a favorite pic and other randomness

So much coming up in the next few weeks, that I've been running away to Disney as often as possible to get my fix.   lol

Here's my favorite pic from last week:

There are more pics from the Disneyland Street Party/Parade over on my Disney blog.  Feel free to check them out.

We have a photo shoot at our favorite theatre this week.  They're doing "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" AND "Putnam County Spelling Bee."  We're shooting both shows and individual cast pictures Thursday night--we're preparing for a very hectic evening.

The wedding plans are moving along nicely.   This month appears to be "pay the balance due" month, so I'll be writing lots of checks.  Invitations have been mailed and responses are trickling in.  We've asked everyone to respond to a website instead of giving them a response card to mail.   Yeah for technology!  Save a tree and a few stamps!

Boy1 survived the ugly weather in Nashville this weekend with minor flooding in his apartment.  Classes have been cancelled today and the college kids are thrilled to have another day to study.   Finals are rapidly approaching.

Boy2 appears to be loving Alaska.  Work has been off and on, but  he's making enough to pay the bills.  We get random pictures of moose from him.   weirdo....

Girl1 is working for the census for the next 6 weeks.   Can't wait to hear the stories!  lol

That's about it ...off to have some coffee and get some chores done around the house.  I have more of them to do now that all the offspring have left...but the house doesn't seem to be as dirty as it was.  It all balances out.  =D

and then there was one

Yep....only one child is left in the nest and she's leaving on June 28th.   Beginning to think we overdid the "you can do anything" lessons...lol  Boy2 is on a plane headed to Alaska.  He's excited. I'm happy for him...but Alaska is far far away....

In case I haven't said it before, I HATE goodbye's.   hate.. hate... hate ..

AND I've gained 5 pounds which ticks me off.

AND I want to pig out on chocolate but am trying to control myself cuz I've gained 5 pounds.

AND I have too much to do this week, so I had to cancel a Disneyland date.

AND I have another dentist appointment today.

AND I have to go the grocery store (I swear I was just there).

AND....AND.....AND....you get the idea......

Don't call...I'm not picking up today....

Finally Friday16ish....the one with ADD

It's been awhile but here's a "write-it-down-and-get-it-out-of-my-head,so-I-can-focus-on-the-weekend" post.   My brain is in list mode, so this will have to be also.  

1.  The menfolk will be back tomorrow evening.  They've been snowboarding in Utah for a week.

2.  Sunday I judged 2 musicals...."Alice in Wonderland" and "Rent: the student edition."   Probably not the best combination of shows to see back-to-back and may I say (of course, I may...it's my blog) that I don't think that 14-19 year olds should be doing "Rent."   They sang it okay but they don't really have the life experiences or maturity to perform it.

3.  Captain EO has returned to Disneyland for a limited time.   hahahahaha   I saw it yesterday (yes, I was at Disneyland again..you can follow those adventures over there)   My kids are gonna die when they see it....it really is bad (and not in the 80's good way).   If you go to the park, take the time to experience it....just for kicks.

4.  And on the subject of Disneyland,  the Electrical Light Parade is leaving in April with no plans to bring it back to the west coast.  This makes me sad.

5.  I'm judging another show tonight..."Cinderella Enchanted"....I think I'm on musical overload.

6.  Wedding plans are moving along.   Invitations are printed and will be assembled on Wednesday.  Bridesmaids dresses are being purchased (hopefully) on Sunday.  We met with the caterer and are just waiting for her estimate.  Music is being selected.   We're pretty much just passing time until the big day. 

7.  Boy2 is moving to Alaska on Tuesday.   Homer, Alaska.   Good thing he likes snow.  Crazy kid.

8.  best blog line of the morning:   release my inner Godzilla upon Internet Tokyo  go ahead....check it out, I'll wait.   but you have to promise to come back... 

9.  someone has started a "people of the park" website that is like "people of walmart"....so now you can check out disneyland fashion faux pas there and at Thumper Awards.  

