Tribute to a Wonderful Woman

To a friend who needs a little pick me up. You are amazing. You do everything. And you do it with a smile on your face. You took your whole family of six camping. And I know who did the washing, packing of clothes and food, organizing, staying up late to get finished the night before, unpacking, setting up, watching the kids, chasing the kids, making the kids sit so they don't run away, calling the kids when they run off, feeding the kids, putting sunscreen on the kids, holding the kids when they got boo-boos, cleaning the kids up when they played all day and got dirty. Yeah, and that is just the first day. You are loved and admired by those around you. And we are in awe of all that you do. You are totally different than our previous priest's wife. Different but equally amazing. Mother Betty was amazing. You are too. I don't know how you do it.

You, maam, truly are Mrs. Incredible. And even when things get you down, you hide it extremely well.

You work your butt off, have people at your house at all hours of the day and night, shlep kids around in your minivan and take teenage daughters to work and the mall. You work a full time job and take care of six at home, plus whoever shows up! You can whip up a great meal in a matter of minutes and everybody thinks it was all planned. Six pounds of ground beef to meatloaf for twenty in thirty minutes. You are Semper Gumby. Do you get thanked for it? They appreciate you, even if they don't show it. I bet they all learned to appreciate you even more when you were on bedrest for a few days, huh?

May I be so bold as to speak for the ladies of the church? We love you and we appreciate you! Keep it up. You are an inspiration to the rest of us. If other people don't appreciate all that you do, that is their problem. They aren't paying attention.

And, if you are crabby, you hide it VERY well.

Too funny not to

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget....
was this particular Sunday sermon...
"Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust." He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter (who was listening!) Leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, what is butt dust?"

Email from the heart

I just read a story about Joe Dobbie, the guy who sent an email to a woman he met at a party. It was nice, very romantic. Having been the recipient of affections that were not reciprocated and also having been the one to write the love letters, I can understand. When I was a teenager, I was "lovestruck". A boy in my seventh grade class. I thought I was in love. He was very nice. He didn't make fun of the love letters I gave him, and, to my knowledge, he didn't share them with others. It eventually faded out.

About ten years ago, not only did I get the "love letter" from the guy who broke into my apt., but also I went on a blind date with this guy I met through the singles ads. I don't recommend doing this. He unscrewed the lightbulb above the table at Coco's for "ambience". We met at a restaurant at dinner time and he told me he had already eaten. I paid for my food. He didn't offer to. He called me on the phone several times after that. I never saw him again. I never intended to. He has called me on the phone every birthday since then. I have been married for seven years and he even tells me to say hi to my husband. No other calls. Just on my birthday.

Joe Dobbie wrote to a woman he was infatuated with. They talked for a few hours at a party. Did she go home and thank her lucky stars that she didn't give this guy her phone number? Did she go home and laugh? Did she go home and think, well, he was nice, but not my type? Apparently, she thought it was humorous enough to forward to her sister and her sister forwarded it, etc. etc. so many times that the next morning he was getting phone calls from all over the world. The email said that she had a beautiful smile and that he would remember it and would she go out with him? What is so wrong with that? It was nice. A little more revealing about his feelings than most people would admit after first meeting someone, but so what? They were his feelings and he is entitled to them. I don't think the entire world is entitled to read them. Not fair. It is one thing for her to tell her sister about it, it is another to forward the actual email.

He seems like a nice guy. I hope he finds someone nicer than Kate. Now at least, the world knows that there are still nice guys out there who aren't afraid to show their emotions. And I think Kate will have a hard time finding a date now. She seems to be the uncaring soul.

Good luck Joe Dobbie! I hope you find a nice girl.

About me. In case you care.

I copied this from Jennie's site. It is fun to meet people through blogland. I have to give her credit. So, here goes.

Besides, Joann will be back tomorrow and will be looking forward to reading some blogs and there are hardly any written! So, write, people!


GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? Italian
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Not sure I have one. Maybe Tommy's
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? anyplace with really good japanese, Benihana, Tokyo Steak (Lancaster, Palmdale), Musashi (Northridge)
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20% unless something is really terrible. 30% for Zeke at Claim Jumper, Valencia. Greatest waiter!
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? bacon, peaches, strawberries, chocolate, ice cream, root beer
Name three foods you detest above all others. Oysters, hmm, I am sure there is something else.
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Do I have to choose only one? Chicken chow mein, yang chow fried rice, sweet/sour pork!
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Ham and pineapple at Numero Uno. Thick crust, with tomatoes.
What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and cinnamon
What is your favorite type of gum? juicyfruit

TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone? About 50
Number of contacts in your email address book? 10-15
What is your wallpaper on your computer? My two girls
What is your screensaver on your computer? Whatever came with the laptop
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? yeah, 2 and 4 year old baby butts in the bathtub! To embarrass them when they are teenagers. Just kidding.
How many land line phones do you have in your house? one, but it is vonage through the computer
How many televisions are in your house? 2
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? My Showtime Rotisserie (think Ron Popeil on TV) It's cool, but I don't lug it off the shelf much.
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? radio? I don't get to listen to radio. I have a 3 and a 5 year old!
How many sex toys do you own that require batteries? Hah, that's funny. Who has time for that? Refer to question above.
BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? Okay, five minutes later, I still can't think of one. Pass.
Are you right handed or left handed? right
Do you like your smile? No, but my husband does!
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? two babies
Would you like to? yes, just one more baby. Maybe it is not meant to be!
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? Maybe. But I am not going to admit it here.
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Smell
When was the last time you had a cavity? About 7 years ago
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? #1 daughter. 51 lbs.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope

MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Nope
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Don't want to. My mom named me after my great aunt. Mom is gone now...
What color do you think you look best in? Jewel tones. I am too pale to wear pastels.
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? I pray I never have to find out.
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Yeah, Palmolive dish soap when I was a kid! Talk about yuck!
If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Okay, ewww!
How often do you go to church? Every Sunday and a few Wednesdays.
Have you ever saved someone's life? No. But I would.
Has someone ever saved yours? Yes, thank you, God!

DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? I’d need more than that, that’s not something you’d want to see. (million maybe?) I must concur. Yeah, I don't see that happening.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? On the cheek, yes.
Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000? No, no money for that one.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Nope, I like my fingers!
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yeah, but who's going to pay me to not write? I'm not that bad!
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Yeah, right. LOL. Again, who's going to pay me for that?
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Is the emergency room visit covered after? Afraid not.Even if I said I would, I wouldn't be able to really do it. Physically impossible. My brother in law would do it, though.
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Who am I to decide when someone else should die?
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? No, no head shaving. I couldn't do it. How much money was that?
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? I only watch one show now, Whose Line is it Anyway? So, that wouldn't be a problem.

Current temp: 64 degrees

How cool is that? Literally. Yeah, it is 6am and 64 degrees. I didn't use the air conditioner at all yesterday. It never got over 78 in the house.

The girls are both up. Jess was awake when Scott got up and Bekah got up before he left. They are watching cartoons. They aren't supposed to be up yet, but I guess now would be a good time to get them on an earlier schedule. Early to bed, early to rise, or sleep in late and take a nap. I have to take Scott's car to get the maintenance done on it today, anyway. So we have to leave pretty soon. At least it isn't hot out. Maybe I will bake today.

Rebekah just looked out the window and announced, "It is morning now! Look, Mommy, it is morning now!" Jess, who has done this before, was like, "Yeah." Rebekah has never seen the sun come up before. Now, if you think about it, it really is amazing. That it comes up at the designated time every morning. The earth and sun move at the exact right time that they are supposed to. Every day. For thousands of years.

Scott was showing the girls a paper cup last night. "This is what people make. God makes things like flowers, people, what do you think is more difficult?" I had to add that, not only does He make flowers, but they start out this . big as seeds, and then the entire flower is grown out of that. Exactly the way it is supposed to look. The same way, every time. So, the entire instruction manual for the flower, tree, etc. is in a package that is this . big. Amazing. God is amazing. Whenever we think we have it all figured out, just take a look around. Or start counting the hairs on your head. He knows how many there are. And that number changes every day!

Have you ever seen the passionflower? It is amazingly beautiful. The name Passionflower refers to the passion of Christ: the 3 stamens represent his wounds, and the 12 petals represent the apostles. Passion fruit is sweet and aromatic, in fact, the fruit is used in Hawaiian Punch for flavor.




I have one in my front yard. Every time I look at this flower, I am amazed that God made these beautiful, intricate flowers. And everything else. Take a look around and think about all He has made. And enjoy this reprieve from the heat. It is August, it will heat up again. But, we are assured that the cool will come again. Isn't God great?

Useful Sites

www.snopes.com
www.urbanlegends.com
www.truthorfiction.com

What do all of these sites have in common? Well, when you get an email and you don't know if it is true or not, you can look it up before sending something stupid to all your friends. And I have to agree with another blogger I found. That any Christian who sends an email purporting to send you good luck, or bad luck, if you don't send it, well, then, you are not using the brain that God gave you. There's no such thing as luck. Good or bad. So, before you send it, look it up. truthorfiction.com has the best list of emails that have been forwarded. It is fun to go through and find emails that have been sent to you and see them on there. Some of the missing persons emails that get passed around ARE real, so it is a good idea to check before you forward it! Be smart, check it out!

I saw a picture posted in the AV Press two Sundays ago of a girl with all the pull tabs she had collected for minutes of chemotherapy. She will be very disappointed, and the newspaper is going to feel very foolish, for doing so. It is only a myth. So, if you have forwarded any of these, don't feel bad, others, including newspapers, have, too.

