Manning Mayhem

marzism passed on

2012-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

topeka returned from her trip to utah last night and of course everyone wants a piece of her. marz won't leave her side and luigi wants the scoop on every detail of her trip.

in discussion last night as marz was getting ready for bed, the marzism from yesterday came up. we told topeka what the original question was and her response was...

"well, are there birds in china?"

the doc and i just looked at each other and burst out laughing...

marzism #28401

2012-02-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

marz: mom, do they have birds in china?
me: yes

marz: well, it just doesn't seem like there could be birds in china
me: why is that?

marz: i just don't know of any birds that are called chinese birds

just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

2012-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

it's a day at a time around here. i expect it will be that way for the next few months. but the countdown is on...just 12 days 'til we board the carnival liberty. that means i have to crack down and get shore excursions planned and packing lists done. so i'm happy to say that will keep me busy for the next 12 days (along with school and housework since our topeka is away) and provide a break from my "one-day-at-a-time" mentality.

the weather around here is at least warming up during the day. still under 40 at night, and still can't seem to keep the house warm. i wear my coat (i use the word loosely as i don't even own a REAL coat) and my feet sleeping bags inside; and my scarf on occasion too. i'm sure someone might think i grew up in south america. oh well.

and that kid that is new, but not so new anymore...still need a nickname for that one. can't seem to come up with anything clever for him. bluedog, southern boy, nkotb, hmmm.... at any rate, he started riding his bike to school today. hip hip hooray! now it's just 2 schools in the am and 2 in the pm. hopefully we can get dash to remember the way soon and then i'll be down to 1.

i miss montgomery weather. i miss vegas friends. i miss caribbean water. i miss san diego activities. i haven't a clue where i want to live anymore. impossible to have it all in one location. it's beginning to seem as if one place is just as good as the next and it doesn't really matter. 'tis a puzzlement.

solitary confinement

2012-01-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

i have my very own bedroom again!!! ok, i have to share with doc macgyver, but only for a few hours each day ;). shared a bed in vegas with dash for a week, and then a hotel room with rotating kids for another week. so glad to have my own space back!!

we were in stockton for 5 days before we could move into the rental house. then it was another 4 days before the washer/dryer and fridge showed up. laundromats sure make quick work of laundry. too bad they're so darn expensive! and after not cooking a real meal for almost 3 weeks, i'm not sure i can get back into the swing of it.

boys finally went back to school this week. AGAIN. who knows how long this time. we're anticipating 3 months here, but anything can happen.

family vacay scheduled for mid-february. we will be in belize on valentine's. how perfect for the doc and i. although i'm always excited at the thought of ignoring life for 8-10 days, i'm SO not looking forward to seeing the inside of another hotel room!! but at least it's not for too long. and i suppose it's worth it, since it facilitates a week of unlimited food 24/7 and visits to 4 different countries in a week. not to mention 7 days of sun and heat and humidity! yippee!!!!

january fools

2012-01-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

just kidding! wocka wocka wocka! just when we thought we were making some progress and announced it to the world, it became not so.

contract that we thought would be signed is now being changed. who knows when we'll see it again, or if it will even have satisfactory terms in it when we get it back.

as of next friday we will no longer have a place in vegas to stay. and the only paycheck we've found so far is in stockton. doc macgyver has been up there without us this week and it's been absolute torture. since the agency will cover our housing expenses, we're moving up there with him. not sure of the time frame, but at least until the school year is over so we don't have to move the kids yet again.

cons:
-can't stay in vegas
-kids have to switch schools AGAIN!
-belongings still stuck in alabama
-still no perm job

pros:
+family will be together
+paycheck guaranteed until end of july
+no more sleeping on cots or pull-out sofas or floors
+4 bedrooms, 3 baths
+rent and utilities all paid

i see the light

2012-01-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

i think there is some sort of faint light within eyeshot from the inside of the tunnel. i'm fabulous at tunnel vision. it's one of my specialties. such a great talent to have.

doc macgyver finally has a contract to negotiate with. hooray! of course there still is licensing and credentially to finish after that. who knows how long all of that will take. and no, i'm not disclosing location just yet. i'll wait to announce that until after all is signed, sealed, delivered, and whatever else have you.

on top of having something to negotiate, there has also been some temp work offered through the end of july. great news! now we know there will be a paycheck until permanent work can be started. yippee! we might actually be able to sneak in that family vacay this year after all!!

now if only i could find a permanent place for us to live and get all of our belongings back from alabama!!! this hotel-style living is getting old. and i sure miss my crockpot.

all lit up

2012-01-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

click HERE to see what doc macgyver got me for christmas. so fancy!!

christmas day 2011

2011-12-31T11:23:00.001-08:00

christmas day 2011, a set on Flickr.

pre-Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T15:18:00.001-08:00

pre-Christmas 2011, a set on Flickr.

traditions

2011-12-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

nomadic

2011-12-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

MARZISM OF THE DAY:

"mom, we move so many times i can't remember what our house looks like very well."

2011-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

as i should be leaving the house for church, i'm sure blogging isn't the best thing to be doing. and all the chaos in my head doesn't seem to be spitting out in the form of words. so i'm not quite sure while i'm sitting in front of the screen typing.

christmas approaches fast. there will be no tree, no decorations, no presents... well, at least in the abode where we are crashing at the moment. but we'll have christmas. just someplace else. we'll visit the strip on christmas eve as we did a few years ago. we'll be together. and i'm trying to remind myself that is what's important. although, i think i approach a nervous breakdown every other day.

soon we will have a place to call our own. not a house i mean. just a place. a place that means something to us and a place that is special to the 7 of us.

i did have a great birthday celebration with some absolutely fabulous friends. some that i hold very dear. and even though i wasn't crazy about getting older, my doc is still crazy about me and i'm grateful.

howz that for some random spew on a sunday morning....

do over

2011-11-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

i guess i don't hate christmas in and of itself. i should restate. i hate christmas shopping, christmas lists, christmas presents, christmas in stores before halloween, christmas traditions that have no purpose, christmas candy, christmas stress...

thanksgiving came and went in the blink of an eye as it always seems to do. but this year i didn't bake a bird. i didn't spend hours running around the kitchen trying to make sure there was something to eat when people arrived. it was pretty sad. it was mucho fun to see so much family that we hadn't seen in such a long time. but i sure missed having the party at my house. it has become our tradition.

last night we met up with friends to tour the holiday lights at temple square. and man was it COLD!! (not according to everyone, just me, of course) i can't remember the last time i braved the cold for something. there's something different about christmas this year for me. as i walked through temple square looking at all the different nativities, hearing the music, seeing the lights...i wasn't dreading dec 25 as i usually do. it was definitely a comforting feeling.

gobble gobble

2011-11-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

I HATE CHRISTMAS!!!

ok. good. i got that off my chest. i feel much better now.

home sweet home

2011-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

every day i drove to or from the boys' school in montgomery, i would pass this:

when i first saw this place i thought it was just something someone had abandoned. but then every once in a while i would see a truck parked on the side of it and there is a barking dog that can be seen on the north side of the structure. so we started assuming someone lived there.

i've been so frustrated with our temporary situation. it really stinks to throw clothes into drawers or hang them up in a closet, not knowing when they'll have to just be put back in a bag again. and it's such a bummer not know where we'll be in a month. but then i pulled these pics off my memory card and had to remind myself that at least we have a warm place to sleep each night. we have a front door that locks and no barking dog outside. we have grocery stores and gas stations nearby. so i suppose wherever you hang your clothes, you can make a home.

montgomery for good

2011-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

i'm horrible at goodbyes. i do have to say that it's much easier to be the one leaving than to be the one being left behind. even with that said, the past 2 days have been tough. leaving montgomery was a breeze. leaving the people we met...not so much. i completely embarrassed the yahoos at our last crossfit class by acting like a big gigantic cry baby in front of the trainers. it's not just leaving my crossfit family. but it's knowing that there will be no new crossfit family for awhile. not that i can't crossfit. just that everything will be so temporary for the next few months or more. no real home. no real ward. no real crossfit gym. no real school. no real desire to meet or talk to or interact with people.

anyway, many apologies if you didn't get a goodbye, or if i was grumpy when you came to help, or if i ignored your phone calls, or if i didn't act like i would miss you. no worries. i cried while you weren't looking. and because i lack the communication skills to tell you how i feel, i have this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzrGFQysfYU

three blues in a crowd

2011-11-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

about a week after we returned from kauai/dallas, we took off again to chicago for a medical conference. i had all this shopping planned, but i was too cold to leave the warm kimpton room. we did venture out to dinner at whole foods with some half-off blue man tickets. i've seen it twice before, but still love it.

if you give a marz a parrot...

