Linda's Life

ONE YEAR

2011-08-27T13:29:00.003-07:00

It's been a hard week, knowing that I would be facing the one year anniversary of my sister's death on the 28th. Even though I have tried not to dwell on it, my innermost thoughts must not be cooperating. I have dreamed about her for the last three nights, which I actually like; however, I can hardly wait for the dreams to come where she is not sick. Anyway, to get to the point I decided to read my blog, which I haven't done in a while. All I can say is, what a God send these blogs are, they brought back some very good memories, I had forgotten about. They are like keeping a journal for those of us who are too lazy to take pen to paper. Wow, all the fun things we did together just never seem to pop into my mind as often as the last year of her life. I know that eventually the good times will come more than the bad, but right now that is not the case. I miss my sister's companionship, I am so lonesome without her. I know I have other people in my life that love me, but it is not the same relationship. Sometimes I wonder if my sister misses me, there are so many unanswered questions about life after death, depending on who you talk to and their beliefs. The other morning as I was drying my hair I was thinking about what it would be like to meet Donna up in heaven (yes, I believe there is some place we will see each other again) and it brought tears to my eyes to think about throwing myself into her arms, with my parents standing behind her with big smiles on their faces as they witnessed how much we loved each other. This morning I woke up crying, thinking about the last days of her life, laying in bed with her, holding her, and telling her much I loved her and what a good sister she had been to me. I will never get over the loss of my sister, but I hope in time I will start remembering all our good times and they will bring a smile to my face instead of tears to my eyes. I hope my sister is in heaven having the time of her life, but I hope she misses me too! I love you Donna, forever and ever.

MY SISTER

2010-12-24T12:19:00.003-07:00

TO MY SISTER

Donna,

You left us four months ago, and it still hurts so bad. I think of you day and night. Today is Christmas Eve, and my heart is heavy. I know you want us all to be happy, and we all trying really hard, but there are times that hurt, and this is one of them for me.

I sit in front of the computer going through all my pictures and looking at all the fun times we had together; our Mexican cruise, our trip to Costa Rica, our MANY trips to Las Vegas, and all our trips to each other's house.

I constantly hear you in my head, and still carry on conversations with you.

I can hear you saying:

The more the merrier! Megan is carrying on that tradition!

Don't sweat the small stuff. I'm still not so good at that.

Family is the most important. We all learned that one well.

I remember the past year so vividly once we learned of your cancer. I try to remember what you said to me more than once "I'm at peace with whatever happens." Everything happened so fast after that; I still can't believe it. I am so grateful that we got to tell each other how much we loved each other. I know we aggravated each other to death, but I also know that, as we told each other often, how much we truly loved and meant to each other. I am so grateful to have had you in my life for 58 years, but, selfishly, I think that is not enough. You had turned into my best friend over the past several years. Losing you has left an empty spot in my heart that I can't seem to fill.

I remember when I would be bummed about something and you would be worried about me and I would tell you not to worry and you would say: "I have to, I'm your big sister, I have to take care of you." Boy, I wish you were here taking care of me now!

It's funny, I remember wishing I could be as strong as you. You went through a lot in your life, and always carried on. I remember Nicki singing the song Hero at Vic's funeral, yet every time I hear it, it brings tears to my eyes, because I always thought the words were more about you. You always had the strength to carry on.

I pray for that strength now. Some days are so much harder than others for some reason.

I'm sure you know you raised two awesome kids. We are so taking care of each other right now. It is so funny, they make sure to call me on certain days (like your birthday) to make sure I am doing ok. All they are going through, and they have time to worry about me. I am trying so hard to be there for them. I know I can never take your place, but I am as close as they will get to that. I remember you lying in the hospital bed telling me that you what you were concerned about if you died was leaving the kids and grandkids; you weren't worried about yourself. And, then you tell the kids that you are worried about how I will take it if something happened to you. You made sure that we would all take care of each other, and we have.

You taught the kids traditions that are still being carried on today……the trip to Disneyland every Christmas and Christmas morning breakfast.

I know how disappointed you are that you do not get to see your grandkids grow up. You were one of the proudest grandmas I have ever seen. I can remember you telling me that even if you didn't feel 100% you couldn't tell Megan because then she wouldn't bring the kids over for you to babysit. And, boy, did you have a knack with those kids. You made it look as easy as pie. The minute Megan walked out the door, out came all the kids' favorite foods!

I wish you a Merry Christmas, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you were to me throughout my life. You were the best sister, and I will love you forever.

Your Sister, Linda

WOW, WHAT HAPPENED TO 2009?

2010-01-02T17:13:00.004-07:00

OK, I know blogs are boring without pics, but I am too lazy to download them so you'll have to bear with me. It seems I left off in June.....where did the time go? July we met Taylor in Las Vegas and had a blast, she is so much fun, we swam, did the strip and shopped. August we went to Kansas to help Trav and the family while he had surgery. Thankfully, all went well. We missed our annual pilgrimage to Lawrence Welk, hopefully, this year! My girlfriend and I made our annual trip to Phoenix to shop until we dropped. I always have so much fun on this trip and hope they will continue. October, JJ, JR, and I flew to Kansas and the boys (JJ, JR, Trav, and Zach) took in a Chargers/Chiefs game. It was Zach's first pro game and he was beyond ecstatic. November....went through surgery with my sister and will continue to see her through her journey. December, back to San Diego for Christmas with the families. It was fun, but tiring. New Years Eve celebrated my Mom's bday for her; however, brought the New Year in more quietly and earlier than she used to. What can I say, I can't hang! New Years Day JR made menudo and Sig, Tammy, Maya, and George came over. Wish I could have kidnapped my sister, that was my plan earlier in the year. We managed to go through 2-1/4 magnums of champagne, 1/2 a bottle, more or less, of tequila, and a few martinis. Needless to say, my head hurt today, but I had a nice, quiet, uneventful day today, which I love!!! All in all, 2009 has had its share of ups and downs, but I have learned that my family is awesome. I have learned so much about my family that I didn't know, so with the bad, comes the good. We begin this year propping each other up, but it feels good. Please appreciate your friends and families as you start 2010, I don't know what I would do without mine. For now I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

BUSY WEEKEND!

2009-06-22T18:32:00.011-07:00

It was a busy weekend...we went to Green Valley Ranch (GVR) Resort for some R&R.

Friday night we went to our favorite spot in Vegas, Town Square, wherein lies the Blue Martini (and Sephora), the two happiest places on earth (sorry Mickey). Happy hour for martinis AND food! Yes, pure paradise, what more could you want??? My smores martini speaks for itself, and, yes, it was as good as it looks! (oops, I started drinking it before I decided to take a pic, so it's a little messed up)

Saturday I laid around the pool from eight to noon, then hit happy hour at Hanks at GVR. Yep, you guessed it 1/2 price martinis. Well, we only had two each, but decided neither one of us was capable of keeping track of my NEW Sony Cybershot at the luau we were invited to, so no pics of that. They were drawing five names for a trip to Hawaii, which JR "had a premonition" he was going to win. NOT!

Then Sunday we left early to meet Tammy and Sig at Granny's for a birthday brunch for Sig. It was delicious.

Until next time,

Ciao, Baby!

WAY TOO LONG

2009-04-14T18:09:00.004-07:00

OK, I know it's been way too long since I blogged, but you bloggers know how it goes. I really don't even have time to blog now, since I am suppose to be treadmilling. However, I stopped just for a minute to surf my favorite blogs and facebook and got caught up in the moment. My life is pretty much the same, just some short trips here and there, which brings me to why I am blogging. I just remembered a picture I wanted to post on my site from my recent trip to Vegas with John and Donna. The Blue Martini is one of our favorite happy hours, and the picture below will tell you why!

I mean, doesn't that say it all!

Then, of course, I had to concentrate on the real reason I went, which was to play in a slot tournament. Yep, you guessed it, I lost! But look how hard I'm trying.

Ah, but it was not a complete lost because they feed us breakfast both days and had a very nice dinner for us the last night.

The dessert was awesome!

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

I'M GLAD FEBRUARY IS OVER!

2009-02-28T16:59:00.002-07:00

Yes, it has been a hard month. Trav, Traci, Zach, and Zoey moved to Kansas. It was kind of stressful, not only because they were leaving, but other issues came up as well. All in all, everything worked out fine....except they are gone. They seem to be enjoying themselves and Zach got to ice skate for the first time today. Check our their blog at www.ttzearly.blogspot.com. After their move, we flew to San Diego for Nino's 90th birthday. We got there Friday afternoon and by Friday night I had a mean case of the flu. By Saturday, JR had it. Poor sis, stuck with two sickkies. Well, we managed to catch our flight back Monday, but were in bed ALL weekend. I finally felt good Tuesday when I went back to work. Well, Wednesday was a different story....not feeling so great, not sure why. My right arm was very sensitive and I thought to myself, good thing it's not my left arm, I'd be worried. Anyway, long story short, I end up with shingles! Not fun, but starting to get better. So far, only got one bad cluster that blistered, two other clusters, but so far no blistering, so I'm assuming the med is working. Only problem, I can't remember if I took it this afternoon or not. Anyway, that is why I am more than ready for February to be over.

Until later,

Ciao Baby

FACEBOOK FINISHES FIRST

2009-01-14T18:33:00.003-07:00

Yep, it seems like Facebook is taking over. I guess it is much easier to just type a short sentence rather than a looooong paragraph. Even posting a whole photo album is easier, so that is probably where you will find my pics. OK, let's see, Christmas was nice. Went to Trav and Traci's at 7:00 Xmas morning and watched the kids open presents. Got home around eleven and put on our jammies and watched movies. Had the most delicious crab legs and filet mignon dinner. New Years.......JR made menudo and the kids, Tammy and Sig, and a friend from work and her husband came over on New Years Day and joined us for some munchies, menudo and tamales. We had a very nice New Years. Trav and Traci might be heading off to Kansas. I am happy for them if that is what they want, but I am going to miss them immensely. Having been able to have Zach and Zoey here for the past 7 years has spoiled me. We love being grandparents, and to actually be close by is even better. Unfortunately, Taylor, our granddaughter, was never in the same area as us, so we saw her only five or six times a year. Being able to see Zach and Zoey much more often has been awesome. Having family here to celebrate holidays with has been very nice. Now we will be losing all of that. Why does the United States have to be so big? Anyway, if this is what will make them happy, then we will be happy for them. We will visit as often as possible, and thank goodness for iChat and Skype. I guess we are at least more fortunate than people used to be years ago, we can at least see people online. Anyway, Traci is interviewing for a job in Kansas and will know definitely sometime next week, or, maybe, even by the end of this week. Travis hopes to go to Chiropractic school there as well, and I hope all his dreams come true. We are facing such hard economic times right now that it makes me nervous for them. I hope and pray that everything goes well for them, because, for those of you who are parents, you know that your happiness rides on your kids' happiness. Well, that is kind of my life in a nutshell. Look me up on facebook if you want daily happenings, and I will try to post on my blog more often.

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

NUMERO UNO

2008-12-01T18:57:00.003-07:00

Zoey celebrated her 1st birthday at her party on Sunday. She absolutely loved the cupcakes!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

A THANKFUL THANKSGIVING

2008-11-29T17:28:00.005-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with Travis, Traci, Zach, Zoey, Sig, and Tammy. I am thankful for my family. The other half of my family spent their Thanksgiving in Santa Cruz with Bobby and Rachel, and they had a great Thanksgiving too. We all have so much to be thankful for. A few pics below.

