Joanie's Blog

It's the 28th day of the month, so it must be a kidney stone

2006-12-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

OK - what is it about the 28th of the month?

November 28th - first kidney stone
December 28th - second kidney stone

If I get one on January 28th, I'm quitting!

And why do they have to hit at night? My episode began last night at 10:30 p.m. Unfortunately, it got worse and 2 Vicodin didn't do the trick - so after waaaaaaaaay too long of suffering, I went back to the ER. I wish I had gone at 11:00 p.m. and then avoided all that pain.

Report: New stone - but at least the 1st one is gone! Same sized stone as last time. Further away from the bladder though - so it may take longer to move it - or it may not...who knows.

Just in case you wonder......they hurt. I mean it's a hurt that you just cannot get away from. Just ask Kelly how happy I was before the hospital. Sorry he had to witness my writhing. Oh, and you should have seen me go into panic mode at the CAT scan. I started to freak out. If they hadn't pulled me out of there, I would have crawled out. And a CAT scan isn't even that big of a deal....but for some reason....I freaked. It took me about 5 minutes to calm down and then I endured it by doing deep breathing. Who says you have to give birth to experience abdominal pain and focus on your breathing?

I'm beginning to think Jodi may be part of the problem....I've had dinner with her both times the nights of my ER trips. You suppose it's just an overdose of little munchkin cuteness?

Funny Christmas Post

2006-12-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just read this today...it made me laugh...

http://theparentingpost.parenting.com/2006/12/we_ride_the_pol.html#more?cid=newsletter-parenting121206-polarexpress

Heaven and Hell got together on Tuesday

2006-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Tuesday - Insane Day for Morrison Family
Heaven/Hell'ometer rating scale
0 - Hell......10 - Heaven

6:30 a.m. Day starts - too early but OK. Score 5
8:00 a.m. Drop off Blake at Gran's. Blake is very happy to be starting his day there. Score 8
8:05 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. Kelly and Joanie drive to Bedford for Joanie's follow up mammogram because there were suspicious places on 1st mammogram - A.M. driving in Mid-Cities. Score 4, Stress over mammogram problems. Score 2
9:00 a.m. Joanie goes to back room to wait for mammogram. Score 4
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Joanie decides to break the waiting room silence and attempts comic relief while room full of stressed-out women sit in their mammogram capes waiting to be called back. Score 6
9:30 a.m. 2nd mammogram done. And I thought the regular one was painful! Score .5 but a short-lived .5.
9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Waiting Room - continued comic relief with new group of women - can run old jokes around a 2nd time. Score 6
10:20 a.m. Talk to radiologist who gives a pretty good report - not a perfect report - but a pretty good one. Score 8
10:30 - 11:00 Drive back to Fort Worth in good spirits. Score 8
11:00 a.m. Go to Harris Hospital downtown to visit young girl from Christian Homes who is giving her baby up for adoption - but is in Fort Worth due to pregnancy complications. First part of visit is good. Score 8 Nurse comes in during our visit to tell her that she will not be delivering on Friday as they had thought due to immaturity of baby. Pregnant girl falls apart. Score 4. Continue visit for a few more minutes feeling helpless as to what to say to young lady. Score 4.
11:30 a.m. Leave girl's room and talk to nurse in hall. I fall apart in tears when I find that I'm the only person she has seen visiting the girl for the last 3 weeks she has been in the hospital. I cry like a baby to the nurse - feel so sad for young girl. Score 2
11:45 a.m. Head for church. Regaining composure. Getting perspective. Score 5
12:10 p.m. Stopped by motorcycle cop on McCart/Walton. Score 1.5
12:15 p.m. Talk myself OUT OF A TICKET (he had already told me he was going to write one) by dropping a few officer names and mentioning that I had actually done a ride-along with the traffic LT (thanks, Lt. Burgess) once and he'd let a guy off for doing 80 mph in a 60 mph zone. The ticket would have been for an expired inspection sticker. I promised to go and get it done right up the street. Can't believe I got out of a ticket! Score 9.5
12:20 - 12:50 Get inspection done and return to find same officer giving ticket. Wait until he's done and then point to my new sticker to prove I did what I said I was going to do. Score 8
1:00 p.m. Go up to church and meet up with Mom and Blake. Score 8
1:00 - 3:30 Shop at Kohl's with all the senior citizens (an extra 15% off for seniors) and buy rest of needed Christmas gifts for Kansas family Christmas this weekend. Score 8
3:45 p.m. Home for quick recovery. Tired. Score 6
5:30 p.m. Meet Crowells, Williams, and Gillilands at Rosa's for dinner. Kids' having fun but lots of screaming and running into each other. Tears here and there. Crazy! Begin to feel discomfort in stomach around 6:00 p.m. - don't think a lot about it. Score 7
6:15 p.m. Crazy dinner with lots of kids wraps up when one child has minor throwing up incident. Score 6 Pain in my abdomen seems to be increasing a bit - glad we are going home. Score 5
6:30 p.m. Return home. Discomfort increases exponentially. Score 4
6:35 p.m. Concern increases - Joanie asks Kelly to look online and see where the appendix and gall bladder are. Score 3
6:37 p.m. Decision is made to take Blake to Gran's house. Score 2
6:40 p.m. Kelly returns home and gets me into car. Pain in right side is approaching unbearable. Feeling like I'm going to be sick. Writhing begins. Score 1
6:43 p.m. Kelly breaks the land speed record going from our house to Harris Southwest...running lights and blowing by stop signs. Whimpering now accompanies writhing. Score 0
6:48 p.m. Arrive at Harris Southwest. Hell would be a welcomed event at this point. Joanie freaks out waiting room people and other people waiting for service as she slumps in wheelchair writhing and moaning. Score -1
6:49 p.m. Other patients are pushed aside and Joanie moves to the front row of pitiful people for service. Score -2
6:51 p.m. Joanie pukes. Score -3
6:53 p.m. Joanie into ER room and lab in to draw blood and start IV. Score -3
6:55 p.m. Doc in. Suggest kidney stones. Score -2 (relief that I didn't come all the way to the hospital for a tummy virus - and glad no cutting will be involved)
7:03 p.m. IV finally started and druigs administered. Score 3 and looking up
7:08 p.m. Drugs begin to take effect. Score 4+
7:30 p.m. CAT Scan. Score 5
8:00 p.m. Joanie falls alseep Score 8
9:00 p.m. Doc diagnoses bb-sized kidney stone Score 8
9:15 p.m. Dismissed from hospital Score 9
9:30 p.m. Home Score 9

So there you have it. It was a roller coaster that I couldn't seem to get off of! As of Friday afternoon, my friend Stoney is still with me. Drink more water....drink more water....

I don't ever wish a kidney stone on anyone....it was really unbelievable!

My brother makes me laugh

2006-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

My mom forwarded me a funny email the other day from my brother who lives outside of Kansas City. He makes me laugh...I have to share part of the email here...

Mom:

Do you have a gas well in your back yard? I just read an article in the Wednesday KC Star about how drilling companies are offering signing bonuses and future royalties to FW homeowners in exchange for their mineral rights. It showed a picture that made it look like a full-size drilling rig was in a suburban back yard. I don’t know how you would know if they drilled at an angle from several miles away to a point 5000’ below your kitchen. You better put your ear to the kitchen floor occasionally to make sure they are not sneaking in.

The whole concept of mineral rights is kind of curious. Does one own the mineral rights to a limited depth or does your property line go to a fine point in the earth’s core where it touches another fine point of a Chinese homeowner and, as neighbors, are you obligated to take care of their aquarium when they go on vacation? Which brings up the question of who owns/owned the mineral rights under Mt. St. Helens? Whoever it is is responsible for a lot of damage. I am doing all I can to take care of my portion of the magma.

I think you should invite the drillers over. It would be nice to have something tall in the backyard in place of the mulberry that died. The squirrels would love crawling on it and there would be lots of places to put hanging baskets.

He poses some interesting questions. I've wondered before about how much you own above your property. I'm sure if I built something tall, I'd be told quickly that I didn't have that right.

OK, so maybe my brother doesn't make you laugh...but he's a funny man to me!

More of the boys

2006-11-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Blake was proud of his shiner. It wasn't much, but still worth showing off! He had some good cuddle time with his Daddy here.

I'm in love....with both of them!

Like Father....Like Son

2006-11-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

This was a picture from Father's Day. Aren't my boys cute? We bought two daddy-sized shirts and my mom ripped up one of them and made one for Blake. Thanks to Wezie for doing the button holes for us!

Mr. DiFato - Part 2 of 2

2006-11-14T13:08:00.000-08:00

Continuing my tribute from several months ago….and ashamedly late on getting back to it….

Mr. DiFato joined the Cantor Fitzgerald team in the World Trade Center in 1988 and worked on the 101st floor of Tower One as a securities controller. His sister, Lisa Cannava, worked in the same tower just 11 floors from John. She also lost her life that day. John is survived by his parents, one grandmother, and his three children to whom he was very devoted – Anthony, Nicole, and his namesake John.

Mr. DiFato loved his family time. He would leave home very early in the morning to get to his office and whenever one of the two older kids had a test at school, their father would give them a call to wish them luck before they left for school. When they returned home from school, there was always another call to check to see how they did on the test. Besides staying in contact with his kids before and after school, he also stayed in close contact during the day with Sue. Like many couples joined at the heart, husband and wife were in constant telephone contact all day. "During the day he would be beeping me – like, where are you?" Mrs. DiFato said. Sometimes she would be running for an appointment and when she heard her beeper she would mutter, "O.K., now what?" On Sept. 11, when she learned of the attack on the World Trade Center, she tried to beep Mr. DiFato. There was no answer.

Mrs. DiFato said “He loved his children very much and often commented on how he thought each of their births was a miracle. But I think John was the miracle that made my lfe and Anthony, Nicole, and John’s lives so very special each and every day.” Mr. DiFato also took special interest in his nephew, Joseph. Mrs. DiFato also said “We always felt we were soul mates. From the beginning, we knew we had something special. There is still a connection. Even after 12 years, we were still in love with each other.”

Mr. DiFato was an avid sports enthusiast. He had taken up golf in 2000 and collected baseball cards. He frequented New York Ranger and New Jersey Devil games. He enjoyed Steven Segal action movies and watching police and legal dramas. “Every night, he had a favorite show that he had to watch,” Mrs. DiFato said. His ultimate favorite was “Bonanza” and his AOL screen name was “Hoss”. He was also an avid reader of business magazines. Mr. DiFato was a parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church, Huguenot.

The DiFatos spent a week in Disney World in July 2001 with his sister and her family. They had a wonderful trip and it was those happier memories of Disney World, trips to the circus, afternoons in the park, and anniversary celebrations that the family members found themselves clinging too in the wake of the tragedy.

Here are several comments/tributes made by Mr. DiFato’s family and friends:

Parents Teresa and Antonio DiFato: “We love him and miss him very, very much. He will always be in our hearts.”

Inlaws Gloria and Camine Giaccio: “He came into our lives and now it seems like a short time. In our own way, we loved him, and he will surely be missed.”

Mary Anne Cannava: “Two years have past now, and it is still so hard to believe that you and Lisa are gone. Rest in Peace and take care of each other. Everyone misses you and Lisa. We will never forget you. You should be proud of your family, Sue your wife is the strongest and bravest person I ever met. Your children, I cant say enough about, they are the best and you raised them well. I am sure you are looking down on them proud of who they have become. Send Lisa our love. Not a day goes by where the both of you are not thought of and missed. Give your mom and dad the strength they need to go on, for what they lost is the most tragic of them all and no parent should ever have to go through what they did. always thinking of you Brian, Mary Anne and girls

Diana Gatto: “Dear Sue, As we approach the ninth month since John was taken from you and the children, I wanted you to know that my family will always be there for your family, in love, thoughts, prayers and words. We love you, Jim, Di, James and Dom”

Loving wife Sue: “Imagine waking up every day expecting to see the man you love, gone forever from your life. There will never be enough words to describe how we feel, how we go on without him or how we live with the hole in our hearts. I I still can't believe that this tragic event happened just one year ago. The loss still feels fresh and new. Those first few days and weeks will live in my mind forever. Wondering where John was; hearing nothing and not being able to find him, I hoped and wished. The hardest thing I ever did was to tell my three children their father was not coming home. Birthdays and our anniversary were so difficult without him. At times I still see you, John, looking out our bedroom window like you did every morning. I still feel your kiss. I still feel your love. We were soulmates and had a love that would last forever. No one will ever hold that special place in my heart. I wish I had one more day to see you and tell you I love you one more time. Our family will never be the same, and you will never be forgotten. The memory of you will live on in our children's laughter, accomplishments and love for one another. “

What a great man Mr. John DiFato was. I’m sorry that I didn’t know him – I think he would have been the kind of guy that I would have enjoyed being friends with. Sue said of him “He will be forever in our hearts." Her children have given her the strength to make it through each day. "He will always be a hero in our eyes."

John DiFato - A Hero to his family

2006-09-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

In Memory – John DiFato

Killed September 11, 2001

World Trade Center Tower 1

What an honor it has been being assigned Mr. John DiFato to write a tribute to. I somehow feel like Mr. DiFato was the best possible person I could have been assigned. I have felt strangely drawn to the stories about him that I have read on the Internet. How I wish I could speak to his dear widow Susan, she may go by Sue, and tell her how touched I have been by the things I have read about her dear husband. I’m not sure what I would say to her if I actually did talk to her – but I would want to just tell her how sorry I was for her and her family’s loss and how a basic housewife and mom of 1 in far away Texas grieved with her as she remembered her precious husband especially on this day, five years later.

Let me tell you a little about John that I have read about him on other websites.

John DiFato was born in Brooklyn, a devoted son to Teresa and Antonio DiFato. He moved to Travis in 1977 (I guess this was when he was about 14), then in Huguenot, and then moved to Prince’s Bay in 1992. He graduated high school in 1981 from Tottenville High School in New York. (I also am a 1981 high school graduate. John and I would have been just about the same age right now – busy with life being parents to our kids, partners to our spouses, and enjoying the things life had to offer.)

Mr. DiFato received his associate’s degree in finance from the College of Staten Island in 1984. (My degree is in accounting.)

He met his future wife in 1983, while Susan was working at Macy’s at the Staten Island Mall. She was working there when John and a friend walked in. She had known him vaguely while in college. Susan says of that day “He said something cute…I instantly fell in love with the cleft in his chin”. She goes on to say "we started hanging out and dating, and the rest, as they say, is history," said Mrs. DiFato in an October 18, 2001 article of the Staten Island Advance. He worked as a security guard at Macy’s from 1984 to 1992. John and Susan were married on September 9, 1989. They celebrated their 12th anniversary on September 9, 2001 at the Rain Forest Café in Edison, New Jersey. Mrs. DiFato says that “while we celebrated…I thought how fortunate we were to have a close and loving relationship. I have so many wonderful memories of being loved by a truly wonderful man."

Tomorrow, I will write more about Mr. DiFato’s family and the things he enjoyed doing.

I’m sure wishing I had known him.

Sum Sum Summertime

2006-08-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Despite all the terribly hot weather that seems to be hotter each year, there is at least one really fabulous thing about summertime - playing outside in the sprinklers and enjoying a good old messy popsicle without caring where it drips! We recently had a great time down at Gran's playing in the sprinkler.

How handy...if you drop your lillipop in the grass, you just wash it off in the sprinkler!

Tasty!

