French Girl

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is where my side of the family spent Christmas Eve. It would have been more fun with some great calls but it was a "silent night'. Hope your day was awesome and today, well I hope that your celebration of Christ's birth was/is magnificent!

Cheers!

The Things People Say

2008-10-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Another funny email from my nephew.

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking
place.

____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
___________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty.
________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you serious?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was gett'in laid!______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you serious? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive,nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Hey Mandy

2008-10-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

I received a comment on a previous post about dinners. It is from my friend Mandy who moved to Colorado. Anyhoo, she said that she loves a dip recipe of mine. She and I have made a spinach dip and an artichoke recipe many times together.

I have to give credit where credit is due -

The spinach dip is an awesome recipe. Get a packet of Knorr Vegetable Soup. The dip recipe is on the back. It is seriously the best spinach dip I have ever had. It is a cold one.

The artichoke dip is from my friend Christy Platt. She made it at a Christmas party at her house and I loved it. I had called her three different times to get the recipe before I actually wrote it down and kept it. I love it sooooo much that I put it in our church cookbook.

I will give it to you here.

Christy's Artichoke Dip

2 8 oz pkg cream cheese

2T. olive oil

1T. minced garlic (from the jar)

1 cup sour cream

8 oz. fresh shred parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 dash crushed red pepper

2 dashes dried majoram

1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup cooked spinach, cooled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Divide cheese in half, set aside. Combine all ingredients, saving one part of cheese for topping. Pour into baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and continue baking for 5-10 more or until cheese is melted.

Billy G Rocks

2008-10-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I ALWAYS check with truthorfiction.com whenever I hear about this person saying this or that person being accused of that. Most often, the email stories are false or at best, severely misinterpreted. I received the following email this morning and loved it.

Sure enough, it is labeled as false. But only as far as the pray-er of this prayer. The actual prayer is real and was given before the Senate in 1996. The prayer rocks - no matter who prayed it.

Got this in an email today. It is sure worth sharing. Go Billy!

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation
THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

Passive Belligerence

2008-10-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

My new buzz word is this - Passive Belligerence.

I see it all of the time but could not quite find that perfect description of what I was seeing. It flew out of my mouth even before I knew what I was saying (not a huge surprise to those that know me).

Why is it that with puberty comes an attitude of passive belligerence? WWhy do some adolescents- and beyond in many cases - act as though the world ought to stop and cater to them? When did common decency, common sense and just plain ol' manners move to the end of the line?

One small example in within a myriad of more. Our school is right smack dab next door to the local middle school. Traffic jams are a common occurance on the side street between the two. This morning, I am leaving the parking lot, make a right turn toward the middle school. A student from that school jumps out in the middle of the street, with his baggy pants showing his chonies, cuts in between cars and slows his pace to match that of a crippled little old lady. He stops traffic and laughs at the drivers. His friends on the sidewalk are laughing at his antics. He then proceeds to flip off the drivers. All of the cars had to stop and wait while he did his thing.

What in the world is telling this guy that what he just did is ok? Who is feeding into this kid's life that this kind of behavior is tolerated and appropriate?

It scares me to think that my children will have to work with these people in the not soooo far future.

Help me

2008-10-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

God's timing is just incredible. It is quite thrilling to me when I am dealing with something - whether it be a thought or an idea or maybe even an issue in my relationships - how he brings these little sparks of confirmation. Whhaaa??? You ask. You know when you are thinking about someone and then the next day their name comes up or you run into them at the store. Something like that.

For a while now I have been feeling very inadequate as far as feeding my family. I used to plan out weekly meals, shop accordingly and be very enthusiastic about trying new recipes, serving them to my family and in general, I was quite satisfied with myself. Somehow over time I let myself slip out of that discipline and therefore, let my meals take a backseat.

Last week Lenny and I decided that for grocery shopping we would do a cash system. The amount we chose is adequate for a family of four, however, planning and preparation are crucial to making it work beautifully. I sat down last week with my calendar and the mountain of great cookbooks that I adore.

I went to the grocery store and got what I needed for next 4 days. No problem. My dinner that night was Chicken Pot Pie. I made it while Lenny took the kids to church for their programs. It was awful. I ate one piece and threw it out. Wasted money, time and dinner there. While making the pie, I was also making this awesome chili recipe. I realized that instead of adding the ONE can of water, I had added SIX cans of water. That actually was a good thing as I had added double the amount of cayenne pepper. OOOhhhh gosh what am I doing?

Then I made a blueberry cake. That actually came out ok. Not fabulous but ok. Ok enough that Jacob asked for a piece for his lunch. Progress I suppose.

So why am I telling you all of this??? Because this morning I got an email from someone that I do not know about the value of cooking at home. I thought I was going to cry while reading it. Not because I can not cook or because I don't like to. And not because we are drive thru addicts.

But because this is an area that has been haunting me for quite a while. I believe with all of my heart that the core of society is the family. If the family fails, society fails. I believe that if children are not valued in the home by their parents, then they will try to prove their worth to themselves and others in not-so-innocent ways. And family mealtimes are a fantastic foundation to a rockin' family dynamic.

I try to following the campaign platforms. I know who I am voting for and why. But sometimes I feel like there is so much double-talk that my head spins, then I feel like I am not informed, then that leads to me questioning "hmmm why am I not getting this?" I engage in political conversations that wind up leaving me feel like a huge idiot. My son asks all kinds of questions about the election. Hooooo ya I am glad for that. But my answers seem so surface-like, so uninformed.

Am I faltering as a person? as a mother? as a citizen???

Then I read this article which gave me a new sense of how I am contributing to society.

I know this all sounds completely corny, soooo lame and the opening act to a yawn-festival, but it helped. And clearly I need all the help that I can get.

Read on.

Dear Friends,

In the United States, we are scant weeks away from electing a new resident. Globally, we've all watched our perspective economies hit new lows. The talking heads and news pundits have stirred our fears —we' re all worried about what comes next.

On September 11, 2001, we went through absolute devastation as we watched the horrors of what happened on that fateful day unfold before us, over and over and over again on television. FlynLady said then as she says now, we need to turn off our TVs and take care of ourselves so we can take care of our families.

We cannot change the world. However, we can change the temperature and climate of our own families, so to speak. The most personal change we can affect is the change within ourselves. That change has a trickle down result that can either warm our families hearts or further their fears. We cannot control the world's economy, but we can control our own!

One of the ways to do that is to cook at home. There is a three-pronged proposition that results in three huge positives: 1) we save gobs of money; 2) we better nourish our families bodies; 3) we nourish their hearts and souls.

We have over the years, in the name of saving time, thrown our cooking aside in favor of convenience. That looks different for many of us—for some, it could mean drive-thrus and restaurants and for others it could mean ready to eat frozen foods or just add water convenience viadried instant foods. The way to wisdom is through knowledge. We get that knowledge when we're willing to admit there are things that need to be changed up.

Perhaps your family budget needs changing up? The best and most dramatic way to get there is cooking at home. Eating healthy via eating seasonal whole foods will save you money. The notion that healthy foods are more expensive than eating unhealthy is a myth—there are ways to do it and save more than you ever thought possible.

One of my favorite methods for doing this is through soup. Yes, soup is good food according to the people at Campbell's. But making ityourself is a whole lot cheaper and healthier, too. Add to that, the ability of soup to be a forgiving meal—you really can't make a bad soup unless you burn it! Yes, there may be better tasting soups than my Cream of Green soup (my daughter gagged over it, but I liked itokay…not great, but okay!), but there is always a next soup if you're willing to go there.

To make soup, you need to start with a good liquid base. That means you need a stock or broth. You can do that with chicken, beef or vegetable broth to cook nearly any soup. In some soups, you can even use a fish broth, but you're limited on that one. I make mine with chicken bones from Rubber Chicken (it's on my website!) and carrot,onion and celery, simmer in water for about an hour. Then..ta da!You've got chicken broth.

Another way to get broth quickly is to buy it. I buy low sodium chicken broth and keep it in my pantry if I can't make a homemade one. Obviously, the way to keep soup at it's absolute frugal-best is tomake your own broth, but that isn't always possible. I have a wonderful soup recipe that I haul out this time of year and keep on hand. It's wonderful for cold weather, the sniffles and just watching your family's wallet. Here it is, in all its glory. Feel free to play with the ingredients—you can add just about anything. Justkeep the broth in mind and the core ingredients of onion, celery and carrot and the rest is up to you!

Here's my soup:Leanne's Basic Vegetable Soup Serves 12

1 large onion -- chopped

4 cloves garlic -- pressed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large carrots -- chopped

2 small celery stalks -- chopped

1 medium turnip -- chopped

2 cups green beans -- cut in 1" pieces

1/4 head cabbage -- chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

2 small russet potatoes -- peeled and chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes -- undrained

6 cups chicken broth

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook till nearly translucent, now add the garlic. Don't let the garlic brown and saute another couple of minutes. Add the rest of the chopped veggies, sauteing for just a minute ortwo. You're not cooking them just sauteing for the wonderful flavor this quick step will infuse in your soup. Add the thyme and salt and pepper while sauteing.

Now put the veggies in the crock-pot, add the tomatoes and broth. Cookon low 7-9 hours (depending on your crock-pot) or high 4-6 hours (but all crock-pots are different, depending on size, age, brand etc. Remember, your mileage may vary).

Just before serving, gently mash some of the potato chunks against the side of the crock-pot to thicken the soup, give it a stir and serve.

Per serving: 88 Calories; 4g Total Fat; 5g Protein; 2g Dietary Fiber;9g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 658mg Sodium.Food Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit;1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Grilled cheese sandwiches on whole grain bread and a spinach salad.

Quick Fixes for Variations on the Basic Chicken Soup:Now remember, don't do this to the whole pot of soup! Just the little bit you pull out to fix yourself for lunch, etc.

Quick Fix #1: Tex Mex Veggie Soup. Add some (eyeball it—how much doyou want?) canned black beans (drained and rinsed), a little bit ofcumin and chopped cilantro. Top with some tortilla chips and cheese,or serve with a quesadilla.

Quick Fix #2: Tuscan Veggie Soup. Add some (eyeball it again) canned cannellini (white kidney beans) or white beans (drained and rinse), a little bit of Italian seasoning and some chopped kale. Cook till heated through and the kale is tender.

Quick Fix #3: Minestrone Veggie Soup. Add some cooked pasta, a little dried basil and top with a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese.

Quick Fix #4: Autumn Veggie Soup. Add some diced acorn squash or butternut squash, some cooked brown rice, a sprinkling of nutmeg andsome chopped parsley.

Love,Leanne

29, September 19, 11:46

2008-10-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

29 : the number of phone messages I found on the phone today
September 19: the date of the first phone message
11:46: the amount of time it took to listen to and delete all 29 messages.

Debbie from Long Beach - sorry I didn't call ya back.
Atlantis Eye Care- I will be there for my eye exam.
Debbie from (Kid's school) : tuition is in the mail.
Amber: I miss you too.
Cheryl: thanks for the clothes you left on the porch.
Republican National Committee: thank you for urging me to vote for McCain.
Chase Visa: not interested in another card.
Sue Ellen: yes we are still on for sewing lessons on the 2nd.

And to the slew of other message leavers: Got the message and I probably have already taken care of it.

I do not like voice mail, I avoid it most of the time and if I had my way, all messages would be left via email. I feel like I am under obligation to return someone's call just because they left a message - kind of like I am an unwilling player in a volleyball game.

Is that weird?

2008-10-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between this flag..... and this one????

Just realized something quite profound just now.

This is how old Lenny is - when he was born, there were just 48 states in the USA. Whhhhooooaaaaaaaaaaa.

We were sitting at dinner this evening talking about Hawaii. Jacob told us that it did not become a state until 1959. He then realized that his dad was born before that. Then I said that Alaska was not a state yet either when Lenny was born.

"Wow, you were born when there were just 48 states." Holy aged cheese Batman.

100 years ago

2008-09-23T21:14:00.001-07:00

One of Lenny's favorite things to ponder is "what was it like 100 years ago"? He is always asking that about all kinds of places, things and people even. We can be at Disneyland and he will say, "100 years ago this was all orange fields." or in France, "What was it like to walk the streets of Paris?" Even in our own neighborhood he might contemplate what the now-major streets were like when they were just dirt or even a field.

Most of the times I just (forgive me) roll my eyes and tune it out. Sorry to disappoint you that I am not the perfect wife.

BUT today is a different day. I was perusing our city's little local newspaper and much to my surprise, I found a piece entitled "The Year 1908." I immediately ripped it out and thought to post it. Very interesting and kind of comical. Here it is:

The Year 1908

What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the year 1908:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved road.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 miles per hour.
The tallest structure was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
90 percent of all doctors had no college education.
Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.
Coffee was 15 cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Two out of every ten adults couldn't read or write.
Five leading causes of death were: Pneumonia and Influenza, TB, Diarrhea, Heart Disease and Stroke.
The American flag had 45 stars.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea had not yet been invented.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Eighteen percent of all households had at least one fulltime servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.

Pet Store

2008-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sarah's class does not have a class pet. But her teacher has a sweet little stuffed bear named Baxter that goes home with a different student each evening. Their homework is to take Baxter and help him journal about his evening at each home. Sarah had a ball with this little guy. He even came with his own sleeping bag, pj's and a backpack.

Having Baxter around was a piece of cake... compared to what was to come.

For more than a year now, Sarah has been asking for a hamster. We have had every intention of getting her one. We just had not done it. You know, things happen, we keep putting it off, etc.

Last week at school I saw a flyer for a Guinea pig up for adoption. It is from the home of a classmate of Jacob's. The poor boy is highly allergic to all things furry. The family thought it would best to find a new home. I called his mother, got the furball and brought it home.
Sarah named her Jenny. Jenny the Guinea.

It is so cute and so sweet and really fun to play with. The problem is that now my house seriously smells like Petsmart. You know that smell that hits you when you walk in, that unmistakable animal smell. Come to our house. You'll see what I mean. I don't think it is the piggie. I think it is the bedding and food. It NAUSEATES me.

On another note, Jack the wiener dog is out of his mind crazy to get at this animal. He is beside himself with hunting, sniffing, capturing and claiming victory over the small little thing. He reminds me of a male dog that knows a female is in heat just on the other side of the fence. He howls, whines and barks for this thing. For tonight, her cage is on top of the washer. Jack knows it and is nuts about it.

It is going to be a feat to keep these two apart.

Next animal - a turtle!

Soy Latte

2008-09-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

I went to Starbucks the other morning to get a latte just before working in Sarah's class. I had offered to bring her teacher something also. While I am ordering her drink, I have uncontrollable giggles. Now this is not going to be funny at all to any of you who do understand Spanish.

She asked me to get her a Soy Latte. To me, "soy" ALWAYS translates to "I am" in Spanish. I never ever think of soy beans, soy milk, soy anything. I always think the Spanish translation first. Habit I suppose.

I am ordering her drink and I can not say the words. Her drink in Spanish means "I am hot milk" in English. It is a pretty good possibility that the barista in green had no clue what came over me. But me, it cracked me up.

Ok, go on to your life. This post was stupid I know.

Out of the Mouths of Middle Schoolers

2008-09-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today in class we were learning seasons, months and holidays. As I said the name of each month, I had each student stand when it was his/her birthday month. When April came, I stood up. They asked me how old I was going to be. I cringed when I said, "cuarenta."

A few seconds later I see these two boys who usually act up and talk during class whispering. I ask them what they are talking about.

C: "He says that 40 is the new 20." and points to his neighbor E.

I ooh and ahh and thank him for that. Then,

E: " And I told him that all adults turning 40 say that."

Is that hysterical???

Then after class, a sweet little 6th grader comes up to me and says, "I can see your underwear lines." Aaaarrrrrggghhhhhhhhhhh.

I Can See Russia From My House

2008-09-15T07:42:00.001-07:00

People, if you have not seen the Saturday Night Live skit with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin - OH MY GOSH you are missing out.

I laughed so hard that I think I may have split my side open. Tina Fey is a dead ringer for Sarah Palin.

Funny. So stinkin' funny. Oh my it is funny. Check it out. NBC.com

Starting School and Soccer Season Simultaneously

2008-09-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

September is always exciting. I love the beginning of the school year. A fresh start, a new year, lots of opportunities awaiting us. Even when we homeschooled, the beginning of the year was anticipado mucho.

Along with September and school beginning, so does soccer and the horrendous scheduling of that sport. I love watching my kids play and they do well at it. But wow, does it take a lot of hustle and bustle on our part to get them to the practices, the games, getting homework done in between and oh, eating dinner.

