a swanky outfit for out program picture at work. We're gonna be in the bar area of Rouge, a French restaurant in Fashion Island. We're supposed to be Frenchy, stylish, glitsy, glamoury. Yeah, that's me to the tee right? If I had the time I could make something so cool everyone would be jealous. If I had the body & the money I could go buy something. I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do. It's a bummer that everyone there is dreading the photo shoot. Come on people! We're dressing up (if I find something that is) & having our picture taken in cool location. That could be totally fun if you were into it! Jeesh! Depending on what I come up with to wear, I wanna find a REALLY long cigarette holder like the one Audrey Hepburn carries in the party scene of Breakfast at Tiffanys. Such a great movie! If only I had her neck & arms.

Here's where I'm am right now

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

ROMANS 7:15-25 (New International Version)

Crap! Belated Again!

Happy Birthday to my PhD earner, marathon training, super cooker/baker, excellent wood chopper friend, Geoff! Sorry I'm late, but I hope you had a great day with your fam. Love you!

Maybe I'm Just Advanced For My Age

I HATE it when people whisper to someone else in front of me. I find it incredibly rude & childish. I'm sorry, I learned that that is considered rude in Kindergarten, maybe even earlier. You'd think that grown, menopausal, women would know better. Just go in the other room & talk about whatever it is you don't want me to know about. Heck, I'll even leave the room if you'd actually acknowledge my presence by some other way than whispering!

I Quit (...again)

Since I quite my useless patterning class I figured I was on a roll. Why not keep going? Okay, not really but I did cancel my gym membership. I just wasn't using it. There's a suprise! I really liked the gym, it's swanky & beautiful. They've got a ton of classes & tons of weights & machines. Yep, still quit. It was crazy expensive & my work schedule changes so much I could never attend a class with any regularity & I HATE weights. The only thing there I was using was the treadmill. I figured, "Hey, the sidewalk's free!" So I quit. This is the 4th gym membership that I've cancelled in my life. Obviously not any trimmer because of it. IDIOT!!!

Finished & Gone

This is a picture of a baby quilt I made. The pattern of the blocks is called "Ohio Star" (there's a shout-out for Crista!). Usually when I make a baby quilt it's for someone in particular & I've got to rush to finish it in time. Because of the rush, the quilts tend to be "charming". Last September I decided to start this quilt with no recipient in mind because I really wanted to take my time to make it nice. Whenever I finished it, however long that may have been, was fine. I figured the next baby in my life after completing it would be the one that it was meant for. I finished the quilt & a few days later was my friend Stacia's baby shower. There ya' go! It was meant to be Joseph Austin Jagich's quilt all along. I hope he likes it!

Up-Side of Blogging

Since starting this whole blog thing, I believe I've become more observant. Of my life and others'. Not that I'm constantly looking at my daily life for something to post about, but, maybe in a small way that's true. I believe that to be a positive thing.

I find myself really looking at me, my life, my surroundings rather than just getting to the end of the day. I can tell you that today I was silly, quiet, a little blue, content and ponderous (yes, all today). I can tell you that the hills going through Laguna Canyon are finally getting green & looked great next to the stormy yet sunny sky. I can tell you I LOVE my Bible study & my teacher. What an impact the study & Marci have made on my life. I can tell you I had Kashi cereal for breakfast, a nasty frozen thing for lunch & McDonald's for dinner. I can tell you that my friend got accepted to a writing MFA program & that I missed my friends at Sewing Circle desperately last night. It's not that ANY of this matters to ANY of you, but it's my life and I'm glad I'm noticing it more. Whether it's due to a blog or not I'm not sure, but, this silly thing hasn't hurt I guess.

Super Swank

Here a picture of My Dana. Oh, there's no type-o there, she's "my Dana". Has been for years. This is a picture of her in the dress I made for her work's Oscar Night themed fundraising gala. I was her core group leader when she was in high school & she wanted me to make her prom dress. Her mom said no & that was that. Now, years later, she needed a super swank dress & we got to colaborate. I'm please with how it turned out.

Popcorn & Snowflakes

As I was stuffing my face with microwave popcorn today, I realized something. Popped corn kernels are like snowflakes. Each one is unique. Cool. They're are very different. Good thing I'm an equal opportunity popcorn eater.