Lollipop and sprinkler kisses for Gran!

Sprinklers make Blake smile!

What to do about popsicle juice running down your arm and everywhere else? What a bother!

No problem when there is a sprinkler around - what an easy way to clean up!

Modesty is always the right thing!

Hope you and yours are staying cool in the sprinklers this year. They make the day so much more fun!

Critters, Idaho, and Cheeky Monkeys

2006-08-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

We love the Fort Worth Zoo - it is fabulous! Blake is really taken with birds, so this is one of our favorite stops at the zoo. Blake always wants a bird to come and sit on his head. I'm afraid of what else the bird will do besides sitting on his head.

Waiting for more birdies to come get a yummy bite. (And I'm sure Blake's mother hanging over into the bird's area didn't keep them away at all!)

Fascinated with fascinating animals.

Blake was eating his "breakfast bar" the other day and after a few bites he called me in to look at his Idaho that he had carved out! This kid makes me laugh.

At least I have a picture of him in his Thomas Undies...in case he never does decide to wear them for good! This picture makes me either want to pinch his little hiney or kiss it...I'm not sure which!

Beg Some More!

2006-08-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Man....do you guys ever know what I want to hear? Begging for pictures of the Blakester? You couldn't ask for anything that a mother would rather hear!

I'm so far behind on my blogging...I don't know what has gotten into me. Actually, I think I do. Back in May and June - I was really feeling rotten. I am better now. I will have to blog about it sometime. It was a terrible, terrible time....but the good thing is that I survived it all. More on that happy topic some other day. June was crazy with VBS - but that was the one thing that helped me feel better - so it was perfect timing. I loved ALMOST every minute of staying up at the church late. One night, the Gambills (no kids), the Isons (kids running around), and the Morrisons (kid running around) stayed about an hour after practice talking about such lovely things as husbands who expel gas in bed and the like. The OLDER and WISER married couple - Brian and Jennifer, advised the younger couples of their struggles and triumphs in this area - and in other areas of a similar nature. Very informative. I remember thinking to myself - are we really staying up here until 10:30 to discuss tooting and other issues? I'm not sure why we all stayed - but it was quite entertaining. I'm not sure what happened to July but August has been all about my JBF sale coming up. It's almost a full-time job right now....but it will ease up again before it gets crazy again.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite Blake pictures from the past few months.

I know wagons are good for girls too...but there's something about a little boy and a red wagon that is just irresistable. Here he is getting ready to go out on the road for an adventure!

Ahhh the innocence of it all!

This picture cracks me up. We get to Gran's house with the wagon and Blake wants to be pulled around her back yard in the wagon. But....he wants to be more comfortable. So he gets an old pillow from her house and reclines in the wagon while his Gran-Servant pulls him around. I wish you could see Gran's hat - it's a killer! Of course, she could pull him around her yard for hours without getting tired!

Blake calls himself "The Chef" and this is the birthday cake that he was fairly involved in making for his Gran. He helped mostly with mixing the cake and not much at all on the icing and totally on the decorations of bugs. Nice job. He is the one that picked out the bug design at the grocery store - he just knew that's just what his grandmother would want!

I'm not sure this is what most of you want to see...but the spaghetti face is a classic picture.

There was an Easter Bunny sighting at our house. I think he knew when we cracked up every time he put those on that there was something different about them. And of course, our laughter made him not want to wear them. Bummer....he was quite the looker in them!

Hunting eggs in Gran's backyard. Man I love that kiddo!

So now I'm caught up through Easter. Maybe I can catch up soon! Thanks to all of you for caring about and loving my kid. I had no idea before I was a mommy how much it meant to a parent for others to love your child!

What Is Happening to Our World?

2006-08-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the incredible unrest in the Middle-East and the down-right frightening discoveries in London this week, I've run across a story of astrogronomical proportions that should make us all thankful to be lying safely in our bed at night. Here is the link. Be sure to take a deep breath and maybe say a quick silent prayer before reading this story - it really cuts deep into the heart.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060812/D8JEK0JO0.html

Don't Forget to Hug Your Kids, Monty and Dean

2006-08-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of staying up waaaaaaay too late. I do have the luxury of sleeping in later than most mommies do, so that is part of the problem. The problem I have been having recently is that my head hits the pillow at 1:30 or so and I lie there for an hour or more before I can fall asleep. It is maddening. Then I'm so sleepy at 4:00 p.m., I don't think I can keep my eyes open, but I force myself too - telling myself I will go to bed early. Somewhere around 11:30 p.m., I usually get my second wind. Strange schedule I'm having these days.

So last night is no different than most of my nights. Yesterday was a good day - a typical day mostly. At one point I read Danny's blog about the 2996 Tribute where you could write a tribute to on of the 9/11 victims on your blog, so I signed up and got a man's name, a New Yorker, that died in the World Trade Center. He was 39 when he died. So as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, it dawns on me that if this man were still alive, he'd be about one year older than me. From there, my mind wanders to someone I think is about one year older than me. The two names I came up with are Monty Shaw and Dean Fry. I'm pretty sure Monty is a year older than me...not as sure about Dean...he may even be a year younger than me - I just can't remember. So as I lay there, I begin thinking about writing a tribute to someone I don't know - but imagining that this man was as important to his family and friends as Monty and Dean are to their families. Somehow, that made it so much more real. It was almost as if I was mourning Monty and Dean. It was crazy! I should have called both of them today just to make sure they were OK, but I feel pretty certain they are. So I began to grieve for this unknown man - and began to think if there would be some way to contact his family and find out more about him before I do my tribute to him. All this to say....why do I have to come up with such thought provoking topics so late at night.

I hope Monty and Dean had a good day today. Be sure to hug your kids and tell your wife you love her - and stay out of New York City if at all possible. I'll let you know if I get any more weird vibes about your demise.

I really hope Dean is older than me. Surely with all of those kids, he is!

He Just Outsmarted His Daddy!

2006-08-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Blake was fussing about something just now...not even sure what it was. His Daddy said "Blake, you need to stop crying because that's not how big boys cry." Blake's response "How do big boys cry, Daddy?" Don't ya love trying to keep a serious face when you are about to bust out laughing!

Karen Barker, Andrew Jackson, and the Pearly Gates

2006-08-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

No...that's not the title of my latest novel about a brainiac and her obsession with a certain former president....

Yesterday at church, Karen B. brought two treasures to Blake. They sort of look like placemats - one of them had solar system pictures and facts and the other was about money - what it looks like and two of these add up to this, etc. I'm guessing these are two treasures that surfaced an their recent move into their new mansion. Anyway, she told me, referring to one of my previous posts, that even though it wasn't the Periodic Table of Elements, Blake might be interested in these. Well...THAT is an understatement. I've talked more about planets and money in the past 24 hours than I ever have before. Blake keeps saying "I need to learn more about money" or "Let's talk about the solar system". That boy is wearing me out!

So on one side of the money poster, is an enlarged $20 bill. I was going over all of the details of the bill with Blake and I told him the picture was of Andrew Jackson who used to be one of our presidents. He asked me if he would be president again some day and a whole new world opened up...one I've sort of been avoiding talking about until he is a little bit older.

So telling a 2 year old about death is not necessarily one of my favorite things to do. I've always gotten away without saying much. We have talked about Granddaddy (what my Dad probably would have been called if he had lived to see his granchildren) living in heaven with God many times. My mom and I like to tell Blake about Granddaddy. One time I was telling Blake that if his Granddaddy had ever met him, he would have loved him SOOOOOO much - maybe even more than Gran. Blake's answer to that: Granddaddy is loving me from heaven. Oh man....does that ever get ya!

So back to Andrew Jackson....

Blake is wanting to know if A. J. will ever be president again. Being caught a little off-guard and not having thought thru this, I said "no" with a long hesitation. I didn't want to say "he is dead" but instead, I say "he's in heaven." I cracked myself up when I said this. I just went ahead and judged and promoted this guy right up to heaven. I just figure if he made it on the $20, he can't be all bad, right?!? I hope A. J. does make it to heaven, incidentally, because I want to talk to him about that wild haircut.

After I mention Pres. Jackson being in heaven, Blake says "well where is the door to heaven so he can leave?" Then we go all into the why-you'd-never-want-to-leave-heaven discussion. I put it in 2 year old boy terms. I told Blake that we will all be together in heaven someday, that some of us will get there before the others and will be waiting for the others to join us. We will play with trains all day long and never have to take naps and we can eat snacks all day long. To that, he said "oooooooooooooooooo, I want to go there". Now I'm sure some of you would have gone into the whole Jesus is the Door thing - but Blake wasn't concerned with how to GET there, but how to LEAVE! It was a funny conversation. We talked about Granddaddy being there getting things ready for us....I know...another missed opportunity...and Blake thought it all sounded like a pretty good deal.

So as this conversation ended, I'm thinking of all the things I shouldn't have said or should have said and just laughed at myself...thinking it was all over.

Wrong!

This morning, Blake was lying in bed by me...actually, there wasn't much lying going on. Blake likes to gather up all the pillows (they usually are bubbles - whether they are bathtub bubbles or bubbles on the ocean) and my blanket and usually he becomes a fish diving in the sea to catch "fish and bugs" to eat. As he was flailing around in the pillows and covers, I heard him say "I'm sitting here in this little hole - it is heaven". So now he is pretending to be in heaven. I'm not quire sure what to do with that. He said something about "there are no animals here" and I reassured him that there is a heaven for animals...because the only way I personally can survive the loss of one of my dogs is to convince myself there is a doggy heaven. So he started back into the leaving heaven and I just told him that I would explain heaven more to him when he got a little bit older and he was cool with that.

All I know is this...next time this comes up, I'm putting Blake on the phone with Karen B. because I figure she is somehow responsible for all of this!

I Miss His Smile

2006-07-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet little guy is sick and I miss his happy face. I got a smidgen of a smile out a while ago, but it didn't last long. I've heard the tummy bug is making its rounds - so guess it doesn't surprise me that we got it. One of the worst parts is when he is begging for food that I'm not sure he can keep down. I hate telling him 'no' when I know he is so empty. Thankfully, neither Kelly nor I have gotten it so we are still able to hold Blake and do whatever he wants...which isn't much. On the flip side, Blake is so cuddly when he is sick - I get to snuggle with him like I never do when he's feeling good.

We are so thankful for how healthy or son has been. This is only his 3rd time to ever have the "frow up" stuff - also known as the "icky spit". 3 times in three years - that's pretty remarkable. He threw up early Thursday and then just had diarrhea the rest of the day. We thought it had gone away until about 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning when the frow ups returned. He laid in my arms from 1:15 until 4:45 on Sunday morning, went down to bed for 30 minutes before the mother of all diarrhea diapers - and I promise I won't go into details...you've probably already read more than you want to!

So, I'm ready for his sweet, silly smile to come back. I love the cuddling, but I'm ready for my little guy to be back to his old sweet self. I've heard that several Altamesa kids - Shelby C., Simon B., and apparently many others according to JenniPoo have also had this junk. Here's praying that this doesn't spread any further.

May your family be well and happy and may you get to cuddle with your babies when they are feeling great...even if your babies are grown up!

OH MY WORD!

2006-07-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I have gone so long without posting. I miss it! It's very therapeutic for me to talk about myself....HA! That sounds sort of pitiful! Actually...all of you know that I really don't talk about myself...I talk about the Prince of the Morrison household!

Here are a couple of things he said today that cracked me up.

He picked up a little airplane that looks like an American plane and announced to me:

"I'm going to Boise, Idaho for some potatoes!"

Today we were at Mardel's looking around. I went down the aisle that had the small 2 x 2 posters that teachers put up. I saw one with the periodic table of elements on it and pulled it out. Blake said to me "oooooooooooooh...I want THAT one". I showed him where Carbon was and Oxygen was and told him if you take one part of Carbon and put it with 2 parts of Oxygen, you can get Carbon Dioxide. (He knows about carbon dioxide because he knows what makes the bubbles in his Sprite.) I think I may be turning my kid into a MAJOR GEEK! He was really disappointed when I didn't buy him the chart.

Then I was changing his diaper (yes...he's almost 3 and potty training isn't a big deal in our family!) and I told him to be careful about his cup of water because it is one that leaks. He told me it had leaked in his bed. I said "yes, the water did leak on your bed" and he said "well, actually, it was diesel fuel that leaked." Do little girls talk about diesel fuel as much as we do in our house?

I'm really proud of my kiddo. He's really catching on to the whole phonics thing and is learning the whole sounds that the "-at" words make. Some of it, I am sure, is just repeating back for memory, but sometimes he will sound out the letters and I realize he is beginning to catch on to reading. I know we have many miles to go - but I love it that he understands the sounds the letters make and can sound out letters.

One more brag and then I'll quit...for now...

Blake can do his United States puzzle like a champ. He mastered it about a month ago - can do all 50 states and name the states without help from me. The only place he needs help is on the tiny little Delaware/Maryland/New Jersey states that are all on one piece. Of course, I have trouble with those too. And he can name 15 capitals without my help. On the ones he can't remember on his own, I can usually start by saying "The capital of Maryland is Anna..." and he can finish it with "polis"....so he just needs a little start on the other 35. What a memory this kid has. I bought him a puzzle of the world today and we also studied a globe today so he could begin to get that concept down. He looked really confused when I was showing him the globe and how the earth rotates. I guess it still amazes and confuses me too!

OK - enough for now.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer. Though I sometimes feel sad about how fast he is growing, I celebrate the miracle of his physical and mental growth and cannot wait to see all the great things God has in store for him.

Interesting Tidbit

2006-06-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

I found this while poking around about Fort Worth history online:

"While browsing my 1934 City of Fort Worth Map I noted an entry, United States Government Narcotic Farm southwest of Mansfield Highway and Wichita Streets in Forest Hill. Later maps show that site to be the location of a United States Public Health Service Hospital.I have a ca 1950's postcard view of the PHS hospital complex with the caption, "Located on a 1400 acre site with more than 50 buildings." Current aerial photos seem to show similar structures there. I have these bits of general information on the original purpose: In 1929, feeling that drug addiction was primarily a medical and social problem and that treatment of addiction by incarceration in prisons was illogical, Congress passed a law establishing two United States "narcotic farms" for the confinement and treatment of persons addicted to the use of habit-forming narcotic drugs. The first of these "farms," whose name was later changed to U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, was built at Lexington, Kentucky, and opened to patients in 1935. The second was established at Forth Worth, Texas, and was opened in 1938. The goal of the facilities was to use vocational and psychiatric therapy. The Lexington, KY facility was for all males east of the Mississippi River and all females nationally. The Fort Worth facility was for all males west of the Mississippi River."
"I did some digging and found that the facility is known as the Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth. It is classed as a male administrative facility and also has a hospice for terminally ill patients. You may recall that Whitewater Jim McDougal died there.There is also a Federal Medical Center at Carswell for females.Check the online aerial photo maps and you can see how extensive the campus is. "

WOW - I thought that was interesting - I've never heard the history of that. I knew there was a federal medical center over ther by TCC South Campus - knew that Al Lipscomb - the old Dallas dude that got in trouble - was over there for a while. I just never knew about the narcotics farm deal. Interesting.

Seems like locking up addicts would be a good thing to get them out of their addiction (or making them go crazy during detox) but apparently drugs are easy to find in prison. Curious world we live in, isn't it?