2011-11-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

marz: if i had a bird i wouldn't cut its wings off. that's mean.
me: well, they don't cut the wings off. they just cut them shorter so they can't fly away.

marz: yeah that's mean. just put it in a cage.
me: but what if you take it out of the cage to pet it and it flies away.

marz: well then i'd just let it go. it would come back when it wants.
me: what if it doesn't?

marz: that's ok. [pause] i want a bird that talks.
me: you mean margalo? [they had just watched stuart little 2]

marz: no. like a real bird that can talk.
me: oh. a parrot?
marz: yeah, a parrot.

customer service

2011-10-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

this is sprint calling to follow up on a customer service call made on october 28th. for english press 1, for spanish press 2.

overall, were you happy with the service that was provided? please rate service on a scale of 1 -5, with 5 being extremely satisfied and 1 being extremely dissatisfied. [BEEP] you chose 3 on a scale of 1 -5 with 5 being extremely satisfied and 1 being extremely dissatisfied. if this is correct, please press 1. if not, press 2.

please rate the listening skills of the last representative you spoke to on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being highly skilled and 1 being not skilled at all. [BEEP] you chose 3 on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being highly skilled and 1 being not skilled at all. if this is correct, please press 1. if not, press 2.

please rate how knowledgeable the last representative you spoke to was on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being very knowledgeable and 1 being not knowledgeable at all. [BEEP] you chose 3 on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being highly skilled and 1 being not skilled at all. if this is correct, please press 1. if not, press 2.

this continued on for 3 more questions. i was too tired to listen to them all. i'm even more too tired to type them all. this, boys and girls, is how good customer service is determined in our world today. such efficiency.

mayhem smoothly

2011-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

i know mayhem is chaotic and bumpy and whirlwindish and all the other synonyms that go along with. but us mannings also know from experience that it can be all of that in a very smooth manner.

i'm really sick of getting quotes for packers, movers, autoshippers, storage, flights, rental cars, hotels, and more flights. i'm tired of boxes, packing tape, sharpies, sorting, organizing, unpacking, labeling, storing, decorating, rearranging. i'm sick of talking to recruiters that don't listen and explaining to potential employers what went wrong with montgomery. i'm tired of tracking down transcripts, diplomas, certifications, identification documents, reference letters, verification forms, postage rates, signatures, test scores, and addresses to schools from 10 years ago. i'm sick of looking at maps to find driving distances for restaurants, stores, groceries, churches, schools, hospitals, houses, airports, and county lines.

sometimes i'd love for it all to end. but having an ending isn't really the goal, is it? our perspective is supposed to be eternal. our attitude should be focused on progress and learning. there are a million things i could list that i don't know. there are a gazillion questions that everyone is asking right now that i can't answer. but what i do know is that our time in montgomery has not been a waste. we have few regrets. i know that something can make you happy for a time and it might not make you happy forever. i know that God can change emotions and feelings in an instant when he wants to and sometimes it's to make things easier on us.

this family knows how to adapt and change when necessary. i have faith that the sharp edges of these up and coming chaotic changes will be smoothed out by God and we will come out of it stronger and wiser and ready for the next adventure thereafter.

to terminate, perchance to be free

2011-10-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

freedom is all relative i suppose. and free from what? i'm not quite sure. but it sounded nifty, nonetheless.

since it's no secret anymore, i thought i'd finally tell everyone. alabama is counting down the days until we leave it. there's no set date. there's no place to say we're going to. but the decision to leave has finally been made final. am i talking in circles? sure feels like it. it was made final a couple months ago, but we tried to keep it internal until the practice knew. doc macgyver let them know that he didn't intend on staying permanently and their response was to give him his 90 day notice. oh well. life never turns out how we expect, does it? the job wasn't what was touted. neither were the schools. kids aren't happy. doc's not happy. time to move on. i thought it was our duty to provide our kids with a stable, permanent place to be. perhaps it's just not in the cards for us. my perspective isn't really reliable. God knows best.

i can't say i'll miss much of anything about 'bama except for the people i met. oh wait. and the weather. the weather has been wonderful.

and i can't really say that i'm excited to be doing this whole job search/moving/packing/househunting/schoolhunting/wardhunting thing again. at all. i must really be getting old. i thought i had a deep love of nomadic life. wow. such laziness has overtaken me i guess.

the lean is towards TX or CA. but we'll have to see. when we find yet another new place to call home, i'll let all 3 of you who read this blog know.

i do have sugarplum dreams of one day being in a house that i own and having a smashing, fabulous, haunted, wretched halloween party full of fancy costumes and food and decorations and scariness!!! i thought it would be oct 31, 2011. but looks like not. oh well. someday. will someone please petition to calendar companies to put someday on the calendar??

shedding

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

few days after i started looking like the thanksgiving turkey, of course i started losing layers of skin. and i mean layers - plural. peel, then still red underneath, then peel again. yuck. i can't remember the last time i had such an awful, long-lasting, itchy, painful sunburn. we managed surfing and a hike. but outside of that, our return trip to kauai was not that eventful or adventurous. we did attempt snorkeling our last day, but we rented the gear and got to the beach and read the sign that said "no snorkeling due to strong currents". lovely. by the time we reached dallas, my face had already lost one layer, and here's what came off the top half of my back. YUCK.

kauai: part dos

2011-10-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

kauai 2011 part 2, a set on Flickr.

cooked

2011-10-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

no i'm not cooking a thanksgiving dinner. yes i burned. badly. kinda ruined the activities for the week. oh well.

surfing hanalei bay

2011-10-04T21:17:00.001-07:00

surfing hanalei bay, a set on Flickr.

kauai: part uno

2011-10-03T20:36:00.001-07:00

kauai 2011 - part 1, a set on Flickr.

i'm missing the ease of uploading pics to fb. so for now, here are some pics on flickr...

countdown: 25 hours

2011-09-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

our escape really begins in a mere 3 or 4 hours as we head to atlanta to stay the night before we fly to kauai tomorrow. but in approximately 25 hours we will be landing in lihue airport. yippee!!!!

when it feels like the world is on your shoulders, and all of the madness has got you going crazy; it's time to get out, step out into the street where all of the action is right there at your feet.

except i will be stepping out onto the beach, not the street.

and HERE is today's happy dance music.

here a talent, there a talent

2011-09-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

stake youth talent show. both our big boys decided they wanted their few moments of fame. they both did an excellent job. bluedog memorized a zac brown song and sang. luigi's act was complete nonsense and absolutely hilarious.

countdown: 4 days

2011-09-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

i'm SO looking forward to getting a tan! HERE is today's happy dance music. only four more days and we'll be on an island!!!

countdown: 6 days

2011-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

and the countdown to kauai (sans yahoos) is ON! of course i always celebrate with music. so click HERE to listen to today's happy dance countdown music.

enjoy!!

love hate relationship

2011-09-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

i was so excited for football season to come back. we had such a blast watching dash last season and he had so much fun. this year instead of doing it through YMCA, we opted to have him play with the kids at his new private school. but what we didn't realize was what a stinkin' mess and problem it would be. $5 entrance fee per person (including marz) to every game, even the home games. driving sometimes 90 min or longer to get to away games. games and practices mean dash can't attend crossfit at all. and for some reason he just isn't nearly as happy as he was last season. the coaches seem great. i could definitely do without the attitude that everyone is going pro. and a little less yelling would be nice. but they know what they're doing and the team is undefeated. but dash complains about going to practices and wants to skip often and has even asked if he can just quit altogether. he's really stressed out. i think being up and 6am (sometimes sooner), and then not getting home until 6pm or later on game and practice days is really taking a toll on him. after he gets home at night he then still has homework. i'm sure the fact that he's never been in school before is also messing with his mind. i wish i could fix it all for him and make it all better. but we really want him to finish what he started with this football thing. needless to say, i think i'm just as anxious as he is to see it be over. we waited over 30 minutes, hiding under the shelter of a dugout, for officials to debate about calling the game because of rain and storm. REALLY???

he is number 60...

sometimes it IS a tumor...

2011-09-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

i'm sure you all remember how much we love our dear friend kevin hall who wrote the most wonderfully, amazing, outstanding, inspiring, life-changing book called ASPIRE. we've known his family since before we were married and they have a special place in our hearts. we just found out his oldest daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. how quickly life can take a different path. tomorrow is definitely always a gift. live as if it is your last day and cherish every moment.

if you would like to read about summer click HERE.

and please feel free to keep her and her young family in your prayers.

i heart my music

2011-09-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

my NEW FAVORITE song

working vacation

2011-09-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

and HERE is where i will be in 15 days!

mmmmmmmmm....

2011-09-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

a little story from the LOVE AND LOGIC vault...

Judy saved her own life. She used to listen when her kids argued with her. She used to fall for their manipulation. When her teen daughter said, "You love Billy more than me!" she used to get upset and insist, "That's not true! I love you BOTH!"

Now she takes better care of herself. When the arguing and manipulation start, Judy goes brain dead. She doesn't listen to the words lest she be tempted to do something dumb - like respond.

Instead, Judy picked a brilliant sound to use when her kids attempt to push her buttons. The sound is "Mmmmm."

It works with nearly any situation:

"You’re ruining my life!"

"Mmmmm."

"You think it's 1950 or something!"

"Mmmmm."

Judy's life - or at least her sanity - is saved. She no longer gets roped into long, destructive fights with her kids. She no longer gets defensive or worn down. She just shuts her brain off, stops listening to the manipulative words, and repeats "Mmmmm."

