A Moment of Freakout

Late yesterday afternoon, as I went around the house closing blinds and windows in preparation for going out to dinner, I came into our formal dinning room and was freaked out by a dark image staring into our front window.

After the moment of panic had subsided, I realized it was just my harvest scarecrow, that had fallen in the afternoon winds and somehow became positioned as if it was peering into our house.

And then I did what every good blogger would have done... ...got my camera and took a picture! LOL.

Under $3.00...Finally!

I had to stop and get gas the other day in Orange County on the way home from Disneyland. Finally, I got to pay under $3.00 a gallon for gas...just barely though.Later that evening, as we were out and about, I noticed the price of gas had significantly dropped during the course of the day. One gas station had gone from $3.01 when I took Hannah to school, to $2.89 less than 10 hours later! Another gas station we passed had dropped .10 cents that day! When I filled up the van, I was jumping for joy 'it only' cost $55 to fill the tank!! At one point during the summer, the gas pump shut off after $90!!

Thank the Lord the prices are finally coming down. Let's hope they continue to do so!

The Rest of My Birthday...

We got home from Disneyland late afternoon and then the four of us went to dinner at BJ's. It was a nice dinner and anytime we eat out is a treat and means I don't have to cook! We ended our dinner with trying the new Double Chocolate Pizookie. It was all chocolate and was really rich, but ohhhh so yummy!And for my birthday, Steven's taking me to Hollywood in a few weeks to see Wicked!!!! I am SOOO excited to see this!! Steven and I used to see musicals more often, prior to having children, and it's been a long time since we've gone to anything in Hollywood. We have a Saturday afternoon matinee and the plan is to spend the night in Hollywood somewhere and make it a mini getaway. There is lots to see and do in Hollywood and it'll be fun to spend some time exploring. I can't wait!

My Special Day at Disneyland

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day at Disneyland. The weather was perfect. It wasn't very crowded, and we just took it easy and meandered at a relaxing pace. The only thing that would have made the day more perfect was if Steven and my Dad didn't have to work, and Hannah was out of school. But other than that, it was a great day at The Happiest Place on Earth!Of course we stopped off at City Hall for a birthday button, for me and my Mom, whose birthday is tomorrow!
I was her best birthday present 35 years ago! :)With my little Tinkerbell waiting to meet the REAL TInkerbell and some of her fairy friends. The birthday girls taking a spin on the Tea Cups.I LOVE this picture! And must have it printed!We were able to stay a little bit longer than usual for a mid week trip because Steven went and picked up Hannah from school for me. Next week are minimum days for Hannah and then she's off track for three weeks! So we'll be definitely planning some more trips...soon!

"Half Way to 70"

In our family, it's a birthday tradition for my Dad to point out what age you are half way to. And today, I am officially half way to 70. :::gasp::: Today, I am 35 years old.

I have reached that age whereas commercials for particular medications for women have specific warnings for those over 35. I have reached that age, whereas my GYN wants me to have a baseline mammogram. And I have reached that age whereas I am strangely suffering from extremely high blood pressure the last couple of days and must visit my primary doctor on Friday. Am I too young to say "it sucks getting older?". LOL.

But today, I will set all that aside, and go be goofy and have a good time at The Happiest Place on Earth with my Mom, Uncle Bart, and Rachel. I am very much looking forward to it!Picture taken last weekend at Disneyland.

Halloween School Parade

Last year, following the Halloween parade at Hannah's school, I wrote this post in regards to this picture:
While I knew these costumes stirred quite the upset amongst us moms who were standing together, I had no idea just how many others were upset about the French Maids until last month, when I was at a PTA meeting. I guess for a while it was up in the air as to whether or not the principal would allow the traditional Halloween parade this year.

Well, the parade will go on, at least for another year, and last week, a letter came home addressing the Halloween parade and it's costume "rules and regulations".

