"These boots were made for walking!"

Yesterday we had an exciting evening where Daughter started walking for the first time. We immediately started a 'game' of her walking back & forth to us which she found absolutely hilarious! Hubby was fantastic because he got some great video which he made into this wonderful video for us. Everybody enjoy! Hope you get as many laughs as we did.

Life realizations...

I was talking to Hubby last night about the musical. I had a blast doing it & realized that I would have regretted it if I hadn't. It also reminded me of who I was when I was doing something for myself, something that made a real difference in my life. I love being a stay-at-home mom which I do not want to change; but now I realize how important it is that I continue to do something for myself & pursue my 'life lists'. Most importantly, I am happy to have time with my family back again. Now I have to keep a promise to myself to start pursuing other interests while keeping my family & myself equally important. After all these years, I finally realize that to be happy for my family, I need to commit to making some time for myself to pursue my own interests as well (so I 'don't go crazy' as Hubby like to say). Thankfully I have been blessed with a wonderful Hubby, family & friends who support me no matter what. I couldn't have asked for a better life! Thank you everyone... especially Hubby & my kids!

We're on fire!

Our director said that the entire cast was 'on fire' this weekend at our Saturday show! The crowd was fantastic which always helps. I really enjoyed doing this musical & working with the cast members. It was fun hard work (yes it may seem like an oxymoron) that I look forward to doing sometime again in the future (although in the winter next time). This has definitely a dream come true!

PS - Thanks to Hubby who watched the kids so I could go to the rehearsals & supported me happily even though we were like ships passing in the night for most the summer. I have been blessed with the most wonderful family & friends. Thank you to everyone who made it to the show. It really meant a lot to me!

Am I a pack rat?

My husband knows that I most definately am. Every now & then I have a 'fling time' where I clean out closets & boxes & must purge the items immediately while I want to get rid of them or else I'll change my mind again & find a reason to keep them!

You're a Pack Rat in Training

You know those crazy old people with a ton of video tapes and cats? Well, you're training to be one. Time to do some spring cleaning. Even if it isn't spring!

Are You a Pack Rat?

What my soul looks like

Another result, right on the money!

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are very passionate and quite temperamental. While you can be moody, you always crave comfort. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

What my bed says about me?

This was actually accurate for me as well.

What Your Bed Says About You

Outward appearances are very important to you. You do your best to look good and have an attractive home. You try to be an organized person, but you often fall behind. Certain parts of your life tend to fall into chaos. You are very high maintenance. You like everything a certain way, and you're grumpy if things aren't the way you like them. In relationships, you tend to kick back and let the other person be in charge. You tend to be a down to earth, practical person. You think in terms of what is actual. You are a total homebody. You are happiest when you're at home.

What Does Your Bed Say About You?

Sarah Palin is TOTALLY qualified!

It's Hubby talking politics here...

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm sorry...I just can't say that with a straight face. It scares me that a woman that thinks living next to a foreign country means she's got foreign policy experience. I've been to Cape Canaveral...does that mean I know how to be an astronaut?

Come on guys...give America a little credit. We're not all a bunch of idiots out here! Well, that guy that cut me off is, but I'm sure he's sorry. She's got no foreign policy experience. Say it with me...NO EXPERIENCE. She's never talked to a foreign leader (except for the little talks she had a few days ago, which was more of a photo op). She never even had a passport until last year! Don't lie to us and then tell us that she's qualified because she lived in Alaska!

This woman could be president of our country!!! Do you really want to replace a man that has made us the most hated country in the world with somebody that has no idea what she is doing?!?!

Happy they are...

It is so nice to see people I know & love celebrate their anniversary. I find my parents amazing. As a teenager, I amazingly never had a rebellious stage & was always the good girl. Now as an adult, I find sometimes I agree & disagree with them. Nevertheless, I will always admire them. They were the best parents to me, always encouraging me to pursue my dreams & being there no matter what. Now five children, seven (soon-to-be eight!) grandchildren & thirty seven years later, they are still as happy & loving life together as I've always known them. During high school I watched them weather some unbearable times hand-in-hand & it only made them stronger as a couple. I'm proud to see the love they share still today & call them Mom & Dad.

My oldest friend also is celebrating her fourth anniversary with her husband. She has raised two great kids & always has had unbelievable inner strength, even when we were kids. Great job, girl!

Your Favorite Movie Kiss!

This was right on as well! This is one of our top ten movies of all time!

Your Famous Movie Kiss is from The Princess Bride

"This is true love - you think this happens every day?"

What Famous Movie Kiss Are You?

Virus city has hit!