Does anyone else do this or is it just me? When starting to eat popcorn, I take one or two kernels. Then it's a few. Next is a small handful. Soon I find myself cramming as much as I can into my oral cavity. What's with that? Why does that happen? Everytime. Weird.

Can Peanut Butter Make Your Teeth Hot?

As if you all didn't already know it, Kaisara is a strange (but wonderful) person. I was excited to find reduced fat chunky peanut butter at the store so I bought some. I've only ever seen the reduced fat in creamy, so, I'm in once I found the chunky. I showed Kaisara my proud purchase & he proceeds to tell me he prefers creamy. Okay, no sweat. He didn't throw a fit at the chunky, he just prefers creamy. I'm the same but the other way around. But then he preceeds to tell me WHY he prefers creamy. "Chunky makes my teeth hot." WHAAAAAT!?!?!?!

I Quit

I've decided to quit my "ultra-lame lack of actual patterning class". I've been struggling about it for a while now. Okay, really since about the first half hour of the first class meeting. I'm just not learning. I've been trying to stick it out & not quit. Maybe she'll actually start teaching next time, or next time, or next time. I hate being a quitter. I hate teachers that don't teach even more.

I also didn't want to just throw away the $108 I paid for the class. Mom & Kaisara hit home today though. If I've already thrown away 108 big-ones why throw away my time on top of that? "Cut your losses."

DARN IT! Wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to come out of that stupid class a patterning genius!

Another Birthday Greeting

Happy Birthday Ryan! I'm positive Ryan doesn't read my blog but I'm wishing him well on his day anyhow. And if he is by chance reading, hope your birthday was happy!

Ryan has never ridden a go-cart before. I'm not sure if being from South Africa has anything to do with that. Are there go-carts in South Africa? Hmmm... I'll have to ask him. Anyway, I'm hoping he's coming to the show on Friday cause we're suppose to race.

Belated but Sincere

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!! You are a delightful woman of the Lord. He smiles when he looks at you. May your year be filled with laughter & joy! Happy Birthday!

Great Tunes to Race By

All of my loyal readers (all two of you) are invited to go to Boomers in Irvine this Friday. It is their monthly "Family Fun and Fellowship Nights". Four Stories, aka The Daryl Smith Band, aka the band Kaisara plays in, is playing two sets. Check out this site for more information. They got the gig through our friend Charlie, who's band is also playing a couple sets.

Rumor has it that if you don't want to involve yourself in any of the activities there's no charge to get in. But if you do want to play mini-golf, race go-karts, etc., there's a charge. Please note that if you print out the page I linked you save $2 at the door. Even more of noting is the unlimited go-kart racing. Yeah, the music will be great but I'm going for the go-karts!

Cloud Peeping

Did anyone else in Southern California notice the AMAZING clouds this weekend? They were gorgeous! I had to be up & about at o-dark-hundred to drop Kaisara & Dana off at Daryl's Saturday morning. On the way home, the sun was starting to rise.

Let's all just stop right there for a moment & recognize that I was up, awake & functing enough to operate a vehicle before the sun was up. But I digress...

Anyway, as I was driving back home, & let's face it, back to bed, I could see the faintest outline of the clouds. That was so cool. It makes perfect sense, but I guess it never occurred to me that clouds are in the sky when it's dark. It was a very cool thing to see while driving southeast. The faintest outline of storm clouds getting more & more defined as the minutes went by.

On Sunday afternoon I headed back up to Daryl's to pick up my little muscians. The sky was so bright blue & the clouds huge and puffy. I was captivated by them. So beautiful. I've never been big on staring at clouds for shapes but yesterday shapes were just staring at me. First I saw a whale, then a turkey, next a teddy bear doing the backstroke then two teddy bears holding hands on their bellies. Like when parachuters are free falling before pulling their chutes open, laying on their bellies & grasping each others' hands. By the time I was finished looking at that one I noticed my turkey had changed. Gone forever. It was there just long enough for me to notice it & thank my Creator for the beauty of clouds.

On the way home I pointed out a hawk's head to Kaisara. What a great little thing to add to a regular ol' weekend!

Okie-Dokie, Ukiyo-e

We've started fittings on a huge piece this week. It's an Ukiyo-e. There are 20 kids in the piece total. That's 20 little ones (the oldest is in 8th grade) to get dressed, in make-up & in the set, out of the set, out of costume & out of make-up at once. At first, when they're all strangers it's not so bad. It gets hard by the end of summer when they've all become buddies. I better break out my riot gear.