Perspective

2006-06-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Mark and Jodi are incredible people. I am so sad about Mark's accident but I feel like I've seen the face of God in them as they face this challenge with the most amazing faith. They have given me a much-needed perpective on some things in my life. I am so glad I know this amazing Christ-like family and I hope that you know them too.

And on a lighter note...

10 Reasons I like Jodi C:

1. She's got the cutest girls around!
2. She's friends with Julie R. - which automatically gives her more cool points.
3. She has good hair.
4. Her husband has good hair. When you think YELLOW...think MARK!
5. She can almost name all 50 states.
6. She makes really great cobbler - but everyone thinks it's my recipe!
7. Her girls entertain me on Sundays when I should be listening to the sermon.
8. She's a super duper Mommy!
9. She's just about the tiniest thing I have ever seen.
10. She's a COMMITTEE member!

I love ya, Jodi! Take care of that hubby! Thanks for making my life better!

The Silver Lining is not very shiny

2006-06-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered, when you are in the middle of something terribly rotten, if you were put into this situation just so you'll be more sympathetic to others going through it? Maybe it's just an attempt to find good in the middle of something terrible, but the silver lining is rather tarnished. I've heard people who have improved their health greatly say things like "I never knew how bad I felt until I felt good." I think the other side of the coin is "I never knew how good I felt until I felt bad." If you are reading this and feeling good, thank the good Lord above for his blessings on your health, because some day you will feel bad and you'll regret not appreciating good health while you had it. Breathe in....breathe out...Wax on....Wax off....

A Laugh for the Day

2006-05-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

My wonderful, fabulous, incredibly intelligent friend Jodi has sent me a couple of emails this week that have made me laugh. First is one that you may have seen already. I'm including my favorites from it:

How important does a person have to be before they areconsidered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes youwere buried in for eternity?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babieswake up like every two hours?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money inbinoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
If Wyle E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap,why didn't he just buy dinner?

Thanks, Jodi. Did I mention how great I think you are?

The other email she sent today is wonderful. I wish I could watch it with "the kids" because it looks like something they would do! (You "kids" know who you are!) You guys may have seen it - but if you haven't, it's very funny!

Evolution of Dance

Puerto Rican Other Things

2006-05-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Narrow streets.

Helpful pointers on tipping in restaurants...except for the 2 great ones we ate at. (We at at the Palm for our 10th Anniversary and had another fabulous dinner the next evening at Prime 787.)

Not at ANY moment?

Definition of seas
Me: Below is ROUGH ROUGH RALPH (no...I didn't actually...but I sure thought I was going to!)
Puerto Ricans: Below is perfect. We were fishing in about 2300 or so feet of water. That's a lotta watta.

Iguanas ON THE RUNWAY - I couldn't believe my eyes!

I found this picture and little excerpt about them: "The proliferation of green iguanas in Puerto Rico has created headaches for many people. At the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, for example, many flight takeoffs have been delayed when green iguanas have been spotted basking in the sun right on the runway. Airplanes cannot take off until the green iguanas are scared off the runway. Iguanas also create traffic hazards when they choose to walk or bask in the sun in heavy traffic areas."

Great trip. Nice get-away. I liked feeling like I was in a foreign country...with many of the conveniences of home.

Puerto Rican Beaches

2006-05-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Nice beaches. The stormy clouds in the background always seem to make it more beautiful.

Makes you want to go slather on some Coppertone, doesn't it?

Puerto Rican Bubbas

2006-05-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

From his dark tan, and mysterious international ways, you may think Kelly actually is Puerto Rican - but the fact is that he is my favorite Bubba found in Puerto Rico.

It's an amazing thing that when you tour the Barcardi Rum Distillery they don't let you drive your car around. I'd think free drink coupons and motor vehicles would make a fine combination. You realize how much money is in rum when you go to this distillery. It was the fanciest visitor center I have ever seen.

Laughing Bubba.

I won't go all "Brian Gambill" on you - but I do have to say that I love my Bubba!

Enough said!

Puerto Rican Forts

2006-05-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Puerto Rico - A brief history
First inhabitants-Indians/Igneri tribes/Taínos
Christopher Columbus landed on the island in 1493, claiming it for Spain.
In 1508 Ponce de León founded the first settlement.
In 1898, it became a part of the United States as a result of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War, with US citizenship was granted to its inhabitants in 1917.
It became a self-governing U.S. commonwealth on July 25, 1952.
Everyone and their dog tried to claim it.

It needed to be fortified.

I can't even begin to tell you how steep this cannon ramp is.

Funny how their capitol building now seems to be at the end of this cannon!

How did these folks in the late 1500's build these walls so high? It is a huge place.

Boys will be boys!

There are forts all over the island. We visited a couple of them. I had one of my claustraphobia freak outs when we spent too long in one of the tunnels getting from one area to another. The big fort El Morro is the best known fort. It's obvious why they were able to defend themselves from invaders for so many years.

And that completes your history lesson for today. Thanks for attending class and being so well-mannered - except for you on the back row - and you know who you are.

Puerto Rican Rainforest

2006-05-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

They aren't joking about that rain in the rainforest business. It's SLIGHTLY humid there - and there are a few plants and trees growing. Pretty amazing environment. Chance of rain - 1000%.

From an observation tower, we were able to see back down to the beach.

Yeah - we are tourists - whatcha gonna do about it?

Saw this tree on our Rainforest Death March. (I'm glad to know what the National Forest Service considers a "moderate" hike. Will file that tidbit of news away for future reference.) I actually ran my video camera during part of our hike. I could show it but am thinking there may be a few unwholesome words coming from our mouths as we would round the bend only to find another wet, slippery hill, and the rushing water sound (that we thought was the waterfall we were headed to) disappearing into the background rather than getting louder.

What an amazing part of Puerto Rico. Glad we saw it.

Not an imitation - It's the REAL THING!

2006-05-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had fun seeing the REAL Thomas again. He is so fabulous! Here's Gran and Blake awaiting is arrival.

A giant Legos Thomas? How cool is that? Would be nice if those other kids would get off of Blake's Thomas, though....

Caboosing with Gran. Blake is giving it a big "Choo Choo".

Grapevine Thomas was cool - but I don't think it will ever be as cool as our first Thomas sighting. Trains are so important in our life. We have to limit Blake to 5 trains in his bag each time we leave home - and that isn't an easy limit to stick to.

Ryan Inlow playing soccer

2006-05-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

WOW! I can't believe I found this picture on the Internet of Ryan playing soccer.

Way to go, Ryan!

Randomly Sporadic

2006-05-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Pizza Day at the Morrisons

Blake thinks he should get to do EVERY part of all the cooking. He calls himself "The Chef". He says "I have to help because I'm the Chef."

Sneaking a piece of cheese. He reminds me of Katie and Lindsey being pirates.

Yummy Yogurt!

Obviously, this picture was taken a few weeks ago. I just ran across it and it made me smile. I think I'll go wake him up and kiss his face right now!

Lil' Podnah tries on Daddy's hat.

Here's Blake telling his dragon about when Blake was a baby.

Children add so much to life. I'm so happy for friends Wendy and Mike that just adopted baby Michael. Now they know what I know - being a parent is so wonderful and God will take care of those desires in His own time and in His own way. I'm so thankful that Michael found his way to his Mommy and Daddy. I'm so thankful that young women who are expecting and know they are not able to raise a child are smart enough to find someone who will parent their child. I pray that those who are so desparately waiting for a baby will find peace while they wait and I pray that their wait is short. Life is good!

I Survived!

2006-05-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that I actually survived a vacation without Blake! It actually was easier than I thought it would be! Of course, I called every day - and not necessarily just once a day - to see what he was up to. He was usually so busy playing with one grandparent or another that he really didn't have much time to talk to me or to his Daddy. I guess that makes me happy. I managed to get an "I Love You" out of him on the phone - enough to sustain me! We were gone from him for 5 days. That may not seem long to some of you - but if it doesn't, that means you either 1) don't have kids yet, 2) you've left your little kids for more than overnight before and already know you actually WILL survive, or C) your kids are grown up enough that you can't even remember what it felt like to have your heart yanked out of your chest the first time you had to leave them.

Kelly and I had a great 10th anniversary celebration in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We learned how to talk to one another without talking about Blake. We learned how to have dinner with each other without either of us wiping each other's chin or cutting up each other's food. We learned what it felt like to leave home/the hotel without lugging a diaper bag or big purse full of goodies. We learned what it was like to take a picture of scenery without a little dude in the foreground. We learned what it was like to stay out late and go crazy into the wee hours of the morning. OK...we all know that Kelly and Joanie don't actually go very crazy.

We kept the strangest schedule...a true vacation schedule.

Sleep in until 8:30 or so.
Get up, showered, dressed.
Breakfast in the hotel.
Hit the streets by 10:00 a.m. or so.
Do those vacation things until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening.
Back to the hotel to get showered again to wash off the beach or the humidity from the rain forest.
Take a nap around 7:00 p.m.
Get up and get redressed in nicer set of clothes.
Hit the streets 9:00 p.m.
Sit down for dinner at 10:00 p.m.
Eat a multi-coursed, fancy dinner out of our normal price range.
Finish dinner around midnight.
Hit the casinos until 2:00 a.m. and pay for dinner....or at least...one of us paid for dinner!

It was a crazy schedule - but very fun.

Our adventures during the day included checking out the beaches - though neither of us our into working on our tan - seeing the old forts in the city (built in the 1500's - very amazing structures) - visiting the rainforest - (when the hike says it is a 40 minute hike one way and "moderately" difficult - they aren't overestimating) - visiting the Bacardi rum distillery (most rum distilleries produce about 125,000 gallons of rum each year - this one produces 150,000 gallons of rum each DAY) - and going deep sea fishing (Dramamine and Meclyzine don't do much for some people (like me) when the seas are 3-5 feet and you are in a 35 foot fishing boat).

It was a fun experience and I realized how long it had been since I'd been in my high school Spanish class. The drivers down there are CRAZY - sort of like what you'd expect in Mexico. Lane markers really don't mean anything, and a road can go from 3 lanes to 2 lanes without any warning. Lots of intersections don't really have stop signs - so it is an adventure! I never would have been surprised to see a car coming toward me on what I was sure was a one way street - you just got to where you expected something crazy to happen on the road!

It was also an almost free trip - flying on miles, staying on points, car rental (3 of the 4 days) on points, airport parking on points. I think all that "free" stuff fueled our adventures in dining and gambling. Thankfully, Kelly's winnings at the tables covered my losses at the slots! Be sure to ask Kelly what he'd do if he were dealt a 4 and a 7 in Texas Hold Em!

Thanks to many of you who prayed for us...specifically for me to be a big girl and not cry over my baby boy every moment. The prayers worked and I didn't cry until we got back to DFW. Kelly's parents were there to meet us with Blake. There were 2 soldiers on our flight who were coming home from Iraq. I'm sure people at the airport and on our plane thought I was one of them - or that I'd been away from my son for many more days than 5! It was a FABULOUS reunion as he ran towards us yelling "Mommmmy....Daddddddyyy". I couldn't kiss him fast enough. After the 1st 100 kisses from he, he was pretty much more interested in the baggage carousel than getting more kisses. He asked me what that silver thing was. I told him it was a baggage carousel and he asked me where the horses were. What a smartie pants! He started hollering out "hurry up suitcases" and entertained others waiting on their bags and thinking the same thing.

Bottom line - it was a great trip - nice to be just with Kelly for a change - and wonderful to return to our sweet boy. I wouldn't want to travel too much without him - but now and then will be a good thing, and now I know I can survive it!

I just DON'T get it

2006-05-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

I just don't get it. Don't the immigrants - from Mexico, Sudan, India, Scotland, Japan, Latvia, Oklahoma - realize that "immigrants" are NOT THE ISSUE.

I REPEAT - IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT THE ISSUE.

The issue is....ILLEGAL immigration.

ILLEGAL!
ILLEGAL!
ILLEGAL!

That's the issue. I'd immigrate to the U.S. too if I lived elsewhere - but I'd do it legally.

Come to the U.S. legally and play by U.S. rules and we'll all have a big party.

Break the rules and stay here illegally? You get Time Out - back in your own country.

I just don't know what it has to be so confusing. If I immigrate to your country and don't do it legally, wouldn't you want to kick me out? Why can't the U.S. treat you just like you'd treat us? I just don't get it.

Has this ever happened to you?

2006-04-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever laid your head down to sleep and as you drifted off to sleep, your mind wanders to an area that you wish you hadn't wandered to and you get so stinkin' sad that you can't go to sleep? Well that happened tonight. I didn't wander to a perverted place...just to a sad place. A place that's probably only sad to me - that most others cannot relate to - but a very sad place for me. I finally had to get up and leave my tear-soaked pillow behind for a while. (OK, that whole "tear-soaked" thing was a bit overly dramatic.) I'm thankful to have had 2 mindless "Friends" episodes TIVO'd that have helped me refocus from sad to silly. I need to try to get back to sleep. The "Friends" episodes are over. The only thing else TIVO'd are Blake's shows. Tomorrow will be miserable if I don't get some sleep quickly. "Murphy Brown" came on at 2:30. Been a long time since I watched one of those episodes. What ever happened to WKRP anyhow? Remember when "The Waltons" was the best show going? Were times really simpler in the 70's when "The Waltons" was a good show? OK - now it's 2:42 and time to hit the hay for a 2nd try. More stream of consciousness babbling later...

Return to Sender

2006-04-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

January was FUN!

2006-04-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

OK, so everyone knows how slow I am at updating my blog these days. I don't know what happened to me - I just got behind! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from January.

My boys ridin' the rails. That little Trinity Park train has been around forever. What a treasure!

We had so much fun at the Stock Show this year - especially the petting zoo.

When it came time to ride the rides, guess which ride was the only ride Blake was interested in? You got it....the TRAIN!

Just one question - why do carnies have to be so creepy?

Name a Blog entry you'd rather not read - This one!

2006-04-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Alan McD.

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Bookkeeper for Whitten Medical Supply, no longer in existence on the corner of 8th Avenue and Rosedale.
2. General Dynamics – for a whole 8 months – not even sure what I did there besides learn my way to my desk and go look at real live F-16’s being built during my lunch hour
3. Accountant for the Western Company of North America – for you Fort Worthians, that’s Eddie Chile’s company “I’m Eddie Chiles and I’m mad” and “If you don’t have an oil well, get one!”
4. Lawnboy – assistant to my older brother for a while then took over a few of his yards when he got a “real” job taking out trash at the drugstore

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. You’ve Got Mail
2. Groundhog Day
3. White Christmas
4. Just about anything with Steve Martin

Four places you have lived:
1. Fort Worth, one end of the street
2. Abilene, Gardner, Sikes, Sherrod
3. Fort Worth, same end of the street
4. Fort Worth, other end of the street

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Amazing Race
2. Survivor – these are getting a little worn-out, but I’m hanging in there
3. Friends
4. Andy Griffith

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. England
2. Nova Scotia
3. British Columbia/Alberta/Saskatchewan
4. 43 out of 50 states – still missing Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Delaware, New Jersey

Four websites you visit often:
1. google.com
2. the blog world websites
3. jbfsale.com/fortworth – the greatest semi-annual children’s sales event known to mankind
4. weather.com – I’m a wanna-be-meteorologist

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Steak – Victoria’s Filet, medium well, please
3. Ice Cream
4. Sesame Chicken from Szechuan’s

Four places you would rather be right now:
Assuming I have my family with me…
1. In Alaska, cruising and sitting on my balcony, watching the mountains/icebergs/orcas float and swim by
2. On Mackinac Island, Michigan, spooning (while Blake naps)
3. In Abilene, picking up a baby for keeps
4. In England, maybe in Chester, having a spot ‘o tea (with cream, of course), a scone with clotted cream, and a bit of jam

I think everyone has already been tagged to do this – but I’ll see if there’s someone still out there who hasn’t.