10.  It's suppose to rain again and the top of my car is still leaking.  

11.  I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee and my head still hurts.  Maybe it's not a caffeine headache....ugh.


and it's 10:30 so I should probably move along.....have a fantastic weekend!!!!

the end is near

no no NO!  not that kind of end!   bad brain....bad!

sorry....sometimes things just pop into my brain and i have to go there.  

this morning i'm sitting on the couch, enjoying an incredible cup of coffee and taking a breather before starting tax prep.   my mind is reviewing the last few days and my eyes are teary.   once again, God has reassured me that we did an okay job raising our kids and for this I am truly grateful.

boy1 flying home was exactly what I needed for Christmas to be perfect. getting to see the interaction between the three kids made me smile.  they really love each other....not because they have to, but because they truly care.

as i sit here pondering the year ahead, i'm excited for the changes that are coming and sad at the same time.  boy1 is back in Nashville.  girl1 is getting married in June.   boy2 is moving to Alaska in less than a month.  They are five years apart in age and yet, in a span of 10 months, they will all leave the nest.  

Christmas 2009 will always be a special one for me.  I think they all felt that it was the last one with all our traditions intact.  we'll be adding family members and adjusting things to accomodate inlaws and their traditions and it will all be wonderful, but 2009 was "ours" and it was good.

and to 2009 I bid a fond farewell and to 2010, I say "bring it on!".....

May you all have an incredibly blessed 2010!

girl1 decorated the cookies again....

2009 Christmas

a cute little girl read the Christmas story at church

we went to Ookas with my family (that's boy1 in the black shirt...sneaky sneaky kid)

boy2 and hubby1 installed the holiday lights (that's a Grinch inflatable at the top of our tree)

a flock of Christmas flamingos invaded our yard

girl1 decorated the cookies again and....

stripper cookies were sighted in several gift baskets

and silly paper crowns were worn

and some really really REALLY horrible pictures were taken of the kids

and then posted here....that'll teach them to snoop around on my blog...heeheehee

Christmas surprises

So much fun tonight!!!  Boy2 had to run off before our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with my brothers to "pick up one last gift" and said he would meet us there.

Here's the gift he picked up:

Yep! Boy1 flew in to spend Christmas with us!

We had NO idea that they were planning this!!!!

Best gift EVER!

thanksgiving recap

Spent Thanksgiving with hubby1's family.   Thanksgiving day was filled with great food and a wild round of "house rules" pictionary.   The guys spent most of the day blowing up gophers with the a home built device that seriously blows up gopher tunnels. It's scary but works great.  As always, it rained on us on Friday...it's tradition.  Friday night was a quick run to the mall and dinnner at On the Border....good times.

But the best part of the whole weekend was the girls deciding we should take girl1 on a trip before she gets married.   So we sat down to figure out what would be the most fun.  It didn't take too long.  Here's what we will be doing in only 57 days:

Yep,  we be cruisin'!   heading to Mexico for 7 days....for about $600 per person.  woohoo for Travelocity!

a bit of reassurance

Every now and then, you get a glimpse into the soul of your child and you realize that they are going to be okay.  Somewhere along the line, they actually heard what you were saying.  Tonight, as I listened to boy2 respond to some rather icky news, I was blessed by his heart for the innocent people who (in his words) were practically destroyed by someone's selfish actions.  His anger was a righteous anger that did not lead to a violent response but to one of wanting to know "why?"

As he continued to process, it was truly amazing to see his maturity and to realize that maybe we, with massive amounts of  God's help, managed to raise children who will be able to thrive in this scary world.   It has always been one of my fears that somehow we failed at parenting.  It was all I could do not to tear up with gratitude for such a wonderful bit of reassurance.  

Such an amazing evening....thank you, Lord, for giving me a glimpse into my quiet child's heart.

happy birthday, boy2!!!!!

Today my baby turns 18.....

here's to you, boy2....

and all your crazy adventures....

so proud of you and your well-developed sense of justice,

your work ethic and your heart for the less fortunate.

can't wait to see what the future will bring....

hard to believe that they are all technically adults now...

where did the years go?

