Poopchecker

The End

2011-07-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well it is time...
Poopchecker is retiring. Sorry folks but I feel it's time to move on.
Our little guy is moving up to the 6th grade and I can feel a little change happening with our little family.
So...I am retiring Poopchecker.
I wish you all peace, good health and all things good in life!
Thanks for following.
You can find me on my new blog:
www.confessionsofamomtog.blogspot.com

Our little Mistro!

2011-05-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Look at our handsome little violinist!!

Wedding Photography

2011-05-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Shonda and I have been asked take some wedding photos for a friend of a friend from work. Her friend Sandy has a friend in another town who doesn't have a lot of money and needs a wedding photographer. We said just as long as her friend is completely aware that we have NEVER done this before and this is our FIRST TIME. We guarantee nothing. However, her friend has seen some photos that we've taken and said she liked them. So here we are. The wedding July 1st. It will be very informal and held at the local park. The story is that the brides fiance is in the military and on deployment right now. He will be back for a very short period of time and they want to get married before he heads out again. So they are throwing this wedding together as fast as they can.
Shonda and I always talk about one day having some sort of photography business together. Larry thought we should call it "Shutter Sisters Photography".
Wish us luck!!

Senior Photos Experiment April 2011

2011-04-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

Shonda invited me to help her out with taking some senior photos for her friends daughter.
This is the results of my best photos from my experience.
We had a lot of fun!

Kendra with Jasper.

This one is my favorite!

Shonda at work.

Hail!!

2011-04-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

We got golf ball sized hail Friday April8th! Mylan is holding them.

Random

2011-03-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

A few pics I snapped while on my lunch hour.

Wildcat family! This is on my back window.

Photowalk March 2011

2011-03-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Tan, Brian and Heather

This one makes me think of an alien of some kind

Shonda

Reflections...I love this one!

Patrick

Shonda the monkey

I like the colors in this one

Heather and Brian

Fish bones! So cool!

I like the water ripples.

My favorite of all! I love the bending trees and how I made the picture look dark! Like something in a dream.

Mylan's 11th Birthday

2011-03-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

This year Mylan had his 11th birthday party at the local recreation center! It was a Parents vs. Kids Dodge ball Party! A lot of fun!

What a handsome boy! I love him so much!

Silly Shonda and Nathaniel!

Full Moon

2011-02-19T05:05:00.001-08:00

There was full moon during the day on Friday February 18th 2011. I like my other full moon pic with the black sky background better though. I toke this pic right before my batteries ran out so I didn't have time to adjust the settings to try and get the most of my pic. It's decent though.

Moon

2011-01-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

On January 20th there was a full moon!

I'm 31!! Yippee!

2011-01-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

I turned 31 on January 21st! Among my awesome cards my two favorite gifts were from Larry/Mylan and Shonda!

Shonda gave me a pair of gloves and a scarf I wanted! The gloves are perfect for photographing on chilly days! Her friend, Laura, knits and makes a lot of cool stuff. She sells her creations online as well as at one local store (so far). I will have to look up her online store and make a new post about it in the future so that you can see all of her great creations!

Larry and Mylan surprised me with a purse that I wanted! It's called a Miche Bag.

www.michebag.com

It's really a neat concept! It's a purse that you can interchange the shell of in order to achieve many different looks without having to transfer everything from one purse to the other all the time. Larry and Mylan made a great choice by making my first Miche a black one. Black is a great starting point as any woman would agree.

This is the shell and the insert side by side...

Here is the purse all put together! The insert is held in place with strong magnets.

There are mini, small and big bags. I have the big bag. Plenty of room for all my junk.
Not to mention all of Larry and Mylan's junk which often ends up in my purse too! LOL!

Goodwill

2011-01-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

I went to Goodwill today with the intention of finding some jeans. Not much luck. When I have plenty of time I love to go to Goodwill/thrift stores to dig around in all the junk to see what I can find. I do not like to be rushed so I prefer to go by myself really. This is what I found today!

These two are my fave finds! They are made of a material called burnout. It is a thin, light, soft material. You have to wear a cami or a long sleeve shirt underneath because it is slightly see through.

I found some of what I call "dress jeans" which I got for half price at $2!! I call them dress jeans because they really aren't what I consider an everyday "throw on some jeans and running shoes" and go type of jeans. They are a darker color and would look best with dress boots and that sort of thing.

I picked this shirt up for Shonda! I thought it was sort of funny since she just got engaged!
She thought so too!

I found myself this black knit shirt.

I love to scan the books at the local Goodwill because I always find something! The book on the far right has 4 novels in one!! All for $.99.

So my grand total was around $22!

Yippee!

2011 Yippee!

2011-01-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

I always love it when it's a new year! Why? Because it's a new year, a fresh start and it means another birthday which means another year older! Yippee! I love getting older! Who would want to stay the same age all their life anyways? It makes no sense. I had a little bit of a hard time with 30 at first but I got the hang of it.

2010 gave me a small gift that I would like to return....10lbs. Ick! So I am determined to get rid of it. My plan? Well I've already quit drinking Coke-a-Cola on a daily basis. I drink it once in a while but not anywhere near like I did before. It was tough to quit. I had caffeine withdrawls of course but with Larry's patience I got through it. My next step is to excersise. Ugh! I am not a morning person nor am I athletic so this is going to take some effort and disapline along with the guidance of Jillian Michaels. I am going to have to get up in the AM and do the work out otherwise it'll never get done.

Wish me luck!!

Ah...One Day...

2011-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Ah...The joys of being a home owner. Grr!

I was walking around the house today trying to get motivated to take down the Christmas decor. Yeah, yeah...I know it's January 8th 2011! Give me a break okay! So as I was walking around the house I began to dream about all the home improvements we plan to do one day. Ugh! Expensive home improvements. Nobody ever said being a home owner would be cheap. We bought a fixer-upper.

So this is what I was dreaming about (Please excuse the mess. I never did get motivated to remove the Christmas decor)...

We have two living rooms.
Yes, I said two. I have no idea why but we do.
This is the living room we use. See that wall with the spiral on it? One day we plan to remove that wall to make one big living room space. Ah, I can't wait! It'll be a ways down the road before we do that though because it'll definatly be expensive plus we have other things that are higher on our priority list that must be done first. So I suppose you're wonder what is on the other side of that wall huh?

Well here it is...the second living room.

This room is a room that we don't use. We let Mylan use it to play in. Believe me he gets plenty of use out of it! He in constantly building things and drawing things. It's the one room of the house that I could care less if he makes a mess of it. It's pretty much HIS room. For now anyways.

The only issue we'd have to address is the "header" we have in the second living room (not sure what to call that so we'll just call it a "header"). It has ventilation in it so we aren't yet sure what can be done with that. This will determine whether or not we can simply remove the wall completely or if we will have to leave that header there and make the wall an arched wall. If we have to make the wall an arched wall instead of removing it completely then we plan to match the arch to the one we have in the dinning room above the bar.

A big plus to opening the wall up would be the fireplace that we'd finally be able to use once we get it relined and cleaned!

When we open the wall we haven't yet decided whether or not we should remove this coat closet that is attached to the wall. Our neighbor across the street did it when they opened their wall up. However they made it into a sort of half wall type of thing instead. Not yet sure what we'll do. I wouldn't really miss it though if we did remove it.

Before we ever attempt to open up that wall we must first replace all the windows in the house. The windows are all the original windows. The house was build in the 70's. As soon as we moved in (5 years ago) we replaced the biggest and draftiest window in the house which was the picture window in the living room. Next on our list is the windows in Mylan's room and then all the rest. We like to use Window World for our window purchases. This is an ongoing project...a few windows at a time.