And now, what you have all been waiting for...

Disney trivia! I know all of you out there who don't comment on the blog are just dying of curiousity, so I won't keep you waiting a moment longer. Well, maybe another minute.....................................................................

okay. Here it is.

The true ones.

A private club does exist in New Orleans Square. It costs an arm and a leg to join.
Several guests have been killed on Disneyland attractions. Nine to be exact. Six of them were teenage males doing things that teenage males do because they think they are impervious to the effects of mortality.
A cast member was killed on America Sings.One wall moved, the other didn't. Neither did she.
A young girl died while riding Body Wars at EPCOT.
Disneyland used to deny admission to long-haired male guests. And facial hair. And females were turned away for wearing halter tops.
Krushchev was denied permission to visit Disneyland. But not by Disney. His security could not be guaranteed.
Matterhorn mountain houses a basketball court. To give the cast members who climb the mountain something to do in inclement weather.
Women do bare their breasts for the camera on Splash Mtn. And if they think only the people selling the pics are going to see them, they would be mighty surprised to find out they are posted on the internet!

Now wasn't that fun?

Folklore - Disney Style!

Eight of these Disney legends are true. Can you figure out which ones? I will post the answers in a day or two…

A private club exists within New Orleans Square at Disneyland.

A private club can be found near Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World.

Several guests have been killed on Disneyland attractions.

A cast member was killed on America Sings.

A young girl died while riding Body Wars at EPCOT.

No one is ever declared dead while on Disney property.

Disneyland used to deny admission to long-haired male guests.

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was denied permission to visit Disneyland in 1959.

The actual plane from the film Casablanca is part of The Great Movie Ride at Disney-MGM Studios.

The newly opened Haunted Mansion closed after a guest suffered a fright-induced heart attack.

Walt Disney's face appears on one of the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard.

The horse-drawn hearse in front of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion is the actual hearse used to carry Brigham Young's body.

Children have been abducted from Disney parks by kidnappers.*

Matterhorn mountain at Disneyland houses a basketball court.

Disneyland's Skyway was permanently closed because a guest fell from one of the cabins.

Women bare their breasts for the camera on Splash Mountain.

Turning Heat into Cash

Thank you God, for this heat. Because of it, Scott will get to work overtime. Don't know how much yet, but the extra income is much needed. The city is experiencing power outages and they need all the guys to work overtime, so Scott will get to as well. I am sure he is not as thankful as I am. He will have to be out in it. But, since we are believing in God to provide for our needs, He is giving Scott the opportunity to make more money. It's just too bad that the overtime is available when it is hot. Why can't the transformers blow when the weather is cool? That would be a neat trick! Well, you know what they say about the gift horse...get on it's back and ride it!

Hot...hotter...hottest

The Christmas Song was written in July.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

No wonder. It is so hot it makes me want to think of cool things and cool places so that maybe, somehow, I will feel cooler. Maybe we will watch the Santa Clause II today and eat icee's. Or stick my head in the freezer and dream about being in a blizzard. Or sit in the bathtub and pour ice cubes in it. It is hot. Yesterday we had a thunderstorm. The sky got dark grey and the thunder was LOUD! Scott drove home in the pouring rain. The lightning was so bad when Dad left, he couldn't even use the radio in the car. Okay, but it was also over a hundred degrees outside. That's disgusting. It should not be raining when it is that hot. The humidity is supposed to be worse back east and that is what is making their hot so much hotter than here. Well, does it get much worse than 100+ and RAINING!? It was awful. We were out running errands and it was like, get out of car, RUN into store, RUN back to car, drive to next place, RUN into store, etc. Miserable. My last SCE bill was $200. This month will be worse. Much worse. And I am forever turning the air off until I can't stand it anymore. Dad said he has never had an SCE bill higher than $75. Yeah, you suck. He is like the only person in his neighborhood that even HAS air conditioning, since you don't need it all that often.

The kids are doing fine. They don't mind the heat as much as I do. If you don't move and suck on ice water all day, it isn't so bad. But as soon as you get up and move, WHAM, you start dripping with sweat. I almost wish I was working in an office, so they could pay for the air conditioning. Maybe we should go someplace cool. Like Alaska. Cause if we go to the mall, I will just have to walk back out into the heat when we leave and I will be tempted to buy all the things they have there for sale. Plus, I have put off cleaning my house for so long that it looks like a hurricane hit it. No kidding. It's bad. Laundry and paperwork everywhere. Between the junk mail, the laundry and dirty dishes, I will never catch up on this stuff. It's my lot in life. It's not a lot, but it's my life. Actually, it is a lot. I have a lot to be thankful for. I really am thankful. I'm just hot.

Blog Challenge #1

It runs in the family...

