Vega$ Baby!

So...I'm back from the city of lost wages. LOST is correct. I came back with very few winnings. ($20 bucks here and there...but I LOST IT quickly after I won it.)

The important thing is that I RELAXED! No dishes, no laundry, no boring meetings, no e-mail, no schedules...Just plain FUN!

We checked into the Flamingo pretty late so we ended up with a smoking room the first night. It was like sleeping in the bottom of a dirty ash tray. YUK! The hotel changed our rooms the second day. Much better. We weren't extremely pleased with the Flamingo - but the price was right (free). My favorite place to stay is definitely Harrah's.

If I had my camera in Vegas, I would have photographed the following:

* Me and Tracy standing in line for 20 minutes just to get into the Coach store.
* The 20-minute line to check out of the Coach store.
* The 30-minute line to get into the parking lot of the outlet mall.
* The 20-minute taxi cab line that snaked through a million line esses.
* My straight flush on one of the video poker machines.
* Tracy's $400 win on Reels O'Dublin.
* The bar at Nine Fine Irishmen in New York New York casino.
* My pina coladas at Paris casino.
* My EMPTY wallet at the airport.

Glad to be back.

P.S. SHOE HEAVEN
We found two Zappos.com outlet stores in Vegas. It was very fun. We spent about an hour at each one trying on shoes. We did not purchase any, but I'd go back...just to see if the shoe karma is good.

Secret message to quiltnut

I watched the pbs show and Eleanor Burns this morning.

Eleanor needs a few fashion tips. She must have had a sylist for this photo.

Merry Christmas..........

Me and my daddy on graduation day.

I am glad I'm done. Thanks for all your support...everyone!

I can't freakin' believe it!

I am FINISHED!!! I turned in my final exam today at 4:00 p.m. Hurray!

I graduate on Saturday. I can't wait. Gotta go fix dinner.

Living on adrenaline...

We had our monthly jewelry bingo last night. The room was FULL! We probably had about 80 gals there playing bingo and buying jewelry. It was fun. I had three tables working so I was extremely busy. I also got FIVE bookings last night. What a trip!

The bad part is that I was very sick. I thought it was just a cold - but by the time I got home, I had the chills so bad...I drove home with the heater on full blast and my seat heater going. I didn't warm up til about five this morning when my fever finally broke. I shouldn't have been working last night. I should have been home in bed.

I hope I didn't infect anyone. We're supposed to have the Pantex Christmas party tonight...not sure if I'll want to go since I feel this way. But I'm doing a jewelry show at 2 this afternoon - so if I'm gonna work, I might as well play, right?

My nose hurts, my ears hurt, my throat hurts. Yuk. If i'm not better by tomorrow, I'm going to the clinic.

Phillip's first deer

Phillip has been nagging his daddy all week to go deer hunting - again. They went on opening day and didn't see anything. The day after opening day, Phillip sliced the top of his foot to the tendon and couldn't wear a decent pair of shoes because of the 10 stitches. So he though his deer hunting days were over.

Then, last night, he spotted a deer in the milo field south of our house. What a coincidence. He dropped it on his first shot. It was a whitetail nine point buck. We will have the head mounted since it is his first one.

On a sad note, Carl, our family cat, was run over last night. We are on our way to the vet right now to get him fixed up. We think he broke a leg. We will keep you posted.

Update!!! Carl has a broken hip. Everything else looks good. He has been told to stay in bed and take antibiotics. Can't do anything for the chronic pain. Poor guy. He still loves us...

He needs to know!

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?"


"No, I had to stop drinking years ago", the homeless woman told me.

"Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?" I asked.

"No, I don't waste time shopping," the homeless woman said.

"I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?" I asked.

"Are you NUTS !" replied the homeless woman. " I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!"

"Well," I said, "I'm not going to give you the money.

Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight."

The homeless Woman was shocked. "Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting."

I said, "That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine."


P.S. A special thanks to CM for sending this absolute GEM to me!