Up next would be our front doors. Not only are they slightly drafty (Larry insulated them so they aren't so bad anymore) but they are ugly and cheap. I hate them. We plan to replace them with a single front door with the long windows all around the door. Ooo! I can't wait!!

Christmas at the Office

2011-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Every year my boss asks us girls what we'd like for Christmas. He always wants a list of at least three items. He isn't a fan of giving gift cards. In the years past I've asked for a vacuum cleaner, a purse, a watch, a spa treatment... This year I asked for a Shark Steam Mop or a laundry rack for my laundry room. He was kind enough to get me both!! Some people have said that they think it's a little strange to ask for items to help with household chores but hey that's just me. I like to clean...when it's not a hassle. Those items help to make those chores less of a hassle!

This is the before picture of my laundry room...

And the after picture!

Before my awesome laundry rack I had to stand on my tiptoes in order to reach the puny little clothes rack and hang clothes off of my folding table. Not anymore!!!

*********************************

Here is my old mopping method...a Swiffer with a wet rag on the end of it that I wiped on the floor as I sprayed the floor down with a squirt bottle of water. If there was a stick spill or a scuff mark I'd have to get down and scrub it out with my hands because this method didn't scrub things out very well. Occasionally I would get down on my hands and knees to clean the floors a little more thoroughly.
But not anymore!!

We have wood flooring in our house which has always been a little difficult to clean since I can't soak them with too much water or use chemicals on them. With the Shark Steam Mop it's so much easier! Plus, the floors look and feel cleaner to me as wall as dry instantly! No more having to make sure no one steps on the wet floors til they're dry. Also, to see and hear the steam coming from the mop I feel as if the floors are being cleaned much better. There is something about hot water that makes a person feel like something is being cleaned better. Whether it's true or not doesn't matter because they feel and look cleaner to me.

If Mama is happy...Everyone is happy!!

This Mama is happy!!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

The best Christmas Star we've ever had!

Our tree!

Mylan's Christmas town...he is very into collecting stuff for his town.

My two favorite guys helps decorated the tree! They're a bunch of goofballs!

We had some visitors who wanted to deliver some gifts on Christmas Eve! Aunt Shonda and Uncle Mike (the newly engaged!)...

and Uncle Nate and Aunt Pasha (the newly married!)!

Pasha seemed to really really like the present Shonda gave her!

It was a picture frame that reads "sisters" on it and contains a photo of Pasha, Shonda and I in it.

Mylan received some very awesome gifts from his Aunts and Uncles...Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and plenty of art supplies which included his very own scotch tape! No more using up all of MY scotch tape!

Looks like Santa has arrived! Gifts have been delivered under the tree, stockings have been filled and the milk and cookies have disappeared!

Now...if only the sleeping angel would wake up.

Oh there he is! Good morning sleepy head!

Looks like our little guy is excited to see what Santa brought him!

I didn't get a lot of pictures because my camera ran out of batteries and I wasn't prepared with back up batteries. Sorry.

Larry put a lot of thought into my stocking this year! It was very sweet of him!

He got my the phone I wanted for a while now...a Motorola Flipout! It's so cute...about the size of a Klondike bar and fun to use!

My most favorite gift of all is my key necklace. Not sure why but I've always been sort of fascinated by skeleton keys. I keep thinking to myself that I'll start a collection. One day I will. I recently saw a JCPenny ad and saw some key necklaces in it that I thought were very pretty. I mentioned it to Larry but didn't he was paying any attention to me.
Little did I know that he was!
He made a great choice in which one he though I'd like!
Besides my wedding ring this is by far my most favorite piece of jewelry!
His thoughtfulness touches me!
Thanks Babe!

Basketball 2010:Larry

2010-12-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

F-Stops: Christmas Lights Field Trip

2010-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Mylan's 5th Grade Orchestra Concert

2010-12-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Basketball 2010: Mylan

2010-12-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

Mylan jumps...

Kyler jumps...

Shonda paparazzi!

2010-12-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I think I have an obsession with taking photos of my sleeping angel. I can't help but to try and capture his beautiful face in such a peaceful state. He looks like a little sleeping angel! I have tons of these kinds of pictures of Mylan sleeping through out the years. He's precious!
These were taken about a week or two ago...

Position 1

Position 2

Position 3

Poor kid was pooped out that day!

Snuggles

2010-12-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our family loves to snuggle!

Survival Water

2010-12-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Larry calls this our "survival water".
He leaves half filled and empty water bottles on his side of the bed all the time.
He cracks me up!

F-Stops Homework

2010-12-03T19:16:00.001-08:00

I recently joined a ladies photography group at my church. We call ourselves "The F-Stops"! Cute name! At the last meeting our group leader, Cathy, gave us some homework to take photo's of what we are thankful for. This is what I have so far...

Family!

My mother-in-law Sue! I got lucky when I married Larry because Sue and I get along so well! I have a blast with Sue!

That Jesus died for me and my sins!

Isn't this great picture?

I took another picture of the three crosses together..

This one is in color but I think the black and white one is much better!

There was actually a corner of a building sticking out in the background but I was able to edit it out using photoshop! I didn't do too bad if you ask me.

My favorite picture of them all!

My job! With most of the other bigger dental offices laying off so much I feel very thankful to have my job still! I've been with Dr for going on 8 years now!

My home!

My many, many photos that I have all over the house...especially those of Mylan through the years!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year it was just me, Larry, Sue and Woody (my in-laws)...

Me and my handsome hubby!

Handsome hubby relaxing.

Me and Woody.

Me and Sue.

Proverbs 28:19-20

2010-11-28T13:25:00.001-08:00

A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty. The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.

Christmas Decor Galore!!

2010-11-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law, Sue, loves to decorate for every holiday especially Christmas! She has a ton of decorations! The grandchildren love to come to her house to see the decorations! This year she decided to give me all of the decorations that she no longer wants!!! Mylan and I are sooooo excited about this! Before I became a step-mom I was never one to get much into the holiday "stuff". However, since becoming a step-mom (which is my favorite job in the entire world!) Mylan has really drawn me into the fun of the holidays! I am grateful to him for that because otherwise I would've have really been missing out!

Here are some of my favorite decorations!

I love the country bumpkin look of these!

This bear is so soft and cute with his little backpack of country bumpkin looking gifts!

These reindeer are very soft and adorable!

The frogs have always been one of Mylan's favorites to see when visiting Grandma Sue! That was so nice of her to give them to him!

Francesca Battistelli - Free To Be Me (Video)

2010-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Francesca Battistelli - Beautiful [with lyrics]

2010-11-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Chocolate and Shoes 2010

2010-11-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law won tickets to a
DUI fundraising event called
"Chocolate and Shoes" so she invited her
best friend Norma,
me and Shonda!
Here is a picture of Sue and I from the event.

Story Time!

2010-11-06T14:18:00.001-07:00

Let me take you back a few years to the year of 2001....

October of 2001 Larry asked me out! I remember that I was at my mother's house, two doors down from Larry, doing my laundry. My sister and I were doing girl things like messing around with Halloween dress up stuff. I remember I was wearing long gold eyelashes when she and I went outside in the driveway for whatever reason. Larry called me over and we chatted for a bit and then he asked me out. When I said yes he ran inside his house to get a piece of paper so that he could get my phone number. He came out with this tiny little torn off piece of paper from the edge of a phone book. I thought that was cute!