When my brother was little, my mom put him down for a nap and when he woke up, he complained about a pain in his nose. My mom checked his nose and didn't see anything, so didn't think about it again. A little while later, he tells her there is a wheel in his nose. She thinks he is just messing around, because how could he get a wheel up his nose, they are far too big! Well, he keeps complaining and finally she figures out that it is from a hot wheels car. They were able to get it out without too much difficulty.

Jessica was playing with a sticker one afternoon and I later found parts of it lying around on the floor. I picked them up and threw them away. Well, after a while, she starts complaining about a pain in her nose. I ask her what it's from and she tells me she put the sticker in her nose. I look in her nose and don't see anything. She is still complaining, so I get a flashlight out and point it up her nose. Sure enough, way up there, I see something. I couldn't reach it, she couldn't blow it out, I'm thinking, E.R. Finally, she stayed perfectly still and I stuck a pair of tweezers up her nose and got it out on the first try. It was half of a 2-inch round sticker all folded up. I don't know how she got it up there.

After it was all over, I thought it was kind of ironic.

Blog Challenge #3

#3 You wanted a gross story...

One time I was sitting in a restaurant with a friend. It was a hamburger place. The waitress had just brought our iced tea and cherry coke. The person at the table behind her jumps out of his seat in a jerky kind of quick movement and like bends over at the waist. He is turning around toward us and sort of spins in his heel too far and ends up facing my friend. Well, we were about to find out that he had a burger, fries and a shake for lunch. He has this wild-eyed look and lurches forward while he reaches up to cover his mouth. All of a sudden, my friend is covered in vomit from the top of her head all the way down into her lap. He spewed all over her. She opens her mouth to scream and realizes it is getting in her mouth, too. So, she starts spitting all over the place and, I think, the smell of the vomit makes her so ill as well, that she throws up all over the table. The only thing she had had yet was cherry coke. Well, she vomited so much, the cherry coke was coming out of her nose. All over the table. The guy is just standing there, not knowing what to say and by then there are about four or five other waiters and waitresses standing around watching this whole thing. Only one of them brought over a cloth and handed it to my friend so she could wipe her face.

Needless to say, our shopping trip was over...

And she had a heck of a time getting to the car. She doesn't eat hamburgers or shakes any more.

Too bad it isn't true. That would make a great story!

Frustrated!!!!!!!

Well, we finally got a call from the contractor who worked on our patio. I say worked on, because it was never finished. He started on it in March, 2005. We paid him a large chunk of the money, then all but the last $1000 30 days later, then we were supposed to pay the last $1000 when it was completed.

Do you all remember the horrific rains we had in March, 2005? We remember them well. They had cut off the eaves on the back of our house a week before and had assured us that they do this all the time, rain would not be a problem. Well, at 4am when Scott got up, we heard dripping...in the walls. Our bedroom wall was soaking wet, top to bottom, the other side of which is in the kitchen. The other side of our kitchen was also wet, though not as bad. Also, water was dripping through the top of the window ledge in the bathroom and above the shower. Basically, the entire back of the house. Well, the workers came, ripped up the carpet, brought fans in to dry it up, tore out the drywall, patched and replaced, repainted and continued on. The guys worked on the outside of the patio as well. They almost got it done. It took about a week to hotmop the roofing materials because of our wind that we get out here, but that got done, too. Then they disappeared. Scott got in touch with the contractor. Trying to find the roof tiles.

A month goes by...
two months go by...
Scott leaves a message for the guy.
Three months go by.
Another message.
Fast forward to present day.
At least a dozen messages have been left and not one returned.
I finally call a friend who knows these people (how we found him to begin with) and she calls the wife/office manager and tells her we are VERY upset and ready to sue.
I get a message on the machine!
Scott calls her back last night, explains the situation. She says her husband remembers us! He darn well better! She tells us he couldn't find the roof tiles. And that the problems Scott has mentioned that are wrong with the patio (caulking separating, pieces of the windbreak need to be re-attached, etc.) are no longer covered by the one-year warranty. Scott says, "Well, it hasn't been completed yet! How can the warranty be up?" Reply: "The warranty started when the work was STARTED." Never heard of THAT before. "So, have your husband get back to me."

Scott gets a call this morning on his cell phone voice mail. "I am not interested in coming back to complete the job. The $1000 that is still owed should be more than enough to have someone finish it."

That's it? You leave us hanging for over a year and that's it? No, that isn't it. He doesn't know me very well. When all is said and done, he will likely be sorry he didn't just come over and finish it. But he had the opportunity.

My biggest question is why? I am pretty likeable and agreeable. But from day one, this guy would not return my calls. I would call and leave a message on his cell phone and he would call Scott back. He refused to talk to me. Then Scott would call me and relay the message. I had his workers in my house and on my roof and he wouldn't call me back! I never understood that, but just dealt with it. Then pretty soon he wouldn't even call Scott back. Not good business practice if you ask me!

I made a call to a roofer in the phone book and they are coming out tomorrow to give us an estimate. And she put me in touch with a local roofing supply place that has these tiles. Amazing. The phone book. Who would have thought.