Up Down Up Back

2006-04-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Something I've never understood.

If you turn the air conditioning "up" - does that mean you've upped the power - you've increased the strength that the unit will run with to cool the air and the room will get cooler?

When you turn the air conditioning "down" - doesn't it mean that you've changed the thermostat setting down to a lower number - turned it down from 74 to 73 and the room will get cooler?

Additionally...

I "view" time on a timeline.

<--long ago--1970--2006--March--June--August-->

If I schedule an event for June 8th and then have to move it back, wouldn't I be moving it to BEFORE June 8th? "Back" in time as opposed to forward in time?

Up Down Up Back - let's go Up to Outback and discuss it.

No Need for Nyquil

2006-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

I read this online....thought I would share.

Is yawning actually "contagious"?

Yawning has been researched by scientists for years, and is still a mystery to this day as to why exactly humans and animals alike do it. There have been myths over the years that it is a trigger response from the brain due to lack of oxygen, but it was later announced that people given direct oxygen, were just as likely to yawn. It is normally something that is done early am, or pm, due to fatigue, but can also come at times of boredom. Yawning is psychological because you can tell yourself not to do it and you won't. This is the reason why it is not contagious.

The normal feeling human, who can sympathize with anothers feelings, will yawn after another person, out of a person's natural reaction to atmosphere. This has also proven that schizophrenics (sp) and people that suffer from severe cases of mania, are less likely to yawn after another person, due to their lack of sympathizing for another person in feelings, and lack of acknowledgement to reality. This by no means is implying that someone who doesn't yawn after another is a manic...just that it is a psychological act, when in reaction to another's yawn.

In addition to yawning after another person, animal, whatever...research has discovered that a significant percent of people will yawn from simply reading the word yawn. Most of the test subjects also yawned after watching someone/thing yawn on tv or in movies. They also yawned from hearing someone doing it.

For the record, I'm happy to admit that I MAY NOT be as psychologically unstable as previously thought - I yawned about 6 times while reading this article - and another 4 or so times while posting it.

Have you found it?

2006-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry - another Blake story - Blake just asked me while finishing his lunch "Mommy, I have a question." "What's your question?" "I lost my problem." "You lost your what?" "My problem." "Oh....OK" "I'm going to have to look for it." When he finished lunch, he got down and ran to his room and came back saying "I still can't find my problem." So....if any of you happen to run across Blake's problem, please let us know ASAP! I got sort of excited, because the biggest problem Blake has is being a terrible 2. I thought to myself - if I knew we just could have misplaced it and lost it, I would have done that ages ago. Alas...that is not the problem he lost...

In the Spirit of the Holidays...

2006-04-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksmas! Gran with her grandchildren.
Here's to BIG TIME family celebrations in a Perry, Oklahoma motel!

Ho Ho Ho

Decorating the bird's Christmas Tree at G and PaPa's on Christmas Eve

Settin' up for Santa Claus before bed

How did he know I wanted trains for Christmas?

Snacking with Gran on Christmas Day.
Reading a new book with Gran.

What? You are saying I'm showing pictures of the wrong holiday? It's April already? Man...am I ever behind.

Jump Back

2006-04-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

I read this today - it was just too good to keep to myself. For some reason, I cannot make my text move down by hitting the return/enter key, so the enlightening articles begins here >>>>>> Is it true that if everybody in China jumped at the same time it would knock the Earth out of orbit? If people weighed on average 1000 lbs, a billion people would weigh a trillion pounds. The earth "weighs" about six sextillion tons. That is more than a trillion times the weight of all the people on earth. So, if all the people on the earth jumped the same direction at the same time, the earth would move less than one trillionth as far in the opposite direction. For example, if everybody jumped two feet directly toward the north star, the earth would move less than a millionth of a millionth of a foot away from that star.The real kicker is that as soon as those people jump, they start falling back toward the earth and the earth falls back toward them and the net effect is immeasurably close to zero. The earth running into hydrogen atoms, cosmic dust and the occasional meteor as it moves around the sun has a greater effect on its orbit than the mother of all coordinated jumps ever could.

He Makes Me Laugh

2006-04-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

This may only be funny to me. Kelly asked Blake the other day "Are you a goober rounder?" Blake's response "No, I'm just a goober." And last night Blake was hopping around the house. I asked him "Are you a bunny?" His response "No, I'm a marsupial." He just makes me laugh!

Busy Mom

2006-03-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Bless her heart....

Growing Up

2006-03-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

I asked Blake what he wanted to be when he grew up. We've never discussed this topic before, so I didn't know what he would say.

His answer: "a piggie"

I tried to redirect him. I said - "No....like a policeman or a fireman - what do you want to be when you grow up?"

His next answer: "a cow"

At least he's moving up, a little, on the food chain.

My redirection continued. "You know...Daddy is a computer man and now he's a daddy. Mommy was an accountant and now she's a mommy..."

His response: "I wannna be a counter too".

So, my son wants to be a "counter" (sounds like more fun than an accountant anyhow) if the piggie thing doesn't pan out for him.

Makes a Mommy proud!

Who is she, anyway?

2006-03-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

Who is Lu Ann and where'd she get the idea for her platter?

Ridin' and Readin'

2006-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

I usually get sick when I try to read in the car.

My Hero, Barney!

2006-02-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

Words of Wisdom - always good advice!

[shouting to several prisoners]
Barney Fife: Now here at the Rock we have two rules. Memorize them until you can say them in your sleep. Rule number one: obey all rules. Rule number two: no writing on the walls.

Barney Fife: The last big buy was my mom's and dad's anniversary present. Andy Taylor: What'd ya get 'em? Barney Fife: A septic tank. Andy Taylor: For their anniversary? Barney Fife: They're awful hard to buy for. Besides, it was something they could use. They were really thrilled. It had two tons of concrete in it. All steel reinforced. Andy Taylor: You're a fine son, Barn. Barney Fife: I try.

Barney Fife: Well, today's eight-year-olds are tomorrow's teenagers. I say this calls for action and now. Nip it in the bud. First sign of youngsters going wrong, you've got to nip it in the bud. Andy Taylor: I'm going to have a talk with them. What else do you want me to do? Barney Fife: Well, don't just mollycoddle them. Andy Taylor: I won't. Barney Fife: Nip it. You go read any book you ant on the subject of child discipline and you'll find every one of them is in favor of bud-nipping.

Andy Taylor: What are you doing? Barney Fife: Gun-drawing practice, ten minutes every day. If I ever have to use this baby, I want to teach it to come to papa in a hurry.
Barney Fife: Well, I guess to sum it up, you could say, there's three reasons why there's so little crime in Mayberry. There's Andy, and there's me, and [patting gun] Barney Fife: baby makes three.

[Andy has told Rafe Hollister to try out for the musical] Barney Fife: I'm surprised at you, Andy. They want people who have had musical training. Why, suppose they ask Rafe to do something he don't know? Rafe, if they asked you to sing a cappella, could you do it? Rafe Hollister: No. Andy Taylor: Hey, Barn, what if they was to ask you if you could sing a cappella, what would *you* do? Barney Fife: Why, I'd do it! [snapping fingers in rhythm] Barney Fife: "A cappella, a cappella"... Well, I don't remember all the words.

Barney Fife: [while relaxing on the front porch after Sunday dinner] You know what I think I'm gonna' do? Andy Taylor: What? Barney Fife: I'm gonna' go home, have me a little nap, and then go over to Thelma Lou's and watch a little TV. Andy Taylor: Mmm-hmm. Barney Fife: Yeah, I believe that's what I'll do. Go home... have a nap... and then over to Thelma Lou's for TV. Andy Taylor: Mmm. Barney Fife: Yep, that's the plan. Home... little nap... then... Malcolm Tucker: [interrupting] For the love of Mike *do* it! [shouts] Malcolm Tucker: Do it! Just *do* it! Go take a nap, go to Thelma Lou's for TV, just *do it*!

What a great actor!

The Ugliest Yard on the Block

2006-02-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

It's all about priorities, I guess. Mine shift now and then. What might be critical to me one week I can just blow off the next week. I guess I'm wishy-washy.

So it is with our front yard and the upkeep thereof.

We live in a very average neighborhood. Our home is about 47 years old. Nice big trees. Very normal...very average 1958ish houses. Some folks, like my neighbor, have a really nice yard. (Actually, she just recently moved in and is reaping the rewards of my previous neighbor's years of yard work.) Nice grass. Professionally fertilized. Good sprinkler system. Yard boys that mow for her. Nice flower beds, well tilled and prepared soils for nice bushes and flowering plants. Well trimmed trees. Everything about it just seems really nice to me.

And then there's our yard.

I actually love leaves on the ground. I love to walk thru a pile of leaves and kick my feet big. There's just something about the sound of it. It makes me happy. But something has happened that makes me even happier about leaves on the ground. It's called a 2 year old BOY! I know our neighbors look at us with disgust over our messy, leaf covered yard, but I just cannot make myself pick up all the leaves. I know it is time to do it, I just cannot take the big piles away - they bring so much joy to Blake.

So...our priorities have shifted from being a good neighbor and having the respect of our neighborhood to the house that never cleans up their leaves. I'm sure I'll give in when it gets a little bit warmer. But in the meantime, playing in the leaves is the greatest! In the overall scheme of things, it doesn't matter to me that my front yard looks great - but it does matter that my kiddo is happy.

I guess the neighbors will get over it. It's probably just been too long since they jumped in a pile of leaves themselves!

Yummmmmmmmm

2006-02-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

If you haven't tried it....

DO SO QUICKLY

do not pass Go

do not collect $200

just GO

In a Little Place Called Chappell Hill

2006-02-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have the COOLEST Aunt and Uncle. They used to be known as Jack and Ebby, but now they are Peepaw and Meemaw. Blake decided one more set of granparents was a really good idea, and so did we, and we are glad to have someone else to blame Blake's bad behavior on, so they've been elevated to grandparent status. They live in Houston and weekend in a little place called Chappell Hill, about an hour's drive from their home. They have about 12 - 15 acres or so in this beautiful little spot in the country. (Chappell Hill is known for at least 2 things....their bluebonnet festival (my aunt and uncle have more bluebonnets than they know what to do with) and for Chappell Hill sausage - which is now avaiable at Kroger.) Their very small house-structure (some people woudn't really call it a house - bit it works for them) is at the top of the property facing west-ish where some of the prettiest sunsets in Texas occur. They are big dog people, so they've chain link fenced-in the entire property to help keep their puppies safe. They are also big nature lovers, so lots of the areas are left in a very natural state. They don't even kill snakes. I don't get that part of the deal. When it actually rains in Texas, they have 2 ponds, but most of the time they just have one really nice pond full of the biggest catfish you've ever seen. Fishing is not an option...the catfish are pets...some of them are even named. Going to feed these monster fish is one of the things that is always part of the routine when we go down for a visit. They've had this property for at least 25 years. Our family has made many trips down there. When my Dad was still alive, we'd have working weekends down there trimming up trees and pulling out briers (oh boy!) and clearing what we now call the glades. We started by camping out down there, then for many years we just stayed in the local motel in Navasota, about 20 or so miles away. The last few years, we've stayed in their awesome RV. But - we think something is about to change. I got an email from my aunt yesterday that said starting in April, they would be full-time residents in the country. I've not talked to her today, but am guessing they sold their house in the Heights in Houston (a very neat old part of town) and FINALLY will get to do what they've wanted to do for years which is live full-time out there. I am very excited for them. My guess is they will live in their very small "house" on the property while they build something out there. I can't wait. Whatever they build - I guarantee you it will be unique. I also know they've been wanting to get a donkey....yes....a donkey! Guess they can't wait any longer for that! Some may call them eccentric, and I suppose they might not deny that, but mostly they are just fun! We usually just make one trip down at bluebonnet time and another trip in the Fall, but sometimes we just need the escape of the country more often than that. It's such a peaceful place. Here are a few pictures from down there.

This is the front yard.

There's much work for a young boy with a wagon to do.

Small tractor.

Small tractor with "trailer" made taking a walk extra fun. Look at Gran!

Medium tractor. Vintage tractor that still runs.

Big tractor. Daddy and Blake joy riding!

Here's Gran with Peepaw in one of the glades. Most of the glades have benches or swings or chairs in them. A few of them have exercise equipment...but we don't spend much time in those glades. I think Blake was investigating a bone that someone found. It's such a great place for a little boy to learn about stuff.

They want a donkey on their property, but there are already several dragons. Not so sure how the donkeys and dragons will get along. Actually, my artistic aunt made this thing - cut out of thick metal...one sheet. It is along the edge of the big pond and it's eye lights up at night and you can see it from the house. This is the largest dragon on the property...or at least the largest one that I have found.
Hangin' in the RV - or as Blake calls it - the RB.

I hope all of you have a fun/crazy aunt and uncle. I've decided to be that to my 3 nieces that live in Kansas. I don't think their other aunts have much "crazy" in their blood - so I'm going to fill that void.

Would You Rather...?

2006-02-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Would you rather...

1. See in concert: Journey, Boston, Foreigner, Kansas?

2. Eat a taco at: Rosa's, Taco Bueno, Rio Mambo, Blue Mesa

3. Own (price is not an object): Corvette, Hummer, F350, Mercedes

4. Watch: Dick Van Dyke, Cheers, Andy Griffith, Green Acres

5. Drink: Sweet Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water, Coke

6. Play: Skipbo, Twister, Monopoly, Charades

7. Own: Chihuahua, Golden Retriever, Rescued Greyhound, Border Collie

8. With a free afternoon, no responsibilites, but alone: Go to a movie, Sleep, Take a walk in your neighborhood, Read blogs

9. Travel to (weather not a factor): San Francisco, Chicago, Key West, Boston

10. With a $75,000 gift: Buy an RV, Buy a boat, Travel, Buy a lake house

Don't You Hate That?

2006-02-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

you never returned my phone call
I was very frustrated because you were so insistent that you would call me
I didn't really know what to do since you never told me the plans
please don't tell me you are going to call me if you don't plan on calling me
I'm almost over it

My Brush with DEATH!

2006-02-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Picture this...

Southbound I-35W just north of Papurt Street (which is one exit north of NE 28th Street).
Thursday afternoon - 4:45 p.m.
Two lanes of traffic.
Approximate rate of travel - 45 m.p.h.
In the outside/right hand lane - a Rodeway 18 wheeler truck - pulling a tandem trailer, followed by another 18 wheeler.
In the inside/left hand lane - cars mostly alongside the big trucks.
I'm in the inside lane, the front of my car is basically lined up with the back of the 2nd 18 wheeler.

Then it happens!

(if you can pretend there is a soundtrack with this entry, this is where you'd hear the "da da da duhhhhhhhhh" scarey music)

The first thing I notice is sparks flying from the right hand lane. Then I realize that the 2nd trailer of the 1st big truck (the tandem part) has actually come loose from the first trailer and is sliding along the pavement on it's "legs" or whatever those post things are that a trailer sits on! An unmanned trailer is traveling down I-35 and I'm behind it! YIKES.

