Mesa's Musings on life, mommyhood, family and friends

This week

2009-03-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Has been interesting to say the least...my daughter has been here for spring break, having her here is always bittersweet, it makes me so incredibly happy, but at the end of the week I know she goes back to her dad and it breaks a piece of my heart every time. She is a wonderful and super smart girl, I know every mom says that about their kids....lol..anyway, here's a bit of fun we had today..

Some bloggy Love

2009-03-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my dear friend The Rambler's day at SITS, so please head over to My Rambling Thoughts and say hello...she's awesome!!

Where am I? Who are you? How did you get here?

2009-03-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes that's what runs through my head in the morning when I look in the mirror....Am I slowly losing my mind (well, I think that's been established)....Some days though the questions follow me around begging me for answers and I tell them that I have none, I am just me, I got here..to this point in my life, by a series of decisions and choices (the same thing?). Every now and then I can hear my grandma's voice, follow the right path...how will I know I'm on the right path....because the right path is sometimes full of potholes? There are always going to be questions and I will almost always be trying to find answers, like this one...what is it about a death sentence that makes someone get a life sentence? Why is it that someone has to be dieing to start living? That one plagued me last night at 3:30 am, no idea where it came from..(welcome to a part of my brain).

So, I keep seeing these posts in bloggyland about Wordless Wednesday or Wordful Wednesday, maybe I'll just call it Wordy Wednesday (for some reason I think I can see TTMVM's brain turning that into Woody Wednesday..lol...)..Anyway, people post a picture to let the pic do the talking, I am not able to do that so I'll just ramble and then post a picture....

Even Serial Killers Make Friends

2009-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ain't the truth! A really good friend of mine said that to me today when I was complaining about something and it made me laugh so I figured I would share. Not sure if it's more funny or more scarey...lol... Enjoy your day!

My education

2009-03-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to see why people have an almost negative view of taking college courses online...While I am having quite a bit of success, I am finding that my instructors and fellow students are hard for me to relate too. I am all for everyone having different views and opinions, but I am not ok with using the school as a way to promote your "spiritual writings about how to cure gambling addictions", esepcially when it has nothing to with the course and I am not ok with having an instructor that can't form complete sentences or provide adequate feedback. I am paying a lot for an education where I am basically teaching myself.

I'm frustrated because in this learning environment it's all about communication and when there's a breakdown or failure to communicate properly it makes it hard for me to stay motivated. I know my attitude is really blah right this minute so maybe it's just a bad day.....

New/Old Ink

2009-03-20T21:04:00.001-07:00

The outline was done back in November and I finally got started on the coloring process last weekend. Hopefully it will be complete by next weekend! If you missed the post about the significance of this particular tattoo please click here....

Before:

After:

Change of heart

2009-03-20T11:15:00.001-07:00

I have decided to open my blog up again, she has left me alone for a few days now and I have family that reads this so in order to make it more convenient I am open now.

Besides, if I live in fear than she wins right?! I will still have my comment moderator on, but I don't want to keep everyone out.

Thank you to my bloggyland friends for sending me virtual hugs and for being so supportive, it means alot to me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Going Private

2009-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you wish to still view my blog, please email me or send me a comment. I will contact my followers and send you an invite.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

I have a Stalker

2009-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

Defined by Wikipedia:

Stalking is a controversial pejorative term applied to the behaviour of individuals (and perhaps to bodies of persons) towards others. It relates to a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention, harassment, and contact. In many countries, stalking is classified as a criminal offence.

So we all know that out here in bloggyland it's easy to view everyone's stuff, it's like the domino effect, one follows one and another and another and so on. Well, I have gone to as many lengths as I possibly can to prevent this person from viewing my stuff and SHE still will not stop, so she is now classified as a stalker. Yes that's right, A SHE! and fyi some of my bloggy friends, she's now following you, JananaBee and My Little World, if you want to know who she is please email me and I will tell who so you can block her if you want.