The first item on the list was stating the theme for the parade. The theme is "literary characters". Um, okay, we've never had a theme, but that's okay. I then panicked about the costume Hannah was going to wear, she was going to be a Jedi and I quickly decided if she couldn't be a Jedi, I wasn't buying her a new costume just for a 30 minute parade and she'd just not dress up. But HELLO, there are Jedi's in the Star Wars books. :::Whew::: We're covered. Made me feel even better when she told me she'd asked her teacher about being a Jedi and the teacher said is was 'okay'. But if you really get to thinking about it, almost everything can be found as a character in a book. Everything. Even French Maids.

The second and third rules, I believe are the most important. "All costumes must follow the District dress code" and "all costumes must be age appropriate (no revealing costumes)." Whoo Hooo! The dress code is being threatened. LOL.

The note ended with the warning that if students do not follow the guidelines, they will not be allowed to participate and will be asked to change immediately.

I'm thinking that since the principal went to the trouble of writing and sending out this letter, that perhaps this year, the costumes will be closely monitored. Here's hoping they won't have to ask students to sit out and that the parents were responsible with how they let their student out the door that morning. We shall see come Friday morning...

I've Been Tagged

I was originally tagged by Janeen, Reid and Ellie's mom for some online fun, but since then, have gotten tagged by other online friends, so here goes:1. I am a bit of a control freak.
2. Steven and I met in the Singles Ministry at church.
3. I actually like to grocery shop - when prepared with a list and a menu in hand.
4. I hate cleaning the shower and mopping floors.
5. One of these days I'm going to run out of gas because there are times I let my tank get so low.
6. I am a bit addicted to my online life. :X
7. Someday I want to take a photography class.

I know the rules are to tag 7 people, but I couldn't come up with 7 that haven't already been tagged as of the moment I am working on this post. So the people I choose to tag are:

Liz - Liz's World
Joy - Howse Family Happenings
Grace - A Barefoot Home
Alyssa - Jon and Alyssa

Quote for the Day

"Proposition 8 is the redefinition of the very institution that was defined in Genesis."

~~ Pastor Raul~~

Early Voting

We voted this afternoon at our local mall. We were prepared with voter guide all filled out.

We were surprised there was a long line of people, we've never had to wait in line to vote before. We asked the official voter lady if it was busy because today is the last day for early voting. And she said it's been busy like that everyday! Which is good, people are getting out to let their voices be heard! Don't forget to let your voice be heard and counted next week!

Festive Treats

Pictures of some festive treats I found today while at Disneyland. This caramel apple will be easy to duplicate, but perhaps rolling in chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips, and forgetting the jack o lantern face!I found three of my favorite things combined into one festive treat...candy corn, milk chocolate, and Mickey Mouse!! It's too bad the treat was $7.95, or else I'd have bought one!

Being Fingerprinted

I recently had to be fingerprinted. The school district has recently implemented that all parent/grandparent volunteers that wish to work in the classrooms, go on field trips, be involved in the school day on school grounds be fingerprinted. Honestly, I think it's great and it's just another way to insure the safety of our children.

I was fingerprinted years and years ago when the church required you to be fingerprinted to work in the Children's Ministry, but "back then", it was the old fashioned way of sticking each finger on to an ink pad and then placing the finger on paper for the print.

Not these days.

These days it's all done electronically. You placed your finger on this little scanning pad and it automatically scanned your print into the computer and came up on the screen. It was pretty cool...and so CSI-like. My prints will automatically be sent to the Department of Justice through the computer system and results should be back next week sometime.

Just another modern marvel of technology.

Communifaking

I heard the most interesting news story the other day on the radio. It was talking about the rising number of people who communifake.

What is communifaking you ask?? Communifaking is when you fake you are communicating with someone on the phone to avoid someone.

Well, once I heard the definition, I knew exactly what they were talking about! I've done it!! LOL. Come on, fess up, anyone else out there guilty of communifaking??

This is Your Life...

Switchfoot sings a song titled "This is Your Life". I love that song. And I loved it even more when they played it when I saw them in concert a couple weeks back.

