Today was the first day of CCD for the year. I'm teaching 6th grade again. At least I know what I'm in for. I am thrilled...I only have nine kids in the class this year. I love small classes. I think we can do so much more. It is a more intimate class. Only one girl seemed hesitant, but when she discovered we aren't going to read the whole bible (6th grade is Bible stories/study), she felt a lot better. This is a quiet class. Of course, its only the first week, so maybe they will come out of their shells as the year goes on. I hope so.

Did you all watch Dancing With The Stars dance off? Did you vote for John O'Hurley??

I have such a crush on him;-) I could have seen him in Tahoe that night, if only I had gone to eat with Steve and Casey:/ I voted on line, and then called. Joseph wanted me to vote for the girl (he doesn't even know her name). I vote for her for the least dressed;-)

I clicked back and forth between Dancing With The Stars and Big Brother....even though I never got into BB this season as much as I did before. I just didn't like anyone one there. (especially Janelle. Yuck)

Yeah Yeah Yeah

Friday night Joseph and I went to the Lodi Grape festival. No I didn't go to see the exhibits, lol. My boys were playing. Derek came with his mom and dad. They all liked it. Now John & Kathy have some idea of what I talk about, lol. I introduced them to the guys while they were signing autographs. John told Joey "we're kinda fond of your tee shirt girl", and Joey turned around and grinned at me and said, "Yeah, we are too".

Ralpho was in rare form. He had me laughing all night.

Saturday night they did a benefit at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville. That was really nice. OMG, the spread of food backstage was yummy. Lots of Mexican food. Mmm Mmm good;-)
Every time I walked in, Ralph was telling me to eat. What is it with Italians and food anyway? "Eat something". Holy crap, I don't need to "eat something". My ass is big enough;-) Then there was the too. die. for. carrot cake that Joey decided he would share with me. It was so. damn. good.


Can I be jealous for just a minute? Please?
Steve and Casey are flying out Wednesday night to Philly. They are going to see Paul McCartney.....2 nights in a row. The first night they sit in the 17th row....and the second night in the SECOND ROW. Of course, they are paying a pretty penny for it. Second row to see Paul. OMFG. I don't know if I could handle being that close, seriously. He will make eye contact with them. Casey is going to wear one of her 'vegeterian' shirts. Maybe she'll get noticed, lol. She jokingly told me that if they get to meet him, she will call me and have him say hello. I think if my cell phone rings at all on Thursday or Friday, I will freak ;P Why yes, I am pathetic. I have had a thing for Paul McCartney since I was 9 years old. Do you have any idea how long that is???

She is trying to talk me into checking out ebay for tickets in the first few rows when he plays Seattle. I am so tempted.....after all, its only money, right?

MIL has congestive heart failure.

She has been taking care of FIL the past couple of years, since he had his first stroke, and hasn't been taking care of herself.

Her condition has deteriorated to the point that she is not strong enough for needed valve surgery. So...Chris will soon be driving them both up to Oregon where BIL and his wife live. They have a house directly round the corner from theirs, so they will be able to take care of both MIL & FIL (Both BIL and SIL are family nurse practitioners) We have been trying for more than a year to get them to move up there, but Eleanor has been resistant so far. She changed her mind last week while BIL was down to visit.

We think she is doing it now so Steve and Roberta will be there to take care of Roy when she dies. Right now, the house Steve & Roberta owns is occupied, so until the tenant moves out, R&E will be staying either with Steve & Roberta, or in a small apt.

MIL is not strong enough to pack much of anything (she gets winded walking across the room now...)

When we find out when Chris will be taking them, MIL will just pack some of their clothes and meds. Joseph and I will go down then and pack the rest of their house up. Chris will come back, get a U Haul and take what they need/want back up, and we will either donate the rest or have a yard sale.

*Sigh* Sometimes being a grown up is hard.

Wednesday Already?

And why is it called hump day? Do people have more sex on Wednesdays? (Ok, I really do know why its called that)

I am suffering from forum frustration. What used to be my home forum has become some alien place. There is a moratorium on any political talk....or anything that might become political. Seems some people can't take it. I guess there are too many F bombs (not MY word) being dropped for the more prudent among us. It sure isn't me. I swear like a sailor;-) Besides that, people are being meen. Sorry, but grow the fuck up already. (OMG I JUST DROPPED AN F BOMB) I say, if you don't like to debate, then don't by all means. If you don't want to get involved in a political discussion, then don't.