Happy Birthday, Friend!

Today is Cat's birthday. The big 3-0. She's handling it well. I guess it doesn't hurt that we, her friends & family gave her a killer day on Saturday.

I picked her up to go to tea at The Huntington but not before secretly dropping Kaisara off at the Starbucks down the road. While Cat & I were en route to Pasadena, Kaisara's picked up by Cat's friend Shera to go to the house to start decorating for the party with Randy, Cat's hubby.

While getting on the freeway Cat & I are SNOWED upon! Yes, IT SNOWED IN FONTANA!!! That's just freakish. We had a lovely tea at the Huntington (though, I'm totally bummed I did have to rush it due to the other planned events). I handed Cat her "mission" (she's a huge "Alias" fan) that Dani planned & wrote, & sent her to the restroom with her disguise. She comes out & the host of the tea room hands her a HUGE Gerber daisy with her first clue of her mission.

So we drove all over downtown Pasadena picking up clues & running into friends all the while people are arriving at her house for the party. We get to the house & she's in total shock to see her home filled with family, friends, & co-workers. She screamed/cried for minutes. It was AWESOME!

Cat, I hope you enjoyed your day. In the words of my sister, "You've gotta be someone pretty special to have people from 3 different states come to your birthday party!"

I love you friend!

I Blame Melissa

Yep! It's her fault. She's the one who introduced me to the stuff. Oh she acted innocently enough. Years back on a camping trip, she acted sweet, offering to share one of her favorite snacks. "Sure, I'll try some" I said. She knew what she was doing. I'm totally addicted now. And now Costco has joined Melissa's scheme. They had a giant bag of it & of course I bought it. Now I'm trying to make it last through the weekend. Doubt I'll succeed. I've eaten so much of the addictive stuff I've got a canker sore on my tongue. Dang it!

Just don't try Veggie Booty. It tastes like grass.

Tea for Two

My beloved Cat is turning a milestone birthday on Monday. To celebrate with her, I'm taking her to The Huntington for tea. She and Dani treated me to tea there to celebrate my 30th birthday a 1 1/2 years ago. It was lovely. Each person gets their own pot of tea so you each can have your own flavor. Fresh baked scones & jam served at your table & the tea sandwiches, fruit & desserts are all on a buffet in the center of the room. SOOOOO delicious.

When we were there last, the gardens were closing so we only were able to walk around a little. I hear that it's supposed to rain on Saturday so we still may not see much.

Dani will be missed since she moved up to "silly ole' Washington". We three have celebrated our birthdays together for the last couple years. They're so great. They love me. I love them. Nice when that works out, huh? Dani's was the last birthday celebrated together. I guess that's appropriate since she's the one who moved away (stupid Washington). Guess Cat & I will just have to eat her share!

I'm really looking forward to Saturday. I've been bragging to my coworkers about it for a couple weeks now. I don't get to see Cat nearly enough & a good tea never hurts a milestone birthday. See you soon friend!

P.S.: Cat this is the most recent picture I have of the both of us & it's 2 years old. Something must be done.

Goodbye for Now

We got a call late last night that Kaisara's grandma died. We knew that it would be soon. We were all over at Kaisara's parents' house on Sunday & his Dad called her. She couldn't talk but Auntie Filoi turned the speaker phone on so she got to hear all of us,individually, tell her we love her. I'm glad we got to do that. I know it blessed her.

I'm sad for my father-in-law because I know he's hurting. But at the same time I'm so excited for Grandma. She has a brand new body, she doesn't hurt & she's in the presence of her King. Awesome.

I Like Me A VanGogh!

"The Sower" is the second of three VanGogh's we're doing at work this year. I love them. All of his paintings seem to have movement. Even his still lifes (or would it "lives"). We started working on the last one, "First Steps", this week. I'll be sorry to be done with them. They provide challenge but aren't mind bending to build. We do have some beautiful pieces left to build though. I can't believe we're already into March. Yikes!

Small, Medium & Large

Kaisara went to a computer seminar thingy for work today. It was free, breakfast & lunch were provided & he got to go on the clock for work. So he went. He didn't know this until last night but there would be a drawing for a free Ipod Nano at this thingy. Yep, he won it. One of three given away. Now we've got 3 sizes of Ipod technology. Small-my shuffle. Medium-his new Nano. Large-his full size Ipod. Man are we geeked out or what?!