After somehow managing to avoid the nasty throat/cold virus which hit almost everyone I know (including 1/3 of the musical cast & my entire family), it hit me full-force this morning. Now I have to pull off incredible acting skills this weekend with freeze poses! Wish me luck!

What movie is you love life like?

After seeing these results, I think my life turned out like I thought it would & wanted to.

Your Love Life is Like Pretty Woman

"I want the fairy tale" You believe that love is truly blind, unpredictable, and surprising. Two very different people can easily find true love. At least, that is how it will happen when you marry a gorgeous billionaire someday ;-) Your love style: Sensual and flirty Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Surprisingly happy

What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?

Morning or night person?

You Are a Night Person

For you, there's nothing worse than having to get up and moving early. In fact, you probably don't hit your peak until well after the sun has set. So if your struggling to make it on a normal schedule, realize it's not your fault. You just weren't meant to do anything during the day!

Are You a Morning Person or Night Person?

What your handbag says about you!

What Your Handbag Says About You

You tend to be relaxed throughout the day. You are naturally at peace. You are a high maintenance person. You feel lost outside of your normal environment. You are open and comfortable with who you are. You don't hide anything. Your motto is : "Be prepared." You don't like to be surprised by anything. You are a very creative person. Your life tends to be a whirlwind, but you always seem to pull it together. You are an outgoing and expressive person. You always speak your mind, and you're very approachable. You are a very unique and special person. There's no one else who is anything like you.

What Does Your Handbag Say About You?

How do you see marriage?

Everyone has a different perspective on marriage, whether they are single, engaged, married or divorced. After being married for almost a decade, I still love Hubby immensely & we are always aware to not take each other for granted. We both know life is incredibly busy & sometimes can get annoyed with each other; but I've always said that the good times should always outweigh the bad & in our case, there's no question. We are still just as happy together as the day we got married.

Not everyone takes marriage so seriously though. Now I do agree that sometimes you have to laugh at yourself & see the humor in life (which is something I don't do easily). Then again the girls in my family can get quite silly somtimes, especially when my Mom, youngest sister & I are hanging out! Marriage is simply one of those topics that is easy to understand & laugh at with almost any comic. So for all those other perspectives, this is for you!





Some say there are even different stages in a marriage!

The Five Stages of Marriage By Mark Goulston, M.D. who is the author of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship (Putnam, 2001).

There's a joke about marriage: "Where does sex take place in a marriage? Early on, anywhere and everywhere; later on, in the bedroom; and finally, in the hallway when you and your spouse walk by each other and say, 'Screw you!'"

Many married couples laugh at jokes about how marital bliss turns into blisters not just because they're funny, but because they ring true. Understanding these marital stages can help us tame our expectations and feel more satisfied in our relationships.

Stage One: "Why don't we do it in the road?" --The Beatles

Early on in a marriage, just like in the beginning stages of our relationship, we're swept away by being in love. We are euphorically transported from being psychologically distant from our parents and feeling intimately alone in the world to being attached at the hip and heart with our soul mate. The rush we feel in going from unconnected to viscerally attached is intoxicating and we just can't get enough of each other sexually. At this stage, we love the way our partner makes us feel as much as we love him or her. We love because of everything our partner does right by and for us.

Stage Two: "Sex in bed, missionary style -- and don't forget to turn out the lights when you're finished!"

Reality and a wide range of roles and responsibilities start to impose upon our lust and love. Whereas we used to squeeze in the rest of life to accommodate our loving, we now find ourselves squeezing in the loving between being parents, workers, homemakers and caretakers to our aging parents. Fun still finds a way to survive in spite of our becoming slaves to our many routines, but it takes work. This is marriage's vulnerable stage and it's the time when a woman can go from feeling cherished to being taken for granted and when a man can go from feeling admired to belittled.

Stage Three: "Screw me? Screw you!"

When inevitable disappointment and hurt are left undealt with, they deteriorate into bitterness, coldness and indifference. We've gone from lovers to unhappy roommates. This is what happens when people don't work at their relationships. Sadly, most people don't do the work, not because they don't want to, but because they don't know how. They don't realize that getting angry at their mate or feeling sorry for themselves are actual choices that they can make or not make. Or, they fail to notice that instead of jumping to conclusions and down their spouse's throat, they can try to listen to all the facts.

Stage Four: "Still in love"

This is what's possible when we continue to feed our relationships with tender loving care, counteract our tendency to blame problems on our mate, and choose to think of why we are grateful to our partner. People in this stage do indeed have disagreements that aren't easy to resolve. Yet, rather than holding on to their anger, they instead choose to forgive and trust. Armed with these tools to fight for love, we easily learn to live the lesson of mature and lasting love: loving someone in spite of what he or she does wrong.