November 9th will mark the anniversary of our first date! Wow! It's hard to believe that it was 9 years ago! Time flies! Back in 2001 I was much skinnier (I blame that Larry's delish cooking!), had long hair that I always tucked under a ball cap or pulled back into a pony tail, had even less fashion sense than I do now, badly groomed eyebrows because I did them myself, a stuck cat named Sachitahira ("Cha-Chi") who would poop in my shoes when I mad her mad and an apartment furnished in patio furniture. Crack me up!! So for our first date Larry took me to Red Beans Bayou Grill and then downtown for some ice skating! We had a good time up until I got mad at him. Please allow me to explain... I didn't know if I'd have any place to keep my purse at the ice skating rink so I left my purse in his Jeep along with my precious Carmex chap stick. I am a Carmex junkie. So after awhile my lips were beginning to feel very dry and uncomfortable. I got desperate. So I did something I don't typically do. You see, I am a dental assistant so I am also aware of what is likely to be on a persons chap stick and I am also germaphobic about some things. So I sucked it up and I asked Larry if he had any chap stick I could use. I thought, "What the heck. His lips don't look gross or anything and he obviously doesn't think I'm gross or he wouldn't have asked me out. Right?" So what did Larry do...he told me no! Ugh, the nerve! I thought that the least he could do was let me use it and throw it away later. Oh well. So I skated off and left him behind. He eventually caught up though because I am a terrible ice skater. While taking me back to my apartment he apparently felt bad and offered me his chap stick. So I took it and I used it just. Then he told me I could keep it. Ugh, the nerve! So being the drama queen that I am...I threw it out the window. He didn't like that so I offered him mine. He didn't want it so I threw mine out the window too. Such a drama queen! He walked me to my door and he actually asked me out AGAIN! Wow! I was shocked after the stunt I'd pulled! So I said yes...again. Shortly after he left he showed up at my door again holding a brand new tub of Carmex for me (since I threw it out the window and all). What a guy!

So after 2 yrs and 3 months of dating he asked me to marry him on February 14th 2004...Valentines Day! I had no idea that it was coming. So to this day he likes to pick on me for not having the typical "girl reaction" of crying, screaming and jumping up and down. Hey! I was in shock! I had absolutely no idea. So for Valentines Day that year I got an engagement ring and he got a stainless steel crock pot. LOL!

August 13th 2005 we got married in Eureka Springs, AR at the beautiful Throne Crown Chapel. Now after 5 years of marriage...here we are. Mylan is now ten years old going on 16. Alisha is 19 years old. I am 30 and 15 pounds heavier but still not looking too bad if I do say so myself. Larry is 37 and skinner than he was when we started dating.

So after 9 years of being together what have I learned? I have learned that while I would have done a few things differently I don't regret a single thing. After all, our past is what makes up who we are today and I like who Larry and I are today.

I have also learned that it's easy to love someone when you haven't yet seen all of their flaws after 2 years and 3 months of dating. However, after 9 years of seeing every possible flaw their is in a person and still being able to stand strong by their side and still love them is amazing. Now that takes commitment, honesty, trust and loyalty.

I love you Larry!

Mylan's Spooky Sleepover

2010-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

My little brother's wedding...

2010-10-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Enjoy my random photo's from my little brother's wedding. I took a gazillion photos. The one thing that I really, really don't like about blogspot is that you can only download your photos one at a time. Ugh! So tiring.
So these are all my photo's in random order and without captions. There are several of them in this post that my Aunt Jenny took.
Sorry but I am just too pooped out to organize them. Call me lazy...whatever.

The New Mr. and Mrs.

2010-10-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

My little brother, Nathaniel, married his lovely bride, Pasha, on Oct 16th!!
Naturally I wasn't able to capture everything at the wedding by myself with it being so hectic and all. So the pictures below are all pics taken by my sister's Rebecca and Shonda... I will post the pics that I took soon.
In random order...

Here we are jammin!

Michael is a lucky man! Shonda caught my bouquet and Pasha's!

Me and my Dad!

Me, Larry and Mylan.

I loved my Michael hugs!

Michael, Stephen and Shonda...

Tasha and Pasha...Best Friends.

My beautiful little sister Rebecca.

Rebecca and Dad.

Michael the ring bearer...a big job!

Shonda caught the bouquet...again!

Introducing Shonda the candle lighter!

The groom Nathaniel my handsome little brother!

Me sneaking around with Rebecca between wedding stuff at the Scottish Rite!

Stephen my handsome little brother!

Stephen hugs for Shonda!

Tasha.

Having a little trouble there Nathaniel?

Oh! You found it!

Hey! That's us...Shonda, Nathaniel, Pasha and me!

My mother, me, Nathaniel, Pasha, Shonda and our Step-Dad.

Dad's little group dance with his daughters!
Shonda is tucked in there somewhere.

Adorable!

Me...goofing off as usual.

Bouquet toss!

Uh-oh...did my candle burn out??

Dad and Shonda.

Cake fight!!

The beautiful bride!

Shonda and Nathaniel dance!

Stephen is bored.

1st dance.

Carrie Underwood - Temporary Home

2010-10-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Carrie Underwood - So Small

2010-10-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

Mylan's 2010 5th Grade School Picture

2010-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mylan's school takes his school picture twice a year. So Larry and I didn't purchase this one. We plan to wait until the next picture session later in the year. This is a scan of the school picture that Becky, Mylan's mom, bought.
Isn't he so handsome!!!

Operation Snail Rescue Cont.

2010-09-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

I named all of my snails Gary because I was keeping them in a Spongebob fish tank. If you've ever watched Spongebob you'd know that his pet snail is named Gary. So I thought the name to be fitting for all seven of my snails. I decided to let them all go earlier this week because I was hoping they'd have some baby snails soon but they just weren't mating and laying any eggs. I was getting tired of looking at their dirty tank and smelling it every time I opened the lid to feed them.
They were very cute with their squishy little slimy bodies slugging around but they sure do poop a lot! Ick!
So I wish all of my Garry's a happy life in the backyard!

The Things Kids Say

2010-09-23T01:25:00.001-07:00

As you know, I am growing my hair back out from a very short pixie to a the long hair I had many, many years ago. This little journey hasn't been the most pleasant for me and has lead me to many bad hair days along the way. Gr! So lately I have been pinning my bangs back and letting the rest of my hair just hang down. In the car yesterday morning, both of us sitting in the front seat, Mylan kind of leans over towards me and ever so gently flicks the end of my hair and says, "I like your hair this way." Mylan is 10 years old. I have been surprised by how many compliments he's been giving me since growing my hair out. I look at him and say, "Well thank you buddy! That is nice to hear since this morning I was really missing my short hair!" He says, "Really?! I don't want you to cut your hair short again because I really like it long better." Then he says, "My teacher always wears two clips on both sides of her head and poofs her hair out on the sides. I don't like it because it makes her look like an alien." It is at that point that I burst out laughing!! How adorable is that?!! He smiles and I say, "Oh my god! Your teacher would just die if she knew you thought that, wouldn't she?" He laughs and says, "Yeah!"
Little does Mylan know...
He made my day!!