50% of the cooking team!

Grandma, Zach, and Zoey

Zoey's first Thanksgiving!

The other 50% of the cooking team

Zoey just loved her Uncle Sig

We're ready to eat!

John, Sig, and Tammy

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

THE LAST TWO WEEKS

2008-11-11T14:47:00.010-07:00

OK, it's been a while, but the last two weeks have been busy and fun. Donna came to visit while JR went to Hawaii with JJ. We had a really nice time. We stayed down in Laughlin. She came in Friday afternoon, and we enjoyed a Lemon Drop before we met my Godmother at Harrah's for some drinks and conversation. Then, as you can see, Donna did a little gambling. Saturday we went to Zach's soccer game, then did a little shopping. We got Zoey a Christmas dress, and Aunt Donna spoiled Zach, buying him a game for his Wii, which he loves. After that we went over to Trav and Traci's for a visit and had a fun time playing Wii Fit. Well, it's not really a game, it's an exercise program, which I do not like, as it says my age is 65, and I know I'm much more fit than that! After that we went back to Laughlin and ended up in our room drinking Lemon Drops and having some good ole fun conversation. Sunday we got up early, since the time changed. We went to Harlow's for brunch (thanks, JR), and it was fabulous! I love that place, and the crab was especially exceptional, as well as the stuffed shrimp. That day Donna was a little burned out, she can't keep up with her 65 year old sister! Alas, it was Monday...I went to work, and Donna headed home, but all in all it was a fun girls time to remember.

At Harrahs enjoying our drinks!

Donna, she just can't stop gambling!

Zach...playing his new video game

Zoey, in her pretty Christmas dress!

This weekend (Sunday and Monday) we took Zach to Las Vegas to see the Thunderbirds fly in the air show. I haven't been to see an air show since I was about Zach's age, but it left a big impression and I have always wanted to do it again (cross one thing off my bucket list). It was totally awesome, and Zach really enjoyed himself. It is totally unbelievable the way they can synchronize their flying. There was so much to do and see. Then we headed to the hotel, where we relaxed with a martini, and then headed out to dinner. After dinner JR did some gambling while Zach and I lost our money at the arcade. We were all sound asleep by nine. Zach fell to sleep in the middle of eating his doritos! The next day we ran a few errands and then Zach got to play at the playground at Town Square until our movie started. We went to see Madagascar, which was really good, even JR liked it! Then, unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and we had to head home. Zach was not a happy camper about that, which was ok because it just showed us what a good time he had. It was a totally awesome two days with Zach, and thanks Trav and Traci for letting us take him. I know it is hard for you, Traci. Now Zach is off to the Hemophilia convention in Colorado on Wednesday, and, hopefully, will get to see some snow!

Zach, when we first arrived

Zach in the plane the soldiers fly in and jump out of

Zach with one of the soldiers

Awesome!

Nosedive!

Four of the six Thunderbirds

I actually got all six, I'm awesome!

Zach with his F22, which he totally loved!

Grandpa and Zach after a looooong day!

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

THANK YOU

2008-10-06T19:43:00.002-07:00

Thank you to my wonderful family for all their supportive comments. They mean more to me than any of you know. I'm sorry for such a depressing blog, but sometimes it feels good to just put pen to paper, so to speak. Things are getting back to normal. Sometimes I just dwell on things too much and they become bigger than they really are. I find that I probably need to change my actions so I don't expect more than I get, and that is something I will work on. Thank you all again for your love and support; it means the world to me. You're the BEST!

Until later,

Ciao Baby

BLOGGING ETIQUETTE

2008-10-05T15:29:00.002-07:00

Is there blogging etiquette? Are you allowed to blog when you are depressed, or only when you are happy? That's the question for my fellow bloggers. I am probably going to break blogging etiquette because I am depressed, hurt, sad, and unhappy. What got me into this state doesn't really matter. Let's just suffice it to say that it has been a hard week; with work and family. The question is, how do you break out of this depression? When I am depressed I really and truly don't want to talk to anyone or take any phone calls. I literally force myself to do what I have to do. I'm a firm believer that depression runs in my family; whether that is true or not doesn't matter. I feel fortunate and am thankful that I can pull out of my depression by myself, although it takes a few days. Sometimes I wish that I could just run away and hide. So, for all you who get depressed, truly depressed, don't feel alone, we all go through it. I just thank God for friends and family that help to get me through it, even though they don't know it most of the time. And, for those of you whose phone calls I may have ignored, please bear with me, I have faith, and I know that things will get better. Thanks for listening, and I apologize for such a depressing blog, but I truly feel that blogs should be honest, or else we are just kidding ourselves and other.

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

PHOENIX AND THE LASEFICHE SEMINAR

2008-09-01T19:24:00.004-07:00

We had a blast at the laserfiche seminar. Cindy and I left on Tuesday. The seminar started Thursday evening, and ended Friday. Thankfully, they sped through it and we were done by about three on Friday. We shopped until we literally dropped. We left at 7:15 Tuesday morning, as JR had to drop me at Cindy's and he had to be at the golf course by 7:30, and believe me, nothing interferes with his golf. Cindy and I arrived in Phoenix about 10:30, picked up some beading thing she needed from someone she found online. JR made me promise to carry my pepper spray everywhere I went. I told Cindy since we didn't know these people she was getting her "tumbler" from, the plan would be for me to wait in the car (with my pepper spray handy) while she went into the house. Well, I waited, and waited, and waited. Thought maybe I should call her on her cell, but saw it was still charging in the CAR! After thirty minutes she finally came out. The people were old and wanted to show her all their jewelry and even invited her to stay for coffee. She told them she had a friend waiting in the car (I think she had coffee with them). We usually have a special mission when we go to Phoenix, and this year it was to get Cindy a Wii, which you cannot get in our neck of the woods. Well, since we were somewhat lost trying to get to the mall, we decided to stop at the first Target we spotted to check out the Wiis. Well, first stop...successful. There were four Wiis just waiting to be bought. Cindy told me to stand guard over the Wiis while she went to find some help. I questioned why I needed to stay with the Wiis since there were four of them and no one else around. Well, I thought we were just going to buy a Wii, but after she got the Wii from behind locked doors, she went insane! She started grabbing every Wii thing imaginable, covers for the controllers, more controllers, battery chargers, etc. It was amazing....I could not believe it.... awe struck, that was me. Well we finally got out of Target after receiving directions to the mall. Cindy was so excited about her Wii she was beside herself (I learned more about Wii this week than I ever needed to know). We spent the remainder of the day at the mall. Found some great buys! Got to the hotel about 4:30 and checked in. Decided to go over to the bar for a drink and dinner. I ask for a Lemon Drop and Cindy asks for Chivas. The waitress comes back and asks if 12 year old Chivas will be ok. Cindy says sure (she is not a drinker) and I'm thinking "how about 12 hours old." After we ate I told Cindy her drink was probably going to cost more than our dinner and she couldn't believe it. Sure enough, when the bill comes, her drink is $18.00 (I later pointed out at Costco that she could have gotten a whole bottle). There goes our per diem! Just joking, this was our money that night!! I also pointed out that I could have had about three Lemon Drops! That night we go to the pool. I tell Cindy it is her turn to be in charge of the pepper spray (the thing is getting on my nerves, as it does NOT fit in my itty bitty purse). We grab the pepper spray and head down to the pool, which we find loaded with dead bugs (seems they are having a bug problem and the filters can't keep up). We find a little spot with no bugs so we sit in the pool for a little bit. Decide to head back to our rooms and Cindy says "are we allowed to take the towels?" I say "who's going to stop us?" Get back to the room and want to get ice for the ice chest. Cindy is going to carry baggies to get ice in. I say bring the whole ice chest (it has wheels) to the ice machine. Cindy says "can we get that much ice?" I say "I think the ice cops are off duty now." Man, talk about following rules! Wednesday we shopped from 9:00 in the morning until about 8:00 that night. We also bought more Wii stuff. We were exhausted. I'm still carting the pepper spray....only people we have wanted to spray are the drivers! We decided to try our clothes on Wednesday night and find that we need to go back to the mall Thursday and make some returns. Yes, we tried them on at the store, but, hey, what can I say....we're women, we change our minds. Thursday, back to the mall to do returns, but not to worry, we found a whole bunch of new stuff! Head back to the hotel about 3:00 and meet up with another girl from work at the Golden Spoon Yogurt Shop. Get back to the hotel and are too pooped to attend any seminar classes (which are really for IT administrators anyway). Went down to their welcoming party about five, then went over to the bar about seven. Thankfully, Cindy decided to join me in drinking Lemon Drops that night! We had a great time, and then went to gamble a little at the casino, with my pepper spray! Only thing to spray is a frog, but no one will let me! Friday attended the seminar, where we ate breakfast from 9 to 10, had classes from 10 to 12, ate lunch from 12-1, had classes from 1 to 3 (except our classes were 1:15 to 3:00 since Yo misread the schedule). Got out at 3 and they had a big old ice cream cart, soft pretzels with cheese, candy bars, etc. Basically, all we did was eat that day!!! Since it is early, Cindy, Yo, and I decided to go to a little mall by the hotel, where, you guessed it, there is a Target. Cindy needs a nunchuk! That night Yo and I went to the bar and then to the casino and Cindy stayed in the room and rented Sex in the City. Cindy insisted that we leave at six Saturday morning as she had commitments for that day back home. We were home by 9:30, and I was pretty pooped out, but can hardly wait until next year!

This weekend we picked Zach up on Saturday and took him to Pied Piper Pizza, and then he spent the night. He is so fun to have....he has so much energy and so much curiosity. JR and I laugh at his antics all the time. JR taught him how to make scrambled eggs from start to finish....he did really good, only burned himself once. I miss him when he leaves!

Today (Monday) is a holiday. Just got odds and ends done. Back to work tomorrow. Primary election in Mohave County and we are on pins and needles waiting to see what some of the outcomes will be. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

LAWRENCE WELK WEEK

2008-08-17T18:03:00.009-07:00

Well, we're back. We had a nice vacation at Lawrence Welk with Donna and her family. The trip didn't start out so great since the air conditioning in the car went out midway through the desert. However, nowadays you can't even think things will be better when you get out of the desert, because it seems the desert never ends!!! The coolest it ever got was 86 degrees when we arrived in Escondido, which actually felt like heaven!!! Sunday we had family and friends over for a visit. My wife-in-law and her husband got me a most luscious birthday cake......pure chocolate!!! We enjoyed that all week. Monday we went to Valley View Casino for a "free" buffet, which entailed many long waits in lines (yes, that's plural for both). However, it wasn't all bad because I hit four aces for $200. Other than that, John did a lot of golfing, and I did a lot of hanging around the condo and the pool. Friday, after golf, JR took me to my favorite pizza place for dinner after we hit the bar with Donna for our favorite drink....chocolate paradise! It was fun getting to see the nieces, nephews, kids, etc. Donna and I did manage to get in a day of shopping. We got our AC fixed and it worked great on the way home. Bad news.......JR and I both gained 3 pounds and I believe I can add Donna to that list too! Now it is back to work for a day and then off to Phoenix for my next adventure with my girlfriend from work!!! I'm posting a few pics for everyone to enjoy!!!