Her kids have no idea what to do - but they HAVE learned very quickly that when Mom goes into "Mmmmm mode," there's no use in arguing. They hardly even try anymore.

simple, yet fulfilling words

2011-09-08T16:41:00.001-07:00

6 rounds of BODY-WEIGHT PULLUPS!!!

and that's all i have to say about that.

deep thoughts by girlfriday

2011-09-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

(not to be mistaken by the more betterer ones from jack handy)

i despise being cold, can summer please come back?
custody: much more complicated than a single piece of paper
sorry is just 5 letters put together and is never enough when you've hurt someone
parents should not have to pay a fee to watch their child play a sport
perhaps being a nomad is my destiny
satan's way is easier and more enjoyable than God's way
i'm allergic to mornings
i miss my addictions on a daily basis
i have 3 teenagers. when did i get old?
i dream my fairy godmother turned me into sydney bristow
the countdown begins at 22 today

but i'm not ready!

2011-08-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

summer vacation has ended and 'back-to-school' chaos has taken my brain by storm. it's fantastic to have the 2 arch enemies in school instead of fighting all day. but the drive is definitely a hassle, and the transition into fall is always a tough one for me. even though i have homeschool schedules planned through the end of september and have everyone starting off on the right foot, i still feel like the sky is falling. supplies aren't unpacked or organized. everyone needs a piece of me and individualized time is so hard to come by. football season has started and is crimping into my crossfit time. 3 kids now in seminary and even though i'm not doing the driving, i still feel like i'm not sleeping. the plan was to take a passport-worthy trip with doc macgyver in the fall. but now i'm wondering who in their right mind would handle the kids for us for a week with all that driving?

at any rate, i know it will all pass. it happens to me every fall and i seem to get through it every year. but every year it feels like i've never done it before.

so in honor of my stress, here's some dr. seuss:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The alarm can ring.

The birds can peep.

My bed is warm.

My pillow's deep.

Today's the day I'm going to sleep.

...................................................

I've never been so sleepy

since I can't remember when

You can take away my breakfast.

Give my egg back to the hen.

Nobody's going to get me up,

no matter what he does.

Today's the day for

WOOZY-SNOOZY

ZIZZ-ZIZZ

ZIZZ

ZAZZ

ZUZZ.

........................................

I don't choose to be up walking.

I don't choose to be up talking.

The only thing I'm choosing

is to lie here woozy-snoozing.

So won't you kindly go away.

I am NOT going to get up today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

celosia spicata

2011-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

lofty goals

2011-07-16T17:31:00.001-07:00

-own an entire dr.seuss book collection, and maybe some artwork to go along with
-scuba dive in roatan
-own residences in more than 1 country
-learn to speak chinese
-have a personal seamstress
-get luigi his own cooking show
-drive a toyota mr2
-learn how to surf
-find someone who can cut and color my hair exactly as I like it
-find friends that will travel the world with me
-host a masquerade ball
-design my own wedding ring
-experience an african safari
-ride a bull
-compete in a spelling bee
-visit the village in china where my dad is from
-learn to latin dance
-see a concert in a foreign country
-teach an illiterate adult how to read
-take a trip to a third world country with a plane full of medical supplies and stay while the doc provides free medical care
-fall asleep to someone singing to me

happy thoughts...

2011-06-25T03:50:00.000-07:00

any of you who are old enough to remember "deep thoughts" from SNL back when it wasn't even called SNL... well, you're at least as old as me. right in this very moment though, i need some happy thoughts in a bad way to cure this pit in my stomach - or at least attempt to. here are some things that take me to my happy place:

the sun
doc macgyver
the smell of the inside of a book, especially old ones
being alone outside with my camera
potatoes
the smell of the ocean
the violin intro to josh groban's version of "you raise me up"
any amazing male singing voice

the list isn't very long. it's difficult to get to my happy place. and unfortunately, the only thing on this list that is available to me right now is my doc. hopefully it will be enough.

tweets that should've been

2011-06-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

too much private stuff going on the past 6 weeks or so. perhaps that's the reason the blog has been neglected. too much to list in a 'catching up' post. so here are some highlights in twitter-verse...

Sent 2 boys to EFY and they were blaring the EFY music throughout the house about 30 min after they got home #heavenly
Switched from green band to blue band for pull-ups
Was able to get luigi to read 2 classics so far as a result of bribery by tokens; now the rest of the yahoos want in on the ‘special’ treatment
Tried closing a vent in the ceiling with a wooden dowel and am pretty sure I looked like something out of a scene from Mr. Bean
Spent 3 days with good friends while they prepared for their move out of town. We’re always the ones leaving and not the ones staying. I’m thinking ‘being settled’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
I find it hilarious when a person can’t even correctly spell the name of their own profession
Luigi: this guy sings like elmo, Me: his name is andy gibb, Luigi: does he have a speech problem?
Luigi got his haircut at a salon. So dash decided he would spend his bday money for the same. $25. Wonder if it will ever happen again.
Just recently discovered how to get hand soap out of the pump and not get water all over the sink
me: marz do you want to go to school with toby?, marz: only if i get bigger
if a person just changed a queen size bed every day, i'm sure they could lose weight quickly
"mom, how will we move the fish? will we drive them to our new house?"

the graduate

2011-04-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

just spent a quick 3 days in salt lake seeing my sister graduate from byu. she is the 2nd of the five of us to do so. it was WAY too cold for me and NOT enough sun for me. i am SO SO glad to be back home, away from mormon country and cold weather. but i did get to see some dear friends and came home with some great pics!

if you have not yet seen the album on FB, click HERE to view.

team sports {round 2}

2011-04-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

dash would play sports all year round if he could (SO unlike the 2 children older than him). unfortunately soccer and baseball season overlap, and he had to choose. baseball it is. lucky #9.

i don't think we're in kansas anymore

2011-04-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! the 13 year old now has her very own nickname and doesn't have to be referred to by her first initial. and why it took us so long, we're not quite sure since it's something we've joked about for 9 years.

topeka. she will from here forward be called topeka. make a note.

new kid on the block

2011-03-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

so i thought it was finally time to explain the extra face in the photo shoot. he's the new addition to our family. i can't go into all the details publicly here, but we have full legal custody of him, and expect that it will turn into a permanent situation. we can't predict the future, of course. he is the same age as our luigi. he seems happy here and we hope he will continue to be. so we now have 3 teens in the house!

p.s. please ignore the reflection in the glasses. it was a very quick photo shoot!

lazy shoot

2011-03-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

quick sunday photo shoot after church...

books anyone?

2011-03-02T14:52:00.001-08:00

through too many details to mention, i purchased an usborne consultant kit full of great books for only the cost of shipping. i was especially excited to be able to get free books and be able to order books at a discount in the future. the catch is that i have to order a certain amount of books by a certain date, or i have to pay for all the books i received free in the kit.

so here's the deal...

*usborne books are awesome. i love them and i homeschool with them. they make great additions to your personal library and they make fantasti...c gifts. i have set up an eShow where you can order anything that you're interested in and it can be shipped directly to you. you pay online with a credit card, so it's very easy - no mailing checks to me or anything.

*once your order reaches a certain amount, you're eligible for free books and certain discounted book. as you add books to your online order, it will track how much you're eligible for in each category

*the person with the largest order amount when the show closes will get their shipping costs refunded (by me through a paypal transaction)

*you receive 5% off your order for each person you refer to the eShow that is not currently on the guest list - up to 25% off your order total (also refunded by me through paypal after show closes)

please use this link: www.myubam.com/HOS194087 and this link ONLY to submit your orders! without going through this link, the order incentives will not be valid.

please email me if you have any questions. thanks.

a new playground

2011-02-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

for those of you who aren't on facebook or twitter, we just spent a week in san diego. most of it was for a huge orthopaedic meeting and a few days we were able to spend together (the doc & i... kids stayed in montgomery). one full day was spent participating in a service project that the AAOS sponsored. here are a couple links to what it was about. see if you can see us waving in the video...

SPRING VALLEY BOASTS NEW PLAYGROUND

Playworld Systems, KaBoom, and AAOS

WORD OF THE MONTH {pathfinder}

2011-02-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

"A leader is a pathfinder," KEVIN HALL was told by arthur watkins.

kevin's chapter on the word 'pathfinder' is about following your true path, enjoying the journey, and the people we meet on our path that guide us along our journey. he states that it's his belief that regular reflection time assists in finding joy in the journey.

starting this month, i will follow in kevin's footsteps by taking one percent of each day (approximately 15 minutes) to reflect on the previous 24 hours and contemplate possibilities that lie ahead. it will create a 'witness of my journey' and hopefully keep me on my PATH and headed in the direction of my PURPOSE.

