Boo (hoo) at the Zoo

We were asked to go to the zoo by Gail (Jeremy's mom) and I tried every excuse to get out of it. Hey - they were valid excuses!!! Things like, we have no money (very true right now), I have just enough gas in my car to get me around Monday and Tuesday (and I can fill up Wednesday when I get paid), and finally, I don't like the zoo.

I guess, that last one is not very valid since I had only 2 prior experiences at the Zoo. The first time was my nephew's birthday party and the only animals I saw were giraffes and some reptiles. And the second time was for Zoo-lights so I didn't see any animals (except in the petting zoo). It's not that I don't like the zoo, it's just that I don't have any desire to go to the zoo. Probably one reason being the drive, and another reason being the crowd of people. Plus, we just went to the zoo in Chicago and we saw a ton of animals - probably the same ones the Phoenix Zoo has.

Anyway, despite my reasons to not go, Gail had many reasons for us TO go. She somehow had "free tickets" that enabled us 3, herself, Josh, Mindy, Randi, Brad, and Christopher to get in for free (Kristi and Steve already have a membership for their family and Dustin). She said they were bringing lunch for everyone so we don't have to spend money once there. And she even offered to pick us up, drive us, and drop us off again. Geesh, I was really out of excuses. Besides, I really enjoy hanging out with Jeremy's family so I was already wanting to give in despite my monetary excuses and crowd anxiety.

Well, we went and had a great lunch and took the kids to the little water play area. Then we saw the giraffes, zebras, a few monkeys, orangutans, and 2 elephants. Then we went home. Oh wait, after we watched Jeremy dance to win Andrew a Winnie the Pooh Heffalump Halloween DVD at the Radio Disney tent.

It was Boo at the Zoo so it was a tad crowded. Apparently I am the only one annoyed at people the stand at exhibits for a long time. I am perfectly happy to stand there for about 2 minutes, but then I want to move on. It must be my impatience because I have not come across anyone else who feels the same way. Jeremy thinks I'm crazy because I don't want to stand there all day and watch the same animals. Hmmm, maybe it's a sign that I need to ssssllllllooooowwww down and enjoy life.

Oh and by the way, the "free tickets" were year memberships that Gail bought us! This means I will have plenty of time over the next year to slow the heck down, enjoy life, and become fond of those animals and crowds! Haha! Really, I am excited to give the Zoo a fighting chance for approval in my mind!

Next time I'll post pictures of the animals, but I'll leave you with the video of the Dad's competing for the Heffalump DVD (they all won by the way).

S-C-O-R-E

All I can say is the bribery worked.

And the reward for the goal is Dippin' Dots ice-cream. He loves those little frozen balls of ice-cream... So worth the effort in his book. Notice his large Icee next to the ice cream. That's for trying the entire game. He didn't stop trying after half time. He kept right on the ball and trying to score more goals.

OK, enough of the proud mommy moment!

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

Cup O Noodles! I forgot that I do actually like Cup O Noodles. I bought a case of them yesterday at Fry's because they are only $.25/each. So, I spent $3 and have 12 days worth of lunches for work. Not a bad deal! I wasn't too thrilled with the thought of eating 12 cups of these noodles, but after eating the first one today, it's not such an unwelcome thought.

So, while people are munching on their blessed Pei Wei's, I am eating a cup o noodles that only cost me $.25 versus their $10.00 or so. (They could've bought 40 Cup O Noodles!).

Thanks to Fry's and their 'By the Case' sale I spent $107.00 on groceries yesterday and my savings were $102.00. Now my pantry is packed with canned goods and Mac N Cheese (amongst other goodies). And, did you know you don't have to buy the whole case - you can just grab one or two or four of everything? I was a little worried to go in there and have to buy a case of Mac N Cheese (that would be 48!), but I asked Customer Service and they clarified that I do not have to do such a thing. I just thought I'd let you know in case you were confused, as well. Like the group of 3 Rural Metro guys that were standing around scratching their heads looking at the case of Mac N Cheese arguing over if they should grab the case or not. I eased their minds and passed on the good news that they can just grab a few boxes. It's not like they didn't have the time though, as Jeremy says, "they were probably done lifting their weights and were probably passing time before they head out to play basketball somewhere while the truck sits in the bay waiting for its 2nd washing of the day." "At least their services only cost the good folks of Queen Creek $700 a year each," he would add sarcastically.

Oooohhh got 'em!