Stage Five: "Till death do you do part."

If we make it through stage three or four, which usually occur when we are in our 50s, the final stage of marriage is ours to enjoy when we're in our 60s and beyond. This has a lot to do with giving up the unwinable fight in our 50s to be who we were in our 20s and 30s, or perhaps letting go of our need to make that final big killing in our careers. We realize we can continue to want what we don't have and be unhappy, or else want what we do have and be content. Instead of focusing on the love that's missing, we begin to see and appreciate the love that's present. We realize that we're not settling for less, we're waking up to the more that has always been there.

That's not to say that small or big wedding mishaps don't happen when you do get married. They definately do & all you can do is know the something will most likely not go as planned so you plan everything the best you can. Then if something does happen just remember to breathe, laugh & make the best of it if & when any mishaps occur... like these!




What about the worst 'what if' happens on your wedding day? Here's a video with advice for that worst case circumstance. This is a 'How to Call Off Your Wedding"!

Success with applause!

For the past three months, I have been rehearsing for a musical & I've hardly seen Hubby who watched the kids four night each week so I could have this chance. We have gotten great reviews from the audience & people have actually been talking about it around town! Everyone has said how it's so much fun to watch which means a lot to us (i.e. the cast) since we put our heart & soul into this!

It also feels great to do one something on my 'life list'. Son was so thrilled to be there opening night & absolutely loved going. At the cast party, he continued to follow me around everywhere. It's nice to be missed! Now that it's coming to a close, I may do this again in the future but I will always treasure the experience & memories.

Summer damage

I recently discovered that a relative's hometown was hit by a tornado this past summer. Luckily my family is okay. Anyhow, here are some photos of the damage. On top of that, then they got this flooding!

I truly wonder what Old Man Winter will bring this year...

Obama Is Da Man

Hey all...this is the hubby. I hate referring to myself as that but I'm not allowed to use my name. Take a look at this message from Obama. I really think he's the man to lead us to recovery.

Summer draws to a close...

Recently my favorite author (i.e. MFA) came to the area on her book signing tour. I arrived there two hours early & was number 124! The book store staff was very friendly & fun, trying to keep all (mostly us wild girls) entertained. When MFA arrived, she was so funny, friendly, down-to-earth & just downright grateful to all her fans. She answered question after question regarding her recent book & several series with such humor & wit. When I got to meet her face-to-face, she was so incredibly sincere! It was so incredible. When I left there about six hours later, about a dozen fans were still waiting in line to meet her. I'm sure she was there for another hour at least! It's wonderful to see someone so devoted to her fans. She deserves it too!





It's always fun to see Hubby's family at the summer reunion, especially as the kids are getting bigger now & this is the first time many relatives are meeting Daughter face-to-face. Pretty soon there will be another set of cousins running around on holidays!





Son enjoyed his friend's birthday party at a local gym where they jumped into a foam pit, bounced on the trampoline & swung from a rope into another foam pit! The cake & presents afterwards was of course a big hit.





The kids' enjoyed their first Renaissance Fair with my SIL & her hubby. The various costumes were amazing as always. The creativity is amazing!





Who doesn't love playtime with their siblings?





We had fun at one of many popular local summer festivals where I performed with the musical theater a few of our songs for the upcoming show.





Finally we truly enjoyed one of the last summer weekends together.

Missing the mark

It appears that summer has decided to depart early & now fall has descended upon us. Usually we have at least three months of summer. This year summer didn't even arrive until mid June! Here it is mid-September & the cold weather has already been here for over a week now. Long sleeves & pants are now taking over the closets which means I need to find time somehow to pack up the Son's & Daughter's summer clothes! That will be the trick.

My calf is much better. I do wrap it for support frequently (especially when dancing) but have been able to fully participate in rehearsals for over a week now. Show time is coming up & we're still tweaking it. I only hope it is as good as we know it can be.

Baby, you're off the charts!

Last week we had Daughter's 12 month check-up. Stay tune for more information...

Weight & height: Her weight (25 lbs) is still in the 95th percentile while her height (32.5") is off the charts! She's definitely going to be very tall but still proportionate. Guess we're going to be getting the 'Tall' jeans for her!

Likes & dislikes: We got some good recommendations about some additional foods to add to her diet, now that we're finally adding solid foods to her menu (yes I know we waited longer than normal). She loves bananas, chocolate, laughing, jumping, dancing to music & climbing anything possible. Somehow I don't think she'll be afraid of heights! She hates potatoes but is now okay eating green beans. She seems to like the colors red, pink & lavender best, although blue brings out her beautiful eye color.

