The Foundation of Me

I'm An Aunt!

2006-08-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law had their 1st baby early Saturday morning! The cutest baby boy in the world, Eli Morrison Pfost, was 7 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long. Have I mentioned that he is super cute? They made it home today, here are some pictures from his first weekend...

I added more pictures to my smugmug account...so check him out at http://photopfost.smugmug.com/

Only 25 Days Left!

2006-04-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

It is getting so close to our wedding! Only 25 days to go! Wow, so many things to do! I am getting kind of nervous - no, anxious - about the day. I can't figure out if I am just a little anxious about the actualy event actually looking good and everybody having a really good time. I feel like I have spent so much time and energy working on the wedding that I hope that it results in a day that is beautiful and memorable (in a good way) and fun. People keep telling me not to stress about the details because that day will be beautiful no matter what. And, even though I know that is true I still can't help getting a little stressed about all the details.

We are having our engagement pictures taken tomorrow evening. It took a while to actually plan a day and then have it actually not be raining. So, last week we decided to try again this Wednesday and it was so worth the wait! It was almost 80 degrees today and is supposed to be even better tomorrow! We are having our pictures taken in the Village of Arroyo Grande down near the creek and swining bridge. We are also going to take some of the pictures in some overgrown alley ways. The alleyways are beautiful right now - they are over grown with flowering ivy and wildflowers. The pictures should be beautiful!

Thanks to all the rain the ceremony location should also be beautiful! Becuase of all the rain the entire backgroud of the ceremony and reception will be luxurious green vineyards and mountains. As long as it doesn't rain the weekend of the wedding it should be picture perfect.

I still have a couple of things to get done for the wedding however, and I still need to crack down and work on thank you cards. That is what I was going to do tonight but here it is already 8:30 and I haven't even started.

Getting Better

2006-03-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was really stressful! Friday night I didn't sleep very well. I laid in bed for most of the night staring at the ceiling wondering if we would find a placedo get married. Victor was great through the whole thing, reminding me that it really didn't matter where we got married. We had both given it to God and I just kept telling myself that I needed to trust in him.

On Saturday my mom suggested that we do a little shopping for things that we would need for the wedding wherever we ended up having it. After a big breakfast my mom, aunt, and me went from shop to shop checking things off the list one by one. We were getting a lot done but I still wasn't feeling it. About mid after noon I got a call from the guy in charge of the reception site (San Luis Country Club). He was just checking in to see if everything was going ok. I told him the story about the ceremony site and he said that we could totally have the ceremony there. He said that it would be outside but that if the weather was horrible and we had to he would move us inside and would make it work. The most importnat thing he said was, "Just trust me." It was all I needed to hear. I almost started crying right there in Mikasa. We went out to visit him at the Country Club and got it all lined up.

So, now the ceremony and the reception will be at the San Luis Country Club. It is actually a beautiful location and will work out so much better than the previous location. Totally stressfull but totally better. Things totally happen for a reason. Prayer helps to.

A Little Chatching Up

2006-03-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Elephant Seals along Highway 1 (2 weeks ago)

I know, I know, I haven't written in a while - here is a recap:

The new house is coming along, I have put a fresh coat of paint on the entire downstairs exterior (trim boards and siding). I planted flowers in the front planters and ivy along the back fence. We finally planted our living Christmas Tree last weekend. After the wedding we are planning on starting work on a deck.

My Grandfather had a heart attack a week ago. He was in the hospital for 5 days and is now home. My Aunt from the east coast is staying with him for a week. He is going to have gall bladder surgery in a couple of weeks. My Aunt may come back to stay with him after that.

The wedding was coming along great. I was going to print out and address the invitations this weekend. We talked to the guy from the historical society that is in charge of the ceremony location on Friday. Everything he said on the phone was contradictory to all the other conversations we have had with him. As of right now our hearts are telling us that we need to find another ceremony site (and with 2 months to go!). So, we won't be getting the invitations together this weekend. We will be calling a church on Monday. The plans may be a changing...

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Our New House

2006-01-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Yep, a total slacker. Or, I guess I have just been really busy. Christmas was great. On Christmas Eve Victor and I went to his grandma's then spent the evening with my family for a great wine and fondue dinner. Christmas morning we spent opening presents with my parents and then relaxed, ate, and opened more presents the whole day. We both had Monday off and spent the day relaxing and then headed up to his parent's house for another evening of opening gifts. Man, I got some really great stuff!!! One of the highlights was a candle holder that Victor got me from Tiffany's. I have always wanted something from Tiffany and Co. and of course it came in the beautiful tourquise bag and box. Oh man...I got so much great stuff. But, to be honest, my favorite part of Christmas was seeing the reactions on everyone else's faces as they opened the presents I gave them. I think I truly love the giving more than the getting.

Work was nice and quite the week between Christmas and New Years so I took advantage of it and got myself a little more organized. Just a little though.

New Years Eve we headed up to Vic's friend's house where we ate pizza, drank Blue Lagoons, and laughed until midnight. It rained ALLLL weekend (5.92 inches in Arroyo Grande) so I took advantage of it and we took all the Christmas decorations down, cleaned the house, and relaxed.

We were so happy that the house stood up through the storm. No leaks, nothing broke, and the fireplace kept us warm. Check out our living room area (taken from the top of the stairs).

Santa Clause is Coming!!

2005-12-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

As the days go on my posting becomes more and more intermittent. Hopefully once the wireless internet gets set up I will post more often. Hopefully. So...

Victor and I bought our first home!!! (He will be moving in after the wedding). It is located in Arroyo Grande in a great neighborhood. I absolutely love it! We already have it all decorated for Christmas. We bought a living tree this year and are planning on planting it in our backyard. I will post pictures of our house later.

Well, I am off to wrap Christmas presents and the oven just beeped (Chicken Lasagna from Trader Joes). I hope everyone is doing great and is enjoying Christmas!!

Howdy Howdy Howdy

2005-11-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while. This is what I have been doing lately...it hopefully will all be completed tomorrow!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2005-10-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Just Trust in HIM

2005-10-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger and have been neglecting my blogging duties. Of course I have many excuses:

1. I took last week off of work to study for my upcoming exam.
2. I ended up with the stomach flu and fever halfway through my designated much needed week of studying.
3. Becuase of my nausea and fever I got no studying done (but I got a lot of sleep)
4. Victor and I put in an offer on a house.
5. Victor and I house-sat for his parents last weekend.
6. Although I brought my study manuals I was still feeling nauseous and didn't get much studying done.
7. Over the weekend the sellers accepted our offer for the house.
8. After being out of work for a week I had a lot to catch up on.
9. We opened Escrow on our new house on Monday
10. The 17 day due diligence began on our house (so now we have to schedule a home inspection and review it in the next 17 days - yeah no problem!)
11. Billing came out (which means late late late nights at work)
12. Because of billing I didn't get to study this week for my test this Friday and Saturday.
13. One more day of work and then we leave for Pomona for the exam.
13. I am still tore up from the stomach flu and now I don't know if my churning stomach is from the flu, being anxious about the new house, or nerves about the upcoming exam.
14. And on top of all that last week while I was sick so many of my friends called that I haven't got a chance to call back. If you are reading this know that I am not mad at you or avoiding you or anything like that. I will call you next week after my exam. (Kate I will call you!) (Katie I know I still need to call you about this weekend - I will try, but call my cell!)

Nope - nothing much is going on here. The only thing keeping me going without going out of my mind (or wanting to curl up in the corner and start sucking my thumb) is the knowledge that He only gives us as much as we can handle. I have to put my trust in Him and know that he is in charge and already knows the outcome of my exam. All I have to do is keep putting it all in his hands and pray for strength.

209 Days to Go!!!

2005-10-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Bridal Fair at the Madonna Inn. Wow - a little overwhelming. But...I think I have picked my DJ (he penciled us in for May 13th) and I have narrowed the photographers down to two potential ones. I got some great ideas for flowers and once I have chosen the bridesmaids dresses (style and color) then I will try to think about flowers. I am trying to keep most of my vendors local (as in the 5 cities area) becuase I would love to support people in my community. It was a long day and I am exhausted!! It was fun though spending the day with my mom and a couple of my bridesmaids.

I really just want to get past my test so that I can spend time thinking about our wedding (guilt free). I know we still have so much to do, but I am totally looking forward to planning it.

More Pictures

2005-10-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

I finally finished adding all my pictures from our trip to Calgary. I also added more pictures to my "Friends and Family" album and added an album from our last trip out to the plains...

Check them out and let me know what you think...

All Female Turtle Populations?

2005-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Huh - I was surfing the internet during my lunch break today when I came across this on the Drudge Report ...

"Global warming could create all-female turtle populations: scientists
Wed Oct 05 2005 10:58:53 ET

Global warming could have devastating effects on migratory species, including the possible disappearance of male sea turtles, a study will warn on Thursday.

A research team led by the British Trust for Ornithology said climate change could disrupt migration and breeding for many animals, with dire consequences for vulnerable species like the marine turtle.

Warmer climates could result in exclusively female turtle populations because the gender of hatchlings is affected by water temperature, the study said.

In addition, a third of turtle nesting sites in the Caribbean could be destroyed by rising seas, it warned.

Whales and polar bears, as well as birds that migrate across the expanding Sahara desert, are among the other species most potentially affected.

"The report is sobering," said British biodiversity minister Jim Knight, attending a European Union nature summit in Aviemore, Scotland.

"Because they rely on such separated and often diverse habitats, migratory birds and animals seem to be especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

"They are among the first creatures to show us the effects of climate change on wildlife. Some of the problems they are experiencing now are problems we can expect to see in other animals in the decades ahead," he said.

While warmer temperature could benefit some species, it may force others to extinction, the report warned."

New Security for International Travelers

2005-10-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, now that I have been to Canada I feel like I am seeing news about Canada everywhere. I don't know if it has always been right in front of my face or if just seem to care more about it now. Either way I feel more worldly (yes, even though it is just Canada).

So, since I am now more worldly, I was intrigued when I saw a headline on Yahoo's main news page regarding more security for people traveling from Canada to the US. This all came down 2 days after I travelled home from Calgary. Check it out...

From the Air Canada Web Site (linked from Yahoo's News Story):

"Travel information for customers flying to, from, via the United States MONTRÉAL, September 28, 2005 - Commencing October 4, 2005, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security will require airlines to collect additional Advance Passenger Information (APIS) from customers travelling to, from, and via the United States.