Friends and family on the patio

My granddaughter, Taylor Margaret Romero - 13 years old

John and I

My niece, Megan, reading all the boys a book

Ryan and Caleb feeding the ducks

Ryan (almost two) and his brother, Noah (3 months old)

Caleb, almost two (born one week after Ryan)

And, last but least, Caleb and Ryan with their favorite uncle!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

I'M WELL!!!

2008-07-27T09:34:00.004-07:00

OK, it's been a sucky week. I was sick with a bad cold, but I managed to nip it in the bud with lots of over the counter meds. I was off all meds by Thursday night. This weekend I decided to take it easy and get caught up on my rest, as next weekend I start getting ready for trip to Lawrence Welk. Lots to get done, but too early to start, I hate that! That's about it for my boring life, what's everyone else been up to?

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

MEGAN

2008-07-16T16:52:00.002-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEGAN!

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. WE LOVE YOU!

JULY 4TH UPDATE

2008-07-07T19:58:00.003-07:00

WOW, the three days go waaaaay too fast. We had a great 4th.....BBQ with the kids, shot off some firecrackers with Zach, and then they left around 9:30. Unfortunately, they got stuck in after fireworks traffic down in BHC.

Saturday....decide to run down to Laughlin to attend a wine tasting event. Turn onto Hwy 68 and there is a big accident.....just happened....tanker truck in flames and a car carrier truck already burned on the other side of the freeway. Decide to go the loooooooong way on I-40. Took about one hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Needless to say, we missed the wine tasting!!! Went with our friends to happy hour and had an enjoyable evening with them. Broke even on the gambling, so that was great. Got home around 9:30. Heard the highway had been closed for 5 hours, so apparently it had just reopened when we came home. Would have been a bummer if we had to go home the way we came. Trav and Traci would have been entertaining overnight guests!!

Sunday, vegged out and did nothing. We also managed to watch four movies over the three days.

Now I am bummed because there are no more holidays until September. July is going to be a long month because I only have one scheduled vacation day (so far!) August is going to be great because I am only working about two weeks out of the whole month!!

Hope you all had a good fourth!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby

PRE FOURTH OF JULY

2008-07-02T19:27:00.001-07:00

HI ALL,

Just wondering what everyone is doing on the Fourth of July??

U. S. OPEN SUPER STARS

2008-06-22T13:08:00.005-07:00

You probably think I am referring to the golfers, but no, I'm referring to JR and JJ. Yes, JR recorded the U. S. Open, and managed to find himself on TV. Here are a couple of pics. JJ (red bandana) and JR (Stanford hat) are in the bottom right hand corner, you will need to click on the pic and enlarge it. I'm wondering where Tim and Trav are? Did they scalp their tickets????

NOW FOR THE REAL PRO.........

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHT

2008-06-21T09:00:00.003-07:00

One highlight of the weekend was getting to see my grand-nephews. I haven't seen Caleb and Ryan in a long while, except on iChat, and I got to see the newest addition to the family, Noah! He is a very good baby, no trouble at all, YET!

Caleb and Ryan had a ball running around Grandma's house. At one point they collided....Caleb cried (he did get a knot on his head), and Ryan laughed. It was great seeing Megan, Rachel (the Moms) and Glenda, (Rachel's Mom). My sis put together a nice lasagne dinner for all of us. Thanks everyone.

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

P.S. Sorry this was late Megan, but I didn't feel like downloading pictures when I did my original post.....you are NEVER forgotten!! Love ya, but cut me some slack, would ya!!!

SAN DIEGO

2008-06-19T18:58:00.003-07:00

Just got home from our trip to San Diego. It was fun, but I'm burned out. The guys really enjoyed the U. S. Open, and John said it was so neat to be able to go with JJ and Travis (and you too, Tim). Thanks to all the wives for sharing their husbands, and the kids too, since it was Father's Day. My hubby had a memorable Father's Day with both his sons!!! My sis and I took Trav to the airport on Monday, but beforehand we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Filippi's . It is mine and Trav's favorite place to get pizza. We made sure to send some home for Traci......hope you enjoyed it!!! Tuesday, JR, Donna and I went to lunch at Lowes Resort in Coronado.....it was fabulous. Ours was compliments of Linda and Larry with our birthday gift cards, and Donna's was compliments of JR and I with her Christmas gift card (all received two years ago!). Wednesday we went to dinner with Linda and Larry. We started off with drinks at their house were we toasted our anniversary with a bottle of champagne. They then presented us with a bottle of Mumm's champagne from their winery trip last month, and a beautiful professional picture of our granddaughter, Taylor. She is turning into such a young lady!! Where did our little girl go? We went to dinner at Romesco's and it was very good......JR, Donna, and I split a salad, paella, and a delicious penn pasta dish. The menu was loaded with other items that I would love to try. Maybe next time. And, before we knew it, it was Thursday morning and time to head home. I'm always glad to get back to my house, but I miss San Diego too!!! We will be going back to my sister's condo at Lawrence Welk soon and will get to see everyone again. Already looking forward to it. Hope it gets here before gas reaches $5 a gallon!!! Highest we paid was $4.79, yup, you guessed it, San Diego! Premium!!!

Until Later,

Ciao Baby!

REALLY QUICK UPDATE

2008-06-01T18:40:00.005-07:00

Zach spent Friday night with us. We had pizza at his house, then took him to Target to pick out a toy. Saturday Traci and Zoey met us at the house and we went to my County picnic. We had a fun time, and we were all exhausted, except Zach and Zoey. Here's some pics.

Zoey is getting soooo big

and she is always happy

Zach doing the hula hoop

His lightening bolt......Go Chargers

Until later,

Ciao Baby!!!

ARUBA......I WANT TO GO BACK!!!

2008-05-26T17:57:00.012-07:00

It was great!!! My sis has been bugging me to put some pics of our trip to Aruba on my blog, so here they are. Briefly, about our trip, it was fantabulous!!! I loved Aruba.....you feel very safe.....no one on the beaches trying to sell you stuff....you can actually leave your stuff on your beach chair and do whatever you want, and it is there when you get back. The hotel was great, would definitely stay there again! Highlights.....kayaking.....JR and I were the first ones to tip over.......why? Because they made JR the captain.....I should have gone solo!!! Embarrassing!!! Then, try to haul your big butt back on that kayak when you can't touch ground......who has that much upper body strength.....NOT ME!!! Thank goodness the guide was strong, and could haul me back on my kayak with one hand.....hey, I guess people do have upper body strength!!! On our anniversary we decided to lay out on the beach all day.....when we arrived the hotel had a bottle of champagne, gouda cheese, and crackers for us in our room, which we decided to save for our anniversary.....around noon we brought the bottle of champagne and cheese and crackers to our palapa and indulged.......dinner.......can't even describe it! They seated us and brought us a glass of champagne on the house.....best of all, it was a sugar rimmed champagne glass!!!! The dinner.....the best steak I have ever eaten.......really....and the presentation was beautiful!!! Snorkeling......the fish sucked, no pretty colors, but the trip was great!!! They dropped us at three snorkeling places, one was a sunken ship. I enjoyed that day very much; poor JR didn't feel so great, but improved as the day went on. No, he didn't drink too much the night before! I am going to post a few pics from the trip.......one of the best trips I have ever been on......I will remember my 25th anniversary forever!!! Nothing went wrong........everything was absolutely perfect!!! Met some great people! We could not have asked for more!!! Would love to do it again, and I hope someday we do! I picked a keeper when I picked JR!

View from our room, we walked right out to the beach!

Happy hour at the bar on the beach....we never missed one!

My own happy hour...you guessed it.....a lemon drop martini

Chill'in on the beach.....it's a rough life!

Our kayaking adventure.....we made it to the island!!!

Morning coffee on the beach!!

Our 25th anniversary dinner!

JR loves his desserts......rum soaked pineapples w/ice cream

Snorkeling, look at how beautiful the water is

After snorkeling

Our friendly gecko (or as Tim pointed out....our friendly IGUANA). He visited everyday!!

Until later.

Ciao, Baby!

ARUBA.....HERE WE COME!!

2008-05-10T12:44:00.005-07:00

OK, Today's the day. We finally leave for Aruba. Don't leave until 11 tonight, so we are leisurely finishing up our packing. The excitement hasn't hit yet, I am actually very calm, and no xanax, YET! Might need that little goodie for the plane trip, as flying is not my favorite thing to do!! But, it's all for a good cause.....our relaxation!!! I have been a bit nervous actually.....I always worry about leaving family behind when I leave the country.

Haven't been blogging much lately, I know. Been kind of ho hum, which interprets to lazy. All the family is doing pretty good.....I need a Zach and Zoey fix, as I haven't seen them for about three weeks, so they are top priority on my list upon my return!!!

Well, I have to go take a nap, since we are leaving so late. I will post some pics when we get back.

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

Hey for a neat video go to my nephew's wife site, he shot footage of her lasik surgery.

THREE DAYER

2008-04-06T17:54:00.003-07:00

OK, burned out of working......don't want to anymore, which is why I took Friday off. Had a wonderfully relaxing day at home.....skated, walked, laid out in the sun to get ready for Aruba, and had a great happy hour......nachos and lemon drops.

Saturday, left the house at 8:30 a.m. to go to Zach's baseball game. Had to run a few errands on the way......trying to find cherry flavored rum......none in Bullhead City! Last time we got it in Vegas......tried the new donut shop in Mohave Valley......delicious. Arrived at Zach's game......he is a natural born athlete.......I'm not biased!!! Took Zach to see Horton Hears a Who......it was cute......took Zach home and watched Zoey for about 1/2 hour while Traci ran an errand.......Zoey is soooooo cute, and getting soooo big. Stopped at Sam's Club on the way home.....got home about 5:30, we were both exhausted. Ashamed to say we crashed at 6:30.......got up at 8:00 Sunday, or so I thought. Turns out my stupid clock is on Daylight Savings Time, so it switched in the middle of the night, and it was really 7:00. Sad thing is, I started making phone calls......sorry to everyone I called!!! Exercised, then laid out in the sun. Decided on pomegranate martinis today.....ok, and one lemon drop. All in all, it's been a nice relaxing weekend. Should have gotten more accomplished, but, oh well.

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

SOME QUICK PICS

2008-03-08T13:47:00.008-07:00

Just some quick pics of the Grandkids. Zoey is getting sooooo big. Aren't they cute. Took a full length of Zoey so you all can see how much she's grown.

Until later,

Ciao, Baby!

GEORGE LOPEZ ROCKS!!

2008-03-02T20:13:00.002-07:00

OK, this weekend JR and I went to see George Lopez. I have to admit, I was more excited about going to the new mall in Vegas than I was to see George. In reality, I really wasn't looking forward to the show at all. The things floating through my head were Sephora.......Apple........Islands Restaurant......Costco......I mean, come on, a trip to paradise. I would suffer through the show, what the heck......I got my perfume, Ipod case, and onion rings!!! Who could ask for more. Well, I have to confess, the show was one of the best I've seen. First of all let, me say that I have nothing against George, personally, it's just that it takes a lot to make me laugh......at least that's what JR says......the people at work think I laugh all the time. Anyway, I have to tell you I had a great time. Not only was George Lopez great, and not toooooooo dirty, but the comedian that opens the show was good too! We had great seats, about ten rows from the stage. I could actually see his face!!!! We had a great Friday, and came home Saturday afternoon. It was a great couple of days. I must admit, I can hardly wait to go back to Town Square in Vegas......it will be pretty awesome when all the stores and restaurants open. It is set up like a little village. It was nice, because it isn't real crowded right now, but all the stores I wanted to go to were open, plus a few more. We will be revisiting it in April. I have two free drink tickets and one free appetizer ticket to use at Tommy Bahama's Grill!!!! Like I said.....PARADISE!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

SURPRISE VISIT

2008-02-18T13:52:00.009-07:00

Hey all,

(my sis) surprised us with a visit this weekend. It has been fun! She has kept JR and me very busy............cooking, mixing cocktails, and dying her hair!!! Here's some pics from yesterday, when we took a spur of the moment trip to Vegas, and then saw Trav and Traci on the way home!!! It was a good day!!!