Mylan's Art

2010-09-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Prom Night

2010-09-13T11:13:00.001-07:00

How do you know that your had a great prom night?
Well let me tell you....
If you wake up the next morning with your body sore all over from dancing too much and a bruised toe because it got stepped on too many times while dancing barefoot, your dress gets ripped, your necklace gets ruined and you wake up the next morning with your hair and makeup almost exactly the way it was the night before because you were too tired to even bother with a shower at 2am...that's a great prom night! So you're probably asking your self why a 30 and 37 year old is going to prom?? You see, some friends of ours, Kim and Brent, both turned 40 so they had an 80's Prom themed birthday party! There was too much food, a bonfire, a keg, spiked punch, disco lights and a DJ! It was soooo much fun! I was so embarrassed in my outfit but by the time everyone got there and the fun began I totally forgot about my embarrassment. I admit that my costume wasn't the greatest but I did my best and had a blast so that's all that really matters. Another woman ended up wearing the same dress I did. I am unable to post any other pics besides the one of Larry and I because my friends have requested that I don't. I did have an album on my fb page but had to delete it due to requests from my friends that I not post their pics. So here is the hideously embarrassing pic of me and Larry....it's okay you can admit it, I have....

Personally I thought my hair looked better in person but still pretty ugly. I tried to get my bangs to stick straight up and over to the side but it didn't exactly workout in my favor. Oh well. Our friends took actual prom pics in front of a lake with a little water fall...they were going for cheesy! They plan to put borders around them and then mail them to everyone so I will most likely replace this pic with that one once I get it because I am sure it is much better then this pic.
The only good thing about this picture is that my family and friends know that I don't really look like this on a daily basis.

New Snail Home

2010-09-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

After doing a little snail research I decided that I needed to make my snail habitat a little bit better so that my snails would be happier and hopefully have some baby snails!! Although once they have babies I'll have to let them all go because there is no way I will be able to keep them all! Did you know that snails are both male and female. They still have to mate but once they do they each lay approx 85 eggs each! Yikes 85! I have 7 snails total in there! That means that I could possibly have 595 baby snails on my hands!

Isn't he cute?! He's just slimming a long!

Operation Snail Rescue

2010-09-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

While helping Larry in the backyard I found some cute little snails! I decided to keep them so I goggled how to take care of them and how to feed them. I mad them a home out of Mylan's old fish tank that we've had for years. Fish never survived in that thing so I hope my snails will.

Aren't they cute! I think they like it!

The Dental Office Adventures of Fred and Carly Bones

2010-09-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Stress

2010-08-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

“Stress is a choice. Do you buy that? Some people have a hard time with the idea. …Yes, bad things happen: The economy sours, our business struggles, the stock market tumbles, jobs are lost, people around us don’t follow through, deadlines are missed, projects fail, good people leave. Life is full of these. But still, stress is a choice because whatever the ‘trigger event,’ we always choose our own response. We choose to react angrily. We choose to stuff our emotions and keep quiet. We choose to worry. …Stress is a choice.”

-John G. Miller

Five Years

2010-08-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 13th, was our five year wedding anniversary! Larry and I have been married a total of five years and November 9th (2001 was our 1st date) Larry and I will have been together a total of nine years! Wow! Five years doesn't seem like a long time but nine years does. Nine years of getting to know someone, learning their quirks/bad habits/gross habits/annoying/funny habits/embarrassing habits, learning their temperament/likes/dislikes/loves/hates. It's pretty intense when you really think about it.

This is us in 2001. Wow! Seems so long ago! I was 21 and Larry was 27.

And...August 2005!

So for our five year anniversary Larry got me a set of golf clubs because I'd been expressing some interest is learning to play and I got him a pair of sunglasses that he'd been wanting. I've been taking golf lessons and loving it! Yesterday Larry I took the day off work to go golfing together! It was both fun and frustrating. He took me to a par 3 course and we rented a cart since it was my first time on a golf course. Larry knew I'd be kind of slow but also wanted me to have a good time so renting a cart sped it up a bit.

Naturally Larry kicked my butt! Oh but don't worry! His day will come when I am able to kick his butt at golf!

Happy Anniversary Larry!!

Why You Never Question A Drunk

2010-08-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

This story was in Larry's work news letter and I wanted to share it because I thought it was pretty funny!
Enjoy!

Why You Never Question A Drunk
I was shopping at the local supermarket where I selected:
a half gallon of 2% milk
a carton of eggs
a quart of orange juice
a head of romaine lettuce
a 2 lb can of coffee
a 1 lb package of bacon

As I was unloading my items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind me watched as I placed the items in front of the cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up the purchases, the drunk calmly stated, "You must be single." I was a bit startled by this proclamation, but I was intrigued by the derelict's intuition, since I am indeed single.

I looked at the six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about my selections that could have tipped off the drunk to my marital status.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I said: "Well, you know what, you're absolutely right. But how on earth did you know that?"
The drunk replied, "Cause you're ugly."

Golf

2010-08-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

Friday August 6th.

Today was my first golf lesson! My instructors name is Priscilla. At first I wasn't so sure that this was going to work out. My lesson was scheduled for 1pm. My instructor was late. While I was waiting I practice putting on the putting green and then at 25 mins I decided that at 30 minutes I would leave because I was getting irritated. I decided that 30 mins was long enough to wait. I waited 30 mins total. I was excited about my lesson and really looked forward to it. I was getting irritated because I didn't want my tardy instructor to leave a bad taste in my mouth about golf being that this is all new to me. She showed up just in time. Turned out that her babysitter failed to show up so she ended up having to tote her little boy with her. I saw her rushing to the pro shop where I was waiting. Her little boy is about 2 yrs old and I could see his little legs just moving as fast as they could possibly move. He reminded me of when Mylan was that age. In the end Priscilla apologized and gave me extra time to make up for her being late. However, I didn't expect her to give me so much extra time. The lesson ended up being 2 1/2 hours long. Phew! Time flew by though! I had a lot of fun! Priscilla was a lot of fun to work with! We laughed a lot and it was really great to have female instructor to learn from! She is also very patient and keeps the lesson upbeat and positive! Plus she won't let her lessons end with a bad hit. I learned how to swing with my driver and one of my irons. Oh boy does it feel good when I get a good hit! It's kind of addicting because I just wanted to keep swinging and swinging just to hear that nice "PING" noise as the ball hit off of my club. I learned that I must not stick my head down too far with my chin on my chest, that I must keep my left foot down like my feet are in cement (She called it "keeping your body quiet") and to follow through. Those are the things I struggled with most. I also learned that for female golfers that all their power is in their hips. So she told me to concentrate on my hip motion. In the end she told me that she was impressed with how well I took to everything she told me! That was nice to hear and made me feel good!
Below is a little diagram that she drew me so that I will remember what she taught me today. Great stick figure huh?!!

She also gave me homework...I have to practice swinging with a broom. Funny huh?
It's to help me sweep with my driver.

My next lesson is Monday! Woo-Hoo!

Then on Friday Larry is taking me to a Par 3 course for my first golf experience! Friday is also our 5 year anniversary!
Priscilla said, "I've got to get you ready to kick his butt!" I told her, "Hold on now, lets not get ahead of ourselves! I don't want too much pressure!" LOL!

NBC World Series

2010-08-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our last weekend of baseball season for Mylan. It was the NBC World Series tournament in Topeka. Here are all the pics that I took in no particular order.

Mylan in the hot tub at the hotel.

It's raining...It's pouring!

Tres and his creepy dolls.

Mylan hurt his shoulder. He toughed it out though.

The coaches.

Team lunch at The Blind Tiger Brewery.

Steps.

Mylan sleeping on the way to Topeka.

Rylan and her beautiful brown eyes.

Silly Jamie!

Jackson acting like a tough guy.

Shane.

Sara with her rally rag.

