Camp HappyBadFun!

Movie Star Sighting!

So my sister and sister-in-law and I were at the grocery store in Dana Point buying grub for the masses and were walking down an aisle when I see a familiar face. When you see a face you recognize, you immediately think “Hey! A friend!” and then you instantly want to go say “Hi Friend! What’s up?” That’s when your brain kicks you in the head and says “You dork! You don’t actually know this person! Do NOT embarrass yourself!” Then you look away and tell yourself “I can do this. I can be cool around this person. I can act like I’ve seen tons of stars in my life and I am totally and utterly unphased by this occurrence.” Yeah….YOU could do it and I could do it…unfortunately, my SISTER couldn’t. OY… she sees him just as we approach the checkout line he’s in, points her finger directly at him and says “HEY!!! DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS!?!?!” just as he turns in our direction. He looks her square in the eyes as he passes by her wilting finger and gaping hole of a mouth to get a forgotten item. Her mouth uttered something unintelligible as we helped her pointy finger down from its perch. For an instant, I thought I could pretend I wasn’t with her but...well…she is my sister and all…

OH! I forgot to tell you who the star was. It was Anthony Edwards—Goose from Top Gun and Dr. Mark Greene from ER. Hehe…

I am...like....SO back!

Well I came here ready to blog and Munu was Nomo’. Waaahhh.... anyway...it seems to be back up. Way to go, Pixy!

So why is it life passes so quickly when it’s at its finest? I seriously had one of the best vacations ever! It was just fabulous. The only way it could have been better was for it to have lasted longer. We spent our first 3 days doing the Disneyland thing and hanging around the pool. Natie had never (GASP!) been to Disneyland so it was great fun watching him discover it for the first time. We’d even purchased a cell phone for the older boys before the trip so they could be free to do their own thing but they seemed to want to stick around and be with the Natester. The lines were amazingly short averaging maybe 20 minutes at most and proving there is a God and He hates waiting in lines too. :-P

As wonderful as Disneyland was, I think we were even more excited about getting together with my family. Aside from a niece and nephew who couldn’t make it, we were all present and accounted for and that is no small accomplishment for this family!

I’m going to do a few separate posts over the next few days but I just wanted to say “hi” and “I’m home!” and “the kids are back in school, thank you Jesus!” and all is good.

More to come shortly. :o)

YAY! VACATION TIME!

We're heading out for Disneyland and the lovely So. Cal. coast tomorrow.

Back in a week! :-)

Christian Michael is 14 Today!

Yep...the Chrisper is 14 today. He is as sweet as ever. God, I love this boy!

God of Wonders

Sometimes we wonder if God really cares about the "small stuff". My friend Jerry sent this to me a few days ago reaffirming what I know to be true: God really is good and He really does care!

So, we’ve been looking for someone to run our little low powered radio station for months now. We have to have someone NOW because it’s time to go public….all the bugs are worked out except for who’s gonna run day to day operations.

Sometimes you wonder if you are actually doing God’s work……sometimes He REALLY lets you know…

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Crazy Nate Day!!!

Today my boy turns 10. I can truly say there has not been a dull day since he came into our lives but I shoulda seen that coming from the look in those eyes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATE-DAWG, YOU CRAZY, WILD LOVE OF MY LIFE!

What Women REALLY Want

Mean Mr. Mustard provoked some very intriguing thought stemming from a therapist who suggested that the majority of men think the most important and reassuring thing they could express to a woman is "You're the one I love." She contends that what women really want from a relationship is to know "You're the one I'm going to take care of."

Not having the benefit of having heard this woman define “take care of”, for the sake of argument, I’m going to assume that she’s implying that a woman’s primary concern is for her welfare and security. If that’s the case, this woman has dug a little too far and exposed basic human instincts rather than the unique heart of a woman.

My belief is that there are 4 things that motivate the feminine heart and that is either affirmed or devalued by the men (fathers, brothers, friends as well as boyfriends, husbands) in her life.

First, I think a woman wants to know that she is beautiful. All you have to do is look around you to see that this desire for beauty is an ever present concern. What’s so sad is that the entertainment industry has exploited, redefined, perverted and held beauty at a standard so unrealistic that most women end up feeling dumpy and inadequate because they don’t look like Catherine Zeta Jones and never will.

But think back, if you’re a woman, to the fairy tales of your youth. Think back to stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and ask yourself, “Who did I identify with in these stories?” I daresay there would be very few who daydreamed about being the wicked step-mother or the evil witch. No, every one of us dreamed about being the heroine….the beauty, because that is how we saw ourselves when our desires were still pure and uncensored. The question our heart asks to this day is, “Am I beautiful?”