I basically just come to a stop on the road - not thinking too much about what or who is behind me. Not sure what the cars in front of me are doing.

Unbelievably, the loose trailer fades to the right onto the smallish shoulder and then just slides along the barrier until it comes to a stop. I just wait - knowing that the 2nd 18 wheeler is going to clip the lost trailer and then spin out or something. And guess what happened?

NOTHING!

We all just drove on past the lost trailer! I was in shock. Thankfully, Blake wasn't with me or I would have probably freaked out more over this. The Rodeway truck driver stopped a pulled over about 100 feet ahead. As I drove past his truck, he was just getting out. I'm sure that guy was out of a job today.

I really didn't over-react to this whole deal, but my mind still thought of all of the things that could have been. Why do I let myself think these things? The first thing I thought of was "if I had been in a wreck, I couldn't have been a good mommy for Blake." I told Kelly this and told him I didn't know if that meant I was a bad wife or not - but I guess it just means that I knew he could take care of himself, while Blake couldn't.

Anyway....all of those bad things didn't happen....and my brush with death wasn't really all that dramatic...I just basically wanted a post title that might entice you to read all the way to the bottom of the post!

Be careful out there! It's a dangerous world!

Leo Getz had it right!

2006-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

Lethal Weapon 2 (I know...not the gentlest movie out there)
Leo Getz in the back seat
The go through the Drive Thru
Leo doesn't get what he ordered
He isn't happy about it (I know...not the gentlest part of the script)

Have you ever been to a restaurant, fast food or not, that has really great food but the service is awful but you love the food so much you keep going back but while you are there you want to slit your throat over the awful service but you cannot pull away from the great food and so you keep going back time after time and as you are waiting you question yourself every time but by the time you eat the food you forget all that?

We've got a place like that in our family - Popeye's Chicken on McCart by Altamesa. Oh man I love that chicken! Oh man they make me crazy!

My last experience:

Ordering at the drive thru:
Me: ....and I'd like that all white...
Them: that will be a 10 minute wait on white meat

Commentary: You are a CHICKEN PLACE! Why would you let yourself run out of white meat chicken?

Paying at the window:
Them: Here's your large Coke. That will be $12.45

(I hand them a $20.)
(She hands me back $17.55)

Me: (handing her the $10 bill) You gave me too much money back.
Them: Oh! That would have messed us up at the end of the night!

Commentary: I should have kept the $10 for the aggravation I was about to endure.

Still at the window:
Them: Can you pull around to the front and we'll bring your food out to you?
Me: Yes, but I want my other drink before I leave.

I pull around to the front and the wait begins. I can see them plopping up new chicken under the warming lights. I see the top-notch staff filling orders. I see what I think is our order being pushed from one side to the other. Finally, after 18 minutes, I get out of my car and go inside with my receipt in hand. Ms. Sharp-As-A-Tack sees me coming and starts putting my order together.

At the counter:
Me: You said it would be 10 minutes and it's been 18.
Them: Here's your order ma'am. Sorry for the wait.

I look into the bag and notice the two extra biscuits that I ordered are not in there.

Me: Where are the extra biscuits?
Them: Oh! Let me give you some extra biscuits.

So...why do I keep going back? They make me crazy in there! I don't see how they stay in business, frankly.

Do you have any places that you go that are like that? The food is just good enough to overcome the rotten service.

Queen for a Day

2006-01-30T21:37:00.000-08:00

OK - another sappy Blake story...

The other day, Blake was crawling all over me (this kid has more energy!) and he bundled up his favorite blanket - a.k.a. "nite nite" - and put it on top of my head and said "You are a Queen, Mommy!"

Little does he know how sweet that sounds to a mommy! I asked him if he was the Prince and he kinda looked at me funny! I suggested to him that Daddy was the King and I was the Queen and that made him the Prince. He giggled and said "yesssssss".

Kelly quickly chimed in and said "Yes, Blake, she IS the queen, and don't forget it!"

The King thinks he's funny.

At Least I'm Doing One Thing Right!

2006-01-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

Being a mom of a 2 year old is a challenge. I feel like I am making tons of mistakes all day long and just hope I've not ruined Blake yet!

But today, I got a nice surprise. I had the feeling like "oh, thank you, Lord, maybe I am doing at least one thing right!"

Blake decided he would like a corny dog for lunch. Another healthy lunch for my little guy! So I got it out of the freezer and told him we needed to heat it for 45 seconds in the microwave. I put it on a plate and opened up the microwave and asked him again, "now how many seconds do we heat it?"

His answer:

"40 days and 40 nights!"

At least I'm pounding those Bible stories into his head (along with his FABULOUS Bible class teachers, of course!) enough that he came up with that.

Hopefully, he isn't ruined yet! There may still be hope!

Can I stand it for 5 days?

2006-01-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally agreed to it. I finally agreed to spend more than one night away from my little kiddo.

I know...I know...I know...

I can hear all you out there rolling your eyes at me. But give me a break...I like my kid...I enjoy being with him...I don't want to be away from him! Is that so wrong? Am I somehow a bad person or a bad wife or something because I don't want to be away from Blake? Call me co-dependent...I don't care...I LOVE BLAKEY BLAKE! I know some folks don't ever take a vacation with their children. That's just really odd to me. I love the family vacation! It's in my bones...but that's another blog topic for another day.

Kelly and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this May and he and I have been kicking the idea around for a few months about taking a trip without The Prince. Up until about 2 months ago, everytime he would suggest it, I would try to talk about it and just start crying. Finally, around the first of the year, I decided I could handle it for more than one night. (I've been away from him about 3 times - but never for more than one night.) So, we start talking about when and where we want to go...and for how long.

Kelly's got a ton of frequent flyer miles (I knew all those trips away from me would finally pay off) and he said wherever we go, he wanted to fly first class. Hey! What a grand idea! I'm all for that plan! So we start talking about how long we (or rather...I) can stand to be away from Blake. Honestly, I told him I didn't think I could handle more than about 4 days. So now we start looking for a nice destination for 4 days. Far enough away to seem like a real vacation, nice enough to feel special for our 10th anniversary, far enough away to make spending those miles on the 1st class seats worthwhile, but not too far away. Another requisite - some where that doesn't require a passport. Both of ours are out of date and I hear it takes a while to renew.

So here were some of our thoughts:

Hawaii - we enjoyed a trip there together a few year ago and would love to go back - but I don't want to go for such a short time, since you spend a day getting there and returning - need more time - wait until we take Blake or can handle being away from him longer

San Francisco - love that place - it's high on the list - we've both been there several times - but never together

Mackinac Island - where we honeymooned - would rather go back there more in the summertime than in May when they have all their flowers in bloom - it is a special place. Save this one for the 20th anniversary???

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Kelly's been there but I haven't - he loved it and has always wanted to take me there - no passport required

So after some debate and a few more tears shed over the thought of being away from Blake that long, I agreed to San Juan. We realized that 4 days was a little short on time there, so I am extending myself and we will be gone 5 days in May. Now that I've finally decided that I will survive and not suffocate from missing Blake, I'm excited about the trip and looking forwarding to planning and reading about it - but that's another blog topic for another day. Oh yeah...and get this...Kelly's got enough frequent stay points with Hilton and/or Marriott to take care of our 4 nights away from home. They are gong to practically be PAYING US to take this vacation!

Anyway, I'm sure it will be good for us to be away alone...blah blah blah...healthy marriage...blah blah blah...appreciate each other more...blah blah blah...good for Blake....blah blah blah...good for the grandparents keeping Blake overnight...blah blah blah...

I remember hearing someone say once (was it Sharon Pope or Amy Stephens?) after a long trip away from her child/children that the first couple of days were so tough missing them, but then it got easier. I've already told Kelly he's got to allow me crying time right at the first of the trip, then I will get better, hopefully. He said if it gets really bad, we'll just get our webcam down to my mom's and have her set Blake in front of it one night so I can see him. Maybe he'll throw one of his sweet little tantrums while I'm looking at him...it would make it easier to be gone!

So, I know I'm setting myself up for all sorts of "get over it" comments - so go ahead and hit me with them...I can take it. My guess is that the majority of moms have felt this same feeling at some point.

I think I need a tissue!

Who Stole My "N"?

2006-01-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Be Warned: There's an "N" theif on the loose.

OK, I don't want to go all Nervous Nelly on you here, but some nincompoop has nabbed the "N" off of my keyboard. Obviously, the "N" key still exists, but the actual key is blank - no letter on it at all. If I find the numskull that took it, it won't be a pretty sight.

I mean, really, what did the "N" ever do to you?

Nuts, Neurosurgeons, Nougat, New Mexico, Nintendo, Noogies, Noodle Salad, Nitrous Oxide, Nostradamus...

Gotta have my "N"

This is the Week - Don't Miss It!

2006-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Tape, TIVO, or watch (do people do that?) Extreme Makeover THIS SUNDAY, January 29th!!!! It's the episode that I wrote a novel about on my blog. I'll be the one standing behind the tree in a yellow windbreaker. At the reveal, we eventually stood on folding chairs that had been abandoned - but probably not until all the filming was done!

Once again...a little slow on the uptake!

Slow on the Uptake

2006-01-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt like you caught on to a trend just about the time it was going out? I guess this seems to be really evident in the fashion world...shoes especially come to mind.

Famolares were the greatest shoes. I had a pair of mid-heeled navy sandals and a pair of low heeled ("Rush") brown sandals. They were...WERE...so pretty!

Dr. Scholl's - were they comfortable - I guess so - walking on wood? Didn't we buy them at the drugstore?

The list goes on and on as far as fashion is concerned, at least for me, it does.

So that is where I find myself in the whole blogging deal. I jumped on the blogging bandwagon a little late and have loved it but find that some of the blogs I used to read on a regular basis have either stopped posting or just rarely post. I have also had my dry spells, so I understand how it happens. So...the question I have is...where does that leave me? If I keep on posting, am I just so pitiful that I do indeed find time during my day to post and read? Am I the geeky girl in Algebra class that FINALLY got her first pair of Famolares? If someone asks me about my blog, do I reply "oh, these shoes? I've had them a while - I just don't wear them that often." While the fact of the matter is that I love my Famolares or Dr. Scholl's or Candies with the lucite heels - but I don't dare show how cool I think my shoes are.

So, I guess I'll keep on posting. It's not like I have earth-shattering posts. I mostly just talk about my kid and post for my own selfish sake. I just don't want to seem pitiful!

I'm just a little slow on the uptake.

By the way, have any of you played that new game called Trivial Pursuit? It is so cool!

One Way or Two?

2006-01-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

I like my young family friends...they just don't call me...but I guess I don't call them either...What's that about a 2-way street? Feel better now, JP?

Delectable

2006-01-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

P.F. Chang's
Appetizer - Chang's Spare Ribs and/or Peking Dumplings (either fried or steamed) with as much potsticker sauce as you can consume and not get kicked out of the restaurant
Mongolian Beef

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Gunga Galunga

2006-01-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness." So I got that goin' for me,

which is nice.

I miss ya, Trey!

Changing Times

2006-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

Childhood: It was just fun to have a reason to get to stay up late. I didn’t really understand what the big deal was, but it was still cool. I remember watching Guy Lombardo and I just didn’t understand why everyone thought he was so great...he was just too Lawrence Welkish and boring to me. I also remember seeing people on TV crying at midnight and didn’t understand that either.

Teenage Years: I didn’t run with a very wild crowd (shocking news, I know), but sometimes the church kids would get together and do something…which usually involved wrapping someone’s house. Sorry Ron and Becky, Wade and Patty, Frank and Mary Chris. (You guys all lived too close to each other and if we were going to do one of your houses, we might as well do all three of them.) I remember watching Dick Clark and thinking it was a really cool show.

College Years: These were probably my best celebrating years. Fun. Carefree. Adventurous.

Single Days: These were my most depressing years! A really nice family at church would host our singles group every year at their house for dinner, games, etc. This was not necessarily the “hippest” crowd in town (of course, I was one of them) so the celebrations were a little depressing to me. At midnight, our hostess insisted, and I really mean INSISTED, that we partake in her black-eyed pea dip. It was really nice that this family would take all of us misfits in on New Year’s Eve – but it still depresses me!

Married Years/No Kids: We had some fun times. We hung out with the OLDER crowd (sorry folks…you know I’m right) but a smarter crowd. We’d either go out on December 30th for a nice night of dinner and movie (avoid the crowds), or we’d order in from Outback on the 31st.

Married Years/Kids: Am I supposed to get sleepy this early in the evening? I think an early dinner is really a great idea. Let’s go somewhere quiet. A movie? Well, does that theater have the comfy seats? I never knew people-watching could be so much fun. Is it time to call and check on Blake yet? Wish I had worn more sensible shoes. Does she realize how silly she looks in that New Year’s Eve hat? Is it midnight yet? Do you have a Zantac? OH! It’s 12:02! We missed it! Good night, sweetheart.

Extremely Emotional - Part 5

2005-12-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

We sure had a great time being part of this great event. The family was so excited, it was just overwhelming. Word around the site was that this show would be aired either the last Sunday in January or at the first of February. Hope you all get to see it!

MOVE THAT BUS! MOVE THAT BUS! (It was easy to get caught up in the frenzy!) We couldn't see the family's reaction....too many people in OUR way! All the folks in the black jackets were with the builder - so they got the premium places - as it should be.

...and here's your design team...

The family comes over to hug their neighbors - who we were standing right behind. That's the dad doing the hugging. Youngest son and daughter behind him.

Youngest son, dad, mom, daughter. Oldest son (I would say he's about 18 or so) was busy running the fence line "Ty-style" and slapping hands as he ran.

Heading towards the house.

Family turns back around to acknowledge yelling "fans."

The family FINALLY gets to go into their house. (Insider note: I'll bet it was 45 mintues from "move that bus" until they finally got to go into their home. It was like torture! All the takes. They actually walked up to the door about 3 times before they got to open it!)

Final look at the new home.

Designers smile for the crowds.

What a great opportunity we had. It was a blast.

Check out these links for stories I found about this makeover.

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/121605/local_20051216016.php

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/121505/local_20051215050.php

http://www.brenhambanner.com/articles/2005/09/13/news/news06.txt

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=3722534

http://www.abc40.com/main.cfm?ID=1&NewsID=3045&Type=Full

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/2081506.html

http://wtaw.com/news.php?phase=show&item=794

Extremely Last Minute - Part 4

2005-12-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Last minute details before the family came home. Pallets of Purina Dog Chow brought to the house.

Limo just before it leaves to go pick up the family.

The crowd across the road grows.

Ty and the Aggie "cheerleaders" just before running inside the house for the "We've got ONE HOUR, PEOPLE!" yelling on the bullhorn.

The family's new RV is readied for their return. It ended up getting a banner on the side of it that said something about animal rescue. We heard in passing that this RV was donated by Robin Williams (the comedien) but don't know if that was truth or just a rumor.

VIP viewing areas filing up. NationsRent banner nicely placed!

Ty running by the crowd, high fiving and yelling through his bullhorn. (He's a fast runner/I'm a slow photographer.)

Michael - the man with the whitest teeth on earth.

The "move that bus" bus is moved into place.

Family soon to arrive!

Extremely Wonderful - Part 3

2005-12-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

More Extreme Makeover: Home Edition pictures from last week.

This was our first shot of the house when we pulled up on Saturday. Someone with Stylecraft Homes, the builder, said it took 106 hours to build. Not sure if that is after the slab is laid or not...but it is amazing either way. The house fit so nicely into that setting out there. Nice ranch style home. PERFECT!