CRUISE top ten

2011-01-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

so i know everyone wants the eye candy, since it takes the least amount of effort on a reader's part. but until i have all the pics (and you know there are TONS of them) organized and edited, i'm not uploading any of them. but here is something to make you chuckle in the meantime:

TOP 10 QUESTIONS ASKED TO GUEST SERVICES ON A CRUISE SHIP:

     10. Do the stairs go up or down?
       9. Does the crew stay on-board?
       8. Does the elevator take me to the front of the ship?
       7. If I flush the toilet while sitting on it, what will happen to me?
       6. Does the ship create its own electricity?
       5. If the pictures don't have any numbers on them, how will I know which one is mine?
       4. I have the popcorn in the microwave but I can't figure out how to get it to turn on.
       3. Does the toilet use fresh water or salt water?
       2. What do you do with the ice sculptures after they melt?
       1. What time is the midnight buffet?

excellent stolen words

2011-01-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

so, at the risk of publicly declaring to one of my friends that i'm a facebook stalker, i have stolen something from him because it was just too fabulously hilarious NOT to share! but, as you read through these, please remind yourself they're not my words. they're someone else's. i don't want to take credit, although i can relate to thinking every single one!

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

thanks bunches JC for the laughs. sorry for the thievery but funnies just need to be passed on.

WORD OF THE MONTH {genshai}

2011-01-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

so, i can't seem to get kevin's book out of my head. and i used it when we did family home evening this week. i introduced the yahoos to GENSHAI. i explained to them what it is and read some excerpts from kevin's book. i have decided that each month i will take a new word from kevin's book and focus on it. i will constantly remind myself of it's meaning and try to put forth effort to live it, and also be on the lookout for those around me that exemplify it.

so january's focus is on GENSHAI (GEN-shy). the person that taught kevin this word said this:

"As children, we were taught to never look at, touch, or address another person in a way that would make them feel small. If I were to walk by a beggar in the street and casually toss him a coin, I would not be practicing Genshai. But if I knelt down on my knees and looked him in the eye when I placed that coin in his hand, that coin became love. Then and only then, after I had exhibited pure, unconditional brotherly love, would I become a true practitioner of Genshai."

I have tried, each day, to keep this word on the forefront of my mind. I believe that it has helped me to be less critical of others, and also myself. I believe it has brought to my attention more people who are providing service around me. I will continue to remember GENSHAI throughout the month of january (and hopefully after) and will keep you posted of my progress.

strong tree or scrubby thing?

2011-01-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

GOOD TIMBER

by Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

~kevin hall referred to this poem in one of his conference calls and i've fallen in love with it. i hope for strong winds and scars that i might grow good timber someday.

ASPIRE overflow

2011-01-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

our good friend KEVIN HALL has written a book that was published in the spring of this year. we finally (after not talking with him for about 10 years) got back in touch with him. i ordered his book and read it in a day. it's amazing. for me, words can't describe it; which is ironic since it's all about words itself. every time i hear kevin speak i want to share and pass on every word. it's so hard to take notes on his speeches or his writings, as every word of it is always so fabulous.

here's the book:

clicking on the book will take you to kevin's website where you can find links to order the book, learn more about him, and see dates for his speaking engagements and training.

kevin is an amazing person, and i knew that long ago when i first met him. but every time i hear him speak or get a note from him, he continues to awe and inspire me. the pages of this book were no exception. i learned new words and techniques. i gained new perspectives on life and myself. of course, the part where i apply them and utilize them all comes down to me. that's the challenge, isn't it? no one else can make the change except YOU. but in a time where i thought i had lost faith and hope, and even the means to gain it back, kevin's words (and remembering times we've spent with him) sparked new hope. i am so grateful to that, no matter how small it is. at this point, i'll take what i can get.

2010 was one of the best years i've had in awhile. no i'm not extremely old, but i do have 35 others to compare it to. i am now hopeful i can make 2011 even better. yes i'm a grinch during the christmas season, but i am grateful for friends that allowed me to serve them so i could keep a smile on my face through it all. i'm grateful to my doc for his never ending supply of patience with me. i am grateful to put another christmas behind and look forward to another year of fun adventures (and hopefully TONS of travel!).

celebrating getting old and being cold

2010-12-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

those who know me well, know that the traditional gift in a box with a bow is not particularly welcomed around here. and i really don't think much of holidays and birthdays. i prefer not to have a calendar tell me when i should remember someone or something important, or when i should be nice to someone. if you wouldn't normally think of me, then no worries. but don't pretend that you would. so, i'm not much into celebrating my birthday just for the sake of societal tradition. but i WILL use any excuse to spend time with doc M!

i don't remember very many birthdays and probably even less birthday gifts. i apologize up front for all those who have given me things that i've forgotten. no offense or hurt is intended. but i do have about 3 gifts that stand out above the rest and i've 'carried' with me all these years. one was my 16th birthday that was a surprise limo ride from high school, with some of my friends, to the awesome Farrell's. another was a pair of fabulous, priceless, timeless, silver doc marten boots that i got from my mother-in-law about 13 years ago. but the one that tops it all, and always will, is the one i received 16 years ago in my mailbox the morning AFTER my birthday. it came in the form of a card left in my mailbox. it had a fuzzy zebra on the front of it, and it was delivered by this crazy boy i had met the night before. (if i ever unpacked fully after a move, there might be a picture of it here...but no such luck). yes, 16 years ago on my birthday, the doc and i met.

i am grateful to the Lord for putting him in my path. and i am grateful that i didn't have a clue what i was doing back then at that young age, or i might've just said i wasn't ready to get married. because i'm sure i wasn't. but i'm also grateful for the person he is. i'm glad i don't get random, impractical, plants in vases as gifts. i'm glad i don't get credit to some girly store to go shopping. i'm happy he is the kind of person who wishes he were with me while he's working, even though he absolutely LOVES his job. i'm so glad i don't have to live with an allowance each month or follow some sort of 'to do' list. i don't live by a long set of rules that he deems necessary for my stereotypical role. i enjoy that he treats me right all year long, and not just on my birthday and holidays when i put it in some sort of request as a gift. i love that we have differences, yet are always together when it comes to life philosophies.

alright, enough of that silly stuff. here's the eye candy from our trip that you've been waiting for.

P.S. and in case you were wondering... weekend in atlanta, fabulous cirque show called OVO, great food, great walks, great scenery. I LOVE BEING IN THE CITY!!

can't get no satisfaction...

2010-12-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

so that pastel background was torturing me every time i loaded my blog. and this one is still a bit on the christmasy side, so not sure how long it will last. at least it's better than that pastel blue. i'm not happy about the reference to cutestblogontheblock... but i'll live.

post about bday wkd in atlanta to come soon.

NOT new year resolutions

2010-11-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

can i make resolutions even though it's not the new year yet? by the time i spend all my energy dreading christmas and then christmas is finally over, i'm usually so sick of hearing about new year's resolutions, that i make a resolution NOT to make any. cuz against the grain is just how i roll. so here they are, a whole month ahead of time. (don't expect me to stick to any, mind you).

school the yahoos on a schedule so it gets done more often
learn about leonardo da vinci and his 'non-painter' world
travel as much as possible
go to concerts
write in my journal during the happy times, not just the sad
send more snail mail to people
pay my bills on time
figure out who i really am and stick to it
discover my gifts and grow them so they can be shared
finish getting this house set up (scrap/craft area, overnight guest space, toy room)
be more diligent with gospel basics
determine where they sell the jars of unselfishness
continue to grow my dvd collection
build a wardrobe that i love instead of one i dread

looks like 2011 is gonna be busy...

CERTified

2010-11-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

i took this class recently to learn more about emergency preparedness. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. i thought i would enjoy it more, but it got to be kinda dry. i'm still glad i did it, and i got a big bag of supplies at the end. SCORE! it then became someone's crazy idea to put all my gear on and take a picture. not sure why i went along with it. but here they are for y'all to have a good laugh.

southern fishing

2010-11-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

my kids have never been taught how to fish. a couple of them haven't ever held a fishing pole in their hands. it's one of the things i wish we would've had more time for over the past years. the doc was invited by a couple people from work to bring us all up to a cabin in the middle of nowhere on a lake stocked with fish. the kids had a blast and can't wait to go back again.

marz caught more fish than anyone!!

yes, that makes sense dash. how else would you get the fish to stop moving?

hmmm...lemme see how squishy the eyeball is.

a southern dinner isn't complete without deep fried fish!

mmmmmm...hush puppies from scratch!

one rut to another

2010-11-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

spent the entire day out of the house yesterday. it reminded me of 'back when' i used to do that every day. it's been 8.5 yrs since i've had to be gone all day on a daily basis. i don't think i would have the energy to return to that. kudos to all the working moms that do that all the time. i don't know how i did it back then.

back in the day it was 2 little kids, at least one up a few times in the middle of the night, alarm goes off about 1/2 hour after the last time i return to bed. leave the house to drive to work in the dark, many times return home in the dark. saturdays the kids spent eating and sleeping in the car all day as we ran errands from morning til night. sundays we spent driving all over town between church and visits to family and friends. monday morning we'd be back at it again. most days i felt like we would never get ourselves out of that rat race to take a breath.

