Camp HappyBadFun!

Incoherent Babbling...

It's 2:38 in the morning and I can't sleep. I have this habit of falling asleep just as soon as my head hits the pillow and then waking about 10 minutes later fully energized. How do I get my body to realize now is not the time to power-nap?!? Ugh. Anyway...my mind was racing over a hundred different, yet equally inconsequential things, so I thought I'd get up and do something productive. Oooor...I could blog, instead! :-P Please forgive the randomness of this post…

Yesterday my husband asked me to say the blessing over dinner. So I did. Or at least I tried to. As I was in a rather formal mood (3 boys who all smell like dirt and sweat mingled with lime popsicle will do that to you!) I started my prayer out in this uncharacteristic manner: “Our Dear Lord and Father, God of all the Heavens, Creator of the Universe…” I was stunned to hear a rather bland yet emphatic “Snooooore.” come out of my husband’s mouth before I could say another word. :-O Can you go to hell for that? ;-)

I've mentioned before that my 2 older sons are guitarists, right? Well they finally got a band going and last weekend they performed twice. Now backing up a bit...2 nights prior, they had watched another band play and they were more than a little intimidated by them, especially because they knew they were going to be performing in front of these same guys 2 nights later. The other band has played together for some time and the band members are all in their late teens - early 20’s. Our boys range in age from 12 to 17 but collectively, they have nearly 25 years of training between them. Still, I think they were more nervous than any of them cared to admit. Well...they got up there and they played their hearts out. When they finished, the lead guitarist and drummer of the other band immediately came up to Spence and before long, he was encircled by kids all asking questions. The funny thing about him is, he still has no idea how good he really is. It was very exciting to see a dream of theirs come true!

My sister called me tonight to tell me my parents had bought a dog. Not really a big deal unless you consider the fact that they haven’t owned a pet in 25 years. It’s a 5 month old maltese/cockapoo mix they’re tentatively calling “Mimi”. I have this little pet-peeve (pah-dum-pum) about giving animals human names. There’s nothing worse than calling out to your dog “Heeeeeeeeeere Bridget…..come on girl!” in front of your friend, also named Bridget. I should know as that is my dog AND a dear friends name. The dog was 3 when we got her so it seemed a little late to be changing her name, but still, I think it’s just asking for awkward moments and let’s face it, nobody needs more of those in their life. The odd thing is….now everybody’s naming their kids dog’s names! Madison and Brooklyn and Riley! All dogs names! How embarrassed do you think those parents are gonna be when they call out to their kid, “Heeeeeere Riley….come on girl!” and their neighbors dog comes! That’ll show ‘em! :-P

So Paris Hilton may be the only person you can get an STD just by looking at, and it seems I’m not the only one complaining. The Parents Television Council is taking matters into their own hands regarding the pornographic commercial for Carl’s Jr that is currently airing. If you’d like to let CKE Restaurants (owners of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s) know how you feel, you can email them here. Btw…some of you might not be as concerned because you’ve either never seen the commercial or don’t have Carl’s Jr. where you live. They plan to introduce this commercial next month for Hardee’s restaurants as well, so if you need a little proof, the above link shows the ad. I can’t imagine anybody not being offended that our children are seeing this garbage. Also, Jeff mentioned in the comments section of the aforementioned post that the best way to impact them is thru the $$$. I fully agree and intend on doing so…I just intend to let them know many many times that I am doing it. ;-)

I talked Rocket Man into taking the day off work today and that always makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something worthwhile with that single act. We had a wonderful day driving up to the mountains and wandering around a little town called Truckee. I brought some of the music that I’d mentioned in my Convertible Music post but Rocket Man wanted something different. So before we headed home, we spent an hour wandering around all of Truckee looking for the only music store in town and bought The Best of The Cars cd for the drive home. And yeah….we had the sunroof open and the music cranked. :-)

My friend Krista knows I love Will Ferrell and she bought me The Best of Will Ferrell-SNL Vol. 2. I can’t wait to watch it! Thanks Kballio! You’re the best.

We went out to dinner and then to the movies tonight with some friends. I’m gonna do a separate post about the movie but I just wanted to say that I saw the trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia and I CANNOT WAIT to see the movie! I read the series for the first time when I was a freshman in high school and have read all seven books at least 5 times through and some at least 7 times. I will be so disappointed if they did a cheesey job with this movie. If you haven’t read the books, you should! Now. Like..RIGHT NOW! Hehe…The movie comes out at Christmas! YAY!!!