Some of NationsRent's equipment that they were beginning to haul away. They were really a huge donor for this makeover. It was neat being part of that. We were really treated like someone special because of it.

Putting the final touches on. This was about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. They were still taking some furniture and decorations into the house. We got to walk everywhere but inside the house. It's amazing where you can go and what you can do if you just act like you know what you are doing. Kelly's NationsRent shirt and hat got us everywhere anyway, but I was all puffed up acting important....HA...nothing could be further from the truth!

Fuzzy closeup of Ty. You take your life in your hands in that part of Texas when you make the Hook-Em-Horns sign. I risked it later anyhow!

Here's a shot from the south-ish end of the house. Behind the house, you can see a small red barn. Then right behind that are the dog kennels and then beyond that is the new barn.

Inside the little red barn - I guess this was the kitty house. Look at all the pet goodies. I didn't see any of the kitties back yet. They probably couldn't have handled the stress anyway. This was just one side of that barn. The other side was equally loaded. There was even a pet tag maker in there - about the size of a video game unit you'd find at Fuddrucker's or other place like that. It was amazing. There was a fork lift busily unloading about 4-5 pallets (or more, maybe) of Purina dog chow. There wasn't even room to store all of that food!

Here are the kennels behind the red barn. I think all of the puppies were back. Lots and lots of dogs. I think there were pins/houses for about 25 dogs.

These are the dog runs/play yards for the pups. Nice fire hydrants!

Behind the kennels/dog runs was the new barn. Apparently these folks have rescued about 26 horses...though one of them is a zorse. We met their neighbors from the ranches across the street. One of the men had taken care of 18 horses and the zorse while the family was on vacation.

Several new saddles waited for the family.

Nice barn with a fully supplied tack room at the end. The horsies we saw were very happy! (I could just tell!)

Behind the barn were several pins/corrals along with one of the horse-excerise-walk-around-in-a-circle deals

Truly amazing.

More later. Gotta go make some Christmas cookies.

Extremely Amazing - Part 2

2005-12-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

Kelly and I were going to be part of the "Braveheart March" but then it took longer than we could impose on our friend to watch Blake, so we stepped out of the march. This was the first time Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had been in Texas and they said it was the first time anyone had ever shown up with a state flag. I think those California types had no idea what they were getting into when it came to Texas pride.

So get this schedule....

Thursday is bullhorn day where the family leaves. From Thursday afternoon to Friday, the "tent and trailer city" is built. They have to lay rock pads, bring in lighting (serious lighting), set up all the trailers, set up catering (this is an unbelievabe part of the whole deal), set up their own cell tower, get all their satellite feeds in place....just one thing after another. It is unbelievable what a "city" it really does become. Each small part of making this happen is a huge deal. Crowd control, building all the tents for woodworking/building, security, just one thing after another. It was so cool. The house comes down on Saturday and when we swung back by there Saturday evening about 5:30 p.m., the foundation was being poured while the old house was still being hauled away. At one point, I think I counted about 15 dumptrucks. I think the ones that brought in the sand/dirt for the foundation left with a load full of rubble. And all of this was happening on a small road - it was paved - hardly big enough to handle all of the huge equipment. I talked to the man with the roof trusses and he said he didn't know if he could make it to the site...his load was over-length, over-height, and over-width.

Here are the marchers getting ready to march towards the torn down house.

The march arrives at the pile of rubble with Ty and the designors waiting on them. (You could basically keep track of where Ty was during this whole thing by just following the sound of screaming women!)

We are really fans of Paul and Preston, but it was still neat having the other crew here. From left to right - Eduardo, Ty, Ed, Tonya, and Michael.

Extreme Makeover - Brush with Greatness!

2005-12-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

We had the greatest opportunity to go down to an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition taping a couple of days last week. Since Kelly's work is a major equipment sponsor, we got to do some really neat stuff and see some of the behind the scenes stuff. We also found out a few of the secrets of the show...but really none of that spoiled the show. They honestly DO build a house in a week...actually...it was less than a week of true building and decorating. The location was outside of Washington, Texas which is on the other side of Navasota which is on the other side of College Station. (This location happened to be about 2-3 miles from where my Houston aunt and uncle have their weekend place. It was an area we are very familiar with - though we had never been down the road where this all took place.)

When we arrived, the first floor of the old house had already been ripped out. This picture is the 2nd story that was about to be bulldozed down. You can also see a barn behind and to the left of the house - it was demolished in seconds. The story we heard about these folks is that they have become an animal shelter...taking in all sorts of critters, big and small. He's a mechanic, or mechanic supervisor and she's a teacher. They have 3 kids - from about aged 12 to 18. They were long gone by the time their old house was destroyed - I think they went to Palm Springs.

That was the biggest bulldozer I had ever seen.

That pile by the dozer is the house and the barn! I couldn't believe how fast it came down. It was just a matter of minutes. It was kind of sad in a way...but good things were on the way!

My two favorite makeover dudes!

Film industry rules didn't allow anyone under 18 years old to be filmed. That was a real problem because Blake wanted to drive the big bulldozer...

...but he settled for driving one of the NationsRent gators.

More makeover pictures to come...

A Wonderful Gift for Your Loved Ones

2005-12-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Cruising around online, I found this lovely, thoughtful gift that you may want to buy your loved one. Only a few shopping days left!

NexxTech™ Digital Safe-Mate Alcohol Detector (631-3002)

Simple to use: Just blow into compact device and you'll see the results right away.

Important notice: Do not rely upon the analyzer to determine the level of intoxication or whether you are legally able to drive or operate equipment. Because of the numerous factors that determine an individual’s blood alcohol content, this analyzer is designed to be used as a reference measure only to aid in indicating the level of alcohol present in the blood. Under no circumstances should the user rely on the results of the readings of the analyzer to determine intoxication levels which may result in decisions to operate vehicles or equipment of any kind or participate in any type of dangerous activity. The analyzer makes no reference whatsoever to blood alcohol content or other such measures of intoxication promulgated by government, medical or other agencies or bodies. The supplier, manufacturer, dealer, wholesaler, distributor or any of their respective affiliates do not warrant the accuracy of the product and will not be held legally responsible for the consequences of any decision, based on the use of the product, to operate any motorized vehicle or other equipment or to participate in any dangerous activity; including any claims for special, indirect or consequential damages

What a thoughtful gift. Only $16.99 at www.circuitcity.com

Put one in everyone's stocking this year and be the hero!

What's so seasonal about pig parts?

2005-12-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Does anyone have any idea why sausage balls are usually just made around the holidays?

Ho Ho Ho - have some pig parts and other stuff.

My Not-So-Perfect Family Christmas Letter

2005-12-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to all of you, friends and relatives. I was hoping to have the time to write each of you an individual note to put with each of your Christmas cards, but truth be told, I spent too much money on my new NASCAR tattoo and now don't have any money left for Christmas cards. (It is some awesome artwork…the track runs up one arm, across my back and down the other arm, and doesn't interfere at all with the Budweiser tattoo.) We are planning a busy holiday hoping to see everyone that expects to see us. We had planned to visit my family on the 25th and 26th, but I’ve got some of those pesky community service hours to work off on the 26th, so we’ll have to cut our visit short. We’ll spend our traditional Christmas Eve with Kelly’s family and my Mom in Garland, attending their Christmas Eve candlelight service, if we can keep Mom from hitting the eggnog too hard and embarrassing all us while at church. (Sorry to bring that up again, Mom, but your interpretive dancing last year, right in the middle of “Silent Night” didn’t go over that big.)

Kelly’s work has been going well. He’s been traveling a bunch and has enjoyed the work he’s been doing with some very talented people. I don’t want to give away too much, but some of you can expect a really nice Christmas gift sack packed full of toiletry items that he’s picked up along the way during his travels. I think you’ll find that the Anaheim Motel 6’s shampoo has a nice fruity smell and the lotion from the Fort Lauderdale Motor Lodge is really nice for winter-dried skin.

We are very proud of our little Blake. For a 2 year old, he’s really picking up on some advanced skills. I’ve found that I can sit him in front of the T.V. for about 10 hours a day and he’ll be still for about half of that time. Aren’t we lucky to have such a good babysitter as the TV?! I don’t know how people used to raise their children without one. He especially enjoys “Days of Our Lives” and is learning some good concepts about family and morality. We were hoping to get Blake into Little Gym this year, but we’ve realized we can do the same thing at home with a few 2 x 4’s and a big pile of leaves. So he’s developing his balance and tumbling skills at home. We are so proud of him.

I stay busy with the traditional “mom stuff”. I did take a month off from everything to spend some quality alone-time in Mexico. Parts of the trip are a little blurry for me but I can tell you that the horror stories about Mexican jails are a little overstated. I came home from my sabbatical to find the house had flooded and “OOPS”, I accidentally had let our homeowner’s insurance lapse. I think this whole mold thing is all hype anyhow…I’m sure we’ll all be fine.

Guess I’d better wrap up this letter and get back to wrapping the last packages. My neighbors are generously donating their newspapers for my wrapping paper, but I must run over and get it off their lawn very early in the morning. It’s so nice to live in such a great neighborhood!

Merry Christmas to all of you and may your favorite driver finish first in 2006! NASCAR rules!

The Morrisons

My Perfect Family Christmas Letter

2005-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well, friends and family, here we are again at the end of the year and what a glorious year it has been! I’ve just finished wrapping the last Christmas present with some homemade wrapping paper I made. I gathered a few fresh greens from the backyard to adorn the presents and I think we are ready to go. We will be celebrating Christmas at home on the 25th, making it by both sets of grandparents on the 26th and 27th before heading to Maui for a few days of rest and relaxation. We’ve not gotten to be in our home in Kaanapali nearly as much as we’d like to in 2005, but have really enjoyed our place in Newport this year and look forward to some really good skiing at the St. Moritz condo in February. I know…I know…condo living can be such a bore, but the great skiing and fine shopping make up for the cramped quarters and limited staff. Can you believe I’m expected to maintain 5,000 square feet with a staff of only 4! I guess I just love a challenge!

Kelly’s work has been exhilarating for him this year. He’s been quite busy with special projects here and there, but thankfully has not missed any of Blake’s concerts. One of his biggest accomplishments that he was happy about was helping to lower Blake’s handicap to 5. Musically speaking, we have really enjoyed this year of instruction with Van and feel that Blake’s progress is superb for a 2 year old. Blake is currently working on Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody 6 and is having the time of his life! We’ve enjoyed our practice sessions at the Cliburn’s and especially Blake’s getting to play at one of their holiday celebrations. Blake also enjoys his polo classes but seems to be really taken with his new pitching coach. Blake’s change-up is really beginning to take shape and Nolan thinks that he should have it by opening day in the Spring. We have had several private institutions contact us attempting to convince us to enroll Blake in their early childhood program, but with our commitment to his sports, music, and the time he takes to read to other 2 year olds at the homeless shelter, we simply do not have time for preschool. Blake continues to amaze the professors at the University with his intuition in foreign language. It was fun for him to serve as President Bush’s translator during the meetings with President Hu Jintao in Beijing in November.

I am really enjoying this holiday season and looking back on the last year, I realize how truly blessed we have been. Working on the Board of the American Cancer Society has really reminded me how important it is to appreciate your health. I was so thankful to be in a position to co-author a paper on ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, and the Nobel Prize nomination was such a bonus. It truly is an honor just to be nominated.

We hope that 2005 has been a blessing to your family too. We invite you all to join us on our new boat whenever possible during 2006. We’ve only taken her out once, but it was a nice trip around the Cape. We were thrilled to learn to communicate with dolphins and even were lucky enough to find a new region of deep-water volcanoes. We’d love to share the sailing experience with any of you that can work it into your schedule.

So, from our household to yours, all the blessings of the season and may your New Year be prosperous.

The Morrisons

Dolphins, Scooters, and Cannons

2005-11-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

We had the greatest trip to San Antonio with the grandparents. Blake really loved it all - and is still imitating a hungry dolphin and wanting me to feed him a fish now and then.

Feeding the dolphins is really fun. They are such social animals...it is really enjoyable to watch them. Blake got so excited when they swam by. I got to pet one of them, but they aren't very interested in you until the fish come out.

Kelly and Blake did the feeding. I thought Blake might be confused by throwing the little fish to the big fish...but he didn't care one bit about that.

Here we are waiting for the seal/walrus show to start. Cute, silly show - but still fun. It was so much fun to watch Blake watching the show....possibly more entertaining than the show itself!

Shamu was great. Actually, there were 4 Shamus...not sure what Blake thought about that either. We'd been building up "seeing Shamu" for a while, so when there were 4 of the killer whales, we just called all of them Shamu.

Blake decided to take a little rest break in the penguin house. It was nice, cool, dark and relatively quiet so we all enjoyed hanging out there and watching it snow on the penguins.

The grandparents had a good time too. Blake loved riding on G's scooter.

After a long day at Sea World, there's nothing like kickin' back in the hotel.

Remember the Alamo. We rushed this visit and didn't take time to read every little thing, but it was still a great place to be.

Another cannon to climb on.

If you haven't been down to San Antonio recently, it sure is a nice place to visit. I've been there in the summer when it was NOT fun...though Sea World has a big waterpark to cool down at. I'm just glad we got the chance to go and have some grandparent bonding time. Nice family memories.

Bad Boy, Bad Boy, Whatcha Gonna Do?

2005-11-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

The streets are no longer safe.

This bad boy wants some candy for his punkin.

Bad boy shows his softer side while chattin' with Little Bo Peep.

Now this is what I call a RIDE!

Even biker dudes need a break...and sometimes a paci.

A Boy and His Dog

2005-11-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Abby and Blake are quite a pair. She is the greatest pup - very sweet, very gentle, and has always just sort of left Blake alone, which was a really good thing when he was tiny. She just turned 13 years old last week. She has breast cancer. She recovered nicely from her mastectomy (it seems funny to talk about this in such human terms) and they think they got all of the tumor.

I just hope that Abby lives long enough for Blake to have true memories of her. I know that I don't remember much from when I was 2 years old - so probably we'll just keep having to talk about her so he can keep her in his memories. There's just something about a boy having a dog that is important to me. I thought I would never let myself be without a dog, but now I am thinking I might take a break for a few years until Blake can appreciate a new dog a little bit better. We've decided not to treat her cancer, which wasn't really a difficult decision for a 13 year old dog. We will just wait for it to reappear make sure she isn't in pain.

We are headed down, with Abby, this weekend to let her run and play on the 12 or so acres that my aunt and uncle own outside of the little town of Chappell Hill, about an hour northwest of Houston. The property is completely chain-link-fenced, so it is a great, safe place to let your dog go wild. It makes me sad that this may be her last trip down there. We call her Country Dog when she is down there because she loves that setting and just goes crazy with all the room to run, the pond to play in, and all the other benefits of country living.
Anyway, Abby has been the best dog I've ever owned (OKOKOK...so I've just had 3 dogs my entire life) and I'm so glad my son gets to love on her and hang out with her. They are a great pair!