As often as I've heard this song on the radio and on commercials, it wasn't until I heard it performed live that the lyrics really stood out to me. This is part of the chorus:

"this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be"

"This is your life, ARE YOU WHO YOU WANT TO BE????"
All my life growing up, all I wanted to do was be a wife and a stay at home mom. So yes, I am who I want to be in that sense. But there are things about me - personality wise, emotionally, physically, and even sometimes spiritually I wish were different about me.

How about you...."This is your life, IS IT EVERYTHING YOU DREAMED IT WOULD BE?"

Back in the Land of Working Internet

Our internet went down mid afternoon on Friday. Thankfully Steven had a short work day and the outage didn't interfere with his work day, however, it sure interfered with our weekend!

Long story short, the repair man left about an hour ago. New neighbors moved in across the street last week and like everyone else would do, they had cable and internet installed on Friday.

Well, the technician who installed it, disconnected ours!!!

Two houses share the same cable portal, and there wasn't enough for a third, so he just disconnected one...OURS! But all is well in our house now, and we have our internet working. Ahhhhh....

A Donut Out of This World

As good as donuts taste going down, in recent years the taste has starting sticking with me the rest of the day. LOL. So I don't really get excited about donuts anymore, that is until this last July when we went camping.

All the friends we were, with had worked it in to their menus for a trip to the donut store across the street from the campground. I hadn't planned on eating any, because after all, I don't really care for donuts...that is until I had a cream filled donut.

The cream filling inside wasn't just any filling, it was a frosting cream filling. I fell in love with the donut at first consumption! When I learned some of our other friends were going to the donut store later in the morning, I requested another. Sadly, they only make these donuts on the weekends and sell out rather quickly. So I only got one of these divine donuts in July.

When we started planning this last weekends' camping trip, I got excited about the possibility of getting another one of those special donuts. Steven and the girls walked to the donut store on Saturday morning, and brought me two donuts. I took my time over the course of the morning and savored each and every bite. Later Saturday afternoon, one of our friends told me that he had arrangements with the donut store people to come back that night just prior to closing when they would be making their fresh cream filled donuts for early Sunday morning and that they'd save him at least two, give him more if he wanted. So, he went back that evening and brought me two more donuts. Despite feeling the warmth coming through the box, I put the donuts in our tent and kept them. I ate one Sunday night, after we'd gotten home, unpacked the car, took a shower, and settled in for watching some television. That donut was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend! The other donut I ate the next night, while it was still oh so yummy, it wasn't as good as the night before.

And now, I have a favored donut that I can look forward to the next time we go camping at San Elijo!

Camping Pictures

I finally was able to put our camping pictures from this last weekend into an album to share.

I didn't take nearly the amount of pictures as I did last, but still enough for the memory books! Check out our trip, San Elijo - October 2008.

The Santa Ana Winds

Southern California has had the first bought of the Santa Ana winds in recent days. And thus, Fall is officially here.

The Santa Ana winds often cause a lot of problems - downed power lines, leaves and dirt EVERYWHERE, downed trees, and it aids to the rapid movement of fires. And personally, the winds wreck havoc on my sinuses and allergies, and often leaves me with a headache.

Our patio was a mess after this last wind storm. Leaves and dirt were everywhere - our patio, my bakers rack, and atop our patio table. Truthfully, this picture doesn't give the mess justice. LOL.However, if there's one positive thing to come out of having the Santa Ana Winds grace us with it's presence, it's the beautiful view we get as a result. The smog has been blown away leaving us clear, blue, and beautiful skies, with a perfect view of the surrounding mountains.The San Bernardino Mountains after our recent winds.

Company D

Company D is the official Cast Member store for Disneyland merchandise. You have to know a Cast Member in order to get in to the store and make a purchase. And today, I got to go to Company D!! My mom's long time friend took us and got us in as her husband is a retiree of the Disneyland Resort.

The store is in nothing but a warehouse-like building. Nothing special or appealing on the outside.But once you walk into the front doors, the place is amazing! It doesn't have a warehouse feel to it inside. It's carpeted and stuff is categorized nicely. And there was lots and lots of Disney clothes at awesome prices, and lots of other Disneyland merchandise. Everything was at 50% off, but there were some items as low at 75% off, and some things had killer prices specially marked. As a Disney Freak, I was in Disney heaven! LOL.