Under the existing APIS program, passengers checking-in for flights to or from U.S. destinations or with an itinerary that includes a U.S. destination, are currently required to provide the following information in advance:
*Full Name
*Gender
*Date of Birth
*Citizenship
*Passport Number

As of October 4, 2005, airlines will be required to collect the following additional information upon check-in:
*Passport country of issuance (if passport required)
*Passport expiry date (if passport required)
*Travel Document Type
*Country of residence
*For customers travelling to the U.S., address for the first night in the U.S. (for non U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents)
*Alien registration number, where applicable

To coincide with the additional APIS requirements and to speed airport processes during this period of transition, Air Canada will be offering an aircanada.com check-in bonus of 250 Aeroplan miles to all customers using Web Check-In between October 1 and October 31 for travel to/from the U.S.. This bonus can be earned on a one-time basis by every Aeroplan member, but will not be applicable to people traveling on reward tickets.

Air Canada's popular web check-in allows customers to check-in and print boarding passes from the convenience of their home or office by simply visiting the Air Canada website. Air Canada offers this convenient service for all of its domestic flights within Canada and all flights bound for international destinations including the United States, as well as for flights from 18 cities in the United States, for travel to Canada.

All currently acceptable valid travel documents for entry into the U.S. are still acceptable. A valid passport remains the preferred document for all travel outside Canada.
Initial APIS requirements came into effect in January 2002 in accordance with the United States Aviation and Transportation Security Act, with amendments to the Canadian Aeronautics Act enabling Canadian carriers to provide basic passenger information to foreign governments where such information is required by law."

Interesting huh? I used my passport for my trip to Calgary. Victor used his birth certificate and driver's license. Yes we needed them. Yes, they checked them closely. They were checking everyone closely. Nobody was upset about the long lines or about the rigourous security. In fact, the people that I talked to while waiting in line to go through custums (even at 5:00 in the morning) were all in aggreement - we all were happy about the increased security measures. Hopefully they catch the right people.

One very interesting difference however between security in the US and in Canada - in the US they require us to take our shoes off to go through security and in Canada they do not. Huh - I wonder why...

I'm Back from Canada Eh!

2005-10-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, Canada was great. It was totally cool saying, "Yeah, I'm here on business." I felt totally important. We arrived after a long day of air travel at about 6:30 Tuesday night (we were supposed to land in Calgary at 2:00 pm). We were pretty pooped really excited to be partaking on another adventure. We stayed in The International Hotel in downtown Calgary and our suite (on the 32nd floor) overlooked the Bow River and the northern outskirts of Calgary - we had an amazing view.

Right below our balcony was a construction site. I think they were building a large condo building. The picture showed it possibly towering over the motel we were staying in, which would mean that the view we had would eventually be no more. But, it was pretty cool (for me at least) to watch the construction down below (they had lots of concrete, caissons, and a tie back retaining wall). I was also impressed to see guys working at about 10:30 one night finishing up from a concrete pour.

I had my workshop Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm and then Victor and I would spend the evening having a great dinner and then walking around the city and along the river. It was absolutely beautiful with the leaves of the Aspens changing colors. Saturday we went to the Calgary Zoo and then tht night we saw the Calgary Stampeders take on the Montreal Alouettes in a CFL game.

I took a lot of pictures. Please check them out on my Smugmug Site. I am totally ready to go back (maybe for the Stampede and then out to Banff National Park). Anybody game?

Off Again, But for Work This Time...

2005-09-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been a little busy, and frankly I haven't really had a lot to blog about. At least not a lot of stuff that would actually interest anybody. Work has been really crazy, I feel like the more stuff I get done the more is quickly pilling up on my desk. Oh well, it makes the days go by really quickly, which is good and bad. Good becuase I am looking forward to the "rainy season", holidays, and my wedding. Bad because the PE is quickly approaching and I haven't even had a second to start studying. I have finished a few reports for work this weekend also (no rest). I had to get some work done becuase I am leaving Tuesday morning for Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a workshop that I am attending for a program I use for work. Yep - my work is sending me to Canada. Just me...and Victor has decided to take the week off and go for a little holiday to Calgary with me. I am a little jelous though that he gets to spend the week exploring while I am learning a slope stability program. This is where we are staying. Its cool though... Wednesday is Victor's birthday so we will go someplace nice for dinner, and then Saturday night we are thinking of going to a CFL game. And then we will come home Sunday morning (8/2).

Victor's Ring?

2005-08-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ok - Victor picked out the ring that he wants...

I will do everything I can to get it for him...anyone want to give me one?

Check this out...

2005-08-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have set up a wedding webpage for our wedding. It is a little lacking at the moment but I will continue to add to it as the time goes on. Please check it out and sign our guestbook. To get to the webpage please click on the following link: OurWeddingWebPage

And the fun begins...

2005-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

I spent today driving around looking for reception sites. I can't decide whether it would be better to have an outdoor or indoor wedding. There are many pros and cons for both options. We are thinking of having the wedding in May so I have to worry about wether or not it will still be raining (it was this year). I think I have narrowed it down though to one outdoor location (in which we could have the ceremony and reception at the same place) and one indoor location (we would then have the ceremony at a curch). I am taking Victor to the indoor location tomorrow afternoon on the way up to a BBQ in Atascadero that we have been invited too. I hope he likes it...I think it would make a beautiful reception. AAAHHHHH I can't decide which one I like better.

After I pay bills I have to sit down tonight and figure out how much the two locations would actually cost. One includes food in the cost and the other does not so it is going to take some time to compare them. I really just want to book the location so that I have a date and place and then can start piecing everything else together. It is so difficult picking just one place though....

As I promised here is a picture of my most beautiful ring....

And here is us at Lake Tahoe the first weekend of our engagement...

Guess What!?!?

2005-08-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night Victor proposed to me!! We are engaged!!! I am so excited and happy! I am sorry that I did not post about it earlier but the next day we left for a trip up to Auburn / Lake Tahoe and didn't get back till late last night. I will post a picture of my beautiful ring as soon as I get a chance...

The County Fair

2005-08-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

This year's California Mid-State Fair is over. It was a fun one though!

Tuesday Night...

Tuesday night we went to the Toby Keith concert. We saw him a couple of years ago at the fair and he put on another great show. I had a good fair dinner of pulled pork sandwhich and an adult beverage. It was a great (and very late) (and very warm) night. Our seats were great (aside from having someone's knee in my back the entire show).

Friday night...

Friday night my mom came with us for a night of good ol'fashion shopping at the fair and a free show. We walked through the commercial buildings and were tempted with mops, licsence plate frames, and massages. A saw the new Fatbaby boots at one of the booths and decided I really wanted a pair. I figured I would be back the next night so if I still wanted them I would get a chance.

That night we saw Western Undeground. Western Underground was Chris LeDoux's band. Chris, an amazing country singer, whom I have seen at the fair for at least the last 13 years, passed away this year from liver cancer. When I heard that his band was going to perform at the fair I knew I had to be there to show how much I appreciate them. The show was great (not quite the same as it was with Chris) but great. They hired Dustin Evans to sing lead vocal for some of Chris' songs, the band (which includs Chris' son - very cute) played a few jams, and Dustin sang some of his songs. It was a really good show. We stopped at Denny's on the way home for a bannana split (isn't is amazing how good ice cream is in the middle of the night).

Saturday Night...

Rosie's Birthday. We went to the Country Rodeo, which was really good. We had pretty good seats in the bleachers. I think that even though the sun was going down it had to be at least in the lower 90's.

After the rodeo Daryll Worley performed and we all moved on down to the dirt arena for a great show. We saw Daryll last year at the Santa Maria fair and he was just as good this year.

I got my boots that night also. I love them and I can't wait to wear them to work (my old work boots were starting to hurt my feet). Next I am going to buy the pink ones.

It was five years ago that we fell in love (a free Kenny Chesney concert) and the good times are continuing. Maybe that is why I love the fair so much. There is a magic in the air. Chris LeDoux said it best...

Well there's a full moon in the western sky,
And there's magic in the air.
Ain't nothin' I know of, can make you fall in love,
Like a night at the county fair.

2005-07-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Shaver Lake was great and I have taken at lot of pictures. Some of them even turned out pretty good. I would have never imagined that the wildflowers would be out at the end of July! With all the water, the green meadows, and the flowers it seemed very much like a spring day in the mountains.

We got there late Thursday night and Friday we drove up and over Kaiser Pass and up to Mount Tom . The road up to the lookout (see the picture at the right) at the top of Mount Tom was as wide as my car and wound up the edge (and I mean the edge) of the mountain. The lookout at the top is used by the Forest Service to see fires. It was a little nerve racking and I kept thinking to myself that there better not be a vehicle trying to come down the mountain. I am not sure if I really would have been able to back down the mountain. But we made it up and down without a glitch and from the top (see picture to right) we could see the mountains of Yosemite, the wild of the John Muir Wilderness, the mountains of Kings Canyon, and snow capped Mammoth Mountain. It was beautiful!

Saturday we spent a relaxing day lounging on rafts at Hunntington Lake and then drove out through Big Creek and after stopping for some much needed ice cream sandwiches we drove over one the most beautiful and amazing forest service roads! It was about the width of my car in some places and ventured through lush forest with many creek crossings. It was amazing!

Sunday we headed out to Dinkey Creek, Courtright Reservoir, and Wishon Reservoir. We It was another beautiful day! We spend time at each place and got some more sun as we stopped at a couple of water falls and climbed up the rocks. We took a forest service road back towards Highway 168 and finished off the evening with a dip in Shaver Lake. It was a warm evening and the water felt so good after spending so much time in the hot sun.

It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back!! Make sure you check out my pictures!!!

Good Coffee?

2005-07-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of my friend's blogs and was so entertained by her train of thought that I decided to share it...

Check this out!

Talk to You Next Week

2005-07-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow after work I am going on vacation! I will be back from Shaver Lake Monday evening...until then...

Random Searches

2005-07-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

So today was interesting. One of our technicians called in sick today so I was sent out in the field to take compaction tests. Fun. Not. After testing though, I went to Frank's for lunch and saw one of my friends. Random. It was cool though becuase I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to see her before she left for Seattle. We had a good lunch and it was really good to see her and her hubby.

On another note, I was checking my "Extreme Tracker" this afternoon and noticed that between Monday and today there were three searches for things related to "he's just not that into you" - people typed in (He's just not that into you if he doesn't want to Marry you; he's just not that into you; and Greg Behrendt He's Just Not That Into You). Either people are trying to tell me something or there are at least three people out there that are currently having a rough time. Huh.