Now all I have to do is find all the documentation on this, contract, checks, etc. Hmmm. I am sure I filed it somewhere...which box?

No Help Here!

I am taking y'all's advice and just saying no! I will not help you, you dumb so and so. Anyway, upon closer examination of the letter, I realized it is in regards to a lawsuit that this dumb.... is filing. Apparently from prison. Because when I did a search on the computer for the name in the v. _________ section, it is the prison warden! He is suing the warden! What a dumb___! And the presiding judge is a newly appointed judge who believes in honesty and integrity. He gave a speech to the USC Law School graduating class and sounds like a good guy. I don't think he is going to give this yahoo the time of day. Good. Serves him right for filing a stupid lawsuit and tying up the courts. The bottom of the letter says that if I send in the letter, "This will keep any further court actions from affecting you in the future." Darn right, I will complain to the court that I am being harrassed by the guy who broke into my home! Thank you very much for giving me all the info I need to report you and who to give it to!

So, now I know where he is. Which prison, that is. In case I care. Oh, and shouldn't he be listed on the Megan's Law site? He isn't. I checked. They do have people listed there that are still incarcerated. Maybe that is for when they get out and then go back in. I don't believe he has been let out yet. He got twenty eight years and it has only been ten. I don't think he could be let out for good behavior yet, especially if he is pissing off the warden! I think he will be there a while.

I do think, though, that I will give "Jane Doe" a call. She has a right to know what is going on, just in case somehow she is contacted.

Oh what fun.

Things From the Past

I got a letter in the mail today. From an investigator in Florida wanting me to mail something to the District Court in Los Angeles. A statement saying I was not the person who was sexually assaulted in February 1996. Apparently the document was written incorrectly and it showed me as being the first AND third victim.

In September, 1995, one week before my birthday, a man broke into my apt and did disgusting things while I slept. He cut the window screen, climbed in through the window, unplugged my phone from the telephone, but not the wall (this makes all other lines go dead), unplugged my nightlights, moved my cordless phone off my bed and locked the door on the way out. I didn't realize until I woke up at 5:00am or so that someone had been there. It took me an hour to convince myself that someone had indeed been there and to call the cops. The only thing missing was a kitchen knife with a five inch blade from the butcher block. I didn't realize at this time that he had performed lascivious acts on my bed while I slept. The cops told me that this doesn't happen in this neighborhood and it had to be someone I knew. I then proceeded to question and fear every man I knew, until I found out who it was.

Needless to say, I did not stay at the apt for the next two weeks. When I did go back, I returned during the day and then left again, then returned at ten o'clock or so for the night. Well, upon my return at ten o'clock, I found a note on the door from the same guy, describing in detail what he wanted to do "for" me, and, if I was interested, to leave the door open and he would be there at eleven o'clock. He knew I had returned because he had been watching. I hightailed it to the sheriff's dept and gave them the note. I never returned to the apt. except to move my things. I spent the next six months in fear for my life, thinking I was being followed, or watched. I didn't know where this guy was or who he was. The second victim, about four months later, was in the shower when he broke in and stole credit cards and watched her. In February, I was very relieved to find out that he had been caught, but, unfortunately for the third victim, his crimes became much more violent. There were numerous sexual counts against him after he cut the phone line outside her apt and she woke up to a guy on top of her. At the trial, in which I testified against him, he got twenty seven years.

This was not one of the highlights of my life. However, even during this time, God was watching out for me. Aside from the emotional trauma, I escaped unharmed. That was enough.

At the time this all happened, my boss had two of the guys at my job help me move. They didn't want to. Someone at the place I worked decided I was lying and had made all of this up to get attention. Huh? I never really understood that one. I guess since it sounds a bit far-fetched, but it was all true and I had to defend myself against all of them thinking I was lying, on top of what I was going through at the time. Nice. When it showed up in the newspaper six months later, I brought it in to prove I hadn't lied. Then they thought I was trying to get attention. Couldn't win.

Well, I met the third victim, Jane Doe (she didn't want to release her name) through all of this and we became friends, and she has told me that when he is released from prison, they will notify her and she will notify me. I didn't expect to receive a letter from an investigator on his behalf. That gives me the creeps.

It stated in the letter that he doesn't know where I am, but how do I know? The investigator is working on his behalf.
I don't want to help him in any way, but am I bound by law to return this form to the court? If I do, am I helping him?
I am pretty freaked out by this, since I have tried to put it all in the past.
Is he trying to get released from prison and they want the record set straight?
Should I write and try to get involved and explain what DID happen? They apparently cannot get ahold of "Jane", since she did not want to be identified. But I know how to reach her. And if they can't get ahold of her, then how will they notify her when he is released from prison?
Should I call "Jane" and let her know what is going on?

My head is spinning...