Second Fiddle...

missing boy1 but appreciating him taking time to post videos from class....

i knew it was a bad idea.....

boy2 bought a new toy.

boy2 showed off his back flips and his fancy twists.

hubby1 showed off his half flip.

hubby1 can't move his neck tonight.

welcome to my life.........

m*i*c......k*e*y.......

family is in town and they insisted we join them at disneyland.  we'll probably force ourselves to go a couple times while they are here...

oh the things we do to keep the peace....

Happy Birthday, boy1!!!!!

This young man is turning 23 today.

He is an amazing person.

kind, loving, caring, talented, hardworking, funny, smart, etc etc etc

are there better pictures of him?....probably...

but this is his trademarked raised-eyebrow look

and it makes me smile

So here's to you, boy1!

We are so proud of you--

have an incredibly special day!

wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

one thing i won't do

We were at disneyland and california adventure yesterday to celebrate girl1's 21st birthday.  (wow...engagement on thursday and turning 21 on sunday.   she's had a FANTASTIC week)   anyways....i love, love, LOVE pretty much everything about disney except for this ride:

sure...it looks all innocent in that pic but then this happens:

those stupid swinging gondolas freak me out.  not just a "oohh, that's a strange sensation" type freak out.  a total "omg!!! i'm going to cry" type freak out.  so i sat and took pics while the family rode it. 

I do, however, get a kick out of Tower of Terror......

go figure...

finally friday12 - the one with a tv and an engagement

the week is done and it's time for another "wrap it up and toss it out" post.....so here goes:

we bought a new tv and eventually will get the remote(s) all straightened out.  why did we buy a new tv? cuz it's football season and ours died in the middle of Monday Night Football.   Soooo NOT okay!  i had to listen to both games on my new 52" radio and football is not the same without the picture.   

on tuesday, after we bought the tv, we hiked over to Chili's and enjoyed another fabulous dinner.  not because Chili's has the greatest food in the world, but because all the family members living in california were there and it doesn't happen very often.  an evening of laughter and crazy stories..i treasure those moments.

i also got braces on tuesday which made dinner painful but i'm surviving.   46 yrs old with braces....what was i thinking?   oh! i remember! i was thinking --"man, when did my teeth get all cattywhompus? ewwwwww...fix those things..."

wednesday was a "clean the house and whine about how much my teeth hurt" day.

thursday...fiasco at the dog groomers.  but Guido now looks beautiful and it was 50% off.   and then the big ENGAGEMENT....so excited for girl1 and SIL2B

and it's FRIDAY!   lalalalalalalalala    gotta buy some dogfood and that's about it.

niece is coming to hang for a little bit tomorrow...haven't seen her for awhile.  and then dland on Sunday to celebrate girl1's 21st birthday.  such a big week for her!!!!  are we the only ones that think having your first legal drink at disneyland is a little funny?   acohol and disney just doesn't click in my brain but they make a decent margarita over in California Adventure.

have a fantastical weekend!!!!!

don't forget to hop on over to http://www.thumperawards.blogspot.com/ to check out the final Jungle Week picture.

it's official!!!

this crazy little girl is now ENGAGED!!!!!!

they are growing up so quickly.....

to my new "friend"

dear mom of boy2's friend,

thank you for repeatedly calling my house early on Saturday morning when your delinquent son tells you that "boy2's mom said ......." since your son has always been completely honest with you, of course you should believe everything he says about me. of course the best thing for you to do is call my house and rip me apart for my son's behavior.

may i point out, once again, that my son has never been sent to a foreign country for a year because we couldn't control him? may i also point out, that my son passed his test? (did you even have yours tested?...oh wait, it was his bong...sorry, i forgot) i'm pretty sure my child is not completely at fault here.

really? can we just admit that our boys make stupid decisions when together and quit all the stupid finger pointing? let's try this: we will continue to do the best we can at this parenting game and we suggest that you do the same. if you would like to sit down and CALMLY discuss boundaries for our boys, we are more than willing.