Other searches that people have looked for since Saturday May 21, 2005 and have gotten to my blog are (what the heck was number 12 searching for?):

1. kenney chesney renee married
2. kenney chesney and renee zellweger
3. pfost
4. disneyland on thursday
5. buzlightyear/disneyland
6. jamie pfost
7. iraqis killed by sadaam
8. Central Coast Home and Rec Show
9. martininafghanistan
10. schlotzkey's
11. cara gulati
12. 2B
13. lunch notes from mom
14. atascadero big bubba's
15. He's just not that into you if he doesn't want to Marry you
16. central coast quilters
17. he's just not that into you
18. quilt shop tour book
19. flikr photosite
20. Greg Behrendt He's Just Not That Into You

Muesday

2005-07-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Yep, Muesday...Victor made that up today...today really isn't Monday for us this week becuase we are taking this Friday off so when I mentioned that it felt more like Tuesday he said yep, its Muesday!!! I love it! So happy Muesday!!

Last weekend was kind of nice and relaxing. My mom and I went to Kohls in Paso on Saturday and I got great deals on a whole bag full of clothes. I even got this totally cute skirt to wear to a wedding I have to go to in August in Auburn. The skirt is this same style, but it is a really cool retro black and white floral print...and it looks awsome on me!! It was pretty warm in Paso (easily over 100 degrees) so it was nice to come back home where the fog was starting to roll in.

Sunday I hung out at home and fooled around on my computer. I finally backed up all the photographs on my computer onto disks, which cleared up a lot of room on my computer making it run faster (at least it seems to). I found some nifty web sites also...check out my lists (places and things) and let me know if you make one of your own!

Oh! And if you want a good laugh check out the new pictures I added to my Friends and Family picture site...my mom was scanning in old pictures and found some good ones of me, my cousins, and my brother from 1991...oh yeah, they are great...

So back to the Muesday thing...I am finally taking a vacation this weekend!! I am taking two whole days off!! We are going to Shaver Lake with one of our friends. Tonight we did the food shopping thing and Wednesday I will pack. And Thursday after a wonderful day of work we are heading out on the open road. My friend has never been there so I am looking forward to showing her the Sierras in the glory - on back country roads with good music and a cooler of drinks in the back. I can't wait, and of course when we get back I will post some pictures...

A Load of Fun on a Wednesday Night

2005-07-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

Last night my mom, my boyfriend, and I went to the Santa Barbara Fair (actually in Santa Maria though). It is a hokey little fair that is mainly still happening so that 4-H groups learn how to raiss chickens, goats, sheep, bunnies, cows, and the like. There is always the carnival rides, a photography exhibit (which I keep thinking that I will enter pictures in one year), a quilt show, and good fried fair food. One thing they started doing a couple of years ago is making the first day of the fair "Dollar Day". Parking is $1.00 and entrance into the fair is $1.00 - and now all the shows are free with paid admission. Last night (for $1.00) we saw Williams and Ree (affectionately called the Indian and the White Man) and BlackHawk. Williams and Ree were hilarious. I don't know if any of you have ever seen them but they can just stand up on the stage and make even the simplest conversation into a comedy routine. If you ever get a chance to see them you should definetely try - if nothing more than for a great healthy laugh. BlackHawk - yeah, a band that I remember listening to in high school with Kate. I knew every song. I remember in high school thinking that the keyboardist was soooo cute. He looked pretty good last night too (if you click on the link above to their site he is the one on the left in the black hat). During the second song though the power went out (we later found out that 1/3 of the fairgrounds lost power for a minute) and after silence fell over the audience the three lead singers came to the very front of the stage and with the most amazing harmony sang one of their hits. It was beautiful - with no musical accompanment, no flashy lights, no drum solo. I am sure that a lot of bands would have freaked out and stormed off stage when the power went out. I have to hand it to Blackhawk for being really big about it. We were impressed.

It was kind of a boring show though, I think becuase they played a "long version" of every song and eventually all the songs started to sound the same. We left during the first song of the encore. It was foggy, breezy, and already almost 11:00 pm.

Last night a friend that I have through work found out that her daughter is engaged. I now her daughter - she worked for us for a while. She is a great person and I am really happy for her. She and her fiance live in Chicago right now. Yep, I am happy for them...pretty much jealous, but happy for them. At least the other ladies in the office will stop planing my currently non-existent wedding and focus on her for a while, giving me some reprieve.

2005-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Click here for a really good post about the bombings in London...

Couging and Pictures

2005-07-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have been coughing for about three weeks now - ever since I got back from Needles. It is getting kind of old and I think I am starting to annoy my co-workers. Last weekend I also started to feel like I was getting a cold. Today I truly felt poopy for the first time since I first got this cough so I decided maybe it was time to go to the doctor. I went to Med-Stop this afternoon and the very nice doctor listened to my chest and immediately said that I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. Yeah for me. I spent the rest of my afternoon at Longs getting my four prescriptions filled. Supposedly my sinus infection should get better in a couple of days but the bronchitis could take two more weeks. I am hoping that once the sinus infection is gone then I will start feeling better - I think that is what is dragging me down today.

The sad thing is is that now I feel like I can truly say that I am sick. Having a doctor tell me that I have bronchities somehow makes it easier (am makes me feel less guilty) to take off work tomorrow after my big meeting in the morning. Why does it take a doctor to justify calling in sick? I don't get it.

On a sadder note...what in the world is going on? I can't believe what happed in London this morning. Those responsible will eventually be found and will get what is coming to them. Those responsible are sick sick sick people. If nothing else I think the terrorist just made a very dumb move. This attack just told the world that they are still there. But it also put anger back into people's hearts. It reminded us why al queda and the taliban need to be taken down - good job guys, now we will just fight harder and longer to get you. You may have attacked London - but you might has well attacked America becuase we are still coming after you. You better run...

I know there are pictures and video clips all over the news right now showing the carnage in London. But I also found a link to pictures that people walking down the streets of London at the time of the attacks have taken. Check them out...it made it more real to me...

Not Just One of Those...

2005-07-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

I was searching through other peoples blogs and I came across a rather special one. After reading his entry for today I realized that the hair on my arms was standing up. It made me think about all those emails that go round and round that tell you to live for today, to call the ones you love, to don't put things off. We have all seen them more than once. You know that ones that I am talking about.

But when it comes out of the mind of a soldier currently fighting for our country it really makes me think. It makes it real.

2005-06-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

I just found out on the internet that I am worth $1,372,370 on HumanForSale.com

Picture Update...

2005-06-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

For those that care...

I added a new photo gallery...

Sara's Cal Poly Graduation Party

and added new pictures to my Friends and Family gallery...

Trying a New Recipe

2005-06-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am trying a new recipe for dinner. It is Mexican Style Lasagna...with a layer of corn tortillas, pinto beans, salsa, a mixture of spinach cilanto scallions and salt and pepper, and then pepper jack cheese. That is repeated twice and then baked for about 1 hour in the oven. I'll let you know if it tastes as good as the picture in my magazine makes it look...

Good News From Ford

2005-06-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! Ford Motor Company is paying for my new transmission!! I just have to pay the $100.00 deductable!! What a relief! And I picked up my stylish Ford Focus rental car this afternoon as well. My warranty pays for the rental car for 10 days, but it better not take that long to put in a new tranny!! I miss my car...I hope it doesn't think that I forgot about it...

A Saturday to Catch up on Life

2005-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to make of today. We were planning on going out to the plains and hang out with friends but we found out late last night that it wasn't going to work out. Now I have a whole day with no plans. It is already 12:30 and I still can't figure out what I want to do today. I had my parents over for dinner last night (a kind of make up Father's Day dinner) so I cleaned up all of my sewing stuff. If I decide to sew today then I have to get my mess all back out again. I also should go to Walmart to get a new battery for my phone. Oh, and I should go over to my brother's house to order some Partylite candles. Oh, my life is so pittiful - this is my big problem :)

So, the reason that I had to do a make up father's day dinner is becuase last weekend Vic and I went to Needles for the big "2005 Smith Family Reunion". All of Melinda's siblings and some of Vic's cousins all congregated at his grandma's house. It was a great weekend with good people, good weather, good laughs, good food, good sun, a good pool, good fun, a beautiful view from the old homestead, and a good time just hanging out.

Toni, Melinda, Sherry, Helen (nana), Sharon, Donna, and Skip

On Saturday we all took a caravan out to Essex and then up the mountain (south of Essex) for a drive, some lunch, some sun, some scavaging, some lizard catching, some singing, some memoralizing, and some hanging out with family.

This concrete pad is where the "old homestead" was - we were in the mountains above Essex

Paul and Melinda

Me and Victor

We spent a lot of time over the weekend cruising the desert along Historic Route 66

Sunday night a few light clouds came in that made for a beautiful sunset...

Victor and his Nana

Monday morning before we left we to take more pictures...Paul even decided to take a picture of John taking our picture...

April, Nana, and Victor

The weekend was great...the only bummer was that about 1 hour from home on Highway 166 we lost all the fluid in my transmission and had to get towed home. My car is still in the shop and I will find out Monday if Ford will be paying for the repairs. I guess the shield came off of my torque converter. So far my mechanic says that I have nothing to worry about. I hope he is write. I would rather spend that $3500 on other stuf...

I have posted the rest of the pictures on my Smugmug site - click on the link to the left in the pictures section...

Very Interesting...

2005-06-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

I was just checking out my "Extreme Tracker" and noticed that somebody tried to search on Yahoo for "iraqis killed by sadaam" and my blog was one of the first five options. Very interesting...

Yes, I am Still Here...

2005-06-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, busy busy busy...

I will try and blog this weekend to catch up on life and post some pictures. Last weekend I didn't get to go to my friend's wedding (I went to Needles instead to go to Victor's family reunion). It was a blast. On the way home my car broke down and I have been without all week. I will fill you all in as soon as I can. Sorry that I haven't posted in a while...if anyone cares...

2005-06-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Us at lunch at the Olive Garden in Santa Maria

2005-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Grandma, Aunt Jill, Mom and I getting ready for the "Quilt Run"

Check them out!!!

2005-06-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the internet on my lunch break today and came across two new "blogs", actually they are on MSN My Spaces, but its all the same in the end. They are soldier's blogs...check them out...

Freedom4allofus

and

MartininAfghanistan

I Won, I Won, I Won!!!

2005-06-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, I got a phone call from the lady at the quilt store in Pismo Beach!! I won one of the complete quilt kits from the shop in Carpinteria!!! I can't believe I won!!! Yeah for me!!!

And then I was reading my friend's blog and she won something also...

Sorry I Totally Slacked Off!!!

2005-06-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all my loyal readers - I know there are a few of you out there!!

I have been so busy that I haven't got a chance to sit down and tell you all about it. I find myself thinking to myself, "Oh I should put that on my blog!" but then I remember that it would be totally out of place because it has been so long. This is what used to happen when I wrote in my diary. I would write in it all the time for a while and then skip a few weeks and then just get frustrated and put if off because it was gonna take some effort to get caught up. Well, it is time to get caught up so that I can go back to blogging...

