2000 to 2009

**changes**

i guess it's inevitable but these changes are kind of freaking me out a bit. but on the other hand they are kind of nice at the same time. how does that make sense?

i still get up at 6am because i can't stand my kids getting up to a quiet, dark house in the morning. but this year it's a little different because i don't have to spend 10 minutes trying to get my son out of bed to make sure he doesn't miss the bus. when we bought him school supplies we also bought an alarm clock. if he is old enough to drive his butt to school he can get himself up and in the shower.

and that's another thing. he can drive himself to school, he can leave campus during lunch, and he can get himself to and from wrestling practices and meets. i feel sort of sad about that but bailey loves it since i usually had her go get him after practice. LOL

one of bailey's best friends moves to monmouth on sunday to settle into her dorm at western oregon state university. i think those 2 are really going to miss each other. i am so glad that her other best friend will be staying here and going to college with her. i do for see
the 2 of them moving to portland next year and attending college there.

i start school on the 28th. scared...to...death. i am so worried about failing. it's been a long time since i attended classes and had homework. omg, speaking of college. my tuition is $1155. my books are just over $915. it's a racket i tell you. one of my classes had a book bundle that is $198. one of them is a book that i have. the exact one...not a previous version. this book is shrink wrapped with another book that i have but is a 7th edition whereas the new book is a 9th edition. i am pretty sure they just ripped out a page and called it the 8th edition and then did the same frickin' thing for the 9th edition. i might try asking the instructor if what if have is sufficient since i could really use that $198. here's my schedule:

• Monday 9-10 10-11 12-2 2-4:30
• Tuesday 9-10 10-11:30 12-1
• Wednesday 9-10 10-11 12-2 2-4:30
• Thursday 9-10 10-11:30 LOVE Thursdays!
• Friday 9-10 10-11 12-1
• Medical Terminology & Body Systems
• Editing Skills For Info Processing
• Formatting
• Typing Speed/Accuracy Development
• Word Processing: MS Word
• Business Orientation/Medical

please have my family forward my mail to the nearest mental hospital. oh, and come visit me at Christmas. LOL

around here we are getting excited for the holidays. bailey is dying for me to unpack the halloween decorations. that is her favorite holiday. cj's is thanksgiving since my mom is the best cook in the world. i think mine is christmas. i like the homey feel of it and how it isn't just one day. i got some rockin' christmas decorations last year in california. danea took me to a christmas store that was AMAZING. it's almost worth a plane ticket down just to see it this year. i should have take pics. maybe i can talk danea into going in there and taking some. ♥

i keep bringing up that Danea and her family need to come here for a visit. she agrees and then kind of moves the conversation on to a new subject. boo. i am going to keep trying. i miss that girl so much. have you ever just wanted to move to be by someone? if it wasn't for my mom i just might do it. there is no way that i could ever be away from her. ever.




























i also think i could live by my good friend sara i think we would get along great but there i no way in hell i would move to arizona. she would have to move to PoDunk as she so lovingly calls it. i know she loves seattle so i think she would live in PoDunk just fine.














bailey and her friends got to go to the David Cook concert at the oregon state fair. she loved it and even converted one of her friends to become a fan. ahem..becky.



















and we experienced Voo Doo Donuts for the first time. we first heard of it on the show Man vs. Food . bailey and her friends went to the zoo so while they were up there they brought donuts home. cj made sure she got him a glazed donut that was as big as his head. somebody told me that they sell day old donuts in a 5-gallon bucket for $5. score!
















i guess that's what's going on here. i hope all is well with you.

peace.

***god bless**

and never forget those that were there that day and those that are still fighting.

chubby bunny

wow, it's been a long time. i guess that means one of 2 things; i'm lazy or my life is terribly boring. is there an all of the above choice?

life is the same-same. bailey started working for mcdonald's at the beginning of the summer. i think she likes it OK. it will be flexible for her when school starts on sept. 28th and that is what she needs.













cj drives now and is totally loving it. (what 16yr. old doesn't) he is more than willing to run errands so that rocks! he doesn't quite grasp the concept that i am following the law and not letting him have a passenger until his 6 months are up. sometimes it is so hard to say no but you gotta' do what you gotta' do.

i am headed back to school again at the end of september. class every morning at 9am and taking 14 credits. cross your fingers and hold good thoughts please. i always liked school so if i just get my ass there every morning i will do just fine. don't forget...cross those fingers.

i'm getting anxious for fall. i don't know why considering the list of things that i always like to do to get ready:

• dump flower pots and winterize flower beds
• get carpets cleaned
• dig out all the fall decorations
• would love to get my windows washed
• hose down the deck
• take down the picnic table umbrella and bring in patio chairs
• mow lawn very short and edge so it looks good until the spring

but, when it's all done it feels and looks great. do you winterize your flower beds? i think this year i might get some of the harvested mint mulch. it smells amazing, it a dark brown color which i love on flower beds, and really protects the perennials. there is a large pile of it just before you get to corvallis and every time i pass by there i roll all my windows down so i can smell it. yum. can you tell i grew up around mint fields? my grandpa and my dad had acres of it. loved it when they burned the crops but then i love the field burning around here. reminds me of childhood and fall. wow, where did this ramble start?? ha ha ha

i just want to put it out there that i feel extremely blessed to have friends that can understand me and give me the space to be me. you know who you are and i love you more than you will ever know. i'm also immensely proud of my kids. bailey is such a deep, strong person. she's brave, loyal, funny, and caring. christopher is very caring as well. his acceptance of people's diversities is so great. his humor is awesome. he cracks us up all the time. you know, school isn't for everyone and it isn't for christopher either. he loves to go because of the social aspect but obviously hates the work and struggles with it. he keeps at it and as long as i keep an eye on it (thank god for the new website where i can go look at all his classes and the assignments in each of them). he always makes it work in the end.

now, saying all that here is what they spend some of their time doing when hanging out with their friends...whom i adore as well. both kids have great friends. i pretty much have 4 extra kids and i wouldn't have it any other way.

how many marshmallows can you get in your mouth and still say "chubby bunny"?
becky










kelsie










bailey










austin
winner w/ 8










cj











oh, and bailey turned 18 a week ago. we started out w/ a tattoo. my birthday gift to her. it's on the back of her left should. it's beautiful.












then they came home, went to an adult store, came home and primped, drove to Eugene to an 18&older club and then just for fun stopped at a strip club on the way home. i guess you can get in at 18 since there is no alcohol served. who knew? of course the girls made sure Bailey got a lap dance. apparently bailey wanted to grow up all in one day. god help me.



peace.

**stuck in the middle**

as if you haven't heard this before, i LOVE shauna glenn. i read her blog every day and have her as a friend on my facebook. IS IT 5 O'CLOCK YET?

this past weekend was BlogHer, a convention for female bloggers. apparently the keynote speaker had quite a story to tell. shauna thought it was extremely hilarious and posted a link to her blog. KNOTTY YARN
on said blog the author posted a video of that speech. i about died watching the video so i thought i would share. enjoy.




peace.

**big butt**

i found this cartoon on my favorite blog is it 5 o'clock yet?






















peace.

**insane??**

I saw this on the Cosmo Cricket blog and it cracked me up so i thought i would share and maybe make you smile on a Monday morning.

Life is really about two questions.......

Should I get a dog?














Or, should I have children?
















Or, if you're completely insane do both

peace.

**kambria.....no.......**

it can't be. seriously? noooooo.....

...and high school themed? my worst nightmare! though i do like Kevin and Lydia. i can't wait to see if they align. oh, let's not forget bigtits,oh,imeanLaura. can't stand her.

i am thrilled to have some summer tv. and 3 times a week rocks!

peace.

Evian Roller Babies

apparently they are test running this commercial to see if it would work on television. i say "hell ya!"

**snagged this from Kam's blog**

thought more of us could use the help to have a good day. thanks Kam!

**i have a sweet friend**

who isn't quite up to snuff. i am so sorry that she is having a little 'spin' of the sickies. take care mama'.

i started school yesterday. i think it went really well. both classes are pretty much a 'work at your own risk'. ha! jk. i was given a syllabus, had purchased a book, told what items needed to be handed in, and when the last day of class was. i have a little bit of a hard time staying on task in situations like these so that is why i opted to get my medical transcription certificate at the college and not in my previous home-study course. if i am thrown in front of the computer and told "go!" i do a lot better. so yesterday the guy yelled "go!" and off i went. i will say this: when did we go from this--

to this--??

















boy do i need to get out more. it's quite the handy dandy little thing. learn something new everyday....

i returned home from danea's in one piece. i am too old for the baby stage. her two boys are the best...just loud. ha! i don't remember the middle-of-the-night feedings or the diapers. which btw i avoided the entire whole trip. i got skills baby. asa has got to be one of the most clever children i have ever met. he seems to really think things through and comes up with the best options. he's going to be a lot of fun to watch grow up. i feel really blessed to know asa and odin and be their auntie. i am really anxious to see odin's personality when he gets a little bigger and the interaction between the 2 boys. i experienced the sibling relationship through my own 2 kids, a boy and a girl, so theirs will be a lot different i am sure.