Chili

On Tuesday I made chili for the Home Group we attend. As I mentioned, this is award winning chili. As in, my mom found this recipe in a magazine and made it for a chili cook-off and won. I did the same, and won. It's not like we created this recipe. Therefore, I think it's fair to tell you how to make it.
Ingredients are as follows (or seen above and below):
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 pound ground beef
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) hot chili beans
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Here's the beef and pork cooking away.
Ooh, and the cheese getting ready to be cubed.
And here it is being made into the chili. Be cautious, it is spicy, but it is really meaty and beany and heartily delicious! Tortilla chips and corn bread go good with it. Use sour cream to cool it off a bit.

Do you like how I remembered to use my camera?!

The Host

I just finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It was a pretty good book. I would really like to see it as a movie. It was a very interesting story and I don't think I've seen any movie like it. That doesn't say much though. I don't think anyone has heard, "What? You've never seen that movie?!" as much as I have.

I think it would be fun to have the imagination of this author! I admire that she can think up stuff like this (and the Twilight series), make it interesting, and have it make sense. I would love to have that creativity!

I need more books. Any recommendations? I have always wanted to read the Shopaholic series if anyone has any of those lying around...

Sweet-Tooth

I think I read an article once that spoke about a certain vitamin deficiency in our body that causes us to have a sweet tooth. I can't remember what vitamin it is that we are lacking when this happens. Whatever it is, I must be seriously deficient in because I have a HUGE sweet tooth. But, when I am regularly taking a multi-vitamin, I notice that I don't crave as much sweet stuff.
It's not often that I take a multi-vitamin daily because the things are BIG and I don't like swallowing pills and the after taste is gross! Well, Jeremy told me that he takes Andrew's vitamins (they are like Flintstone vitamins, but the Kirkland brand). I was surprised at first, but then I tried one and they are tasty! I remember I used to take them when I was younger, but I would get bloody noses (from too much iron) and had to stop taking them.
Well, it's been 5 days and I've taken one of Andrew's vitamins every morning and I am craving things like celery with peanut butter, apples, carrots, and cheese for snacks. This is really unlike me and I love it! Normally I choose chocolate, candy and/or cookies. How weird! So, there must be enough of whatever vitamin I was deficient in Andrew's vitamins to put a stop to my sweet tooth!
There were 2 cakes at Home Group last night and I turned down a piece no problem! Last week I ate 2 huge brownies without thinking twice. However, I did end up eating a small piece from the cake that no one had eaten yet. Mostly because I felt sorry for it and a little bit because it had Rainbow Chip frosting. I would've been fine without eating it though. Pre-vitamin fulfillment, I wouldn't have comprehended the idea of passing it up in the first place. In fact, I would've had a larger piece of that and tried the other cake, too!
Is it bad for me to take these children's vitamins? It seems like a good thing to me! Until I get bloody noses anyway.
And, I'll end on that lovely note!

Not so snap-happy

I sit down to blog and I realize that I am terrible at remembering to take pictures! How much more great would this entry be with pictures? Oh well, I guess we'll never know!
Jeremy and I had a barbecue at our house Friday. It was a blast! Many of our friends were able to come. Jeremy barbecued a pork loin, hamburgers, hot dogs, and short ribs. Jeremy is the self-proclaimed "Grill Master" (as backed up by me and a few others) so it was no wonder that everything was amazing! The pork loin took 3 hours to cook and it was well worth it (I think Jeremy would agree - being as I didn't cook it, I can't say for sure, I guess). Jeremy conducted a horseshoe tournament in which he and Timmy took 1st place. Dallas made 2 golden horseshoe trophies for the winners. I don't know where to put Jeremy's... Maybe next to his golf trophy from a couple weekends ago; the one of a golfer knelt down with his butt in the air and picking his nose to get a good shot at the hole. Yes, I think that would be a good place for it. On second thought, I may have to send them with him to work so they may decorate his office.

I was not feeling well Friday and it got worse on Saturday. I made it to Andrew's soccer game (which I'm glad I did; I'll explain in a minute), but then went home and slept from 11-3 going back to bed at 8:30 or so. I really didn't feel better, but I knew I couldn't (or shouldn't) stay in bed all day.

Going back a step, Andrew's soccer game was fun! In addition to the regulars (me, Jeremy, my mom, and dad) my sister and Jeremy's mom joined us. Everyone was amazed at how Andrew really seemed to be playing so much better. What's this?! He's going for the ball in the thick of the crowd?! He's making a break for the goal with the ball almost every chance he gets?! He almost scored a goal?! Hee hee, Jeremy and I weren't surprised (Shhhh... we bribed him with an Icee from Chevron if he actually tried to play. "Trying" as in doing all of the things listed above). No one ever answered me if that was a good or bad thing to do to a four year old, but it worked. Andrew actually said he enjoyed his game this week! Usually he says he'd rather go to practice. So, it hasn't seemed to hurt him so far.