Where do I start?

Friday through Sunday(May 20 through 22):
Victor and I drove to Needles for a nice relaxing weekend. Oh wait, I mean we drove to Needles to get some rays. Oh wait, I mean we drove to Needles Friday night after work, got to his grandma's at 12:30 in the morning and went to bed. Saturday and Sunday we just hung out and visited with Vic's family. I got to meet his Aunt from Oklahoma though. That was cool. What wasn't cool though was the weather. It was 114 degrees during the day and at night I think it got all the way down to a cool 90 degrees (if that). We drove home Sunday afternoon. All in all it was a good weekend spent with Vic's family.

Memorial Day Weekend:
Memorial weekend was pretty good. Saturday I saw Dwight Yokam in concert at the Pozo Saloon with Victor, Rose, Sara, Jared, Brady, and Elaine. It was warm, the drinks were flowing, the music was good, and so was the company. We had so much fun. We took Hi Mountain Road to get to the Saloon and then after the concert we found ourselves at Big Bad Bubba's BBQ in Atascadero for dinner. Monday afternoon we celebrated April's birthday at Paul and Melinda's. That was a fun evening with lots of chips and salsa, a few games of Skip-bo, a lot of pizza, and a home-made birthday cake. Good times, good times...

Friday through Sunday (June 3 through 5):
This was the weekend of the Quilt Run. We (me, mom, Aunt Jill, and Grandma) took Friday off of work and after a wonderful breakfast at Margie's Diner in Paso Robles we started off at the new quilt shop in Paso Robles and ended our day at the motel in Camarillo. We definetely shopped til we dropped. We met Alison for dinner at Chuy's in Ventura and then crashed. Saturday we shopped some more (along with meeting Alison for a coffee at Starbucks). Sunday morning (back home but still with more shops to visit) my mom and I met Suzannah and her mom for breakfast at The Custom House in Avila Beach. It was like a dream - no wind, not to cold, no wait for a table, and the special was strawberry pancakes. It was good to see Suzannah. We finished the shops Sunday afternoon and then relaxed.

ok, so that was the re-cap....

American Idol

2005-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

So, who will it be? I wish that all three of them (Carrie, Vonzell, and Bo) could all be the idols. There could be one for the pop crowd, one for country, and one for rock. I would buy each of those CDs.

I didn't know who would actually get kicked off tonight. I am to the point that they are all so good. I was a little shocked that it was Vonzell, but a little releaved that it wasn't Carrie (I knew that Bo was safe).

What did y'all think?

New Photo Site

2005-05-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I was using Flikr as my online photograph sharing site, but last night i maxed out the options on the free user account. So, after a little research I am now using Smugmug. I really like the options and how the pictures are displayed. And, there is no advertisment.

So, please check out my new site. You can view the pictures by thumbnails, big pictures, or as a slideshow (my favorite). Please be sure to comment on the pictures, i would love to know what you all think of them. At the bottom of each of the pictures is a comment section, and you don't have to sign up for anything to post a comment...

The link to my smugmug account is along the right column under "My Pictures"...

What a Blast...

2005-05-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Disneyland was just as I remembered! Only I think a little more fun! For my sis-in-laws birthday we all went to an LA Angels game and then to Disneyland. The game was Wednesday and then we all went to Disneyland Thursday. My mom, Vic and I decided to buy the two day park hopper tickets with the intent to visit California Adventure on Friday and then leave about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Thursday we ran around Disneyland with a group of 14, which was an adventure in itself. And then Friday it was just my mom, Vic and I. We started the day off with re-riding the fun rides, like splash mountain. And after experiencing the new Buzlightyear Ride we headed over the California Adventure! It was just as much fun also! We also got to see the Alladin musical at California Adventure. I highly highly highly recommend it!

The fun part about Disneyland this time was that they were celebrating their 50th anniversary. They called it the "Happiest Homecoming on Earth". Everything was decorated accordingly. I have posted some of the pictures on my Flikr site. Some of them are pretty good.

I get a Vacation!!!

2005-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law's birthday is tomorrow and I get to spend the rest of the week partying!!! A big group of us are heading down to Ahaheim in the morning for an LA Angels game tomorrow afternoon. We are heading to dinner tomorrow night for a birthday dinner, and then Thursday...off to Disneyland!!! I am so excited! I haven't been to Disneyland since 1997!! I can't wait. When I get back I will tell you all about our trip and hopefully share some pictures...have a great end of week...

Lucky Guy or Lucky Girl?

2005-05-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

I was listening to my local country radio station this morning when I heard that Kenney Chesney and Renee Zellweger got married yesterday in the Bahamas!!!

I'm Back!

2005-05-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm finally feeling better! Man, I hate being sick! I relaxed last weekend and got lots of sleep, and I think I may be feeling better! I am thrilled that I feel better becuase I can go to water aerobics tonight at the gym and get in a little workout.

I am a dork, but I love watching the Bachelor. I don't know if any of you watched it last night, but I am sooo glad that Sara W. didn't get a rose!! I kind of think Charlie is going to pick Sara B, but him and Krisilie seem to be good friends. What do you guys think? And then there is American Idol tonight...oh it is just all so exciting!

Next week I am going down to Aneheim for an Angels game on Wednesday afternoon and then off to Disneyland on Thursday. I can't wait!! I haven't been to Disneyland since me and a couple of friends helped chaparone a group of swis foreign exc

My mom and I made our reservations for a hotel for the first night of the quilt run in June. Oh, what fun my life is!

Bummer Week

2005-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

This week hasn't been one of my favorites. I got the stomach flu Tuesday night and am still not feeling quite right. Wednesday was horrible. I hate throwing up, and I hate diahrea. I really hate being sick. Hopefully I start feeling better soon becuase I was looking forward to this weekend. We had talked about going to the Parkfield Rodeo and then there is the branding that has been postponed for a couple of weeks now becuase of the rain. I really want to be able to have fun this weekend. I don't know if I should push it or not.

2005-04-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it was only a week ago that I was in Pomona taking my exam. It seems like so long ago. But boy, am I glad that it is over. It was so nice to finally have a weekend where I have no plans and could just do things on a whim. Saturday afternoon Vic and I went up to Salinas to visit one of my friends. She just had her first baby and I couldn't wait to see him and my friend. He was so cute and my friend is such a great mom!!!

After leaving her house we met up with my cousin for a cup of joe. He was on the way home from his first year of college and we had talked about meeting Saturday evening. I called him when I left my friends house to find out where he was and told him that as we got closer to Atascadero we would call him. Since he had no idea where exactle he was I was a little worried that he was a lot closer to our destination than we were. Vic and I get on the freeway and guess who was behind us just cruising along!?! My cousin!! We couldn't have planned it better. He followed us the additional 2 hours to Atascadero and we had a cup of coffee before he got back on the road.

Vic and I headed out to his parent's house for dinner. It was a great dinner: ham, mashed potatoes, corn, slarad, and bread...and lemon bars. Yum!! It was a great evening, nice and relaxing.

Today we headed out to Paso Robles for the Central Coast Home and Rec Show. It was interesting. We walked around and collected a whole bunch of pamphlets for ideas for my dream house. One day....

It was so nice spending the weekend just doing as we pleased. Tonight I think I am going to take a nice warm shower, put on my pj's, heat up some water for tea and watch TV. Ahhh, it sure is nice not to have to study!!

What did you do?

2005-04-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

So last night, Friday night, we went down to the dunes with our Subway sandwiches to be entertained by other people's misfortunes. It was a lot of fun. The creek was flowing pretty good and the south side of the creek crossing had a pretty good vertical bank on it, which required most people to drive through the wave zone (further into the water than I would have felt comfortable) to get to the rest of the beach. It was amazing the bravery, or stupidity, of many of the people down there. Small trucks to big huge trucks with the biggest trailers that I have ever seen where taking on the challange.

Most of the people made it through simply by watching others before them and then timing their approach with the waves. But then there were the others that hit waves going way to fast and were completely covered with salt water. When those happened this kid in a truck next to me blew into his turkey caller and a gobble rang through the air for all to hear. There was a lot of cheers from those of us sitting back and watching the action.

Then there were the people that when the waves were coming closer they would bail out of the surf zone and try and bail out over the vertical bank. Most made it fine, with a little rocking back and forth and a a little more umpf to get the back tires up and over. They too got the turkey call.

Then there was the best one. He definetely got a turkey cal...It was a red extended cab Dodge Ram with a 22 foot long travel trailer. He didn't sit and watch others before crossing, but just drove up and charged it. The timing was a little off, but not bad and if he would have kept driving through the surf he probable would have made it. But he wimped out and decided to bail over the bank a little too soon. He didn't even slow down. I saw almost 12 inches of space underneath his back drivers side tire as the truck rocked back and forth as it went over the bank, on the verge of tiping over. But what about the trailer? Oh man...When the trailer got pulled over the bank I honestly don't know how in the world that did not tip over. It was so completely close to going over. He made it up the bank and just kept speeding down the beach. I don't even think he heard the turkey call...

While we were sitting there I was thinking to myself, would this be considered, "You might be a redneck if"...you spend your Friday night down on the dunes watching people cross a creek? Probably, but it was in-expensive and we weren't the only ones that chose to spend there Friday night doing the same thing.

One drink...ok maybe two

2005-04-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

After work today I sat down with some leftover popcorn and watched the end of Oprah. Today she had Tracy Gold as a guest and they were talking about drunk driving. It was a really great show and they kept stressing how after only one drink you can be over the legal limit. Tracy said that she had been at a BBQ that day with her kids and other families and over the whole afternoon had had no more than two glasses of wine. She was way over the legal limit that evening when she got caught.

But here is what I found the most interesting:

One drink actually doesn't mean one drink. One drink is actually considered one glass of beer, or one small shot, or half a normal glass of wine. A cosmo and a margarita are considered two drinks (As Oprah said - there are at least two shots in them to make them taste good).

Wow - that means that when I go out and have two cosmos that is really four drinks!!! I don't really know how I feel about that...

Does this make me famous?

2005-04-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Every month a newsletter is issued for the San Luis Obispo branch of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). Each month a different member is highlighted. Well, guess what!? This month it was me!! It is kind of weird to see myself in the newsletter...

Read the article here and let me know what you think.

2005-04-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSING ETHAN!!!

Reading A New Book

2005-04-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

I was just noticing that my blog says that I am still reading "Fall on Your Knees". I finished that about a month ago. Sorry that I haven't changed it. Even though I am reading a ton of books for my exam, I have to relax in the evening when I get in bed. I am now reading An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler. It is a hard back book that includes the first three novels in the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini. I have finished The Quilter's Apprentice and am about half the way through Round Robin. The books are really great. The author pays attention to period detail, makes me feel the character's are my friends, and teaching a bit about quilting as well. I find myself staying up later and later just to read another chapter...