On the road to Vegas - 9:00 A.M.!!

This is where we ate lunch. One of our favorite places!!

Then off to the mall to visit Trav.

THEN OFF TO SEE ZACH AND ZOEY

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

HOWDY

2008-02-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Geez, where does the time go? Not much to say. Had a nice Super Bowl Sunday. Trav, Traci, Zach, and Zoey came over. JR made his famous menudo, and I made carnitas. Zoey doesn't sleep much, so was up most of the day. At least she is a good baby, and doesn't cry a lot, because she sure doesn't like to take naps!

Went to Zach's basketball game. He did good, got a few baskets. He loves playing all the sports. Not sure the kids understand the concept, but they sure have fun, and that's what counts!

This week JR and I went to Vegas just for relaxation. We had a great couple of days, doing whatever we felt like doing. Did a little shopping, eating, and gambling. Went to the movies and saw Michael Clayton......didn't care much for it. We are going to see George Lopez this month.

That about sums up my last two weeks. The weather here has been great, makes you long for summer!

Until next time,

Ciao Baby

QUICK UPDATE

2008-01-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Had a fun day. Went to see Bucket List. Cute movie. Went over to Trav's after that. He took Zach to shoot a few hoops while Grandpa and I stayed with Zoey. She is soooo cute. She is feeling better, but is still not 100%. I will be so glad when she is off the breathing treatment and that medicine. She is just so little to have to be doing that. After the guys got back Grandpa and I took Zach to Pied Piper Pizza. We had a great time, Zach and I got 735 tickets!!! That might be a new record for us.......as usual Zach got 90% of them, but I'm not alllllllll that bad, he is just luckier!!! We got home about 7:00, started a fire, mixed a couple of lemon drop martinis, and watched a little recorded TV. It is now only 8:30, but I am ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow, honey-do chores, and getting ready for next week. Man, the weekends are waaaaaaay too short!

Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

WHAT A WEEK

2008-01-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm hoping most of you have read Traci and Trav's blog and know what has been going on with Zoey. Thankfully, she seems to be doing better, but I won't be happy until she is 100%. Traci went to work today, but Trav wouldn't let me come over and help him. Hey, I just wanted to make him dinner and take care of Zach and Zoey while he ate, but I respected his wishes. He probably rather have his own down time if he can get everyone situated.

Anyway, what else....my mind is a fog with all that has been going on. I bought a new computer chair, which I am waiting for JR to put together for me. Guess what.....Donna bought the same chair!!!

After this week I am thankful for the uneventful weeks.

Mac and I are still having disposition (his) problems, but, hopefully, will iron them out. Entourage is giving me a problem, but I have to blame that on Microsoft, not Mac. I have switched back and forth from Entourage to Mac Mail. They each have their pros and cons. I can't seem to get Entourage to print, each page gets less and less margins, and I have done everything possible to try and fix this. It is irritating, because some of the options you are supposed to be able to use are grayed out when you use the drop down list. Anyway, tonight I switched back to Mac Mail, so I will see how that works. I wasn't crazy about it because I can't print just a "selection." I have to print either a whole document or a whole page......what a waste of ink!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

BECAUSE I CAN!

2008-01-14T21:21:00.001-07:00

OK, that's it for tonight, as I have just spent three hours installing my printer. The CD that came with it did not work. Everything worked but the scanner. Had to go to HP support, and finally got everything downloaded and working. That was after spending all day on the computer at work setting up our new web pages, which entailed learning a program I have never used before! I am beat, and not speaking to Mac tonight! Why does he do this to me? It was close to divorce tonight!! I am shutting him down!

SUGGESTION: DONNA, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. GET HELP!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP

2008-01-13T13:06:00.001-07:00

This is the cause of my love/hate relationship. Yes, meet "Mac" who is driving me crazy. I now see why he is named after a male.....he stubbornly insists his way is right! Mac came into my life on Monday, and I have devoted every possible waking moment to him. He has changed my life as I knew and loved it. Mac refuses to negotiate. He has forced me into his circle of friends. I have met more people than I ever want to know at apple support (and I use the term loosely) and Frontiernet (my ISP). I can only say that I am glad I did not pay the extra $170 for one full of year of support from apple, because if it is the same as their 90 day support, it would be a rip off. It usually takes over one hour to get to a tech, that's after you go through two people up front. One takes your name and serial number, the next tries to insist on reading the support system instructions to solve your problem. Well, guess what? I can go to their website and read the same thing, I don't need them to "look in their database" which means the same as going to the apple support page and reading to me what I have just read. Anyway, after my hour wait I finally met Mike. He was kind enough to stay on the phone with me for one hour, but never solved my problem. I finally solved it myself this weekend. Now I am actually loving Mac, but I wish he came with an instruction book, and not an online one either. So, having no other choice I purchased a MAC OS-X operating manual, as shown below. Now, I just need to find time to read it.

My only other source of information is this:

Now, I must ask, which would you choose? Just kidding, Bobby! Actually my nephew has been quite helpful, but he is hard to get hold of. Mac has this great feature, he'll let other people remote into your computer and "drive" it. That's what Bobby did for me yesterday.

Another great feature is iChat. I am loving it. I get to see my sister, Bobby, Rachel, and Caleb. It is really cool, and works quite well.

The only problem with Mac is that he builds his relationships slowly. He insist I learn things on my own, and believe me, it has totally been by trial and error. I try to take one thing at a time. Today's lesson was downloading pics from my camera. I even created some cool slideshows.

All in all, I think Mac and I will have a lasting relationship if he learns to bend a little. I have put more effort into this relationship than any other relationship in my life (just kidding!!) Like any male, Mac just needs to learn to appreciate what he has, ME! He doesn't realize he can't do anything without me, but not to worry, I will convince him of that real soon. He may have the upper hand for now, but things are going to be changing.

Funny thing, the whole reason I bought Mac is because my sister gave me an iPod for Xmas (do you ever wonder why apple starts everything with an "i" in front of it?) I think it's because "i" represents me in the relationship. So I guess my other new friend will be "pod." Now, I must admit Pod ingratiated herself with me much faster, as she takes commands well. How do I know Pod is a she? I just know. Pod and I have become fast friends, learning each others idiosyncrasies at a much faster rate than Mac and I. I think perhaps Mac is a bit jealous! Anyway, back to the subject, because of Pod I had to purchase Mac. Poor Pod didn't work on my outdated PC. Was it worth it? Well, I will keep you updated!!!

Below I'm going to put some pics of the grandkids, as requested by my best friend, Tricia.

OK, now this is typing everything on center, as I seem to be stuck in the picture frame, but, I DON'T CARE....DEAL WITH IT!

Anyway aren't they ALL cute??

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

PLAYING WITH MY SISTER'S NEW IMAC

2007-12-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm just experimenting with importing pictures I took with the photo shop program. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!! Until next time.....

Ciao Baby!

ZOEY'S HERE!!

2007-11-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just some quick pics. Mom and Baby doing fine. 7 lbs, 9 ozs. - 20 inches, born at 8:01 today (11-29). Zach can't stand to leave her!!! We are all a bit tired! Here is my new beautiful granddaughter. Welcome, Zoey!

Until next time,

Ciao, Baby

SLOW DOWN!!!

2007-11-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

OK, it's been busy with mostly a bunch of nothing. Been going to Zach's soccer games the last couple of weeks........it's over!!! Zach spent the night with me while JR was in Spokane. We had fun. We went bowling and it was such fun to watch Zach, he is so full of life. He gets the ball and clutches it almost like a football, runs towards the line and then lets it rip. Funny thing is, half the time he follows the ball down on his tummy. Too cute! We took Grandpa with us the next weekend. I hate to admit (ok, not really) that I beat JR by three points!!! Boy, you should have seen his face when my last ball was a strike!! He knew he was had.......therefore, lunch was his treat.

Thanksgiving was good. We went over to a friend's house and she outdid herself with a scrumptious meal. Full of fat and sodium........the scale was kind enough to remind me the next day! Humph! I didn't feel too bad though, because I may have gained two pounds, but JR gained four! After dinner, there was seven of us, we played cards and then called it a night. We had a very enjoyable day. You may be wondering where Trav, Traci, and Zach were. Well, Trav insisted that he did not want to do anything since Traci is sooooo close to delivering. After several attempts to change his mind, I figured, what the heck! JR and I had originally purchased lobster and crab legs for our Thanksgiving meal, but when we got the invitation, we figured we could have the lobster and crab legs Saturday! Anticipation.......

Now, as you all know the excitement is building and we are all on count down for the arrival of Zoey. I am getting so excited I can hardly wait. I keep thinking Traci will never make it to the 29th, she has gotten so big the last few weeks it looks like Zoey is going to explode out of her! I feel bad for her, she can barely get up and down from the sofa, and she barely fits behind the wheel of her car. She is scheduled for the C-section at 7:30. Zach is counting the days and looking forward to the arrival of his little sister. I will post pics as soon as I can after she is born.

That about sums up my last two or three weeks, so until next time.........

Ciao, Baby!

P.S. The lobster and crab legs were everything I dreamed of and more!!!

TWO WEEK UPDATE

2007-11-04T10:55:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy two weeks. John's brother and cousin came up with their wives last weekend and we had a blast! Donny brought his rhino and his son's golf cart. Us girls managed to get about a half hours worth of riding time in on the rhino, which was more than enough! They all got in on Friday and we just kicked back at the house. Ate a lot and drank a little. JR made us a delicious dinner.....tamales (I bought those), chili colorado, beans and rice. A real Mexican feast!!!

The next morning the guys got up and took the rhino and golf cart out for a drive. When they got back, JR did his usual, made a fantastic breakfast!!!

After breakfast, the girls took command of the rhino and had ourselves an enjoyable ride around Golden Valley. It was a lot of fun, but very dusty. Susie did a great job of driving!!!

We made it home, safe and sound, and a little weather beaten. The guys somehow managed to find us and came in last!!!

The guys continued to ride the toys the rest of the day, and into the evening. The girls headed down to Laughlin for a little relaxation. The guys finally showed up at 7:00. I had an enjoyable visit with my sister-in-law at the Gourmet Room! Sunday we went to Grannys for the champagne brunch (lots of delicious seafood such as lobster, crab, oysters, shrimp, etc.) We all spent Sunday night in Laughlin gambling and dancing! It was a late night and how that group left on Monday is beyond me! I'm sure glad we only had a 20 minute ride up the hill! I took Tuesday off so I could recuperate, and I'm sure glad I did!