Ok...I'm getting sleepy so I'll save my movie review for tomorrow! G'nite, kids!

You Know What I Am?

I'm one of those obnoxious people who never watches a tv program, never watches a full season of sports, never watches anything...then I show up for the season finale, or the World Series or play-off championship and act like I really care who wins. The last time I actually cared who won anything was when the Angels and the Giants were in the World Series a few seasons back and then I REALLy cared.

So last night, I watched American Idol and had mixed emotions about the entire event. Carrie has a good voice and seems like a sweet girl. Bo has a good voice and seems like a nice guy. Neither of them could induce me to buy their CDs. So the mixed emotions comes because I am SO not a country music fan and very much the rocker girl, but if I had to say who has the better pipes, I'd have to say Carrie, even though Bo puts on a much better show.

The other season finale I watched was Alias. My boys have been faithful viewers, unlike me. I missed about 2 seasons and it's been hard to catch up. I did figure out, last night, that some crazy chick was trying to take over the world, and can I just say, that theme has kinda been played out. If they want viewers to take their show seriously, at least make the plot line somewhat plausible. And the "Sloan Clone"??? Seriously...that is SO Pinky and the Brain.

I watched part of the Contender on Tuesday. What's with parents letting their children watch their fathers get the snot beat out of them? I seriously wanted to beat Jesse's woman with a club. Her little girl--about 3 or 4 years old-- was sitting on her lap agonizing as she watched her daddy in the ring. I'm sorry, but that's child abuse. I changed it cause i was too mad.

So there you have it. My thoughts about things I've invested very little time in and yet still have an opinion about. Imagine that. :-P

Convertible Music

The rain has finally abated here in sunny California and I'm restless to get out and enjoy some of this sunshine. There's nothing like going for a drive along the California coast, or meandering through the wine country or exploring the lush redwood forest with the top down (or windows open) and great music to revive the spirit. So here's a short list (subject to additions) of some of my favorite "convertible music":

Doobie Brothers - "Rockin' Down The Highway"
U2 - "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (although just about any U2 song would be great)
Sheryl Crow - "Every Day is a Winding Road" or "Soak Up the Sun" or even "All I Wanna Do"
Hootie & The Blowfish - "I Only Wanna Be With You"
Boston - "Smokin' "
Lynard Skynard - "Sweet Home Alabama" and "What's Your Name?"

To Whom It May Concern:

As a longtime patron of Carl’s Jr. Restaurants, I am writing to tell you that you will no longer be receiving my family’s business. For several years you have sought to push the envelope with your titillating advertisements and in-your-face attitude. Well, you’ve gotten in my face one too many times and now I’m getting in yours. The commercial with Paris Hilton is flat out pornography and it disgusts me. You have the profound opportunity to affect your culture for good but instead you use your influence to degrade society. Did it ever occur to you that young children would be watching that commercial? Did any of you brilliant executives ever stop to wonder if this was a good idea? You remind me of a bunch of junior high boys getting away with a tawdry and juvenile prank.

Have a good laugh, boys…I’ll be laughing, too, the next time I drive by your restaurant.

Like I Need A Stupid Quiz...

...to tell me What Kind Of A Prostinator I Am. Although, I must say...there is something comforting about a legitimate diagnosis. This is legitimate isn't it?

P.S. I found this at Lemur Girl's place and, yes, I know the text got eaten up but what's a girl to do when Jim decides to take a freaking vacation, huh??? :-)

Weekend Ramblings...

My weekend was crazy-busy, but good! Our church puts on a car show every year to raise funds for various needs and yesterday was the big day! We had over 130 of the most beautiful hot rods and custom cars and hundreds of spectators. It's always a lot of fun to see so many people come out and contribute to a worthy cause.

This year, we are allocating most of our earnings towards a project in Haiti. As you know, Haiti is a very poor, very volatile country. This past year was especially difficult with political unrest and hurricanes devastating this small island. We are putting together a team of mostly men and supplies, then will be sending them to help build a church for these good people.

After church this morning, Rocket Man took me out to lunch because he said I looked too cute to take home. (YAY HIM FOR BEING SWEET!) I've been doing the low-carb thing for forever and a day and I'm bored to deeeeath of it! A friend and I decided we were going to try something different starting with a cranberry juice detox so I ate like a...well....like a woman who hasn't eaten bread in a year! ha! We went to Chili's and I got the chipotle blue cheese and bacon burger and LOTS of fries AND a small caesar salad AND dessert! Oy....i felt HORRIBLE afterwards and now i can't WAIT to start detoxing tomorrow!!!