Well, enough about the weekend. I am feeling better and ready to tackle my to-do list this week.

Things on my agenda this week:

• Taking the cat to the vet tomorrow (dang animal has sores all over his head and ears - allergies, I think).
• Working out (Tuesday and Thursday and hopefully more).
• Making dinner for Home Group on Tuesday (I think it is cool enough outside for my mom's and mine award-winning chili. Yum).
• Hopefully having a fun night in (or out) with some girls from the church on Friday.
• Andrew's soccer practice on Wednesday.
• Andrew's soccer game on Saturday.
• Clean the downstairs and backyard after that crazy barbecue.

Maybe I'll remember to bring my camera to some of these events. And, if I remember my camera, hopefully I'll remember to snap some pics!

Keep dreaming!

Camping

This weekend Jeremy, Andrew, and I took a trip up to Seneca Lake on the San Carlos Reservation past Globe to do some camping and fishing. We were joined by our friends, Josh and Cherish and their kids, and Dallas and Kayla and their kids. We checked the weather before we left and it said 30% chance of rain in that area. Well, apparently it was a ty-po and should've said 130% chance of rain. We got to our campsite around 2:00 and set up our tents. As soon as they were up, the rain started coming down. It would drizzle for a little while, sprinkle for a little while, and then rain hard for a little while. Dallas and Kayla had to leave since they had a 2 month old baby that was not enjoying the wet weather in the least bit! Can you blame him?! Luckily they have friends about 45 minutes away (in Globe) and stayed with them.
Us and the Porter's toughed it out and it was tough! It sprinkled all through dinner. The guys had to cook the burgers over the grill holding an umbrella while Cherish, me, and the kids huddled under the ramada with a portable propane heater and the campfire nearby. It stopped raining for a bit after dinner so we lounged by the campfire and made some s'mores. As soon as we were done with the s'mores, it began raining again. So, we called it a night and retired to our tents.
The rain lasted all night in the same drizzle, sprinkle, rain hard pattern. It even began lightning and thundering! At about 4 in the morning we heard the Porter's opening and closing their truck and we thought for sure they were bailing. However, it turns out the rain was coming into their tent so they were forced to sleep in their truck. That had to be uncomfortable considering they have a family of 4 and have 2 big dogs.
Around 5am I realized our tent was leaking, too. My sleeping bag was soaked. I had to hop in to Jeremy's sleeping bag (which was probably the highlight of his trip... Heehee j/k).
Finally, the sun was up and the rain seemed to have stopped. We made it through the night and were rewarded by mostly sunny skies that morning and afternoon. The guys went fishing with the kids and Cherish and I could hang out and chit-chat without yelling at the kids to get out of the mud and to stop sitting on the ground, etc. It finally felt like a vacation.
The rain appeared to be rolling back in around 1:30 so we packed up and left. We had a yummy lunch in Globe and was home around 4:30. My car is a muddy disaster, but at least we made Andrew happy to have gone camping this summer.
Andrew caught the most fish, by the way (out of the guys and kids). He caught catfish, blue gill, and bass. He would cast the line and reel them in all on his own! He really enjoyed it and Jeremy is looking forward to taking him fishing again soon. I'll join them if the chance of rain is 0% and nothing more. ;-)

Oh Here We Go

I'm in the mood to offend. Just kidding! I'm debating to even type up this post actually. This is more likely to just embarrass myself. My dilemma is I haven't a clue about who to vote for; McCain or Obama. I just assume not vote for anyone. I don't follow politics and I don't have a clue who stands for what on which issues. (<------That was a retarded sentence and I'm sure it really shows my ignorance all around). I shall continue anyway.
On occasion, I've tried to read articles about each candidate, but I quickly become confused or bored on the topic of the article. I'm a disaster when it comes to trying to understand stuff I've never quite had an interest in. No, my country's interests are obviously not that important to me. I can almost feel the cringes from certain people reading this who are following this election. Sorry!
Out of pure boredom today I made it my mission to read up on the two candidates. I found a great website that broke it down in my kind of language. This is the site: http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/politics/issues.aspx. Now, this is a Christian News site and, as far as I could tell, fairly impartial. I couldn't tell if they favored one candidate over the other anyway. It was nice and easy to click on one of the issues and see generally how each Senator has voted in the past, how he feels now, and what their plan is so far on the topic. They were short and to the point. I studied each topic (even the ones I don't understand much of). I have a headache now, but I feel so much more informed on each candidate.
My problem now is that no one stood out to me as someone I completely agree with. What do I do now? I guess on my next boring day of work, I'll have to research even further. I have notes that I made on each candidate and maybe I'll review those over the next couple weeks and try to consider my own opinions on the war, abortion, tax cuts, healthcare, Social Security, etc.
I thought I would just post that website if anyone else out there is like me; curious about the candidates, but bored quickly when it comes to political debates.
Happy reading!