I am excited about both school and soccer this year. Jacob and Sarah both have absolutely incredible teachers who seem to be quite in tune with their respective age group of kids. Lenny and I were both floored when we drove home from Back-to-School night. God has truly put his hand on this year. I am anticipating wonderful progress, not only academically, but spiritually and socially.

And, the icing on the cake is soccer. Both kids have coaches that know the game well and again, seem to relate very well with their respective teams. Jacob's coach especially is a force to be reckoned with. I am confident that he too will grow much this year.

Do you know how to ...?

2008-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

I can not figure something out. If you can help me, please email me.

I type a documents and save it in Word. Sometimes it may be several pages long but I want to email just one of those pages, not the entire document.

Does anyone know how to attach a file to an email of just one page of a document without having to send the entire 5 page doc over?

Make sense???

Do you remember?

2008-09-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2001

I was sleeping soundly when my husband plopped down on the bed. He shook my shoulder and my arm saying to "wake up Donna, something has happened." I was yawning, fighting the urge to roll over and ignore him. Whatever it was, I thought, he could handle it.

"A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center earlier this morning. Then another plane crashed into the second tower. WAKE UP."

I jumped out of the bed and we turned the TV on to see what was happening. All of the sleepy thoughts I had just 30 seconds earlier were shattered as soon as the picture came into focus. Smoke screaming out of the WTC towers. Holy smokes, what was happening???

I remember feeling an enveloping sense of fear. A fear of uncertainty, of unknowing. A dread that this could not have been an accident. The first plane, maybe, but the second - NO WAY. Then to hear that the Pentagon had been hit, then eventually the plane in Shanksville, PA had gone down. I knew that someone was out to get us.

Lord, please help us I remember pleading.

My father had been visiting us from Alabama. He was out late the night before and had slept in. I remember knocking on his door, yelling for him to get up and come see what was happening. He watched in silence at what he saw, unable to find words to express what was in his mind.

Then we sat STUNNED as we watched the first down collapse, then the second. OH MY GOSH. It was as if some had stabbed us, then decided to twist the knife deep inside.

It was unbelieveable.

We spent most of that day watching the news. It was announced that all aircraft were to be grounded. Nothing was to be in the airspace over the United States of America. That had never happened before. Later that morning, we went out for a late breakfast. The restaurant that we dined at had an outdoor patio. While sitting out there, a helicopter flew right over us. The light chatter that had been filling the patio stopped immediately and a sense of danger took over. As soon as we all realized it was a military helicopter, we all let out a sigh of relief.

Things that were normal 4 hours earlier, now were different.

Life is different now. This is post 9/11. We mark time now sometimes with that date in mind.

MANY fireman and police officers lost their lives that day. Many families said good bye to their mommies and daddies that morning for the last time. Friendships were forever fractured and families for always were fragmented.

God bless everyone who jumped in to save what was crumbling. God bless the families who have had to learn to live without their loved ones.

God bless the City of New York, the State of New York, Washington, D.C. and God PLEASE bless the United States of America.

This might get me fired!

2008-09-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have been teaching for a total of 4 days now and already I believe that I have the makings of an ongoing list of incomprehensible things that I have said or done. Each of these days, I have done something that quite possibly could be taken the wrong way. Now, in all honesty, if it were my child in the classroom and he came home telling me tales of what the teacher said, I would probably laugh. But then again, I am crazy that way.

I believe my list shall be titled "This Might Get Me Fired."

Today, while taking roll, I heard one of the boys laughing. I knew it didn't have anything to do with me, but in the spirit of razzing him, I said, "Are you making fun of me?" He quickly replied that no, he wasn't making fun of me because he loves me. Now I KNEW that he meant it in an endearing way, not creepy or anything like that. BUT..... I replied,

"Oh (student), I am sorry. I am married. It would never work between us."

And the entire class fell over laughing at this one.

Then later, another student asks to use the restroom. I reply, "Number one or two?" and look at him with every ounce of seriousness that I can muster. He quizzically stares then replies "Uh, number one."

"Ok then you may go."

WHAT WAS I THINKING?????????

Remember Me???

2008-09-07T21:11:00.001-07:00

I am sitting here on my bed with my new laptop computer (thank you Lover). I have been playing Chess Titans online while propped up with pillows. I love this. Jacob and I have been surfing the net while all cozy under the covers. This is new for us. We are used to having to fight to use the ONE and ONLY computer at the desk.

So I have been away from Blogville for the month of August. We have had a very fun and exciting summer, August being the pinnacle of summer fun - Disneyland, Sea World, spending time at the beach, Soak City, and lots more. I haven't had time to blog. Too much fun going on.

Oh, and I started a new job. I am teaching Middle School Spanish right now. I have a darling set of 8th graders who just make me laugh my head off. And I teach an Intro class to 6th and 7th graders. The 6th graders just stare at me still trying to believe that they are in middle school with this crazy new schedule. The 7th graders, well, they are just glad that they aren't on the bottom of the food chain anymore.

Jacob and Sarah both started school and LOVE their classes and teachers. I love them too. Both of them are committed to the kids and seem to really love the Lord! Yeeee haw!!!!!!!!

Falling asleep. Must turn computer off!

Good Night!

Freshour Frenzy

2008-07-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, the very best things happened to me today. My friend Melanie called and said she and her family were coming over to visit. They are in town from N.C. for her sister's wedding so they decided to come by and plop down for a bit.

It was wonderful, I mean absolutely great to spend the day with her and her family, her cool husband. I met her at church in 1995 working in the nursery. In 1999, I was in her wedding and watched her leave the next week for the East Coast. She hasn't moved back - YET. (I'm working on that one. By the way, Melanie, tell Jeff that a Wachovia is opened on the corner of South and Woodruff. He should be able to find a job here :)

She has a great husband, Jeff and three fun and very nice children - Carter, Griffin, and Peyton.

I got some pics but not many.

Roberta and Melanie

Pam and MelanieYou have no idea how hard it was to get all five of these kids to sit still. I told them that if they would take a nice picture, then they could take a picture like.........this one!!!!!Sarah and who she thinks is her little cousin. Peyton is the most petite little girl - just perfect for Sarah to carry around and love on. And she has reeeeeeed hair. She looks like her dad but with her mom's hair color.

Jeff and Melanie - thank you for coming by. I know this week is crazy for you with all of the family stuff. I loved seeing your kids and spending time with you. You have a beautiful family and I am blessed to have shared time with you all.

Love ya, Donna

PS... go for the fourth. Quickly!

Melanie Bustrum Freshour

2008-07-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Melanie Freshour!

Email me donnagisbert@yahoo.com or call Life Center to get my phone number. It is the same as it was wayyyyy back when!

I want to see you this week!

Donna

Why We Love Camping at the Beach!

2008-07-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

We really love to camp. We love our trailer and getting away. We don't take fancy vacations because of money, or lack thereof, but mostly because we are camping type people. We have found more pleasure in our trips in the trailer than almost any other type of getaway that we have had. Our trip to Paris is the only exception. That and any opportunity I get to go away by myself.

Big Sur is awesome. It is foresty, lots of trees, hikes, campfires, and no hookups. Full on camping. By far, it is my most favorite place to be with my family.

But, Bolsa Chica State Beach - well we love that too but for different reasons. It is close to home, close to a grocery store, friends can come visit, electricity, no dirt and oh, the ocean. The magnificent ocean.

There is something about being at the beach at 6am, drinking a great cup of coffee, dressed in jammies and just watching the morning waves. I love to take my chair close to the water and just watch. I might bring my Bible but I find that the stillness and calm won't last for long there, so I wind up just letting myself be amazed with God's glory.

Oh there is glory everywhere in the world, if we would just take the time to see it. But, what is it about the vast body of water that seemingly never ends? How it makes you feel soooo very small surrounded by something enormous, that feeling thrills me. Why is it that when I see a dolphin's fin break the surface of the water, I sit up a bit higher?

And sunsets, ohhhhh a sunset over the ocean is MAGNIFICENT.

And what I really love the most about camping at the beach - what it does to my family. My husband is quite a happy camper at the beach. He could sit all day and just watch the water, or he is in the water, or he is burying the kids in the sand, or he is going for a bike ride on the bike path. He absolutely loves the beach. The kids too.

Here are some of my favorite pics of our recent trip.

This is a friend of the kids. She was heading into the water late in the day. I absolutely love this photo.

A typical sighting of Lenny. This is probably about 6:30am. He has taken his chair, coffee and Bible down close the water. This is from the front step of our trailer - hence the canopy and awning in the foreground.

Sarah, still in her jammies, looking for shells. Probably about 7:30ish am. Late in the day. The surf was rough. Really rough. Just the way my boy likes to surf. He is crazy.

Now, don't think for a moment that our trips are all fun and games. We take our time seriously with the kids. Lenny tries to take any and all opportunities to impart some wisdom, some skill or some truth into their little hearts.

Here is what he passed on to Jacob this trip.

Those are cheese ball puff thingys. Really, my husband should be in the circus or do stand up or be committed to a mental ward. It is like having three children around here.

Hope you all are enjoying the summer and getting to spend wonderful times with the family.

The Fireman and the Fireworks

2008-07-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

We love the 4th of July around here. Most of all, we love what happens after the last firework has fizzled out.

My husband is a fireman. A hottie fireman at that. He is pretty good about practicing safety, he goes to schools and teaches children all about fire safety. He is our Neighborhood Watch Block Captain, he is in our city's public service announcements regarding the Fourth of July and illegal fireworks.

He is all over it.

But something happens to him when our friends are around on the 4th. A few years ago, they prodded him to do a crazy stunt with some sparklers. 2008 marked his third year of this crazy, yet much anticipated stunt.

Here he is bringing out the ladder which will turn out to be his starting point.

Next he takes our huge rake that all of the other men taped sparkler to and proceeds to have them lit.He then rides up and down the street on his unicycle parading around like he is the Grand Marshall of Patriotism.It is quite a sight to behold. Really I could not have asked for a more comical husband than this guy. Maybe we should call him Old Glory!

Welcome New Blogger

2008-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this announcement. I have one very adorable niece. Her name is Kristin and she is married to my nephew Steve. She has the cutest personality and the funniest stories.

She has now started her own blog. She hasn't posted anything yet, but it's coming!!! I am so thrilled. She is a doll. Stop by and welcome her.

Koldham.blogspot.com

That's her, the tiny little first grade teacher, the third one in!

We were shakin'

2008-07-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Did you feel the earthquake??? I was outside hosing down the leaves off of the driveway when it started. I thought that I was going into Low Blood Sugar mode and starting to shake. Seriously, I thought I was having a diabetes moment.

Nope, it was an earthquake. Jacob, Sarah and two friends were up high in the treehouse with Jack the dog. They quickly scrambled down and ran into the open. In the malay, Jacob stepped on a nail. Not a rusty nail, but a nail nonetheless. We thought he might have to get a tetanus shot but it seems to be ok.

I went to Pavilions to get a prescription filled. The whole store REEKED of wine on the left side and pickles and vinegar on the other. Bottles of wine fell and crashed to the floor. Vinegar never smells good to me. This was nauseating to say the least. Bottles of it and pickles, mustard, and oil had broken. EWeeeeewwwhhhh.

Hope you are all ok.

Meet the Aunt and Uncle

2008-07-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

One of the weeks that I was gone was spent at the beach camping with the fam.

My sister, Karenand her family came up and spent Saturday with us. Now it was fun, loads of fun to spend the day with them. We sat by the water, watched the guys surf, BBQ'ed, laughed, all of that. Flew kites and goofed ALL DAY! Buried Jacob in the sand. It was awesome.

BUT what made this day memorable was meeting my niece's boyfriend. Now you have to know something about me as an aunt. I LOVE TO EMBARRASS MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS.

This is Shelby right before Justin showed up. She told me that I had better not do anything to her. Yeah, right.

So we are all at the trailer making dinner while Shelby, Jacob and Sarah are sitting on the sand. We can see them and we are all waiting expectantly for Shelby's boyfriend Justin to come. All day long I have been planning my first impression.

My sister tells me that he is walking up to Shelby and that I have my chance. Now you have to picture me. I hate to make you do this, but in order for you to "get it", you have to visualize me in, ahhhheeemmmm a bathing suit. Eeehhhwwwww. I am sorry to do this to you, but just do it.

I take a deep breath and I start RUNNING. I am imagining that I am Pamela Anderson in Baywatch running in the shows opening credits toward Justin. I am ALL OVER THE SAND making the biggest commotion I can, trying to make this guy NEVER FORGET AUNT DONNA. I run to him with arms open wide, screaming his name in a breathless way-past-her-prime kind of way. He looks up at me, puzzled. Shelby turns around, groans and looks away. Jacob jumps up and says, "I'm outta here". And Sarah starts laughing like there is no tomorrow.

Justin stands up, not knowing what to do and holds his arms out to me, mostly in bewilderment. I run into him LITERALLY and nearly knock him off his feet. I introduce myself as Aunt Donna and tell him "welcome to the beach."

It was great!

Then he comes up to the trailer to meet Uncle Lenny. Lenny was hiding on the other side of the trailer. He had tucked his shirt in his shorts, pulled his shorts all the way to his chest in a Steve Erkle kind of way, and comes out skipping. He thrusts his hand out to shake hands with Justin and declares in a retarded voice that he is indeed, Uncle Lenny.

Again, one of our finer moments of adulthood. Justin doesn't look too traumatized, does he?

Anyone still care???/

2008-07-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Of the past 6 weeks of summer vacation, I have been home for about 2 of them. Since June 13th, I have been away from my home for the equivalent of one month. So really, I have only been on summer vacation for two weeks now. I have been busy, I have been running like a crazy woman. I have been out of it!

Some of my "busyness" comes from physically being gone, some of my weariness comes from the mental tasks that have been taking place, and lots of my head spinning comes from church stuff. Not bad stuff, but dealing with something taking place.

I am presently in the midst of a major God thing right now.

For more than a year now, there has been something at my church, but more so in my heart, that has been troubling/consuming/encouraging/pruning me in a way that I would never be able to explain in a blog. It is far too lengthy and much to personal to put into type, but ask me in person and I may confess my heart to you.

Anyhoo, this scenario came to a pinnacle for me last week. I was having a conversation with someone at Kids Camp (it was great at camp and I will post about it next) when all of a sudden the lightbulb came on, the bells started ringing, the angels sang and I "GOT IT". This was late one evening and after our chat I went to my cabin to sleep. Sleep did not come but what did take place was a conversation with God that was out of this world. I heard from God in a way that looking back now I see the steps of progression, but at the moment I was saying "A-ha!"

I came back to church on Sunday and spoke with the wife of one of our pastors. She again confirmed what God was telling me but I was trying to squash.

I love how God uses ordinary people in the most ordinary moments to show us his plan. It is those seconds that a seemingly plain word comes out of the mouth of someone trusted that hits us like a brick. God is awesome and I am so excited to be in the fast track right now of something groovy.

I will keep you posted.

POST NOTE: I have had a few comments/emails/phone calls from people asking me about the Pastor's position in Kids Church. Oh Lordy lordy lordy NO. Besides, well, I know something, well, I can not say, but next week everyone will know about Kids Church.

My Family

2008-07-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Note: Not sure what is up with the washed outness of this photo.

(Because I have been an absentee blogger and I am desperately trying to cram in all of my happenings over the past 6 weeks, this post and subsequent posts are going to be lackluster in imagination and humor. My sister is having a cow because I have not posted in a while.)

June 8, 2008

I have a fun family.

My husband and my kids = tons of fun. But I am blessed to have a super fun extended family. My aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and sooooo on are a blast to spend time with.

But, for some reason that I can not quite comprehend, I don't see them as much as I should or as much as I would like. Why is that, I wonder. That one has me scratching my head.

Anyhoo, a few weeks ago, Jacob turned 10. So I thought we would have a family party, everyone would come, blah blah blah. But as I was planning it, I realized that not only did Jacob have a milestone birthday, but many people in the fam did as well this year. Karen is 50, Cecil is 75, Nick is 50, Kristen 45, Steven 35, Brandan 5, and I well, I turned 39. Is that a milestone?? So we decided to have an all-family birthday party.

This is my uncle Cecil. He is the Patriarch of this motley crew of people. He celebrated his 75th birthday.
My cousin, Jody and my sister Karen. (Karen is the one that was having a cow). And by the way, good thing she looks great on this day because she is in a lot of pics!