Tonight we gathered at the Arco Arena where the Sacramento Kings play and listened to a man by the name of Jackson Senyonga share what God has been doing in Uganda. He is a pastor of over 40,000 there! Does that number just blow you away or what? Just a few years ago, over 1/3 of their population had AIDS. Today less than 5% of them are infected with this horrible disease. It was very inspiring and very encouraging to see what is happening in this small country in Africa. If you get a chance to hear him as he travels the country, make every attempt to do so; your life will be changed.

I remembered a few days ago that I was supposed to get my drivers license renewed last week. Man, I hope I don't have to pay extra because I let it expire. And I have to take a new picture. Won't that be fun! :-|

Rocket Man is going to San Diego for the week on Tuesday. There's something morally and ethically wrong about him going without me. I miss him already.

In this morning's sermon, I was reminded of a scripture (Proverbs 19:17) that says:
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.
I like knowing God is indebted to me. It's very cool.

My friend Casey has an interview Monday morning with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's a writer and has been interning with various NFL teams. If you get a chance, go wish him well...then you can say you knew him before he became Mistah Big Shot. ;-)

Well...I guess it's time for bed. Hope you all like the new digs. And if you don't, blame Jim! haha!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM, EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T READ THIS 'CAUSE IF YOU DID, I COULDN'T TALK ABOUT YOU! HAHA!!!

Honey, I'm Home!

I know...I know...I kinda dragged my feet getting here--I guess I got attached to the old place and I needed a little adjustment time to make the transition.

Didn't Sadie and Jim do a lovely job making it all cozy and homey? I really liked my template at the blogger site so I asked Sadie to keep it. Ya know, it really is amazing to me that people who don't even know me would take time out of their busy lives to help a virtual (haha..get it!) stranger. Thanks to both of you!

So...if you come looking for me, this is where you'll find me now. When I'm not nesting, I'll be annoying my new neighbors and generally making a pest of myself! YAY!!!

Don't Bother Knocking...

...ain't nobody home!

If you're not selling anything, you can find me at my new home!

Karnival Of Kidz #4

This is my eldest son, Spencer. Bob and Jona remember him at this age. In fact, "Bob" was the first word he learned only it came out "Bok" and later "Uncle Bok" instead. hehe

Isn't he a cute little hobbit with those chubby little legs and cute little toes and sweet little overbite! (I wish it was focused more but if you click on the pic to enlarge it, it looks better!)

Morning, Kiddies!

Just popping in to say hi to everyone. It's been a very hectic few days. We traveled out of town for a memorial service for my uncle on Saturday . He had been ill for a long time so it wasn't a surprise, but sad, nonetheless. My parents took 2 days driving up as my dad is still on IV drugs and very weak. It was stressful to have them on the road, through stormy weather, but there was no talking them out of it. They are home and resting now and that makes all of us feel much much better.

Add to that more high-drama from military brother, a HUGE and UGLY fight with a dear friend who pushed my buttons when he ought not to have, a little boy who keeps getting in trouble at school, and a car show this weekend where I'm in charge of all food and I'm just loopy from it all!

I was really hoping to make the move into my new blog home this week but I wanna do it when I can sit back and enjoy it and this week that just isn't going to happen. Ya'll don't mind hanging around this ol' ghetto for a bit longer, do ya?

Bear, Jeff, and Harvey have a great convo going in the comments section to my last post. Wish I had time to join in... Btw...Bob (Bear) got MAJOR points for identifying the LOTR quote. That is the BEST LINE EVER!!! And yes, in case you were wondering, I DO say it often and I DO the whole ripping off of the (imaginary) helmet, raising of the sword (or whatever happens to be in my hand--a loaf of french bread, a spatula, butter knife, etc ) and thrusting said item into the King of the Nazgul's head. Or a head of iceberg. Btw...It's very effective if you do it right about the time your kids get mouthy with you. hehe...

Rocket Man (hubby) took yesterday off and we enjoyed a day of shopping (he endured cause he's so sweet) dining out and even saw Kingdom Of Heaven. Not sure I'd call it a great movie, but Orlando Bloom was all the heaven I needed! ;-)

Anyway....I have a few posts to finish up....maybe next week! Hope all is well with everyone. And please feel free to stick around....the door is open, help yourself to the food and whatever else you can find!

Mother's Day...Natie Style!

So, like many school aged children, my Nathaniel made a Mother's Day card for me in class. He drew a perfect flower and even colored inside the lines, then wrote in his best penmanship, "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!"

