Sisters

Kim & Kaye Christmas 1969

I love my sis! She has always been everything that I'm not. During the 70's she was the one who had to have big loud flowers on everything while I stayed with the calico prints. She never seemed afraid to step out there and be herself whereas I felt like I just followed the flow.

She is the one who introduced me to the world of blogging. Whenever I need some humor in my life I know that I can always go to her blog http://digiziners.blogspot.com/ and get a good laugh. She sees the world through my dad's eyes (my dad is also someone who doesn't take the world too seriously). I've decided that God must have a sense of humor, or at least this is my hope. Who else can laugh off all of the bad haircuts and color jobs that she has had, and then humorously write about them. However, her blog "Hair Whore" always gets me kicked off of the internet at work (you'd think I'd learn to stay away from that one!).

Growing up we had our own language. Slobobovitch - someone who looks like a slob; aka the one whose half of the room was the messiest. Ramona - a name used for each other when the other one did something unheard of. Tard - a term used for someone who did something stupid.

Here's to sisters everywhere! Oh the things we shared! Here's to you Kim!

Corporate America

I'm not sure if there is a law against posting more than one blog in a single day, but if there is please don't send the blog police here!

I'm here at work and bored to pieces. We are having a real slow day and I have to get in my 8 3/4 hours so that I don't lose benefits. Who thought of this? They get mad if you get over time but they don't mind if you sit around twiddling your thumbs trying to get in your hours.

Seems I could be doing alot more useful things such as laundry, floors, dishes, etc..

Remembering

This last Monday was Memorial Day. Growing up I always thought this holiday was for decorating the graves of any one you might ever have met that had died. It wasn't until I got older that I realized why the holiday was really created....for remembering those who died fighting for this great country of ours.
I was reading USA Today the weekend edition and saw the story "A Club Nobody Wants To Be In" about the soldiers from the Iraq war buried in a special section of Arlington Cemetery and the loved ones left behind to mourn them. It tells about the bonds that have formed of those loved ones left behind to mourn. I think it is this part of the war that we don't see. My heart goes out to the many mothers, fathers, wifes, husbands, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons of those lost in this war and at the same time I am grateful that it wasn't my son.
My son served his time in Iraq from March 2005-Feb 2006 and thankfully returned! He served because this is what he wanted to do! He wanted to fight for the freedoms we enjoy and make sure that another 9/11 never happens again on U.S. soil. I am proud of his unselfish service as I am grateful for all of the other men and women who have volunteered for this duty! May God keep them safe and return them home to their loved ones soon!!!
God Bless America!

Electronic Lunatics

It looks like the age of electronics is turning all of us in to raving lunatics!

The other day I was headed in to the grocery store when I noticed a woman in the parking lot just standing there talking and no one was around her. My first thought was that she must be psycho, then I noticed that she had a bluetooth in her ear and I realized that she was just talking on the phone.

Maybe we should buy all the schizos a bluetooth so that they won't seem so crazy just standing there talking to themselves....we will just think they are talking on the phone!

Warped Drive

I'm afraid with all of our travel, we have warped our six year old daughters sense of distance and time. My husband Scott has been working in upper Washington State since last September and we have gone up to see him a couple of times. The last time we went was the first of this month and during that time we drove up to Vancouver, BC one day and the next day we went out to the San Juan Islands. Now she thinks that traveling long distances is "no big deal".
In Vancouver we went to Granville Island and went to the market (we had so much fun the last time that I wanted to go back). Just outside of the market is a little area that kids were out feeding the pigeons. Well Nicole, being her usual shy self, found a "friend" (Mikey) who shared his bird seed and let her feed the pigeons with him. I went out and took pictures and Mikey's mom was really cute when she commented, "Don't they just remind you of a little eighty year old couple sitting there feeding the pigeons"....and they really did!
We do enjoy taking her and think that it is very educational for her to visit many different places. So far we have taken Nicole to New Jersey, England, Hawaii, Colorado, California, Washington State, Vancouver B.C., and Cabo San Lucas Mexico....she is well traveled.
The biggest reason for taking her to Washington is so that she can see where her dad spends 5/7 days a week. He usually leaves here Sunday night and comes home on Friday night so needless to say the weekends are very much family time! I think we have all adapted pretty well, but I will be glad when this assignment is done the end of June and I hope that he will have a little time home before he starts his next project.

Deep Thinking

My husband, Scott, and I recently have had to do some estate planning due to some extenuating circumstances beyond our control. Now I remember why I had put off this lovely task. When the lawyer asked us if we had any burial preferences we looked at each other and said with a smile that the only preference was to not be buried by our ex's.
Thinking of splitting up your assets after you are gone has been a hard thing to go through. Maybe because this is a second marriage for both of us has made us examine our decisions that more closely. Scott and I did come to the conclusion that the main objective is to make sure that none of the kids feel like they got the short end of the stick.
The main objective in setting up the trust at this time is to make sure that our youngest child Nicole will be taken care of until she is done with college (if she chooses that route).
After all is said and done, my prayer is that Scott and I will live long enough to see all of the kids raised, married and having kids of their own. Then we can SPEND all of their inheritance!!!

Doggie Treadmill Update

Well, it seems Daxter (the puppy) thinks the treadmill is his. I've tried to fight him for it but whenever I'm on it he stands at the side with his front paws on the treadmill racing along with me. So I've finally given in to the inevitable.....I now share the treadmill with the dog. Daxter runs on the right and I run on the left. The other day he ran for thirty-five minutes at my side. My husband (Scott) thinks it sounds like an accident waiting to happen, but actually Daxter is very kind and stays on his side and I just have to be more consciences about where my feet are.
Now if I can just figure out how to keep him from drooling all over the treadmill!!!