What's going on here?

I must have worn out all of my friends. I tried to get someone to attend a craft show with me today. No takers. This is one of the very few weekends that I have NOTHING on my calendar.

So I'm skipping the craft show and getting a hair cut instead. Woo hoo!
Also - cleaning house and sewing an apron that I've been meaning to make. It'll be a good weekend after all.

My homework is finished, my test is taken and I've got another 36 hours to myself. (My boys are hunting with Steve today). Are you jealous?

No time to blog

Here's my list of things to do today:

1. Make two batches of jelly for the church turkey dinner.
2. Make two pumpkin pies for the church turkey dinner. (I have to make four because my family will want to eat some, too.)
3. Clean kitchen.
4. Do laundry - I'm out of clean underwear.
5. exercise.
6. Do homework for school (this took about 1.5 hours!)
7. submit jewelry order from Thursday.
8. Close jewelry show from Monday.
9. Prepare news releases for the jewelry open house on Wednesday.
10. Go to post office to mail news releases.
11. Mail jewelry order from last week.
12. Prepare my stuff for tonight's jewelry bingo.
13. Buy jewelry tags for the jewelry open house.
14. shower. (Thank God we have water. It was turned off for several hours yesterday while the city fixed a leak!)
15. Confirm two jewelry shows from last week (this can wait til tomorrow).
16. Get rid of migraine. (Took Imitrex at 10 a.m. - headache was gone by 1:30. Whew!)

Did I ever tell you I love lists?

Check out this blog. It's really cool for listologists.

todolist

I am proud of my farmer/firefighter husband!

My sweet husband was honored by the Amarillo Fire Department for his work at a downtown apartment building fire in which dozens of people were rescued. He and his crew did such a phenomonal job! Here he is with his crew and the Amarillo Mayor. Happy 4:20!

He is so great.

Don't fight with a porcupine!

Meet Gus. He and the German Shepherd, Gunner, met a porcupine a few weeks ago. I'm disappointed we didn't get pictures of Gunner. He was in much worse shape. So bad, that we took him to the vet emergency room that evening. $325 later, he was perfectly fine.

Gus suffered an extra day, however. The boys and my husband managed to confine him in such a way that they were able to pull the quills out with pliers. Poor Gus. But they are both as good as new, now. Ready to take on the world - again.

I get extreme pleasure from seeing all three of our dogs out running the fields, chasing rabbits or birds, and just being free. They are our buddies!

Meet Carl

Growing up, I had a relatively short list of cats in my life. First, there was Butterball, then Kiki, then Bitty Kitty (or Bidi for short). I moved away and didn't get any other cat until after I married Steve. Then, the cat we had (Stripes) was SO great. He forced you to love him. He would even go pheasant hunting with us because he loved fresh birds. He was an outdoor cat.

When we first got married, my husband told me that animals belong outside - especially on a farm. We wouldn't be having any inside dogs or cats! We tried to make him cave in. We would adopt little kittens and put them in the house (so the dogs, hawks and owls wouldn't eat them) but usually the cats would get kicked out of the house for gnawing furniture or being too dumb to use the litter box.

Then, we got Carl. He joined our home about five months ago. The kids named him after the Billy Bob Thornton character on Slingblade. Anyhoo, he is a wonderful little animal with a lot of personality. He likes people and he knows how to use the litterbox. Surprisingly, he has not yet been kicked out of the house. He goes outside, of course, to carouse like any normal tomcat will do. But so far, so good. He has behaved and really blessed our lives.

We all love Carl.

Dead Like Me- Millie's New Job

Our e-mail system went down at work last week. It was shut off for THREE whole days. I was one of just a few people in the building with e-mail. I didn't really get any e-mails, though, since all of my coworkers were down.

It was very difficult because we all had to TALK to each other. Yuk. I was reminded of this video clip from a show that I look forward to watching as soon as I graduate (and my time is my own for awhile). Thank goodness for netflix.

