Can Jessie come out to play?

We went out to brunch today at the Fresno Breakfast House and had a great time...the only thing that could have made it more fun would be if Val had been there too! Jess has promised to teach Kim and me how to knit when she comes home again in 3 weeks...Is it crazy to be excited to learn such a skill? Please be assured, I will post pictures of any progress made on that front.

I've got creepy crawly bedmates!

You know how when you hear that someone near you has lice your head starts to itch immediately? That happened to me last night, except instead of lice, it was a spider. I saw a spider crawling up my wall last night as I was getting ready to go to sleep. (Don't worry! Town and Country Pest Control will be hearing from me!) So I see this HUGE spider crawling up the wall and made the mistake of running to get a tissue ( I don't believe in reincarnation, so have no problem squishing the little nasties). While I was fetching a tissue, the little booger got away! So, I looked frantically for the spider, but was unsuccessful. In light of the spiders running rampant in my room, I was unable to sleep because every time I would almost fall asleep, I would get the tingly feeling that something was crawling across my leg/arm/face/neck/stomach/back/anywhere else on my poor tormented body. So, needless to say, it was a long night. I hope to find the creepy crawly before tonight so I can get some rest.

It's really summer now!

How do I know that it's really summer? Because we finally have our swimming pool installed. It has been a year long process that was quite the grueling ordeal...But alas! It is complete and has now been broken in with the first swim of the summer. Here is our story...

Last summer, my parents decided that Tyler needed a swimming pool...They're grandparents and are highly indulgent. So they shopped around for the best deal, the most desirable shape, etc. Finally they came to a decision and made their payment. All winter this pool was neglected and we didn't think it would ever be utilized...Of course we documented its installation and now that it is complete, I finally feel comfortable sharing the process with the public. Unfortunately, we do not have any pictures of the original installation, but we do have pics of the pool being filled...






He took his job very seriously, but then it was time to get down and dirty...um, wet...Of course, being the generous boy that he is, he felt that all his bath toys should have some pool time too...
And he also really enjoyed laying on the "deck" next to the pool...
I did NOT go swimming, but I did enjoy a little bit of pool side reading and took the opportunity to drink tea and eat a scone. I would like to extend an invitation to everyone to come swimming at our house...no diving in the shallow end!

I find myself with lots of spare time today

So, to begin...my sympathies for my faithful readers...I seem to have a lot of time on my hands today and so feel completely justified in posting one random blog today. Now for those who are thinking (hopefully to themselves instead of out loud) "Aren't all her posts pretty random?" JUST WAIT!


Last night I went to see Dark Knight. Awesome movie, freezing theater! I was wearing a tank top, which is great in the summer heat. It's NOT so great in a theater when you are sitting right under the vent.


Last week I asked my dad to install Bible software on my Palm Centro phone and the only way he was able to get it to work was to install it first on his computer and then sync my phone with his computer. Yay!! Bible to carry everywhere on my phone. Boo!!! HIS calendar synched onto my phone so I had to go into all the days that he had anything on his schedule and delete it. I never realized quite how many things my poor dad has on his calendar every day until that point. YAY!! Payback's a ...booger...Today (and apparently all this week) Dad's phone alarm went off at dinner time. The event? Music at Sierra Vista. The significance??? That was on MY calendar and is now on HIS phone. The funny part? I put alarms on all of my events so now he has to go onto his calendar to delete those things. HaHaHa...I think I have a touch of wicked in me because I think that is completely funny.


Did you know that a 2 year old can be signed up on the library's summer reading program and they can take their reading log in to the library to get prizes? Our log looks like this..."Can't you Sleep Little Bear?"..."Can't you Sleep Little Bear?" ..."Can't you Sleep Little Bear?"...well, you get the idea...Tyler likes to re-read...Yesterday we were reading it for a nap story. First page starts out like this (sadly from memory) "Once there were two bears. Big Bear and Little Bear. Big Bear is the big bear and Little Bear is the little bear." (next to this is a picture of a big bear and a little bear walking through the snow in the forest) So Tyler says, "Sometimes we call Big Bear Mother Bear." Me..."Oh???" And I keep reading. "Big Bear and ..." Tyler, "NO...sometimes we call Big Bear Mother Bear." Me (with the lightbulb above my head), "Do you want me to call Big Bear Mother Bear while I read the story to you today?" Him:"Yes!!" So we did...Dang my kid picks out long bedtime books...


I seem to have more time to people watch while I'm driving now with this new "hands free" law...the funniest thing to see? People reading their newspaper/magazine/etc. Umm...we have a law on the books about using phones, but nothing that says that you may not read while you are driving your car? hmm...I love America.

and now for the obligatory, a blog-post is not complete without pictures section of this post...About a month ago Aunt Lois was out here from Texas and we had a lovely brunch...

I guess if you have to work...