Here's the deal, I met this girl in one of my online courses, she added me as a friend on Facebook and we chatted about school. Then one day our convo turned to our life experiences and things of that nature and I thought she was a pretty cool girl. She lives in another state, doesn't have a lot of friends, blah blah, we exchanged phone numbers, started texting and talking on the phone. I thought I had found a friend to connect with and then something happened. She became obsessive, if I didn't call her back or text her back right away she would send like 15 texts or call my phone 4-5 times, so I finally asked her to please stop doing that, she said she would. She didn't. So last week I finally told her to leave me alone, I didn't want to talk to her anymore. Again she apologized and said she wouldn't contact me. AND YET AGAIN she continued to call, text, email, follow and comment on my blogs, tried to talk to me on facebook, any time I gave any kind of attention to her it just made her do it more, so last night I had enough and deleted her and blocked her. Well, as you can see my blog is public and if you look at my FEEDJIT tracker she can still access me, by the way she's from MONMOUTH MAINE. So, in an effort to thwart her I am posting this blog to tell her if she doesn't stop I will take legal action and I will report her and I will tell the school about her behavior.

I have been stalked before, about 8 years ago when I lived in Las Vegas. This man, who still to this day haunts my brain, and now especially, made my life hell. He found out where I worked, he found out where my bf at the time worked, pretended to be a florist to find out my address and sent me flowers to my HOME, he showed up at my work one day after I switched jobs and I had him fired and you know what stinks, the cops in vegas wouldn't do anything about it.

I have enough anxiety issues and don't need the constant worry anymore if this chic is going to be following me around in cyberspace for the rest of my life. It stinks, she's in one of my classes this semester and I hate it! In all reality I'm also frightened. But I'm more pissed than anything. You would think that if you ask someone to leave you alone, they should comply. Most of all though I feel like an idiot for even thinking that I could be her friend. There were so many red flags, I just didn't listen to myself and then when I did follow my gut, it's now turned ugly.

Obsess Much? Me? Noooo

2009-03-14T11:55:00.001-07:00

I lie, I'm obsessed with RP, I admit it (sorry Mark). I bought the Twilight Soundtrack last weekend and have been listening to it over and over and there's a song by Rob Pattinson called "Never Think", so I decided this morning I would search youtube for a video. Well I found a ton of RP videos of him singing and well, it has done nothing but fuel the fire..lol..So for fun and for fellow obsessed RP fans...here is what I found..This one was done by fan, but the music is RP singing..

Friday Favorites My first time

2009-03-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Sounded bad right?..lol...get your minds back in bloggyland! I am joining in Jananabee's Friday Favorites Carnival! I am a little slow in getting started, she has been doing this for a few weeks now, so go on over and see her favorites and visit the others that are participating, she's set up Mr. Linky so everyone can link up!

Now for my favorites that got me through the week....

(No particular order)

1. The SITS Spring Fling- That was seriously a ton of fun to do and I made some new bloggy land friends in the process which is really what SITS and BITS is all about. I tried to win some contests, but to no avail..lol..the only person I ever win from is Kalei!

2. Arizona weather- It really has been quite nice and yesterday's trip to the park with Nate was much needed. For more about that see the post below :).

3. Grey's Anatomy- for providing me drama outside the real world, oh and The Real World- Brooklyn, yes, I admit it, I watch it so what! It's so fun to watch the 20-somethings living in this giant warehouse with funky furniture and making money for being pretty and "real". There's a Mormon guy on their this season who is out to prove to the world that being LDS is fun! He's good at it! :)

4. Coffee- This will always be on my list of favorites because I can't function without it.

5. All the people that stop by and leave me comments, comments are my favorite thing because it means people really like me..right? Hehehe...

6. Also my boy and his new skill..see video :)

I'm sure I will come up with a better list next Friday. Right now I am in a fog and need to eat dinner! Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Fun at the park!

2009-03-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day (please don't hate me all you people that live where it's cold...I will gladly change places with you at any time!) so I took Nate to a park near our house. He had soooooooo much fun and so did I, I even went down the slide with him! (and didn't get stuck..which I was so afraid would happen..lol) I think we will make this a daily trip or maybe an every other day trip! Here's my boy having some fun..he wouldn't really look at the camera he was so excited..lol....

My 2 Cents about American Idol

2009-03-12T11:18:00.001-07:00

So, I am a fan of American Idol, I don't usually post about the shows I watch, however sometimes I just feel the need to give my opinion. This season there are some very talented boys and girls and I already have my favorites. There is a twist this season though, the judges now have the ability to save someone from being eliminated from the competition. They can only save one person, one time and thats it. They implemented this new rule because of when Chris Daughtry and some others got booted off that "should have or could have" won the competition. I don't know about any of you, but I for one think that Daughtry is having a better career than if he would have won Idol?! Anyway, 2 people got kicked off last night and I think it will be interesting to see if the judges decide to save anyone and who it will be....So, for this season I will give my 2 cents about the contestants. Here are my favorites so far.... courtesy of You Tube..