Anonymous - This one reminded me of you, today! (Forgive the $%#*@^ language!)

Don't you just love change?

My son got a new cell phone the other day. He feels pretty special with his mp3/video/camera/internet/etc. phone. I'm still using a 3-year old Nokia that I just adore. I don't want to have to learn how to use a new one, ya know? The buttons will be different, the features will be different, who knows how much more money it'll cost. I'd take an i-phone, but I don't want to spend the money. I get traumatized when I change purses! I dread getting the new phone.

We're in the middle of grain sorghum harvest. It's pretty much all-consuming. Every decision we make for the next couple of weeks will be preceded with the question, "Can we cut today?" If the answer is, "yes," then we make plans to work around harvest. It's a beautiful time of the year. At least Steve took off an hour and a half to watch our 7th grader play football. That was a nice break.


More change. I got a new boss at my full-time job a couple of weeks ago.

Well, I'll keep my nose to the grindstone and keep working...remembering that God wants us all to do everything for His glory - including an 8-hour day at work. We are only on this earth a short time, right? We should make every moment count!

Here goes...1,2,3,4,5,6.....

This is for Kelli!

Anyone who has ever lived with a cat will really enjoy this one!

I got my cap and gown!

Stephen and I went to WTAMU Thursday and picked up my cap and gown and graduation announcements. It was cool. I am excited. December 15 at 3 p.m.

Is forgiveness as hard for you as it is for me?

When people who love you hurt you, is it hard for you to forgive them? Especially when they don't ask for your forgiveness. Especially when they don't realize that their behavior is so harmful. Especially when the pain they cause is not always in their control.

I will work on this one.

I want to SCREAM!

I am so thankful that I DO NOT have a headache today. I have had a mild headache for about the past four days...nothing has helped. Except some serious prayers.

Praise God the headache is gone and I feel really well today - physically.

Mentally, I am super stressed. I want to go to Rome. I want to go to Hawaii...for free. But both trips require working my jewelry business. Unfortunately, ANY extra time I have has been spent attending my kids' sporting events or on my FINAL M.B.A. Class. (The prof loads us up with lots of work so that we'll know what it feels like to be an executive. I think I could handle it if I was getting paid for this. But I'm PAYING this guy to torture me. Where's the brains in that?)

To add fuel to the fire, my father-in-law is having a triple bypass on Tuesday. No stress here...

And they're talking a Reduction in Force at work. Steve asks me, will you lose your job? I'm like..."I don't know. I don't think so." I guess if I lose my job, it frees up my time to finish my M.B.A. and to work on my jewelry. :) Aloha! and Arrivederci!

I'm finished with week four of 15 of this class. Thank you, God, for giving me fortitude this fall. Step by step, inch by inch, life moves forward. The suffering makes me a stronger person.

And please, all your extra prayers should go for my pop-in-law. We are very close and I love him. I also know my husband carries a heaviness about it. We are grateful the problem has been id'd and can be fixed.

We just need faith and prayers. Thanks.

Jesus loves you...or the worst Media Relations strategy EVER!

Check out this video to watch your tax dollars at work. Oh - and Jesus loves you. He really, really does. I know He does. I think this is kinda sick and wrong.

Migraines

Did I ever mention that I've suffered from migraine headaches since the age of five? Yep. There have been times that I have been in bed for 14 hours with excruciating pain, to the point of extreme nausea and tears.

I tried accupuncture in the early '90s. Dr. Wong in Amarillo. I highly recommend the procedure. It reduced the frequency and severity - but did not eliminate them. (Perhaps I should go back for a readjustment...I've heard that is called for. Just no time for that right now.)

I've never liked the prescription migraine medicines because the side-effects always seemed just as bad as the headaches.

Until now.

My doc talked me into trying Imitrex. Aside from feeling a little weird the first four hours after I take it (like my arms tingle, my tongue aches, my jaw is sore and I'm a little nauseous), it is the only thing that has ever tackled the headache. I feel normal again in four hours. If you've ever had migraines, you know that four hours of weirdness is nothing compared to fourteen hours of excruciating pain.