I did very good at not just buying stuff at the sake of getting things for a steal of a price. I thought ahead and I picked up a Christmas gift or two, a few stocking stuffers, and a shirt I've eyed at Disneyland for about a year (that retails for over $30) for only $5.00. Seasonally, there was a lot of Halloween items, including killer deals on Disney costumes, and soon the Christmas stuff will arrive and Lauren said she'd take us back again when we wanted.

Getting into Company D was a lot of fun and I did really good at containing my excitement and awe of everything inside. :) And I can't wait to go back again when new shipments arrive!

Our Camping Trip

We arrived to the campground late Friday afternoon and after determining that it'd be a tight squeeze with our tent on the site we were suppose to be on, we were invited to pitch our tent and set up camp on the site of other friends. Their site had a whole lot more room. As it is, we could have fit another tent on it, if the maximum amount of people wasn't set at 8 people. Our Friday evening was spent relaxing around the campfire and playing games. And just fellow-shipping with our friends. In most of the men's cases, like Steven, they are so busy setting up and attending to their ministry obligations that they rarely get time to talk and fellowship with others at church on Sunday. Going camping with people you enjoy being around makes for nice fellowship throughout the day and in the evenings.Saturday, the wind blew all day. Late morning, most everyone headed down to the beach. I stayed behind with a friend and we played a card game in her trailer. That was fun. Early afternoon, our friends, Keith, Amy, and their daughter Bethany, joined us for the remainder of the day. It was nice to have them come down and share in our camping experience. Saturday evening, we had the best fajita/carne asada/Mexican food buffet. There were twenty six of us for dinner and the evening of games that followed was a blast!Some of our friends were staying through Monday, some of our friends reserved their sites through Monday but leaving on Sunday. Reserving the site through Monday meant no one had to be off the site by the noon check out time and no one would be waiting for the site. Essentially they could leave as late as they wanted. We were on the site of friends who were staying through Monday, but either way, we didn't have to rush to pack up and get off the site by noon, which was nice. The extra time allowed for a few more hours spent on the beach building sand castles, or another rip roaring game of Phase 10 or Mexican Train Dominoes.We eventually packed up and loaded up the van. It was just after 5:00 before we were pulling out of the campground. Having Uncle Bart live only a mile up the street, we met him for dinner, and then headed for home. Our camping gear is orgainized enough now that we can have the car unloaded and everything back in it's place within half an hour. All that's left is the laundry and unpacking of the ice chest and unused food.

This was our fourth camping trip this year. Four times just since the first weekend in June. I really enjoy camping and it's all become so easy with how prepared we are and all we've acquired. But like Steven said, he's ready for a hotel vacation, and so am I! LOL.

My Dentist Appointment

So I broke down this morning and called the office of a potentially new dentist for me. I had no pain today and made it through all of yesterday with no Advil, etc. So I'm doing great (thanks to everyones prayers!) and it took a lot for me to call to get an appointment. I knew I had to have this checked out, for if it gets put off and put off, it'll happen again or something MAJOR would have to be fixed.

First off, the office is in an old house that has been transformed into a beautiful and nice dental office. Very nice. The office staff, as well as the assistant, were all extremely nice. Once I was put into a room, the assistant decided to do an xray. I warned her of my sensitive gag reflex. However, the xrays at this office were so much different than my "old" dentist. She put the film on this little clip wand and put it into my mouth, and the xrays automatically came up on the computer screen in front of her, and on the TV hanging above my head! How totally cool is that?!?! I could see my own xrays in a very cool way and didn't have to wait for them to develop to see if they needed another, etc.