12 yrs later, life seems like the complete opposite. if i leave the house at all it's an achievement. if i shower AND leave the house before noon, it should be documented. laziness seems to be the drug of choice these days. and on days when the sun isn't shining, well... we won't even go there. i have kids who cook, clean and babysit. i have kids who read to other kids. i have computer apps that teach the kids math and such. i have a cd player that reads the history. i have a very helpful husband, and friends who keep my kids when i want to run away. after all that, some days, it still doesn't seem like enough.

i wonder how i jumped from one rut to the next without seeing the in between? how did i miss the plateau? and how do i cure this escape i wish for, from things that others would give anything to have? anyone know which store sells the jar of contentment i need?

halloween 2010

2010-10-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

wishes or weeds?

2010-10-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

i wish...

for warm and sunny days
for children who are confident and at peace
to buy the machine from the jetsons that gets you ready for the day
someday to have several pads across the world to crash in whenever i want
for complete control over my emotions that consume me
i had a darkroom in my house
i could use a USB cable to copy data from one brain to another
to have more tolerance of others
Barnes and Noble sold "Teenagers for Dummies"
everyone in my family liked to eat exactly like me
all those on earth could live in the climate of their choice
magic happened when i wrinkled my nose or nodded my head
i had an off switch for my ears
for a week with just me, my camera, and i, in some far-off exotic place
money grew on trees
removing someone else's pain and/or trial wasn't a detriment to them
the curtains sitting on the table would hang themselves
the rain only came while i slept
i could be famous in a non-hollywood sort of way
to someday be able to shed my selfishness
i could spend a day (or a hundred) living as sydney bristow
for more acceptance of loneliness
to smell as many beaches as possible before i die
someday to meet my Creator
audrey hepburn's entire wardrobe was in my closet
to travel as much of the world as i can while i'm alive
all creepy, crawly, fuzzy, slimy, slithery things to get themselves out of my abode
always to be able to see a field of tulips when i close my eyes

i think i have an endless list of wishes. but here's the question: when you come across of field of dandelions, do you see 1000 weeds or 1000 wishes?

stumped for answers

2010-10-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

there are just too many questions in life. and i'm beginning to think answers just aren't meant to be.

is it more important to be honest or nice?
do u allow a child to fail, no matter how large the failure? or do u take away their choice?
do u pretend to be happy when you're not? or do u share your experiences for the benefit of others?
are girls required to keep toes painted even if they will be in tennis shoes?
do u stop being friends with someone if their standards are different than yours?
what would life be like if we used 50% of our brains?
if i don't like meat, am i still obligated to cook it for my family?
if u don't like someone, do u think you'll still wish they were alive after they die?
if u speed past someone, and they try to talk to u at the stoplight, do u roll your window down?
are u obligated to tell a child you like their art, even if it looks like a disaster?
why are presents a necessity?
if you're invited to dinner, and you're grossed out by what's being served, do u eat it anyway?
do u decorate if you're living in a rental?
do u tell your kids that santa and the tooth fairy aren't real if they ask?
should children be limited in the amount of food they get?
should grandmas be allowed on facebook and twitter?
if someone calls and u don't want to talk to them, do u feel obligated to answer?
if someone plays an april fool's joke on u, do u return the favor?
do u get offended if someone tells u your outfit doesn't match?
is it better to take schools loans and be done fast? or work your way through and go slower?
mcdonalds, burger king, wendys, or chik-fil-a?

another travel victory

2010-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

YES! i won another bid! is anyone tired of hearing yet? sorry if you are. i 'm not. i don't think it will ever get old for me, no matter how many notches i add to my belt.

doc macgyver and i are planning a trip to atlanta to see a traveling cirque show for my birthday. we've never really done birthday presents. i've always felt it's overrated. but this has been fun for me to plan. and when i heard cirque was coming my way, how could i pass it up? the show is called OVO. check out the trailer if you're interested.

anyway... i pricelined the hotel yesterday. i didn't expect to win so soon. i thought it would take a little more work, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise when i won on the 2nd bid! i won a HYATT PLACE (one of my favorite hotel categories, with free breakfast and free in-room wireless) for $70. retail rate on their website is $169!! WOOHOO!!!

his first win

2010-10-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

i can finally upload a post in contrast to the previous one. dash has made HUGE leaps and bounds w/football. the team had their first win 2 days ago and they're so excited. through lots of prayer and patience, the kid has found the courage to get out there and stay out there.

here's dash actually LISTENING to his coach and trying to figure out his job

brain cover on... headed for the field to start the game

they pray before start of game...i'm impressed.

dash and his teammates waiting on the sidelines to be put into play

hooray! he actually stayed out on the field!

yippee! he kept his eyes on the ball and is following it!

"raise your hand if you got tackled today"

end of the game treat!

WAY TO GO DASH!! WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU! WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!

team sports? i think not.

2010-09-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

here are the pics from today's game.

here's dash (#10) on the sidelines not wanting to play

here's the coach trying to get dash out on the field. notice he's not moving in a forward motion.

here's dash running off the field before the play even starts.

3rd kid we've tried. i'm guessing team sports are not gonna happen for this family.

o, and here's marz being grumpy on the sidelines. following in her brother's footseps...

fun friday delegated

2010-09-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

as you know, we only school 4 days a week. typically it's monday thru thursday. but there are occasions where we switch it up if there's a holiday or we're on vacation or the doc is home during the week, etc., etc. i tried leaving the hands-on stuff to saturdays and treating it like non-school stuff so i didn't have to be involved. but it just didn't work. to have doc M do science experiments with such an unpredictable schedule turned out not to be such a great idea. experiments sort of went out the window, along with any type of hands-on history or art project. i hate cleaning up messes.

this year we're trying something different. luigi is in charge of the science experiment every friday. Z is in charge of a craft project every friday. they teach the littles and help them along. we sat down and worked out a bunch of project ideas. science experiments are easy since they're built in to the curriculum. Z picks what she wants to do each week and at the beginning of the week they each email me to let me know what supplies they need.

luigi built a solar system with balloons today. and Z supervised custom clip boards. here is the result of the art project:

one more sheep in the herd

2010-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

you know how you have dreams for years and years and finally come to a point where you have the guts to attempt at making them a reality, and then you investigate the process and come to find out that your dreams aren't unique at all... they're just like everyone else's? no. i didn't figure you did. but i do.

i really cherish 'uniqueness'. not to the point of living as an outcast. but i just hate not having anything to call my own. no style that defines me...no talents that set me apart...no experiences that others haven't had.

i've always loved to write. but come to find out, so does everyone and their dog. and now that it's harder to find someone who DOESN'T blog, than it is to find someone who does... i just don't feel so special anymore. i have been longing for a full-blown website of my own. one with creative graphics and actual links to other pages, not just a scrolling blog. but it seems in this day and age that they're a dime a dozen.

i've always loved the feel of a camera in my hands. i've always loved the idea of capturing a moment in time...forever. and i've always thought it was kinda keen that those loves ran in my family. then in comes the digital camera to just screw everything up. i never wanted to be a professional photographer. it would take all the fun out of it. but now the whole world loves to take pictures.

i like it goes back to that saying "jack of all trades, master of none". i don't do any one thing really well. i have lots of loves. and dream of being some creative pioneer in some realm. but it seems the herd was already moving a certain direction and the destination wasn't even my idea to begin with.

how to recover

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

in my old age i've gotten pretty paranoid. i've always wanted to expose my children to so many things so that they have choices in life. i want them to choose what they want and what they like, and not only know what i know. it's been over 2 years now since we discontinued cable tv coming into our home. and it has been even longer than that since we quit allowing the news to come into our home. it had just become so violent, and it would scare the kids. and it was always so depressing. the media seemed to go for the shock value and wanted to find the greatest tragedies to report on. with that said, i seem to base my fears on what has happened to others. i guess i figure if it happened to someone else, it could happen to me. thus, the paranoia.

while we were living in SD, a teenage girl was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. it has become a nationally known story. and there is now state legislature in california that has passed because of the case. while the girl was missing, it really hit home for me. partly because people we knew from church knew her. email came through my inbox while they were looking for her. she was found just a few minutes from where we lived. and we now have teens approaching her age. i became obsessed with making sure we didn't have a set routine each day. i worried that anyone could be watching any of my children walking anywhere at any time. this girl was a junior in high school and was kidnapped in broad daylight.

tonight i read an article about the bill that was passed in CA as a result of her death. you can read it HERE. i really hate getting involved in politics. it seems there just is never any great solution. only decent ones that satisfy part of the people while the rest whine and complain because it didn't go their way. i hate that some people feel cheated out of their rights or that you just can't make everyone happy. i always feel bad for both sides and end up just wanting to keep my opinion to myself so as not to offend anyone. but i do love a good debate. not an argument per se, but just a great intelligent conversation being able to share viewpoints without anyone getting offended.