Finally - a Soccer Mom

I am officially a soccer mom! Andrew had his choice between Basketball and Soccer this season and he chose Soccer. Although, he did have a tough time deciding between the two.

This is Andrew's first time involved in an organized sport. He has practices on Wednesdays and games on Saturdays. This picture was taken on his first Wednesday practice (the 17th).

The thing I love about this picture is his enthusiasm! Andrew is usually the shy boy that I have to push away from me to go with teachers, other adults, etc. It amazes me that he is so smiley in this picture for another reason; he was asleep in the car and I had to wake him up when we got to the field. Usually when I wake him up, he is fussy and/or crying and just a pain in my butt. He got a little fussy, but then I told him to grab the Soccer ball and he seemed to snap out of his almost breakdown.

He had no problem going with the other kids and doing what the coach told him in the practice and he didn't have any meltdowns the whole 45 minute practice.

He had an OK first game. He was a little excited about it, but got a little nervous when Jeremy kept asking him if he was ready for his "big game" all morning. Then seeing Grandma and Grandpa at the field, along with Grandpa Danny and Candy, Andrew got his usual timid look on his face like he was thinking, "What have I gotten myself in to?"

However, he did a good job practicing before the game and he was one of the first 4 players out on the field while the other 4 teammates sat out. He did fine running around trying to get the ball, but then collided with a girl from the other team and they bonked heads. The girl kept playing unphased, but Andrew walked off the field crying, holding his head. It took awhile before I could get him to go sit with the other teammates on the side and wait to go back in. He kept wanting to cry and sit on my lap. Jeremy had to give him "the talk." Probably something along the lines of, "Dry it up - you have to be number one, son, and you won't be number one if you leave the field crying." Just kidding. I don't know what was said, but it worked. He went back in and was timid, but eventually started smiling and running after the ball again.

Jeremy told him that if he scores a goal in a game we will take him to Dippin' Dots for a treat (Andrew's favorite place). I wonder if he'll score any points with that incentive. Does that kind of stuff work?

Oh, and Jeremy was happy to learn that the team's name is the Panthers. That was the name of the Soccer team Jeremy played on.

I'll post more pictures soon.

The Lake

This is the Lake. Rock Lake in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. My family has been vacationing here for 52 years. Yes, 52 years! My Grandpa Chet started the tradition back in 1956, packing up the wife and kids and heading from Iowa to Wisconsin for vacation each summer. My mom liked the town so much that she moved there, which ultimately lead to her meeting my dad (who moved to Lake Mills his senior year of High School). I guess this town has some roots for me, huh?! This was mine and Jeremy's 7th year (Andrew's 5th year) vacationing with my family. It's definitely an unbreakable tradition for us now, as well!

Andrew enjoys the lake more than anything else in Wisconsin. He loves to wake up and head straight out to the lake and hang out there ALL day. No meals necessary! Just give him a bathroom break every now and then, some water to drink, and the sand and lake. He's set! Here he is steering a remote control boat with Uncle Chet and Logan.

Here is the sandy beach that he played at all day every day!

Kayak trip with daddy!

Don't worry, Dad. I got this!

Tubing (notice - outside of the wake)!

Jeremy's turn!

Here is Andrew playing Pole Golf in the back of my Grandma's cottage.

Me and Jeremy at the Sand Bar.

Our last night in Wisconsin. (Tear, sigh). Fish Fry at the Pine Knoll is another tradition. We've not missed a year at Pine Knoll. I go for the dessert - Strawberry Shaum Torte (sp?). Pictures are fuzzy. Dang cheap camera...

My Grandma and John.

Aunt Debbie, DC, and Michelle.

Uncle Dave and Kate.

Daniel and Aunt Diane.

A real rainstorm that lasts all afternoon (not just 15 min.) - with no dust! I love it! That's why Wisconsin is so green and we're so brown, I guess.

Chi Town

This year our annual vacation was a little different. The airfare to Chicago was cheaper than the airfare to Milwaukee so we decided to tack on a couple days to our trip and see some sights in Chicago. Neither Jeremy or I have ever been.
We took the public transportation everywhere. The cost was $9.00 for a 2-day pass for me and $9.00 for a 2-day pass for Jeremy. Andrew was free. That is as many rides as you want on the L-train and the buses. Pretty sweet deal!

Here's Andrew "driving" a fake train at the O'Hare Terminal L-train stop.
Here is Andrew and I on the L-train from O'Hare to the city.