When the dentist came in, he was nice. Thanks to an awesome website, I had seen his picture and saw that he looked nice, but once I met him, he was nice in person as well. He was very gentle and caring and did a very thorough exam of the tooth in question. He had me put my teeth together, he checked my bite and my jaw bones, and he's pretty sure my problem is a combination of a few things: 1) I clench my teeth and that hasn't been helpful to the teeth in the area 2) My bite is way off and that doesn't help things either 3) The crown I had put on 2 years ago was hitting wrong. He grinded my top teeth a bit and a spot or two on the bottom and then tested it with his marking paper over and over and over again til things looked and felt right.

And in the end, I REALLY, REALLY liked this dentist. I made a return appointment for next month to have my teeth cleaned and him recheck that tooth and I'm suppose to call if I have problems before then. But when I got to the car, I literally could have cried. I was so anxious about this tooth and seeing the dentist, and choosing a new one at that, and I was so thankful to the Lord that this appointment went well.

Now, I just need to get Steven in to see him...it's been a while since he's seen his dentist. And make appointments for the girls to see his wife, who is a pediatric dentist, and we'll all be set in the dental hygiene department!

Home.

Ahhh, We're home from our wonderful weekend camping trip to the beach. More details and pictures, of course, to follow tomorrow.

But I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who's been praying for my tooth. I definitely could feel your prayers. Friday was the worst and I made myself sick to my stomach with all the Advil I had taken. :X But Saturday, I got away with only one dose of Advil about midday and that was to keep the achyness at bay. Today, I haven't taken anything and if I touch my tooth, it's not even tender like it was the last time this happened. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow morning, I will make an appointment with a new dentist. I found one, his website is amazing and they specialize in patients with high anxiety when it comes to the dentist, and the best part....he's covered on our insurance!! But THANK YOU for your prayers, I really appreciated them!


ETA: I called the dentists office. I have an appointment today, Monday, at 1:00! Here's praying it's nothing too major, like a root canal!

The Dentist

I hate going to the dentist. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. I personally would rather visit the OB/GYN twice a year than go to the dentist twice a year and I am so not kidding.

So I have this tooth ache. It's constant. I know somethings wrong and I have to go to the dentist.

For the last twelve years, I've gone to the dentist I always saw growing up, however, he isn't covered on our insurance, so we've always paid extra for me to see him. And with my fear of 'the dentist' I was always willing to pay the extra to see someone whom I knew was gentle, wouldn't hurt me, etc. But the time has come to go to someone who is covered on our insurance. Paying the extra money just isn't a good steward of our money and a waste of our dental insurance.

The dentist on Rachel's craniofacial team had recommended someone outside of Loma Linda for the girls to see, so I called her office this morning in hopes she took adults, she doesn't. But her husband is a dentist and she highly recommends him, go figure. I didn't call and make an appointment though, I'm too scared to. LOL. Did I mention I hate the dentist??

We're suppose to leaving in a few hours to head out for the weekend camping. Please, please be praying the pain I am having goes away and it's not a constant, gnawing pain, and I can enjoy the weekend.

This Weekend...

It's a three day weekend for Hannah, Friday is an inservice day for the teachers. Three cheers for inservice days! LOL

We are taking advantage of the extra day off and are heading out camping at the beach with our church friends, most of the same friends that went when we went in July with a few more families. This time there are eight families going camping and we have four campsites, unfortunately they aren't all together, but we'll have a great time nonetheless!

Would you please be praying for my tooth. LOL. I had problems with it about a month ago, and today it started hurting again all of a sudden. Last time it hurt REALLY bad for days. I sure don't want to have to be in pain the entire weekend. Thanks!

Menu Planning and Grocery Lists

This morning, after I drop off the girls at school, I will make a trip to the our grocery store for my major grocery shopping.

The last several months I've really been trying to meal plan and then make out my grocery list accordingly.