it was great to catch up with danea. i miss having a best friend around. i wish i didn't have to get on a plane to have that. hopefully once odin is a little bit older she can come visit me like she used to. until then we will have to adore each other from afar.













one afternoon on my trip we headed out to anthropologie so danea and i could pick up a couple things i have been coveting on their website. what a store. i think salem should get one....cuz' you know albany never will. danea purchased my birthday present while we were there. i have been wanting these measuring cups for ages.
















i also have wanted these measuring spoons so i got them for myself.















anthropologie is located among other great shops all housed in this amazing outdoorish shopping center.























































we did a little outdoor shopping for sunglasses. i now have a pair of sunglasses that aren't scratched beyond belief. danea was her silly-as-usual self, odin slept and asa was in love with the water fountain. it was a great afternoon.






































































i hope all of you are having a great summer so far.

peace.

**what's up**

with me?? not too much. i am just hangin' out here in california at danea's house. and i am updating this blog on my laptop. which i hate. typing on one sucks. i am very glad that i have a keyboard that i plug in to it at home. and a wireless mouse. i don't know how people do it. blech.

why is it that almost as soon as i went to bed on the first night i was missing my kids terribly? i guess you just don't realize how much kids can effect every thing you do. oh, and what else am i missing? my dogs. what's up with that?! to hear my kids tell me, the dogs miss me as well. a little out of sorts. what cuties.

i felt bad leaving cj. he started getting a cold on friday night and it just continued to get worse over the weekend. when i woke him up monday morning to say goodbye he was in full-swing "i feel like shit" mode. his coughing was terrible and he sounded awful. i felt like a bad mom getting on the shuttle to the airport. he has had a couple bad days but sounded better when i talked to him tonite. his dad was at the store getting more nyquil. what sucks about it the most is it was finals week and there is no way he could stay home. he has been a trooper. i am glad tomorrow is the last day of school and it's only a half day.

bailey and her friend kelsie headed out this morning on their post-graduation road trip. their first alone. they are in newport living in my mom & dad's motorhome. mom & dad keep the motorhome parked in the park at the marina from may through august. it's all set up and ready to enjoy. that thing is amazing....better than the average hotel. the girls are going to have a great time. they have some stuff planned to go do while they are there. i love that they are getting away and be on their own. the girls will be home on friday night. she has been keeping me updated so i can worry a little less. lol

some random CA stuff:

• i think it's hot. danea and jeff don't
• asa has grown so much since i was here in december. he has been so cute.
• odin is such a cutie. he is so alert and strong. when you hold his hands he pulls up.
• danea is still getting meals from the mom's club so we haven't cooked monday or tonite. there is a meal coming on friday, too.
• i made lemon blossoms today. i think i might try changing the lemon pudding that is in the cake part of them to raspberry. i will make danea dunk them in the glaze since that is what i hate the most.
• danea helped me with my blog. we still have a couple things to change. i say we like i have anything to add to the process. lol

well, i guess i should head to bed.

peace.

Raymond - Sexy Mouse (3D animation, funny)

**and the storm passed**

of course, i knew it was going to happen. it is always crappy weather around my birthday. this was extremely crappy weather. scary even for some. we kept up with the news and had a few conversations with the high school as to whether or not they were going to cancel graduation and reschedule. the first time we called they said they didn't know for sure and to call back in 15 minutes. when we did they told us the district was going to wait out the storm and if worst came to worst they would head out to the stadium and tell us to go home. nice. so we went from this...


















to this...












and we came home without being rained on, blown away, or struck by lightning. at least it was an eventful graduation.

graduation was amazing. the valedictorian's speeches were awesome, and i couldn't be more proud of my little girl.













and i am very proud of these 2 as well. congrats becky and kelsie.













one of the best parts of last night was the feeling i got seeing the pride that cj had of bailey. i could tell by the way he talked. some of his friends were there for grads they knew so cj texted them and they came over to sit by us. they stood up and cheered....you know the "guy yell"....loudly....for bailey. for becky and kelsie too. kelsie's family was on the opposite side and when she came down off the stage her counselor pointed in our direction and said "i think your family is on THIS side". gotta' love guy yells. matter of fact the lady in front of us turned around and jokingly asked cj if they could give her a heads up when they were going to cheer again. she jumped a foot when the did it the first time.

my mom told me this morning that when they found bailey in the crowd (we were still looking) she saw cj walk up and give her a huge hug....a really huge hug. i love those two. makes me a little jealous that i didn't have that sibling thing.

alright, proud momma will step down from her soap box. i am all set for tomorrow. the party should be great. the paper showed just clouds, no rain, for tomorrow. keep your fingers crossed. thanks.

have a great weekend!

peace.