Now it would have been more fun with loads of presents and pin the tail on the oldest family member but we nonetheless celebrated being together.

Kristin my niece, Karen, and me

Shelby, her mother Karen and Aunt Sandra.
Uncle Don and his grandsons, Michael and Daniel.

Julie and Aunt Carol.

Shelby, Karen and Kristen.

Jacqueline (Lenny's sister), my cousin Kristen, Lenny, Cousins Jody and Julie. Shelby and Sarah

Steve my nephew and Karen.

Here is the cool part. My sister Brenda, (the mom of Steve above) who lives in South Carolina, had 4 of her 5 kids and grandkids (yes I have a sister who is a grandmother, ohhhhh), my brother and his family for a family birthday party too that day. So we all kind of celebrated together in a weird long distance kind of way.

Rich (he's a hunk) and Karen.

Another shot of Karen and Nick.

Karen (we used to call her Baby Karen because my older sister is also named Karen), me and Kristen.

My cousin Julie, me, and my other cousin's son, Brandan. He is in commercials! I knew him when......
Cecil, Bob and Sandra
Laughing. Yes, there was wine.

My mother's brother, Don and her sister, Sandra.

Something quirky about my family. There are:

three Roberts. One has passed away, one goes by the name Bob, and the other is my brother who goes by Steve.

two Steves. One is my brother and one is my nephew, who is also my brother's nephew, not his son, so not carrying on his name. Weird, huh?

two Karens. My sister and my cousin

two Krist e/i ns. One is my cousin and one is Steve my nephew's wife. Different spellings thankfully.

two Brand e/a ns. One is my nephew and one is my cousin Karen's son. Another blessing of different spellings.

two Daniels. Both are cousins. One goes by Dan and the other goes by Daniel.

Thankfully, though, there is only one Donna and only one Lenny!

Big Sur

2008-07-04T06:16:00.001-07:00

Please Beware: Lots of pictures.

Our annual trek to Big Sur this year was once again, fabulous. Seriously people, I don't like to get dirty, I do not like bugs and I despise the heat. This particular trip seemed to have all three of those elements over and above what is normal for this place. But nonetheless, it was stunningly wonderful.

We always stop on our way up to visit with Aunt Sandra and Uncle Cecil. Sandra is my mother's baby sister. She looks a lot like my mom, except shorter. I love spending time with them because it feels like home when I am with them. Feels good!

This is Andrew, my cousin's almost 20 year old son. Jacob likes Andrew because he skateboards. I like him because his very cool, very nice and always says something funny. He is a college student, working parttime for his gramps and enjoying life. Cool Kid.So right now as I am typing this, this very campground has been evacuated for the past two weeks. The whole town is desolate with the exception of all of those heros in yellow turnouts fighting the fire there. Makes me sad.One of our most favorite things to do in this campground is to hike. Pfeiffer has some great trails that are not too difficult for the kids and the unexercised and faint of heart (me). We always pack a few snacks and head out to see Pfeiffer Falls or a magnificent view of the ocean.

This year, however, we opted to do a few hikes through the river gorge. It is over a ton of rocks, through many puddles, pools and streams, and up to this incredible swimming hole. This pool is as far as I got.

In order to get to the other side, you have to swim through this to keep going. I was not willing to do that. But Jacob was and so was Lenny. If you look at the top of the rock you might be able to see them standing there. I was surprised that Jacob made it that far. Here he is coming back. Our favorite jumping rock right across from site #10. The water is lower this year. It was kind of unsettling seeing how low everything was and especially, how dry. Little did we know that the next week, FIRE DANGER. Kind of a weird pic of trees but you have to know what Big Sur is like to appreciate this. There are so many trees, BIG TREES. And most of the time, you are in great shade. The trees are so dense that if the sun is not directly on you, you might think that is was later that usual.
What we did most of the time...besides eating. The back of our campsite. Yep it's that big and spacious. Fabulous. I love this picture because it shows us having fun. But golly, I hate it of me. Train those kids well and they will do the dishes for you. Not for you, I mean, for me. I love have child labor. Makes my job so much easier. This place is infested with squirrels and Blue Jays that are not at all afraid of people. In fact, several times we had to shoo them away from us or they would have crawled into our laps. Well, maybe not into our laps but they were about a 6 inches away from us. Especially when food is around, they swarm. Most of the time it is fascinating to watch. Sometimes it gets a bit creepy.
Jacob put a small tomato piece on his shoe. In no time whatsoever a squirrel scampered over and started at the shoe buffet. He didn't take it and run. He stayed and finished it. We met the nicest couple ever camping next to us. Paul and Nancy are from Humboldt county (on fire too by the way). Paul was strumming on the guitar one evening and Nancy was singing along. It was the neatest thing to hear. So we made brownies the next day and gave them a few. We told them how nice it was to hear them sing. One night they came to our campfire and we all sang together. Totally cool and so much fun. He even let Jacob strum a bit.
Just love this one. No caption. Just love it.

I love owning a trailer. Especially this one. It is small and compact when driving and storing. Yet when camping, three beds expand out and increase the length by another 6 feet and the width by another 4. Awesome piece of equipment. On this trip, I found another reason why I love having a trailer.

When we had to go potty on a long stretch of highway, we just pulled over and let go. Got back in the truck and went on our way. No stopping, no looking for parking and no hassles. It's the little things that make me happy.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and get to go somewhere. Even if it just to the beach, go somewhere and enjoy these next two months.

I am hoping and praying for Big Sur. Not just for the campground but for the all of the people, the places and the charm that has made us feel so comfortable over the past 6 years.

And for the firemen.... I love ya all and I thank you for all that you do.

I stink at blogging

2008-07-04T06:06:00.001-07:00

I admit it. I stink at keeping up with this blog. It seems that the more stuff I have to post about, the more I put it off.

Too busy? Overwhelmed with the plethora of material I possess? Think it is drivel? Who knows why, but I do.

Ok, for today's exciting post, I am going to direct you to the California Department of Foresty. Click on Statewide Fire Map. You will be BLOWN away at the number of fires happening right now.

The one most personal to us, you ask? The Basin Fire in Big Sur. The are surrounding Big Sur is literally burning down right now. The sweet little town is threatened and it is not looking to good. Pfeiffer Big Sur is our all time favorite camping place ever ever ever. We were there not even a week before all of this took place.

Just a quick note to ya

2008-06-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Real quick. I have so much to blog about but seriously not a lot of time.

Two weekends ago, my side of the fam came over for a family party. It was sooooo fun and I got some great photos. I haven't yet had the time to crop and choose what to post. Plus I have lots to write to go with it.

The next day started the beginning of the last week of school. EVERY SINGLE DAY was busy with mucha actividad (sorry, I am getting into Spanish Teacher mode). Add onto that a scrambling of packing and getting ready for a week in Big Sur.

Last day of school, finishing packing and left the next morning (Saturday). We spent a wonderful week in Big (Bug) Sur enjoying each other and swimming in the river. Lots of pics there too to show you. We just got home last night and now I am getting ready to leave for the airport. I am going to a conference in Northern California on Dyslexia Tutoring.

My house is a wreck. I have camping stuff to clean up. My sister in law and her very hairy Golden Retriever are staying here while her floors are being redone. I am tired, hot and in deseperate need of a Diet Coke and a clean space.

So, please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers this week. Lenny is home with the kids but has to work two of the days. That means lots of shuttling and jumping around from house to house. The kids are good but sometimes find that moving around stuff a bit unsettling. I will miss them and wonder every moment how they are doing.

I should have lots to post about next week.

Ok, stay cool and do fun things this summer.

Donna

New Toy

2008-06-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Just got this very cool new toy.

Our friends, the Vitwars, own a great camera shop in Long Beach. A few months ago, I saw this tripod in their store and thought it was absolutely ingenious. I made a note in the back of my mind to get one for our Big Sur camping trip.

Lenny went to pick one up this evening. Totally rad and very fun to play with. If you have a camera, you gotta get the Gorillapod. Small, lightweight, and limitless in it's versatility.

Double Digits, Hummingbird and 13

2008-06-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Double Digits:

Our boy turned 10 last Thursday. I would have posted something sooner about his big day but it just got away from us. When you hear about his party, you will understand.

Lenny worked on Thursday but left his gift hidden. When Jacob woke up, Lenny called him from work and asked him to check the truck to see if he had left his backpack in it. When Jacob looked in the back, he found this:

A BB Gun.

Lenny has been waiting for almost two years to give Jacob a BB Gun for his 10th birthday. Remember this post?

Thursday, I told him that I would bring him lunch from In and Out to school and eat with him. Here was my order and $42.87 later. 4 cheeseburgers, 1 hamburger and 1 grilled cheese, 15 fries, 6 drinks. Woa. The burgers and drinks were distributed to Sarah, her sitter, her sitter's daughter, Jacob's teacher, Jacob, and of course, the lunch courier, ME! Of the 15 orders of fries, 4 went to the above mentioned people except for Jacob. He and his classmates shared the remainder of the 11 orders of fries. You would have thought that these kids had never seen french fries before. They went nuts.

And of course, I am Mom of the Year.

In the fry frenzy, I left my camera in the car. Bum- dilly- dum- bummer.

Friday, Jacob had 20 boys over here for a pool party. Before you read on, please re-read that previous sentence. 20 TWENTY boys over here for a pool party. 20 boys, Sarah, Lenny and I. Yep it was nuts. One mom stayed but all of the rest, they ran for the hills when they saw the chaos. I don't blame, I wanted to run too.

Kids swam, played basketball, ate pizza, shoved cake in their faces, and had tons of fun together. When it got dark, we played National Treasure 2 outside. 18 bags of popcorn and a movie outside - life is just great.

My house looked (still does too today) like a bomb went off. Shoes, shorts, goggles, underwear, a towel, this and that all strewn around Chez Gisbert. Cups in the corner of the yard, paper plates everywhere, blue cake icing anywhere that can be unexpected.

It was great!

Jacob got some great gifts from some very thoughtful people. I have to share my favorite.

Our neighbor gave him 10: $1 bills, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. It was cute.

Hummingbird:

Yesterday, Sarah, Jacob and a few neighborhood kids found a baby hummingbird in the grass. Apparently it had fallen from the nest above. These kids packed it up in a box and started to care for it. We made a sugar solution and found an eyedropper to feed it with. The cute little thing would stretch it's little neck and open wide for a drop of the good stuff. It would chirp and fluff it's feathers. Oh it was cute.

This morning we went to feed it. Sarah was delighted that it had survived the night. She feed it and off we went to school. 20 minutes later, it was dead. Dead as a doornail. Deader than dead. Obviously dead. Gross dead. Even the little mites that were infesting the sweet little bird before had now scattered.

All the kids held a funeral for it after school. They buried it right next to the lizard from last week. Sarah was mad that no one wore black. Oh geesh.

13:

June 2, 1995

Today Lenny and I celebrate 13 years of marriage. Notice I didn't say wedded bliss? Well that's because it hasn't been wedded bliss. But it has been good, even when it didn't feel good, our marriage has truly been something wonderful. I love being married to Lenny. He does make me absolutely INSANE sometimes, but heck, I never know what is next with him.

(Would have posted a better picture but my scanner takes forever. It was easier to take a picture of this picture. I suppose I could have cropped it better, but didn't take the time.)

Hey Lover, Happy Anniversary! I can not wait to see you tomorrow!

Awesome Rice Recipe

2008-05-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a magazine while waiting in the dentist's office. I made it tonight and it is sooooo good.

Zucchini Rice Gratin
Serves4 to 6 (side dish)
Active time:25 min
Start to finish:1 1/4 hr

With golden cheese that yields to an abundance of roasted vegetables, this gratin is an ideal side dish, but it really doesn’t need anything more than a green salad to make it a satisfying dinner.

1/3 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 lb zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 lb plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Cook rice according to package instructions.

While rice cooks, toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another baking pan.

Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir together onion mixture, cooked rice, eggs, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread half of rice mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini.

Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake in upper third of oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Double Digits and Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-05-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2008. Our very precious little boy is Double Digits. He turns 10 in just a few hours. He is one whole decade old, or should I say "young"? I really am having a time with this birthday, this milestone of sorts. I always embrace the celebrations, the moving on into another phase of life (except when Lenny turned 50). But this 10-years-old thing is gripping me in a way that I can not explain.

I look at him and I marvel at God's workmanship, at his amazing attention to detail in every part of this child's being. His personality, his eye color, the way his eyebrows are exact duplicates of his father's. I hear his heart and watch his growth, I see his talents and I hear his voice. I revel in his laughter and twitch at his complaining. My heart aches when he cries and my soul sings when he wants to snuggle. He feels so good to hold. He is so fun to be with, he makes me laugh harder than I ever thought a little person could.

He is a gift from my heavenly father. One that I do not deserve nor have any idea on how to raise. He is one of the best things ever to happen to me.

He is so excited about this birthday. Mostly because we have been making a big deal about double digits. We explained to him that for only 9 years can you be single digits. When you turn 10, you are double digits for the rest of your life - unless you live to be 100 and he is most certain that he will. Several times today he has let out his glee at another birthday, at being 10. Then he quickly comes over to apologize for growing up too quickly. But then he admits that he is really happy to have a birthday. He is so stinkin' adorable.

So as we sing Happy Birthday to Jacob, Lenny and I will celebrate 10 years of parenting. 10 years of raising a child in the ways of the Lord, nurturing his spirit, feeding his body and soul, bathing, playing and enjoying this amazing role as parents.

I am sitting here pondering this day, this event, this huge life marker all alone. Lenny is working a 48 right now. I know that he would much rather be here than at work. So, I thought I would post some pics from the last 10 years of Jacob just for the best dad in the whole wide world.

Lenny, I love you and I think you are one of the most amazing fathers I have seen. You are a shining example of how Jacob's Heavenly Father loves him. You are committed, dedicated and the most faithful man that I know. There is no other person on this planet that I would want to share parenting or life with than you. Thank you for being the dad that you are to my kids. I feel like I am the luckiest person alive.

And Jacob, Happy Birthday to you. You are an angel sent from Heaven. You may not always act like one but I know, your dad knows, that you are a gift from God. You coming into a room is the same as when the clouds move out of the sun's way. You light it up and your warmth and smile make everyone happy. We love you so much Jacob. Thank you for being such an awesome kid, for loving God the way you do, for being kind to others and always doing the right thing. You make us proud.

We were looking at some old pictures of him growing up. I scanned a few from our pre-digital camera days to share.

Happy First Birthday

18 months. He loved the fire station

Almost two

3rd birthday 4th birthday

I love this pic of Jacob on the front porch. It captures his love of life and his energy. He goes after it all and this photo seems to be a great image of his personality.

It took everything I had to let him try out the flute. His little fingers would always find their way into the keyholes, he would spit in the mouthpiece and then drop the thing.

May 29th, 2004 6th Birthday

3rd Grade

9th Birthday

He asked me to bring him In and Out for lunch, along with "10 extra orders of fries so I can share with my friends." I am going to feel retarded ordering all of those fries and then an XL Diet Coke. Then we are having cupcakes in his class. Should be a great day!

10 Years Ago TODAY

2008-05-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Oh boy am I feeling sentimental today. May 28, 2008

10 years ago today, May 28, 1998, I graduated from CSULB. What makes this day so memorable, besides the obvious, is that I was also one week overdue in delivering my first child. I didn't think I would make it to the ceremony. I thought that I would be home with a newborn. I prayed to God to please make a way to get me to commencement.

It took me 11 years to get a 4 year degree. It was not easy and I wanted that cap and gown. I wanted my baby but I also wanted to participate with my friends in graduation.

God is soooo good. He really is. He knew that I needed it. I needed to be there. I needed to prove to myself something.

I was there. All 41 weeks of my pregnancy in amazingly hot morning weather, black gown that was sticking to my sweaty back. It didn't matter. I was graduating.

Notice the top of my feet pouring out of my shoe straps. They hurt like crazy and we hadn't even left our house yet.

It was awesome!

That's my mother with us. She died less than two years later.

23 hours later Jacob was born. God knew. He has impeccable timing.

Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-05-24T10:50:00.001-07:00

If you have never been to Tanaka Farms in Irvine, CA, you gotta try it. We had never been there, but, much to our good luck, we were invited to join a group of moms and their kids for a day in the fields. We rode a tractor around the fields and saw all kinds of fresh produce, learned how it grows and even got to sample some right then and there. What was so fun about it was that when we were done with something, we got to throw it out of the tractor.

