My Favorite Photos of 2006

Happy New Year everyone. I was looking over old posts & decided to make a 2nd annual post of photos for the year. In no particular order here are my favorite photos of 2006:

A self portrait of Kaisara & I at Kyle & Lydia's wedding.










On a boulder in Boulder, CO while visiting Geoff, Melissa & Elijah.






Taking in a movie with the cutest godson that's ever been.







Our newest nephew, Savelio, checking out Zelda on Christmas day.






Driving from Winkler to Winnipeg, Manatoba with Brody, Amy & Daryl.






A group shot at Cat's suprise 30th Birthday party. Dani, me, Cat, Kathy & Shera.






Elijah's sunny smile.










Kaisara & our nephew Jet.







Walking around Assinboine Park in Winnipeg, Manatoba.









Another shot in Assinboine Park.










A man in front of me in the Race for the Cure.










Me in Cat's birthday wig.











2006 was a good year with lots of ups & downs. I'm ready for you 2007! Show me what ya' got!

Wow! It's Been Almost a Week!

How time flys huh? I emailed a friend today to check in on her & gave her the scoop on me as of late. Later in the day I realized I haven't updated the ol' blog lately so here's a copy of the email & then some:

Kaisara & I have been coughing in technicolor for a few weeks now & let me tell you, that's getting old. The lack of sleep, the sedentary days. I'm getting cabin fever but still feel to crappy to be active. Why do I always want to get active when I'm sick & can't?

I was fired for 1 1/2 weeks, was back for 2 days then fired again for 4 more since the mucky-mucks push the start of rehearsal back 2 days & I don't even have measurements for one of my actors I need to build for. Aahhh, the life of free lancing! I'm sad to say i haven't been very productive with my time off. Just finished all of the Christmas stuff. Ya' know? Today i'm working on one of my several dead soldiers (an unfinished project that's lived in the closet for years).

We got a few home depot gift cards for Christmas so I started ripping apart our master batheroom. Base boards, gone. Door molding, gone. Towel rack, gone. Outlet covers, gone. Nasty covering off of the nasty light fixture, gone. Two layers of disgusting lanolium, gone. I guess I haven't done much this whole time but caught up today. Watch out! I've still got tomorrow.

Our pastor made an annoucement week before last that his last sunday is the 7th. Kaisara & i are so bummed. We love his teaching & our going to miss him big time. After our other pastor left this summer we were thrilled to be sitting under Brian's teaching again. Oh well. After 6 years of church transition I guess we're still not done yet. Crap-tastic. And yes I do count all 5 years at The Gathering transition.

Tomorrow I've got to go to Woodbrige & steam Becky's wedding gown for her & Erik's big day on Friday. I realized this morning while coughing in technicolor that I've absolutely nothing to wear. I've gained back all of the weight I lost 3 years ago & apparently haven't had to dress up in a while to have fancy fatty clothes. Oh well. I'll come up with something.

Melissa's coming into town for the wedding & she goin' to church with us on Sunday. We're hitting In-n-Out on the way to the airport to take her back to snow covered Denver. I can't wait to see her.

Well that's all for now. I'll keep you posted of anything else exciting or otherwise comes to pass.

It's Your Birthday

Happy Birthday to my friend Kathy! Kathy's a friend from the good ol' college days. She an actress. I a costumer. It's great how much those 2 positions require one another.

Kathy is a whole-lotta fun to be around & always super great for one's self esteem. May your day be fun filled & one of many that is chalk full of blessings for you in the year to come. Love you girl! You're bitchin'!

This is Four

Here's a photo a my fourth & final baby quilt for 2006. I gave it to my new niece this Saturday. Seeing how she's already slept on it, I guess it's a winner. Needless to say, she's a lavender baby, not a pink one.

The solid was left over bride's maid dress fabric & the floral was a little scrap I got from a coworker. I usually machine quilt my projects but I tied this one. I used thicker batting & used cotton pearl to tie it. It's alot poofier than my usual quilts which is nice & comfy. I'm going to keep tieing in mind for future projects. It's super easy & super fast. I felt like I was cheating. Like I told Luanei, it had better be wore out with love by the time she hits kindergarten.