Waiting out the rain.

Pool chairs.

Oh my! Don't even ask!

Dalton, Mylan and Grayson.

Mylan going up to bat.

Mylan at 2nd.

Mylan leading of 1st.

Mylan at catch.

Mylan batting.

Mylan and Kyler at the hotel pool.

A player got hurt so Mylan is waiting it out.

The spectators aka Parents.

Larry.

Larry and Mylan.

Larry and Juan talking.

Jason and his SPF.

James.

Isaac at catch.

Jackson runs for 2nd.

Jackson at bat.

Isaac and Jackson.

Mylan and Larry wresting at the hotel.

The hotel pool.

Rylan hitches a ride on Dad's cooler.

Mylan at 1st.

Grayson at 3rd.

Larry.

Mylan bats.

The boys playing on the turf.

Karon and Jamie.

Me!

Juan's tan lines! LOL!

Raining.

Dugout bench.

Foliage.

My First Set of Sticks!!

2010-08-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today I got my very first set of sticks!
Lady Hagen Women's T3 Golf Set Full Graphite Shafts!
According to Larry we got a great sale price and pretty good clubs for a first timer!
I've never played an actual game of golf and I'll need lessons. I've only goofed around once in a while with Larry knocking a few balls around. Larry doesn't want to teach me himself because he said he doesn't want to teach me any bad habits and also says he'd feel better if I got instruction from someone more experienced. I am so excited! I will play for the first time on a course on August 13th...our 5 year anniversary! I told Larry that we'd have to go at a time when there won't be anyone around because I am afraid I'll embarrass myself.
Wish me luck!

A Lesson in Judging Others

2010-07-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have a patient who has been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. I've nick named him "my druggie patient" whenever I am talking about him to others because I didn't want to say what his real name was. However after speaking to him last week I don't think I will call him that anymore. Yes, it is a fact that he is a "druggie" but I realize now that it's not an appropriate nick name. In addition to his substance abuse problem he has developed some other problems as well such as mental health problems. However, I will now call him "B". Let me explain why...

Over the years that I have worked in our dental office "B" and I have butted heads a few times due to his drug and alcohol problems. He has either come in for an appointment or showed up unannounced while he was high or drunk. This is simply unacceptable...period. So I turn him away and ask him to leave. He has pushed the limit a few times. So his last few appointments he has done really well. He has showed up sober. He is trying to clean up his life. I pray for him and I really hope he does. He is so young and has a young child to think about. I wish him the best in life. I told him last week that I was proud of him and glad to see him trying so hard this time. I told him that this is the "B" that I like to see and talk too. He said, "I can tell!" I thought this was funny because he was probably not used to have an actual conversation with me since we usually just butted heads. Somehow we got on the topic of judging others. While talking to sober "B" and listening to him tell me of his time being sober vs his time being high, trying to weed out his bad influence friends, bad influence girlfriends, his job search and everything else, I could see just how smart and insightful he really is. "B" told me how he once had a house, a decent car and a job. He told me how he would drive around in his decent car and see others in a crappy car, with no job or even homeless and think to himself "that will never be me". Then "B" told me that exactly the opposite came true. He lost his house, his car, his family and himself. He became homeless. He got into a lot of trouble. He's been to jail a number of times due to his bad choices. He told me how he knows that it is all his fault. That he blames no one but himself. He told me of a teacher he knows, who is now in big trouble, that is addicted to the same things he is...heavy drugs. He told me how through his journey he's met people that he always thought were "normal" and had it all together yet they had these secret lives. Secret lives that could cause them to lose everything like he did. He told me how stupid he thinks these people are and how he wishes he knew all this before it happened to him. He said, I know how people see me. I know how people look at me. I don't blame them. I try very hard not to judge anyone anymore and yet sometimes I still find myself doing it. I guess everyone has their story.

So this conversation has stuck with me since talking with "B". I was just so struck by his words. It wasn't something I'd ever expected him to say. You see when "B" comes to our office I never know what to expect. Will he be high today? Will he be drunk? How will he behave? I won't lie..."B" makes me nervous and I don't trust him. I have every right not to trust him. His past behavior has proven that I shouldn't. When he walks into our office I instantly judge him to see if he is on anything. I have too because we can not work or someone in that condition and it puts me in an unsafe position. I look at how he is walking. I look at how he is acting and talking. I make sure he is looking me in the eye. I do this because I know the sober "B" and I know the high/drunk "B". While I am sure "B" knows what I am doing when I am doing this I have to admire his courage to endure it and to learn from it everyday. Sure, "B" has had some set backs but this is the furthest I've seen him come. I really hope that he is on a new path now. A good path.

So learn from "B" and watch your judgmental thoughts. We are always so quick to judge others. It's human nature but it's still not right.

Painting Fun

2010-07-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

This week Pasha and I helped Shonda and Michael do some painting in their bedroom. A while back we removed the old wallpaper. Then Michael and his friend Karl added a wall in their room. We've been calling it the "Friendship Wall"! Cute huh?! Here are some pics from this weeks painting.

In the Hallway Shonda did the sanding.
Michael was helping too until he began to feel ill from being in the heat all day at work.

Pasha is all ready to prime (Monday).

Here is Pasha getting started on the painting (Tuesday).

Pasha (our soon to be sister-in-law!), me and Shonda.

Group Shot!

Me, Pasha, Shonda, Michael and Karl.

Aw, isn't that sweet! It's Michael and Karl's "Friendship Wall"!

I have no idea what they were doing here.
Sometimes it's best not to ask.

I, being to goof that I am, couldn't help but to do a little goofing around so I put my hands in primer and made a little art of my own! Ha, ha! Art on Shonda's rear! Hey! You can't be serious all the time!

My Favorite Patient

2010-07-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Meet Sherman! He is my absolute favorite patient in the entire world! I love him! He is 85 years old and legally blind. He is in great shape and of great mind too. Sherman walks everywhere. He is the sweetest gentleman I've ever met! I am sure most of you have already read my post from last year about my lunch date with Sherman. If you haven't, be sure to look back and read it. It was the best lunch date I've ever had! Sherman always makes my day with his smiling face, hugs and kisses!

Angels in Disguse

2010-07-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today was just a normal Monday for me until approximately 6:40pm. Three days a week I go exercising with my sister, Shonda, and my soon to be sister-in-law, Pasha, at the local park. Sometimes Pasha's mom, Val, joins us and today was one of those days. At the local park is a small lake with lots of ducks and geese.

So we were doing our normal exercise routine. As we were walking around the lake we come across a duck that looks a bit odd. As we walk closer to it we notice that it's leg looks broken. Upon further inspection we realize that it's head is bleeding (almost like a skinned knee would looked) and underneath it's wings it looked even worse. It looked as if it had been drug on the cement and a bunch of it's feathers where plucked out. It didn't look good. At first we thought to leave it and let nature take it's course. As we started to walk away a big black duck comes over to the injured duck and start biting it's feathers off. That jerk! So I decided that I couldn't just leave it there to suffer and tell the girls. So we stand there discussing what we could do for it.

The plan: Me and Pasha were going to sit with it while Val and Shonda hurried to the car to get a cell phone and call animal control.