**marge out**

**front row**

my good friend, sara, forwarded an email to me that had an awesome message in it. i thought i would share it with you since it has so much meaning. i see this with teenagers, people my age, and it even happens with people my mom's age. trust me, i've seen it. apparently we never outgrow it. so here it is....

Everyone Can't Be In Your Front Row

Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully.
Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough
to have a front row seat in our lives.

There are some people in your life that need
to be loved from a distance.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you LET GO,
or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you.
Pay attention to:
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill,
and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have DRAMA or don't really understand,
know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

The more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth,
the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW
and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you...
but you can change the people you are around!

Ask God for godly wisdom and discernment
and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

'Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level,
doesn't mean you sink to theirs!'
















we are on graduation countdown.....4 1/2 days!! i am so excited for my baby. i remember what these days felt like. i hope she remembers them forever. we have an awards dinner on Monday where she is being presented an award. the invitation doesn't say for what so i am on pins & needles to find out. i am so stinkin' proud of that girl, you can't even imagine. i am not sure what i did to deserve such awesome kids but i am glad i did it. btw, concerning bailey's graduation, she is having a grad party on saturday the 6th. it always rains on the 6th because it's my birthday. i don't think i have ever had a birthday with sunshine. could you please think good non-rain thoughts?? i really would like most of the people to be able to go outside rather than trying to find a place to stand inside. thanks.

can i just say that i miss American Idol being on? (pouting and stamping foot) i really liked watching the contestants sing a song that i know and comparing it to the original. what does that say about me? am i judgemental?? nah. but i do miss finding out what in the hell adam was going to wear, how much guy-liner he would have on, and what he did with his hair. silly.

did i tell you that i am taking a trip to california to see my best friend, danea, her 2 babies, and...and...and, oh yea! that's right...her hub. i am so excited to get on a plane and switch-up my schedule a little bit. it's going to be awesome to hang with baby odin and cutie-pa-tootie asa. i am taking him a harmonica. bring on the noise! i think sara sent him something that makes noise too, so we are going to be in music mode while i am there. (i think i just heard her say "holy crap!"...it was faint but i am pretty sure i heard it).

well, i am registered for summer school. i am getting a jump on a couple classes for the fall term. i finally realized that i don't have the 'priority gene' that is required for getting a degree at home. i decided that i needed to go to a brick-and-mortar school so studying get's put first during the day. i had previously enrolled in an on-line program for medical transcriptionist. it consisted of 2 courses. after taking me at least twice as long, i finished the first course. the second one, not so much. so i went to LBCC and enrolled in their medical transcription certification program. three terms. that's it. not too bad. a few of the classes will be repeat information since i did finish the first course at home. they are about the actual medical terminology and you can never have enough knowledge when it comes to the way the medical field talks about normal crap. i think there are like 3 medical terms for every simple word. so this summer i am taking a computer class and an advanced typing class to build speed and accuracy. not too bad, 2 hours a day, 3 days a week, and only 5 weeks. tuition isn't cheap though. $74 a credit. when i went there in 1989 it was around $36 a credit. crazyness. (oh crap, i sound like an old person..."when i was in school...")

just thought i would let you know that i now have a barn, can plant pumpkins, and have a ton of $$ to upgrade. jealous? i am playing a game on facebook where i farm. it is total geek-y-ness but i love it. a handful of my friends from high school play as well so i am not the only one. hmmm....what does that say about south albany high school?? jk, even though i am now officially a west albany high school-er.
















(i snagged this picture from another blog, it is their farm. i have trees and a barn and a ton of animals!! so there!)
it is actually pretty fun. you plant crops, harvest them, sell the crops, make the money to buy seeds to replant. then you can expand. you can send gifts to your neighboring farmers and/or harvest other people's crop to earn extra money. sweet! ha ha ha.

well, i gotta' find my bib-overalls and get to the farm!


peace.