Luckily, I can say whatever I want here. My blog, my rules. I can say I think GWB is the biggest failure we have ever had as a president. I can say I hate him and I think he (along with Cheney) are 2 of the biggest evil assholes around. I can say I think he has fucked up beyond repair. I can also say that I can't believe there is still anyone around who honestly can still support him. I know there are...I see them every day here in vodkaville. I can also say I don't know how they can see with their head so far up their ass.

I wonder how long the fucked up rule will be in effect at that forum. *Sigh*


Poor Chris. Its almost 10 pm and he is still at work. He left at 6 this morning. No telling when he will get home. Apparently there is some kind of emergency. I haven't talked to him...Joseph did. I hope he gets home soon, so he can get some rest.

I saw a mountain lion on Friday. News at 11;-)


Chris and Joseph left Tuesday morning for Burney Falls, while I went to Tahoe for the last 2 nights of the Harrahs gig. Tuesday night was the party. It was lots of fun, and nice to relax. Wednesday I did nothing during the day. well, I did have to run to KMart (the only shopping in Tahoe:/) to buy a pillow for camping, because I forgot mine. After that though, I just vegged. It was so bloody nice. I sat by the pool with my book, read for a bit, then took a nap. After my nap, I showered, and went over to Harrahs for dinner, then into the showroom for closing night.

It was nice to get hugs from the Harrahs people. Donna and Anna are two of the nicest people I know. I have them to thank for always being in the front row;-)

Thursday morning I got up and drove to Burney. The weather was beautiful.

Now....onto the mountain lion sighting. Friday morning Chris and I went on a hike. There is a sign at the trail head warning about mountain lions. (We found out latrer they are a rarity to really be seen....) Anyway....we walk about a mile to the old cemetery. I hear a sound, and look across the trail. There, about 20 yards or so from me, is this mountain lion, climbing a tree. While it was beautiful to see, I told Chris "let's get the hell out of here". I think we made it back to the campground in about half the time it took us to walk out. I wish I had taken the camera though. It would have been so cool to get a photo.

We did tell the ranger about the sighting though.

Oops....time for Family Guy! Have a good week, everyone:-)

My name is Ivana B. Laid

http://www.blogthings.com/outrageousnamegenerator


I like that better than Allota Fagina;-)



School starts tomorrow. I now have a 9th grader. Joseph will be starting school under the trees as usual. He and Chris are going up to Burney Falls http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=455 . I am going to meet them on Thursday. They are doing a father/son thing for the first couple of days....kind of a rite of passage going into high school. Its a bonding thing. Swimming, fishing and hiking are on the agenda, along with math, language arts, social studies, science, Spanish and music. He has his schoolwork and lesson plan packed. I firmly believe it is much easier to get back into the swing of school days whilst sitting at a table under tall trees:) I also figure that Chris can handle the first 2 days of ninth grade, lol.

I have 2 days to myself before I go meet them...so I am going to Tahoe (surprise surprise) for closing night at Harrahs. Tomorrow night is the big closing party. It should be fun. I plan on sitting by the pool all day Wednesday and reading, then a light dinner and more reading, lol.

Have a good week everyone....and Denine, I'm praying for good results for you:)

We have a new associate pastor. I was EM tonight, so I was in the sacristy when he came in. He is a baby! I am officially old....when the priest is young enough to be my child, LOL. Fr. Humberto is from Puerto Rico, and is a very nice boy. He messed up a couple of times during mass....this was his first mass in English, and he would blush and smile. He is going to be popular with the girls, I can tell.

He wants to get involved with the youth group...which is good, since he looks like he belongs in the youth group;-)

We spoke after mass, and I introduced him to Joseph. He said he plays guitar too. He asked Joseph if he plays any Metallica songs....that is what HE plays. LOL....we now have a young, Metallica playing priest;-)

I Don't Know

About Venezuela right now, but it looks like Chris will be going down to Louisiana soon to help restart the refinery there that was damaged from the hurricane. I guess all they have to do is find out how to get them there and how to sustain them while they are there. I do know they want it back up and running ASAP.