I haven't posted a picture of my 3rd quilt of the year as I haven't given it to Melissa yet. She'll be out for the Cramer/Marlow wedding & I'll give it to her then. Hope she likes it. I'll post a photo of it after it makes it's way back to Colorado.

I'll also add them to my "Things I've Made" album so feel free to check out that link to the left. BTW Cat, you still owe me photos!

The Brady's We Ain't

My nuclear family is the greatest. Not the Brady's but AMAZING. My extended family on the other hand...

Let's just say that if you never have to go to a funeral where there is yelling at the top of one's lungs complete with cursing (the f-bomb a familial favorite apparently) that is loud enough to disturb the entire funeral home, including the other service right across the hall, you'll be o.k. You're better off than me anyway.

I think that was one of my worst days. Let's just hope the mental scar heals & disappears quickly. Not so sure...

Another Goodbye

Grandma died yesterday morning. It wasn't a suprise as she's been in a hospital or nursing home for a month now after a fall & wasn't doing well. My mom, my sister & I went to the mortuary yesterday to make the arrangements. We've known for years how grandma wanted things handled so that made things alot easier.

We're having a visitation on Friday & I've been working on the photos to be displayed with her earn & the flowers we've ordered. Along with the photo at the top of the post, here are the other ones:







My Mom is certain that Grandma had a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ & we are grateful for that. God is good & God is just. All the time.

I love you Grandma! I'll see you later!

A Peak Backstage

I came across this cool "Audlio slideshow" of work's "A Christmas Carol". There are some really cool backstage photos of the production. Feel free to take a look.

That'll Leava a Mark!

We all know I'm not the most graceful one in the bunch. How I ever did so well at ballet is beyond me. Today...I topped even me. Did you break another toe on the coffee table you ask? Nope. Did you bruise your tailbone again while roller blading you ask? Nope. Let me preface it by typing this...Them things are dangerous.

It all started this morning while walking from the parking structure to the theatre. I've got a couple things to carry but nothing out of the ordinary. While walking down the sidewalk (operative word is "while") I was noticing the "Laurie's Kitchen" type lady walking down the sidewalk across the street from me. Man! How's she ever gonna pull that off? She's got a flatbed hand truck (that's dolly for all you sissies) that's loaded with two coolers, she's got a pitcher or something in her hand & she's trying to maneuver around the driveway apron. Well I gotta see this!!!

Then it happened. Happened so fast I knocked myself forward at the waist to a 45 degree angle. Yep! Walked straight into the fire hydrant I did. You gotta watch it for those things! They're made of metal & THEY HURT when you walk full speed into one of them.

Bauble Update

Today was the craft show. I actually sold some! Three to be exact. My Mom & Dad stopped by. That was great. Mom wants 11 baubles to give to her people at work. I better get to weaving!

Again

So this Sunday is my second & final craft show. It's in Orange & I'll be selling my "baubles" along with my co-worker Bronwen who's selling her dolls & other baby items. Her aunt is an herbalist & sells delicious spices/rubs & teas. There will also be pottery & other items for sale. Again, this very small event is free but I'd love it if you could swing buy.

The address is 1420 E. Mayfair, Orange & is in a women's front yard so dress weather appropriately.

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Made

So here it is. The dress that almost didn't get built. It's for SCR's "A Christmas Carol". The actress plays Uncle Scrooge's Niece In-law. The actress that had played "Sally" for 15 years didn't return this year & since there's no way to have made her size 14 gown fit the new 5'0" actress, I got to make a new one. That's write people! No pattern, no instructions, nothing but a rendering & the old gown. I started with a blank piece of paper & armed with my Hunnisett book I ventured out into the world of a cutter.

Here's the back view. The gown is made of embroidered silk, with silk organza oversleeves. I made silk piping for each of the seams in the bodice & made her hoop petticoat too!

The designer opted out of the butt bow (which thrilled me) & wanted what I soon named a "butt corsage". But I didn't want stupid looking rosettes that I already knew how to make (although very poorly) so I taught myself to make ribbon roses only used the silk fabric rather than ribbon.


Those are hand beaded sleeves caps, thank you very much!

Needless to say I'm tremendously proud of this gown. Mostly I'm proud of the patterning I had to accomplish & that even my mock fit great. Making the finished gown was just the icing on the cake.