First we tried onions. You have to break the green part and roll it in between your fingers, sniff it and then try the white bulb. Much to my surprise, Sarah loved the onion. Not a great picture but I had to post it as I just still can not believe that she ate it.

The Carrots ROCKED.

We tried the red leaf lettuce. Didn't like it...too bitter.

Getting ready to pick our...strawberries.

Jenny Shannon helping her boy get a good one. These guys were smart. They wore red shirts to hide the stains!

He likes strawberries!

We are Girls

2008-05-22T11:13:00.001-07:00

Got this idea from Jen. Sarah and I went all frou frou and had a pedicure last weekend. I took this pic to show our girlie toes off.
I also got my eyebrows and mustache waxed. I have had it done only once before and I screamed. I vowed that I would never do it again...until that day. I had noticed some hairs on my lip and also the unibrow that was forming above my eyes.

I went into the room, plopped down on the table and proceeded to scream my head off. It hurt, I hated it and I made everyone in the pedicure room laugh. Nope, never again. Not gonna do it. I will have a bird's nest sprout on my face before I get another hot wax.

Can you even tell? I can't. Not worth it, I say!

On another note, we came home to find this huge grasshopper on the window outside. I have never seen one this big or up close. Creepy, I tell ya.

Then, later, I walk into the kitchen and see this. "Why are all of the drawers opened?" I ask

Jacob replies, "Oh, don't worry Mom, I'll find it?"

"Find what?" I ask.

"The lizard that crawled out of the Tupperware on the kitchen counter. He's around here somewhere. Probably in one of the cabinets." He tells me.

Eewhhhh, I love having a boy.

One last thing. This is awesome. Jacob came home from school with an assignment theat proved to be one of the most educational and mind expanding projects ever.

He had to come up with a variation to a Chocolate Chip recipe. Not only did he come up with one, he actually made one that we had never heard of before. It is called a Chocodilla. It is scrumptious and absolutely delightful. Try it. You will love it. I don't even like chocolate and this one, well, I was happy.

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas

1-2 tsp butter, softened

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

cinnamon/sugar mixture

Cool Whip

Here goes:

Butter both tortillas on one side. Place one tortilla, buttered side down in a hot frying pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on tortilla and cover with second tortilla, buttered side up. Let chips melt a bit and tortilla brown before flipping over to cook other side. Cook until browned to liking. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture and top with Cool Whip.

We also happened to have fresh strawberries at home that night. We sliced some up and used those for topping too. It was awesome.

Basketball Ballet

2008-05-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Auntie Jacqueline came over for a visit. She thought she would show off her basketball finesse. While she did make a several baskets, her ballet-like form cracked Jacob up.

My favorite!

Whatever you do, do it with all of your heart.

Lovin' My Boy

2008-05-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

(After reading this post for myself, and receiving a comment from Debbie, it might lead one to believe that I have a pregnancy announcement or something like that. No way. Just bragging on Jacob. That's all)

One of the greatest blessings in my life is the gift of having both a boy and a girl. I feel as though we get to experience a dimension that many of our same-gender-children friends do not get to walk through. I love having a boy and I love having a girl.

BUT... there is a revelation that I had a few years ago that changed me profoundly. I realized boys really need brothers. They really need that other male interaction, power struggles, wrestling and the macho (in a boy way) one-ups. One of the best "manuals" that I have after the Bible is a book called Wild At Heart. It is about what boys and men need to be men. If you have a husband or a son, GET THIS BOOK and understand them in a whole new way.

Girls... not so much. I can see Sarah being an only girl in a house full of boys but Jacob, he needs brothers. He would not like being an only boy with several sisters. He needs dudes, friends to get into innocent trouble with, Lenny to consistently lead him into adventure.

Having a boy in my life, mothering a man in training has been an experience that has taken a lot of patience, much understanding and careful words. While I believe that all children take our words to heart, I know that for Jacob, it can be detrimental or affirming to his ego.

He is all boy. He is dirty, he jumps off of roofs, he sticks his pocketknife in outlets, he shoots everyone with his just-fabricated gun, he never stops moving, he has more energy that Edison, he sweats, he stinks, he picks his nose, he cries, he laughs, he shouts, he whispers, he shuns me in public, he snuggles me in private. He is completely jump-in-with-both-feet crazy. He is a mini Lenny.

Everything he does, he does it with zest, exhuberance and life! He just got braces put on and has been testing the magnetism. He just took my magnet clasped bracelet and found that it sticks to his teeth!

He is the sweetest boy I know. He is going to be 10 in just two weeks. I can not believe that God would trust me, a pitiful mother with so many shortcomings, with this amazing boy. I love him so much that my chest aches with a love so deep.

Life's A Beach

2008-05-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

Just perused my camera and found that I did not download any of my current pics. They were from my rehabilitation beach cottage. Let me explain....

One of the best things that we did was quite by accident. We made reservations for some beach campin' two months ago. Then this stinkin' gizzard fiasco came up and we decided that the beach would not be happening. I had just come home from the hospital two days earlier and the thought of packing up, cooking outdoors (cooking at all, by the way) and not being at home was not appealing to me whatsoever.

B u u u u t, we decided to go anyway. I could not do anything at home. I would be sitting around being bored anyway. I might as well be in the sunshine looking at the ocean. So we went. And it was fabulous.

I did not do a darn stinkin' thing. Lenny cooked almost everything, we ate soup, we did nothing, we played chess, we did nothing, I slept, the rest of them went boogie boarding, I did nothing, I slept, oh yes, it was heaven in the sand.

I thought about it. If I were at home, I would have been mopping the floors, doing laundry, making beds, and all of the other things a neurotic housewife would normally be amusing herself with. At the beach, there was nothing that I could do.

Ok here I did stir the stir fry but that was it. I promise.

Heaven heaven heaven! It was awesome. I swear we had the entire beach to ourself it seemed like. The kids ran up and down the beach with nary a bathing body to trip over.

Here is what Jack and I did most of the time.

Watched gorgeous sunsets each night. Wow, God is good.

And here is what Lenny did each day.

Oh I love my life!

I am deeply saddened

2008-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just read this and my heart sank.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not a bigot, a hater, a homophobe, narrow minded, cruel or insensitive. If anything, PEOPLE matter to me, ALL PEOPLE. But the desires of a few, minority few, are overriding the majority. A majority that still has a sense morality.

God help this state, PLEASE!

I love Diet Coke

2008-05-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I bought a 12 pack of Diet Coke with Lime on sale. As I was stashing the cans in the fridge, I noticed a statement on the box. It claims:

Refreshing. Uplifting. Hydrating?

It's true. Research shows that all beverafes contribute to proper hydration. That means whether it's your first can of the day or your afternoon pick-me-up, Diet Coke helps you stay hydrated all day long. So stick wtih the Diet Coke taste you love. Your body will thank you for it.

We offer over 80 ways to hydrate, energize, nourish, relax or enjoy every drop of life. For more information on the benefits of hydration, go to: hydration.thecoca-colacompany.com

(I did go to the website and it came up "Page Unknown.")

Now... this puts me in one of those pickles that I hate. On one hand, I want to dance with glee that finally there is a health benefit to my favorite vice. However, to believe that Diet Coke is not just not bad for me, but good for me??? I would have to live on Mars to buy into that. Just like the guy who told me that cigarette butts are good for the environment...

Or maybe, just maybe, it is good for me. Just like having a big butt will help protect me against diabetes.

Either way, it sure paired well with my Chicken Tortilla Soup with lime and cilantro this afternoon!

Funny Bone

2008-05-15T10:56:00.001-07:00

I get so much junk email and quite a few "FWD"s from friends. In all honesty, and please don't be offended if you fall into my category here, I usually just delete them. I guess I get tired of the mandate of forwarding said email to 10 of my friends otherwise the curses of hell will befall me. Some of them are amusing, most most of the time, my eyes never lay sight on them.

Today, I opened one of those "FWD"s. I chuckled so much that I wanted to share. I love puns and plays on words that this tickled my silly bone. Maybe it will do the same for you. Or maybe you might find it quite corny.

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.'

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar; one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra. (You have no idea just how hysterical this one was to me)

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says:'A beer please, and one for the road.'

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: 'Does this taste funny to you?'

7. 'Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.''
'That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.'
'Is it common?'
'Well, 'It's Not Unusual.''

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, 'I was artificially inseminated this morning.'
'I don't believe you,' says Dolly.
'It's true, no bull!' exclaims Daisy.

What makes this photo so, uhmmm, intriguing is that this "Daisy" belongs to my sister Brenda. Yep, that's right, Donna has some country relatives. Makes for some fantastic stories!

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!'
The doctor replied, 'I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!'

13. I went to a seafood disco last week..and pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says 'Dam!'.

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. 'But why?', they asked, as they moved off. 'Because', he said, 'I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.'

18. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One o f them goes to a family in Egypt and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes to a family in Spain ; they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, 'They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal.'

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good).... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to her friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Thank God for Insurance

2008-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just got the first of many insurance claims for my hospital visit.

From the hospital, NOT THE DOCTORS, just for staying at the hospital for 5 days....

$31,165.25

I can not wait to see the bill from the surgeon, the radiologist, the pathologist, the anesthesiologist, the cardiologist, the doctor from our medical group who checked on me everyday, and the myriad of other specialists who attended to my gizzard removal.

Measuring Success

2008-05-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

For quite a few years now I have thought of myself as successful.

Not in monetary wealth or vast accumulation of valuable items, but in attitude. I have a fantastic marriage that is ever changing into something greater. My kids are happy, healthy, respectful, bright, fun and love the Lord so much. We have job security which is a fading privilege these days. Our home is comfy, safe, cute and not over mortgaged. I have deep and meaningful friendships, I learn from my mistakes (most of the time), I have favor with the leaders that I come in contact with, and I know that Jesus died for me. I have eternity to look forward to.

I have, on many occasions, thought that many people would envy my life and position in life. I realize just how vain that sounds and really I do not intend to sound snobby or pretentious. I suppose I have had great peace about where I am in life.

Yesterday, my Hottie Husband sent me this from the Purpose Driven Daily Devotional by Rick Warren. He is the author of the Purpose Driven Life (40 Days of Purpose). If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it.

I read through this devotional and found myself snagging on each of the points. Places where I thought I had it all laid out, I had to rethink. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not whatsoever believe that I am "all that". I have never thought that my life is perfect or that there is no room for improvement. I just thought that I was in a good place. Hmmm. It upset my proverbial apple cart.

Read it and see how you measure yourself.

2008/05/07

How Do You Develop Self-Control?by Rick Warren
God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV)

*** *** *** ***

Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.

It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:

· Successful people master their moods – They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).

· Successful people watch their words – They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths: “Those who control their tongue will have a long life ….” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).

(THIS IS ONE TOUGH AREA FOR DONNA GISBERT. My friends will testify to this!)

· Successful people restrain their reactions – How much can you take before you lose your cool? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT).

· Successful people stick to their schedule – If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT).

(Home schooling is really testing my commitment to a schedule.)

· Successful people manage their money – They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT).

(Need I say more?)

· Successful people maintain their health – That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements: “… control your body and live in holiness and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 NLT).

(It would be appropriate for me to comment here, especially after my recent surgery, however, the surgery has nothing to do with this. I consistently drink too much caffeine, not enough water, and frequently don't "eat my veggies". Walk, exercise? Do I look like I work out? .

Now, where do you need to develop self-control?

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me!

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

Hospital Food Stinks

2008-04-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to share about my hospital exploits for a few days now. I browsed through my camera, and much to my dismay, found little in the way of rotten pics to show you. I share what I have and hopefully you will have not lost any of the little respect that you may have for me.

Just a warning though. I may get a bit graphic, or sometimes cross the line of what is appropriate for a blogger of my wholesome nature to share. You may wonder if I know what boundaries are.

Tuesday I went to Outpatient surgery thinking that I might be home that evening. I knew in the back of my mind that this might be a bit more complicated than the routine removal of the gall bladder. My radiology reports showed "a wall thickness of 7 mm" (normal is 3), "numerous stones, severe inflammation, moderate infection and interluminal sludge filling the sac." Eeehhhwwww gross. Sounds serious.

I am roused at 8 pm with Lenny telling me that I was there to stay for a few days. Ok, I thought. Then I proceeded to ask him if he had brought my passport. He tells me that he did indeed bring it. The nurse asks me where I am going and I declare, "Paris!" Obviously I was still feeling the effects of the heavenly morphine.

Two orderlies take me to my room, Lenny is at my side and we all join two other men in the elevator. I look around and smile I am told and state, "Look at all of these men around me." Still loving the drugs. Lenny says that he is calling Teen Challenge to see if they can get me into detox.

When I realize the state of things the next morning, I see that I am hooked up to many things. The most obvious is the IV pole which is pumping me with antibiotics and saline. I see the tape and tubes attached to my left hand and decided right then and there that I do not own a left hand. If I can detach from that, then I can deal with the gross needles.

Next are the Sequentials. They are leg wraps filling with and depleting air around my calves and ankles. Interesting. Apparently I need to stay away from blood clots. I have an oxygen tube in my nose that oddly enough brings me great comfort. And now let's not forget the best of it all. I have a pee bag. That's what my kids call it. I have what feels like a garden hose between my legs filling with potty and draining to a bag attached to my IV pole. Ohhhhh yuck.

Over the next few days, I proceed to get a fungus infection from the catheter tube. Hmmm sounds like I need the free clinic. It spreads to the back of my legs and other places. I now have to have the nurse inspect me. Nothing like a pretty young nurse with rubber gloves on lift up my gown and gaze at my yahoo. HUMILIATION people, I tell you.

Ladies, you will love this one. You know that visitor that we get about 12 times a year. Yep, she came unannounced, and quite frankly, unwelcome to visit me in the hospital. My nurse's aid pulls out the maternity underwear that we all get after we push out those kids.

It is quite possibly my proudest vile moment. All I could think of was why in the world we didn't have a laptop right then so that I could blog it.

On Thursday night, Lenny and the kids came to see me. They proceeded to kick me out of my bed, they hopped in and played with the buttons until I kicked them out. I got into bed, my feet were higher than the rest of me and then I found out the bed was broken. The nurse switched with the other bed in my room and red tagged the violated bed. And because of all of that, the bed was rendered unusable, thereby giving me a private room! I love my family.

I came home on my birthday, Saturday, April 26th. It was a good day and I was ready to be home. Prognosis looks great. Sit back, relax, don't push/pull anything, no reaching or lifting anything over 5 ppounds. Yee haw this looks great.

I have a 5ish inch incision and three other little ones. I am of course going to share my "caterpillar" with you. I thought this would rival terrilynne's pics but I think hers are better.

Home From the Hospital

2008-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Super duper short. I can hardly breathe while sitting upright.

Tuesday, I went into to Long Beach Memorial to have outpatient surgery to have my nasty gall bladder removed. Today is Saturday and I just got home about 2 hours ago.

It turned out to be way more complicated than expected, much more infected and really just nauseating to think about.

I have numerous comedic moments from this week that I can not wait to share. Right now, I need Vicodin and a stool softener. Anyone wanna help?

Oh, and today is my birthday. 40 minus 1. Spent the morning of it in the hospital, spending the rest of it moaning.

See ya soon.

Daddy Daughter Date

2008-04-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

I love my husband. I love him for many things, but specifically right here, I love how he fathers and loves our kids.

I just want to share this photo of Lenny and Sarah. A few weeks ago, Sarah came home from Missionettes with a flyer from another church that was hosting a Daddy/Daughter Date in a few weeks. Somehow, I missed it and didn't think anything about it. But Lenny found the flyer. I didn't know anything about it until a week or so later when he put the directions on the fridge. I asked him if he would be interested in it.

He told me that yes, he would love to go and that he had already filled it out, sent it in and then asked Sarah to go on the date with him.

They went two Saturday's ago and had a wonderful time.

Isn't he just the coolest dad ever?

Surgery

2008-04-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

Hello to all 1 or 2 of you out that still believe in me. I just stink at keeping up with this blog. I feel like if I blog everyday I will just bore you with the mundane everyday life of Donna Gisbert. For those of you that have nothing better to do, read on. More drivel.

For several years now, I have had recurring episodes of pain in my upper abdomen, around to my back and sometimes in between my shoulder blades. I frequently have muscle spasms but those don't even come close to the attacks of the ab/back pain. I always thought it was something to do with stress. Both Lenny and I tend to carry our stress in our backs. For years I have always attributed my pain to just plain ol' freaking out over something.