This is not a commercial for Imitrex. Or an endorsement of accupuncture or my doc. I write this because I woke up with a migraine. Yuk. So I took my quiz with the pain in my head (got a 90! woo hoo). I'm waiting to take the Imitrex til I have breakfast. We're having omelettes, cantaloupe and fresh salsa....compliments of my father-in-law's garden. Breakfast is at 9:30.

And Imitrex as a chaser. Hooray! That means I'll feel good by 2 p.m.

Life is good.

P.S. we had .80 of rain last night. The pastures really needed it. Here's a pic from my kitchen window. My hubby says we neede three times as much.

This is for Mitzi!

A photograph of the nutty professor. This is for real. It can be found on the University web site.

Confession101

A friend of mine sent this video. It is adorable! Watch out Oprah.

People who have hayfever shouldn't live on farms

Between August 1 and two days after the first freeze, I LOVE CONCRETE AND REFRIGERATED AIR. My hayfever is so bad right now. My husband is so kind he strips in the mud room after being outside near the milo so he doesn't spread pollen throughout the house.

The crop is beautiful this year. It is tall with great big heads. Each head contains about 3,000 spores of pollen. I'd say there's about 999,000 heads of milo out there right now. It's also a windy day. So I've been walking around miserably sniffling and rubbing my nose. Yes I take allergy medication. It's just no match for the millions of pollen spores out there. Not to mention the tons of ragweed merely a few feet from the front yard.

I'd take a photograph but it's dark. All you'd see is the beautiful full moon. Oh. And I don't want to go outside because of my hayfever. So you're stuck looking at a photo of wheat harvest. See our old, worn equipment?

I should live in a bubble this time of year. My only bright spot is that it is only temporary. The first freeze usually comes on Halloween. 65 days and counting.

P.S. this photo is of the famous "boy in the bubble." Wasn't John Travolta in that movie? I have vague memories of the huge TV event (back when there were just three networks).

It's been too long

Since I've blogged. I miss you all. So as life has been relatively boring but busy lately, here's what I'll do. If you don't know by now, I LOVE lists. I love making them, I love reading them, I love crossing things off of them. You're tasked with reading my lists. Please comment or add your own list! Thanks. XXOO.

5 Favorite foods:
french fries
pizza
beer
cake
ice cream
did I say beer?

5 foods I avoid* when "dieting"
french fries
pizza
beer
cake
ice cream
did I say beer?

*avoid means only allowed once or twice a week

5 favorite songs on my ipod (today...this list has been known to expire)
Gwen Stefani's four in the morning
catholic praise cast podcast
Robert Earl Keen's Amarillo highway
Rock lobster - B52s
Anything by the killers

5 things I want to do before the end of the year
Promote to manager with my jewelry company (lia sophia if you didn't know. Click here to find out how to get free jewelry.)
Go to Vegas
Have a clean house for more than five minutes
Get a new door AND have it installed! (oh...and painted)
replace Stephen's broken window (it's been broken for more than three years...this is a MUST)

My son needs me. So gotta go. Luv ya.

Vacation in the mountains

We came back from a very quick vacation in the mountains last week. The boys took some very good (and funny) pictures of our stay at the NRA Whittington center's back country cabin. The cabin is $100 a night...no water or electricity. But the cabin is nice, adequately stocked, warm, and you have to have a four-wheel drive to get there. It was Steve's dream.

It's on a ridge so you can see mountains from all sides. Highly recommend it.

Nothing really eventful happened. We were very rested by the time we came home. I can't believe we don't go more often. It's just six hours away. Shame on us.

Not much going on

Not much to write about. I am so far behind on the farm paperwork. It is not my favorite thing to do so it gets put on the back burner...a lot.

The last couple of weeks have been a blur of activity. School begins in just a couple of weeks. YUK! But it is my last class. And then...a Ph.D.