Fun on the Mountain

Today's Forecast
Sunny this morning. Partly cloudy this afternoon with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Locally heavy rain possible with thunderstorms. Highs 100 to 108. West winds 15 to 25 mph this afternoon. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

108. 108!!! WITH possible heavy rain! The rain will be boiling hot! I can't do 108 and raining. That's just gross. I thought the worst of the summer was supposed to be in August. How much worse can it get than 108 and raining?! Ggrrr!

Yesterday we went to my dad's house. I got my oil changed and then we looked for ways the mice were getting in the car. Well, when we pulled out the air filter, the entire bottom of it was covered with little pieces of paper. Nesting materials. Great. The air wasn't so clean. Dad did put a screen on the air intake where we found the dead mouse, so hopefully there won't be any more going in there.

The girls had SO MUCH fun at Papa's house. He took us for a ride in the golf cart, but the battery was going, so I got out at the bottom of the hill and followed the golf cart. He got out a little further up and had Jess put her foot on the gas peddle while he held the steering wheel. They loved the golf cart! Then we had lunch, which the girls ate a ton of. I think it was the mountain air. Remember the story of Heidi? Who goes to visit her grandfather in the mountains of Switzerland and the mtn air is so good for her that she gets really healthy. Well, the girls yesterday had rosy cheeks, ran around in the yard, ate a ton of whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and corn mixed in, with spaghetti sauce and they had a grand time. Then we went outside to water the plants and then drove up to Dad's brother's place. They oversee a Greek Orthodox church camp that is about two miles from Dad's place. Well, when we got there, my aunt was in the pool and my uncle was next to it. So, the girls didn't see her at first, they saw the swingset and were all over that. Big slide on the side and everything. Then they came over to the pool and my aunt, they call her Oma (which is Grandma in German), let Jess get in the water. Stripped down to her undies and put a floaty ring around her. Jess swam around like that for a long time. Then Bekah wanted in so Jess got on the raft and Bekah used the floaty ring. They swam and played and traded places and splashed and then, when it got too cold to stay in any more, Oma brought them a bag of Oreos and sugar cookies and Jess munched on those a while. She sat, shivering by the side of the pool, eating Oreos. She was in heaven! The temp outside never got above 85 degrees up there and when they got out of the pool, it was probably closer to about 75-78. The pool was 75 degrees. Cool. Very cool. We all went inside and Sandy dried their clothes and the girls went up to the attic, which their four granddaughters (10,7,3,2) use as a play room and they had a blast! Then they came down and sat in Opa's chair and munched on all his snacks - pretzels, chocolate covered popcorn(!), cookies, candies. They were not lacking for junk food yesterday! Opa pulled out a bag of beads and they made bead bracelets. We have to finish Jessica's bracelet today. Oma sent them home with a HUGE bag of beads to take home with them. They did not want to go home! But at 8:30, we headed out, with the girls promising they would come back! With a quick stop at Dad's house to gather our things, we headed down the hill and by the time we were halfway to the freeway, Bekah was asleep. Jess wanted to stop at McD's and I pulled in and asked her what she wanted. By the time I got to the window to pay, she was fast asleep. They had a busy, fun exhausting day! Me, too.

It was so nice, though, to be where it was cool. Dad says it was 55 degrees yesterday morning when he sat out on the front porch and ate his breakfast. I can see why he lives there. I would love to have him closer, but how can you beat that? Pine trees, soft breeze blowing, his wildflowers blooming, bunnies hopping around, the sound of quail in the brush, clear, bright blue skies. Dad lives where people go to camp, to get away from it all. Nice.

We will go back again before the summer is out. They are already planning to bring their bathing suits. Actually, they got up this morning and Jess mentioned that they might want to go up there today. Can you blame her? This is the place she got hot cocoa and cookies after playing in the snow and sledding down the hill in the wintertime. She calls it the cookie place. She is going now to draw a picture of the pool and the slide. What fun. I could kick myself for not having a camera with me! Dumb, dumb, dumb. And we just went up for an oil change!

thoughts

So, we were at the Home Depot on Sunday afternoon and there was a squirrel running around inside eating all the seeds under the seed display and trying to find other food. Jess announced to everyone who walked by that they had better watch out because there was a real live squirrel in there! So, she tells this to a HD employee and the lady tells me that about a week earlier they had five hundred toads there that were in the fountain in the garden area. People came and got them and took them home. Small ones. Well, I had read that after the toads are attached for two or three days (!) they lay eggs and have about 400 eggs. Umm, when I mentioned this to Scott, he said we may want to get rid of the toads. It is going to feel like another plague around here! I'm telling you, this desert stuff is for the birds. Who have also been hanging around my front porch a lot lately. Either they are trying to eat the toads or they are waiting for the babies.