I just found the web page to link to for the title of the book I am reading. The web page also has pictures of all the quilts that are talked about and made in the books. I can even buy the patterns!! How cooll!!!

My Brain is Full

2005-04-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Man...I have had a stomach ache for the last couple of days. I can't figure out if it is becuase I am getting sick or anxious for my exam. The PE exam is in a week and a half. I can't wait for it to be over. I woke up this morning with my stomach ache as usual, and after a long conversation with my mom I decided to take the next couple of days off of work to spend my time studying. Over the last couple of months I have spend about 1 to 2 hours studying each night after a long day at work. True I have taken a couple of nights off, and a few weekends, but for the most part the exam has been in the forefront of my mind.

I do feel better knowing that I have three full days to study this week now. It is nice knowing that I don't have to spend all of my evening studying. Ahh, I can finally watch American Idol without one of the review books on my lap waiting for a commercial.

I talked to one of my friends yesterday. She and her family live in LA and have offered to come visit me in Pomona after the last part of my exam on Saturday afternoon. It has made having to take the test a little less bad becuase now I have something to look foreward to. I haven't seen her or her family in a couple of months. It will be a nice way to wind down from the last couple of months. I might need more than a dinner to wind down, but maybe the drive home from Pomona that night will help. NOT!

California Valley

2005-04-04T21:49:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday Vic and I went out to the California Valley for another branding. I think that this is the best branding season I have experienced. It is so beautiful out there. And I feel honored to be able to experience the flowers on a private ranch...see the flowers that only a few get to see...I have posted some of the pictures here on my blog, but definitely check out these pictures as well...

It was nice to take a couple of days off of studying...but tonight I was back at the grind-stone...keep your prayers coming...

2005-04-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

AAAAAHHHHHH it's now April. Only 15 days till my test. Am I ready for It? NO WAY!!!

Babysitting

2005-03-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

My parent's are in Las Vegas, again. So, I am babysitting their dog and cat at their house. The animals are so spoiled! But I love them. I love how close the dog gets when she sleeps next to me. I love how excited they get when they (yes, both the cat and the dog) greet me at the door when I get home from work.

I gave my parents thirty dollars to gamble for me. I want them to use it on two max bet pulls on a high roller five dollar maching. Go big or go home is what I told them...

My parents get home tomorrow. I wonder if they are brining me home any winnings from my thirty dollars!!!

A Rambling Blog

2005-03-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

I wish my test was over already. I am getting so tired of studying each night afterwork. After a long and stressfull day at work the last thing that I feel like doing is studying for a totally long and rediculusly difficult exam. I still need all of your prayers as I find myself having to remind myself each night that God is sitting beside me studying and he will be there for me during the exam. I keep telling myself that the date of the exam will be here and pass by very soon and that what will be will be. I still can't help getting that bad feeling in the pit of my stomach anxious feeling that I won't be ready. I hate that feeling while you take a test where you don't know how to do the problem and you can't remember where to find the information - you're brain doesn't even tell you that looking through the books you brought for the exam have the answer in them! I am worried about that becuase I have totally saturated my brain over the last two months and it doesn't seem to want to do anymore thinking on its own anymore.

I am taking my test in Pamona, CA. So, lucky me I get to take few days off work to head down to LA, stay in a motel by myself, and oh boy! get to take a test!!!

I can't wait for the exam to be over so that I can go back to my normal life. I want to have time to go to the gym. I want to be able to spend time with my boyfriend. I want to call and hang out with my friends. I miss all of those things. I really miss my friends. I hope they are not mad at me for not hanging out with them over the last couple months. Actually, to be honest, only a couple have called me!

Actually, now that I think about it...are they really my friends if they don't call me? It reminds me of last time I got a new email address. I figured that those that emailed me would be saved in my address book. Those that didn't make contact with me were removed. Is this the same thing? Maybe I am really realizing who my true friends are. Maybe they are not the ones that I see all the time but the ones that I talk to every once in a while and are always there in the end when I need to talk. Growing up my mom always told me that friends change as you grow up. I never believed it. But I think she is right. It is always interesting sitting back and wondering where the Lord is leading my life and who He is leading me too.

Those of you who have kept in contact with me during the last couple of months I truly appreciate it. You are dear in my heart and I can't wait to hang out after my test is over. Those of you who I haven't talked to...I am sorry and I hope to talk to you soon. A girl can never have too many friends.

Does anybody have any suggestions for keeping friends when it seems like you don't have enough time? I really need some advice!!! Any advice on taking tests would also help...

In Love With Death

2005-03-26T22:30:00.000-08:00

I received this article in an email this morning. It was very well writting. Tonight in church I prayed that God be with Terry and her family...

In Love With Death
The bizarre passion of the pull-the-tube people.
by Peggy Noonan
Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:01 a.m.

God made the world or he didn't.
God made you or he didn't.

If he did, your little human life is, and has been, touched by the divine. If this is true, it would be true of all humans, not only some. And so--again, if it is true--each human life is precious, of infinite value, worthy of great respect.

Most--not all, but probably most--of those who support Terri Schiavo's right to live believe the above. This explains their passion and emotionalism. They believe they are fighting for an invaluable and irreplaceable human life. They are like the mother who is famously said to have lifted the back of a small car off the ground to save a child caught under a tire. You're desperate to save a life, you're shot through with adrenaline, your strength is for half a second superhuman, you do the impossible.

That is what they are trying to do.

They do not want an innocent human life ended for what appear to be primarily practical and worldly reasons--e.g., Mrs. Schiavo's quality of life is low, her life is pointless. They say: Who is to say it is pointless? And what does pointless even mean? Maybe life itself is the point.

I do not understand the emotionalism of the pull-the-tube people. What is driving their engagement? Is it because they are compassionate, and their hearts bleed at the thought that Mrs. Schiavo suffers? But throughout this case no one has testified that she is in persistent pain, as those with terminal cancer are.
If they care so much about her pain, why are they unconcerned at the suffering caused her by the denial of food and water? And why do those who argue for Mrs. Schiavo's death employ language and imagery that is so violent and aggressive? The chairman of the Democratic National Committee calls Republicans "brain dead." Michael Schiavo, the husband, calls House Majority Leader Tom DeLay "a slithering snake."

Everyone who has written in defense of Mrs. Schiavo's right to live has received e-mail blasts full of attacks that appear to have been dictated by the unstable and typed by the unhinged. On Democratic Underground they crowed about having "kicked the sh-- out of the fascists." On Tuesday James Carville's face was swept with a sneer so convulsive you could see his gums as he damned the Republicans trying to help Mrs. Schiavo. It would have seemed demonic if he weren't a buffoon.

Why are they so committed to this woman's death?

They seem to have fallen half in love with death.

What does Terri Schiavo's life symbolize to them? What does the idea that she might continue to live suggest to them?

Why does this prospect so unnerve them? Again, if you think Terri Schiavo is a precious human gift of God, your passion is explicable. The passion of the pull-the-tube people is not.

I do not understand their certainty. I don't "know" that any degree of progress or healing is possible for Terri Schiavo; I only hope they are. We can't know, but we can "err on the side of life." How do the pro-death forces "know" there is no possibility of progress, healing, miracles? They seem to think they know. They seem to love the phrases they bandy about: "vegetative state," "brain dead," "liquefied cortex."

I do not understand why people who want to save the whales (so do I) find campaigns to save humans so much less arresting. I do not understand their lack of passion. But the save-the-whales people are somehow rarely the stop-abortion-please people.
The PETA people, who say they are committed to ending cruelty to animals, seem disinterested in the fact of late-term abortion, which is a cruel procedure performed on a human.

I do not understand why the don't-drill-in-Alaska-and-destroy-its-prime-beauty people do not join forces with the don't-end-a-life-that-holds-within-it-beauty people.

I do not understand why those who want a freeze on all death penalty cases in order to review each of them in light of DNA testing--an act of justice and compassion toward those who have been found guilty of crimes in a court of law--are uninterested in giving every last chance and every last test to a woman whom no one has ever accused of anything.

There are passionate groups of women in America who decry spousal abuse, give beaten wives shelter, insist that a woman is not a husband's chattel. This is good work. Why are they not taking part in the fight for Terri Schiavo? Again, what explains their lack of passion on this? If Mrs. Schiavo dies, it will be because her husband, and only her husband, insists she wanted to, or would want to, or said she wanted to in a hypothetical conversation long ago. A thin reed on which to base the killing of a human being.

The pull-the-tube people say, "She must hate being brain-damaged." Well, yes, she must. (This line of argument presumes she is to some degree or in some way thinking or experiencing emotions.) Who wouldn't feel extreme sadness at being extremely disabled? I'd weep every day, wouldn't you? But consider your life. Are there not facets of it, or facts of it, that make you feel extremely sad, pained, frustrated, angry? But you're still glad you're alive, aren't you? Me too. No one enjoys a deathbed. Very few want to leave.

Terri Schiavo may well die. No good will come of it. Those who are half in love with death will only become more red-fanged and ravenous.
And those who are still learning--our children--oh, what terrible lessons they're learning. What terrible stories are shaping them. They're witnessing the Schiavo drama on television and hearing it on radio. They are seeing a society--their society, their people--on the verge of famously accepting, even embracing, the idea that a damaged life is a throwaway life.

Our children have been reared in the age of abortion, and are coming of age in a time when seemingly respectable people are enthusiastic for euthanasia. It cannot be good for our children, and the world they will make, that they are given this new lesson that human life is not precious, not touched by the divine, not of infinite value.

Once you "know" that--that human life is not so special after all--then everything is possible, and none of it is good. When a society comes to believe that human life is not inherently worth living, it is a slippery slope to the gas chamber. You wind up on a low road that twists past Columbine and leads toward Auschwitz. Today that road runs through Pinellas Park, Fla.

Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag" (Wall Street Journal Books/Simon & Schuster), a collection of post-Sept. 11 columns, which you can buy from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Thursdays.

Copyright © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

I Found It...

2005-03-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

This afternoon at work I was talking with one of my friends and he mentioned that his wife's birthday was on Sunday (Easter Sunday) this year and that it is the first time it has ever fallen on Easter. This started a discussion about what governs what day Easter falls on becuase it seems to be all over the place. We asked around the office and even those that I thought would know weren't really sure. We knew it had something to do with moons or something. Well, I found it, so here is your lesson for today...

Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25. ~from this site

An Easter Joke

2005-03-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

I found this on the web and thought I would share it...

So, how many of you are in the Secret Service?