Well...at least that's what I'm thinking of. Not sure it'll happen.

Maybe. God is good.

Here's proof that my kids can dress up. Look at how thrilled they are to be in shirt and tie for a funeral. Can you see the glee on their faces?

Did I ever tell you I love FREE jewelry?!?

I know I am obsessed with jewelry. I sell lia sophia jewelry as a hobby. Click here to view my website.



Anyhoo, we had our first ever Jewelry Extravaganza fall fashion show last night. It was a TOTAL blast. My favorite part was putting together the jewelry looks. It was a lot of work but we had terrific teamwork and creativity. Look at the room - complete with runway and lights. (Photo was taken before the event...my manager's daughter was trying out the runway!)



I am so glad my manager asked me to join her in the jewelry/fashion biz. I have met wonderful friends, made some great money, created a gargantuan jewelry box (for myself) and helped out countless women earn free jewelry.

Hurray for lia sophia. My life has been blessed beyond measure through this endeavor.

Look what I got for my birthday!!

Steve is so romantic. He bought me something that's very shiny and sparkley for my birthday. He worked very hard to get it and it cost a LOT of money (about as much as a new home).

Can you guess!?!

It's a pivot sprinkler system. Here's a pic!

We were so excited that we took a picture of us in front of the control panel. It's like buying a new home - without any curtains or windows or bedrooms or kitchens...

But, seriously...I turned 39 today. It didn't hurt. We had a lot of fun. About 20 of my dearest friends and family joined me for a margarita and beer at a local restaurant. I felt so blessed. Lots of people love me for some reason or another. Thanks for the gift of friendship, everyone.

Now start praying that we can pay for this big ol' sprinkler system. Did I mention that it cost the same as a house? Eeek.

I am proud that my husband has continued to fulfill his lifelong dream of farming and ranching on the home spread. We have had a few good years and a few bad years. So far, 2007 is looking very good. We owe all of our blessings to the good Lord. God is GREAT!

The Space Shuttle flew over our house today!

My mother in law took this picture at the Amarillo airport. Don't you just love the hay bales?

The Space Shuttle Atlantis was on its way back to Kennedy Space Center from Edwards AFB in California and stopped off in Amarillo today. We got pics as it flew RIGHT OVER the house! Isn't this cool? Our own personal fly-by.

None of us had ever seen the space shuttle in person. It piggy-backs on a specially-made 747. We're not used to seeing such big aircraft in town! It was a SWEET surprise.

Traffic near the airport was almost at a stand still as word got out. I really am so proud to be American. Happy Independence Day!

Click Here to learn more about the Space Shuttle Atlantis' trip back to Florida.

What a wonderful welcome!

Hey, all! I'm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a lia sophia jewelry conference. We flew in a day early because we could save money on airfare so Shelli Stockstill and I have spent the day getting to know the town. It is beautiful! I am so excited about our trip so far. We went to Sprecher brewery this afternoon. We were too late to catch the tour so we went to have a VERY late lunch. (I was ravenous by then.) We ate at a fabulous diner named Solly's. We had butter burgers. Look at this picture. They are incredible. I highly recommend a butter burger. I think they are even better than the burgers at Vicki's in Amarillo!

You wouldn't believe what happened while we were there!?!

U.S. Senator Herb Kohl sat down right next to me. The crowd at the diner started giving him a hard time about the NBA draft and the Bucks. (He owns the NBA team.) He pleasantly ignored them. He wasn't rude, just quiet and didn't want to be bothered. I honestly had no idea who Senator Kohl was until today. He has a special place in my heart since he and his family created the Kohl's Department store chain! (Just ask my sister how much I love to shop at Kohl's...doesn't everyone?)

So anyway, we went for a beer after we got to this fabulous mall that closed at 6 pm on a Saturday night (how crazy is that)!?!?! We had no time to shop - maybe I should take that as a sign from God? I've done enough shopping for the month!?! (Shelli reminded me of the famous Benjamin Franklin quote - "Beer is proof that God loves us.")