Over Easter vacation, I woke up in the middle of the night and literally thought I was going to do die. If I wasn't going to die, I wanted to. Seriously, I wanted to meet Jesus that night. Lenny was working and wouldn't be home for another 9 hours. I suffered through it, crying, moaning and completely out of my mind. He came home the next morning and tried to rub out the muscle pain in my back but the ab pain would not let go.

I should have gone to the E.R.

I went to the doc a few days later, had an ultrasound, and then today met with the surgeon. I have an infected, diseased, twice-it's-normal-size, filled with stones gall bladder.

The doctor was amazed that 1) I didn't go into shock over the infection and 2) I am able to walk around right now. Now, I love this kind of stuff. Nothing exciting other than overflowing toilets ever happen to me. Usually I am all into the drama of it. I am not a hypochondriac but I don't freak out when something healthwise happens to me. At least I don't think I do. But this surgeon was completley bewildered by it all. Not a normal, run-of-the-mill gall bladder surgery.

What do I do? Come home and post about it. Oh, and I found a really gross pic to show ya all, you know, for drama!

Now on the plus side of it all, because of the infection I have a suppressed appetite. Which means, ta daaaaa 9 pounds lost in 3 weeks. This is the easiest weight loss plan ever. Just watch out for the land mine of a rip roaring, gut wrentching pain attack.

His suggestion until my surgery.... stay away from greasy, spicy, fried foods and take it easy. I can soooooooo do that.

2008-04-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Check out Sheri's blog for an eye opening You Tube video.

I will let it speak for itself.

2008-04-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

I am kind of a grammar person. So when I saw this quiz on Michelle's blog, I took it. I am an exclamation point. Hmmmm, I guess that would go well with my "strong personality" (chuckle, Monica).

You Are An Exclamation Point

You are a bundle of... well, something.
You're often a bundle of joy, passion, or drama.

You're loud, brash, and outgoing. If you think it, you say it.
Definitely not the quiet type, you really don't keep a lot to yourself.

You're lively and inspiring. People love to be around your energy.
(But they do secretly worry that you'll spill their secrets without even realizing it.)

You excel in: Public speaking

You get along best with: the Dash

What'>">What Punctuation Mark Are You?

2008-04-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Luke 12:7

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I have read this verse many times. And many times I have taken comfort in it's promise that if a teeny bird matters to God, then surely I matter immensely to the Lord.

Today, I have taken a new comfort in that verse. I am so very grateful that I am more precious that a sparrow.

Take a looksie.....

Yep those are bird feathers - IN THE DINING ROOM. We were getting ready to leave for school when Jacob screams for me to "come look at what is happening!" I walk into the dining room to see that a sparrow has flown into the kitchen and is caught between the window and the blinds.

I hope it just flies outside without having to touch it, I think.

In less than a microsecond of thinking that, Jack comes flying into the kitchen, immediately goes into hunting dog mode and proceeds to PULVERIZE the little chick right in front of our eyes. He is caught in the blinds, the bird is flapping like crazy and SQUEAKING for help, Jack's tail is wagging in hyperspeed and Jacob and Sarah are screaming at him to stop. Feathers are flying!

He jumps down with the bird still in his mouth and takes off outside. This is what is left of the bird. We chase after Jack to make sure he does not eat the bird. He didn't but he did have about 10 feathers stuck on his tongue.

Jacob and I give it a proper burial by sweeping it into a Cheerio's box and throwing it in the trash can. Sarah is freaking out, Jacob is laughing uncontrollably, anxious to get to school to tell "every boy I know" about the mishap.

Me, I just marvel at how these things always seem to happen at our house.

You Had Better Behave

2008-04-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

If you don't behave around here, you never know to where you might be banned.

Jacob having to stand in the corner of the closet.

Jack, after barking too much, was sent to the opening for the new bathroom mirror.

And Sarah, for talking back to her teacher... she got the worst of it. She was expelled to the dog crate. That'll teach her!

Ok, I sure hope that you all realize that this is a joke. Although we are completely off the deep end in our joking, we would never put our child in a dog crate (and then show pictures of it, too!).

Jacob and Sarah were both told by their pediatrician that their expected height would not be on the tall side. 5'2" for Sarah and 5'8" for Jacob. While they can not really comprehend how tall or not tall that really is, they like to complain that they are little. They even complain about the dog being a little dog.

We keep telling them that being shorter/littler/smaller is by far better than being big. They can fit into anything. Hence, the fun pics. They will one day look back at these pics and wish they were this small again.

enii

Easter Fun

2008-03-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it has been a few days since Easter. I was all hot to post these pictures right away - say maybe Monday or Tuesday. Then I got hit with what we now believe to be a gall bladder attack. Been almost flat on my back since Monday night. I am soooo wiped out so I don't have much to say. But these pics are cool. I soooo want to share!

We started with Good Friday. Grandma came over to help decorate eggs and fill the baskets. She is wrought with dementia but I tell, this woman thought it was a hoot to dye eggs. On a separate note, notice the "Gulp" from 7-11? It was hot that day so when I got my refill, I got her a baby diet coke. She gasped when she saw hers and declared, "I will never finish this." She did. She's hooked. She has come to the dark side with me!

Remember how mad I was at myself for not getting Jacob's hair cut for Rhonda's wedding. Two weeks later..still not cut. But the next morning, off we went. He is now tidy lookin'.One of the fun things about having Grandma come over is that she brings her fun toys.

Resurrection Day. Oh my gosh, I love celebrating on this day. To think that Christ lives after a gruesome crucifixion. Wooooaah. He was born for us, he died for us and now he lives for us. What an incredible display of his amazing power and love for us. I have always ALWAYS believed that if everyone would just hear the story of his death and resurrection with their whole heart and mind, they would want him. Why wouldn't they?

Off to church.Aunt Karen's pool later that afternoon. What a great day. My family is a bit, uhmmm, unconventional. Most of them don't really care for turkey at Thanksgiving - although we do have it, we have Mexican food at Christmas and now this year for Easter, fish tacos. Go figure. But man, these peeps are fun!

Lenny's still got it! Looking for eggs. That's my bro-in law, Bob. Notice is shirt says "SpongeBob?" Jacob and Kyle. Jacob is a mini-me personality of Kyle. Kyle is NUTS! Seriously he is not afraid of anything at all. And Jacob is just like him. Everytime I look at this pic of Sarah and my niece Shelby, I think of Sharpay from High School Musical and start humming "Fabulous".

Kyle's new underwater camera photos. I want this camera.
See ya!

I Love Lenny!

2008-03-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why I love and adore my hottie husband. I could exhaust the list and bore you with all of the reasons, but for now, I will share just one of them.

He takes excellent care of me. Let me explain.

On Monday night/Tuesday morning at midnight, I woke up with excruciating pain in my back, my right side, and my abdomen. While all of the areas were unbearable, there was one particular spot right under my right rib cage that was even more substantial.

I could not breathe, I could not move, and I could not even think straight to decide if I should call 9-11. I have never, ever contemplated calling 9-11 in my life. Somehow, I managed to bear it through the night until he came home from work the next morning. He rubbed out the spasms in my back, got a heating pad, brought water, all of the usual things one might do.

By noon, I could not stand it anymore. I was going to urgent care. But then he had a brilliant idea. He called our friend, Chloe, who is a house call P.A. She prescribed a muscle relaxer. He immediately had it filled and raced home to give me the prescribed ONE pill. I took another making it TWO pills at once. People, seriously at this point I did not care if my heart stopped. I needed relief - although I vaguely remember being a bit anxious as to if my bladder or bowel muscles would relax too much.

At 2pm on Tuesday, I fell asleep. I woke up this morning, Wednesday at 9:30am. I slept for 19.5 hours. Holy cow.

Here is the the mushy lovin' stuff. He never once got impatient with me or my groaning. He lovingly took care of me and my needs. And not just my physical needs, he took care of my need to care for the kids. He just swooped right in, took over, never bothered me, just knew what to do. He went to Blockbuster and rented movies and a Wii game for Jacob. He did it all. Laundry, dinner, everything.

I woke up this morning, still very much in pain but not as acute as before. He put in a movie for me and went out to mow the lawn. He finished the laundry, let me sleep here and there and just was the man that he is.

This is in no way whatsoever foreign behavior. He is always like this. He is a doer, a giver, a servant and a pleaser. He is like this all of the time. But when push comes to shove, he shines even more.

It is 1am right now. I can not sleep. He can not stay awake. I look at him, exhausted and resting. I love him soooo much my heart aches sometimes at how lucky I am. Ok, luck has nothing to do with it, but golly, I have a long list of reasons why I do not deserve this man.

I guess the reason why I say this publicly is because too often I don't build him up with my words of affirmation. I think it is a sin. After all, look at this passage from Proverbs.

Proverbs 15:23 (The Message)
Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful!

Proverbs 15:23 (New International Version)
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!

I love you, Lenny Gisbert with all of my heart.

I spoke too soon!

2008-03-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said it was going to be a great day. I think I should have waited before declaring such wonderous news.

On the way to the store guess what happened?

Another stray. Can you stinkin' believe that?

After the Skittles fiasco yesterday, I thought that I would never pick up another dog. Sarah wailed and moaned all day, all evening and even cried herself to sleep last night. "Please call the owner and ask her if she really wants her dog." "It is not fair, she should just let us keep him." "I would give up everything in my room to keep him." WWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boooooo hooooooooo.

I am not at all a dog lover. I mean I love our dog but some people are just animal lovers. Not me. Dogs are cool but if we didn't have one, ok. No biggie. But something is going on inside of me because right now as we speak, in our backyard, this is happening....

and it is just so darn cute. Jack has yet another playmate. This dog, however, is extemely dirty and is in desperate need of a bath and the skilled scissors, especially around his bangs.

While I was downloading the pics of the new mutt, I get a phone call. It is Bobbie, Skittles mom. She wants to bring something to Sarah to say thanks for rescuing her dog. She gave her a beautiful Easter basket and a Trader Joe's bag full of goodies as a sign of her appreciation.

This is Bobbie and Sarah.

It was so great that she came over because Sarah saw just how much Skittles is loved by his owner and what a great thing she did. We talked a lot last night about doing the right thing even when it hurts. We may never be thanked or rewarded but Jesus always sees what we do. This was a fantastic life experience for her. And, to make it even better, she actually got a reward!

UPDATE* Just looked through the basket with Sarah. She got a bag of Skittles!

SECOND UPDATE! I just looked through the Trader Joe's bag and found Kettle Korn, Lobster Ravioli, Meatballs, and other goodies only found there. Also a card saying thank you with - drumroll please- an It's A Grind gift card and a McDonald's gift card! Holy Smokes.

Bobbie, I know you are going to read this. Really, thank you for the incredibly thoughtful gift. Clearly you put a lot of time and effort into both the basket and the TJ's goodies. Then to go to McD's and It's A Grind. Wow. We are going to have a great Easter Vacation! It was a pleasure meeting you yesterday and again this morning. Thank you for being a part of this life lesson for our daughter.

Good Morning

2008-03-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful start to the day I am having.

First of all, I went to bed super early last night. My allergies are out of control so I just gave up fighting them and collapsed into bed at 9pm. I must have done me good because I bounded out of bed this morning 45 minutes earlier than normal.

Then when I came out of the bathroom, thinking that all three kids (our houseguest, remember) were still snoozing, I see the kitchen light on. I see Jacob in there, UP and DRESSED FOR SCHOOL, making breakfast for him and his pal. Most mornings I would have to drag him out of bed. He was bright-eyed and eager to get going.

Both boys are completely ready for school, teeth brushed, backpacks ready, outside playing basketball. They have about an hour before we have to leave. What a great way to get the wiggles out before buckling in front of the books.

I am ready for the day. I have already read a great devotional on Passion Week, read quite a bit in the Bible and now I get to talk to you fine folks.

It is going to be a great day!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Lucy, Jack and Skittles

2008-03-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

This week has been a plethora of dog activity for us. And, in usual Gisbert form, one of the stories is quite comical.

First of all, our neighbor just got the most adorable Golden Retriever. Her name is Lucy and she is a doll. Sarah is in LOVE with this animal. Nothing too exciting about this anecdote other than Lucy crawled all over Sarah's head.

The story that you will chuckle over but me, I fumed while it was all in progress. Jack sleeps in a crate in the front bedroom in a corner. That room is also the room where we do most of our schooling. It is filled with a mountain of clothes, closet and bathroom items and all of the other things that normally go in there. We are remodeling the back bathroom right now so it seems as though EVERYTHING is piled in there. I will show pics in the next post.

Anyhoo, back to Jack. Yesterday morning, I went in there to let him outside and to feed him. As soon as I opened the door, I was overwhelmed by the enormous stench of dog poop. But this wasn't just normal poo, I knew something was up.

I had to navigate through the Home Depot ladder that is housing all of my clothes to find the crate to let the poo poo dog out. As I look over at him, he and his bedding are covered in dog diarrhea. "Oh noooooo." I pick him up, get it all over me, crawl back through my clothes and literally ban him from my presence. Then I go back to get his crate. Lenny comes in to help but he and I can not both fit in that tiny area with the ladder. So I hand him the crate over the ladder and my clothes. It is heavy so I drop it on top of the ladder. And wouldn't you know it? There was poo poo juice on the side of the crate and guess where it plops down??? My blue suede jacket.

One of my friends is on a missions trip with her middle schooler daughter. Her son is staying with us this week. He comes into the room, takes a huge breath and his eyes glaze over with disgust. He plugs his nose and lets out a huge "Ewwwwwwwweeeeeeee, Mrs. Gisbert did you pass gas?" I told him what happened and he starts laughing uncontrollably. He thinks Jack having diarrhea is the funniest thing ever. He goes outside, examines the crate and violated bedding and declares, "yep that is diarrhea alright."

I was sooooo disgusted by the sight of it all, that I took advantage of trash day being on Tuesday. I bagged it all up and put it out at the curb. Didn't wash any of it. Just tossed it. I could not take it. I just hosed off the crate, sprayed it with bleach and took a deep breath of fresh air.

What does Jack do while we are disinfecting the house??? Just soaks up the sun and enjoys his lazy life.

Then this morning on the way to school, I almost hit a runaway dog. This tiny dog just took off running through a very busy intersection. Sarah begged me to stop and pick it up but we were on our way to school. And, I am always a bit leary of picking up a stray with kids in the car. How would I know that the dog wouldn't bite Sarah? We get the kids to school, I stop at 7-11 for a refill and we head home.

Sarah says that I should have stopped for the dog. I agreed but by now, 15 minutes later, the likelihood of the dog being around is nil. As soon as I said that, we see the tiny canine flying through the intersection again in the opposite direction. We follow it, find it, catch and call the owner. We see that his name is Skittles. We left a message and decide to take him home until we hear from the owner.

Of course my 7 year old girl falls in love with the dog. She thanks me profusely for stopping, reminds me to keep my cell with me to get the call from the owner, and just reassures the dog that "mom" will come soon for him.The phone rings and Sarah FLIPS out. It is the owner, hysterical because she was shopping and had left the dog in the car. When she came out, she found her car door open and the dog gone. She thought someone had let it go.

She came to pick up Skittles and Sarah lost it. The lady is crying, Sarah is unconsolable, and Jack is howling at the top of his lungs because he wants some of the dog humping action with this stranger. I am giggling because I just can not comprehend what is happening. I feel bad for Sarah but she is carrying like the world has stopped. She moans, "I hate this day. Why, why, why was I ever born?" She sounds like Job crying out.

Here is the part that sent me over the edge. The lady thanks me over and over and over for taking care of Skittles and being a dog lover. Oh lady, you should be thanking Sarah. I wanted to just keep driving.

Sarah's Recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-03-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned to Sarah this morning that I wanted to try a new recipe for Tortilla Soup with Chipotle Shrimp. She merrily agreed and went off on her own. She skips back in to tell me that she would prefer Chicken Noodle Soup but only if it were her recipe. Here it is.

Noodles
Chicken
Powder
More chicken
Rock salt
Regular salt
Sugar Powder
More chicken
"What is it? It goes with Salt," she asks. "Pepper", I reply. "Yeah, that's right, pepper, you need pepper."
Broth
More noodles
Sugar
carrots

"First you put the broth and then you put the chicken and the noodles in. Then the rock salt then the sugar then the regular salt. Carrots and whatever else I forgot on the list, you just dump it in. Cook it for however long you usually cook other things."

Hmmm. Looks like a science project to me.