A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside The Pastor said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"

My friend replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor." ]

The Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?"

He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service. "

Good Friday

2005-03-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

On this Good Friday I share with you all The Jelly Bean Prayer...

The Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass He made,
Yellow is for the sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins that were made
White is for the grace He gave,
Purple is for the hour of sorrow,
Pink is for the new tomorrow.

Give a bag full of jelly beans,
Colorful and sweet,
Tell them it's a Prayer....
It's a promise..
It's an Easter Treat!

I found this on a great website...check it out if you care...

Dinner at Grandma's

2005-03-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love my mom's birthday!! It means we get to have the most amazing dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's!! Grandma makes Chinese Food from scratch with fried noodles and everything. Afterwards we get homemade Banana Nut Cake. My great grandma used to make the dinner, but now thankfully Grandma has taken over the duty. I love this meal....

2005-03-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Atascadero City Hall

2005-03-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

This morning I found myself looking around for work to do. That didn't last long. At about 9:30 my day went from about 5 mph to like 300 mph. I had to meet my dad out in Cayucos to look at a temporary cut slope. I was supposed to meet Victor and his co-worker back in SLO at 11:30 to carpool up to Atascadero for our monthly ASCE meeting. I left the job site in Cayucos at 11:30. Uh-oh.

I ended up having to go over Highway 41 from Morro Bay to Atascadero, which normally I love driving over becuase it is so beautiful. But this time my mind was on too many different things. I acutally don't really remember much about the drive but how everything was so green, the guy in front of my wasn't even going at least the speed limit, and my gas light was on.

I got to the lunch meeting just in time. Luckily Victor had already got to the restaurant and saved me a seat. The meeting was good. I had spagetti. After the meeting we all got to go on a hard hat tour of the highly damaged red tagged Atascadero City Hall. For those that don't know, this four story building with a basement and rotunda was beautifully built in 1914 and was severely damaged in the earthuake on December 22, 2003. The building has been closed since and is totally locked up. It is being analyzed on how to make it safer. It was a treat to be able to walk through the inside of it unrestricted and look at (and learn about) all the damage.

When we first walked through the gate and up the stairs through the front door I thought to myself this isn't very safe. Although we were wearing hard hats, it is an unreinforced masonry building and if by some very bad luck there would be an earthquake while we were in the building I don't know if we would survive. It would have been interesting if a majority of the eningeers in the county would have been taken out in the same building (one that was already posted as unsafe) in an earthquake. It would have been somebody's idea as a bad joke. I alluded to the fact that there is a reason the President of the US and the Vice President aren't in the same room at the same time.

We made it out safely with no earthquakes and I got to see a ton of damage. There is definetely a reason the building is closed...

After a realatively slow first couple of hours this morning I found myself back in Cayucos at 4:30 this afternoon again (after the meeting and the tour in Atascadero) still working. I pulled into my apartment complex at 6:30...

Blue County

2005-03-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night Blue County's concert at Hoover's in Atascadero was sold out. I really wanted to go. It was going to be a girls night out. Oh well, I got a lot of chores completed.

Yesterday April called me though. She was at the gym and Blue County was working out there too!! They were asking her questions about the gym and when she asked where they were from they were like well, we are in this band...

So cool!!!! I wish she would have tried to get me tickets for tonight's show in Santa Maria!!

2005-03-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Just a Tuesday Night

2005-03-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

I don't have a whole lot to write tonight. I am spending my Tuesday evening cleaning (ie moping floors and vacuuming). I am also finishing up 6 loads of laundry. Right now I am watching American Idol and waiting for my floors to dry so I can put all my stuff back in their rooms. Fun, huh? I wish I had got tickets for Blue County...that would have been much more fun.

I am Full!!

2005-03-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

I go out to lunch almost everyday...I know it is a waste of money. But I do go out almost everyday...

Today Greg and I went to Schlotzkey's Deli. I don't know what the big deal is. The signs all say that it is world famous. Whatever. I am totally full right now and I am reminded why I don't go there very often. I usually get the "Original Deli Meal", which should be pretty good considering the things in the sandwich. But I find that all the flavors mold together. It is just a blah sandwich. The best part of the deli is that I can sit outside and eat. And on a day like today it was perfect.

What do you think about Schlotzkey's Deli? Do you agree that it is just blah or am I wrong?

I'm Still Here

2005-03-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

For all of my loyal readers (all two of you!) I am sorry that I have been slacking lately on my blogging. I don't really know what to say. I think that I have just been so busy that I really haven't had time to blog. That and I didn't really have anything profound to say. Oh well.

I have been studying for my big test coming up in April. If I pass then I will be a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California. Wish me luck - any prayers would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to spend a couple of hours each night studying (I find that Starbuck's is my study place of choice). I would love it if the test was not only 1 month away (but if it was longer then I think I would be broke by the end of it). I decided that I don't miss school. In fact, once this test is over (and I pass) then I plan on taking no more tests (ever!!). Well, at least not for a while...

Last weekend Victor and I went out to California Valley to spend time with friends. There was supposed to be a branding but the rain the day caused it to be cancelled. We went out anyways. It was beautiful!!! All along Highway 58 and on their property everything was so lush green and the wild flowers were amazing. There was even a lot of water running through the creeks. The waterfall on our friends property was also strongly flowing. It was so beautiful. For some of the pictures of Saturday please see my flickr page (click on any of the pictures along the left portion of my blog).

I am looking forward to going back out to the California Valley this weekend for a branding. It will be on the same property and the weather report is forcasting warm temperatures. Green hill, wild flowers, water flowing in the creeks and river crossings, an getting a sun tan? I am so glad that I live in paradise. I hear that it is snowing in other parts of the United States!! :)

Friday Shopping

2005-02-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

My mom and I went shopping this evening. We went up to Ross in Paso Robles. SCORE!!! I got pants, a shirt, a new pair of sunglasses, a new jacket, and a new purse!!! I love it when Ross has new stuff!!!

Today was Claudia's (a friend I work with) last day at work. She is leaving Tuesday for Colorado with her husband. Although I wish her well, I will miss her so much. I hope that God protects her on the two day drive over.

Hopefully I will get to quilt this weekend. I want to but I have a lot of studying to do. I taking the professional civil engineer licensing test in April (tax weekend) and have so much studying to do. I am hoping to get though the first volume of the study guides. I think I will be spending a lot of time at Starbucks this weekend. Wish me luck studying. I have told myself that if I finish the first study guide then I can quilt the rest of the weekend. I can't wait to show everyone my new quilt!!!

Radiant Suns

2005-02-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

The quilt meeting tonight was great and way better than I was expecting. I discovered that an "art quilt" is just a quilt that you hang on the wall and is therefore art. I love it!! I am now an artist! :) The only bummer tonight was that I bought raffle tickets and didn't win. My number wasn't even close!!! Oh well, tonight just wasn't my night. The oreo's at break were good though!

Tonight's speaker, Cara Gulati, was great. She brought a lot of her quilts which really inspired me to make more art quilts. My mom and grandma made one of her quilts, Summer Soles (we didn't realize it until she showed it tonight). I actually think I like my mom's and grandma's better though. Here is what the Summer Soles quilt patter looks like. It is really cute:

I, however had a difficult time deciding which pattern to buy, becuase of course I had to buy one!! It figures that the one I finally decide on could also be bought with the templates, which of course makes it easier to make, so o.k. I had to buy the templates also. So, here is the pattern I bought (Radiant Suns) - maybe eventually I will make it and post it here on my blog!

I might have to contact the artist soon to order another of her patterns!!

Central Coast Quilters

2005-02-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

I belong to Central Coast Quilters. I have been a member for two years. Tonight is another meeting. Tonight we get to hear from Cara Gulati, a designer, teacher, and quilt artist. She is speaking tonight about making art quilts. It should be interesting. I mostly enjoy spending the evening with my mother and grandmother (who also both belong), but we also get to see a lot of beautiful quilts that give us so many ideas for new stuff to make.

I am looking forward to the upcoming 2005 Central Coat Quilt Shop Tour. It is a three day excursion from Paso Robles south towards Camrillo and as far east as Santa Paula where we visit all the quilt shops along the way. Each shop has special sales and we get a pattern for an individual block at each shop. At the end of the run we should have enough blocks to make a 2005 Shop Tour quilt. I still have the last two years of tour blocks to work on.

Oh, and at each shop we enter a drawing for a load (a very very very large load) of free stuff at each shop. Last year my mom won at the Quilt Attic in Arroyo Grande and my grandma won at Sophie Anns in Santa Maria. This year is my year!! :) It is a lot of fun and I can always use more fabric.

Is there anyone out there that quilts as well? Is there anybody that belongs to a quilt guild?

Cold Toes and Landslides

2005-02-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

I still love the rain. I feel like I shouldn't even say it outloud, but I still truly love the rain. Even today, when I had to work outside all afternoon and my feet are still freezing. Aside from the horrible deaths and the massive destruction of people's homes I truly enjoy reading and learning about the massive mudlides, rock slides, mud flows, and debris flows occuring right now throughout California. Maybe it is becuase I spent last week in the bay area at a conference on slope stability and landslides, or maybe it's becuase I get paid to analyze them. I just find myself in awe of the power of mother nature. It is amazing to me how quickly a mountain side can come down.

I feel honored to be able to study these landslides and the stability of slopes. I pray that I am doing everything on my jobs to help prevent these terrible disasters.

This afternoon my brother (who works with me) and I had to go out to a job site in the middle of knowwhere to look at the potential for cutting steeper slopes for a proposed driveway. After driving up to the top of a totally scketchy, narrow, and very wet (there was a rive flowing down the side) road we finally found the "correct" driveway. We let ourselves in the gate and then started making out way up the hill. It hadn't rained all day but it was coming down now. The "correct" road wasn't really a road, more like a path that had two tire marks covered in many places by surficial slope failures. Since we were on the side of the mountain we decided we better walk to find the rest of the information we needed for our analysis. An hour later we got back in the truck with completed soaked jeans (from the bottom of our jackets down). We found out that Sharpe permanent markers don't work very well when wet - they kind of soak up the water and then look like water colors when you write with them.

Oh well, I am home now. It is now not raining. My toes are still cold and the bottom of my jeans are still wet. Oh well, I got paid to explore the middle of no-where. I love my job.

Happy President's Day

2005-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhhhh! Finally a day off (besides the weekend). I think that all weekends should be three day weekends!! I would get so much more done!! Today I slept in. When I finally got up at 9:30 I made some coffee and took a shower. Afterwards I sat down at my computer to pay bills and fool around. It has been so nice!! I spent the beginning of my weekend cleaning so that I could play later on. It worked.