...this is a pretty good spot to do it from (from which to do it, for those grammar sticklers). I was sitting at my desk the other day having just read a comic strip in which all the employees had these little tiny cubicles (you know...bulletin board material under tacky gray fabric?) and just had to be thankful for the beautiful view I have from my seat. So, of course, I had to photodocument it! Not only do I get to set looking out at a bunch of greenery, but I also get to watch the birds and squirrels taunt Piper. The downside? I have the optimal spot for seeing Piper take care of "business". So, for those of you who are jealous of this awesome view...continue to be jealous because it's awesome!

You will not believe this blog!

A friend let me know about this blog, where cake disasters are brought to life with hilarious commentary. Oh man, I was laughing so hard. The pictures are funny, but the comments are priceless. My favorite is the Creepy Baby Shower cake...but especially his comments about it.

Though now I have an unmanageable craving for cake...

Dad: Are you sad I didn't get this cake for you???

SO...while it is nearly my birthday and I do expect to have a cake, I can only pray that whatever cake I have does NOT end up on his blog!!

It's that time again!!!

Time to start the countdown! Pretty much as long as I can remember, I have kept countdowns...To the first day of school (yes, even into college...someday, ask me about my back to school clothes), the first day of Christmas break, the first day of spring break, the LAST day of school...(as a student and then as a teacher) and also, special events....like this one! Today is July 21...when I asked my mom and sister if that day meant anything to them, all I got was a blank stare. Hmmm...OK, maybe I need to be more obvious. My birthday is in 1 month!!! Now, I know that a woman of my advancing age is often times ashamed of her age and doesn't want to celebrate or even acknowledge her birthday...That's not me! I plan to count down the days until I turn 28. I plan to eat cake on my birthday (NOT Carrot, thank you!) and it will have 28 candles! I once read a motivational quote (command?) that said, "Enjoy this moment...for this moment is your life." I plan to live the life I love and that includes a birthday countdown...August 21, here we come!

Tyler's question of the day...

When Tyler and I woke up this morning I told him, "Papa went to the grocery store last night and got Bananas!" (Poor boy wakes up starving and I thought he'd enjoy a change of pace from toast...) Totally serious, he turns over, looks up at me and whispers back, "Did he come back?" I couldn't help but laugh out loud...Have I mentioned that he's adorable?

Gotta love preschool art!

A shameless "Mother-Showing-Off-Her-Kid's-Art-Work" Post...I was looking through Tyler's Bring home art the other day and this was my favorite (probably because it's his footprint, which is always fun)

****For those who are unfamiliar with/out of practice at looking at preschool art, this is a puppy dog****

Was it worth it?

On our second to last day at Lakeview, I was Inspired with a capital "I". Every year we have a group of campers that goes swimming every day. Tyler noticed this and thought that jumping off the end of the dock just like them would be a FANTASTIC idea. So, we had the bright idea to have me stand on the dock, my mom paddle out in a canoe and between the two of us, Tyler could jump off the dock and we would be able to remain dry. It worked!

So then strikes the inspiration...I thought, OK, if Tyler can do it, maybe I should do it (I've never been one to let a 2 year old show me up). So in I jumped...

Unfortunately, while I was preparing to jump in and handing things to my mom, my sunglasses fell in (thank goodness it wasn't my camera!). Now, were they expensive sunglasses? NO, they were free since I found them at Disneyland. However, they were my favorite! So, since I had already gotten wet and I really like the sunglasses, I decided to stage a rescue. But first I had to ponder the best strategy.

Then, the DARING RESCUE!!!

And SUCCESS!!!

Tyler helped me celebrate by jumping on me...

Later we celebrated again with 2 of my favorite things...Coffee and Ice Cream!

So, was it worth it? I had an adventure, I proved to myself that I can still tread water like back in my waterpolo/swim team days, I got my sunglasses back and I had fun. I'd say it was worth it!

It's a tough job, but...

I know that it seems like all I do is work up here, but you'll be pleased to know I've also had a few opportunities for relaxation also!

Hmmm...Why does it seem like all my relaxation time is near the water? I must spend too much time there.

We also had a "Whole Camp" Campfire tonight and were lucky enough to have two very talented musicians in our group. Granted, most of the songs they sang were ones I didn't know (Beatles, James Taylor, various other old songs, etc.), but they also sang a few that I did know. I LOVE to sing! I'm not sure I'm any good, but so far I've never had anyone ask me to stop, so I'm going to take it as a good sign. Tyler also LOVES music (hmm, I wonder where he got that?) so he planted his chair in front of the guitar player and swayed...

Here is my favorite part of tonight's activity...What is it about a fire that is soooo mesmerizing? It makes me feel like sitting back, sipping a glass of fine (insert drink of choice) and thinking deep thoughts. But it also makes me want to tell jokes and funny stories...Guess I'm going to need more wood; this could take a while.

Happy Feet!