anyway... getting back on point. the argument of the article is that CA is already in deficit that they can't afford to reform sex offender laws and should not be trying to do so just to appease someone's grief. on that specific point i totally agree. but how do we change things if we 'can't afford' to do so on a state level? isn't the country and the state government always in a deficit? won't it continue to be like that? and haven't they continued to progress and pass laws in that situation for years and years now? why beat a dead horse? but is it really necessary to name a law after your child, especially one that doesn't provide much solace to the situation? and chelsea isn't the only girl this guy killed. what about the others that suffered at his hands because he wasn't kept in prison long enough? and keeping sex offenders in prison for life doesn't really seem like it will ensure our children won't be hurt or killed. some people change and reform. to guess which ones have and haven't seems like an impossible task to me.

but all politics aside, i also agree that a parent would probably have to feel like they were making some sort of changes after a tragedy. i wonder if a parent could ever completely recover from an event such as this...

on the soapbox... {FOOD}

2010-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

most of y'all know that i get pretty fanatical when it comes to what we eat around here. it started when marz was born with a ton of food allergies and i had to learn to read labels and feed her with things that weren't packaged or processed just to keep her from getting a hives rash for 2 weeks. she has since grown out of pretty much every allergy she was born with, except for one (that we know of). DYES. that's what will set off her rash. just one artificial fruit roll or one bowl of fruit loops. and since we've adjusted our family diet to accommodate her needs, i've noticed differences. i used to think that it was just sugar that set the kids off. but i know now that it is also the artificial dyes they put in just about everything.

i came across THIS article this morning. and i was surprised to see it was written 2 years ago! i'm not sure why i was surprised. i guess because i can count on one hand the parents i've met that actually believe what it says is true. now if you don't go read the article, the rest of my soapbox rant won't make a whole lot of sense...

wow. other parents thought their children were reacting to just the sugar too! wow. some guy named feingold figured it out way back in the 70s?! and still everyone continues to be oblivious. is it cheaper to make food with artificial dyes? perhaps it's addicting and the FDA doesn't want to put people out of business? i can't even go to the store and buy a regular non-organic jar of pickles without yellow 5 in it!!! food does not need to be organic to be healthy!! i'm also surprised to see that if 2 whole years ago there is a petition to the FDA, why are only 19 professionals in support of it? are we that greedy as a society that we care more about profit from food and drug sales than we do about the diminished coping skills of our children? a generation full of medicated members of society that can only function properly under adjusted environments and circumstances doesn't sound very efficient to me.

i would've never known to read labels or change our diet if i hadn't been forced to. it's a shame that we aren't educated better about what damages our systems. i believe our bodies are a gift from God and we should do our best to take care of them. basic nutrition and fitness classes still teach the food pyramid for some reason. why are we not teaching the next generation about artificial colors, preservatives, hormones, steroids, and chemical pesticides also? isn't what we put in our bodies worthy of just as much attention and education as what we do not put in our bodies?

catching up...

2010-08-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

wow. not having blogged for over 2 months, i thought i'd get online and see what my fellow bloggers had been up to. turns out most of them haven't blogged for a while either. i guess i'm not the only one that got stuck with nothing to say for june and july.

so let's see if i can catch everyone up quickly...

JUNE: luigi wrapped up school, we took a short trip to utah to baptize dash along with his 2 cousins that are the same age, sent luigi off to catalina to scout camp upon returning home, dash and Z started jr guard (which you can read all about HERE).

JULY: we spent the holiday weekend in vegas celebrating the 4th, marz's birthday, and my MIL's birthday. we spent an entire day away w/o kids celebrating our 15th anniversary: kayaking in la jolla, dinner on coronado, and a movie in the car overlooking torrey pines beach. we had an awesome fellowship graduation dinner, and prepped Z for girl's camp and luigi for EFY. then some peeps packed and loaded our stuff and we MOVED!!!

we are now in the south, officially moved in and enjoying the humidity. we are also enjoying our 3740 sq ft. of living space, our dedicated ice maker, a master shower w/ 4 shower heads, a kitchen w/cabinet space for every last little thing, a clubhouse & pool within walking distance, a fenced yard, a garage w/enough space to park 2 cars and still walk around them, closets that actually fit all our clothing, dedicated space for school, a laundry room (after being w/o for 6 yrs!), 3 A/C units, shopping close to home, and new experiences!!

i could definitely do without the spiders and other creepy crawlies that are eating marz alive. we thought concrete floors would be so fabulous, but now... not so much. the house was built for tall folks. so the toilets are too tall, and my arms lose circulation just hanging up my clothes. lots of unpacking still to do, and still feel overwhelmed by what needs to be done in order to get my life back in order. Z and luigi are a bit bummed that the youth at church is about 1/3 the size of what we just left behind in SD. but all in all, we are ALL glad to be here because of what it represents in our lives.

we are so proud of doc M for all the hard work over the years to get us to where we are now. we are excited for him to embark on his new chapter. he is looking forward to building and staying busy!

unsimple

2010-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

well my life was never destined to be simple, even though it's a constant plea of mine. i hate making decisions.

of course i knew i should not have posted pics of the house until the contract was signed and set in stone. did i listen to myself? of course not! and i knew full well i should not book plane tickets on airlines other than southwest. again, not listening to myself! i'm going to have to stop talking to myself if i don't listen.

so long story short: found another house bigger and cheaper. here's a look...

3740 sq ft, 4 bed, 4.5 bath, bonus rm, guest rm, full fenced back yd, 2 car garage. still wish it was ours so we could decorate, but one baby step at a time. oh and did i mention the rent is a mere $75 more than the 1600 sq ft townhome we're currently living in? crazy!

a lesson in extinction

2010-05-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

and the dialogue goes like this...

MARZ: where do dinosaurs live?
ME: dinosaurs don't live on the earth anymore. they're extinct. that means they all died.
MARZ: how did they all die?
ME: not sure. maybe other animals killed them, or maybe they ran out of food.
MARZ: you mean they forgot to eat their vitamins?

my slice of heaven

2010-05-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

can i just say that i LOVE my 50mm f1.8??!?!?! and i love it even more with my sb-400 flash!

indoors at night w/ direct flash

indoors at night w/ bounced flash

need i say more? oh, maybe just that i LOVE my 50mm f1.8!!!

happy dance

2010-05-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

it's either feast or famine around here. when it's raining, it's pouring. when it's not raining, it's super sunny and smooth. it definitely makes for an adventurous roller coaster ride.

we just found out what our address will be when we get to AL!! the date is yet to be determined, but a miracle was sent our way and the house i fell in love with is the one we get to live in! of course, we can't own it, but that's ok. the owners moved out to CA a few months ago and were willing to drive to us to negotiate terms. they'll hold it for us til we get there! hooray!!!

here are some pics:

seasick

2010-05-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

i don't have motion sickness, but after the roller coaster of the past week or so, i'm wondering if i'm getting close to the feeling. it seems i'm in a ship trying to get my bearings and every time i think i've found a straight path, a big wave comes crashing to one side, rattling everything and i have to start all over.

i wonder if my expectations of balance are just too high. of course this will be our 15th move in 15 years. we should be experts by now, right? i'm great at research and planning. but every time i think i have the plan nailed down, something unexpected gets thrown in the machine and i have to rethink everything and make new decisions. i hate the decision-making part. i think there were just too many variables to begin with and i tried to make decisions to early in the process. i always feel much better when things are set and i know how to work around them. not having a new address or knowing an actual move date is super frustrating to me.

flights have to be changed, but to what date and what cities? contract work needs to be found, but where and for how long? will i have to pack and move w/o the doc around to help AGAIN? will we get to move together or separately? will school plans work out? will the doc get credentialed in time? will we find enough living space in AL? will we even find a rental? will our cruise be postponed indefinitely?

zoom in

2010-05-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

this whole legal battle that our friends are going through really has me distracted often. i think about how judgmental i was of the parents of the children we fostered while we were in jersey. i think about how judgmental i am about parents who haven't even had their children taken from them. of course we know that God will judge in the end, but who has the right to judge while we are on this earth? and to what standards should everyone be held to? and should everyone be held to the same standard? some were taught better than others, and therefore have a greater advantage when they have children. they have all the great techniques, resources, and skills at their fingertips. others had no parental model to speak of, yet still yearn to be parents themselves. should they be expected to perform at the level of the others? i understand now why justice and mercy must work hand in hand to establish consequence and judgment. but does our mortal law leave room for mercy? and how difficult it must be for someone to bear the burden of judging without possessing the omnipotence that God has. i can pass judgment and call it opinion, but i will never have all the facts.

if someone possesses lesser parenting skills and common sense than the next person, does that mean they should be denied the right to care for a child? there are homes that are immaculately kept, yet not much love exists and no one is ever home to enjoy the cleanliness. there are homes where you are constantly walking on clothing and crumbs, but the children always prefer to be home. of course, balance is ideal. but where should the state draw the line? and everyone seems to be measured against the same line, no matter what. where's the mercy in that?

sure our friends made mistakes; sure they are not perfect. but how would our family fare under the microscope? would we pass a courtroom test?

finally

2010-05-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

ok. that feels better. no more pink. hooray!

the shivers

2010-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

ok, i just looked at my blog for the 2nd time today. the background is giving me the heebie jeebies. i promise i'm working on something unique and not so...well...not so un-me. just pretend you didn't see these flowers or the pink while you read the posts.

theme-less

2010-05-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

not sure how i got obsessed with themed birthday parties. and i should have long ago followed in the footsteps of other mothers who only do birthday parties every other year. i think somewhere along the way doc macgyver insisted that wasn't enough. at any rate, as may 9th got closer and closer, i was completely stumped as to finding a theme for dash's party. finally we decided last week that if we don't round all these kids up soon, it just won't happen before everyone gets too busy with summer and we have to move. so, to get as far from themed as possible (and much closer to boring) we just invited everyone to the pool on saturday for swimming and pizza. how uncreative and unoriginal and uninnovative. i'm pretty sure that last one isn't even a word. i think we're even going to buy a cake pre-made from a store. i know. how awful, right? i did manage to get up to the dollar store and pick up some beach pails and other beach-like or swimming related gear. so instead of goodie-bags to send the kids home with, we now have goodie-buckets. ah well. we'll have to save the creativity for next year.

where did it go?