The Winner is.....

2009-03-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy and paste from Random.org :) Congrats to Roni from Stacy Family In Dallas! Head over to her blog and congratulate her! Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday! And thanks especially to my new followers! Have a happy Wednesday!!

Search RANDOM.ORG
True Random Number Service
List Randomizer
There were 45 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
randrstacy
jennifersusan
auntrene
sandy
christina
kat
randrstacy
christina
dipaola momma
queenie jeenie
sandy
auntrene
dramaqueen
living on the spit
melissa
mimi
sarah
jessi
ttmvm
simply anonymom
tamara b
valerie
megan
mommaof4
ttmvm
valerie
news around the blogs
janna b
koopermom
wenderful
brandy
randrstacy
robinlynne
megan
minishoes
angie
mommatoalot
christin
kebi
jackie
bredna jean
scottsgal
wolf
janna b
reluctant housewife
Timestamp: 2009-03-11 16:37:39 UTC

SITS Spring Fling Day!!

2009-03-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

**Rules..Leave a comment you get one entry, become a follower, get 2 entries!**
**Contest ends tonight at 11:59 pm AZ (CST) time**

Hey Ya'll Head on over to SITS and participate in the Spring Fling! There are sooooooo many contests and prizes your eyes will go buggy!!

Now for my Give-A-Way.....

Ok so I am a little late getting this post up, but for my give-a-way today leave me a comment and you'll be entered to win a dozen HOME-MADE chocolate chip cookies (or any cookie of your choosing), I am a fabulous baker so don't worry..they'll be good!! Also I am giving away 2 purses that have been just sitting around in my closet and should go to a good home! **Pics are posted** The larger black purse is made by Kenneth Cole -Reaction** I'll post Pics in a bit, just wanted to get this out here for all the SITS participants!! Happy Spring Fling Hopping!!

So I decided to give 2 purses away! :)

First Semester...wow

2009-03-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

This week is the end of my first semester back in college....Has 9 weeks really gone by so fast?! I have 2 projects due by Sunday, a Power Point presentation and a 1000-1250 word Survival Guide Essay! Needless to say I will be a bit busy! However I will still participate in the SITS Spring Fling tomorrow! I'll be bloggyland hoppity hoppin, should be a great time! Oh and I will be doing a giving away so check back in the AM. (No, mark I am not giving money away..I am giving away cookies and one of my purses that I never ever use).

Hope everyone has a happy Monday!

What Have I been doing all weekend?

2009-03-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ok so maybe not...but a girl can dream can't she.......................

My 2 Cents

2009-03-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

I watched The Bachelor all season long, I watched him send some great girls packing and waited impatiently for the return of Deanna...only to have this season be the worst Bachelor season in the history of the show! Suuuuurrreeee Jason wasn't put up to this, right?! That would be a BIG FAT NO, I firmly believe that he was so put up to this and that ABC did it for ratings because of how lame the show is becoming. How many times you do a show about this girl or this boy "fallin in love" on TV with all these fantasy dates and high drama only to have what maybe 2 relationships actually work out of all the seasons! So what do they do they concoct this scheme with Mr. Ahole Mesnick and say you have to get engaged to Melissa if you want Molly. Oh and we're going to bring Deanna back at the end to throw some BS at you and clip it altogether to trick the unsuspecting viewers. I think it's really sad that ABC did what they did and even worse because Melissa looked like she really got hurt, but who knows at this point, I think everyone knew ahead of time. Molly says they're real people, not just actors I think that's complete BS too. Don't you know you get paid when you go on a "reality" show..hmmm sounds to me like you're acting then, the better you are the more likely you are to be kept around, The more money you make! I'm also really sick of ABC taking the "broken hearted" girl or guy and making them the NEXT bachelor/bachelorette, it's stupid. In my opinion everyone should boycott ABC an d not watch The Bachelorette in May. Make their ratings go down the tubes. Ok, I'm done with my rant....all I have left to say is I'm pissed that I wasted so much time watching the dumb show!