I have to say that there is nothing better than getting the best of both worlds. I am in the mountains...and there's a beach. So not only do I get to enjoy the beauty of our forest, I also get to stick my bare feet in the sand. Now, I know there are some out there who say, um...So? To me, this is just awesome! So, in honor of this I present:

My Happy Feet! (it's not just a movie anymore)

Also, for those of you who have never seen a frog water skiing behind his motor boat, may I provide you with this educational opportunity?

Week 2, Day 2...

This is the start of our second week up at Lakeview...So far, it's been mostly work, with very little play. We cleaned several cabins that had an "off" turnover (meaning they missed the housekeepers' normal rounds so we got to do the cleaning) and we got guests checked out and in. Today was our pancake breakfast and we had a great time getting to know our new campers! There are a ton of kids for Tyler to play with, which is great for me!

I was the "head chef" for our pancake breakfast!

Unfortunately, I think this is going to be our last year of sink baths since he's getting too big for it


We also have a budding photographer on our hands. Now, if anyone has ever handed a camera to a 2 year old, you know that the typical range of vision is between the knees and the armpits of an adult. (Thank heavens for digital so we don't have to develop all these pictures!) Since I didn't want all the pictures of me to look like this:

I decided to scrunch down to actually make it into the picture...

Just One of the Guys...

Not me...Man Cub...He met two boys this week who are 8 and whatever they do, he wants to do. We made s'mores (again) last night and he wanted to stand exactly like his new friend, Nick. I've discovered that Tyler doesn't really care for the marshmellows, he just likes the excuse to eat the chocolate that goes with s'mores.

He saw Nick and his dad playing baseball and somehow convinced Nick to play catch with him.

The "Big Boys" also built a small "campfire" on top of the huge rock in the campground and were "camping marshmellows" together.

Blackberry Iced Tea...

I have decided I would like to try Blackberry Iced Tea...Now, if only our blackberries in the garden hadn't died!

General Colin Powell's Laptop...

I love a hot cup of Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte...a while back they were running their "The Way I See It" Campaign where people could submit their ideas, thoughts, philosophy statement, etc. to be printed on the hot cups...My all time favourite that I think every teacher, parent, aunt/uncle, etc. should live by is submitted by General Colin Powell. I decided to post it here for 2 reasons... 1) A lot of the people who may read this blog are either teachers, parents, aunts/uncles, etc. and 2) because I have cut this quote off of about 5 different cups and I keep losing it so if I post it here, I will never have to look it up again.
“All children need a laptop. Not a computer, but a human laptop. Moms, dads, grannies and grandpas, aunts, uncles -- someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experience, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations of them, their hopes and their dreams.”
So, if you have a kid in your life, please sit with them...read to them...love them...and if you don't have a kid in your life...I'll be glad to sit on your lap and you can read to me or tell me about your day (if you're smaller than me...sorry, your legs might fall asleep)

Adventures at 7000 feet!

We have been having great adventures up here at Lakeview and though there are too many to document, I wanted to share a few of them so that people don't think I'm on vacation here...

One very exciting (read: scary, potential for danger, funny-after-the-fact) thing that happened yesterday is one of our campers had some boat problems. Now, if you remember that I am in charge of the boats, you get a prize. Being in charge of the boats means that if something bad happens with the boats, I am expected to fix it...Luckily for me (and for Tom, our poor camper who walked a really long way after beaching his motor boat) Uncle George told me about the extra fuel lines for the boats so when Tom told me that there was a problem with the line, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to take a spare along just in case. We hoped in The LOVE Boat to speed to the rescue...turns out the poor boat was beached in a cove down the lake a ways and it was simply a problem with the fuel line not being connected all the way. We arrived at the cove and I was REALLY glad that I'm more comfortable driving the boat (do you drive a boat? Captain a boat? anyway...I digress...) than my mom because there were several really big rocks that prevented us from "smooth sailing" right up to the beached motor boat. The reason I am so glad I am a better captain is this:

That lady in blue in the freezing water? Yeah...MOM...If she had been a better captain--It would have been ME! So when it was time to go home after we "rescued" Tom, this is the ordeal we went through to complete our mission...

We still had to get Mom back into the boat and out past the rocks...Have you ever tried to get into a boat from a place where you can't touch the bottom but the boat sticks WAY out of the water in the front? We did it, but it was a challenge. Once we were back on our way, it was pretty funny and we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.

Another part of our "job" here as "THE Management" is to clean cabins for people coming in mid-week...Mom and I are excellent bed makers! Tyler helped (sorta...)

Tyler also provided his services as the life guard on duty...

However...the person he was mostly "rescuing" was himself. He practiced kicking in the water and I could only envy the thermal resistance layer of protection that God gives to children...

We also got to "rescue" my shoe that was tossed into the water like yesterday's garbage...we got to take the row boat...that thing is T-R-I-C-K-Y...

We also went on an Osprey Nest Sighting trip on The LOVE Boat...

Stay tuned for more adventures (and if you made it this far, you get a cookie!)