Our first day in Chicago, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a free zoo, but it is just like any other zoo I've been to. Same cool animals, it's just free! Amazing! We ate dinner at the Weber Grill which was recommended by Josh. It was neat to see the indoor grills that they cooked the food on. Of course, the food was yummy! I had a big ol' hamburger and Jeremy had Prime Rib. Then we took a trip downtown to take a gander at the Sears Tower. It was TALL, of course. We didn't spend the $18 each to take a trip up it, but it was still fun to see it from below. Due to my memory card malfunction, I don't have pictures of any of those sights.

We did get to see Union Station though. It's a train station and I'll swear that I've seen it in the movies, but I don't know which movies... It was cool and really old looking inside. Just a big room with a lot of old brown wood benches everywhere. It was really quiet in their, too. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? What movie(s) is this place in? I should've taken a picture of the inside...

Day 2 we visited the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. We ate at Pizzeria Uno's (yummy!) and we had dessert at the Hershey's Factory (brownies, cookies, ice cream, etc.).

This is a picture of Nemo. Andrew took the picture! He was very proud of it!

Again, Andrew's photography of a shark!

The Field Museum - the same museum in A Night at the Museum w/ Ben Stiller.

Andrew, Jeremy, and Sue. The largest complete T-rex. That is not her real skull. It weighed too much to put on the skeleton. The real skull is upstairs on display. It weighs 600 lbs. I think.

Beautiful Chicago. View from Shedd Aquarium.

Preschool

Andrew had his first day of preschool yesterday. Up until yesterday morning, he was not looking forward to this new adventure. He was saying, "I don't want to go to school!" I was pretty worried. I was thinking that if he dislikes school already, that's going to be a long 14 odd years of his life. I tried thinking of ways to get him excited for school, but I couldn't come up with anything that worked.
Fortunately, he woke up yesterday morning with a new attitude. I'm not sure what changed his mind, but he came and woke me up saying, "OK, I want to go to school today." And he meant it! He had no problem walking into Ms. Jones house with a smile on his face and no look of nervousness about him. That's not normal for him, especially since he'd never met Ms. Jones or been to her house before.
To my relief, he left her house the same way; all smiles! He also said he wanted to go to school everyday, and when I told him it was only 2 days a week, he was bummed.
P.S. I had more pictures, but when I was uploading them to my computer they disappeared and when I checked my memory card they were gone from there, too. I'm really bummed. =(

God's Work

This is what I accomplished yesterday - 24 sets of Financials (there are 4 missing from the stack because Property Managers took them for meetings). This was the work that was suppose to last me all day yesterday and today. If anyone doesn't know what Financials are, they are a monthly report of finances for each Community (as in HOAs) that I do Accounting for. I have to produce a set of Financials each month for each Community that includes the Balance Sheet, Check Distribution, Income/Expense Statement, Yearly Spreadsheet, and General Ledger. I'm not going to go into the boring details; my point is to say that they can be time consuming.
I was a little worried about this week as it is the beginning of the month which means our most busy time here in the Accounting Department. I was worried because I have 3 days to get all my work done before a week and 2 day vacation. I planned on doing the Financials on Monday and Tuesday and doing everything else on Wednesday (little things like depositing checks or cutting checks to vendors). So, anticipating a stressful and hectic week, I prayed Sunday night and Monday morning and asked God to please help me out. I was a little specific in asking Him to give me guidance and wisdom in my work, including helping me prioritize in the best way possible. I normally pray before beginning my work anyway, just asking Him to help me complete the work and have me catch mistakes early on, etc, but I've never really thought to pray in advance for the day's work ahead of me. I guess I know how I get before a trip (anxious, stressed, annoyed with work since it is in my way of getting ready for the trip, etc.) so I thought this time to go ahead and hand over my worries to God.
Apparently that was the best thing to do. I came to work and had nothing on my desk to take care of before starting Financials. I had no voicemails or emails (which is very strange for a Monday morning). All I had to do is sit down and begin Financials. On top of not having any voicemails or emails all day, I only had 2 phone calls. Again, that is very strange for a Monday at the first of the month.
Needless to say, I was not the least bit stressed or irritated with customers or co-workers and I was able to bust out my work and be done with it.
Now I wonder what will be in store for me today and tomorrow. I may have long boring days, but it will be better than being stressed and frantic! And I have a peace that everything will be completed and off of my desk when I leave for vacation. Ah, the sweet smell of answered prayers!

To Dream or Not To Dream

On our way to the babysitter's house this morning, Andrew asked me if I had any dreams last night. I said I don't remember if I did. Then I asked him if he had a dream. He said no. Then he said he saw a piece of my dream in his room last night. What? I asked him what he meant. Then he said, "Well, I don't know if it was your dream or Daddy's dream, but I saw a piece of a dream in my room last night." I'm not getting it, but I think he remembers a little bit of a dream, but maybe it didn't make sense to him so he thinks it was one of our dreams. I think he is still convinced that it was a piece of mine or Jeremy's dream...