Thanks for letting me brag. I LOVE my job!

I Fondue. Do you?

We threw Daryl a 30th birthday party tonight. It was fun. I love throwing parties for people. That was the idea behind my "Food Survey" post. I offered Daryl any meal he wanted for his birthday but he needed to decide. He didn't. He said having an blank slate made it too hard. So I finally decided for him.

I decided on "Food on a Stick". Which thankfully Daryl really seemed to enjoy. I served fruit skewers & meatballs (no, not on the same stick) for appetizers & a build your own kabob with bar pita bread wedges on a stick for the main course. I left the pitas in the over too long so they were like pita chips but they still tasted okay with the dill sauce I made.

For dessert we had fondue. That's more work than I thought it would be. Apparently if you double a chocolate fondue recipe it more than quadruples the cooking time. I also made a marshmallow cream fondue. Tasty. Now that I've fondued, I'll be a little better at gauging how much time I need. Regardless, it was tasty. More importantly the food & company was enjoyed by all. (Not to mention a game of pictionary with minimal mocking).

Happy Birthday Daryl! I hope you know you're loved by many.

So This time I'm Early

Happy Birthday Dani! I know I'm an hour early but I'm usually at least a day late with these. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day & an even better Birthday! We miss you! Happy Birthday, girl!

Food Survey

I've a question for you all. Here's the scenario: A good friend has offered to have a dinner for you. The only catch is you need to choose what to eat. That friend has offered to home cook or order in anything you'd like. What do you request and do you prefer this home cooked or order in?

O.k. this is where you all comment back with an idea.

Is My Job Great or What!

Here are some photos of my Earthworm for James & the Giant Peach. The show closes this weekend so I'm glad I finally remembered my camera to capture it on Tom. It's just not the same on a dress form.


















You can see that the designer made several changes from her rendering to the final product but I still think it's fantastic. Angela always has great designs for the children's shows. But that's not pre-quilted & ribboned fabric my friends. No, no, no. That's shiny, salmon spandex quilted onto muslin over various levels of batting. Yes I made a sleeping bag. Poor Tom is going to die of dehydration after wearing this thing for 3 weeks. He's a great sport though.

Here's a photo of Di as the spider. I made her costume too.
Tom & Di are significant others & their baby's due in Febuary. I'm going to make a baby worm hat out of left over pieces from Tom's costume. They're gonna love it.

Sorry for the brag session but I'm really pleased with these ones.

Grandma Fell

Ok guys my family needs your prayers. My 83-year old, 89 pound grandmother fell on Saturday. She broke her wrist & really hurt her pelvis (hospital 1 said it was broken, hospital 2 said it wasn't). She's been transferred to a care facility really close to her home & my mom's. Please pray for the Lord's will in Grandma's healing & pain & for peace & strength for my mom.

Thanks!

Other than the nurse, social worker, teacher thing, okay

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

Can't Complain to Me

Every year we all complain that everyone else is hard to Christmas shop for. I'm breaking the trend this year & letting you all know what I want: Home Depot gift cards.

Kaisara & I have one last room that's nicotine stained from the previous occupant of our condo. Sad, I know. We've been here almost 6 years & we're still wiping brown crud off the walls of our master bath walls after a shower. Sick dude! That crap's in your lungs!

ANYWHOOOOO, I want the brown crud gone & covered with new paint, I want the yucky linoleum replace with new tile & I want to hang a decent light fixture & towel rack. I ain't gots the dough for any of that let alone all of it so my solution is Christmas. Bring on the gift cards!!

Yum

Just so y'all know...this stuff's AWESOME

Especially over warm homemade-from-scratch brownies.

Happy Birthday, Nei!

Today is Kaisara's sister, Luanei's, birthday. I think this is only the second or third year that I've gotten her & her mom's birthdays straight. I guess I'm a little slow.

Here's a picture of her when she was the age that her oldest son, Sai, is now. Cutie huh?

Happy Birthday girl! I hope your day is a happy one. I love you!