Saturday night I went to church with my mom. It was a great service about the important of the different races (see Genesis 11:1-9). The Pastor did a great job teaching and the worship was great. After church my mom and I met my dad and Vic at Carls Jr. for a hearty and healthful dinner!

Sunday I relaxed for a while before sitting down at my sewing machine to work on my quilt. I finished the 10 remaining 16-patch blocks. Now all I need to do is cut out the triangles that will make the whole thing a rectangle. I am planning on doing that this afternoon. It would be great if I can finish the whole thing soon considering it is supposed to be my "spring wall hanging".

Getting Caught Up with Me

2005-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I have not blogged in a while...here is what has been going on:

For Valentine's Day Victor took me to dinner at The Olive Garden in Santa Maria. They don't take reservations so we got there about 5:30 to find an hour long wait. But that was ok becuase there was a lady providing samples of wine. She was really nice and by the time our table was ready I had tried all six of the red wines. Victor had the stuffed raviolies and I had the Tour of Italy meal. Nedless to say I didn't need to have wine with dinner. It was a romantic evening.

I finished off the night packing for a conference I was going to up in the Bay Area for the rest of the week.

Tuesday right after lunch a co-worker and I headed up to Sunnyvale. We went to a three day conference about slope stability and landslides. It was an amazing course with loads of great well known speakers. There was about sixty five people at the conference and they came from all over the United States. I met a lot of great people and learned so very much. We got home late last night.

This morning Victor and I met my parents at Marie Callander's for breakfast. We sat on the balcony over looking the ocean. It was beautiful. We talked about how lucky we are to live on the Central Coast. I have spent the rest of the day cleaning my apartment and balancing my checkbook. I am trying to finish all the boring stuff today so that I can quilt and relax the rest of my three day weekend.

Well, that is what you all missed.... :P

Well, I am off to church...talk to you soon...

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

2005-02-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days have been great. Usually I am so completely busy running around that I don't get a chance for myself. Last week I made of point of changing that...I made no plans for after work and came home straight from work. I would relax a little, play on the computer, took a shower, watched TV, played on the computer, ate dinner....it was great. I definetely feel much more relaxed today. Hopefully this is the start of something...

This morning I got up and met Victor for a healthy indulgence at McDonald's - those McGriddles really are pretty good! I am a big fan of the sausage egg and cheese ones. Afterwards I had to stop by a job site to make sure all was going as it was supposed to. Then I stopped by Longs to get a card and a gift bag. I love card shopping, there are so many funny ones. I think I bought 7 seven cards today - which was justified by the fact that I got a discount on two card file boxes! Now I need to buy more cards to fill up my new box!

I am going to meet my parents at the Branch Street Deli for lunch, and then I get to go to my friend's baby shower. She is a friend that I have had forever, and I am anxious to find out who else will be at the party. I can't wait to see her and see how big her belly is getting! She sounds like she is having a pretty good pregnancy!

Wonderful Thursday

2005-02-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day. It is so amazing how completely beautiful it is here. Tuesday and today I had the opportunity to spend my entire work day outside in Grover Beach. It was beautiful! It was great to be able to enjoy our beautiful February weather as I got some rays on my face and arms (my sweatshirt was off by 9 am). I love the tired lazy evenings after spending the whole day in the sun. Tomorrow I get more of the same...and I get payed for this!!

Finished Another Book

2005-02-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner was a great book. It is written by the same author as Good in Bed, which I read a couple of months ago. The main character in Good in Bed has a very small part in In Her Shoes, which was kind of neat. I really enjoyed the book, which is about a 30 year old attorney, her 28 year old sister who doens't really have a job (just mooches off her sister and others), her father, and her stepmother. It is a humorous book about the two sisters and their trials with each other, before they learn that they are more similar than they thought. It was a really great book, I definately recommend it!!!

How Nerdy Are You?

2005-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

Please let me know how nerdy you are....I thought I was more of a nerd...

Notes From Mom...

2005-01-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Finally Friday...what a week. Not just for me, but it seems like it has been a doosy for others this week. You know who you are and I am praying for you...

Tonight I get to go to a Body Shop Facial Party at my sister-in-law's house. I don't really know what a facial party is, but it should be fun, hopefully I don't spend too much money.

I was ready a book last night (see current reading list along left column of blog) and was reminded of a childhood memory. I actually had forgot about this and I now feel bad becuase I don't know if I truly appreciated it at the time. But I do now. I brought my lunch most of the time during grade school. My mom always made it. I don't really remember what I got in my lunch box food wise (I assume it was well-balanced) but I do remember the notes. Every once in a while I would find an extra napkin, a piece of note paper, a piece of stationary, or even a small post-it note. On these things there was alway an "i love you", "happy monday", "enjoy your lunch", or something of the like written in my mom's handwritting. There was often also a cute stamp or sticker next to the words of love. I remember how happy these notes made me at the time.

So mom...I want you to know that I now appreciate all of those notes. And even though I don't know if I said it at the time, but I loved those notes. In fact the memory now makes my heart feel so warm inside and brings a lump to my throat. Thank you so much for caring so much about me (and Jeff) and doing all those little things. I pray that you know how much all those little things mattered and made me and Jeff who we are today. I pray that I can be half of the mother that you are. I love you...

My Boyfriend Tastes Like Beer!

2005-01-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

I taste like Alcohol.

Heh. Heh. I taste like beer. I like beer. Buy me a beer. I'm not drunk, I can drink plenty without... What was I saying? Beer. What Flavour Are You?

I don't know how this happened! I never drink alcohol!

What Flavor Are You?

2005-01-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

I taste like Bread.

I am a staple in almost everyone's diet. Friends like me are a complement to any other friends I get on with almost everyone, remaining mostly in the background, but providing substance when it would otherwise be lacking. What Flavour Are You?

I think bread is kind of boring, but oh well...so, what flavor are you? Let me know...

Visit my Guest Map

2005-01-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

I just added a guest map. The link to it is located just below my profile along the left side of my blog. Please visit it and post your location, I would love to find out where everyone is from! Happy blogging and thanks for visiting!!

Dr. Phil's Tip of the Day

2005-01-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

I found this online today and thought I would share it, supposedly it is from Dr. Phil today...

I want to talk to you today about relationships. But, before I talk to you about your relationship with others, I want to talk about the most important relationship you'll ever have. And that's the one that you have with yourself. You have to be your own bestfriend. You've got to be honest with yourself. You can't just give yourself some sort of massaging of your ego and tell yourself what you want to hear. You can't just put yourself down all the time if you're frustrated. Be honest with yourself. I believe in committing in relationships. I believe that you have to make sacrifices in relationships. But you must ask yourself, "What is the cost of being in this relationship?" If you ever have to stop being who you are as an individual in order to be half of a couple, you have invested too much. The rule is be a giver, be a supporter, but never invest more than you can afford to lose, becuase you can't give away what you don't have~

Inspirational

2005-01-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

I was watching television a couple of weeks ago and heard this, it has stuck with me since then and has touched me in some weird way...

"Sometimes you have to jump off the bridge and build your wings on your way down"

he's just not that into you

2005-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

So, I got this book for Christmas from a friend. My boyfriend wants to know why I received the book, and also why i was reading it. "He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo was great, it is the no-excuses truth to understanding guys. The jist of it is to stop analyzing our relationships because if he doesn't call, doesn't pay attention to you, doesn't want to date you, only wants to see you when you are drunk, if he has disapeared on you, or if he doesn't want to marry you then HE IS JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. The book was very well written and after a while I was able to see where the authors were coming from. I found myself looking for parallels, to see if my relationship with my boyfriend fit anywhere in the book. I am still not quite sure. Some of the stories were similar but I think I am just going to have hope that my boyfriend is in fact "into me", that he does want to marry me and pretend that my relationship is different.

My Book Update

2005-01-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I blogged about finishing a book. Yes, I have been reading...

After I finished Eleventh Hour I started reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (the same author as War and Peace). It is an 820 page book that was originally written in Russian in 1827 about a woman (who has beauty, social position, wealth, a husband, and a son, but feels like she is nothing). She ends up meeting another man and pursues that passion. Supposedly a lot of stuff was supposed to happen as a result of that (obviously) but I just couldn't get into it. I don't think I have ever "quit" on a book before, but after 300 pages I just didn't care anymore. The only reason I am pained to finish it is because it is self acclaimed to be "One of the world's greatest novels". I feel like a failure for not finishing it, maybe sometime in the future I will pull it back out and get really into it.

For the portion that I did read however, it really amazed me how the book has withstood generations and will probably for many years to come. The story takes place in nineteenth-century Russia but could easily be set in 2005 in the United States. Amazing.

Has anybody finished this book, or am I the only one that has "quit" on it?

This Land is My Land

2005-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Last night I was taking the trash out and I saw one of my neighbors. I mentioned to him that it was still pretty warm outside and that I was not used to it. He told me so matter-of-factly that "this is what California is supposed to be like".

That is why I love living in California (the central coast to be specific). Today we were blessed by another absolutely beautiful day. The only thing that would have made it even better is if today was Saturday so that I didn't have to work. The hills are so green and beautiful, the water is a bright blue (with 10 to 15 foot swells coming in every 18 seconds!), and the outside temperature is at least 75 degrees!! This morning I had to think for a minute about what I was going to wear, it has been a while since I have worn my warm weather clothes.

Even though I love the rain and I love snow, this weather is amazing. I think that we have to get "weather" in order to appreciate what we are continuously blessed with.

A Family Affair

2005-01-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

As Confucius once said, "To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."

For this post about family I was searching the internet for a great quote about family that said what I was wanting to say. I found this quote by Confucius which got my mind off track but the quote really touched me. I love how much high Confucius placed the family, about how much he knew that the family core affected society. I pray that the I can only live my life to the same standard...

but getting back on what I have been meaning to write about all day (although it is not even as great as Confucius)...this morning something happened that made me truly appreciate my life, my job, and my family (yes, all three at the same time). I work with my dad, my brother, and my sister-in-law's brother. Some may say you shouldn't work with family and some actually make fun of me, but I say that I am lucky. My father is one of the partners of the soils engineering firm that I work for and is so great at what he does. Engineering and math can only take you so far, it comes to a point that experience in the field has greater importance. This morning I was meeting with my dad to brainstorm on a way to deal with a construction dilema while my brother called my dad's cel phone. I don't know what they were talking about but I heard my dad say when you get that done we should meet with Jamie (me) to discuss it. That was the moment it hit me. I was so proud of both my dad, my brother, and myself. I am so proud that we are all in the same profession, we are all highly respected, and we all work so well together. Not many families can claim that. The best part is when we finish a report and my dad, my brother, and I all sign the final copy...it makes me so proud.