Before the girls could head to the car a man pulled up and I asked if he had a cell phone. No such luck. Then this lady feeding the ducks with her kids hollers that she has a cell phone. God bless her! She calls animal control. They're closed. So she calls the police station and they give her some other numbers to call. Every place she called was closed. Me being a big emotional softie begins to cry saying that we can't just leave the poor thing laying there to suffer as we walk away. In the mean time Shonda, being the wonderful nurse that she is, manages to get the duck to drink some water from the lid of her water bottle and the man with no cell phone offers up some bread which the duck eats willingly. God bless Shonda and the man with no cell phone! The woman who was on the phone trying to find anyone to help this poor duck starts to explain to us that she spoke to her mother on the phone and that her mother raises ducks on her farm in Oklahoma and has agreed to met the woman half way and get the duck to nurse it back to health. God bless the woman with the cell phone and her mother in Oklahoma!

Just as this is all going on a woman, God's special angel in disguise...a Super Hero, pulls up as if she some how knew what was going on. She climbs out of her truck ( a small rough looking elderly woman) and marches right over to us and takes one look at the duck and says, "This is a new duck! It's not from here!" We explain what has been going on. I am still sobbing quietly like a baby. The elderly woman says, "I come to this park every day to feed the ducks and I have never met this duck before. It isn't from here." She looks closer at it, presses on it's tiny skull a little bit to see if it's broken, lifts it's wing and picks it up as if holding ducks is an everyday event for her. Then she tells us, "It's not as bad as it looks. He's just been drug under a car or something. Someone must have dropped him off here after they hit him hoping he'd find help from someone. I've raised ducks for 25 years. I can splint his leg and I have ointment that will helps his missing feathers." We thanked her about a million times as she walked away. I don't even think the woman looked at our faces. It was like she only had eyes for that duck. Then she quickly walks off to her truck and puts the duck inside and leaves. God bless that woman! I felt so much better. Still being a big softie I had to cry a few tears of relief. I felt better knowing that the duck was in caring hands. That woman was a true angel!

Thank you Shonda, Pasha and Val for putting up with big ol' blubbering me while I fretted over this wild duck and trying to make me feel better! You guys are so sweet!

On my Soap Box

2010-07-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today at Walmart Larry couldn't decided what mouth wash to buy so being that I am in the dental field he turned to me for my opinion. I suggested that he just buy the Equate brand of Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash. He questioned what the difference was in the tarter control vs the regular antiseptic mouthwash. So I start to get on my soap box about my disgust with advertising companies persuading consumers and consumers buying into it. In the end, after I gave Larry a headache, he went with what I suggested. So now that you're already reading this post allow me to tell you all about my opinion. If you don't care to know then may I kindly suggest you exit my blog now.

We all know that advertisements are all geared to specific audiences. I understand that these companies have to make a profit. However, like most of the world Larry and I don't have a ton of money to just shell out buying whatever these companies toss at us through radio, tv or however else. So we cut corners by doing things like buying off brands. A friend of mine insists that off brands are not as good as the name brands so my friend only buys all name brand products. To each their own I guess.

In my opinion...

Food Products:
Not ALL off brand food products taste as good as the name brand...so Larry (I am thankful that he does all of the grocery shopping and not me.) only buys name brand in those few particular products.

Cleaning Products:
I make most of my own cleaning products, however, there are certain ones that I will not skimp on. Such as shower/tile cleaner. I prefer to buy Scrubbing Bubbles or Lysol Bathroom Cleaner. My home made product doesn't work as well as the store bought products do in cutting soap scum. Plus, every time I bought the off brand of Scrubbing Bubbles or Lysol the spray nozzle ends up giving out on me half way through the bottle. As a result, I only buy the Scrubbing Bubbles name brand anymore.

My BIGGEST pet peeve with advertising is dental products.

Mouthwash and Toothpaste:
Technically, people don't even need to use toothpaste. Toothpaste isn't what cleans our teeth. It's the act of brushing our teeth that cleans our teeth and even though you are scrubbing your teeth with a toothbrush doesn't necessarily mean that you are properly cleaning them. There is an art to teeth brushing. The only thing the toothpaste does is act as an abrasive to remove some stain and freshen your breath. So I don't see the point in spending a lot on toothpaste. I buy Aim toothpaste for $0.95. As for mouthwash, according to dental literature I have read over my 11 yrs so far as a dental assistant, I understand that Listerine is the best brand of mouthwash to use for it's antiseptic benefits. However, if you compare the active ingredients on the name brand to the off brand you will see that they are typically the same. I have also seen mouthwashes that claim to take the place of flossing. What a joke!! As far as the "whitening" and "tarter control" mouthwashes...I am not sold on those either. I do not see how a "whitening" mouthwash is going to actually "whiten" teeth within a quick 30 second to 1 minute swish and rinse. I also do not see how a "tarter control" mouthwash is going to help control tarter build up on teeth. If you want to have fairly white teeth that are free of plaque and tarter then the most important thing you need to do is brush properly at least twice a day and floss properly at least once a day. It's as simple as that people! There isn't any miracle rinses or toothpastes.

P.S. I am done now.

P.P.S. If you have made it this far into my post then I thank you for listening to me on my soap box!!

An email from Sue

2010-07-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

I received this email from my mother-in-law, Sue. I wanted to share it with you.

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.
And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting...'
Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day......like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her
words!

Maya Angelou said this :
'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things : a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life..'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'

'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...'

'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'

'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'

'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back....'

'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..'

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

Lets Blow some Stuff Up!!!

2010-07-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year again when Mylan's baseball team has the fireworks tent. If you've ever done it you know just how exhausting it is and what dirty work it can be. Larry and I usually work the night shifts because we don't like to have to deal with the heat and the general public. However, those night shifts really throw us out of whack. On Friday I worked 2pm to 8pm and then had to turn around to work the Midnight to 4am shift so I decided that there was no point in even going to bed. Phew! I'll never do that again. Larry worked the 4am to 8am shifts this weekend. It looks like Larry and I will be spending July 5th recouping from lack of sleep this weekend.

It is amazing the amount of money some people will spend on fireworks! They may as well just light several hundred dollar bills on fire! It's nuts! Being that we have a 10 yr old boy, that boys like fire and to blow things up we can't get away with not spending anything on fireworks. So we set a budget and let Mylan pick some things out. It's also nice that we get a discount from working the tent. Although I am not one to get too excited about fireworks I do enjoy fireworks when Mylan is around. It's hard not to share in his excitement! Our favorite thing to do together is to buy some firecrackers called "Little Dynamite" and blow up old pop cans or old water bottles. We fill them up with water and then light a few Little Dynamites, stick them in the bottle or can and then run before it flies into the air and explodes! This year we not only bought the Little Dynamites but we also got some bigger ones too so that we can blow up old milk jugs and laundry detergent jugs! Woo-Hoo!

Golfing Buddies

2010-07-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Larry and Mylan had their Father's Day golf outing using Larry's golf gift certificates and wearing their matching shirts that Mylan gave Larry! They had a great day and Larry said that Mylan played very well!