The waiter at Applebees was so friendly and fabulous. He let us try three local beers (in large shot glasses) and even brought us a FREE extra beer. We tipped him well. We stayed a long time so that I was able to drive back to the hotel OK. (Drink responsibly!!!)

THEN we went for coffee and dessert at a local coffee bar(Alterra). Their credit card machine was broken so they asked Shelli to come back before she left to settle her tab. When she settled her bill at closing time, they gave us two big bags of FREE and fabulous pastries to take back to the hotel with us.

Needless to say, we have had excellent traveling KARMA. I just met Shelli for the first time today and I think I've got a friend for life. Miss you all.

Jacksonville Jaguars

It didn't dawn on me until I drove by the NFL Stadium that Jacksonville, Florida is home to an NFL team. I'm clueless when it comes to football. But look at the hotel I'm in. Government work is good if you can get it.

I'm posting from Jacksonville because I'm here for a meeting for work (my other job...besides selling jewelry).

It's a long way from home. I like Florida but I already miss Texas. I love the Lone Star State. I'm a Texas snob and proud of it!

Oh...and one more thing. When I picked up the rental car, Hertz asked me if I wanted a Monte Carlo or a hard-top Mustang with satellite radio.

The Mustang is silver and has 7,100 miles on it. I gotta get me some satellite radio. It is AWESOME. I feel so far behind the times. I'm going to bed.

It's summertime

I am glad the summer is here. The boys have been out of school for a week now and I am enjoying them being at home...no harried schedules (for them) and no last-minute school functions. Whew!

I attended a women's retreat last weekend. (It's called ACTS for Adoration, Community, Theology and Service - a totally catholic experience.) I fell in love (again) with the Holy Spirit. I came away from the retreat singing the song my mother always used to sing, "I have a joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart." God is so good.

I am proud to be a part of the universal Church, the Body and Blood, soul and divinity. I highly recommend the experience - when you are ready to go, God will call you by name.

God bless!

Memorial Day

Hope it is happy! I am having a wonderful day just goofing off. I slept til 7:30 a.m (late for me) and then stayed in bed and watched the DVR of What Not To Wear. What a great way to start the day. It doesn't take much to excite me. Peace.

That's entertainment?

An essay on the Warner Bros. film Music and Lyrics

I stayed up late to watch a movie Friday night...Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. It was definitely a chick flick. I wasn't sure if I should be insulted or entertained. Hugh Grant was hardly acting in the film. His script consisted of pithy one-liners that made him look totally endearing and portrayed him as such a nice guy. And his dancing in the pop video....so bad!!! And then there's Drew Barrymore. She was the same character she's been in every movie she's ever done...except Poltergeist. Wedding Singer, Never Been Kissed, all the same person/character. I was insulted during the high school reunion scene when all the women who LOVED the 80s were drooling over Hugh's pathetic hip thrusts. I was insulted because the movie is making fun of those of us who drooled over George Michael and Corey Hart so many years ago. I suppose I need to lighten up, huh!?!

I have a confession to make. I really liked the movie. I admit the acting was so-so, the script was pretty lame and the story was predictable and sappy. But I liked it. I was in the mood for some no-brain activity. THIS HIT THE MARK! Next time you just wanna chill and relive your high school years without sitting through "Pretty in Pink," watch this one.

Click here to create your own 80s glam band!

I lost my sausage

I cracked up this week as I was walking the 1/2 mile path to my building from the parking lot clutching a too-small ziploc bag with an eight-inch red link polish sausage inside. The sausage slipped out of the bag without me knowing so when I got to my office, I noticed the empty ziploc bag. I began to chuckle and backpeddled to the door...just to make sure I hadn't lost it in the building. No such luck. I began laughing my head off at the thought of someone seeing a BIG RED LINK SAUSAGE laying on the sidewalk.