This weekend was a little more relaxing. We went to Zach's soccer game on Saturday, and got home around 10:30 that night. Yeah, you guessed it, a few stops, ending up at the Gourmet Room (unplanned, I swear!). We have come to know several of the locals down there and we had a wonderful time chatting with them. Today.....back to my exercising......I think I have about two pounds to work off. Also have bills to pay, accounts to log, etc. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooring!

Next weekend I am bachloretting it. John and JJ head to Spokane for a Stanford football game. It should be a nice trip as one of John's best friends lives there and they plan to meet up with him and his wife. Me.......I am having my boyfriend over and we are going to Parrrrrrrrrta'!!! You guessed it........that would be Zach! Annnnnnnnnnd, in about four weeks (November 29th, as it stands now) we will be welcoming our granddaughter, Zoey Olivia Early, into the world! I am getting soooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!! Until later,

Ciao Baby!

MAN, NEVER ENOUGH TIME

2007-10-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Don't have time to blog. Had company for dinner last weekend and had a great time!!! Having company this weekend (sis and brother in law and cousins). Looking forward to it. I am off until Wednesday.

So thankful the wind has died down and they are starting to get the fires under control in California. Thank God for keeping our family and friends safe, and thank God for our friends who expressed their concern because they know we have family in San Diego.

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

A HUNTIN' HE WILL GO!

2007-10-13T15:07:00.001-07:00

OK, I wasn't going to blog this weekend as not doing anything; however, I have to tell you about JR's hunting trip.

He and his brother, Sig, get up a 5:00 A.M. and leave for the big hunt at 6:00, after scouting the area the day before. Well, he was rather irritated because he said there were a couple of guys out there with rifles and dogs, and hunting season didn't open until today. I think he really wanted to call Game and Fish on them, but figured what's the use. Well, about 8:00 A.M. I thought I heard something in the house, but figured, nah, JR can't be back this soon, must be noise outside. WRONG!!! In pops JR. He tells me that he got to the place he wanted to hunt but he couldn't get his lock off the gun! He dropped his brother off, came home and got out the directions for the lock, and got it off!! Next, he tells me that he was stopped by Game and Fish; they were just checking licenses. Well, he tells them about the two guys hunting yesterday, and they inform him that yesterday was opening day. He says, "no way" the book says October 13th." Well, he looks it up when he gets home and rightously points out that the book says opening day is October 13th. I solemnly point out that the book is for 2006-2007, and it does say October 13th. 2006!!! He then takes off again to go pick up his brother and head back out. Now about this time I'm thinking, "doesn't this just scream out that this guy shouldn't be hunting!" Off he goes, merrily on his way. Now, I have to admit, I detest guns, hate them, scared of them, and on and on. I hate to even see him go because I am scared someone will accidently shoot him. Well, after this experience, I'm kinda feeling sorry for poor Sig, who doesn't even have a gun (thank God!), but might be at a disadvantage! Really, all joking aside, JR has taken gun classes, etc. I know in my heart that the poor quail don't have much to worry about because he isn't that great of a shot! They were probably laughing their asses off when he couldn't get the lock off!!! He tells me, geez, I didn't even get to use my new boots!! Well, he arrived home three hours later. Guess what? He didn't even have one little bird!!! Told you they didn't need to worry! Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

Oh yeah, I did ask him why he didn't ask the Game and Fish people how to open the lock, and he responded that he was too embarrassed. I guess I would be too. Heck, I'd be scared they take my license away from me!!

ZACH'S 6!!!

2007-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

MY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Man, where does the time go? I was driving to work on Zach's birthday, thinking about the day he was born. It is always kind of bitter sweet because I always remember my parents coming up to surprise all of us. I remember my mom saying she wasn't going to miss her great-grandson's entrance into the world. I was so surprised when they called to tell me they were at the hospital. We all had such a great time, and I am so thankful for that wonderful memory. It hardly seems like it was six years ago, yet when I look at Zach I can't believe how big he has gotten! He is so full of energy and enthusiasm for life......I just love it, but the kid does wear you out!

We started the weekend out bright and early at Zach's 9 A.M. soccer game. Mind you, we have to be there at nine............it's like another workday, but a lot more fun. The game was great this weekend. Zach scored three goals. It is so fun to watch the kids, it is 40 minutes of laughter! After the game we did a little grocery shopping and then headed home to watch videos.

Sunday was Zach's birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza. Wow, talk about noisy. He had a great time, as you can see below. We enjoyed it too, watching Zach with all his little friends. I think he is going to be our outgoing one. He never meets a stranger!

A calmer moment, while Zach opens a gift.

Too cute! Filthy dirty little feet, after running all over the place!

And what's a birthday without a Ninja Turtle Cake!

Zach with a few of his friends. I bet all these kids slept good last night, I know I did (oops, that was probably cuz of the drinks!)

Yes, after the birthday party, we met our friends, Jan and Jer, for happy hour, and then went over to the Tropicana to listen to the band. They were really good, but it is soooooooo hard staying awake through their breaks. We managed to make it unitil 1:00 A.M. I decided I should drive home since John drank more (no big surprise) and longer (again, no big surprise) than me. However, my night blindness hasn't improved with age. I kept my fingers crossed all the way up the hill. Thankfully, there was no traffic! You'd have to be buzzed to endure a ride up the hill with me at midnight!!!

Today, we did, ummmmmmmmmmmmm..........nothing. A lot of rest, a little exercise, and a few chores pushed over to next weekend!!!

Quail season opens on Saturday, so Hunter John is heading out early to try to get his quota of quail. I'm glad we don't have to depend on him for dinner! And, Donna, just a heads up..........................I will probably have nothing to blog next weekend, as I plan on doing absolutely nothing. Until next time......

Ciao Baby!

I'M A WINNER!!!!!

2007-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Started the weekend kind of early by going to my former boss's house for lunch. We had tater tot casserole, rolls, salad, and chocolate eclairs. It was delicious. She was famous for her tater tot casserole when we had our potlucks at work, so it was a much anticipated treat! Thanks, Pat. She shared all her computer scrapbooking ideas with us, which is something I might be interested in when I retire.

Friday, John and I took off for the Tropicana Express in Laughlin. We were entered to play in a slot tournament, WE LOST! But, it was fun. And, I may have lost the slot tournament, but I hit a ROYAL FLUSH!!! YIPPEE, FOR ME!!!

YEAP, THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE!!! PRETTY, HUH? GOTTA LOVE IT!

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn and went to Zach's soccer game. We always enjoy them, the kids are so cute. Trav decided to coach this year, and is doing a good job. It's not easy controlling six 5-6 year olds. The kids have a great time, and that's what counts. This week they were mostly on the ground tripping all over each other.

ZACH AND DAD, AREN'T THEY CUTE??? ZACH IS IN THE YELLOW RIGHT NEXT TO DAD.

ZACH IS IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE PICTURE - GOING AFTER THAT GOAL!!!

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE TIME, JUST ONE BIG BUNCH OF KIDS!!!

After the game we went back to the hotel, walked to some different casinos, which took most of the day, and then got back to our hotel, verified that we had lost the tournament, (yeah, we did!), and were tucked into bed by 9:30. Got up early Sunday, came home, and got absolutely nothing done.

I came down to the basement to do my treadmill, and sat down at the computer. It is one hour later, and now I am tired, and I still have to treadmill!!!! YUK, I HATE IT!! Until later,

Ciao Baby!

NOTHING ABOUT NOTHING!

2007-09-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't think of one interesting thing to say, as we have done absolutely nothing this past week and weekend. We were supposed to go to Zach's soccer game; however, it turned windy and rainy so we decided to skip it. Travis said the field was very muddy, and all the kids wanted to do was play in it. He didn't have too successful of a coaching week this week, but, hey, they're just kids. Like I told him, it's basically just a play date at this age. John is presently watching the Charger game, which means he is screaming and hollering at every wrong move they make. Unbelievable! (and very annoying).

Zach got his progress report and got all check-plus, and checks, which is very good. He seems to have adjusted to school quite well. He will be turning 6 on October 4th. Time flies!! Baby #2 is due in another couple of months, and we are looking forward to that!!!

I've gone back to healthy eating and have dropped about 3 pounds, but would really like to lose about 10-15. Have to get ready for our trip to Aruba next May.

Next weekend John and I are scheduled to play in a slot tournament. I hope we win!!! There is a $5,000 jackpot and a $2,000 jackpot.

Other than that, nothing new. Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

WHEW! IT'S BEEN A BUSY TWO WEEKS

2007-09-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have had a busy two weeks, and, am sad to say, not even a picture to post. I attended a seminar last week with Cindy, one of my co-workers. We had a great time, as we turned it into a mini-vacation. We decided to take a day off and head out early so we could cover a few shopping malls. The seminar was in Phoenix. The first day went perfect, made all our stops, didn't get lost, and we were back at the hotel by about eight. The second day we started on our venture to the shopping malls, with a stop at the Elephant Bar for lunch. Cindy mapped all this out for us, so we started our trip with about a ream of paper. Well, not to my surprise, the first thing we do is veer off course to the bead shop. She assured me it opened at nine. WRONG! Ten. Now we will be late for our first mall. She graciously offers to continue on to the mall, and skip the bead store, but hey, we're sitting right in front of it and it's 9:50 A.M. I graciously suggest we run in for about twenty minutes, which naturally turns into forty. No problem, we are on our way. The directions tell us to go towards Southern. How the heck are we supposed to know where Southern is! Nice directions, I say. She runs back into the bead shop and the girl tells her it is easier to get on 101 East and take Rural Road. Well, after about three u-turns, because we only see 101 West, and no East we decide to take 101 West. Well, lo and behold, the girl meant West! So we finally make it to our first mall. Have to drive around that a few times to find the entrance. It is one wierd mall! Get through that pretty efficiently, I must say, and we head out to Elephant Bar. Well, I'm not sure where Cindy got the address for this Elephant Bar, it was non-existent. We get to where it is suppose to be, and it is basically a vacant field in the middle of nowhere. Notorious for her sense of humor, Cindy says, "If they can put an Elephant Bar here, they can put one in Kingman!" Well, guess what, there wasn't one there! After several more u-turns (did I mention we went down a main street for 30 miles to get to this point?) I told Cindy, come on, there has to have been a freeway we could have gotten on. Anyway, we decide to forego the Elephant Bar, and just try to find the mall. Well, we continue on, find the mall after several more u-turns because our wonderful directions told us to go west off the offramp. Nope, we should have gone east! About now, I'm thinking Cindy should invest in a GPS system. Well, you won't believe this, but here sits the Elephant Bar, right across from the mall!!! We are still trying to find out where Cindy got that other address. Not bad, we are only two hours behind schedule. We had planned on being back to the hotel about 4 and watching all the other Mohave County folks check in. Well, we got back at 9:30!! Everyone was in bed!!! Thursday was our seminar, and we had a great time. Went to the casino with about five other girls, and had a blast listening to the band. The girls were all over the dance floor!!! Got home Friday and met up with John who had spent the week in San Diego. We went to Happy Hour Friday night for a little R&R and some time together. Yeah, we missed each other!

Yeah, I got a picture! Thanks, Jer

Jerry thinks he's a comedian!!!