*Sigh*

Sometimes I wish he wasn't as good at what he does.

Who knows how long that assignment might be.

On the upside, maybe Joseph and I will be able to go to Houston while he is there....and I can meet some forum friends from that area.


I'm so proud...

Joseph had a really good idea tonight. He is going to talk to Jo (the youth group leader) about replaying the concert they did, as a benefit for victims of Katrina. He thinks if they charge 5 or 10 dollars, people would be glad to go, and all the money would be sent for the hurricane victims.

Sometimes that kid amazes me :*)

From what Chris told me the other night, Venezuela might not be off the table after all.

There was a conference call with different refineries, and he got a call back after the conference call was over. It was from a guy he knows....who is in Venezuela now. Shane said they "really need him" down there right now. If he goes, it won't be for three years (thank God). It would be for 6 months. I still don't want him to go. Shane said he feels safe, but I wouldn't feel safe having Chris down there. *Sigh*

Now we wait. Again. I hope he hears soon whether or not he goes. I can't tell him not to go, either:/

Goodbye Miranda

There was a girl named Miranda, who had the sunniest smile......

http://forums.delphiforums.com/Boardersandmore/messages?msg=528.1

I never got to meet this wonderful young lady , but I followed her illness nonetheless. She was such a brave young girl. My heart is broken for her family.

I have gone through this loss before. My friend Jim was diagnosed with glioblastoma in March of 1997. He died that September. 5 months. I think it has been 5 months since Miranda was diagnosed. I could be wrong. Whatever the dates, glioblastoma is evil.

I pray for Miranda's family. I cannot fathom what incredible pain they are going through. If I could send them a cyber hug and it would help..... I am praying for them now. Miranda is in a better place....free of pain. Maybe she has already met Jim. He will take care of her. That's the kind of guy he was.


"Life is very short, and there’s no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend."

All the bullshit going on in my life doesn't mean so much right now... Maybe I will blog about it later....




This is my favorite Beatles song. I dedicate it to Miranda and her family right now.

In My Life

There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

Dear Letter to the Editor Writer

Who in response to my letter stating my opinion about Cindy Sheehan, said in part:


"If a person does not have the luxury of having advisors and intelligence analysts and collectors, as the president does, then that person should take time to think critically about how and when to voice opinions"



Get your head out of your ass. Seriously.

I may not have the luxury of 'advisors and intelligence collectors', but I do have a brain. I use said brain. I can think for myself. I also have eyes and ears. I use said eyes (without blinders) and I certainly use my ears. Last time I looked, I was free to voice my opinion any time (as are you)....most especially in a letter to the editor.




Huh?

Why do you capitalize the word terrorists?



Signed,
A woman, wife, mother and citizen of the world, who is still offended by this war, and who stands by my opinion.

Presenting..St Marys Youth Group

The concert /dinner tonight was a raging success. First...the dinner part. Outback Steakhouse catered for us. All you can eat chicken, steak, rice, marinated mushrooms and salad, plus yummy bread.

The concert was wonderful. I am so proud of every one of the kids (and adults) involved. When Derek's dad John sings I Can Only Imagine, or Breathe, it brings tears to my eyes. Of course, Joseph was incredible. I am so proud of my baby boy. He performed an acoustic instrumental he wrote; he, Derek, Roxana and Matt did "Ball & Chain" by Social Distortion; and when they did Let it Be at the end, he played the guitar solo. They got a standing ovation for Let It Be:-) I am a proud mom. I had lots of people come up to me at the end to compliment him.

The rest of the concert was really good as well. Roxana, along with playing bass on Ball & Chain (she picked up the bass on Wednesday...) sang The Prayer (Celine Dion I think??) and Ave Maria. She is incredible. What talent. She gives me goose bumps. I had to tease her at the end though. "From Ave Maria to punk rock".

Everyone else was also good. Nicole did a ballet to Beauty and the Beast, some of the girls did hula to a song from Lilo and Stitch. We really have a talented bunch:-)

We also made a couple of hundred dollars from the silent auctions of the gift baskets, and did a 50/50 raffle, and made about $150 on that, after splitting it with the winner.

All in all, it was a really good night, and we made a significant amount towards our trip to L.A. next march. Now we won't have to have quite so many early Sunday morning donut sales!

Will I ever.....