I have a friend who, at age 39 and 5 kids later, can still make a room come to a screeching halt the moment she walks through the door. If she wasn’t so incredibly sweet and funny, I’d be tempted to hate her. She’s just that beautiful. She’s also in a miserable marriage with a man who barely notices she’s alive let alone breathtakingly beautiful. My friend, for all her smiles and kindness, exudes sadness to the depth of her core and the question her clothes, makeup and hair asks is “Am I beautiful?”

I have another friend blessed with all daughters. Her girls were brushing their hair and putting on pretend makeup and wearing princess costumes right about the same age my boys were making guns out of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Nobody taught them to do it; it was in them.

And don’t think I’m implying that every woman is obsessed with the desire to be drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Hollywood’s best efforts, most women have retained their sense of self and recognize the desire to be loved for our entire being, not just the parts that can be seen. In other words, we’re not that shallow no matter what they try to tell us.

I think what we really want is to captivate the man we love with the beauty that comes from our minds, from our souls, and, yes, from our bodies as imperfect and ever-changing as they are. A woman wants to know that there’s no other woman who moves his heart the way she does. We want to know that we are completely and utterly lovely to him.

(I think the biggest question we women need to ask ourselves is if we are ok with that. Have we reacted in a knee-jerk way to both the feminist movement and the Hollywood hype? I hope not. I hope we can be comfortable with wanting to be beautiful as well as smart and competent because it really is ok.)

Second, and I think this one is much more ambiguous—a woman wants to be fought for. I’m not talking about the cheap bar-room brawl kind of fight spurred by the kind of guys Britney Spears would marry, nor am I talking about the Hollywood version of the brawny man rescuing the damsel in distress who has tripped over her own feet because she’s just that stupid as the monster or bad guy descends up her. I despise both of those insulting scenarios.

What I’m talking about is the heroic and masculine heart that fights for a woman’s heart. I’m talking about the man who moves across country so his wife can pursue the job she’s always dreamed of. I’m talking about the guy who doesn’t let her get away with saying “Nothing” when asked, “What’s wrong, honey?” I’m talking about the man who values her heart and valiantly protects it against anything that would seek to imprison it.

Similarly, I think a woman also wants to be pursued; she wants to be a priority. She wants to be wanted. Here’s the catch, guys, so pay attention: We’re not going to tell you we want you to pursue us—that would defeat the purpose--but we will create opportunities for you to run after us. NEVER take “Nothing’s wrong” for the answer to your “What’s wrong?” unless she smiles, gives you a kiss and then says it. She wants you to pursue her!!! She wants you to run after her! And this extends beyond the bounds of marriage or a romantic relationship; this extends into every significant relationship a woman has with a man, be it her father, brother, son, friend—a woman wants to know she’s valued enough to pursue.

Lastly, I think women want an adventure to share. So often, men make the mistake of thinking the woman is the adventure. They could not be more wrong. Don’t make us the adventure; we already know that story and it's too small. Take us into something bigger than ourselves—take us to a place where we can be strong and part of the adventure.

I love Eowyn in Lord of the Rings—she longed to rescue her people—she longed to fight for them, but because she was a woman, she was not allowed to fight. One man saw the warrior in her, and cherished it. And because of that, he was loved by that most noble of women.

3 Yay's and a Boo

Yay 1!!!
Woohoo! It's Monday! I know...I know...I'm not supposed to be all excited about Monday's but I can't help myself with this particular one. Momentous events are under way and there's nothing my children can do to stop it! HA! This is my kids last Monday of summer vacation! WOOHOOOO!!!! They actually start school 2 weeks from now but we're going to be in S. Cal. next week enjoying the beach, Mickey Mouse and the fam. My boys will even miss their first day of school which I would have killed for when I was a kid.

Yay 2!!!
I'm particularly excited about this vacation as it will be the first time my family has been together in nearly 4 years. We'll be celebrating my parent's 50th anniversary but 3 months late as my dad was still too ill to be partying it up in May. He's doing great and looking forward to the festivities! I even spoke to world-traveling military brother's wonderful secretary and she assured me she will move heaven and earth to get him there so Yay Again!

Yay 3!!!
I'm planning to have lunch with Bob (Bear) today as he drives through town and am looking forward to it greatly! Yay Some More! We haven't seen him or his wonderful wife in about 3- 4 years so this little visit means so very much to us. My only regret is that his wife won't be with him.

Boo 1!!!
Two of my boys had soccer tournaments this weekend and I have to say... it was just horrible. Christian's team was short 3 players so not only were they playing full games without any breaks, they were generally 2 men short on the field AND it was 105 FRICKING DEGREES OUTSIDE! UGH AND BOO! I am so sick of the heat...it's just been unbearable. I can handle it up to a certain point, but once I pass that point, I'm grumpy and whiny and generally miserable. Yesterday, I was miserable. Anyway...we have a few more days of 100+ weather then the cooling trend starts. 95 is the cooling trend. oy....

Nobody can ever say...