Voodoo Lounge Rooftop

Tuesday (9-11) we left for Vegas to celebrate JR's birthday. Janet and Jerry, our friends from Mohave Valley, met us there (they stayed at Wynns) and we had a fabulous dinner at Buzios, went to the Voodoo Lounge, which is on the top of the Rio, and had a drink, then headed over to Wynns to see their water show. Jan had been wanting to catch this water show since their last visit, as they only caught the end of it last time. Guess what? They didn't catch the end, they caught the whole show, it is about five minutes long. We had a good laugh over that. We headed back to our hotel about one. The next day JR and I ran errands, and then had an early dinner at King's Fish House, as Linda and Larry were generous enough to give us gift cards for our birthdays. It was a delicious meal and we enjoyed it immensely. However, I ordered a lemon drop martini. When it came I tasted it and it was the worst lemon drop I have ever had. I figured they would know how to make it since it was advertised on their drink menu. JR suggested I send it back, but I said no, I would just drink it. Well, that was before I discovered it had a salted rim, not sugared. I said that's it, back it goes. I told JR I would not order another drink because I am always scared they will spit in it or something! Well the manager came over and apologized profusely and kept insisting I have another. Finally, I asked if the salted rim was the only mistake and he said yes. I said no thank you then, because, to be honest, the drink itself tasted like a bad margarita martini. He said how about something else, so I settled for a milky way martini, as I figured the bartender couldn't screw that up. It's basically all booze - vanilla vodka, kahula, and baileys. It was very good and I can only hope if he spit in it the alcohol killed the germs! We gambled a little at Green Valley and then headed back to the Rio. We found a nice little bar and had a couple of lemon drops, which the bartender made using our recipe. She liked them so much she said she is going to use that recipe from now on. Did I mention lemon drop martinis cost $15 at the Rio? Yep, but JR said I'm worth it! OK, he may have been a little tipsy, but that works for me. We then gambled at the bar, where JR managed to down about four shots of Patron in a relatively short time. This worked great for me, because he gets much more generous, and I was losing! He then ordered me a lemon drop martini there, and the guy made a pretty good one. JR said that one cost $200. See the more he drinks, the more valuable I get! We had a fantastic night, you know, one of those nights, where everything is funny. We hated to see it end, but end it did at 1 A.M. Hey, that's pretty good for us, we're old! Today, Costco, and home! So, as you can see, I've been a busy little bee. But, I must say I have had a great two weeks! Fun, Fun, Fun. Until later,

Ciao Baby!

P.S. I got great news this week..........my niece is pregnant! Congratulations, Megan and Tim! Did I mention they have a one year old? This should keep them on their feet, but if they get another one like Ryan, it'll be a piece of cake!

OK, WHAT DO YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT ME?

2007-09-01T20:13:00.001-07:00

Take My Quiz on
QuizYourFriends.com

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

2007-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

WHEW!

OK, here I am, still trying to adjust from my vacation, which was a week ago. I'm barely getting back into my routine.....which means I had my lemon drop last night......have to start the weekend out right!

Let's see if I can take a fast trip through the last two weeks. Below is a small birthday group at work. As you can see, we have a very short staff on Fridays. But, hey, we still know how to party. The cake, made by Little Carol (bet you can guess which one she is by the nickname) was delicious!!! It had so many things in and on it, it must have taken her hours to make! This started my vacation off with just the right kick!
Saturday we were on our way to Lawrence Welk Resort. Arrived about three o'clock, had a little happy hour, and then went to a wonderful dinner at Pechanga Resort and Casino! Shrimp Scampi for me! Gained a couple of pounds, lost a couple of bucks , and headed back to the condo. Sunday, a small group came over to help me celebrate my "real" birthday. Yep, Sunday was the real day (sorry for the confusion Bobby and Megan, who, by the way, don't seem to be privy to that info. Small suggestion.......mark your calendars!!!) We took this great self-timer group shot. Boo Hoo......no Trav, Traci, Zach, Bobby, Rachel, Caleb, or Desiree! JR made us a delicious spaghetti dinner, with a succulent (hey, I'm running out of adjectives) antipasto salad. Can a salad be succulent??? Probaby not.

We finished off that superb spaghetti dinner with a decadent chocolate cake, compliments of the Bradys, and some low-calorie, mid-calorie, and major calorie cupcakes made by my beautiful granddaughter Taylor. She explained that they were frosted accordingly.......low-cal, no frosting; mid-cal, outer edge frosting; and major cal, completely frosted. Well, it's not hard to guess which I opted for......hey, it's my birthday, it's my birthday.....I know, you're all pretty sick of that little diddy!

Don't I look happy??? I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

We continued our week at Lawrence Welk with a trip to the wineries. We decided it would be more fun if we liked wine, but hey as you can see from the pics below, we made the best of it!
Donna and Taylor thought they would orchestrate a shot.......but, hey, let's face it......they had a darn good potographer!
Taylor found the cheery little wine maker, and, as you see below, Donna and I found the bar!!

Cindy, from work, told me about this fabulous winery (Wilson Winery) where they put your taste of champagne in dark chocolate EDIBLE cups. Naturally, this was a must for Donna and I, who happen to be chocoholics. Believe me, it did not disappoint. And, for Taylor, they filled her cup with sparkling cider! Not so good for the diet, since we indulged in two of these tastes!

Wednesday, it was off to the races. OK, didn't make much money there, but had a great time! Thursday, Donna and I visited the mall and did a little power shopping. Friday to the movies to see Bourne Ultimatum, and then over to the the Indian Casino (Pala) where I actually made a few bucks for a change!

Saturday we left for home, and would have gotten there at a decent hour if we hadn't decided to meet our friends, Janet and Jerry, at Happy Hour (yes, it should be capitalized, it's important!). Then from Happy Hour, where, by the way, I got turned onto a new drink......they call it a Cherry Martini, but what it is, is cherry flavored rum with a splash of grenadine. I will be on a new quest for these ingredients soon, it was off to dinner, a little gambling, and home at ten!!!

Now, this Friday, my three good friends from work and I had our annual birthday party celebration. Cindy and Carol prepare a special feast for Barb and I. As you can see below we had a great time. We have done this for about four years now, and it is a good time with great friends and luscious food. Cindy made us a wonderful chicken enchilada casserole, and taco salads. Carol topped it off with my favorite dessert............brownies, ice cream and hot fudge. A good time was had by all!

Cindy had set this gorgeous table for us!

The girls were having a fit while I was trying to get this picture...........THEY WERE HUNGRY...ESPECIALLY LITTLE CAROL!

Is this to die for, or what??? What a creation, and we each get to create our own!!!

So, as you can see, life is grand. This weekend is R&R, and catching up!!! Hey, good for me! I FINALLY GOT A LIFE, AND IT'S FUN!! Until later...

Ciao, Baby!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! AUGUST 12, 19??

2007-08-10T12:45:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY-----------JUST IN CASE YOU ALL FORGOT!!! TEE HEE

I'VE BEEN CELEBRATING ALL WEEK AT WORK!! THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH ARE SO NICE AND THOUGHTFUL................THEY'RE THE GREATEST!

Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

HELP PICK MY GRANDDAUGHTER'S NAME

2007-08-04T17:21:00.001-07:00

Trav put a poll on his blog site to help them choose a name for the baby. Please go cast your vote at:

ttzearly.blogspot.com or click on their link from this site.

Unfortunately, we can't add our own suggestions. If you have one, though, you can place it on my blog. But, please cast a vote on theirs, using the names they have chosen. I'm not sure our opinions will mean diddly squat.......but who knows, if your name wins, you'll think it's because of you!

Thanks for the help,

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

IT'S SUPPOSE TO BE ALL ABOUT ME, BUT....

2007-08-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Just a little useful info first (it goes with the pic) [I've never made one before, but have drank a few]:

Lemon Drop Martini

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce Triple Sec

2 ounces Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

2 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Ice cubes

Superfine sugar for dipping

Twisted peel of lemon

Place the sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Swirl the shaker around so that both ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Add ice cubes. Add the vodka, triple sec and margarita mix, and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into sugar. (This is the best part, make sure and do it)
Makes 1 serving.

HEY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE MY BLOG IS INFORMATIVE, AS WELL AS ENTERTAINING!

OK, I've just about had it. JR is beginning to steal my thunder, and I don't like it one little bit. Yes, he has turned into the big winner in the family! It seems that lately, everytime we go gambling, he wins, and I don't. Now most of you who know me, know that I have always been pretty darn lucky and win most of the time. Well, it seems the tides have shifted, and something appears to be screwed up in this cosmic universe......John's winning and I'm not! You know, I was actually happy for him the first couple of times, but now it is really starting to get on my nerves, and the more he wins, the more he wants to keep gambling. Hello..................did you notice I'm not winning............you are starting to cost me money............worse yet, he doesn't seem to care. Well, I shall keep contemplating this lastest delimma, and try to figure out what "fun" thing I can do while he continues to gamble. My wife-in-law suggested drinking more lemon drop martinis, and it's starting to sound like a pretty good idea! So, this about covers my Friday night, except that we did have a very nice time meeting our friends for drinks at the Gourmet Room. I decided to start celebrating my birthday a little early, thus the reason for even drinking the lemon drops, as well as the cranberry martini, and the sea breeze. Hey, when you're sitting right in front of the bartender watching him make the drinks, you figure you might as well try a few. And the appetizer of mussels..........out of this world...........all in a wonderful garlic butter sauce. Boy, all of a sudden it just hit me.......how many pounds do you think this put on?

Oh, here's an interesting fact..........you can't get a battery for a Passat in this entire area. Yes, my battery went out and I purchased one at Sam's Club which was listed to fit a Passat. Well, the Passat manual says to make sure the dimensions are exactly the same as the original battery. When we got home, they weren't. We called several places, no one carries batteries for a Passat. So we called the dealer in Henderson and they said "$121!" I said, "John, it is time for your Mexican ingenuity to kick in (he's good at that). He said he could get it to fit, but he hated to start jacking up my car that way. I told him as along as there is no permanent damage, go for it. Well, he has the battery in, it works just fine, and eveyone is happy (at least, until the smaller battery comes flying out of the car!)

Now, most of you who know me, know that I roller skate (quads) and had an unfortunate accident when I first got my new skates about 1-1/2 years ago. Flew up in the air and come down hard on concrete. The wheels move when you are tyring to stand still......what's up with that? Well, I have been trying to figure out a way to slow them down ever since then, and have gotten really serious since my back and hip have been hurting. I decided the reason my hip hurts so bad is because I'm scared to death I'm going to fall again! Well after emailing a couple of skating places, about changing out the bearings, etc., one of them suggested I tighten the wheels. Who in the heck knew you could do that, for crying out loud!!! Well, guess what? Problem solved, it was an absolutely genuis idea!!! They are much slower now, which works for me, hey, what's the use of using them to exercise if you barely have to push with your legs......this will be better all the way around.

Did you all know that Traci (daughter-in-law) had her ultrasound and the baby is definitely a girl, which it well should be for the price!!! They want to take the baby on the day after Thanksgiving, but so far Traci is having none of that. I'm not sure why, but we shall see. Our older son said to remind his brother that there are a lot of football games on that day, but I surely don't think that would be Traci's reason. I have now probably given her incentive to let them go ahead and take the baby the day after Thanksgiving!!

Tomorrow we go out to lunch with Trav, Traci, and Zach. Then, guess what, JR wants to gamble! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Zach is starting school on Monday, so he is excited about that!! I'm anxious to see how he likes it, as he will be going five days a week, 9 to 2. Long day for a little kid.