Reach the bottom of my laundry hamper? I seriously doubt it:/ Where does it all come from? I swear Joseph puts clean clothes back in the hamper rather than put them away >:/


I got the stuff from Bath & Body Works for the other basket I have to put together for Saturday. They are having a buy 3 get one free sale so I got myself a sweet pea body spray. I got Vanilla Sugar as the scent for the bath basket. Body wash, bubble bath, body lotion and hand soap, along with a bath puff and a rubber duckie. I hope these baskets make some money for the YG. I hope lots of people buy raffle tickets.

I found out tonight that besides the basket raffle, I am also in charge of the 50/50 raffle....the winning ticket gets half of what is collected. I am so glad I was informed of this 2 days before the event. / end sarcasm

I will be so glad when Saturday night is over.

I hope it will be a success.

Happy Birthday You Old Fart

Today is Chris' birthday. We went to Best Buy and got a new camcorder. Dang...it is so much tinier than the other one we have, and it makes the first one we ever got look like a friggin motion picture camera, lol. I almost crapped when I got the total and wrote out the check for $500 though. Yeah, Happy Birthday Chris:)

We just went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner, because we didn't want Joseph to miss his rehearsal tonight. I felt bad having Chris sit there for his 50th birthday though, so Kathy and I snuck out and got a cake and some champagne (and sparkling cider for the kids)

He said he wasn't surprised...that when I told him I had to go get some stuff for Josephine he knew I was up to something. I think he was surprised though. Heh. I have the hardest time trying to surprise him. He knows me too well:/

In an hour or so, I will be married to a 50 year old. He'll finally be as old as I am again;-)

Right now, I am feeling a bit frustrated with the 'powers that be' at YG. Saturday is the big concert/dinner the youth group is putting on. We had been told that Thursday would be the dress rehearsal. We were told that 2 weeks ago, with continued reminders. That was fine, even though Chris had to change his plans. He was going to take the rest of the week off and he & Joseph were going to go to the redwoods for a father/son campout. They were going to leave today and come back Friday.

Today (this evening actually) we get an email that the rehearsal has been changed to tomorrow evening, and attendance is 'mandatory' WTF? No reason was given either....just that someone changed their mind:/

I'm sorry, but Joseph will just have to be late. His dad's birthday is important...as important as the rehearsal:/

Cindy Sheehan is the person who got me started teaching CCD. When I took Joseph to register when he was little (either 1st or 2nd grade....can't remember which) Cindy was the youth minister at St Marys. She was so quiet and sweet.....and persuasive. What started out to be a simple sign up for CCD ended with me taking home the teacher's book and a roster of kids names;-)

I have been teaching CCD ever since.

Cindy is my hero. Unless you have been hibernating, you have probably at least heard her name. More likely, you have either read about her or seen her on television. She lost her son last year in Bush's folly. Now she is losing her husband as well...to divorce.
http://cindysheehan.dailykos.com/user/CindySheehan

I admire her so much. No matter what, she is doing what she feels she has to.

I wish I could go to Crawford and be there with her.

I Need A Nap

It has been a busy couple of weeks here.

First, there was the Seattle/Vancouver trip, which was way too much fun. The boy had a blast. He loved the EMP ( www.emplive.org) I think he could have spent days there. *Sigh* A boy and his guitar fixation. The Paramount shows were terrific. I got to see Linda and Joanne again. It has been a year since I saw them. We got to hang out with the KSBG crew. What funny people they are. We didn't really go out after getting back from the shows. One night, we all got pizza delivered to S & C's room and we watched Help.

The absolute best thing about the Seattle part of the trip was finally getting to meet Denine and Jojo from the forum. They are both just as sweet, funny and real in person as they are on line. I could definitely be real life friends with both of them:-) Once I gete some pictures developed, I'll post a couple. Denine's boys are all adorable (and have THE most gorgeous eyes ever) and Jojo's daughter is just precious. We met at the Seattle locks, which is a very cool place. Denine and Jojo provided a picnic lunch for all of us (thanks, ladies!) When we left the locks, we all ended up at Archie McPhee......a store that should be illegal, it is so much fun. I won't say how much I spent there........but I really did need the Devil Duckies;-)

We drove up to Vancouver after that. I think Vancouver was having its hottest days of the year. It was in the 80s....perfect weather. The hotel Joseph and I stayed in was small and quaint. It was a block or so from the hotel C and the boys stayed in. I wish I could have afforded that one, but close to $200/night American was a bit steep, especially after the $$$ I had already spent on this trip! Thank goodness Chris is ok with it, and we can afford it.

The shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre were good as well. What a beautiful theater! Wow. It was nice seeing the Canadian crew again. What nice guys! I think Canadian men are real gentlemen. We did go out one night there. After aone show, I took Joseph back to our hotel and went to meet C & S, and we then went to a little pub to meet the rest. After a couple of glasses of wine, and a few pints of Kilkenny for the guys, J decided that he was hungry and needed pizza, so off we all went to find pizza.

Joseph and I explored Vancouver during the day. Forget anything historic, or any of the beautiful parks...his favorite place there was Tom Lee Music....all 6 floors. Remember what I said about a boy and his guitar fixation?

We got back last Saturday (Aug. 6)

Sunday I had to serve at Mass, then Joseph had practice afterwards for the upcoming dinner/concert.

Wednesday it was back to Tahoe for a couple of days. I got home late last night, and today we all went to the Oakland A's game. Field Level seats too. Too bad none of us remembered our camera:/ Today the As retired Dennis Eckersley's number, so there was a presentation and speeches before the game. It was very cool...something we will always remember. We had to leave before the end of the game though. Joseph had practice again tonight.

This next week is going to be busy as well. More practices, guitar lessons, mass, and Chris' 50th birthday is on Wednesday. Plus, I have to make 2 gift baskets for a raffle at next Saturday's concert, and get the house (which is a pit right now) cleaned for a visit from the inlaws.


See why I need a nap?

We bought a new computer the other day. Chris is going to set it up while Joseph and I are gone. We're also going to get cable. OMG, I won't know what to do, after having dial up all these years;-)


The boy and I leave in the morning for our Seattle/Vancouver adventure. I am so excited! I should be in bed already, since we're getting up at 5 am, but here I sit. I finally finished packing an hour ago. I am always afraid I will forget something. As it is, I can NOT find my cell phone charger....only the one for the car. If I need to charge it, I guess I will take a ride around until it charges, LOL.

I can't wait to meet Denine:-) We are supposed to meet on Monday. She is one of my favorite 'forum friends'. Hopefully I will be able to meet Jojo as well. I also may be able to meet a friend who lives near Vancouver while I'm up there:)

I'll be back in a week or so...with lots to say, probably :D

Road Trip

Ok, plane then road trip;-) I've made reservations for Joseph and me. We're flying up to Seattle the 29th for either 3 or 4 days (haven't decided that extra day yet) then driving up to Vancouver until August 6. My "boys" are playing the Paramount in Seattle then the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. The boy is excited.....its his first time in either place. I have promised him a trip to the EMP while we are in Seattle, so he is truly in heaven. I am hoping I will be able to meet at least one forum friend while I am there!



When it was the dead of winter,and I was complainig about being cold.....did I say I wouldn't complain about the heat this summer? If I did, I lied:/ It has been over 100 degrees every day for the past 7 days. The other day it was 107. I'm sorry, but that is too damn hot, and for too long. It is so hot, it doesn't cool down at night. It is 85 now....at 10:30. Sleeping is miserable.

Chris is waiting to hear when he will go for his interview. Part of me hopes he blows it.....then I don't have to think about the possible job in Venezuela. He has been freaked for the past few days....and not only about the job offer. A friend of his from work was found dead the other day. He was a diabetic, and he fell into a coma. His girlfriend found him the next day.....he had been dead for at least 12 hours. His services are tomorrow.....

Random Thoughts

.....on our weekend trip to Las Vegas.


109 degrees is hot.

Cosmetic surgeons must do a booming business in Vegas. I have never seen so many tiny women with huge boobs. In. My. Life.

I have also never seen so many obvious face lifts.

109 degrees is hot.

9 1/2 hours in the car is a long time.

Breaking the trip down into 2 days was a much better idea. Even if we had to stay in Barstow.

Why would anyone voluntarily live in Barstow?

Kamikazes are good.

The Suncoast Hotel Casino has very comfy beds.

Did I mention 109 degrees is hot?