More Wedding pics

2008-03-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of shots from the big flowergirl day (Rhonda and Dan's wedding).

I love love love this picture. I am kicking myself for not getting Jacob a haircut beforehand. Oooooh I am mad at myself.
Doesn't she look sweet and so innocent? She really tried to hold it together. But....after several hours of being patient and poised, she cracked. Yep, that's right, you can dress her up and put some flowers in her hair, but all in all, she is still a firecracker! Rhonda throwing her bouquet........
and Sarah, age 7, catching it!
Rockin' out!

This one just makes me giggle. Her parents, however, probably were not giggling. This is Dan looking for Rhonda's garter WITH NO HANDS just TEETH!

Lost Lenny

2008-03-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

This cracks me up. It is one of the "slides" on the monitor while waiting in line at the Autopia. We were there on Thursday. Everytime I see it, I tell myself that next time I will capture it. I did!

It is so eerily similar to the Lenny that I know. Maybe that is why it cracks me up.

The Love Boat

2008-03-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Lenny and I went on our very first cruise. Our church has a couple's retreat every year or so, but this year, it was a couple's cruise. It was fantastic. That is Ron in the background being a goofball.

We did the Royal Caribbean Fri-Mon Ensenada cruise. It was so much fun. Pastor George is an awesome speaker, he is quite candid and so approachable. What a great weekend he planned for us all.

All weekend long everyone was being goofy and silly, the the last meeting comes and it is about S E X. It is so funny to see a group of adults all become so quiet and nervous. One man (initials RC) raises his hand when George asked for questions. His wife (PC) all of sudden grabs his hand, tells him not to say anything and then starts sweating. He asked a very innocent question but man we were all waiting for something good. I have to admit that it wasn't as, uhmm, interesting and detailed as maybe I would have hoped for. If you know me, you know that I was READY for something juicy to chat about.

I was concerned about getting seasick. I bought the Bonine, the wristbands and had a patch all ready if needed. Come to find out, I didn't get sick at all. But, I thought I was going to fall over from the rocking of the ship. I felt more dizzy than sick.

25 super fun, very vibrant and most entertaining couples came along with us. It was a great mix of people, a wonderful salad bowl of wisdom, wit and insight. It was just wonderful.

Us with the Fesslers at the Bufadora.

Pastor George attempting the Makarena.

After dinner on Sunday night, we came back to our room to find this monkey hanging around. Our room attendant made it when she came in to turn down the bed.

The weekend was just what we needed. A nice and easy getaway, a great sitter to take care of the kids and fabulous company. I am so grateful for opportunities like this to spend with my husband.

Sonya, Eric and Lenny all climbed the rock wall on the 11th deck. Very cool view. I want to grab those buns when I see this pic. I should have photshopped it and zoomed right in there!

Our last morning, having breakfast. Everyone was quiet. No one wanted to leave. Whhaaaa. Oh well, just wait until Alaska!

Hello, anyone still here?

2008-03-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It has been a while. I don't know why I get into these blog funks for weeks at a time. Especially considering that I have mountains of things to blog about. Winter Camp, Couple's Cruise, Sarah as a flowergirl, numerous husband stories, dyslexia battles and victories galore, and of course, there is always me to share.

I will start with the latest.

On Saturday, Sarah was the flower girl in Rhonda's much anticipated wedding.

The wedding was beautiful, the bride was magazine-cover stunning and the littlest one there, well she was adorable too.

The wedding was at The Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes Estates. It was absolutely a stunning place to hold a ceremony. The church is on a hilltop overlooking the ocean. It was one of those clear sunny days that you would imagine to be a gift from God. Everything was perfect. A bride's dream, a photographer's dream and a nice treat for the guests.

I will let the Cherryholmes tell you all about the big day. For now, I am just gonna post some pics of my flowergirl.

*SIDE NOTE* For the past 10 minutes I have been trying to upload more pics of Sarah. Wouldn't you know that the only one that will post has Rhonda in it???? Hmmmmm. That makes me laugh because on Saturday, Sarah was getting irritated with the photographer because "he doesn't really want that many of me, he justs wants Rhonda. She has to be in all of them." How appropriate that this is the only one that will upload. I am gonna go tell her right now about this. How much do you want to bet that she will have a cow over this?

Ooh La La

2008-02-14T13:21:00.001-08:00

Oh, I think I found a new favorite thing!!! It's perfect, just in time for Valentine's Day (hint hint Lover)

He's At It Again

2008-02-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I just got back from a field trip. I had called Lenny to let him know that I was on my way home. He was on his way to Home Depot. Hmmmm, I wonder.

We get home and Sarah goes into the other room. I am in the kitchen when she comes in and says, "Go look at your bathroom." Hmmmmm, I wonder AGAIN.

My first clue was this.

The orange extension cord and the cover to the toilet tank on the floor. Hmmmmm, I wonder.

Then I saw this.

Here we go again. This time, it's the back bathroom.

And just in case you are wondering - yes, I am embarrassed about the floor. It looks like we missed the toilet a few too many times. I guess telling you that all of that is really water damage wouldn't make you believe me, right?

2008-02-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Here are some very thought provoking responses. They might make you look at the chicken in a whole new light.

DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH : Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens .

GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see is in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR. SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL : Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ........ reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE : I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? ------ We need some black chickens

Crazy Hair Day

2008-01-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

No this is not a cousin to the Bird-of-Paradise flower,

but instead it is part of the fun of Crazy Hair Day at school! Wow, I love being in this family.

Just another day here at our home

2008-01-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

So this afternoon I was doing some research on dyslexia, finding some amazing tools to help with Sarah and Math. I was soooo into it. I told her that she could go play for about 30 minutes, so she did. Everything was quiet until she came out and said, "Look at your gorgeous little baby." I turn around and here is what she did.

She even had a ribbon tied on his tail and a small sweater on his back. But, by the time I clicked the picture, he had just the foo foo pom poms in his hair.

Right at this moment, as I type this, she is screaming at him because he got one of the pom poms off and ran with it. She is running around the house trying to get it back.

On another note, just found this picture. Again, the lows that we have sunk to. Now the toilet is on the table where we eat our food. God help the Gisberts.

New Blogger

2008-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Heyyy give a warm welcome to Brandi as she enters the world of blogging. Yipppppeeeeee!

Porcelain God

2008-01-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

We do not worship any god other than the true living God here in our home. But, by the way we are carrying on today, one might think that we have a new idol. Our toilet.

Our kids get excited over many things, but today, this toilet brought us all more joy than most things. Let me just pics instead of words. You might enjoy that more.

Yes, that is the toilet seat sitting on the edge of the couch. It just amazes me at the trailer trash we have become.

But, we do have some standards so I promise that if you ever visit us, we will not make you use the toilet in the living room. You can use the one out back!!!!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2008-01-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

You know those precious moments when your children just humiliate you? Well, something happened a few weeks ago that a friend reminded me of today.

I was teaching in Kids' Church about obedience. We were doing a Sword Drill where you quickly look up verses that someone yells out. I had thrown out a few but on the last one, Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, I say to all of the kids, "This one is my favorite verse. My kids know that I believe in the verse with all of my heart. What is it Jacob?"

He screams out, "Genesis 2:25 And the husband and wife were both naked and felt no shame."

Apparently, he has sensed my enthusiam over that verse a few too many times.

No More Tonsils

2008-01-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we took Sarah to the hospital to have her tonsilectomy. Wow. You go through a lot of things being a parent, but this was something else. Wow, again I have to say. While, everything went just fine, no complications and even a surprise, it was a rollercoaster of emotions for me.

Big BUT here..while she is recuperating as she should be, she is not happy at all. Last night it wasn't so bad, but today....yikes she is hurting. She is not enjoying the popsicles as much as she thought she might. She says she hates her life she says to me. She theorizes that since she has not died yet, we had no good reason to put her through this trauma. "So what if I could breathe at night. I didn't die yet." "WHHHYYYY???" Oh I think this is going to be a long week.

BEFORE:

Settling in.

This is Dr. Li. She is the anesthsiologist. She came in to introduce herself and meet Sarah. After she asked if Sarah was allergic to any meds, I told her that she wasn't but please be careful because she has a very loose tooth. I knew that it would probably get knocked out with the tubes during the surgery, however, I was not prepared for what really happened. Dr. Li looks at the tooth, wiggles it once or twice and just YANKS IT OUT OF SARAH'S MOUTH. All of us just stood there stunned. Sarah was shocked. Then her mouth starts to bleed.

I think Dr. Li realized that she just should not have done something like that. Maybe it would have been better to wait until Sarah was out. Golly, it was so stunning.

AFTER: Post-Op in recovery. Oh, she looked so good yet so pitiful. All kinds of tubes, an IV, an ice pack on her throat, two foam pillows to prop her to the side, a warming blanket, and the little emesis basin just in case. She was eating ice chips when we got there.

I knew this one was coming. I knew that in addition to supporting Sarah, I was going to be controlling my overactive, very vibrant husband around all of that medical stuff. Apparently, he isn't satisfied with his own fingers in his nose, he has to get the rubber glove to do it too.

People, he truly embarrasses me.

Going home. Not happy at all and frankly, very pale.

At home in her sick bed, letting the morphine take over. Ahhhhhh. Nighty night Sarah.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

2008-01-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

What do popsicles, ice cream, pain medication and antibiotics have in common???

Tonsilectomy and Adenoidectomy.

Tomorrow, Sarah is going to the hospital to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. She has never really been prone to illness or recurring infections, but instead she stops breathing at night because her tonsils collapse. Whhhhattttt?????? Yes, they collapse and she can not catch her breath. So we are taking an otherwise healthy child, having her put under and surgically removing part of her body. I am struggling with it all.

She, on the other hand, is quite excited about the attention she will get from visitors and the attention she will be giving to all of those popsicles and ice cream.

Yesterday morning, she had to do a pre-op visit and have blood drawn. I don't have any pics because I, being the most supportive mother ever, completely freaked out at the thought of having to sit in the lab with all of the needles. So I made Lenny take her. But I did stay home and hyperventilate while imagining her making a fist. Does that count?

Here she is getting ready to leave for the lab.

Just about 5 minutes ago, she did come up to me and say, "Of course I am scared. I have never ever in my whole life had surgery. It's gonna hurt, I just know it."

My response: "Yes, Sarah it is going to hurt after. That's why Dr. Golund told us to get ice cream. A bowl of ice cream will make all of your pain go away."

I thought of how nice it would be to always eat ice cream to make the pain go away. Lucky little girl, she is.

Bathroom Change

2008-01-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

Next week I am having a Southern Living at Home party. So I mention to Lenny that maybe I should go get a new shower curtain or some rugs for the gross and very ugly front bathroom. It is the only room that we have never touched since moving into this house almost 5 years ago.

The next thing I know, we are at Lowe's and Home Depot looking at cabinets. Didn't find any that would match the odd dimensions of the existing cabinet. I kind of shrug it all off as a whim, but Lenny. Woah something took him over. Something scary. This was last Saturday.. 4 days ago.

He has since, ripped out the toilet,gotten rid of the bathroom mirror, ordered new cabinet doors for the existing cabinet, repaired the wall, plastered, mudded, and is now at this very moment, painting the inside of the drawers. I have bought new linoleum and it is coming tomorrow morning. I know, linoleum????? Yes, linoleum. People, we are on a major budget and this was supposed to be just a quick project. Besides, ANYTHING A N Y T H I N G would be better than this. Tile is coming when we decide to really remodel the pit of a bathroom!

Today is Wednesday, tomorrow is completely unavailable for working in the bathroom (see next post), and Friday the flooring people are coming. So that leaves, Saturday... no wait, Lenny works, ok, Sunday. But Sunday we go to church and just hang. Ok, Monday. Nope, Monday Lenny works and Tuesday is the day everyone is coming over. Hmmmmmm.

I wonder if we can pull this off. I will let you know. I hope soon because my poor kids have no place to bathe!

So that is what the bathroom looks like right now. Here is what our front yard looks like right now. Think Trailer Park!

the Luecht's

2008-01-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

Check out this website for a few pics of Matt and Dani's wedding. It belongs to the photographer, so scroll down to his blog and read about "the Luecht Crazybooth." There is a funny picture of Lenny and Ron Cherryholmes together and maybe one of you too!

51 more like 22

2008-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

On Monday, my beloved husband enjoyed yet another one of life's great gifts. A birthday. Yes, we all marked off another year of the Lenny Calendar. While I have been a bit resistant to this new decade of his life, I have decided to look at it in a different light.

Last year he turned 50. And let me just tell you how hard it was for me. For him, not so much, but for me, I had a mid-life crisis in his stead. For reasons that are just too personal to reveal here, I seemed to have viewed his chronological age with well, sadness. There were things that I felt like we were missing out on, life's pleasures that we passing us by and opportunities lost. I am ashamed to admit that I let the printed number of his age take forefront to the attitude and exuberance that he displays before me each day.

If you know Lenny, you know his character to be well, quite a character. He is personable, likeable, warm, caring, energetic, incredibly generous, kind, strong both in strength and will, humble and forceful when necessary. He has had quite a bit of life experience in his 5 decades. He has seen a lot in life both from the fun and recreational pursuits of the outdoorsman that he is and also from what he sees each day as a fireman. Now that he is married and a father, he has experienced even more in life. And let me tell you right now that he is a stellar man. He takes each task that he is given whether it be on the job, at church, in our marriage or in our community and he shines.

Let me give you a vague example. I wish I could be more specific but since this is a work related issue, I can not. Lenny has given his entire heart and soul to God. Not just part of it, but all of it. That means that everything that he does, he does it from a point of view that would be pleasing to God. Doesn't mean that he never makes mistakes or slips, but his ATTITUDE is a godly one. When he falls, it doesn't take long for him to go to God to ask for forgiveness.

A situation arose at work that involved him. It was not anything horrible or an emergency but rather something that he knew would be something that he should be involved in. No one had done anything offensive or anything like that. It was simply a logistics issue. He politely and respectfully took the appropriate steps to get the situation resolved. And it was resolved to his satisfaction.

But it hasn't been easy for him. People don't always understand standing up when no one else stands with you. It is easy to be part of a crowd or a rally, but when your voice is the only one speaking out, well, that can be lonely...awfully lonely. But he hasn't backed down. He continues to stand, stand tall and do what is right. For that, I am awfully proud of him.

Lately, we have been talking about our bodies, how we are breaking down, his shoulder, my headaches, his knee, my cracking bones, his booty owie, my wrinkles and his gray hair, my weight/his weight, oh and so much more. It is almost comical at how we are changing. It is good though.

Those wrinkles and gray hairs mean wisdom. That sore shoulder means that he has been using it. His stingray mark means that at 50 years old he is still out in the ocean in the wintertime boogie boarding while his 9-year old and and the neighbor kid sit up on the beach because they are too tired to keep up with dad. His knee pains him because of all of the years that he RAN MARATHONS and TRIATHALONS.

He kicks butt!

Monday was his 51st birthday. I swear it looks like he is gonna make this year more remarkable than many of the past.

Sarah INSISTED on putting exactly 51 candles in addition to the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" set of candles.

Notice how bright the cake is????

Made his wish and now blows them out......

"I did it!"

Last weekend, we went to Pastor Matt and Dani's wedding. It was wonderful and so much fun. Well, there was a dance floor, music, a cheering crowd and Lenny. Hmmmm. It couldn't be helped. He had to do it.

Last night at church, one of the groomsmen, Tim, came up to me and said something like "Lenny is the man." He was referring to many of the moments similar to this one above from the wedding. We laughed and then I said, "I know, he is crazy. And he even turned 51 on Monday two days later." Tim looks at me, shocked, and says in all seriousness, "yeah 51 more like 22." That made Lenny's day.

Happy Birthday Lover.

Update!

2008-01-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

I so wish I could post pictures of Lenny's medical malady, however, my blog would drop quickly from a G rating to most possibly a PG-13 or worse. So sorry that I can not satisfy the curiousity of you sickos out there. Really, I am because these pics just crack me up!

On a more serious note, Lenny's booty owie is indeed infected and he is now on antibiotics and anti-itch cream. Re-reading that just grossed me out. Although I am sorry that he had to deal with this, it sure has made for some great fun!

Funny and not so Funny

2008-01-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

Lenny comes home yesterday after spending the day at the beach boogie boarding and says, "I got stung by a sting ray ON MY BUTT." He then proceeds to pull down his pants and show me his owie. That was funny. Even he thought it was.