Scott caught another gopher by water the other day. We flushed him out. That is four with traps and three with water. The water way is a lot less hassle. And we do it when Scott is home and he gets the satisfaction of killing something. Dad really enjoyed shooting his, but I don't think we could get away with that here.

Our lovely neighbors up the street decided that since they didn't get to do fireworks on the fourth, they would throw a party the day after. A Wednesday. Mid week. Fireworks going off until after 10pm. Dogs barking, can't sleep. Talk about annoying! He is a sheriff, one of MANY in our neighborhood, and one of three on our street within about 8 houses. Well, he probably had to work on the 4th, so they had all their friends over last night and woke up the whole neighborhood. On the 4th, the people one house over behind us had purchased a Ryder truck full of fireworks and that took a while to use up. They were shooting fireworks late into the night on the 4th. Our dogs are sleeping during the day since they cannot possibly at night. What fun. You would think with all the brush we have out here that people wouldn't shoot these things off, but they are for sale everywhere! Dumb. Be thankful you live in the city where they are not allowed!

On the fourth, we went to our friends house and had a bbq and watched the fireworks from their balcony overlooking the whole valley. They had a great view and it was nice. Their neighbors and every tenth house was shooting off fireworks. Pretty, but I can wait another year to see them again. Last year we went to the fairgrounds, well, off the fairgrounds. You just drive out to any street near there and park. There are only open fields around the fairgrounds, so you can see them from anywhere.
That was fun. Especially watching the fires that the fireworks started and the closing of the freeway so they could put out the fires. Like I said, they probably shouldn't have fireworks out here. But since it is not my decision to make, they will still have fireworks. If they would only listen to me...

It's Hot

The forecast. Hot. Sunny. The extended forecast. Hot. Sunny. The foreseeable future. Hot. Sunny.

I don't like hot and sunny. I want cool and cloudy. Sixty degrees, streaky clouds through the sky. Light breeze blowing. Maybe a little sprinkly. I am ready for winter. I would rather complain that it is too cold out than too hot. I can't wait for the cold! Plus, I look better with a whole bunch of clothes on than less clothing. Hmm. I should have been born in the Pacific Northwest. Someday that is where I would like to be. I know my husband concurs, but what of the job, kids, etc. Oh well. I have a nice home, wonderful hubby, great kids, hubby has a good job. I have nothing to complain about. I'm just hot and I don't want to pay the electric bill if I put the a/c on. Thank you God, that I have a/c. Thank you God, that I have a home. Thank you God, for all that you provide.

I am not feeling as hot now......

Toady

Well, I was watering last night in the front yard and I splashed a little water in the hole that we flooded the gopher with recently. I looked at the hole next to it and saw a little head pop out. Then another one. At first I thought it was more gophers. Nope. It was our toads. I thought we had only one, however it seems she found a mate. I didn't know they burrow underground and they decided to set up shop in the gophers hole. I had been having a problem with daddy long legs in the front yard and they seem to be all gone. These little guys, or not so little, the female is about four inches long, eat all the bugs. Cool! Too bad they don't eat mice. So, they are harmless as long as we leave them alone and they'll take the place of Hydrex. Cheaper, too. So, we are letting them stay. I did a little research on the toads and they seem okay. Pretty ugly, though! Maybe they will keep the gophers out of those holes!

Oh, and a little information on the story below. Scott figured I copied it from somewhere. No, this is all original Amy. Hope you enjoy it!

Paula and the Angel

Paula and the Angel

Paula was crying. It seemed to her she was always crying now. Nothing ever seemed to go her way. She didn’t know what she was going to do next, but she knew something was going to have to change. She was unhappy at home. Her parents were fighting all the time. She was miserable at school; the other kids picked on her. Boys didn’t like her because she wasn’t pretty or popular and girls made fun of her because she was smart. She just wanted to be left alone.

Paula cried out to God to help her find a way to handle all the things that were making her so upset. She wanted out. She knew that there were only so many options that she had, and she knew that running away from her problems wouldn’t solve anything, it would only make things worse. A girl at her school had run away from home the year before and Paula had heard that she became addicted to drugs and was living in a horrible area with a bunch of other runaways. No, running away would not solve her problems.

So, Paula knelt down next to her bed and put her head in her hands. She prayed that somehow the Lord would help her through this time in her life and help her to get through it. Send me someone, Lord, to help me deal with all of these things. She continued to pray until she fell asleep. Paula awoke with a start. The lamp next to her bed had been the only light on in the room, but somehow, the room was brilliantly lit. As though a bright candle, brighter than any she had ever seen, was somehow lighting up the room. She looked around her and saw a figure, about eight feet tall, with golden hair flowing in loose waves down her back, standing in the middle of the room. Paula sucked in her breath, not wanting to make a noise. But, somehow, she was not afraid. “Could this be my Guardian Angel?” she thought. “I am,” the figure said. “I was sent to you to help and protect you. You are in need of help and I have come to show you the way.” Paula realized the angel had understood her thoughts before she spoke. “Cool,” she thought, “I don’t even have to speak and you can hear me!”