We leave on Saturday for the condo at Lawrence Welk. I am so looking forward to it. I just have to make it through 32 hours more of work, and then I am out of here for some rest and relaxation!!! I can hardly wait. The only bummer this year is that Trav, Traci, Zach, Bobby, Rachel, and Caleb will not be joining us. We will miss them......we may be a bit dysfunctional, but we all love each other. Oh well, we will have Megan, Tim, and Ryan, so there is still enough people to get on each other's nerves. We will be touring some of the wineries in Temecula and hitting the Del Mar Races. Other than that, no plans, just whatever the heck we want to to. Taylor will be coming up to spend a few days, so we are excited about that.

Wow, I better go start packing!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

WEDDING PICTURES

2007-07-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Priscilla and part of Josh (Hey, they walked too fast and my camera was too slow)
The Brothers

The Sisters-in-law

John and Linda

Donny, Elaine & DJ

Melody, Lynda, Marlynda, Mike

The Brothers and Cousins

Our Table (those gorgeous rose are all real!)

The Bride and Groom

Bride and Dad

Bride, Mom and Dad

It was a blast,

Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

GREAT WEEKEND!

2007-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a great weekend!! Everything went absolutely perfect. Upon my arrival I decided to pamper myself, so it was off with my sis for a mani/pedi first thing. Then on to my favorite store......Sephora. Unfortunately, since I was flying, I had to show some self control, not one of my better traits. Then before we knew it, it was time to meet everyone for dinner. We had a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants....Filippis. It is my favorite pizza place!

We stuffed ourselves and had a very enjoyable time catching up!

Saturday if was off to the wedding. It was so much fun getting to see relatives we rarely get to see. The wedding was wonderful and absolutely extravagant. It was at a beautiful church on the campus of USD (I think that's the university, I get them mixed up). The reception was held in downtown San Diego at the U. S. Grant Hotel. We were treated like royalty! I will post pictures in a separate blog, as I can't move them around in my blogs for some reason. We feasted on filet mignon and lobster, with some very nice wines to compliment the meal. The bride (John's cousin's daughter, Priscilla) was absolutely gorgeous. I would say we danced the night away, but that would be stretchng it......we never even danced once! But we did make it up until one o'clock.

Sunday, we kicked back and bbq'd at my sister's house. We ended the evening being overstuffed and playing Phaase 10 (card game) with Megan and Tim. I better let you know that Mego won, or I will never hear the end of it. That's ok, I'll exact my revenge in a couple of weeks when we all meet up at the condo!

Thanks to my sis for putting up with us and thanks to Daniel and Anna for a wonderful evening!

Until later,

Ciao Baby

MISS ME!!

2007-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

SAN DIEGO!

Yep, that's where I'm at. Here to attend a family wedding. It is hot and humid here.....worse than Arizona because somebody (I won't mention any names) doesn't have air conditioning. This is when I actually miss my house!!! At least we are equipped to make it through all elements!!! Anyway, back to the point, which would be, I'm here, and you're not!!

Will let you know all the details and will add some pics when I get home!

Until then,

Ciao, Baby!

GOT IT!!

2007-07-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know I got my new (ha! refurbished is more like it, I'm sure) DVR. But, I am a happy camper because now I have my TV back!!! It arrived safe and sound on Monday and has been put through all the "firsts" again. My recording schedule is back on track and I am ready to treadmill!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

DIRECTV AND ZACH ATTACK

2007-07-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Don't Buy This!!!! Maybe you'll want to try Dish!!!

OK, it's getting close to the weekend and not going so well......Wednesday night I discover that my practically new DirecTV DVR player is broken......yes, broken! Hey, I need this when I workout! I call DirecTV and after being stuck on the phone for one hour with a girl that has the personality of a wall it turns out they are going to have to ship me a new one. She said it would take 2-3 days...which means 5 since you can't count the weekend. She assured me, well, as much assuring as a "wall" can give you using one or two words, that it usually only takes two days. Guess what??? I don't have my DVR yet. It better be here by Monday. Then, to make matters worse I go online and see that I was charged $21 to ship the dang thing! My blood begins to boil. I grab the phone and tell the rep not only did the girl last night never mention the charge, I had no intention of paying one red cent for shipping. I had purchased over $500 in equipment three months ago and one thing already went out, I could not believe they would have the audacity to charge ME for their crappy equipment. Well, as she was switchiing me to a different department I realized that I was way to angry to deal with these people so I ran over and threw the phone to John and told him to handle it. He did....charge reversed. However, when she started her next sentence with "our policy is..." she opened herself up to John's diatribe......she opted not to listen and just reversed the charge. At least they have one smart person working for them!!!

Friday we decided we needed a "Zach-fix", and picked Zach up and took him to see Ratatouille. John said it grossed him out to see a bunch of rats cooking in a kitchen. I thought it was ok, not great, and since this was Zach's second viewing he was not totally enthralled. I think he likes the previews more! After that we took him on a shopping trip and got him a couple of shirts and a swimsuit. John found a bunch of baby t-shirts on sale for our granddaughter that is due in December. Ever see a man shop for baby clothes, well let me tell you.........he just grabs a bunch, doesn't look at sizes or anything and puts them up on the counter. I told him he should check the sizes and figure out what season it will be when the baby is that age........well, he was having none of that, what he got was just fine! He even had two of the same shirts! Luckily, I caught that and sent him back to at least get a different one! Next we went to Peter Piper Pizza, where Zach and I managed to go through 100 tokens! Zach hit a good one that paid 450 tickets!!! That's my boy! Then we did a little shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot, looking for a new ceiling fan. They're all UGLY!!! About this time John and I were dead on our feet and Zach was still full of energy. We headed over to Trav's store where we were going to drop Zach off. We sat on a bench and waited for Trav while Mr. Energy ran around, never resting for a minute. I'll tell you what.......he makes John and I feel OLD!!! After dropping Zach off, John and I headed over to the Gourmet Room for Happy Hour and to regroup. Once we regained a little of our stamina we gambled a little and then listened to some music. John hit a Royal Flush and I hit six out of six on my keno numbers. We finally headed home and I was shocked to look at the clock as I was taking off my make-up and find that it was 2:00 A.M. Boy, that was a long day.

I am now going to finish off the weekend getting ready for my trip to San Diego on Friday. We are going to a wedding on Saturday. John's cousin's daughter is getting married so we are flying in for the wedding. I didn't stop to think when I made the reservations to fly out at 9:00 Friday morning that I would have to get up at 3:00 A.M. to accomplish that feat! I kind of forgot about the two hour drive to the Las Vegas airport, so next Friday will be another long day. We are looking forward to going and seeing everyone, so it will be worth it!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

BORING WEEKEND/HEAVEN AND HELL

2007-07-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well these pics should get your attention, and they pretty well sum up my weekend!

This was a pretty boring weekend. Friday night John and I went to the Gourmet Room because I was in the mood for some mussels in garlic sauce.......uuuummmmmmmm good! It would have been worth the trip if I hadn't lost my butt gambling. I have been getting very frustrated with gambling, as I can't seem to hit a thing. Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for JR, he has been doing quite well. The problem with that is I can't get him to go home......which usually costs me MORE money! It would actually be cheaper to hire a cab to take me to Golden Valley.......yes, really! Hey, one thing I did do before we started gambling is that I went to the mall and bought a piece of luggage I've been wanting. One thing I have learned.....pay cash for everything I buy down there, because if you don't the machines will just get your money!!!

Other than that, I did watch an interesting 20/20 regarding heaven and hell. Now I know this probably isn't a subject I should bring up in my family but I will anyway, because it really got me to thinking. Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? I decided that, deep down, I honestly don't believe in hell, but that might be because I don't really have to think about it because I lead a pretty normal life. Now, heaven, I'm not so sure about. Sometimes I believe in heaven, sometimes I don't. I mean once we're dead, we're dead. Does your soul really go somewhere? If there is this big wonderful place called heaven, what do we look like when we get there? Do we revert back to the "best and healthiest" time in our life? Do we look the way we did the day we died? Hey, I need to know what the people I'm looking for will look like when I get there! Now, I'm not what you would call religious, but I certainly believe in God. I have prayed daily for just about my entire life. Do I believe I have to go to a specific place to do this....No. Do I need to attend church so someone can try and convince me there is a heaven and hell.....nope, I can make up my own mind. But then I ask myself, if I believe in heaven, then where do all the bad people go? I tell you this has opened up some deep thinking on my part. I think I would prefer to believe that once we die, our life is over, period. I mean, look around you, for some people this is hell on earth. Neglected, abused children, homeless people, victims of crime, etc. I mean, come on, don't you think this is hell for these people?

Is there an underbelly? Do we repent for our sins. I don't know......I think we just live life the best we can. Do we all make mistakes, sure. Do we have to repent......I don't think so. Now, I'm not talking about murderers, but then I don't think you can just ask for forgiveness for a heinous crime and say that you have found God and you are forgiven. That just shouldn't happen in my book!

There were people on the show that have had near death experiences.....another interesting subject. Now I don't want to find out if there are near death experiences, because I don't want to ever come that close to death! When I do die, if I get a choice, I will take that beautful white light that people say you see, where everything is peaceful, and your loved ones are beckoning.....that's the way I want to go, peacefully!

Until next time,

Ciao, Baby!

PARTY HEARTY/HARDY (YOU TELL ME WHICH ONE)

2007-07-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we were invited over to our friend's house, Janet and Jerry's, for dinner and the fireworks. We arrived around twoish, and Jer said he was going to "make" margaritas." To our astonishment, they proceeded to drag out glasses the size of pitchers. Jer stated it would take him a while to "make" the margaritas, so John opted for a beer while waiting. Well, Jerry goes over to the counter and starts salting the rims. Imagine how hard that was with these size glasses. We actually ended up with a portion of the rim salted, the darn glass wouldn't fit in the salt container! He then pulls out a bottle of pre-made margaritas (top shelf, of course, only the best for OUR friends). Well it took a while to fill up all the glasses since Jer couldn't figure out how to get the pouring stopper out!!! But, as you can see below, mission accomplished!!

Now, I must confess, I toppled over one of these glasses when we adjourned to watch music videos in the other room. Poor John, no more margarita for him!!! Sorry, but it WAS his glass. After cleaning up that mess (I'll probably never be invited back, I mean imagine knocking over a margarita that size, it was like a flowing river) we watched a great music video by the Bee Gees. Now the great thing that comes out of all this, is that Jerry is going to help John put together a surround sound package for us. I can hardly wait to start music video shopping, I can already think of zillions of artists I want to get. Jerry then served us a declicious dinner of BBQ'd rib eye steaks.....succulent!! We had an amazing ceasar salad, and bread to die for, and the most delicious rice dish I have had in a long while. I must say this meal is not for dieters, because the reason everything tastes so good (bread and rice) is because it is laddened with butter and oil!!!! Oh well, I am telling myself, "you've been really good for the past month," while my "other self" is saying, "yeah, wait until you get on the scale tomorrow and weigh three pounds more!!!" Luckily, my first self won out! We then took a walk outside to see Jerry's sail boat, which has never been sailed in Mohave County!!! For those of you who don't know, sailboats are not a big commodity here, it's power boats!! We keep trying to talk Jerry into taking it on the river!!! He is scared he will become a laughing stock just towing it there!!! Well, it was a bit warm outside (probably about 118), so we all lasted about 20 minutes, which is pretty darn good. They have the most gorgeous pool and patio, it's a shame it can't be used more in the summer!!! It's just too darn hot out here!!! When I suggested John take his bathing suit, he replied "I'm not going outside......it's too hot!" Hey, so it's a little warm, buck up! We all decided to go back inside and watch more videos. John and Jer watched some Ray Charles, whom I do like, but I kind of like the groups better. I finally talked them into putting on the Eagles, which was fantastic. They then served us chocolate brownies, vanilla ice cream, and strawberries, all covered in a chocolate wine syrup they had gotten at one of the wineries in Northern California. It was awesome. The fireworks started and we all trekked outside to watch; they were quite enjoyable; however, John and Jerry spent most of the time complaining about the neighbor's light and the heat!! We then adjourned to the backyard to see the view from there. It was great, and the guys swore it was cooler because there was a "breeze," which consisted of hot wind blowing across your face!!! I returned inside and watched form the window because I couldn't miss the grand finale, that's the best part. Jan then served us chocolate with port wine (this was new to us). You take a bite of dark chocolate and top it off with a sip of port wine. It, too, was delicious, but I could not fit one more thing in my poor stomach! Shortly after, we gathered up our belongings and headed for home. We arrived safe and sound about 11:00 p.m. So, thanks to Janet and Jerry for having us over!!! We had a great time, and you certainly are the hostesses with the mostestes (hah, figure those words out?) Until next time....