Skills: She started to roll over in May & then crawling & using sign language (i.e. signs for more, bottle, all done & splashing) in July. Last month she started standing & walking along furniture, bending down & standing back up to pick something up, figured out that standing on anything & then taught herself how to turn a wall light switch on & off. This month she frequently tests herself to stand & takes a few steps without support; that is in addition to using more sign language (such as Grandma, Grandpa, cat). Over the past few months she became quite the talker too!

Personality: She has many endearing qualities & is so darn cute! She has a big beautiful smile, a bubbly laugh (especially when she laughs with you), the determination to figure things out & do them on her own (otherwise she won't do them at all), will observe & take in everything around her & then of course there's her quick fiery temper when she doesn't get she wants (she'll have to learn to control that one!). She'll play by herself but adores playing with her brother the most! A funny quirk she has is her 'Oh My Gosh' face (wide eyes & jaw dropped to the the floor).

Concerns:

The only concern with mentioning was that she may be a bit flat-footed (especially it's in her genes) but we don't know for sure yet.

Overall, we're very happy with how she's progressing & becoming another gem in our lives. Daughter & Son have & continue to bring joy & challenges every day to our lives!

Bringing the rain

Last week I was reading this blog recommended to me by another blogger which totally reduced me to tears. This is the scene that followed.

Son stopped playing with his people & house, climbed onto my lap. Hugging me he said, "It's okay Mommy. Just breathe... Don't cry."

I managed to stop crying & hugged him back & said, "Thank you honey. I'm so lucky to have you & your sister. You're such a good boy."

Son looked at me, wiped away my tears. "Okay. Just breath."

"I love you honey. Thank you so much for making Mommy feel better. I love you so much!" (as I give him a big hug)

He gave me a big bear hug back & said, "I love you too. It's okay."

Although there are times my kids can drive me crazy, I'm thankful for them & the experiences I have with & because of them each day. I cannot imagine losing them or having only my memories of them.

Wrong diagnosis, same treatment

Last week I saw the doctor for a follow-up. My calf muscle actually tore (like some people originally thought) versus the original diagnosis of bad muscle strain. Good news is that after following the treatment plan (i.e. use crutches as needed, wrap for support, heat 30 minutes three times (minimum) daily) my leg is much better. I can walk on it & carry the kids around if need be. Doctor suggested still using heat during the day & ice after rehearsals but even he was impressed at how much it had improved! Now it's down to the size of a golf ball & healing very quickly. After dancing the entire way through the whole show at our last rehearsal, my leg was definitely sore but I can handle it. At least I know I can do this with minimal pain & do not risk any permanent damage.


Everyone in the production staff has been very cool & understanding which is great since I have been working my butt off & determined to do the best I can. I'm glad it shows that I take my part in the show very seriously.

Riding along with life

It's funny how life changes course, bringing all of us right along with it. Sometimes it is good change, sometimes bad. Other times, we just don't know until the end of that particular road if we like where we are or not. I truly believe that for every choice we make, we have previously decided (i.e. before starting our current life) where each choice we make will lead us & forever effect how our life will go. Each choice is a different road in a different direction.

I'm not really talking about anything in particular. Truth be told, I am VERY happy where life has taken me. Nine years ago, I married the man of my dreams & although we've had our share of obstacles, we have overcome each one to build & remain the strong foundation of love & friendship which our relationship is built on. We have a wonderful life together in all it's normalcy & are pursuing our dreams. We've been blessed with two wonderful kids who remind us constantly of the beauty found everywhere. Our home is of our own choosing & painted in the vibrant colors I always imagined. Cat is as affectionate as ever, if not more! Friends & family know that we include them in our lives despite everyone's time constraints. Some we only see a few times a year, if that; the important thing is we do try to keep in touch via phone or email but it's never the same. Still, we all try. Obviously I have had my share of bumps along the road life has & continues to lead me on, but I have no regrets because it has made me the person I am proud to be today, living the life I have been blessed with.

So lead on life... onto the next great adventure!

Returns to the Teens!

My cousin made it through a 2nd year at the Miss Teen USA contest for her state. We are so proud of her! It's great to see her pursuing her dreams & her family supports her completely.

I myself was selected to compete in my state's Miss Teen contest during my senior year in high school. I was told I actually made it into the top forty. Although I loved the experience, I knew I didn't want to pursue myself. Besides, too much drama was going on in my family back then & that was more than enough to keep me occupied, in addition to school, choir & friends!