Proud to be a Texan

2005-10-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

If you are a Texan and haven't been in the past few years to our beautiful capitol building, you are missing out! It is so beautiful. They had a big renovation a few years ago and everything is so perfect. This picture was taken from right in front of the UT Tower. It is a gorgeous site to look right and see the majestic tower and then look down the way and see our breathtaking capitol in the distance. I felt very proud.I thought I'd better take a picture of this monument with the 10 Commandments on the north lawn of the capitol. I'm figuring someone will insist it removed at some point.Didn't you have your picture made on every canon you ever saw while on a vacation? I know I sure did. This was Blake's first canon. What a proud moment! I was trying to tell him what he was climbing on without having to really say "oh...it's an instrument of death". I think we just called it a canon and left it at that. He didn't really care!We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Austin and found out what a rockin' maniac our son was. He loved the loud music. Kelly and I definitely felt old....we actually complained about the loud music to each other! Good thing we've got Blake to try to keep us young!
This was another of Blake's dance moves. Let's hope he has more rhythm than the rest of the family!
So...make a plan to go see the capitol when you can. It is beautiful. The grounds are gorgeous...the prettiest "park" you'll ever see.

Oh...and by the way...Hook Em Horns!

Our Planets were Lined Up

2005-10-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love those moments in life when it seems everything is perfect...a moment in time when everything is so perfect you just wish you could bottle that moment and enjoy it whenever you wanted to? Well, we had one of those moments last Friday night. We were on our Austin adventure and had gone to the Oasis for dinner. If you haven't ever been there - it is a fabulous place for dinner on the shores of Lake Travis.

Dinner on the patio.
Watching the sunset over the lake...beautiful sunset.
Good food. (Note food one each car on the train!)
Perfect weather. About 78ish with a light breeze.
My two best friends with me.
Great band playing some great tunes.

Ahhhhhhh...it was a great evening.

Thomas Made Our Day!

2005-10-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had the greatest weekend last weekend. We went down to Austin to see "the REAL, LIVE Thomas the Train." Now I don't really expect those of you without young children or grandchildren to really understand this obsession with Thomas and all of his train friends, but for those of you that know about the Isle of Sodor (and its Roundhouse, Ashley), can tell the difference between Bertie and Bulgy, know which engines are typically mean and which ones are usually nice, then this blog's for you. For the rest of you, just go back to your own obsession of Bert/Ernie, GI Joe, Hot Wheels, the Mickey Mouse Club, Star Wars, Paper Dolls (thought I'd better throw something in there for M.C.!), or whatever you loved as a child and then you'll relate to our weekend.

Thomas was quite a site.

When I first saw him, I had this feeling kinda like the feeling I had the first time I took Blake to see Santa in the Mall. It was so exciting...I seriously got a lump in my throat just waiting for Blake to see him and realize that what we'd been telling him about was for real! It was all so REAL and one of the great parts of parenthood.

There were happy little kids all over the place.

It was a great place to be!

We took a ride on Thomas - Blake will tell you, to be more specific, that the ride was on Thomas' coaches.

We had so much fun. Austin is a fabulous place. More pics to come of our wonderful weekend!

We are FINALLY home!

2005-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

New Dad's in the front, driving.

New Mom's in the back by little precious.

Gran is on the other side of the Prince.

My mom insists that I poked and pestered Blake all the way home to Fort Worth. He actually slept almost the entire way...but it is a short 2 hour drive anyhow, so that's not that much of a miracle. I just couldn't keep my hands off of him. It was the most amazing day ever in my life. Every time he moved, I'd report to Dad what had happened. Kelly's folks drove behind us as did Patty and her gang. Patty, Brenda, and M.C. wrote a song for Blake on their way back. It was performed beautifully when we got settled back at home.

We came home to a very decorated house and even food waiting for us on the front porch. We had a banner and two sets of balloons. It was very perfect!!!!

We had a steady flow of family and friends coming over that evening and all day the next day. That was also very perfect!

Here's my mom holding Blake. This picture was taken in Abilene. I'm surprised you can't see all the tears running down my mom's face!

The Glass girls celebrated with us!

(Not sure what Brileigh thinks about all of this!)

The Gambills came over for the party too!

(Emma's got about the same opinion about this baby as Brileigh does...though she worked up a smile for this picture!)

Andrew holds Blake Andrew.

Well, of course, you know I have about 400 pictures from that first week, but I guess I'll stop there.

Thanks for hanging in with my story. God blessed us beyond belief. During the horrible roller coaster that infertility treatments take you on, we felt very neglected by God. Little did we realize until later what His perfect plan for a baby was for us. We are so thankful that we never got pregnant, because then we wouldn't have our sweet little Blake. Life has so many strange twists and turns in it. There are so many times that you feel so beaten down that you feel like God has turned his back on you. Thankfully, He never does that and is always ready to take you back with open arms. It is so difficult to wait on His plan at times, and we did not wait very patiently OR faithfully, but He blessed us anyway. Oh how our Father loves us. I still cannot fathom that God loves us more than I love my child. What an incredibly wonderful thing to ponder. Life is good. God is good.

Get the BABY Already!

2005-10-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

It is TIME to meet that baby boy!

Kelly and I headed down the hall and before we knew it, we were in a small reception room with a baby...OUR baby! I remember seeing him through the doorway before we entered the room. My brain thought "there's a baby" but my brain had not yet caught up with it all yet and I hadn't really thought "that's our baby."

Baby Blake was in this room with his foster mom, Danna - "Nanna" to Blake. His foster dad was unable to get away from work.

OK....so the last picture I saw of this little baby was probably taken when he was about 2 days old.

As you can see by this picture - he is all scrunched up, red, puffy - very fresh looking. I knew he wouldn't look like this when I saw him, but I had not imagined how beautiful he would be. I had not seriously thought through what he would look like and how much he would have changed. Boy was I surprised!

My first thought about my son...he is so beautiful. I knew he was the same baby as we had seen in the picture - I guess you could say I recognized him, but just imagine how much prettier a 5 week old baby is compared to a 2 day old baby. I just stood there half laughing and half crying (OK, make that 10% laughing and 90% bawling my head off!) looking at him in amazement. I just couldn't not believe that HE WAS OURS! Danna finally had to sort of hand him to me and say "do you want to hold him?" I couldn't believe that I hadn't just ripped him out of her hands to start with! I think I was in shock.

I think Kelly and I spent about 5-10 minutes in that small room before we went to introduce him to the world. Danna gave us a bunch of stuff for Blake - papers and goodies from the hospital. Danna had made a scrapbook for us from the time she got him through this day. She had tons of pictures of him - many times laying on the scale she had. She had many notes about things he liked and disliked and how his health had been for the first 5 1/2 weeks. It was so awesome to have this record of events. It made taking care of him easier and it also made such a precious gift to let us know how Blake had spent his first few days. After reading Blake's story over several times, it finally sunk in on me how much work Ken and Danna had done for us. They had gone through all the tough times of figuring out his schedule, finding the best formula for his tummy, all the tough stuff. They say that babies don't come with instructions - but ours sort of did! (I wish I had a set of instructions for the toddler years!) Our case manager gave us a few more instructions and told us how the next part of the day would go. Several other staff members wandered in and out of the room with congratulations and well wishes. It was an amazing moment.

I held Blake first, then Kelly, then Kelly let me carry him into the big room where everyone was waiting to see him.

Here is the picture of when we walked into the conference room. The door we came through is back in the corner of the room blocked by Kelly in this picture. One of the funniest things I remember is hearing a "whoop" of some sort when we were first spotted through that doorway before we ever came into the room. I think it might have come from Mary Chris, but I'm not sure. Following the "whoop" came lots of happy sounds and many sniffles. I introduced our son "I'd like you to meet our son, Blake Andrew Morrison...(sniff sniff giggle giggle)....and he's just perfect!" Danna had him dressed in a precious little outfit that was white trimmed in blue. It said "Angel Baby" on it and had a pair of wings sewn into the back. Blake having been her 53rd foster baby - she knew what an angel a baby is to an adoptive family, so it was a perfect outfit.

We walked to the grandparents and let them get their first hugs and kisses then Blake was passed around to our friends. After the first wave of all that settled down, we sat down with Blake and had a ceremony of sorts. Both of our case managers talked to us and shared thought and blessings with us. Several other staff members spoke and then everyone there (I guess there were about 30 or so of us there) gathered around our famiy of 3 and prayed for us. It was a very special moment. I'm thankful that Wade was there to video tape it because I know that I zoned out a few times! What a day!

Our fellowship time continued while Kelly and I did our last bit of paperwork. When we returned, I gave Blake his first bottle...or should I say OUR first bottle. Thankfully, Danna had made up a few bottles for us for our trip, so I didn't have to mess with too much on that. But talk about an audience! My word! I had the world critiquing my every move! You've never heard so many people tell you how and when to burp a baby. It was hilarious. How many other moms are on such display for their firsts with their new baby? Before we left, Trey wandered in (since he was in school out there) and Chet and Anne Bogle also were there as they were in Abilene doing family stuff. That was just that much nicer having more friends from home there with us.

It was time to head home, so the entourage followed me to where I changed Blake's diaper before leaving. OK...so..this is the first time that I will have been able to actually do my own confirmation that this is a boy baby. I wanted to take longer than 2 seconds to confirm my siting, but the "oh watch out he's gonna spray you" jokes began and so I really didn't get to look at Blake's boy stuff very long - other than to just see that it was there! I know that may sound odd, but it's a critical thing to check out! Again...the "helpful" hints continued as I changed his diaper. Off we were to Fort Worth.

More later.

(Earlier tonight, I had typed up this entire post, with many pictures inserted, and finished the story, only to mess it up and lose it all. I hate being dumb! I was so upset that I couldn't recover my work, that I'm not going to finish tonight. Sorry to draw this out another day.)

Part IV - Drive to Abilene for the big meeting

2005-10-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

OK - I've gotta get this story finished!

So it's October 3, 2003 - Friday morning. Much to do. Plan to leave Fort Worth at 11:30 a.m. to pick up bambino at 2:00 in Abilene.

Here's who is going:
Car One - Kelly, Joanie, Joanie's Mom
Car Two - Kelly's Dad, Kelly's Mom
Car Three - Wade, Patty, Mary Chris, Brenda

First things first. Get my nails done. (You can't become a mommy with ugly nails!) It was fun telling my nail folks that I was going to be a mommy in a few hours. They were amazed.

Go to Babies R Us and get a baby book. I wanted to have something for the attendees to sign. Incidentally, I parked in "Expecting Mothers" parking at BRU. If I didn't qualify for that, who does??!!!!!

I called Shei somewhere along the way to tell her I was going to use "Blake" as his name. She was cool with it. Not like I was going to change my mind or anything...but I wanted to tell her anyhow! She was nice to share the name with us!

Back home to get ready to go.

You should have seen how much stuff we packed to take to Abilene. Looking back on it - it cracks me up! We probably took 6 diapers with us! We WAY overdid on what we took. Inexperienced parents! Of course, we had to take every camera we owned. I'll bet we took about 3 blankets too!

So the troops gathered at our house. I remember that I was still ironing my clothes for the day when people began to arrive at our house. And...since we were in the middle of JBF Sale preparations, the ironing board was in the living room...so there I was ironing in the living room. Crazy! We were all so giddy!

Wade was there to do his video documentary for us. He filmed every step of the way - walking out to the car, getting in, driving off from our house...the whole nine yards. The Weaver-mobil had to go by Brenda's in Benbrook to pick her up, so they got separated from us.

Finally - off to Abilene!

"Andrew" for middle name? Yes...the decision was made.

I called my aunt in Houston whose last name is Andrew. She liked our choice.

So we are rolling along nicely to Abilene. Kelly's folks are right behind us. Patty and gang are further back - we don't know how far. We probably didn't get off right at 11:30, so we are probably scheduled to arrive at Christian Homes at about 1:45 - which is actually the perfect time. At about 12:30 (we are only 45 minutes into our 2 hour drive), Christian Homes calls us and says "Is there anyway you can be here at 1:00 p.m.? We've got a bunch of our board members here who want to be a part of this but some of them cannot stay until 2:00." YIKES!

We told them we'd get there as early as possible. Oh my word! I wish they'd told us this sooner! So we have about 90-ish miles to go in 30-ish minutes. Uh...that's sort of difficult to do. All this time, Patty had been trying to catch up to us...now...needless to say...she would never be able to catch up with us!!!!!! We called Kelly's folks and told them we were about to start going even faster. Oh my....oh my. We didn't make it much earlier than we had planned - maybe only 10 minutes or so. It was a wild and crazy ride. Kelly was on his phone most of the time to someone - and I was on mine too. It was a fun trip. Half the time, we were just checking on where Patty was. She tells us later that she was going 100 mph to try to catch us. That makes me sick just to think about it.

We finally arrived at Christian Homes. (Here we are at the front door just as we arrived.)

We unloaded a ton of stuff (thankfully, not everything we had brought with us) and went inside. We were greeted in the lobby. Emily Tate blew in the door just about then. She'd been waiting for this day very eagerly with us. Apparently, she had told all of her professors that if this baby ended up coming during class one day, she'd just have to excuse herself! What a sweet girl to join us for our special day.

Our case manager Kenyan gave us the scoop on how things were going to work. I asked if the baby was already here and she said "yes". MY BABY * is already in the same building that I AM IN!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my! What an amazing feeling. We were going to wait for Patty and troops to show up, so Wade could continue filming everything, but Kenyan told us that she really wanted us to meet little Blake first, all by ourselves. That sounded like a good plan.

So while our family and friends were taken to the conference room to wait for us, off we were taken to a room to meet our son for the first time. (Here are some of our buds that came with us.)

They had the conference room decorated very cute. They had cookies and punch out, and had little alphabet blocks spelling out "Baby Morrison". They had these "throne chairs" set up for Kelly and me and then other chairs set up around for our family, friends, Christian Homes staff and board. This was much more than I expected!

I just cry all over again as I write this. I guess all moms feel this way when they see their child for the first time. It was so amazing.

More soon.

* Kelly's baby, too!!!!!

Part Three - The Longest Blog Story Ever!

2005-10-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

...so where were we? (this feels so good to remember all of this stuff!)

So how do you tell your friends that in less than 24 hours, you are FINALLY going to be parents? People that have known how much we wanted a baby...people that have prayed for us so many times... It was so much fun. We had the picture of baby boy with us - the one that Abilene emailed us. One of our 1st stops was going by to see Patty up at church. She was in her office. She was, of course, surprised to see both of us during the day. (Now you'll have to remember that by this time, little Maisy was already about 2 1/2 weeks old.)

When Patty asked us what we were up to, we plopped the picture of the baby boy down in front of her and said "we wanted to show you a picture of Maisy's new boyfriend." She looked at the picture and gave a little "awwwwwwww" then she asked

"who is this a picture of?"

We said "this is our son that we are picking up in Abilene tomorrow!!!!!"

Patty had one of the funniest reactions. The first thing she said, as she covered her mouth with her hand was "I'm going to throw up!"

What a funny reaction! She called Wade up right away and we all celebrated.

We went over to Brenda's and sort of did the same thing with her - telling her we had to come over to show her this picture - of OUR BABY!!!!!

It was so much fun to surprise everyone and shock them!

We made several more stops and then went home to make a ton of phone calls to family and friends. The rest of that day was a blur for me. I was in the middle of preparing for my first Just Between Friends sale to begin in just a few days. (This was October 2nd, and our sale set-up began on October 8th.) This was a sale that Pam and I were throwing together very quickly, and we were actually going to have it at my house. Wow. I had furniture moved here and there, piles of sale materials all over the place. We had had such a great response to our first sale, that we knew we were having to move outside into the backyard and put up tents for our sale, so I had had the tree trimmer come over and trim a bunch on our backyard tree. All of that was piled all the way across the front of my house. We were in a house in transition, preparing for the sale, preparing to have strangers wandering in the front door, shopping in the house and then wandering out the back door to shop more outside. Now we needed to be a home ready to bring a baby home to the next day! To say the least, it was overwhelming!