As luck would have it, my fellow coworkers come in about twenty minutes after me. They were getting out of the car when someone said, "It's gonna be a bad day for the person who lost his sausage."

Weird, huh!?! Someone kicked the sausage into the grass. I thought some animal would eat it but it still lays there. It has lost its color. It's brown and shriveled now.

We have a new baby!!!

Look at this guy! Isn't he adorable!?! He was born on Mother's day weekend. He doesn't have a name yet. Any suggestions?

Adam West likes to eat food grilled in foil...

I love Sunday evenings at home. Remember that Seinfeld where Elaine was trying to get home to watch "60 minutes" but she couldn't because of a parade in New York? I remember how upset she was...I get that way, too. I like to be home on Sundays.

Happy Mother's Day!!

My wonderful children and husband bought me an IPOD for mom's day. My first experience with an MP3 player. Welcome to the 21st century...huh?!?

My quote above was from tonight's episode of The Family Guy. Lois Griffin runs for Mayor. Jimmy Smits campaigned for the incumbent (Adam West) and attempted to get the hispanic vote...His one quote: Adam West likes to eat food grilled in foil. It was very funny. That show is absolutely trashy and crude but I think it is hilarious and I try not to miss it.

My five favorite songs on my IPOD: (this week anyway)

Baby got Back...Sir-Mix-Alot
Couldn't Stand the Weather...Stevie Ray Vaughn
She's a Beauty...the Tubes
Missing You...John Waite
The Road Goes on Forever...Robert Earl Keen

Do we have a new hobby?$?$

I took time to upload some photos of the hor$e $how this weekend. My 14-year old has aspirations of becoming the next Matthew Quigley...or someone just like him. So we've been taking him to horse clinics and hor$e $how$. It was his first $how this weekend and he placed in all of his classes (one sixth place and two sevenths). The amazing thing is that he makes it look so easy.

Guest what our spare time and $pare money will be spent on?

Top five things that make me laugh

5. Most of Mike Myers' comedies
4. Time with family reminiscing or playing cards
3. Lunch with friends (something about lunch, something about friends - guaranteed laughter)
2. my wonderful sons
1. My sweet, sweet husband who has a joke or story for every occasion!

I'm at home in bed today with a horrible ear/nose/throat thing going on. Watching "Pretty in Pink" on MTV while I post to the blog. Isn't life grand?

I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow.

Just for Mitzi

I needed to put myself in a place and time when I was in Finance class...just like my good friend is now. So I pulled a picture of our professor off the website. She has not had the pleasure of meeting him in person since she's taking an online class. I've tried to protect his identity a little. Enjoy! This was very therapeutic.

Tension

Click here to play a really fun WNTW puzzle!

What is the best way to relieve tension? I think it's to sit down on a recliner with a beer and watch the Rangers or "what not to wear."

I could use a beer right now.

Click here to get to the Rangers website.

Favorite Beer

Favorite beer: Dos Equis. Best place to drink it: in my front yard watching the dogs sleep.

Why am I writing this? No reason. Just thought I'd share a little info.

Remember your first real job? Remember your first real paycheck? I remember being so proud and so excited about my first paycheck. I think I blew it all back then. I'm still doing that. Thank God tomorrow's payday!

I slept on the couch last night...

No it wasn't because I was in trouble or anything. The wind was HOWLING out of the northwest at about 45 mph all night. That made it loud and cold. It reminded me of the time my mother was in hospice and we had several nights like that. I slept on the couch then, too.

My mother always said the wind makes people crazy. I believe her. It's funny how windy days remind me of her. I miss her.

Anyway...my husband came looking for me at about 2 a.m. He cleaned his guns off the guest bedroom bed and asked me to join him in there. It was much quieter and snuggly.

The wind has finally died down and I can watch my Rangers lose to Cleveland. Go Rangers!

Quicksand

The boys took the horses out to the nearby national recreation area to ride last week. They attempted to cross the river and ran into some QUICKSAND! Can you believe it? I am so grateful they are OK. They had to bail off the horse and keep him calm while they coaxed him out of his predicament.