My Husband Loves Me

I posted this blog earlier in the week and I wanted to let everyone know that my husband's response was:

"Well, find out information on it." In regards to the Smart car that I wanted. Now, he didn't sound all that thrilled, but he said it just the same.

Problem is, I'm looking up information on the Smart car and I'm not sure it's worth the money. The city/hwy mpg has changed in the 2008 model to 33/41. In 2007 it was 40/45. That sounds more like it. If I'm going to pay $13,590.00 for a two-seater. I'd at least like to get more than 40 mpg at all times!

I've drawn my attention to other vehicles that get good gas mileage for a low price. The best I can find is the Toyota Yaris Sedan. It sits 5 people and gets 29/35 for the price of $15,805.00. I'm thinking that paying $2,215.00 more is worth fitting in three more passengers.

My point was to point out that I have a really loving husband. I'll keep an update on the quest for a more fuel efficient vehicle.

By chance, does anyone have any knowledge or opinion on fuel efficient vehicles and what's a good price for product?

Weekend Wounds

My brother-in-law, Steve, had an accident on his motorcycle on Saturday. He is OK, but will have to be in the hospital for this week, at least. It's not clear exactly what happened, but it seems the front wheel of his Harley locked up. There was about a 25 foot skid mark on the pavement and Steve was found about 4 feet from his motorcycle in a ditch. Him and a few other family members were headed out of Globe toward Show Low. He was with 3 or 4 other motorcyclists and a few more family members, including Kristi and their kids, were in a vehicle or 2. The other people on motorcylces realized he wasn't behind anymore and turned around. They found him and called Kristi to come back. He was flown to Scottsdale for surgery/treatment. He was conscious the whole time and speaking with everyone. We didn't get to see him at the hospital, or since then, but it sounds like he had a gash in his forehead and lip and he had a busted up thumb, elbow, and shoulder (both arms, I'm just not sure which elbow on which arm, etc.). He also had other injuries that didn't require surgery, like broken ribs and fractured Lumbar (sp?) in his lower back. Poor guy! He wasn't too happy about the predicament he found himself in and he says he is done with his motorcycle. We continue to thank God that his injuries weren't worse and we pray that he heals quickly and as pain-free as possible. Please keep him, Kristi, and the kids in your thoughts, as well!

Random Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the following topics:

1) Home Telephone: I don't have one. I haven't had one in 6 years (minus a couple months when we lived in Coolidge when I thought I would be doing daycare and was required to have a home phone). I have never needed it either. I often think about the day when a home telephone will be a thing of the past. For me, it already is. However, you wonder what kind of a bind you may find yourself in if you didn't have a reliable land line phone. Example: my friend, Dee, does not have a home phone. She was home one night with her kids and one of her daughters ran forehead-first into a TV and started to go unconscious. She desperately tried to call 9-1-1 on her cell phone and could not get it to work. She tried a few times, while trying to keep her daughter awake, with no luck getting through. She was able to call out to her sister-in-law and had her call 9-1-1 to have an ambulance come out to her house. Everything turned out OK, but what if?! There are so many "what ifs" in that situation. Is it enough of a "what if" to make me rethink my home phone theory? At this point... no. Maybe if I had multiple rug-rats running around getting banged up.

2) Angelina Jolie: Honestly, I envy her for her kids. This is weird for me to say because I am not necessarily the type of person to consider adoption. I am also not the type of person to consider having a total of 6 kids. But, I love how she adopted from 3 different countries and I love how each of the kids are ADORABLE! I also love that she has a little girl and twins of her own. I don't even know what the sexes are of her twins, but I don't care. I love that she has 3 adopted kids and 3 of her own. I don't know how I would handle the quantity of kids, but seeing the kids and thinking about sure makes me want to try! One at a time, of course. I don't want to have 5 kids just appear at the door step. You probably all think I'm crazy, but I've really been having this urge for more kids - as in multiple more! Weird, huh?!

3) Groceries: I have always been a big fan of Fry's. But, lately, my love for them has grown to an all-time high. They have GREAT sales! Last week I was able to stock up my pantry/refrigerator for about $110.00. You know how they tell you your total savings? Mine was $174.00 or so! This week I had a full cart for $80.00 and my savings was $120.00! One of the big sale items was 3 cases of Aquafina Water for $10.00. That's 72 bottles of water for 14 cents each! I was also able to stock up on Kellogg's cereal for $1.00 each! It's been helpful in this time of high fuel costs. I spend, on average, $500.00 in fuel in one month. Thank goodness Fry's is there to ease my burden when buying groceries!