Aging

2010-07-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

I am 30. This week I seem to have been struggling with that. When my 30th birthday came and went I was okay with it. Another year older. Another year wiser. Right? Then slowly 30 has been creeping up on me. A few gray hairs here and there. A gigantic grey eyebrow hair (which I wasted no time and plucked that sucker right out of there!). When I look in the mirror at myself things just don't look the same anymore. Sigh. This whole growing my hair process isn't helping things either. In the last few weeks I've felt like age has just been creeping up on me and not in a good way. The other day my mother made my day! She called to see if I wanted to have lunch. I told her that I didn't feel social and that I just wanted to sit and read my book. She wasn't letting up so I finally agreed to lunch but warned her that I wasn't good company. My mother showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a book for me. Ironically the book was titled, "The Opposite of Me." We talked about aging and the changes that go along with it. How our bodies are no longer the bodies of a 20 year old. How one day you look in the mirror and think to yourself, "Who are you?" By the time lunch was over my mother had made me feel a lot better. She told me that at age 30 how my life is a lot different than her's was when she was 30. She also told me about a song she'd once heard. She said, "If you knew the exact day you'd die how would you live your life differently? Would you be fretting about being 30 and how things are changing?" The answer was no. If I knew the exact day that I would die I would not be sitting here feeling down on myself about getting older. Which got me thinking about an earlier conversation I had with Larry on the phone when he asked if I wanted to go to the Twins game with him and Mylan that night. I automatically said no. The first thoughts to my head were, "More baseball? I still have dishes to wash, floors to vacuum, laundry to do, to shower, to eat dinner, to clean the car windows, trash to take out...." These are the things that constantly rattle in my head. Welcome to my brain. So after my conversation with my mother I thought, "I should go to the game with them even though more baseball is the last thing I want to do. If Larry isn't worried that the house isn't in prefect order (our house never is) then why should I?" So I went to the game and we had fun!

So while I am still going to have some adjustments to learning this new curve ball, called age, that life is throwing at me I plan to beat it at it's own game...or at least try. I am not one who likes change. I like to plan and know what is coming before it ever arrives. However, that just isn't the way life is. So I guess I'll just have to embrace it as best I can.

Hair Progress

2010-07-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

My hair is growing....slllloooowwwwllllyyy. I am finding it very frustrating. This is my third attempt to grow my hair out. While I loved my short hair I was getting bored with it. It's been a long time since I've had long hair. I kind of miss it. I miss being able to run my fingers through it and doing different things with it. When I had short hair there wasn't anything I could do with it except the same old style all the time. So this is the progress I've made so far. I hate it right now because it has no style whatsoever. I am making progress though!

The other day I came so close the giving up but then I thought, "I can't give up now or it'd just be in vain." The least I could do is keep going and grow it out. Then if I don't like it I can cut it off again and donate it. At least then it wouldn't be in vain.

Catching Up

2010-06-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Phew!
Busy, busy!
Although the entire year is usually pretty busy for the Baker's summer is the busiest season of all for the Baker household. Our little guy keeps us hopping all year long with the many activities he is involved in. So besides being a wife, step-mother, housework, sleeping, eating, work and now working out, I have been pretty busy.
I try to keep up with my postings and keep you updated on all the happenings but sometimes other things just have a higher priority.
So...bear with me and I'll get to it eventually.

Father's Day

2010-06-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day Mylan got Larry a gift certificate to a golf course and matching father-son golf shirts. They are planning to go golfing this Friday AM for a father-son Father's day outing! Mylan is very excited!

Molly

2010-06-27T13:33:00.001-07:00

Meet Molly!

She is our friend's Kim and Brent's daughter.
We went to her t-ball game.
She plays for the Almost Angels.

My First BIG Concert!!

2010-06-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Karon's husband some how got his hands on two free Michael Buble tickets through his job. Her husband ended up having to go to France for his job and wasn't able to go to the concert with her. So she asked me!! Unfortunately she had to cancel on me at the last minute due to her mother-in-law falling ill. However she told me to use the tickets and take someone else. Larry wasn't available to go so I chose to take my sister Shonda. We had a blast!! Shonda wasn't familiar with Michael Buble so I thought it'd be fun to take her and let her see why I liked him. Michael Buble has a gorgeous voice and although he's no George Clooney he isn't bad looking either. During the concert Shonda leaned over and said, "I see why you like him!" At first I wasn't going to take my camera because I didn't want to hassle with it but Shonda convinced me to take it anyway. Once Shonda discovered that I had the continuous shutter mode on my camera she went to town and took over 400 pictures! Wow! So here are some of them...

This is a picture of the stage from where we were sitting without zooming in at all. Although there were floor seats I still thought we had pretty good seats with a straight shot of the stage.

The opening act was a band called Naturally 7. I thought they were great and very cool! They used no instruments at all. They made all the instrument sounds with their mouths! Very cool!

Then there was Michael!!

Oh yeah! He's pointing at me!
Or at least that's what I want to believe anyway so don't burst my bubble!

Ugh! After seeing that dress on me in pictures I decided that I will not wear it again. I look pregnant. I thought it was a great find ($6 on a clearance rack in Target) I have learned that not all bargains are great. However, there is good news! #1 no one at the concert knew me so if they thought I was pregnant then it doesn't matter because they don't know me from Adam! #2 it was only $6!

Photofunia is a lot of funia!

2010-06-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

photofunia.com and picjoke.com

2010-06-19T04:26:00.001-07:00

Underconstruction

2010-06-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Please bare with me.
I am attempting to change up my blog a bit but I have no idea what I am doing and it takes more time and patience than I am willing to give in one sitting.
So your patience will be appreciated.
Thank You.

Passing on the SPF Word

2010-06-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

We live and we learn right?
Well I would like to pass on to you what I have learned about sun protection this weekend.
As you know, Last weekend I got myself a pretty good sun burn. At first I just thought it was just the regular sun burn that we all get once in a while. Turned out that I ended up sun burnt worse than I've ever been. Ouch! It was ugly. So I spoke with two friends of mine that just happen to be a doctor and a nurse to see what sort of sun protection they recommended. They said that off brand sunscreens generally aren't as good as name brands. They said sunscreen is just not one of those things you can be cheap about. They also told me that the bottle should say "broad spectrum UVA-UVB" and that you should look for "Avobenzone 3%" or higher.

This is the SPF that I used all last weekend...the enemy. It's an off brand and it said on the bottle everything they said it should say yet it still didn't work. I burnt to a near crisp on my left shoulder. This is not something I intend to do again.

This is what Doc Comer told me to use...my new best friend!

My lesson learned: Suck it up and don't be cheap when it comes to sunscreen!

Fork over the dollar bills or get burnt to a crisp and raise your risk of dying of skin cancer.

Shonda LPN the Triage Nurse

2010-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to visit my little sister, Shonda, at her new job. She used to work at a nursing home. She was always so tired and drained. She worked such crazy unpredictable hours. Now she works as the Triage nurse at an Adult Day Care Center! She got a raise too! The best way to describe her job is that she is like the "school nurse". I got to see her office with her own triage center in it! I also got to see her in action and all around her new work place! It was fun to watch MY little sister in action doing what she does best! Shonda has always been such a great caregiver with a huge heart and she does such a wonderful job at it! It made me so proud of her to see people coming to her with questions and concerns about different things! Shonda plans to continue school to get her RN soon.

What the Heck is that Noise?

