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!