We thought one of the cell phones was ruined, but to my son's disappointment, it is not ruined and he gets to keep his current phone. (Who can afford to update phones EVERY time a new one is introduced?)

Some photos from that day. Phillip is covered in red mud from his waist down!

Amarillo by morning...

I rarely get the chance to be at home alone in the mornings. Since I have a DR appointment today, I've got an hour to myself in the house. It is quiet except for the wind howling. Several tornados swept through our area Saturday night. They did tremendous damage south of us and north of us. We are blessed that we only received beneficial rains.

I took time to capture the sunrise out my front door. I love morning time.

April 6, 2007

Big day for us. We've been married 16 years today. We are still very much in love and are best of friends. I thank God every day for my wonderful husband. We are so loved by family and friends. My only hope is that everyone will have a love like ours.


Although we celebrate this day, we also mourn this day. Six years ago this date, my mother died. She was a remarkable, lovely lady who taught us all how to die with grace. We will go visit the cemetary this afternoon between Good Friday Stations of the Cross and Veneration of the Cross services. Mom, I know you are still with us in spirit. Thank you for your beautiful gift of life, your constant encouragement, your desire to give us everything we ever wanted and your unique love for each of us. You taught me the importance of family. Those last days on earth with you at hospice were treasured moments with my brothers and sister. Thanks for that gift, mom. I love you.

I survived the month of February

Can't believe it. I usually have my income tax info to the accountant by the second week of February. I was beating myself up because I didn't get it done until the second week of March. A month late!! EEEEEkkk.

Stupid me, huh? We had a lot of snow in January and February yet I couldn't make myself sit down and do it. I'd rather be selling jewelry.

I became an independent lia sophia jewelry advisor. I thought I would get rich...but I really have just used the extra income to support my bad habit of SHOPPING! I had an epiphany the other day. I AM A SHOPAHOLIC! I can't believe how pleased I am when I walk out of the mall wihtout purchasing anything. I even go so far as to say a prayer before I go shopping. And I've changed the prayer from, "Please, God, let me find the perfect pair of pants today," to, "Please, God, let me get my pleasure from seeing, touching, smelling, but NOT buying!"

The month of February was so insane. I had my Managerial Accounting class - including a final over seven chapters (yuk). I made a 91. I was very happy...have an A in the class and only lack two classes to graduate with my MBA.

I also worked to complete the paperwork for the farm loan. That's always a chore. We have to put together an entire business plan for the bank. Not to mention the income tax. The bills are due RIGHT NOW and we are short $45,000. I'm just taking it a day at a time. The worst thing that can happen is that we lose the place.

My kids decided to participate in stock shows in Jan. and Feb. so a lot of spare time was spent with them washing pigs. Fun.

Then I had to schedule the annual trip to Vegas with my Vegas friend. I LOST ALL MY MONEY. That was no fun. I was disgusted when I got the airport thinking I would never return again. But by the time I landed in Amarillo, I was ready to go back. I've got a new Vegas savings plan! And if it's not used for Vegas, it'll be used for a New York shopping spree. I know both trips are in the future. I want to pay cash for them and for Christmas this year. I'm so sick of credit cards and credit card offers. They are just TROUBLE!

Another prayer: Lord, keep me from using my Talbot's card except in an emergency. (Is the 50% off sale in July with the extra 10% off for my birthday month an emergency?) I wish my company would send me back to Vegas some time. I'm trying to talk them into a training class in Florida in June. We'll see.

By the way, the other thing that happened in February is that my church sanctuary caught fire and burned to the ground. It was extremely traumatic. I'm attaching a photo. I was co-chair of the parish council so it has been more work than I was expecting. God challenged me tremendously with this one. Our church has been so blessed. We are stronger because of the tragedy. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it is true! The Holy Spirit is everywhere. It's just AWESOME!

Maybe I'll have time to post more often.