**crop, paper, scissors**

i finally went out for an evening last night. anne and i went to a crop at a kick-butt scrapbook store in Independence called Runs with Scissors. we had the best time not only at the crop but on the ride over and back visiting. good friends are the best at that. they have the most amazing chairs and crop tables that were completely covered with cutting mats. they also had a Cricut Expressions die-cut machine with all the cartriges, that i would love to have. sadly, i didn't take the time to play with it last night so i will make sure i do it next time.

anne made us dinner....turkey with feta and cheddar cheese. it was heaven. we also took other GBS-friendly snacks. i now have a recipe for delicious almonds that i have to try. thanks mama!! ♥♥

i loved the american idol finale show. i was taping it on TIVO and waited to start it an hour after it began so i could fast forward through all the stuff that wasn't performed by adam or kris. but.....it got me and i watched the whole damn thing. want proof?.....Queen Latifa, you SO should not have worn that black body suit. gasp. but, my boy won. i wasn't as shocked as "it was rigged" and "total upset" screamers, i think he just got the danny votes. anyway, yay!















david cook came back and performed the song "permanet" that he wrote about his brother's suffering due to brain cancer. the song was written and released on his first album. his brother died about a month or so ago. i have no idea how he got up there and performed that song but i know that i was.....BAWLING. stories like that kill me. a long time ago he had agreed to attend a cancer walk. his brother died the day before and he went to the walk anyway. he spoke about how he could not 'not' attend and how important the research for cancer was. i thought that was pretty cool.
















life has been a little frantic over here for me. i probably make it harder than it needs to be. i'm just sayin'. bailey is graduating on the 4th of june and i have been planning her party, her gift, and sending out announcements and invitations.

my good friend Sara made the invitations for the grad party. i emailed her a "general" version of it and then she did her 'thang'. she changed the colors to match the actual book, did all the adjustments to fit 2 on a page so i could print them on photo paper myself, and she even elongated the hair on the boy in the hot air balloon to make it look more like a girl. she then added all the altered information to match the event. i couldn't have asked for a better invitation. thanks Sara!! click on the invitation to enlarge it so you can read it.



















in the last 11 months there have been a lot of changes in my home, my family, and me. i have finally made it to a place where i feel "clear". i don't know if that makes sense but it feels good to know who i am and what i want and be happy with that.

i ran across this song by Kelly Clarkson months ago and it fit how i have felt about myself. i don't know what this song is to her but there are parts of it that ring true for me. it's a great song and somehow speaks to me. it is not about a person but about me and a process and change.

And I Don't Know
This Could Break My Heart Or Save Me
Nothing's Real
Until You Let Go Completely
So Here I Go With All My Thoughts I've Been Saving
So Here I Go With All My Fears Weighing On Me

Three Months And I'm Still Sober
Picked All My Weeds But Kept The Flowers
But I Know It's Never Really Over

And I Don't Know
I Could Crash And Burn But Maybe
At The End Of This Road I Might Catch A Glimpse Of Me
So I Won't Worry About My Timing, I Want To Get It Right
No Comparing, Second Guessing, No Not This Time

Three Months And I'm Still Breathing

Been A Long Road Since Those Hands I Left My Tears In But I Know
It's Never Really Over, No

Wake Up

Three Months And I'm Still Standing Here
Three Months And I'm Getting Better Yeah
Three Months And I Still Am

Three Months And I'm Still Breathing
Three Months And I Still Remember It
Three Months And I Wake Up

Three Months And I'm Still Sober
Picked All My Weeds But Kept The Flowers

and on that happy note i will get out of here and back to trying to organize my thoughts for this party. i am so freaked that i might forget something. wish me luck.


peace.

Season Finale: Last 5 Minutes

Want more American Idol videos? Click here.

**woot woot**

**is it just me??**

or does anyone else find these creepy?

this is SOAP!!!

have a good day...if you can now that you have seen these. blech.

**you are all so special**

**tagged**

It's the **8** Things post.

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Bailey's Graduation


2. CJ getting his license


3. Starting work as a Transcriptionist


4. Going to CA to visit Danea


5. Summer


6. Starting to Scrapbook again


7. Having the kids home on Summer Vacation


8. Cooking for my Mom's Party

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Finished Printing Bailey's Grad Party Invited


2. Went to the Dollar Store and bought Grad Party Supplies


3. Went to Hallmark for Mom's Day card


4. Grocery shopping


5. Watched American Idol and Biggest Loser


6. Tended my Farm on Facebook


7. Took a nap


8. Set-Up a step to help my cat Raven jump up to her food table. She's fat and old.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Tend a Garden without killing it


2. Learn to jog


3. Go spend a huge amount of Money on awesome Clothes


4. Paint the walls in my home to give it some Color


5. Take my kids on a Vacation


6. Learn how to take Great Photos


7. Visit Danea more Often


8. Go to Cooking School

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Bones


2. The Closer


3. Criminal Minds


4. Clean House


5. The Ghost Whisperer


6. Life


7. House


8. Intervention

Well, there you have it MISS ANNE. I finally did a tag! LOL ♥ The bloggers that I would tag were taken by Anne so I guess I will just leave you with my list.

peace.

**determination**

this picture seems to have come to me at the right time. look how determined he is.

have a lovely weekend.


peace.