The not so funny thing is that today it is severely infected and he has spent that last 2.5 hours sitting in urgent care waiting to be called by the nurse. Jacob is with him, and while they have spent the last 150 minutes perfecting their Poker strategies on the waiting room table, patience is wearing thin. It's a real pain in the butt. Hahhahahahaaaaaaa.

By the way, isn't Urgent Care a misnomer?

That's all, just some random thought from our life here.

Play Doh and Bacon Grease

2007-12-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

You know when you do something that surprises even you, you get all giddy? Well maybe you don't but I do. Sarah was playing with some old Play Doh that was literally falling apart. I looked at the sorry mound of clay and decided to make some myself.

I did and it was great. It was so easy.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 C. flour

1/2 C. salt (good thing you aren't eating the stuff)

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 T. cooking oil

food coloring

1 C. water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a large non-stick frying pan. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until rubbery all the way through. Cool on wax paper. Flip often until completely cooled. Store in a ziplock bag.

This was so easy to make. I made two batches: one red and I added peppermint extract for scent and then I made one yellow and added lemon extract for scent. It was fast too....all of 5 minutes. The thing that took me the longest was cleaning this pan..........

of bacon grease out so I could use it for the play doh. Notice the long empty spot in the mound of cooled bacon fat? I had set the pan out on the patio table so it would cool. Then I would use a paper towel to wipe it out. Well, Jack the dog could not take the temptation of bacon fat smell. Apparently he jumped up on the table and licked a good portion. And, I was wondering why he was poopin' all day. Hmmm. Poor little dog now has to watch his cholesterol.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-30T18:47:00.001-08:00

Merry Late Christmas to all of you. I sure hope that your celebration of Christ's birth was joyous and fabulous. Our time here at home was nice. As always, there is the hubbub and chaos of preparing for something so sacred, which to me, kind of defeats the meaning of Christmas. But, as with every previous year, ours too was busy and filled with running around and lots of things to do.

One of my most favorite things this year was watching the Nativity early in December. The movie is sooo good and wow, what a powerful portrayal (albeit, ala Hollywood) of the birth of Christ. If you haven't seen it, get it and watch it. It is good.

So another year has come and gone with both kids still believing the a big fat jolly old fellow climbs down the chimney and leaves them some goodies. We have told them from early on that he only leaves the candy and small things in the stockings. All of the big and expensive things come from us...not some kind Ho Ho Ho shouting man. Yep that's right, Mom and Dad deliver the goods.

So we made the cookies and set out the milk. Sarah checked to make sure he ate them, and sure enough, they were all gone in the morning.

All year long and even before that, Jacob has been hoping for a Wii. We aren't big electronics people, but the Wii, well it is pretty cool. So I found one in November, had it hidden for 7 weeks in the closet. Oh, we scored big with this one.

Sarah even got something fabulous to play on it.

Lenny surprised me with a little goodie. We agreed that THIS YEAR because of various reasons, that we would not go all out for each other with gifts. So I reach into my stocking and find this little box. I open it and pull the pirate flag out. Seriously, I thought, "wow, he sure didn't go all out." Then I look closer and see that the pirate is wearning...........drumroll please...... BLACK PEARL earrings. Get it?? Black Pearl??? The ship??? Is that cool or what? I am soooo glad I got him all of the cycling stuff.

I gotta tell you this story about our girl. She did something so awesome for her brother. She received about $85 for her birthday in November. When we asked her what she wanted to do with it, she quickly and very confidently said that she wanted to buy a rip-stick for Jacob ( a special kind of skateboard that flexes when it moves). At first, we told her we didn't think she should spend all of her money on that but maybe she could get him something a bit less ambitious. She said that there was nothing that she wanted other than a rip stick for Jacob. We realized that this was truly her heart and that maybe, just maybe, her language of showing love was giving. So Lenny took her to get it. She came home, wrapped it, and kept it a secret for three weeks.

This is just before he opens it but I think he realizes what it is and what she did. Otherwise, he would be scratching her eyes out to get off of him!

This picture was taken on Christmas Eve when we were at my sister's house. No joke, this is someone's front yard. Not a display on the piano or a table, but covering the entire front yard. It was magnificent up close but all I could think of was "How much did all of this cost and where in the world do they store it?" The picture of us is at the house next door to this one. Too incredible.

We do our utmost in efforts to make sure that Christ is always glorified throughout Christmas. Sounds a little obvious to most of you, but it can be so easy to get swept up in the worldview of the "holidays". I truly hope that your Christmas was all about the gift of the baby. How he came down from comfy Heaven in the form of an infant to clean up the mess that we all made. I am so thankful for a savior that not only loves me but knows me and what I go through. That is because he was God in the flesh. Wow, it is a powerful gift not to be taken for granted.

Happy New Year!

Corn Chowder Soup

2007-12-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

The picture above comes from Mimi's Online. It certainly does not do justice to one of their most loved recipes. If you like Mimi's and you love the Corn Chowder Soup there, then I've got something for you. I got the real recipe from their website. But, I made a few alterations to it and it came out FANTASTIC! My changes are in italics.

Here is it...

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 tablespoons onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, large diced
2 1/2 cups hot water (chicken broth)
2 cups raw potato, peeled and cut in 1/2" cubes
1 quart Half & Half (2 cups)
3 cups frozen corn, thawed (4 cups)

2 tablespoons sugar (1 1/2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons salt

1 pinch white pepper (lots of black pepper)

3 tablespoons flour

Method
On medium heat, melt butter, then simmer onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add water (chicken broth), potatoes, corn and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 (about 20) minutes or until potatoes are barely tender.Whisk the flour into 1 cup of the Half & Half, and stir into the soup. Add the remaining 3 (1 cup) cups of Half & Half. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the soup has thickened to a creamy consistency.Correct the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. In order to correct the consistency or the soup you may add a little milk to make it thinner. To make the soup thicker, simmer another 5-10 minutes.Bon Appetite!

Oh my gosh, this was sooooo good tonight! The French Onion Soup is my next adventure.

Thanksgiving at the Fire Station

2007-12-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

Many holidays are spent at the fire station due to the blessing/curse of the fireman's schedule. This year, Thanksgiving was no exception.

I didn't take many pictures, but this one here, I love.

The crew is making our Thanksgiving Dinner. Is this a sight or what?

And while they were cookin', the kids were playing - out in the engine room! Ahhh, it is fun when your dad is a fireman.

The day was great, but I have to admit. I really missed ya, Christy.

Block Captain of the Year!

2007-12-26T20:14:00.001-08:00

Hey guess what?

Lenny Gisbert is one smokin' hot block captain. So hot in fact, the he was voted Block Captain of the Year.

So here is one of the reasons why he was such an obvious choice. See these cutie ladies above? Well, when Lenny received his award from the city, these ladies were in attendance at the luncheon. On our way out of the building, he noticed that their tire was flat. He told me and them to wait there for him. He went home, got the air compressor, and filled the tire. All in his new shirt and tie! What a great guy!

Go Lenny!

What A Month

2007-12-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

You know, I am still here. Really I am. It is just that this past month has been a whirlwind of things. I can not really say that many things have been going on. It is that the few things that have happened have taken us by storm.

The biggest one.... Sarah has dyslexia. Notice the number of days until Christmas? Yeah, she sees nothing odd about the display.

I need to start from last year for this to make sense.

Last year, when Sarah was in Kindergarten, we realized that she was not making any progress in reading/writing or spelling. Each day that went by, she was fallling more and more behind her classmates. But, she was cooperative, eager, bright and willing to learn. But something was not clicking with her. No one could figure out what was "wrong" with her. Headaches, belly aches and nail biting became normal for her.

About Christmastime of last year, I started suspecting dyslexia. But, like many people, I didn't have all of the facts and I was uninformed. I mentioned this to her teacher, and I was told that no way does she have this and that her problem was not really a problem; it was a "readiness" issue. Her K teacher thought it was all about timing. Sarah would read when she was ready.

That was just something that I could not digest well. I wanted to believe her, I wanted so much to believe that Sarah was just taking her time. That she would take off running when she was ready to read. After all, it sounded good, and her teacher was doing everything that she could do to help her.

By March, I knew that Sarah was so far behind and that catching up was going to be difficult at best, even if she started to read right then and there. Something bigger than we could have imagined was at work here. After many attempts to schedule an SST with the teacher (she didn't want it, remember she said it was a readiness thing) I called the school counselor and scheduled it. But, three weeks later, two days before the meeting, she suggested it be cancelled due to "minor progress" with Sarah.

What was perplexing and frustrating for us was that she had everything going for her. She was a second-born child, she was a girl (she still is, by the way) and she was a year OLDER than most of her classmates. She should have been running circles academically around the other kids. And her brother was doing well in school. Why did it seem that she was trying to get her head above water as if something was pulling her under?

In May, her teacher excitedly told me that Sarah has taken the K test and passed it, that she would be going on to 1st grade!. I could not believe it. By now, I was so convinced that Sarah was failing that when the teacher told me that, I walked out. There was no way that this was true. My reaction was "just barely, and who helped her." Please understand, I am not trying to be negative, I am being realistic.

So the summer comes and as if someone has been daily layering on a pile of bricks on my back, I began to realize that Sarah needed some major intervention. We started to realize that she was squinting, rubbing her eyes, closing one eye when she would try to read. She would yawn, her eyes would water and turn red. Sometimes she would even fall asleep.

We began homeschooling and she was making no progress in anything relating to language arts. She loved math, did well in it but reading....not her thing. I found a list of symptoms of dyslexia and noted that she had about 10 strong indicators there. A good friend of mine gave me the number to a specialist in Burbank in November.

After the initial phone conversation, Heather (the specialist) suggested further testing. So we began the process of identifying and diagnosing dyslexia. When we met with her after it was all done and scored, the results were not only what we suspected but much more.

Sarah has dyslexia, and not just a mild case of it. She also has extreme dysgraphia which is difficulty with writing. Her brain processes language in a way that most people's brains do not. She has a hard time breaking sounds apart in individual phonemes (sounds). She does not understand how a syllable is made up of different sounds, and then to make those sounds match up to a symbol (letter) in print is inconceivable to her. Her ability to hold a pencil and copy or just write is impaired. Her ability to differentiate between left and right is off. She struggles to find the right word in a conversation, sometimes calling something very specific a "whatchamacallit."

And the list goes on and on for her. She has a very hard road ahead.

But there is an extremely bright side for her. First of all, she has parents who are absolutely committed to getting her whatever she needs to learn properly. She was diagnosed early. She is being homeschooled which is the best thing for a child with dyslexia. And, we have been referred to an incredible reading program that was designed for one-on-one teaching. I can be trained to use it with her! We don't have to pay for tutoring but we do have to buy the program (choke, choke it is not cheap). With intense and consistent tutoring, she may be brought up to grade level within 36 months.

But, we had to do something extreme to make this work. We struggled with this decision for a while. We decided to enroll Jacob in a Christian school so that we could focus all of our teaching on Sarah. He is not one bit mad about that at all. He is happy and loving it. We love the school but honestly, I miss him during the day. I want him home with me but Sarah needs a lot. It is ok.

And, something wonderful happened today. I swear I will start crying as I type this. With dysgraphia, Sarah will need to be tutored through a special handwriting program. I have been online looking at what to order, how to get trained, and what to learn from it. The ordering page is not user friendly so for the past three times I have looked at it, I have not ordered. I didn't know exactly what to order, what to concentrate on and so forth. I remember thinking just two nights ago, "I wish I knew someone who knew about this. Someone who I could just ask a question and maybe get some help from."

So this morning, I was chatting with our neighbors who moved in about a year ago. I told Keri about Jacob going to school, what was happening with Sarah and so forth. I usually don't tell about the dysgraphia because most people have never heard of it, but something pushed me to say it out loud. As I said it, Keri nodded knowingly. She says to me, "I know what dysgraphia is. I am an Occupational Therapist and I work with children with fine motor skill development delays. I have Handwriting Without Tears in my garage. You can use it if you would like." WWWWHHHHAAATTTT????????

So later this evening, she came over and brought it all out to show me. She then said that since she is not working right now (stay at home mom) she would like to meet with Sarah and test her!!!! Can you even stinkin' believe it?

I believe that God has protected us and carefully laid out his plan for us. I see it in the steps that we have taken, in the doors that were opened, the doors that were closed and the people that have fallen into our lives. Concerns that were present have been clearly and easily taken care of. Thank God the SST meeting was cancelled. You see with dyslexia, public schools have no resources to test for it, to diagnose it, to treat it, to remediate it. Had we gone through with that meeting, Sarah would have been put into special education but would have done her no good at all. An IEP does nothing for the problem of dyslexia. God knew. I was mad but in his infinite wisdom, he knew. He shut the door. For that, I will forever be grateful. He knew she needed something else.

We are plugging away at this new program. We are praying each day for her brain to unlock and receive what she is being taught. We are confident in our place right now and what good is going to happen here in our home. We are eager to show God's glory through all of this.

So I ask you to do something for us. Please take a look at this list of warning signs of dyslexia. Look at it and watch for them in your children, in your nieces and nephews, in anyone. If you are a teacher, I BEG you to please print this list and keep it in your desk. Watch your students. Talk to the parents. I realize that it might be a touchy situation but I wish that Sarah's teacher would have at least pointed some of these things out to us. Check out this website for more information.

My Favorite New Quote

2007-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

This quote is from the movie "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium." I LOVE IT!

"Your life is an occassion. Rise to it."

We Might Be on TV

2007-11-16T11:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Dancing With the Stars was at Disneyland filming a segment for this Monday's show.

We happened to walk right up and got to be in the front row of it all. It was amazing to watch all of the hubbabaloo that goes on to film such things. The stage was dusted, and redusted, then dusted again, and then later redusted. And all of that was before any of the filming began. Then this woman comes and hands out about 20 posters that all say "Vote for Jennie", "Perfect Score", and "We Love You Jennie". Then we had to practice waving the signs and cheering. Because you know, it has to be perfect.

Then here comes Jennie Garth escorted by Mickey Mouse. They come out, the crowds cheer, she smiles and then "cut". She leaves and does the whole thing all over again because, apparently, we didn't cheer loud enough. Weird. This is one of the producers telling her to do it over again.

She is adorable. So sweet and nervous. Instantly likeable.
Then she informs the crowd that Derek is sick and their short dance can not happen. Everyone is supposed to demand "Dance with Mickey." So she does and every goes crazy. Then, we do the whole thing all over again. She announces the Derek is sick, etc...... "dance with Mickey."

It was fun to see her and be on the "inside" of the show, but a bit sad to see how many takes it takes to capture a candid moment.

Check out the show on Monday night. Jacob and Sarah are in the front row right behind the white ropes. Lenny and I are right behind a mentally challenged man holding a hot pink sign upside down informing you to vote for Jennie. Maybe you will see us, maybe not.

Sarah is 7

2007-11-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Sarah Michelle Gisbert is now 7 years old.

Sarah was woken up by a phone call from her daddy and his crew at the fire station singing Happy Birthday to her.

Yes, we had cake and ice cream for breakfast. You can do that when it's your birthday.

Sarah told Lenny a while back that she wanted new earrings for her birthday. She wanted him to pick them out without her there. He picked out the most adorable little gold hearts with a butterfly landing on them. She LOVED them.

Sarah and Minnie

Nemo Submarine ride. Very cool.

The day was so fun. It was one of those low attendance days when you could just walk on to any ride. Seriously, people we walked onto Pirates without waiting at all in line. No line....did you hear that?? NO LINE for anything except for Nemo (25 minutes). It was awesome.

At the end of day, after watching Fantasmic, we boarded the train to head back to Main St. We were all tired and slighty cranky. We get to the first stop at Toon Town and I hear Lenny say "there's Papa John." I look up and see John, Linda, Adam, Austin, Dakota and Sawyer Nering all standing in line waiting to board the train. They got on with us and it was INSTANTLY FESTIVE. What a treat to run into them there.

So baby girl, Happy Birthday to You.

The Dash Between the Dates

2007-11-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

Our girl turned 7 yesterday. I will not bore you will the mantra of "I can not believe how old she is getting", or "they grow us so fast, don't they?". And, while I do sometimes ponder/anguish over the speed of life, I do not wonder how it all happened. It is simply time and it is on the fast track to eternity so I need to grab a hold and relish every minute of what I can catch.

Sarah is 7. It is funny how the night before her birthday, she pranced around the house telling everyone that "tonight is my last night of being 6" and that we should have be aware of the monumental event about to happen the next day. I looked at her and thought, "she's right!" She is never ever going to be 6 again. Not a too big of a deal I suppose in the grand scheme of life but to her, HUGE!!!!!