2010-06-12T05:43:00.001-07:00

I am a very picky hotel guest.
As soon as we walked into our hotel, The Clarion, I was NOT happy. It felt very humid, sticky and dirty. I didn't even want to walk barefoot in our room because the carpet didn't look clean to my liking. Sigh... I dealt with it though because we couldn't very well move our entire baseball team just because I wasn't happy.
The following morning, around 8 am, I wake up to a rustling sound. I sit up and it is dark in our room. Mylan is in the other bed sound asleep. Larry has gone to find breakfast for us. I grab my book light and I look around the room. I realize the rustling is coming from right next to me. On the chair next to our bed is our snack bag. I get up to turn on the lights. Mylan is still asleep. I peer into the bag and notice my bag of saltines is moving! I LOVE my saltines! I grab the phone and I call the front desk, "You need to get someone to my room RIGHT NOW!" The lady says, "Oh do you need a towel or something?" I say, "No I don't need a towel! There is some kind of creature in my bag and you need to get someone in here NOW because I am NOT touching it!" I was kind of mean but give me a break it was 8 am and I was awakened by something nasty in my bag in our nasty hotel room!! They were taking too long in my opinion so I turned over the ottoman to get to the chair (Mylan is awake now and laughing at me) where the creature is in my bag. I grab the bag to try and get it to the hallway for the employee to see. I didn't want it getting out in our room. Just as I grab the bag...a MOUSE comes barreling out of my bag and runs off!! A mouse! In our nasty hotel room! Am I surprised? No. By now the employee is knocking on our door. I am pissed! I open the door and he says ever so kindly, "How can I help you?" I stand there pissed, half awake and a little freaked out and stare at him saying, "THERE IS A FRICKIN RATATOUILLE IN OUR ROOM!" He says, "A rat-a-what?" I say, "Ratatouille! It's a cartoon movie about a rat. We have a mouse in our room!" He says, "Oh I have a 4 yr old but I haven't seen that one yet." I say, "Well if you have a 4 yr old you will eventually." I explain the situation. He says, "Should I look for it?" I say, "What for?! You'll never find it!" He says "What do you want me to do then?" I say, "I want a different room...higher up. I don't know that it makes any difference to the mice if we are in a higher up room but it'll make me feel better." So we move to the second floor. The room still sucked but I felt better. Hours later we still hadn't heard from anyone in management so I sought her out myself. In the end we got our room comped. Then in our new room the bath tub drained very very sloooooowly. Sigh. In our friends room the A/C didn't work. Later our other friends discover that the A/C compressor exploded and sprayed oil all over their vehicle. Sigh...my advice...don't stay at the Clarion in Manhattan.

June 11, 2010

2010-06-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

This picture was an accident. I caught Jackson in the corner of my picture jumping to catch a ball at 1st.

Dan shows me his muscles! Silly Dan!

Brady is so adorable! He wants to be a ball player just like big brother! He even has his own bat bag with all the necessary equipment...notice the sippy cup in the bat bag!!

Mylan Pitches!!

2010-06-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

Mylan finally got the chance to pitch for the first time! Am I just a little bit proud? Heck yeah I am! He did an awesome job!!

The Sun Hates Me

2010-06-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

While we were in Manhattan I got a pretty bad sun burn. I think the sun has it out for me. I was looking forward to getting a little sun on my Casper white skin so I prepared with my ball cap, a tank top, shorts and SPF 50. You would think SPF 50 would be sufficient especially when you are putting it on constantly through out the day. Larry likes to say that I am a "sunblock freak". I don't know if I'd go that far but I am big about sun protection only because I burn so easily anymore. So after spending all day in the sun and applying my SPF 50 I still got burnt! Good grief! What do I have to do? Wear a space suit? Sigh...oh well. I just can't seem to win. SPF 100 anyone?

This is my shoulder a week after the initial sun burn. Ick! My RN friend, Patty, says it looks like a 2nd degree burn. For those of you who don't know, she also told me, you can't get away with using the cheap name brands or off brands (which is what I used). She told me that sun protection isn't something you skimp on and to use SPF with zinc oxide in it. I never knew that. Larry keeps looking at it and grimacing. He reminded me this AM about the time I got sun poisoning and got what we call "fish head". It's really quite funny! Years back we spent the day at the lake with some friends. We had a great time boating and wake boarding! Did I get sun burnt? No! I got sun poisoning! Who has ever even heard of such a thing? Not me! My doctor told me that it was simply sun poisoning...too much sun. She suggested I should've worn a hat to cover my face. You see... my forehead swelled up really bad. I looked like some kind of alien or fish! Embarrassing and gross!

Manhattan Tournament June 2010

2010-06-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

Random pics from last weekend out of town tournament...

Coach Jason and Coach Brian

Brett protecting the base

Momma Nelson and son Brady

Mylan mid-run

Mylan asleep on the way home

Nelson paparazzi

Ruby and Rylan

Julie, Amy and Gina

Old Lady Werbin and Old Man Werbin

a.k.a

Karon and Jamie

Brady loving his Twizzlers

A willow tree by the lake

Brenda and Mark

Derrick and Mylan's mom Becky

Denise and The Syring's Gma

Jayden

Jayden slides

Kyler slides home

The only plus about the hotel we stayed at

Rylan keeps cool

Rylan in the park

Trace and Ian goofing off in the bathroom... silly boys!

Silly Ian!

Tired Jamie?

Ian lost his front teeth

Ian's apple

Fans in the stands

Coach Brian, Coach Jason and Coach Bill

Brett slides home

Our little angel sleeps

Mylan sleeping on the way to Manhattan

A Great Workout

2010-06-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to the park and had a great workout with Pasha and Shonda! Pasha is a great coach! I am sore already. Just goes to show how out of shape I was.

Taking Action

2010-06-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

Running shoes on...CHECK!

Water bottle, Ball cap and comfy clothes....CHECK!

Today after work I went to the local park (We have a very nice park by the way!) and I walked/ran for an hour! Yea for me! Then I decided to hurry back home to get my camera and came back to walk around some more and take pictures of the very friendly ducks! I'll post those pictures at another time.
All in all...I feel good. It's a start. Thursday Shonda, Pasha and I are supposed to go to the park and do a walking circuit that Pasha has made up. I'll let you know how that goes.

It's Time to Take Action!!

2010-05-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is me approximately 2 years ago, a size 6, when I bought this dress to wear for a friends wedding. I am planning to wear this dress again in a year for my mother-in-laws awards ceremony for her job. She said I have to dress up. For those of you who don't know me that well...I don't like to wear dresses much. This morning I woke up feeling like a big slob. Not a good feeling. So I decided to try the dress on today. I couldn't even zip the dress up all the way!! Yikes! This was a good thing and a bad thing. Bad because I felt even worse. Good because it has motivated me that much more.
So what size am I now?? A size 8! Not that a size 8 is anything to freak out over. However, I am not happy at a size 8. So the game is on! I know that I've gained a little weight over the years but when a woman starts to feel down on herself about it then it's time to take some action. When I met Larry I was 115lbs and I am now pushing 135lbs! Yikes! Now I know that I am probably breaking some kind of "woman's law" or something by telling you my weight but the way I see it is that if I say it out loud and to all of you who read my blog that it will drive me to work harder. I know that at some point you will see me and be able to tell if I am working at it or not. I need all the motivation I can get because I am not a fan of exercise.
So tomorrow I am starting the first day of my journey to be a size 6 again. Pasha and I are going to start working out together again. We usually run. I read somewhere that swimming is the fastest way to weight loss and that running was the second fastest way. Since I am not a swimmer I think I can handle running a few times a week.
Wish me luck!

More Wildlife

2010-05-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Meet Peter Rabbit! Isn't he adorable!
Actually we call all of the rabbits in our yard Peter.

Our Wildlife

2010-05-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

We tend to have 2-3 squirrels in our front yard at a time. I was finally able to get a picture of one without scaring it away.

If only I could get a picture of that mangy looking orange and white cat that's been living in our backyard.

Mylan at Play

2010-05-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

High School Graduation

2010-05-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Alisha graduated from high school today!
Being there brought back memories from my high school graduation ten loooong years ago.
I do not miss those days...sad to say.
To be an awkward and hormonal teenage girl again...no thanks! LOL!
I am just fine being 30 thank you very much!

Congrats Alisha!!