A Sunny Saturday

2009-02-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

It's 85 degrees today. It's a beautiful day outside. I did some shopping, found my boy some shoes and of course as I was leaving a pair just suddenly jumped out and started calling my name (yes, in my world shoes talk to me)...so I bought them...very cute wedge flip flops at Kohl's. I am in a better mood today than I was for my last post :). I am currently in the process of figuring out Twitter and I am also co-authoring with Young Momma from Perfect Pen over at Anxiety Ridden Mania. We need some friends so head on over and check us out! Our blog is mainly a support blog and a kind of vent blog, we both have "issues" so if you'd like to subscribe to us that would be great :).

I am also planning on getting a bloggy face lift, I have fallen in love with April @ http://www.aprilshowersblogdesign.com/, she does some awesome work so please go check her out, some of her work can be seen on her blog, or The Rambler, or The Adams Family. And once I finally determine a budget hopefully MINE!

I will be doing another give-a-way for the SITS Spring Fling so make sure you come back next saturday to enter to win some of my fabulous chocolate chip cookies anda purse (slightly used, but in excellent condition). **If you don't happen to like chocolate chip cookies I am willing to make your favorite, I am a fabulous baker if I do say so myself!** In honor of give-a-ways, make sure you go over and see Jananabee, and The Scattered Mind of a tattooed MInivan Mom, they are all doing some great give-a-ways!! :)

Hope you are all having a Sunny Saturday!!

***Some random pics***

Tankers smile :)

He's ready for his bike!

I just love this pic...

Scarey Times

2009-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

I'm so mad right now I could just spit! The economy is so horrible in my hometown right now that almost everyone I know, family and friends, have been hurt by it. One of my close friends was laid off today from his job, after being sick for 2 weeks and promised by his BOSS that he wouldn't get the boot, he got the boot today! ANother of my close friends, her husband got the boot too a while back and another close friend has had to take a 12% pay cut. I know that our new Pres is doing all kinds of new stuff and passing tax cuts and giving money to this and that, but so far, it's not doing one bit of good to anyone I know. We have had our own hurt because of this crap, Mark is not allowed over time, which is a big loss, we're doing ok without it so I won't complain. I just wish it would be better already, I just wish there was a brighter light at the end of the tunnel for the people I care about that are getting hit the hardest.

All I can do is pray and thank the man upstairs that we're alright. My thoughts and prayers are with those that are not so fortunate....it has to get better, it just has to!

Twilight anyone?

2009-02-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

If you just can't wait til March 21, 2009, like I couldn't, feel free to watch the movie right here! Great quality I wouldn't post garbage, I mean c'mon, this is Edward we're talking about!! I mean Twilight..hehehe...Enjoy :)

***By the way, click on the menu bar for Full Screen, otherwise you'll miss half the movie since it won't all fit onto my blog..LOL..***

The Naked House!

2009-02-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

What is it about toddlers that makes them want to run around naked ALL the time? I feel like my boy should be living at a nudist colony! I'm contsantly chasing him around trying to put clothes back on him, ok maybe not constantly, but still! It must be so nice to run around uninhibited, me- I am afraid to walk in front of the mirror without clothes or at least a towel on, this one time I was walking by a window and caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and thought someone was following me..turned out it was my own @ss! I won't even look at my shadow, I'm afraid of it! Anyway, enough about me. ..... This is about my naked boy and all his wonderful poses that he just has to do when he's in the buff...so for your amusement on this super HOT Fat Tuesday....

My Heart Hurts

2009-02-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

I just received this pic yesterday

This is a picture of my mom's head stone. My Uncle (her brother) had it made and it will be placed next to my grandmas in Utah. I think sometimes I must be in denial, I go along everyday and there's a part of my head that knows she's gone, but it's like I just push it away and now to see this, it makes it really real, over and over again I'm reminded she's gone and I'm all alone. I can't breathe. I can't see. I miss her. I'm so tired of being strong, I'm so tired of holding it all together. I'm tired of being angry. I'm just tired. I know that time is supposed to lessen the pain and I'm sure in a hundred years or so I'll feel better or a little less tired I hope.

Janana Bee's 200th Post GIve-A-Way!!

2009-02-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

My 200th Post & Giveaway Go show her some love and you'll be enterted to win some fabu prizes!!

And the WINNERS are......

2009-02-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

Oh you mean I didn't tell you there would be more than one? Well there is....and they are.....
DRUM ROLL PLEASE (and Dj Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince just rolled through my head...)...

First Place is...............The Young Momma @ Perfect Pen!

Second Place is...........Sandy @ The Adams Family!

Third Place is..............The Tattooed Minivan Mom @ Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom!