2010-05-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

april, i mean. what happened to the entire month of april? it's officially may, almost 2 hrs already in pacific time. i don't think i'm ready. haven't even started planning a party for dash. dreading my most hated holiday of the entire year. doc macgyver is on-call 2 weeks out of the month. no travel in the next 31 days to be seen anywhere.

on the bright side...perhaps it means the showers will finally be gone for good and we can enjoy the flowers! or maybe it just means we're that much closer to the move date. when exactly should i start packing again?

when you think you know everything...

2010-04-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

...i will pipe up and tell you that you don't.

i was given a huge dose of "new perspective" yesterday. i'm sure you all remember those crazy 3 years that we were foster parents. what were we thinking? don't deny you asked yourselves the same question. while doc macgyver was away, we decided we weren't being tortured enough. so we asked for more. well, it just didn't seem that way at the time. we felt strongly that God was asking us to help. so we tried our best and went with it. it wasn't easy. but it was definitely an experience. i know we learned a lot and we're better for having done it. it took a toll on our own children that we hadn't expected, but i think they are better off for the experience also.

okay...getting to the point. yesterday we had a discussion with some friends about the other side of the scene. the one that you don't typically get to see. all the children that came through our home seemed to be deprived of something or another. they had been neglected or abused or whatever. did we know the parents? no. did we know the circumstances? not really. we just knew what we were told. we only heard one side of the story. yesterday, our friends told us the other side.

these friends of ours have been foster parents for a few years. they have taken about 5 placements so far. they have a 4 year old son that they adopted privately. back in november, they had an infant placed with them. they were in the process of changing a diaper, when they heard what they thought was a bone snap. they called their doctor, and took the baby to the ER. xrays were taken. they were told that there was a break and not just 1 fracture, but several; and all in various stages of healing. the radiologist immediately reported it as child abuse. the infant foster child was taken from their care, and their own son was taken from them. the state has done no further testing to determine what happened and continues to make accusations. the state is pressing charges. they are only allowed to see their son periodically. they have retained attorneys, of course. but one small voice against an entire system? it's not looking hopeful.

one small step

2010-04-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

sorry i left y'all hangin' for so long. (see, i'm practicing my southern accent). i just got back from a reconnaissance mission in alabama. i spent mucho hours driving around looking at schools and houses. no i do NOT want to put the kids back in school. but in trying to find a good solution for luigi, some other changes might have to be made in order to keep the home dynamic livable. no decisions have been etched in stone yet. i'll keep you posted as things progress. i found a house to fall in love with. we can't buy because of the nastiness we went through with jersey. but this place is available for lease until we can save up a down payment, so we're excited about that. contracts haven't been signed yet, but once they are, i'll send y'all a link to some pics. it was a long, exhausting week, but all in all it was productive and enjoyable. i had a full week of sunny 85 degrees, had great food, met great people, discovered a fantastic art museum, visited a couple farmers markets, attended the birmingham temple, and made fabulous memories with an irreplaceable friend!

i was so glad to be able to visit with the practice a couple of times. no matter what worries or hesitations or fears i have regarding this move, talking to them always brings me peace. i am definitely grateful for that.

new challenge to myself

2010-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

i'm publicly announcing a goal. i NEVER do this. i usually stay pretty private about my personal challenges as i typically fall short and don't finish. i'm a great starter and planner and researcher. i just have trouble with the endings. but i agreed to do this challenge with someone and it has become fun (of course, because it's only the beginning). my main goal is to get back down to pre-pregnancy weight (pre-4th pregnancy weight, to clarify) before the cruise in august. i've been dying for some new swim gear and that's my reward to myself if i make it. anyway, a relative said she was doing this and i thought it would be helpful for the end result:

check it out for yourself!

just around the corner

2010-04-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

click the logo to see the recently updated website!

getting back in the saddle

2010-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

YES, i haven't blogged in forever.
YES, i have been hiding in my own little bubble.
YES, i have missed writing.

my mind is going in 23 different directions and sometimes it's hard to pick one to write about. i really hate fasting and am not fond of visiting teaching or singing in public. i don't understand why my dreams feel so absolutely real. i can't seem to pick a side when it comes to politics. there are such extreme views when it comes to this HCR bill and i just have mixed feelings. will we find a place to live in AL? will i get to learn to surf this summer? should i make my children pay for their summer camps? will an increase in salary change who we are? could i hitch a helicopter ride to vegas instead of driving? will my boys want to serve missions? will we have enough time in UT to see everyone? maybe i could skip fixing dinner next week...

my mind is reeling. is yours yet?

which size are you?

2010-03-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

the scene: luigi in the kitchen cooking crepes. marz at the table with a fresh crepe on her plate. everyone else wandering around getting their own food or waiting...

marz: can someone help me fix my crepe?

(no one answers)

marz: can someone help me fix my crepe?!!!

dash: i will help you
marz: no! you can't help me. you're not a big kid. you're only a medium-sized kid!

looking forward to...

2010-03-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

(follow-up to the follow-up to the previous post)

i thought i should make sure you don't think that i regret the decision to leave SD. there are definitely things to look forward to even though we will miss SD and be sad to leave it behind. here are some things that i'm glad are in the near future:

more than 1600 sq ft of living space
separate bedrooms for the yahoos in an effort to decrease the fighting
more humidity
doc M being in charge of his own schedule
putting kids in extracurricular activities (i'm allowed to look forward to the money, right??)
white sand, clear blue warm water - destin, FL
being nearby a large lake - learning to wakeboard and drive a boat
the doc gets to take time off whenever he wants
experiencing southern "hospitality"
getting luigi into a magnet school
a backyard
new vacuum, washer/dryer, pots/pans, piano
more travel

did i mention i'm looking forward to having the doc set his very own schedule??

to be missed...

2010-02-26T15:24:00.000-08:00

(follow-up to previous post)

alright, i can't help myself. i just can't stop thinking about the things i'm going to miss when we leave this place behind.

the sound of a 6-lane freeway
living plant life around me year-round
the weather
the WHOLE FOODS just 10 minutes away
the temple just 10 minutes away
the large, fantastic youth program
a shopping center within walking distance
no yard to take care of
the smell of the ocean
parks everywhere
the weather
the zoo & wild animal park
ethnic diversity
farmer's markets daily
the short drive to vegas
charter schools w/ free books

did i mention i'm going to miss the WEATHER?

not to be missed

2010-02-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

i can't believe the count is already down to 5 months before the move. it seems like we're still getting used to this place. and almost on a daily basis i'm asking myself how i'm going to leave this place. i love it here. it's no secret. the view of the waves, as i turn the corner to head up the hill to the hospital, takes my breath away. doc macgyver rides by it twice a day. i don't visit nearly as often as i should. but i know that we'll soon be on to the next adventure.

so, in trying to stay positive as i plan for august, here are the things i will be glad to leave behind:

neighbors talking right underneath my window at night
loud garbage & recycle trucks in the early AM
the not-so-lovely sound of the freeway as i try to fall asleep
washer & dryer in the garage
a kitchen sink with NO pull out faucet
a bathroom with NO door
the temperature of the Pacific Ocean
non-existent laundry room
a tiny kitchen

i know. they're such minor things. but i'm trying to find the silver lining.

like father, like daughter

2010-02-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

we had this for dessert last night:

here is what was left after marz said she was finished:

and then she asked for another...

p.s. these were taken indoors, at night, hand-held with NO FLASH! i LOVE my new camera!!!

experimenting

2010-02-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

we are nearing the end of one of our science books. yesterday the doc did an experiment with the kids. saturdays are supposed to be his day to do experiments, but we've been such slackers about that since we moved here. i'm hoping we can get back on track. the current book we are in is all about land animals. the chapter they read was RODENTIA.

did you know you can order all sorts of lovely goodies online through science websites?? i was so excited! so here they are digging through owl pellets to find small bones that resemble what the owl ate. they were less excited than me.

united in purpose

2010-02-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

i know. 2 posts in one day. crazy. but josh groban just posted this link to his FB page and i had to share.