I found these magnetic note pads that has a box for every day of the week. It is on this pad that I write out my meals for every day of the week, writing in special occasions whereas we might already have plans to go out, an event to attend, a night where a home cooked meal isn't required. I post that menu on the fridge and pretty much stick to it. Posting the weekly menu for the family to see does one of two things, they either are excited for dinner, or the complaining starts early in the day. And when I say complaining, it comes from the eight year old and younger age group in our house. LOL. It's no secret that when a list is made, and you stick to the list, you're a better steward of your grocery money. As I plan out my meals, I make a second list of ingredients I need to make each meal, and I check the cupboards and freezer to see if I might already have some of the ingredients, etc. And if one meal isn't used for one reason or another (like spontaneous trips to Jose's), that meal gets moved to the next week.

I've really been trying to not make the same thing two weeks in a row, mixing things up, trying new recipes and old favorites gone unmade for a while. When I am organized like this, I really enjoy grocery shopping and feel better prepared for dinner time!

Queen of Returns

For years, I've kinda been known as the Queen of Returns, not so much recently as return policies have changed drastically, and you need a receipt, etc. But when we got married, we got A LOT of duplicate gifts and I was GOOD at returning things, etc. I'm not afraid to take things back, attempt to, etc.

Which leads me to my story...

Last night, Steven's dad stopped by for a visit and we went to dinner at Marie Callendars. We got a pie to bring home to enjoy later in the evening. When the time, we cut into the pie and sat to watch TV, the pie tasted like onions. Ewww! The slice of pie that I was looking forward to indulging in was a huge disappointment to say the least.

Soooo, this morning I returned the rest of the uneaten pie!! Marie Callendars gave me no hassle, and let me even change the selection of pie! So tonight, I will attempt to sit and enjoy another piece of pie!

Do you return things?? What's the strangest thing you've ever returned????

"What Will You Celebrate?"

The 2009 Disney promotion was recently released, it's called What Will You Celebrate?"

The idea behind it is to get people coming to the parks in celebration of something - Triumphs, True Love, Reunions, First Visits, Birthdays, etc. The best thing is that during the year 2009, if you go to a Disney Theme park on your birthday, you can get in FREE!!!

And what's totally cool if you're an annual passholder, like we are, you don't miss out on the fun! There are three different things you can choose from if you're an annual passholder and COME ON your birthday:

*You can get a ticket to be used another day, on a day you're blocked out or for after your pass expires
*You can get a Fun Card for the amount that the one day ticket would have cost (HELLO! That's $69.00!) to be used on merchandise, etc.
* Fastpasses for your group.

I've already checked the 2009 calendar at our birthdays and let's just say that on our birthdays in 2009, we'll be making a trip to The Happiest Place on Earth if for nothing else but that Fun Card to be used on merchandise!

Breast Cancer Awareness / Prayers for Stacey

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We as women all know that we're suppose to monthly self checks, get mammograms past a certain age, etc. Breast cancer is on my mother's side with a few great aunts, and I think even a cousin or two of my moms. I had a bit of a scare a year ago, when my GYN found nodules on my lymph nodes in my arm pit, but after an ultrasound and a course of antibiotics and a consult with a surgeon, turned out it wasn't anything to be alarmed about, I'm just growing extra breast tissue, in the wrong spot. LOL. But no one in our immediate family has had breast cancer, thank you Jesus!

A few weeks ago, I shared a few prayer requests, one was for our friend Keith's sister, Stacey. She had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, her cancer is pretty involved, extending into the lymph nodes, and tomorrow, Wednesday, she will undergo a double mastectomy.

Would you please be praying for Stacey, her husband Dan, and their extended families. For the doctors to have steady hands and to get everything they need to get, for nurses, for the techs who will administer radiation and chemo in the weeks to come. And ultimately, that through this horrible diagnosis, she and Dan would grow closer to the Lord.

Breaking Ground!

Doing our part to help 'break ground'
at our church ground breaking ceremony today.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Party for Us

Tonight was a friends annual pirate party. This is the 4th year they've had it and every year it just gets better and better. If you've ridden the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, just about all the decorations and such have been inspired by the ride.