4) Myspace: It's, like, so yesterday to me. It hasn't been very fun to me for a while now. I lost interest in finding people I use to know a long time ago. But, I have now lost interest in wanting to update my profile, my page, my song, my pictures, etc. I have also lost interest in looking at other people's pages and pictures, as well. In fact, when I look at other people's pages I see how ridiculous this website is. I'm not sure how to put this, but I shudder to think of what ridiculous stuff I have had or may still have on my page. I've learned a lot about people I know, as well as people I don't know. Some information is too much to handle. Just from my friends list I see things such as possible teenage sex, a possible desire to have an affair, and even a possibility that I have 2 female friends that may have had a crazy night (or more) - if you know what I mean (ick!). I see people in a whole new light that I may never really know if it wasn't for Myspace. The question is: Do I delete my page and move on. My answer: Definitely leaning toward yes.

5) Smart Car: They have grown on me! It is by far the funniest car I've ever seen, but it has major appeal for me. Don't give me that look!!! Did you not read in #3 that I pay $500.00 a month on gas? Jeremy was the first to mention that I should get one. I laughed it off because it is a two seater and I have a 3 person family. He said we should keep the Xterra and me and Andrew can take the Smart car everywhere else. I see his point only since the Xterra is paid off. Well, the other morning, I saw a pink one! That was it! I came to work, looked up the information on the Smart car, and was smitten! 45 mpg! That's well over 2 1/2 times better than what the Xterra gets! It still has quite a bit of trunk space, too. 8 cubic feet normally or 12 if you stack stuff to the roof. Hahaha! I laugh out loud picturing me driving one, but like I said, it's growing on me. What do you think? Can't you see me in this car? Hahaha! I love it!

Nothing left to do except nothing

I was a sicky sick head this weekend. That means I was miserable and I wanted to stay in bed. However, we had one of our busiest weekends planned. That was a HUGE bummer to me. However, it was quite uncomfortable sleeping. I was so stuffy and was trying to sleep with two pillows under my head, but then my neck hurt. I would wake up multiple times each night having to blow my nose, adjust the way I was sleeping, or simply to cough a lung up. I would freeze half the day (even walking in the 100+ degree heat outdoors) or I would be dying of heat the other half of the day (even in places I normally freeze because of the air conditioner). I had a hard time waking up this morning for work, but I think the worst of it is over. I hope I can rest tonight and tomorrow and be back on track Wednesday morning for work.
We had a BBQ at Josh and Cherish's house on Friday and we had our niece, Tess, over to stay the night. We had a good time at the Porter's house eating burgers, talking, and signing karaoke. Jeremy busted out a VHS recording of a high school talent show that involves a choreographed and vocal performance of a Backstreet Boys song. He performed with 4 of his friends/brother. We laughed (respectfully, of course). It was awesome that he happened to have that with him. He had to try and explain why he had it, but I won't even attempt to make an excuse as you probably won't believe it anyway. He probably just wants to be sure to show everyone he knows in case he can score a big gig in a boy band one day. We left their house around 10:45 pm when I was really thinking I might just die if I don't get home to bed at that very second.
Andrew and Tess fell asleep in the car, but woke up at 6:00 am! I woke up to Tess yelling in a very sleepy/grumpy voice, "Kara!", "Kara!" I had to stumble my sick, frail body out of bed to the hallway and ask, "What is it Baby Girl?" and her response was, "Andrew won't let me sleep!" Tess is used to getting her beauty rest and she was seemingly very upset to have it be disturbed. I went down and pleaded with Andrew to just let her rest and play with his toys by himself for a little while. He looked a little sleepy/grumpy, too, but not enough to give up playing with his toys to go back to sleep himself.
Then Tess realized the tent was not a full tent, just one of those kid tents that go over a twin bed. She seemed pretty bummed and I sympathized with her. I told her I'd take care of it. I went back upstairs, laid in bed, and told Jeremy that the kids wanted the big tent up. He tried to argue, but I said that the kids thought they were going to sleep in a real tent and that if he puts up the real tent we probably won't hear from them for a few hours because they'll play "camping" or something. I guess he didn't have any more arguments so he stumbled out of bed and set up the big tent for them in our front room. I went back to sleep until 9:00 am. Jeremy never went back to sleep. Instead, he did some yard work while alternating playing Rock Band. So, the award for lazy bum went to me!!!!
Jeremy had a basketball game in Glendale at 2:00 so we had to leave our house around 11:30 am to take Tess to her mom and take Andrew to my mom's house. On our way out to Glendale, Jeremy stopped at Walmart to get a new air filter for the Xterra. He popped it in and we were headed out to Glendale. But, wait?! The car was not wanting to go out to Glendale. It was vibrating and the RPMs were bouncing from 0 to 1 when we were idling. We made it to Glendale - we just had to keep giving it gas when we were stopped anywhere.
His 2:00 game didn't start until about 2:40. Then they decide to play another team that was there so they didn't have to play them next Saturday. Who knows what time that game started, but it ended at 4:50 and we were suppose to be at the D-backs game at 5:10. I was not a happy camper because I was freezing my butt off the ENTIRE time and I was NOT feeling good. Plus, I was hungry.
The Xterra somehow made it back to Phoenix for the D-backs game (we were just a tad late). We were very unhappy with every red light or car that was turning that we would have to slow down with along the way though. Don't these people and stop lights know that the car just needed gas to be happy?!