Great Show

A group of us went to see Jars of Clay perform at Biola University last night. I haven't heard any of their new stuff other than a hymn CD they put out last year (which I love). Other than that, I've only got their first 2 CDs that were out in 1995 & 1997. I love them I just haven't kept up with them. Regardless, it was a great show with great friends & I'm now I'm off to use up the last of my birthday iTunes gift card to download their latest CD of which a portion of the proceeds go to provide clean drinking water to Africa through their charity Blood Water Mission.

Third Grade Geography

I didn't pass this test until my second try. How 'bout you?

Yesterday is a blurr

The day started at 6:30. That's A.M people! Dana & I have gotten up for 7 mornings (in a row, thank you very much) & walked before work. We decided that since it was Saturday we'd sleep in a little & meet at 7:30 (again, that's A.M.). While setting my alarm I somehow turned my clock an hour earlier. So I was up at 6:30 & didn't know it until I was out of the door. Back in I went to kill an hour. I thought it best not to go back to bed 'cause that'd be murder trying to get up again. I got the car loaded with my craft fair stuff, 2 loads of laundry going, & wrapped a "welcome to the country" present.

After our walk I readied myself for the craft fair & headed out. I didn't sell anything but 1 of my coworkers showed up & ordered a buable in purple.

I left the show early to pick up Kaisara & went with our wrapped gift to Sharon's welcome to the country party that she & Steve threw for her sister, Ruth & family. Delicious burgers grilled to perfection I might add ;-)

We left the party & I dropped Kaisara off at Dana's for band practice & picked up Lydia to hang out. We made caramel apples for the whole lot of us. The band picked us up for their dinner break, we went back home & watched "Big Fish" then went to Dana's to enjoy caramel apples with the group, drop Lydia off & pick up Kaisara.

We arrived home & collapsed.

Wow. I Think I'm Embarassed.

Orange County

You're rich, pretty, and living a charmed life. (Or you seriously wish you were.) From Disneyland to Laguna Beach, you're all about living the California dream life. Just make sure to marry rich - so you don't have to work for it!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

Words Cannot Express

Dana's my friend. As many of you know, for years now she's been "my Dana". That's who she is to me. I temporarily revoked the title once just to get her goat & it worked so she became mine again. She has gracefully moved roles in my life from one of my core group girls during my stint in youth ministry to now a priceless friend. She's also a total sneak. Here's the story:

I make baubles. Technically they're called woven dragon boats. That's a long name so I shortened it to bauble since that's what they are. When at a Diedrich show with Kaisara & the band I make baubles. It doesn't take alot of mental capacity & it keeps me from buying cookies. Dana has always been intrigued by the bauble. Last year I gave her one made of varigated pink thread. You'da thought I'd given her $50 in cold hard cash. But no, just a bauble. I continued making them. It's a good mobile project. You all know I'm never doing nothing.
This summer I mentioned to a few people (Dana included) that I was interested in making a few baubles to try to sell to a local boutique or two. Too scary. Didn't happen. They could've turned me down you know so it's better no to have tried very hard. ANYWAY...Dana, ever the encourager, periodically asked me how that venture was going. Yesterday she calls me asking if I had any baubles made because she had a coworker interested in maybe buying some & she wanted to show my product. Sure. "Can I pick them up now?" "Okay." Later that night she calls & asks if I could come over for 10 minutes to help her with a costume she's making. "Can you bring it here since all my stuff's here?" "No" "O.k., let me finish putting dinner in the oven & I'll be right over"

Here's what I came to her house to find (only displayed much prettier)

That's right folks! I've now got a tree to display my baubles on. She also designed & had made a rubber stamp with my logo on it, printed cards for bauble customers & printed cards for clients of the clothing variety. Wow. I didn't cry just then. I think I was too suprised. I did however weep myself to sleep thinking about how much she put into this & how I could never express it's meaning to me. I'm truley blessed.

So all of this sealed the deal of a prospect I was given last week. A coworker is selling some items in a craft fair & invitied me to participate. I thought about it but really what was keeping me from jumping right in was how I would display my baubles. Well Dana solved that for me didn't she? So I'm selling my wares at craft fair this Saturday the 4th in Yorba Linda & also on Sunday, December 3rd in Orange. I better get winding & know that I'm loved not because of the things I make but because who I am to others. Makes me tear up again just thinking about it.

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!