She spoke with the angel, in hushed tones, so as not to wake anyone else in the family. She couldn’t believe she was having a conversation with an angel. The angel introduced herself as Clarice, and explained that she was sent to help Paula, however, that this help was going to be in the way of helping others. Clarice was to take Paula to other places to help those in need. Paula would then realize that in helping others with problems greater than her own, her problems would seem less significant and she would be able to handle them.

Clarice explained that they were going to travel together to a place called Dodoma in Tanzania to help deliver rice and beans to the people there who were starving because of a famine there. “Are you ready?” Clarice asked her. “Yes, I think so.” Paula answered.

The next thing Paula knew, she was in the back of an old truck, lumbering along a dirt road, with Clarice by her side. But not as she had seen her before. The angel was sitting down next to Paula, but Paula could tell she was not as tall as she had been before. Her face still shone brightly, but only in a way of one who has a great secret, a warm wonderful something that they want to share with everyone else, but can’t. Clarice was wearing a soft cotton plaid shirt and blue jeans, neat and tidy, but not extravagant. She had on plain white cotton tennis shoes and her golden locks were pulled back in a pony tail, away from her face. There were other people in the back of the truck, also. An older man, probably a priest, dressed in a black shirt and black pants, with a large cross around his neck. An older woman, dressed in a light cotton dress, buttoned up to her neck, except for the top button. She was smiling and trying to hold her hair back, but the wind was blowing it all over and she was losing the fight. Still, she seemed at peace and happy to be there. Paula then realized that they were sitting between huge white bags. There must have been about 10 or 12 of them and they probably weighed 50-60 pounds each. She realized that they must be filled with food. It didn’t take long to realize, too, that the sun was beating down on them and it was very hot. She went to take off her jacket, then realized she didn’t have one on. The heat was so intense and dry that she yearned for a glass of ice water, however, she realized that would be impossible here. She was already beginning to see that her problems didn’t amount to much. Paula glanced over at Clarice and Clarice nodded, because she knew that Paula was seeing a picture bigger than her own. She understood that Paula was miserable here and felt sorry for the people here. She knew, too, that Paula needed to be here, to see this and to understand what others were suffering.

The truck continued on down the road, seemingly hitting every pothole along the way. Dirt and dust were being kicked up by the tires and it was miserable for all those in the back. But they were on a mission. To bring these desperately needed food supplies to the people here who were starving.

They reached their destination and a man came around to the back of the truck to open it. Paula had not seen this man before. He was very thin, wore a loose fitting linen-type shirt, a medium gray color that almost matched the color of his hair. He was stooped over, seemingly from years of heavy work and yet, he was joyful. Not just content. Not at peace. He was happy. He had a look on his face of one who was truly in love with Christ. Paula realized that when she was a child and had accepted Christ, that her face had shown like that, but that in the last year or two, her smile had faded and she seemed to be trudging along, trying to get by, not thanking God for His blessing and redemption. She found herself staring at this man and he glanced up at her and gave her a big, cheerful smile and she felt even more remorseful than she already did. How could she have forgotten to say thank you to her dear Lord?

They all piled out of the truck and Paula took a look at the people around her. She realized that although she had never been overweight, she felt self-conscious of her weight among these people. Everyone was so thin. The children’s clothes hung on them as though they were on a hanger. Loose fitting dresses on the girls and baggy shorts on the boys. She realized that this food that they were bringing was necessary for their survival.

Clarice grabbed a bag once she got off the back of the truck and dragged it over to where they were all piled up. Paula did the same, though she was rescued by one of the other men, for she could not lift the heavy bag.

People were beginning to gather all around them. They formed a line and were waiting patiently, more patiently, Paula realized, than what she would have been, given the circumstances. The man who had been driving the truck spoke to the people and they brought their bowls over to him and he scooped out rice and beans as the people lined up for it. They all seemed to be saying thank you over and over, grateful for this meager ration that had been brought to them.

“Have I forgotten how fortunate I am? Have I neglected my Lord because of all the other things that have crowded my mind?” Clarice looked over at her. “Yes, you have. But you may make things right with Him now.” Paula bowed her head, ready to pray and thank the Lord for all His blessings, for His compassion and for giving her the opportunity to see that her problems were not insurmountable with His help. As she lifted her head, she realized she was back in her room, with her head on her bed, kneeling on the rug. “Thank you, God, for sending my angel to me and for showing me the things I need to change in my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see all that You are doing and for showing me that You can take care of people in depressed nations and You can take care of me!”

Then she got up, still feeling tired and hot and went downstairs to get herself a tall glass of ice water. As she drank it, she said another prayer. This one for the people in other parts of the world who didn’t have the luxuries she was used to. And she thanked God for all He provides. And she slept better that night than she had ever slept before.