The D-backs game was fun (even if I wasn't feeling good). It was fun because the D-backs beat the Dodgers. That's all I cared about. I hate obnoxious Dodger fans. I hate people that are obnoxious about their teams in general, I guess. Don't hold this against me - remember I'm still a little sick (therefore, grumpy). In my opinion, there is no reason to get crazy or worked up over a stinking team of any sort. By you acting that way, are you going to help your team win? You look like a fool when you do that! OK - I need to get on a different subject because now I'm being the fool! Oh, and a fight broke out in the section next to us. I didn't see anything because all the nosies were standing up to see and I didn't want to be one of the nosies.

OK, we got the Xterra to make it to Gilbert to get Andrew and then home. Now it was shutting off completely if we slowed down too much for a turn. It REALLY wanted the gas pedal to be to the metal at all times. Hmmm... What was wrong with it? We wondered...

Thanks to Dallas making a stop by our house yesterday to take a peek at the Xterra, it's fixed! He didn't even need a tool or anything. It sounds like they popped the hood (which had been popped 2 times the previous day - by Jeremy and by Jeremy and my dad), Dallas stuck his head into the hood, and said, "Dude, plug that hose in!" So Jeremy plugged some hose in (that happened to be located near the air filter holder), they started the Xterra, and it was happy as can be. That's it.

Taking a Stroll Down Memory Lane

20 Years Ago...
1. I was 7 years old.
2. I lived in Chandler, AZ and was probably swimming all day long in our kidney bean shaped pool.
3. I was looking forward to going into 2nd grade.

10 Years Ago...
1. I was 17 years old.
2. I lived in Gilbert, AZ and wasn't into swimming much at this age, but I may have been laying out by our pool to get a tan. Also, I may have been driving around in my car ('89 Chevy Corsica) with Selene, Nicole, Mackenzie, or Camille, or out and about with my boyfriend, Marcos.
3. I was looking forward to going into my Senior year at Gilbert High. I was excited to only have to be at school for the first four classes. I also worked at Century 21 Gold Real Estate in Mesa, AZ.

5 Years Ago...
1. I was 22 years old. I was 3 1/2 months pregnant with Andrew.
2. Jeremy and I were engaged and had just moved into our house in Queen Creek in June.
3. I was planning a road trip to Wisconsin with Selene, Jeremy, and Josh. I was working full-time at Caretaker in Gilbert, AZ (the same company I'm at now).

3 Years Ago...
1. It was 2005 and I was 24 years old.
2. We had just moved in with Josh in Coolidge, AZ while we were waiting for our house to be built.
3. I was looking forward to when our house was built so I could be a stay at home mom.

1 Year Ago...
1. I was 26 years old and I was back to work at Caretaker in Gilbert, AZ.
2. Little did I know we were going to be finding a house and moving into it in a month in Florence, AZ.
3. I was looking forward to my 2nd Women's Retreat with the ladies from my church in Prescott.

Yesterday I...
1. Spent time with Andrew at the YMCA.
2. Cleaned the downstairs of my house.
3. Had dinner with Kimball, Talmage, Josh, Mindy, Manny, April, Kyle, and Victoria. We sure did miss having Kimball around for the last 2 years!

Today I...
1. Worked my butt off at work. I sent out late notices to homeowners and paid bills for my communities.
2. Will be heading over to the church to help keep some wild kids in order for Kids Zone.
3. Am looking forward to my day off tomorrow.

Tomorrow I Will...
1. Take Andrew to swim lessons and hang out at the YMCA again.
2. Watch a movie at home.
3. Go grocery shopping.

In the Upcoming Year...
1. I will continue to learn and grow daily in Jesus.
2. I hope to become a stay at home mom again.
3. I will continue to pray for more children that I can be a stay at home mom to. =)

That was fun! Thanks It's the little things