Ciao Baby!

FOURTH OF JULY

2007-07-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4TH!!!

OK, feeling a wee big guilty because we are doing absolutely nothing today. I think it stems from my upbringing. I mean, come on, we always did something on the fourth. I remember when we were little, my Mom's side of the family all met at Grandma Silva's house in Coronado. We watched the Coronado parade, went swimming in the Coronado Pool, came back and ate Grandma's chili beans (best I've ever eaten), and Uncle George bbq'd hamburgers and hots dogs. I don't think we stayed for the fireworks, but I could be wrong. As we grew older and had our own families, activities varied. Sometimes we went to the Coronado Parade, bbq'd with my Aunt Flo, some went swimming, and some went to the air show, and then stuck around for the fireworks. Other 4ths we went over Donna's for a bbq and swim. Her family usually went to the J Street fireworks in the evening. Sometimes we went to Maggie and Sig's (JR's mom and dad) for swimming and bbq'ing. Anyway, the point is, we always did something! I mulled over having a bbq for a couple of weeks, but deep down didn't really want to do anything as I have to work the next day. I thought about inviting Trav's family, Sig and Tammy, and a couple of our friends, but in the end was too lazy to do anything. John and I will bbq our steaks and watch a movie. We are celebrating the 4th on Saturday with our friends Jan and Jer at their house. We are all hoping we will be able to make it for the Avi fireworks, which start at 9:00 and can be viewed from their backyard. John, Mike, Sig, Tammy, and I went to the firewords in Laughlin on Saturday. They were pretty good, and the weather was great, believe it or not, it was not too hot to sit out and watch them this year. Of course that was last week, this week it is about 115 or 120 down there!!! After the fireworks we listened to a band (The Matrix) at the Aquarius. They were really good and we all had a great time. I guess I will count that as our 4th of July celebration, because it isn't going to get any better than that today. However, I have to admit, I like staying home and vegging out. It's just the guilt factor I have a hard time contending with. I did poll several people at work and they were doing the exact same thing.....NOTHING!! Nonetheless, deep down, I still think the 4th is a time for family and celebration; however, this year I will just live with the guilt and enjoy myself.

Did anybody do anything on the 4th????? If so, please share, and let me live vicariously through you!!

Ciao, Baby

Los Lobos Concert....A Trip Down Memory Lane

2007-06-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's where we were last night. The Los Lobos Concert at the Avi Casino.

We started the evening off meeting our good firends, Jan and Jerry, at the Saltgrass for drinks and munchies. From there we went to the Gourment Room for their Happy Hour. Then off to the Los Lobos Concert. John saw that this group was going to be playing in Laughlin and wanted to go see them because he says he used to see them play in San Diego, as he puts it, during his "clubbing" days. Well, I enjoyed the concert; however, I had no expectations since I was not familiar with their music. John, on the other hand, was a little disappointed. He was anxious to see them because they were supposed to have an awesome "horn" section, as he recalls. Well, that was not to be. One guy did play the trombone, but you could hardly hear it over the guitars. John and I haven't quite figured out these concerts.....it seems that all you can ever hear is loud, screeching music, and you can never hear the singer or the words over all the guitars. Maybe they just have bad acoustics at the "concert arenas" (and I use the term loosely) here. All in all, they put on a decent show and had people up and dancing in the aisles. This probably just goes to show........sometimes it's better not to screw with your memories!!! After the concert we met up with Jan and Jerry again for a little while. Actually, Jerry saw a portion of the concert, as it appears you could walk right in. They never even collected the tickets at the door..............if I'd only known!!! Later, John and I went back to The Riverside to gamble. It was a good night, we both ended up a bit ahead!!! And, then these party animals left for home at 1:30 A.M. All in all, it was an enjoyable night. Tonight.......I think we are off to see the fireworks in Laughlin!

How was your Friday night?

Ciao, Baby

True Confession

2007-06-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

OK, I confess, these blogs are hard to keep up when you don't have a life!!!! I have done absolutely nothing the last two days but work, exercise, read everyone else's blogs, and go to bed!!!! I have no cute videos (like Rachel), no noteworthy quotes (like Bobby), no exciting news (like nobody), no painful memories (like Megan's workouts), and I already wrote about my exciting weekend (like Traci). I am more like Tim........I am blogless!!! I just finished watching the Paris Hilton interview on Larry King. I have to admit she didn't appear to be the airhead I thought she was. In fact, I only intended to watch a couple of minutes, but got drawn into the interview since she seemed on the up and up. My opinion, she didn't deserve the punishment. It was a bit drastic. I've heard of people who have committed much worse crimes and never done a day in jail. I'm really not so sure about our justice system. Am I glad we have one, yes. Do I think it is always fair, NO! So much happens in life that relies on personalities, instead of fact. That's right, I truly believe people stereotype other people and treat them accordingly, and, yes, I think it happens often throughout all walks of life. I've seen it so often in life......especially in the workplace........what you get depends on how well you are liked, and by who. But, I guess that is life, and we all learn to deal with it in our own way. See what happens when you don't have a life.......you become a philosopher.

Back to the Paris Hilton thing..........way too much tv coverage, and so many more important things happening in the world. It was unbelievable to me that the media thinks this is all people want to see, and no matter what channel you tune to, you see the same video loop over, and over, and over again. How many times can you see her walk out of jail??? That is one reason I was not going to watch her interview......how much more Paris can this world take! What's your opinion?

Ciao Baby!

For Women Only

2007-06-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

OK, Tim wants me to blog daily, so this is for all the women out there. Today, as I was getting ready for work, I realized that I had an appointment for the dreaded yearly "squish." Yes, mammogram time!!! So, off I go, feeling like I was on my way to a torture chamber. But, alas, everything went swimmingly well, got in and out in record time, and it wasn't even as painful as last year. I must have gotten a better Nurse Rachet than last time!!! So, all you ladies out there, remember to schedule your mammograms!!!!

Most of you aren't aware, but I had a very good friend here at the County that died of breast cancer when she was forty, leaving behind a 14 daughter. She had all her mammograms, ate right, and exercised. I miss her dearly, as she and I went to lunch together everyday. No matter what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go, she was onboard. She passed away in May of 2003. Her experience has often made me wonder if it's even worth getting a mammogram since it didn't seem to help her. I question if they really work, yet I'm afraid not to get mine done. I guess I will continue to do so, until my insurance stops paying for it!!!

Tidbit Number Two: Today they had a blood drive at work. I have tried for the past two years to be a donor, but they say my veins are too small and they can't get the needle in. That makes me furious......I gave blood before when I was younger, and never had a problem. Do your veins get smaller as you get older??? They keep sending emails saying they are really low on blood and need donors, yet here I sit, with all this exceptional blood (after all it is my blood, almost like blue blood!) flowing through my veins, and nobody to give it to!!! Bummer.

Well, thus ends my medical blog and preaching. But one last time..........Remember to get your mammos and give blood if you are able!!!

Ciao, Baby!

Shrek and the Grand Canyon Caverns

2007-06-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

Let's see, Friday we picked Zach up and started our adventure with Shrek 3. It was pretty good, not as good as the first, but still watchable. I love the Shrek movies. Oh yeah, Zach liked it too. However, he really would like to see Transformers, but feels he is too young (who told him that?). I told him it would probably be fine, I mean heck it was a preview at this movie, and they only showed previews for kids. After Shrek we went to Sams to get ribs for dinner, although Zach would have preferred that we have dinner at Baskin Robbins. He is also obsessed with Leslies, the new pool store that has opened in his neighborhood......why? Because he saw toys in it, who cares if he has a pool! Anyway, when we got home John and I were ready for a little down time, not Zach. So we ate, played outside, took a bath, and finally wound down about eight. He and I started to watch the movie Cars, which I have been dying to see, but we couldn't make it past nine, so I still have a ways to go on that movie.

Saturday, field trip!!! Off we go to the Grand Canyon Caverns. We made it thirty minutes before Zach decided he was hungry. First stop, McDonald's for two Happy Meals, one for Zach and one for John. Then we get to the caverns. Zach had a great time on the tour. Me, I found the paths somewhat steeper than I remember from when we took Taylor. Wonder how steep they'll feel with the next grandkid? Anyway we took an hour tour and I would have had some awesome pics if my camera battery hadn't died! Boy Scout Rule Number One....always be prepared! After the tour, Zach panned for gems, he got some great ROCKS! About three hours later start home......Zach's hungry, but insists he can wait until we get to McDonald's AGAIN! I must confess I decided to partake this time and had a hot fudge sundae. Um, Um, good. Get Zach home at five...go over to Avi and buy tickets for Los Lobos who will be performing there next Friday....went to Gourmet Room and had a wonderful bowl of mussels in garlic butter. Nothing like filling the old body up with fat!!! Donated our money to the Riverside and by the time we got home we were dead on our feet. I think we're too old to be grandparents!!!

Now my helpful bloggers, here are the problems I encounterd with this blog, please help if you can:

1. I can't move my pics where I want them. They will not drag and I cannot cut and paste. Help, please. Do I need to change a setting somewhere?

2. Donna suggested I use a different blogging site, one for dummies. It is called vox.com or something like that. Maybe I will check it out, but hey, I got this far so I can't be that stupid, can I? No answer required.

3. When I previewed my blog and then went back to it, it had thrown in a bunch of extra returns.

4. When I post my blog there are no returns......urgh!!!

This blogging is too time consuming. I need to go skate and treadmill. I quit for tonight, and will wait for your help.

Ciao, Baby!

My first blog

2007-06-21T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ha, I thought I would try to blog and give the kids a run for their money. Now I just have to figure out how this thing works and get a life. So far, I have tried to change the font, that didn't work. I tried to change the size, that didn't work. Why do they have those options, when they don't work????

Well, let's see. Tomorrow we are getting Zach and taking him to see Shrek 3. Then, on Saturday, we are going to the Grand Canyon Caverns. I think Zach will love that!!!

Wow, my life is pretty boring cuz that's about all I have to say. However, as you know, I am never at a loss for words, so as soon as I figure this out, I will bore you with my deepest thoughts!!!

Ciao, Baby