Not to say that my mom isn't great too, she just uses her job to help us all at the end of the day. She is a preschool teacher and the way she has learned to talk with and mediate preschool children actually helps my dad, me, and my brother anytime we need it. It is amazing how we can complain to her and she can tell us some simple way to deal with it, some simple way to talk to someone, or how to make it not seem like the biggest thing in the world. It helps so much...

Sometimes I feel like I have the greatest family. I can only hope that the size of our family in our hearts comes across in our lifes, making a greater impact on the world. We all have to do our own part to make this world a better place. What a better place to start...

Oh Well, I Guess I Will Do It Tomorrow

2005-01-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

So when I left work today I brought home a project with the crazy idea that I would work on it this evening. That way I wouldn't be totally stressed tomorrow at work and I might actually make my Friday at noon deadline. So I got home, took off my shoes, had a quick snack, turned on the radio (becuase the television would be too distracting) and sat down at my computer. That is where everything went downhill...i checked my email, checked the CHP incident log, checked the drudge report, checked the upcoming weather (just in case the weather report had changed since I had last checked before I left the office 30 minutes earlier), checked to see if there were any comments on my blog, checked my friend's blog, checked my blog again, surfed more blogs (it seems like I can surf blogs forever without ever coming across the same one).......and didn't even think about work once. Then my dad called to invite me to dinner (clam chowder bread bowls in Pismo Beach so since I wasn't doing anything important, and obviously hadn't had dinner yet I told them I would meet them there. So, I got home tonight at 9 with a full stomach (except now I think I am going to get a bowl of Cheetos) and sat back down at my computer. No new email, the weather report is the same, my friend had a new post on her blog, and there were no new comments on my blog, and then I checked and there was a possible fatality listed on the CHP incident page though along SR46 at Branch Mountain Road (I know people in that area and am now worried).

Oh well, I guess tomorrow will just be a busier day...time for those Cheetos...

Mini Poll Results

2005-01-11T23:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in my Christmas Mini Poll (all 21 of you). I hope to have a new poll soon so keep checking. Here are the final results of the Christmas Poll.

Spending time with your loved ones 43%
Giving to others 24%
Eating all the good cookies and candy 14%
The smell of the Christmas Tree 14%
Getting lots of presents 5%
I don't like Christmas 0%

Looks like most people love spenind time with their loved ones the best. I was really glad that nobody said that they didn't like Christmas (I would have been really sad).

Home...Sweet...Home

2005-01-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

I love my home...at least where my home is!! Spending a week and a half in Chicago with my boyfriend was an absolutely awsome vacation but it definetly makes me appreciate not having to put on multiple layers just to go outside for a minute. Since I got home on Friday night I have been really busy sleeping, doing laundry, taking down my Christmas lights, taking down my tree, and cleaning up my mess from Christmas (which I was too lazy to deal with before I left). I am sorry to my friends that I haven't called yet since I got back...I will call soon...I promise!!!

For those of you that care...Chicago was great!! It is such a beautiful and busy city!!! We did so much stuff and experienced a great Chicago winter snow storm (the high for the last 3 days was 22 degrees F with 25 mph winds). One thing we didn't plan on though was to come home to almost worse weather than in Chicago!!!

a policeman offered to take this picture for us...

The purpose of our trip was to go to the Bears / Packers game on Jan. 2...yeah the Bears lost, but it was a really great experience (and we got to see Favre play). Here is a picture of us at the end of the game...note the awsome mad bomber hat my dad got me for Christmas...

Vic and Me at the Game

The last night of our trip we went to Mike Ditka's restaurant , which was attached to our hotel - The Tremont) Dinner was great and after eating we ventured upstairs to the cigar/bar/lounge to listen to a really great performer singing Frank Sinatra songs. We get to the top of the stairs and there is Mike Ditka sitting and smoking cigars with a table full of his friends. After we got a table and listened to a few songs Victor got up and introduced us to da coach...

Mike Ditka and Victor

Before I went to Chicago I didn't know very much about the city, but now it seems like Chicago is all over the place. Just last night my boyfriend and I were watching TV and we kept saying "that was Chicago", "that was Chicago"...and then the new Bachelorette is also from Chicago so last night a lot of the show was set in Chicago!!! We were like "we were there, oh that is Wacker Drive, that is Millenium Park, oh we walked right there!"

The Chicago River

I will post more pictures from our trip soon. I would love to hear from anybody that has ever been to Chicago (or is longing to go)...I am working on my wish list of things to do for my next trip...

Merry Christmas to Me!!!

2004-12-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful!! I am so glad that I was on the "nice" list again this year!! I had the day off on Friday and spent the day with family, went to church, dinner at my Aunt and Uncle, and then up to my boyfriend's parents house that evening to exchange presents. It was very busy but a lot of fun.

I spent the night at my parent's house Christmas Eve and when we got up Santa Clause had come!!! We went through out stockings, ate some homemade cinammon rolls, and then opened presents for what seemed like all day!! I got a lot of great stuff (a lot of clothes, a luggage set, slippers, a leather jacket, a new camera, and long underwear (yeah Chicago!)...and a lot more great stuff...).

Christmas was great and I have nothing to complain about. Now it is raining...I think maybe I will go to Chicago....

If I don't have time to blog before I leave, I will be in Chicago from December 30 through January 7.....good times, good times...

The Sands of Christmas

2004-12-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
And looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.

The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Dolphins lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.

The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
And so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.

And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
Eight Hummers ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens.
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.

They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.

There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament-- they lacked a Christmas Tree.

They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.

I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,

To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said its always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.

And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God Bless You all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.

The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay.

Mr. Clause Update

2004-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

So, Santa must be ready for Christmas becuase I saw and talked to him this evening! I didn't leave work until 7:15 pm and I was totally bummed and tired. I was pulling up to the stop sign at Oak Park Boulevard and Ash Street about half a mile from my apartment when I heard all kinds of sirens and saw a whole bunch of cop cars and a fire truck. I thought to myself, "oh my gosh what happened, oh no it must be bad, oh no I think they closed Ash Street!". Just then (as soon as it was my turn to turn left onto Ash Street) all these cop cars speed up with their sirens blaring and the lights flashing and they blocked off the cross streets.

That is when I saw him...Santa Clause was sitting in his sleigh in the back of the fire truck!!! The sleigh was all lit up and Santa seemed to exude a light becuase I could see him clearly. I rolled down my window and waved to him just like a child. I was so excited!!!

After Santa and his escorts traveled out of the intersection and I was allowed to turn left I called my parents to say that I had just seen Santa. I told them that maybe he was checking his address list to make sure he had his route mapped out on Christmas Eve. They were so excited!

And then about 10 minutes later my cel phone rang...the screen on the phone said that it was a blocked call...it was SANTA CLAUSE! He new my name and was calling to make sure that I had been good and said that he would try and bring me lots of presents! It was so cool!! He was so merry and just kept saying, "Ho Ho Ho!". He seemed to be really happy!!

My dad called a few minutes later to see if Santa Clause had called me. I told him yes and asked how he knew. He said that Mr. Clause had just called their house to get my cel phone number! So cool!

Anyways, I hope others got to see Santa Clause this evening and it was a lot of fun talking with him! It was nice of him take the time to call me especially when I am sure he is incredible busy finalizing plans.

"I know someone, who knows someone, who knows an elf. And if any of you acts up, so help me, I will call Santa and tell him you want socks for Christmas! Alright, are you willing to risk that?"
~Lynette Scavo ("Desperate Housewives" (2004))

"Because... if Santa and the Holiday Armadillo stay in the same room for too long... the universe will... implode..."
~Chander (Friends)

"Went to the store, sat on Santa's lap, asked him to bring my friends all kinds of crap. He said all you need is to write them a song. Now you haven't heard it yet, so don't try to sing along. No don't sing along. Monica, Monica, have a happy Hannukah. I saw Santa Claus, he said hello to Ross. And please tell Joey, Christmas will be snowy. And Rachel and Chandler... have a [mumble] handlerrrrr."
~Phoebe (Friends)

"Uncle Clark, are you sure you ain't Santa Claus?"
~Ruby Sue (Christmas Vacation)

Christmas Baking

2004-12-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Today was baking day. The day that I go over to my parent's house and my mom and I bake Christmas goodies until we can't bake any more. We started at noon and at 9 this evening we decided we were done. We made sugar cookies, candy cane cookies, these cookies called Santa's Wiskers, these chocolate death cookies, spiced nuts, some christmas chex mix thing with peanut butter and chocolate...i think that is it. Wow, what a day...now I am ready for Christmas!!

"Well done Bridge, 4 hours of careful cooking and a feast of blue soup, omelette and marmalade."
~Tom (Bridget Jones Diary)

"No, that's pie country. They do a lot of baking up there."
~George Costanza (Seinfeld 1990)

A Christmas Story

2004-12-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Every year the local "Fair Oaks" theater has a free Christmas movie. All they ask is that you bring a canned good to donate. Last year they plyed It's a Wonderful Life. Tonight it was A Christmas Story (the one about the Red Ryder BB Gun)! It was neat to see it on the big screen.

I was searching the internet for a link to something having to do with A Christmas Story (click on the title of the movie in the first paragraph for sound bits) and I found this great page. For those of you that have seen A Christmas Story, remember the leg lamp that the father wins and it ends up in the window in the front room?

Leg Lamp

Well, for those of you that still have Christmas shopping to do, then you can get one for someone special (just not me). The web page even allows you to print out a bonified "Major Award Certificate". The web page even includes customer testimonials...wow, I think people actually bought the lamps becuase they like them! I wonder which came first, the leg lamp or the movie...

I think that it is so great that the theater provides these free family holiday events, it reminds me that we still live in a small town. I hope that Fair Oaks Theater continues to share the holiday spirit for many years to come.

...one week from today Santa is coming, are you ready? I am!!...

Blog Updates

2004-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

I figured it out!! Alright, for the two of you that actually read my blog I have updated some parts of it (check out the sidebar along the left side). There are now links to my friend's blogs and some pages I frequent. If you have any other need websites please let me know, I am always looking for new places to travel on the internet.

I have also added a "today in history" thing that should update each day. I think it is pretty interesting and I hope you think so too.

Oh, and I also added a Christmas poll. Please take the poll and I will post the results on my blog right after Christmas.

Also please check out the Trans Siberian Orchestra music link at the bottom of my blog. It allows you to see one of their videos and listen to their music. I will be removing this link after Christmas so don't miss out. Let me know what you think about TSO!

Oh, and just so you know by clicking on any item (including the Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO) link, the today in history thing, and the poll) on my blog will not require you to sign up for anything or anything like that. Same with leaving comments (which I would love to hear).

So, to put it simply, have fun and enjoy my blog...