And then (have you noticed there's always an "and then" with Natie?) as though it was an afterthought, underneath the flower was a pencil-drawn picture of a sword and the words, "I AM NO MAN!".

God, I love that kid.

P.S. Bonus points for the person who knows where that quote came from! ;-)

Karnival of Kidz #3

This is my baby Christian when he was about 4 weeks old. hehe...

The Wonderful World Of Nate-dawg

Yesterday, while we were driving in the car, Nathaniel says to me:

"Mom, there's this kid at school who's always getting picked on. So I offered to be his lawyer."

"Uhh...can you do that?" I asked, to which he quickly and authoritatively replied, "Yep."

Alrighty then...I guess that's the end of that conversation. :-P

Just a few more days...

...before the big move! Get ready Munuvians because you've got new neighbors movin' in and things are never gonna be the same!!!

Pack Your Bags, Kids!

Cause we're movin' on uuup...to the eeast side....we finally got a .... piece of the ....sky? pie? fly? How does that song go???? I usually just mumble after "east side"...

Anyway...Sadie and Jim have been working like fiends gettin' the new digs ready for the Big Move. Sadie did all the painting and decorating and Jim did all the plumbing and wiring. My thanks to both of you for your generosity.

I have a few more things to take care of before we make the move, but I have to say that I'm gonna miss this place. It's been my first blog home and I think a tear or two will be shed when I close the door for good.

Having said that....I've always wanted to own LOTS of real estate so there's a good chance I may just keep her as my "summer cottage". No worries though...you're all invited to come along. My home is yours. :-)

Awww....Stuff A Matzo Ball In It, Sister!

So....I teach a Bible study every Wednesday. It's a nice little Bible study. We have tea and scones and nice women come and we study things like...the Bible and stuff.

I thought I was a fairly decent bible study teacher, too. Until today. Today I had a truly icky moment in bible study teacherdom. Today I had a Jewish scholar come to my bible study. A Jewish scholar from ISRAEL. A Jewish scholar who likes everybody to know she's a Jewish scholar. Yeah. Somebody kill me now.

Had she smiled pleasantly and nodded knowingly as I expounded on the cultural and spiritual rift between the Samaritans and Jews during Jesus' day, that would have been lovely. But no...she couldn't be content to let me wow them with my almost- impressive grasp of the situation. As I was waxing eloquent, she put her hand up in the air in the universal "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" fashion and said with an expression that could only be described as "pained restraint",

"I would like to 'discourse' with you on this matter."

"Oh. Crap. Here it comes." was all I could think.

I immediately tried to recall all the things I'd learned in "Teacher's Survival Training 101" but that only prepared me for 4 year olds. Still, "IF YOU LOVE JESUS, HOP ON ONE FOOT!!!" didn't seem like such a bad idea right about then...

And that was how the next hour and a half continued. I would say something and she would "discourse" about it. At length. Only there really wasn't any "discoursing" since we weren't actually invited to participate in the "discourse" because...well...she's the Jewish scholar, (did you get that? JEWISH. SCHOLAR.) not us.

At one point, she said something that I found interesting and it must have registered on my face because she looked at me and said,

"Well, you have to understand...I'm a Jewish scholar."

to which I immediately replied with,

"Yes, *smile* I know, *smile* and that would explain *smile* why I'm having *smile*one of the most intimidating *smile* experiences of my life. *smile smile smile*"

Now, please understand, I'm very open to people sharing what is on their heart...sharing anything that is pertinent to the study. I don't even mind people being smarter than me--in fact, I'm quite good at it! What I have a problem with is a total stranger coming in, taking over and becoming the center of attention. That is completely out of line. "It's not about you, Tikvah, so SHUT IT!"

Anyway...I tried to be gracious and kind but it was an exhausting experience. The only upside was that I was told I handled it well....which probably is a result of me not jumping on one foot singing, "I LOOOOVE JEEEESUS!!!"

But ohhh how I wanted to... ;-)

This Is The Song That Never Ends...

....you're gonna wish you could remember that song after you look at this which I stole from Jim who lifted it from some little blog.....who swiped it from...who knows where...

P.S. This is a great babysitter if you're ever in a pinch!

Kidz! Everywhere...Kidz!!!

Karnival of Kidz has posted! Sally of Whimsy Capricious did an outstanding job...so go see!

My Baby....

We were walking along the American River yesterday morning and Nathaniel started singing a song. I thought you'd all want to hear him. SOOO CUTE!