If you're wondering to yourself why there are more than one well it's because I said so, it's my contest I can do what I want and if I think everyone, I mean 3, should win then that's t hat! Ok, how did I get these 3 lovely ladies, well I went to Random.Org and I typed in the list of entries and hit randomize, and these 3 were the top!

Thanks to everyone for entering and for showing me some love for my first 100 posts! I kinda like this whole giving thing, maybe I'll start doing just random give-a-ways for no reason...hmm stay tuned for more on that! :) Oh yea did you know you can watch Twilight on your PC for free?? I learned this tid bit of info last night and am now addicted to tvshack.net!

For all of you who entered please email me your address so I can snail mail you something just for stopping by and for the winners please tell me your favorite Bath and Bodyworks Scents and Young Momma I need to know your favorite Yankee Candle Scent and where you'd like your $25 GIftCard from! Thanks again everyone! Now go stop by all the other blogs on my blogroll, there are some super dooper give-a-ways going on, apparently a bunch of milestones are happening this week/weekend!!

Email info to: mesahippychic03@aol.com

Last Day to Enter!

2009-02-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder: Today is the last day to enter my 100th Post Give-A-Way!! Scroll down 2 posts and stop by to leave a comment or 5 to be entered! Have a happy Friday and Good Luck!!! By the way if you linky loved me for the give-a-way don't forget to let me know so you getyour extra entries! I'll announce the winner tomorrow!

Do all puppies poop this much? And eat ROCKS?

2009-02-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Our puppy, Tankers, has decided he'd rather poop everywhere- except outside! Every night/morning Mark wakes up to poop in the kennel where he sleeps (not Mark, the puppy..what kind of wife do you think I am! Gosh!) and whats ironic is that he won't poop in the front he poops in the back and most of the time the poop has rocks in it...GROSS! Ok so I'm sure you guys wanted to know all about this right? No? Too bad! I have to vent because it's driving me crazy...oh he also poops under the table and behind chairs! I try to get him outside as much as possible and sometimes it works, but it's mostly night time and early morning and now PUDGE is in heat! Ahhhhhhhh!!! (God, grant me the strength) He really is sooooo cute though...despite all the poop...

They share I swear!

Don't forget to enter the give-a-way! :) :) :) :)

***I just found this post through SITS and it made me laugh so hard that I had to share it with you! Check it out if you need a laugh too..http://thecreativejunkie.com/2008/05/23/twenty-things-every-mom-needs-to-know/.***

Just a day

2009-02-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to comment for the give-a-way! See the details from my 100th Post-post! Contest ends Friday the 20th at midnight!

100th Post and a GIVE-A-WAY!!

2009-02-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

It's here!! It's really here!! I finally made it to 100! Woo Hoo! I accomplished what I thought for sure would take me forever, in a little over a year! My goal for 2010 is to post everyday and hit 365! I would have made that my goal for 2009, but we're already half way through February so I'm a little late. ***Ok, so a little side note about my post yesterday, I know 99.44% is still an A, what I'm peeved about is the fact that its .56% away from the 100, I mean seriously, a teeny tiny percentage away, so it just kills me that my professor was that anal about it! Oh well, I'm done, an A is an A no matter what..lol..***

Now for my 100th Post give-a-way......here are the rules, leave me a comment get an entry, link back to me in a post earn 3 entries, oh and for every comment you leave you get an entry...hehehe...so comment away! Maybe I should do a limit to make it fair?...ok, no more than 5 comments. Now.....what do you win if you get chosen? LOTS OF LOVE..hehehe..no seriously you'll win a $25 gift card and there will be other little things too, some of my favorite stuff, like Yankee Candles and Bath and Body Works stuff :).**Contest will end Friday at Midnight** So, thanks again for reading me and following. Sometimes the comments you guys leave really pull me through my day! To show some love on this Valentine's Day I would like to take a moment and list some of my most loyal readers and commenters and hope that whoever decides to stop by will take a moment to stop by these wonderful blogs too! So without further ado.......***These are in no particular order***
1. Janana Bee!
2. The tattooed Minivan Momma!
3. The Ramlber!
4. Bloggedy Blog, Blog!
5. The Adams Family!
6. Hippy Chic!
7. My Thoughts!
8. PsychoHairapy! and Running With Scissors!
9. The Perfect Pen!
10.Christina's Creative Expressions!
11. Decisionally Challenged!
12. Clever Girl Goes Blog!
13. BulletProof!
14. Keeper of the skies wife!
15. Pooba!