WATCH HERE

sure they all have the financial means to do whatever they want (unlike the rest of us). sure it stinks that it takes tragedy to bring everyone together. but i still like to see it. and i love to see people using the resources available to them for a good cause. perhaps no financial gain will come as a result. perhaps no one will be helped in the end. after all, it's just a video. but it's nice to see everyone excited about one thing at the same time.

let me know what you think.

WAIT! how old??

2010-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

click HERE to see what i was looking at this morning. i still have a hard time believing i have a kid old enough to attend this year!!

as good as it gets

2010-02-09T12:40:00.001-08:00

okay, background changed. this is as close as i can stand to get to a valentine's theme. there's red here. that counts, right?

music to the ears

2010-02-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

today an email from our realtor contained this phrase:

"you can call the utility companies and have the gas and electric shut off in your name as of friday"

WOOHOO!!!

p.s. is it february already? i guess i need to change my background. i'll get right on that...

faces

2010-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

my MiL has one of those mirrors that magnifies your face about 502 million times. marz decided she would experiment...

FIRST technology challenge

2010-02-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a company that was founded by an inventor to give kids more exposure and inspiration with the engineering and technology fields. they operate day camps and summer camps at their homebase in new hampshire. but what they're best known for is their annual competitions that involve robots and students world-wide. they have different levels that accommodate kids ages 6-18. the kids get together on teams of 3-10 students, along with a coach (usually a parent) and spend several weeks building and programming a robot. then they take it to competitions. this is luigi's first year participating and he seems to have had fun. his team has competed in LA, SD, and vegas. they are judged on community involvement (gaining sponsorships and fundraising), teamwork, points during competition, a notebook (where they have to track their whole process), and presentation at the competition. it's a great all-around learning experience.

A DECADE

2010-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

stole this idea from my little sis. (which you can read HERE) wow. it took me a long time to put this together!

2000:
We experienced living in New York and Chicago while doc M worked as a traveling surgical tech on contract. We spent the summer in Salt Lake and moved to northern California for med school. I struggled to find a job in CA. I was still selling scrapbooking supplies and began selling Mary Kay. I contemplated leaving my family. We moved 4 times during the year and had a psycho pervert for a roommate.
Learned: bad experiences can be great teaching moments

2001:
We wrapped up the first year of med school. After finals, the doc broke his leg on a bike ride and we lived our summer in Utah. We started year 2 of med school and a 3rd pregnancy. I spent time on Coronado doing contract work related to an old job I had when we lived in Utah. We had a fabulous roommate from India and watched the twin towers in NY burn on tv. Our bank account and overdraft was drained just in time for the holidays from an online hacker. We got a midnight phone call about a murder in the doc's family.
Learned: life is precious and money is just NOT as important as it seems

2002:
We flew to Utah for my sister's wedding. Our 3rd child was born and just a short few weeks later we moved to Vegas. We then hear about a suicide in doc M's family and headed to Utah for the funeral. We met fabulous, life-long friends in Vegas. We ended our Montessori run and put kids back in public school.
Learned: good friends can make all the difference in the world

2003:
We attended my sister's sealing in Utah. We moved out of an apartment, into a rental home and then finally into a home that we purchased (all within 4 months).I spent another week enjoying a contract on Coronado. The doc and I spent 3 months separated while he did med school rotations out of state in an attempt to secure a residency interview. Turned out none of those spots wanted to interview him. I attended Mary Kay seminar in Dallas for the third summer in a row and had a blast. We spent our family Christmas vacation in San Diego.
Learned: having a home of our own means more to us than we thought

2004:
After much tedious waiting, we found out we would move to NJ for residency. We got stranded in a freezing car on the side of the freeway on our way to St. George late at night. We enjoyed a tour of the Hoover Dam while living in Vegas. We attended med school graduation in CA and celebrated with a trip to Hawaii (no kids) in May. We flew to NJ in June to begin internship year. We dealt with a miscarriage in the fall and flew to Utah for a wedding November. We had constant worry over whether or not we would get a permanent residency spot in Jersey. The doc contemplated giving up orthopaedics for ER and I had to suffer through turning 30. We bought our first brand new "right off the lot" car and we baptized our first child.

Learned: there is actually a place we could be sad to leave behind, we hate the Jersey shore, and sometimes experiences just cannot be related to until you go through them yourself

2005:
Time provided acceptance of the miscarriage and we began our training and home study to get licensed for adoption. I contemplated leaving my family again and the orthopaedic residency spot was finally offered to doc M. I had foot surgery to remove some hardware that we thought was causing pain. We flew to CA for a family reunion in Carpenteria. We took a family trip to a timeshare in Massachusetts and I starting qualifying for directorship with Mary Kay. We were completely caught off guard by the start of a 4th pregnancy. I got to see Wicked on Broadway. We attended a Sting concert in Atlantic City and baptized child #2.
Learned: we hate winter and sometimes the Lord just has other plans

2006:
We were mistakenly asked to do foster care even though we had put "adoption only" on our state app. We took a fabulous trip to Panama in February. I had planned all sorts of great things, some of which we had to skip since I had no idea I would be 4 months pregnant when I made the plans. I cried during the entire takeoff of the flight home because the camera was lost, along with over 300 pics I took on the trip. I wanted to go camping for Mother's Day and we nearly got killed by the swarms of mosquitoes. We contemplated moving to a different town to change school districts. Our 4th child was born and we pulled our older kids out of public school to begin homeschooling. The older 2 kids learned new instruments in their homeschool band. We took a family road trip to see New England in the fall. I was sad to stop working Mary Kay, but life was taking a different turn.
Learned: taking leaps of faith is tough sometimes

2007:
We surprised the kids with a cruise to the Caribbean in January as our family Christmas trip. I struggled with homeschooling and finding the best learning style with each kid. We took trips to Vegas in June and September because the flight prices were so great. I took the kids on a road trip to the Outer Banks with some friends in March. We played on the beach, visited the sand dunes, and learned about the Wright Brothers. We took our annual "no kid" trip to Belize in April and came home wanting to move there. I lost one friend to death and another to an out-of-state move, while the doc worked 6 months of rotations hardly being home at all. I'm still not sure I've completely recovered. My sister moved to NY and it was fun for us and the kids to be close to her and see her more often. We spent family time in NY and DC in November to see all the fun holiday displays. We signed a contract for a fellowship in San Diego and jumped for joy!
Learned: not much. Too self absorbed and messed up to see any lessons in life

2008:
We took a trip to Utah in January for holiday celebrations with my family, and then spent a few days in Vegas on the way back to Jersey. I contemplated leaving my family yet again and am still living on an emotional roller coaster. We took a short family cruise to the Caribbean in May and then went straight to my sister's wedding in Utah. Just a few shorts weeks later we returned to Utah for the funeral of my brother-in-law. In July we took a road trip to NY with friends to attend the Hill Cumorah pageant. I put 3 kids back public school for a short stint out of anger and looked for a part-time job while researching the prospect of a live-in nanny. I visited Chicago twice with the doc on trips for conferences and had a heyday with my camera. I discovered facebook and strangely reconnected with people I hadn't seen or talked to in over 17 years. I brought kids back home for school in the fall. I enjoyed a TOFW conference in Philly with some friends.
Learned: life is precious(again) and obsessive thinking can be destructive

2009:
I continued the emotional roller coaster with lots of soul searching. We took our annual no kid trip in January to Isla Mujeres. I finally began feeling progress with homeschooling and enjoyed a homeschooling conference in Virginia led by the author of the book "The Well-Trained Mind". I ended a 14 year friendship (reasons are too private to post). I was taken on a fabulous date to Longwood Gardens by my oldest. I made attempts to read fiction and got more active in the blogging world. I reconnected with a friend from high school whose music and life has had a huge influence on me. We took a trip to SD to scout out neighborhoods, met a fantastic new friend, and fell in love with SD. We made the move to SD over the summer and were excited to finally get out of Jersey. We sent the oldest off to scout camp on Catalina and child #2 off to girl’s camp for the first time. I took a short trip alone to SF to attend the TOFW conference with a great friend from college. I also got to squeeze some time in with my cousins and my aunt. We spent time away in Alabama and Texas interviewing for the future. We had a house full of people for Thanksgiving as we love to do, and were able to spend Christmas in Vegas with family.
Learned: things can get out of hand before you realize it and taking life one day at a time helps me to get a little closer to the balance i so desperately long for

I look forward to what adventures 2010 will bring. It seems our lives have always been filled with adventure and I'm glad because I really hate monotony. We have our "no kid" trip coming up in just a few short weeks, along with a trip to AL to look at homes and schools. Besides the yearly scout camp and girls' camp, this will be the first summer we send a kid away to EFY. We will also have a child getting baptized in June and another starting high school in the fall. We're doing the big move to AL in August, along with a family cruise to Mexico right before the new job starts. There are lots of things in the works. I hope the continued soul searching will bring me continued progress and that 2010 will continue with good news as it has started out with. I will learn how to be a surgeon's wife, how to be the mom of a high school student, and how to homeschool in the state of AL.