...my boys don't have a sense of humor. Look what they made for mommy!
It was waiting for me this morning as my desktop. I'll give you 3 guesses as to whose butt it is. ;-)

And dang...too bad I missed Karnival of the Kidz with this one!

The Trouble with Bigotry

Jeff that Ponytailed Conservative Punk is finally starting to blog again and I daresay he's lost none of his vitriol. This post regarding the hateful guttersnipe known as bigotry brought to mind a moving passage from a book I'm currently reading. (More on the book in another post.)

Upon discussing the brutal beating a man received for being gay, a distraught woman stated, "People are evil." to which this poignant monologue from another character followed:

"Not evil," Fermin objected. "Moronic, which isn't quite the same thing. Evil presupposes a moral decision, intention and some forethought. A moron or a lout, however, doesn't stop to think or reason. He acts on instinct like a stable animal, convinced that he's doing good, that he's always right, and sanctimoniously proud to go around f****ing up, if you'll excuse the French, anyone he perceives to be different from himself, be it because of skin color, creed, language, nationality or as in the case of [our friend], his leisure habits.”

This discourse infers that the orator believes bigotry to be an act of ignorance, but I’m not so sure I agree with him entirely. I think every one of us has a capacity for bigotry that, if left unbridled, would be vile as an act of ignorance but when allowed to ferment in a blackened heart becomes the personification of evil itself.

But does that necessarily mean that ignorance is the gateway to evil? I’m not so sure. I’m more inclined to think hatred is a respecter of no man, attaching itself to the ignorant as well as the informed. My Christian beliefs lead me to believe that when sin entered the world- compliments of Adam and Eve- prejudice, bigotry, racism, whatever you want to call it became part of our new acquired and grossly inferior moral DNA.

I’m grateful to live in a society that, regardless of ones religious persuasion, recognizes the vicious nature of bigotry and does not abide it. I’d like to think I’m above bigotry but, much to my discomfort, my less than virtuous character is revealed when I consider my recently acquired and only slightly veiled distaste towards all things French. How am I any different, then, from those I condemn? Like them, I can justify my position, sufficiently soothing any pangs of conscience I might feel.

The fact that I don’t write my opinions on bathroom walls is a less than noteworthy distinction.

Pet Peeves

Ok a few things are bugging me this morning, and not because it’s Monday and I’m allowed, but because a couple of my “buttons” have been pushed over the last few days and I need to purge them so I can move on. Ha.

So…a few days ago my son and I were pulling up to a red light and out of the corner of my eye I saw what appeared to be a white paper-like something fall out of driver’s window from the car to my right. I look over just in time to see the window going up and the female driver put a stick of gum in her mouth. My thoughts:

She did NOT just throw her gum wrapper out the window.

So I ask, “Christian, is there a white gum wrapper on the ground by that car?”

“Uh…there’s a white something there.”

Grrrrrrrrrr…. I cannot tell you how angry that makes me! I’m by no means an environmental activist but there’s something as simple as respect for your fellow man, a desire to keep your community presentable and just plain ol’ common decency that was lacking here and it rankles me like you can’t believe! When my kids were young, we taught them to value the earth God gave us, to value others by showing respect to it and to value themselves by desiring a clean world to live in. So when I see someone who shows such an utter disrespect for all of the above, I can’t help but feel like taking that cigarette butt or that gum wrapper they oh-so indifferently tossed to the ground and shoving it up their……tail pipe. Yeah…tail pipe. :-\

Next gripe: Am I the only person who has noticed the standards of journalism have dipped to an all-time low? I’m not talking about content; I’m talking about grammar and spelling. More and more, I find myself reading material that is so poorly written and edited it’s insulting to me, as the reader. If you want me to take anything you say seriously, if you want me to buy your product, respect your position, care about your subject, then the first thing you need to do is value your product, your career, and yes, ME (!) enough to edit your material! Last week, I was reading an online article and found numerous spelling errors. I couldn’t take it anymore and sent a simple “Spelling errors! Ugh!” to the editor. Imagine my delight when I received the following email this morning from said editor:

‘Pam, thanks for your note and taking the time to write. I think I got all of them.”

Imagine his delight when he receives MY email correcting his corrections and pointing out 2 more errors. Ugh.

The truth is, I blame the advancement of technology. Too many people who have no business producing any written material meant for the general public now have easy access through the internet, printers and the likes, that give them the ill-conceived notion that just because they can operate the equipment, they should operate the equipment.

And my grievance is not limited to journalists, oh no! Advertisers are just as bad! I constantly see spelling and grammatical errors! Every day I drive by a strip mall with a sign that says “Jewlry”. God, how I’d love to drive right through that sign…

P.S. How many times do you think I ran this post through Spell Check??? ;-)

Edit: Just heard back from the editor. His reply: "Pam, thanks for this. Now, I think I got all of them. You are an angel! -Pete"

Well at least he was sweet about it. hehe...