and as far as your excuse that you are a single mom and i can't possible understand what that is like? you're right, i don't know how hard it is to raise kids alone. but last time i looked around, there are lots of successful people who were raised in a single parent home.

learn the word "no" and enforce it. when he comes home late and under the influence, take his phone and computer away. drive him to school and pick him up. if he's not there, call the police and report him as a runaway. if he's leaving campus during the day, ask for permission to attend school with him. take a good book and sit in the back of all his classes. he's not as tough as he pretends to be. call his bluff. show up randomly at the places he says he's going. keep him off balance. who cares if you look like an overly-protective mom? our job is to raise them to be productive members of society. there are no rules about how we accomplish that.  as soon as he knows that you are willing to do ANYthing to help him succeed, he'll calm down.

parenting isn't easy and sometimes we have to be "out of control" to get our point across. your son needs to know two things: 1. that you love him more than anything and 2. that there is no limit to what you will do if you think he is in trouble and headed down the wrong path.

oh... and sorry about that intense message on your machine....the sentiment is accurate but i probably could have conveyed it in a more mature manner.

sincerely,
boy2's mom

p.s. if you call my machine and go off like that again, i will file harrassment charges. i have no pride and no problem being extreme....ask my kids.

My life is an "E" ticket ride...

this weekend, one of the offspring auditioned for some record labels.  woohoo!   also, this weekend, we received one of those dreaded phone calls from the police dept saying we needed to come pick up one of our offspring.  oohoow...  "wrong place, wrong time, wrong group of friends" type things.  (and before any conclusions are drawn...offspring was not partaking in the stupidity...although offspring should have walked away).

good thing i like thrill rides.


don't forget to check out the new fashion website over THERE.    and tell your friends!  tweet it! share it on facebook! blog it! follow it!  we need more pictures!   we hear that your local wallyworld is a good place to find thumpers.

a new season

boy1 left this morning....his room is empty....his assigned spot on the driveway is available....sometimes being a mom sucks...

yes, i cried ( i knew i would) and then i had In-n-Out animal style fries and one of their fantastic chocolate shakes and then i cried some more and then my sweet child texted me some funny stuff from the road and everything was suddenly better.

so, please say a prayer for him as he drives his 97 astro van across the country to tennessee. he had the mechanic look at it on monday and they discovered that the water pump was leaking. we were thankful to have found it before he tried to cross the desert.

we're excited for this new time in his (and our lives), it's just gonna take a little getting used to.

a weekend to remember

as ya'll know, our oldest child is leaving in just a few weeks to move halfway across the country to attend college. this is not the first time that one of our kids has been gone for a prolonged period of time. boy1 spent 9 months on the road with the Jeremiah People, 3 months traveling to New Zealand and Fiji with a singing group and girl1 spent 4 months going to Kenya and 3 weeks in Cambodia. the difference is that this time there is no return date attached. it's just a leaving. and i find myself getting a little melancholy. so this weekend has been really special to me.

on friday night, we saw the American Idol Tour. soooo much fun. Adam Lambert ROCKS!!!!!!! Allison commands the stage and Matt was much better live than he ever was on the tv show. It was awesome watching boy1 and girl1 together. I think the separation is going to be harder on them then they realize.

saturday was just a lazy day of hanging out around the house. sometimes those are just what the doctor ordered.

today, we carried on the tradition of seeing the Harry Potter movies as a family. this is the first time that we've actually seen one in our home town. for whatever reason, we've always been traveling when they come out. we saw four of them in Las Vegas and one in Canada. We've decided that boy1 will have to fly back when the next two come out.

then we went out to dinner. if you've been following along for awhile, you know that restaurants bring out the sillies in my family. storytelling is an art form and my kids and husband have perfected it. we laugh until we cry and the waiters frequently join in the fun. tonight was no different. it takes us HOURS to eat a meal, but the time is sweet and i wouldn't have it any other way.