I cannot remember what else we did besides pack for the new baby, go out and buy formula (Kelly did this very late at night - like all good dads do!), and work on a name for this precious baby boy. As I recall, the night flew by. We had much to do to - a lot of it had to do with getting our crazy mixed up house ready for guests. I had previously prepared a list of about 50 boys names that I liked. (This was one of those things I did to help pass the time when we were either trying to have a child or waiting to get word on a baby to adopt.) So the negotiating began. Kelly's rules were this:

1. Not a name that you cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl. (He had dealt with this enough in his own lifetime.)
2. Not a name that could be shortened.
3. A "strong" name.

We worked it down to about 5 names by about 10:00 p.m. or so. By midnight, I think we had finally decided on "Blake".

Middle name work began at midnight. UGH!

We were able to do that quicker - as it was easier to eliminate names that didn't work well with "Blake" or "Morrison". It was about 1:00 a.m. and we were exhausted, so we went to bed with about 3 possible middle names - but we were leaning towards "Andrew". We decided that we would make the final decision on the trip to Abilene! Nothing like waiting until the last minute!

We awoke to the most amazing day of our lives...and I'll have to post more on that later!

2 Years Ago (yesterday) - Another Retrospective - Part II

2005-10-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

...as I was saying...

So Kelly and I are on the phone together and we decide this is the baby for us. We put together our plan. We needed to stay at work for a little while, as that is where the fax about the baby boy was coming to. We decided to call our respective parents and then call each other back and report on the reaction. End of call.

The next thing I did was open my office door and go running down the hall saying "It's a Boy! It's a Boy!" Although my office group only had about 4 employees in that building, there is another organization down the hall that had about 15 or so employees....so they got to hear me going crazy! Everyone was out in the hall by the time I was through with my Paul Revere-ish ride! It was so much fun!

Back to phone calls. Kelly was able to get ahold of his folks right away. I wish he were here right now to remind me what their reaction was. I, on the other hand, could NOT get ahold of my mom. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to talk to her. I left her a message - not wanting to let on to what was going on. It was a "hey mom, I've got something I want to talk to you about, give me a call as soon as you can". I waited and waited. At some point, Kelly called me back and reported on his parents' excitement. The fax from Abilene came and we reviewed it. It was basically everything that had been told to us on the conference call. We faxed it over to the pediatrician we had already chosen, for her review. All was good on that deal.

Called my mom. No answer.

Called her again. No answer.

(do you see a pattern developing?)

I didn't leave her a message every time I called her - didn't want her to be too suspicious!

In the meantime, Kelly and I both received the email of the baby's picture. We were on the phone and opening the email at the same time, so we could see his precious picture "together" at the same time. My co-workers were hanging all around me. One of them had a camera and kept taking pictures of me being a happy almost-mommy. We looked at the picture (this picture had been taken when the baby was just a few days old - so he was "pretty" - but you know what I mean when I say he had that very "new" look.) The first thing I thought when I looked at the picture of him is that he looked like my father-in-law! I mean that just jumped out at me! It was so funny.

I tried my mom one more time and FINALLY got her. I wanted to blurt it out...but paced myself. She had been outside trimming her hedges and was hot and tired. I listened to her hedge story for a few seconds and thought I was going to burst! She told me "I am through trimming for today, I'll just have to go back to it later." I told her "Well you can't work on it tomorrow." She asked why. I told her "because you have to go to Abilene with us tomorrow to pick up your grandson!" I have to tell you this - that was one of the greatest moments in my life - getting to tell that to my mom. This is where my mom begins to freak out. She said to me "Joanie! Joanie! Joanie! Joanie! Joanie!" I would say she said it about 8 times or so. Tears really picked up at this point - on both sides of the phone. I brought her up-to-date on what had happened and told her we had a few things to do before we could leave work and I would call her back before too long. She was in heaven! End of call. She tells me now that she was just walking around in circles - she couldn't calm down!

Called Kelly back to report on her reaction. We got together our last plans and then we were going to leave work and go home. End of call.

Then I got to make a really REALLY fun call. I called our Board President who was my boss - and I quit! It was so much fun! She sort of went into a panic...and I told her we'd work out something for the transition - but I was basically quitting. I had to remind her that I had warned her it might happen this way. She was happy for me - but she was not really a happy person when I quit!

At some point, we called Abilene back and said "yes" and they told us to be out there at 2:00 p.m. the next day. WOW! By this time, that was less than 24 hours away!

Kelly and I headed home and began to formulate our plan for telling our friends our wonderful news.

Part III later.

Another Retrospective - 2 years ago today

2005-10-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

It was a Thursday. My meeting ended around 11:30 a.m. or so. The meeting was across the hall in another office. I came back to my desk and since I'd been tucked away for about an hour and a half or so, I knew I needed to check my voice mail first thing.

One message.

"Joanie, this is Kenyan at Christian Homes. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience."

So here's the deal on that. Whenever you are waiting for a baby, and you get a call from Christian Homes, your heart rate automatically speeds up.

I called Kelly at work. No answer at his desk or on his cell phone. I knew he had some conference calls set up for that day, so I figured he was in the middle of one of those. I was just going to give him a head's up that I was going to return Kenyan's call - having no idea why she was calling me - but just wanted him to know something was up. Oh well....it's probably nothing critical with her, so I'll just try to track Kelly down later and let him know what had transpired.

Call to Abilene.

"Hi Kenyan, this is Joanie returning your call."

"Hi Joanie. I just wanted to check with you and see how you were coming on picking out those baby names. When I was in your home a couple of weeks ago, you hadn't made a ton or progress on that project."

(Suspiciously) "Well, we haven't done a whole lot on it.......(long pause)..........why do you ask?"

"Because we have a baby that we want to present to you."

At this point, I'm not really sure what I said to her. I don't know if I started crying immediately or not. I was in shock! After a certain amount of stuttering and "oh, wow's", I got it together enough to ask 2 questions. (I'm not sure why I didn't ask more.)

"Is the baby already here?" "yes"

"How old is the baby" "5 1/2 weeks"

FREAK OUT TIME!!!!!!!!!

Kenyan told me to get Kelly on the phone and we'd do a conference call with her and Bob (V.P. at Christian Homes) and talk about the situation. End of call.

Now to try to track down Kelly. I tried work number and cell number again and got nothing. I called his co-worker and told her "I have to talk to Kelly. Wherever he is, I need to talk to him , NOW!" I know I was crying at this point, because I remember thinking that she would think we'd had a death in our family. She calmly said "OK, let me find him." After what seemed like forever, Kelly gets on the phone and I tell him the WONDERFUL news. He sounded very calm. I told him we needed to conference call them back, and he said he could take care of that from his end, just to give him a second and he'd call me back. End of call.

I briefly run into the hallway and tell my co-workers - there were probably 2 of them there at the time - what was going on and I'd be on a very serious phone call for a while, and I would have my door closed.

Soon, the call came from Kelly and we conferenced Kenyan and Bob in and they spent the next 45 mintues telling us about this very beautiful 5 1/2 week old baby boy. They went over everything they could think of with us. So at the end of the call - it was kinda like - "uh...so...give yourself some time, think about it, and let us know if you want him!" I'm sure that isn't how they put it, but that's the basics of it. OH MY LORD!!!!!!!!!! (and I truly mean that in the best way possible.) Kenyan told us she would fax over health history, etc. to us ASAP for us to review. She also had a picture of this little baby boy that she could email to us. We asked her to email it to both of us, at our work email addresses. We asked them when he was available to be picked up, assuming he was our's, and they said "well, you can come get him tomorrow or you can wait until Monday if you want to." SHOCK!

Kelly and I let the Abilene part of the conference call drop off, and then there we were talking just to each other. I remember it was so odd - another kind of "uh....so....do we want this baby boy or what?!" I can't even remember saying "yes" to each other or anything - it was just pretty much a "I guess this is our baby!" Oh my...the tears of joy that I was shedding! I was in the middle of a whirlwind. Kelly and I were freaking out! This was really happening to us. We were about to be parents the next day!

Part II comes later. I'm getting too worked up just remembering all of this!!!!!

What were YOU doing 10 years ago today?

2005-09-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

I can barely remember what happened to me yesterday, but I can tell you that I got engaged 10 years ago today. Kelly proposed to me in Irving - by the mustang sculptures at William's Square Plaza. We went back there tonight for dinner at La Cima and a stroll around the mustangs. It was very perfect!

More on La Cima later...it is an experience!

Don't Call the Cops on Me

2005-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

A cool day like today, after so many scorching hot days, calls for an extreme celebration. Please don't call the cops on me - my celebration won't last that long.

People I Like

2005-09-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

10 reasons I like Wanda Lyle:

(These are not the only reasons I like Wanda...nor are they necessarily the main reasons I like Wanda...they are just a few reasons that come to mind.)

1. She has a funny laugh.
2. She adores her husband - though apparently she has spoiled him ROTTEN!
3. She makes me feel like I'm not a bad mommy.
4. She loves my son.
5. She's got great hair. What would Wanda be like without her big Texas hair?
6. She has such a wonderfully comfortable house.
7. Everyone likes being Wanda's friend.
8. She can relate to a lot of different aged people.
9. She makes me laugh. You should hear her when she's at the podium at the Ladies' Retreat.
10. She is a wonderful person and always seems to do the right thing.

You know what?

I don't just like Wanda...I love her!

I know Wanda doesn't read blogs - I don't think she even messes with a computer - but just in case -

Wanda - thanks for being just like you are - please don't ever change!

"A Mighty Wind"

2005-09-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this amazing piece of cinematic art, then you need to make it a top priority to enlighten yourself with this fabulous movie. I TIVO'd it the other day and just finished watching the end of it this afternoon. I think it is soooooooo funny...not laugh out loud funny...just funny.

Just wondering - which of you agree that this is a great movie? I'm thinking this may be one of those movies that you either love or hate. What category do you fall into?

Also, for those of you that know Cary Branscum, couldn't you see him playing the part of "Mitch"?

Bad Hair Day

2005-09-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hubby's Headed for Houma

2005-09-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

My sweet hubby has to go to Louisiana tomorrow for work to try to help some of his co-workers re-establish communication with the outside world. I wish he didn't have to go - I know it will be really hard for him. Physically hard, but just for a day and a half. There's no room at the inn - so he'll just sleep at the office. That's not bad for one night. He's got to get up at 3:30 a.m. (guess that's about 3 1/2 hours from now) to catch a flight. Not too bad for one night of little sleep. But I just know Kelly will see the destruction down there - hear the stories - and it will just hurt him so badly. I know he's a grown up and can handle it - but I just wish he didn't have to see it. Hopefully, the area he is going to won't be too devastated. He's just gone for one night. I know he'll be fine. He's such a softie when it comes to things like this. I'll be glad when he's back home with me.

I feel somewhat selfish whining over his trip to Louisiana knowing what so many in the area have experienced. I just know this is going to be a hard trip for him and I just want him to be happy and safe.

And Then He Was 2!

2005-08-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

My little guy is two years old today. The last 2 years have been the fastest in my life. I couldn't help but cry last night when I rocked him to sleep. No more baby.

I love him so much!

I think it is broken

2005-08-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

There were no extra parts. It came assembled. I just don't know how to make it work properly. I really think it is broken and the warranty ran out over a year ago. It makes me very sad. I can't believe I finally got one, and now I've broken it. My mom said it can be fixed - but I just feel so bad. I see others with theirs and everything works fine. How come mine is malfunctioning? Why am I so clueless that I broke mine? I broke it and it's all my fault. I was thinking about getting another one, but now I'm afraid I will break that one too. I feel so ashamed.

Instructions NOT included

2005-08-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

I cannot find the instructions. Most models don't come with instructions, but I had a set of instructions to help me use it right at first, but now those are outdated. This is very frustrating. I'm afraid I will break it beyond repair if I'm not careful.

Popeye's been lying to us all this time!

2005-08-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Just a few things I discovered today...

Everyone knows that spinach is loaded in iron and makes you stronger - Just look what it has done for Popeye's career. Well, Popeye was wrong. So were all of those parents that stuffed it down their kids' throats. In reality, spinach has no more iron in it than any other vegetable. This spinach misconception dates back to the 1950's when a food analyst made an error while calculating the iron in spinach. His decimal place was off by one place, suggesting that spinach had ten times as much iron content than it really did.

Frenchman Michel Lotito has a very unusual diet. Born on June 15, 1950, he has been consuming large quantities of metal and glass since he was nine years old. To date, he has eaten supermarket carts, television sets, bicycles, chandeliers, razor blades, bullets, nuts and bolts, lengths of chain, phonograph records, computers, and an entire Cessna 150 light aircraft (which took him nearly two years to consume). It seems that his body has adjusted to this unusual diet, as he eats nearly two pounds of metal every day. His technique includes lubricating his digestive tract with mineral oil, cutting the parts into bite-size pieces, and then consuming a large quantity of water while eating this junk.

Did you ever wonder what the WD in WD-40 stands for? The name was lifted right out chemist Norm Larsen's laboratory notebook. Way back in 1953, he was trying to concoct an anti-corrosion formula, which worked on the basic principle of displacing water. On his 40th try, Larsen finally got it right. Hence the name WD-40. It literally means Water Displacer, 40th try.

Some things just cannot be kept to yourself.

Enlightening my world, one blog reader at a time.

Norman Stingley changed my life!

2005-08-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

An educational moment taken from an email I received today:

"What makes SuperBalls bounce so high? At the risk of making an unpaid endorsement, we think no childhood is complete without (accidentally) chucking a SuperBall into mom's crystal display case. Indeed, when it comes to instigating pure household chaos, nothing tops these wee bouncing balls of anarchy. So what gives SuperBalls their tremendous power? Toymaker Wham-O claims their SuperBall is made of something called "Zectron." Hmm, "Zectron" sounds a lot like some made-up Willy Wonka word rather than real scientific material.It turns out Zectron is legit, combining polybutadiene with sulfur. It was discovered by the ball's inventor, Norman Stingley. Like the adhesive behind Post-It Notes, this new rubber compound wasn't an intentional invention, but the material's ability to rebound 90 percent when greatly compressed led Stingley to believe he had a hit toy on his hands. And, of course, he was right."

This concludes this educational moment.

Peace, Brother!

2005-08-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

FREE slightly damaged ELECTRONICS

2005-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know of someone who would be interested in "mildly damaged" electronics? Here's the deal...we had a power surge at our home and it blew our T.V., VCR, Tivo, CD player, Receiver, and several other little things. I'm thinking that someone who knows what they are doing could do a fairly simple repair of the thing-a-ma-jig and have some good stuff. I was going to set it out at the street and just see if someone would take it - but thought I'd see if my vast blog readership (come on, you two, surely you know someone) might know of someone who might want it. They may be damaged beyond repair...but who knows? Let me know if you know of someone. I'll probably put it out at the street on Saturday if I don't hear from anyone.

Peek-a-Boo

2005-08-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Ever have that feeling that you are being watched?

Medical Tip of the Day

2005-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to drink lots of water while outside to avoid dehydration.

Eye See You!

2005-07-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure what to say about this interesting picture I ran across! Another case of someone having a little too much time on their hands!