It's a fun night of food, fellowship, and lots of pictures! Years past, I've gone in a white shirt, and cut up black pants, etc. But this last week, on a trip to the Goodwill in search of something new, I found this semiformal/bridesmaid dress. I went back and forth as to whether or not I should buy it, and I am soooo glad I did! I had planned to cut the bottom and make it jagged, etc, but Amy said to leave it as is and I am so glad I did! As today went on, I came up with the idea to go as a Pirate Princess. I already had the pirate princess tattoos, a scarf, some killer earrings, and then it hit me, steal (cause that's what pirates do, right?) Hannah's tiara and decorate it with a skull, etc. I found a skull keychain and took it apart and hot glued it and coordinating colored beads to it and it looked awesome!!! I am so happy with how my costume turned out! Check out my black rose.Hannah went with us this year. Her friend, Emma, was going to be there so we let her come too and we left Rachel with my parents. Check out Hannah's blog for more pictures of her.

Sarah Palin is Coming to 'Town'

Years past, I have had absolutely no interest in the election stuff, coverage, debates, conventions, etc. I'd find something else to do, read, blog, surf about on the internet. Politics are Steven's expertise and he's very good about keeping up to speed with all thats going on in the world of politics. And I respect and honor his opinions as to who we should vote for.

But this year, it's different for me, I'm actually interested. And I think it's because a woman is in the running. I don't hold feminist ideals or any of that, I just really think it's cool that a woman, who holds the same values and morals as us is in the running. This year, I have watched the election stuff and coverage, and the Republican Convention when it was on last month. And I even have the vice presidential debates tonight set up on Tivo. I may even watch it without Steven :::Gasp!:::Although probably not cause I LOVE to hear his commentary when the 'other side' is speaking.LOL. "Good Luck Sarah! We're Rooting for you!"
Imagine my excitement when Steven said a Southern California appearance has been scheduled for Sarah Palin! However, I was bummed when he told me she was coming this Saturday. The Saturday we've been planning on attending an air show for well over eight months.

What an opportunity it would be to go and see her and hear her speak in person. And the thought has crossed our minds to skip the air show and go hear her speak, but there is no guarantee you'd even get in to the center where she'll be. So as of today, our plan is to still go to our air show, and hope that another Southern California appearance is scheduled.

Church Groundbreaking...Finally

This Sunday afternoon, following the morning services, our church will host a ground breaking ceremony on our church property. After many, many months of filing paperwork, plans, obtaining permits, resubmitting plans, etc, etc, etc. It is time to finally break ground and the people of our church couldn't be more excited!

Because we are a church that meets in a school auditorium, we set up and tear down every single Sunday. And as coordinator for the CG ministry, Steven must be there to set up the computer and screens and then return after second service to tear it all down.

It'll be a while before the church building is done. But I for one am looking forward to the day that we can go to church together as a family (going in the same car). For the last four years, we have taken two cars to church. I can count on one hand the number of times that we've gone to church in the same car. Steven and I always sit together, but as funny as it may sound, I miss going together, in the same car.

Finally Caught Up to Me

All the running and busyness I was faced with last week finally caught up with me.

Over the weekend I came down with a cold, and yesterday afternoon the cough really hit me. I had taken some cough medicine on an empty stomach and the drowsiness as an effect put me on the couch for the afternoon and all evening. Thankfully Hannah was able to do her homework on her own, having Daddy check it over, and Daddy made dinner. Today, I feel sooo much better. I am extremely sore from all the coughing I did, but I feel so much better!! Last night was the first night I'd slept good in about a week, sleep it does a body good!

Today, I'm taking it easy.

If you follow Rachel's blog, you'll have read that Aiden is having his lip and palate repaired today. Last night Joy called (Aiden's Mommy) with a few questions. I'm so thankful the Lord is using me this way to encourage her and put her mind at ease as to what's to come. I know all the emotions that Joy is experiencing. Being a Mommy who's walked in her shoes, I know things to pray for specifically. Handing your baby over to the scrub nurse and watching her walk away with your baby is one of the hardest things I've had to do thus far as a Mommy. I'm hoping I continue to feel even better as the day goes on so I can go visit Aiden and Joy this evening in the hospital, but I'm definitely playing that by ear.