It always makes me chuckle when I think of the abandon that kids display when telling of their age. They will quickly add a "and a half" to any whole year of living they have while I, on the other hand, will groan when thinking of my illustrious 38 years. Why???

While there are many rhymes and reasons to that reaction, I believe for me, it always comes back to how well have I lived my life? Did I use my time here in a positive, upbeat and glorifying-to-God manner, or have I flushed my colorful years down the pooper? Honestly, and sadly too, I have not always made the most of my time.

A few years ago, a we had an amazing speaker come to our church. His name is Monty Hipp. His message was entitled "The Dash Between the Dates." He emphasized that our whole life matters more in that dash than the two dates listed on either side of it. Lenny and I still talk about what he said that night. Then this morning, Jacob had a grammar test. It is all about the encyclopedia and how to use one. One of the questions was regarding what the dates mean that are listed right after the title of entry (if it is a person). Years of birth and death, right? I circled the dash and told him that the dash represented the years of the persons life - everything a person does is in that dash. That dash matters. Make the dash a great dash.

He got what I was saying but couldn't understand why I was getting so emotional about it.

Ok, rambling over! I promise. I would love to say that Sarah taught me a wonderful lesson yesterday. But the truth is, I will have to work hard at being diligent and upbeat. Neither attribute are natural for me.

It's Not Pixie Dust

2007-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

We are off to Disneyland to today. Apparently I need to pay my last respects.

Last night, sitting on the couch planning for our adventure, we hear a most fascinating news clip.

I always wonder about the goings on in people's minds. You know, people do some strange things.

Now, this is all speculation.... BUT, apparently some freaky woman decided last Friday to sprinkle some powder in the canal of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, causing the beloved ride to be shut down for some of day. Hmmmmm. Security cameras caught the whole thing on tape. Witnesses describe the substance as "baby powder."

Read this:

Dearly departed – on Disneyland rides!

The 999 ghosts at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion have apparently found room for a few more residents, according to master mouse sleuth Al Lutz at MiceAge.

Disneyland visitors have routinely scattered cremated human remains throughout the haunted house ride since the late 1990s with the most recent incident occurring in the past month, MiceAge reported.

Haunted Mansion ride operators, trained to handle the delicate situation, have caught visitors via surveillance camera dumping ashes from the doom buggy vehicles but have virtually no authority to stop the bizarre ritual, Lutz said. Disneyland security and Anaheim police can do little beyond identify the powder trails as human remains. The offending mourners often slip out the ride exit and disappear into the park.

The macabre last rites force the closure of the ride for hours while custodians clean up the gritty ash and bone fragments with specially filtered vacuums. Oftentimes the last vestiges aren’t found until after the park closes and the lights are turned on inside the dark ride.
And the Haunted Mansion isn’t the only affected attraction.

An impromptu funeral ceremony shut down Pirates of the Caribbean just last week while crews cleaned ashes from the Captain’s Quarters scene in the caverns section of the water ride, Lutz said.

Disneyland has yet to comment.— Brady MacDonald / Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Clearly this woman did not hear the announcement to "Keep your hands, arms, feet and legs in the boat at all times."

On DVD

2007-11-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

It has been a good movie week for us. Two of our favorite movies came out on DVD this week and one is opening in theaters Friday. It is a cinematic extravaganza! Bring on the popcorn.

New Blog

2007-11-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hey guess what???? I got a great new blogger for you to visit. Most of you know her and would LOVE to read her thougths. This great new blog belongs to none other than........

Melanie Bustrum Freshour

Taaaa Dahhhhhh!

Check her and her family out at mfreshour.blogspot.com

Road Trip

2007-11-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

(Ok, this has NOTHING to do with my post here, but are any of you completely frustrated with Blogger??? I swear that I have edited this post at least 4 times just to fix the line spacing, readjust the photos and just tighten it up. Then I publish it, check it out, and find that all of my paragraphs are smooshed together. I don't get it. But it is free so I will just have to deal.....)

Let's start with a few stats:

2,250 - number of miles we put on our van in 7 days

4 - number of nights in a hotel

3 - number of nights in our friend's house

20? - number of potty stops

$49 - motel cost in Redding

$500+ - hotel bill in SF

12 - number of visits to Starbucks for Grande Lattes

countless - number of gorgeous fall colored trees we saw

50 - number of sea lions we saw at the wharf

35 - number of hours spent driving in the Black Pearl

1 Gazillion - number of ponds, streams and rivers we saw
7 - number of DVD's watched while in the car

8 - number of dead bucks/doe on the 5 in OR

100+ - number of red barns we saw in No. Cal and OR

500+ - number of jumps on the hotel beds

(Jacob loved this Motel 6 more than the hoity toity wharf hotel in SF. The boy is sooooo his father's son!)

9 - number of trips to the ice machine just because it is fun

3 - number of days straight that we did not see or use our van (in SF)

About 2 - number of hours spent on schoolwork while away

About 8 - number of hours I had PLANNED on spending on schoolwork while away

We just returned from a fabulous road trip. We left last week for Portland, OR. Well, just south of Portland but considering that we are coming from So Cal, Portland was just a hop-skip and a jump away from where we going.

We went up to visit some good friends of ours, the Stoddard's. Steve used to attend our church here but moved to OR when he got hired on with a fire department up there. He and his wife, Melany, bought a house and settled in right away and now are expecting their first baby. I know what it is but I think he wants to tell everyone down here. So one day, we rent a canoe and take Steve's kayak out for a little river trip. It was fun and I loved it. But the funniest thing was that in the middle of the river, Steve's phone rings. He answers it and it is his mother. This is Melany talking to her mother-in-law on the Tualitin river while kayaking, telling her that their baby is a .........

So back to us as houseguests. Imagine two working adults, in a beautiful new home, nice things and all of the free time that pre-parent couples have. Now picture the Gisbert's comin' on in and staking a claim to two bedrooms and a bathroom plus some kitchen counter space, and the equivalent of a fridge shelf. Kind of like Pearl Harbor that quiet Sunday morning before the Japanese came over.

We got to see their home, their life, visit their church, take a great walk around the community, drive all over and see the country. It was very nice. I see why people move there. I see why I want to move there. Peaceful. That is the best word I can come up with. So a few days later we packed up and headed down to San Francisco. The weather was not cooperative at all for a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is there but you gotta hunt for it in the picture. That was FUN!!! Quite a marked contrast in vitality and energy but invigorating at the least. It was as if the activity invaded me, got into me and made me want to be a part of it all. I was pooped at the end of each day but man, it was great. It was COLD every day and I was not prepared for it. We had to buy the kids jackets on our first night there. Didn't have kids sizes so we bought them both an adult XS.

By far, our most memorable experience was Alcatraz. I knew the kids would like the boat ride over, but I didn't suspect that they would be so interested in the prison. We did the audio tour where you use headphones and follow the guides on the tape. Jacob liked that but it freaked Sarah out. Towards the end of the tour she started crying saying she couldn't take hearing the prisoners (sound effects) yelling. We were in the dining hall when she lost it. She was hungry and asked me if I could go to the window of the kitchen and ask for an apple. "No Sarah, there are no apples in this kitchen."

We had some great meals like Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl, chili, lots of fish and on the last day, we had one amazing meal in North Beach. The best ever calzone I have ever had in my whole life. Yep, it was that good. Oh, and we spent one whole day just riding the cable cars, trains, and subways all over the city. Stopped at a Farmer's Market and had two baskets of fresh strawberries. Just sat there and watched the people go by. Totally cool.

On our way home, we stopped in Hanford and visited the Kanes. How very nice to see Bruce and Rhonda and the boys. It was our first time with Molly too. Got to meet her and hold her. It is striking how those kids all look alike. Bruce and Rhonda have a nice and comfortable new home. Just moved in two weeks ago so we feel honored to be one of the first visitors to see it. How nice it must be for them to be in their own home again. Already they have done lots to make it their own.

We are home and now and have already had 5 neighbor kids over to play. Reality sets in!

What is this guy thinking?

2007-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

I am sooooo not a politcal voice, nor do I ever pretend to understand all of the ins and outs of politics, campaigns, or platforms. But some things just seem so clear and obvious. Take a look at this..... no matter what side of the party line you are on, you might think this is just plain wrong and disrespectful.

I received this in an email. It was one of those many "forwards" that we all get. I ALWAYS check out any one that even hints at being a rumor. See truthorfiction.com. Here is what the site said about this picture.

Picture of Senator Barack Obama Failing to Salute the Flag While Others on a Platform, Including Senator Hillary Clinton, are Saluting-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor: A picture of Senator Barack Obama (below), Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Senator Hillary Clinton, and one other person all on a platform and backed by an American flag. The eRumor says that the national anthem was being played at the time and that all but Senator Obama saluted.

The Truth: The picture is authentic. It was published in Time magazine and was taken 9/16/07 at an event in Indianola, Iowa where six Democratic presidential candidates appeared. It was Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual "meat and greet." The fourth person in the picture is Senator Harkin's wife, Ruth. Not seen in the picture are three other candidates who were standing out of view on the right side of the platform, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Joe Biden.

At question is what was going on with Senator Obama? His critics are circulating the picture and saying that he is not respecting the flag or the national anthem, especially since the protocol, according to the United States Flag code, is that civilians should have their right hands over their hearts and that they should be facing the flag. His supporters are saying that this little lapse should not be held against him since there have been plenty of other events at which he has saluted the flag---so it did not mean that he would, in principle, avoid doing it.Some supporters have suggested that perhaps the picture does not tell the whole story and that he may have raised his hand shortly after it was taken.

An ABC News video, however, shows that Senator Obama did not salute at any time during the anthem and that everybody else on the platform did.

A spokesperson for the Senator told Fox News that it was ridiculous to suggest that Obama was making any kind of a statement and that sometimes "he does and sometimes he doesn't place his hand over his heart during the national anthem." Updated 10/29/07

Surfin' Santa

2007-10-31T21:36:00.001-07:00

Look at this Santa. Kind of makes me want to sit on his lap and tell him what I want for Christmas.

It's a bit sad when I don't have pictures of my kid's costumes but I post one of my husband. I completely dropped the ball on costumes this year. They both wore their soccer uniforms. How soooo unoriginal. I think they did that last year too.

Lenny, however, just pulled all of this stuff out of his closet and went with it.

Me, I just sat in the corner and ate all of the Almond Joys.

OH MY GOSSSSHHHHHHH

2007-10-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just saw something and after my shock of it, my first thought was to race home and share it with you!

I just left the grocery store right by my house probably 15 minutes ago. I still can not believe this. Ok, I was leaving the checkout line and just turned the little corner right there to make it to the door of the store. I looked up and saw the bagger at another line REACH DOWN INTO THE BACK OF HER PANTS AND SCRATCH HER .... BUTT. No joke, she pulled the back of her pants out so she could reach with her other hand, dug right in and scratched her itch. I saw her whole rear end. I saw her cr**k. I saw IT ALL right there in the front of the store of Pavilions.

She apparently didn't quite relieve herself. She then lifted her right leg up a bit to better to maybe get a better angle. OH MY GOSH. She was completely unfased by me watching. Even my dog will stop sniffin', scratchin', lickin' himself if he thinks he has our attention.

THEN SHE TOOK HER HAND OUT OF HER PANTS AND CONTINUED BAGGING GROCERIES!

EEEeehhhhhhwwwwwww grosssssss.

I didn't know if I should barf or just CRACK UP (get it? CRACK up?????? Nevermind). I called the store manager from my cell phone on my way home. I could not stop laughing as I am hearing myself tell this story, so he started laughing but he is soooo trying to be cool and professional.

Is that nuts????

Cool Pumpkins

2007-10-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

Need any ideas for pumpkin carving???? Check these out! MY favorite is the last one. Too Cool!

Still Here

2007-10-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

I know how irked I get when I check in with people through their blog and to my disappointment I find nothing new. No new post, no new stories, not even a simple pic of the kids. I have turned into that person. I am getting irritated at looking at my own blog and seeing the same old thing. I think I might scream if I see "English is Rough Enough" again.

Funk. That is what I call it. I am in a blog bog. I can not seem to get out of it. I feel like sometimes I have so many things to say, some fun and comical, and some insighful and thoughtful. Yet, getting the words from my brain to my computer is a feat so enormous that I have chosen to look the other way.

I have noticed that when I get like this it is usually during a time of great growth or stretching in my heart and mind with God. I sense that He is doing something in me right now. Maybe it feels just a bit irreverant to blog about it yet.

But I do know some of the things that are flowing through my thougths these days:

I am profoundly aware of my age. Not that 38 is either young or old, but that it has happened all of a sudden. I know that it didn't just happen but that I maybe thought it wouldn't come so soon. My 20 year reunion was in August. I have been preoccupied with that 20 year marker in my life. What have I done, what have I accomplished, avoided, taken on, embraced and released? How have I used my time in life? Wisely or foolishly? That is only for me to answer.
My relationship with God is not what and where I want it to be. This one is a bit personal so I will keep the details to myself here.
We have only a short amount of time with our kids in our house and under our influence. I want to make the most of it. Just like my 20 year reunion snuck up on me, that day is coming when they are outta here! I know that we will never stop being their parents. But, having them close by is for just a smidgen of time of their whole lives. I don't want to miss anything.
I realize that Sarah is profoundly different than Jacob. Other than the obvious, they learn diffently and at different levels. Sarah takes an enormous amount of time to teach a concept to. Jacob, not so long. She struggles in ways that I never thought would happen. I am her mother and it kills me to watch her stress over learning to read. There might be something there in her that will take more specialized intervention. My prayer to God is that he keeps my eyes open to strategies and resources available to her. This is bigger than me and much more than I can do on my own.
I want to move. I am daydreaming of land and more space, slower pace of life and out of the fire/drought/brown areas of So Cal. I never in my life thought that I would ever think such things. I now find that that is all I think about.
The committment of homeschooling is much bigger than I could have imagined. Kind of like when I was pregnant with Jacob. I knew in my head that it would be different with a baby. But until he was born, I could not possibly know what life would be like with a baby. How could I or anyone know? Same thing here. I read lots of books and talked to lots of people. BUT.... I am in it and it is a full time job.
I am sooooo glad that we homeschool. I am fantastically grateful that God has put this desire in our hearts and that I have a husband that is incredibly supportive. Just for the conversations alone that we have with the kids are worth it all. I just wish that God would send someone to clean the house for us :)
I don't sleep enough and I certainly need more rest. I can not believe that I am about to say this but .... I think I need to cut out the coffee and diet coke. This is gonna be hard.
I need more alone time with my husband. Enough said!
I want to spend more time with friends. Anyone want to go get coffee with me?? Wait, maybe an iced-tea?

Ok, peeps, how's that for a slice of my life? Too Much Information????/

English is rough enough

2007-10-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

The combination "ough" can be pronounced in eight different ways. The following sentences contains them all:

"A rough-coated, dough-faced ploughman strodes through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing thoughtfully."

Working Jacob's grammar book yesterday, I came across this quote. It is one of my favorite examples of how complex and perplexing it can be to learn English. I am sure that Mrs. Velarde can attest to this. This particular grammar strain is even cannonized in a classic I Love Lucy episode.

Technical note: I can not get this youtube clip onto the post as this one. So see the post below to watch this hilarious scene between Lucy and Ricky.

I Love Lucy- English is rough enough

2007-10-16T06:38:00.001-07:00

Finally I Got to Go!!!

2007-10-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Can you guess where we went yesterday? And it is true....Disneyland is indeed the Happiest Place on Earth.

We knew that we would renew our passes when we started homeschooling. So after a few shifts of overtime for Lenny, we marched right down to Disneyland and presented our mugs to be put onto our official plastic passes - good for one year! The day was awesome in most respects. The weather was mild, then cool in the evening, the crowds were minimal, and the best part of the whole day was running around and being excited with a 9-year old and a 6-year old. It amazes me at the enthusiam that they have over the littlest things. It is contagious.

The only whhhaaaaa part was that Pirate Island was closed. I was soooo hoping to find Jack behind a tree. :) Ok, kidding on that one. Lenny knew I was bummed about the island so he tried to be a respectable second place Jack. No, I don't think so.

I have been to Disneyland a zillion times in my life. But the one thing that I have never done while I was there was to get one of those mouse ears hat with my name on the back. I was giddy that we got to get these for the kiddies.

I gotta question the parenting on this one. Why is this kid eating cotton candy at 9:15pm? Hmmmmm