Ok, I could keep going, but my little man is crying so I need to go do mom duty! Hope everyone has a LOVE filled day!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucky Day

2009-02-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason I have always found some luck on Friday the 13th's, this one has been ummm....well not unlucky, just a little on the blah side. I mean I suppose you could say it has been a good day, I found some super cute glow in the dark pj's for Nate at the carter's Store for 4 bucks and I found Mark's Valentine's Day present was reasonably priced too, so I mean I'm getting some "luck" with shopping deals.

I guess I'm just peeved because I went and bragged to my therapist about how I'm getting straight A's in my classes and then I find out today that I was docked 2 points because apparently I forgot to leave one stinkin comment on something and now my "perfect" grade is slightly marred and I know it shouldn't matter because in terms of a grade it's still an A it's just not a 100%, it's a 99.44%! I was never a perfectionist in school before now, it's like I'm ocd about it now, I have to have a perfect grade or I feel like I'm stupid or something?! WTF is wrong with me? BLAH!!!!

Thanks for letting me vent! I feel better now. Oh yea, tomorrow is Valentine's Day in case you didn't know, so go out and get something for someone you like or love and let them know you care. I am a horrible wife I told Mark not to get me anything, but then I changed my mind...poor guy I must confuse him so much! ANyway, this is my 99th post, which means the next one is the BIG 100!! So, I will do a give-a-way as promised :). Hope everyone enjoys their weekend and stay tuned til tomorrow when I reveal what I'm giving away.....mwaaaaahhhaaaahhhaaahaaa(insert devilish sounding laugh)....and I'm lame!

Happy Lucky Friday the 13th!!

Goals? You mean I have to have goals?

2009-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

I have a school assignment this week that is weighing heavy on my mind. I have to come up with 2 long-term career or life goals and then expand that to a bunch of mini goals to accomplish the 2 long term ones. Confused yet? I guess it's just me..I remember writing goals down when I was in High School and I accomplished a few, but I have no idea what goals I want to achieve aside from, ya know, world peace and my kids going to college and becoming well rounded awesome adults!

I will figure it out eventually, I mean I know what I want, it's just having to narrow it down to 2, and the expanding part that'll be tricky. Am I repeating myself? I need some sleep. Ha! Goal #1- GET MORE SLEEP! Oh wait that requires my 2 year old to get more sleep.....

Home again

2009-02-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is Tank....8 weeks old and 14..probably 15 pounds now :)

Going to Las Vegas is always a bit hard for me, this trip was no exception. Mark kind of forced me to go, I'm glad he did. I needed to see my family and spend time with them. I stayed at my Aunt's house and even though it was only for a short time I am so grateful to her for opening her home to me. I made it into town on Friday and that afternoon went to the Hilton where I used to work and saw some of my friends, that evening I went to dinner with my aunt and cousins, we ate at my other cousin's Bar-Restaurant called The Bar :). The food was phenomenal! Seriously though I am so proud of my family, my aunt is a teacher, my uncle steve owns Las Vegas Rock, my aunt and her husband own Brady Landscaping, James and Joe co-own The Bar, Brit is a stay at home mom/pilates GURU! Everyone has their own accomplishments and talents and I just feel so in awe of them, sometimes it's fun to take a step back and go wow, that's the family I belong too!

Saturday was an interesting day for me, I woke up early and went to see my step dad to pick up some of my mom's stuff....he ended up giving me her ashes..ALL of them and so now my mom is sitting on my shelf and it's weird and sad and I miss her....I talk to the box, I know where to take her, but there's a part of me that almost doesn't want too, this is the longest I have spent with her since I was 12...

After picking up her things and her, I met my cousin Brit for a movie, we saw Bride Wars and laughed and cried at all the same parts and had a great time! She always brightens me up. I went to the mall after for some shoes because while I was there it decided to storm REALLY bad and my shoes that I was wearing got ruined. I was in a funk though for the rest of the day, I ended up having to donate a lot of the stuff that I picked up because it wouldn't all fit in my truck and that was extremely hard, even though it was just "stuff".

Sunday I picked up Tank and drove home, only it was somewhat of an adventure and not in a fun way! See the storm that happened in Vegas, followed me home....almost the whole way, at one point I was driving down this curvy road and COULD NOT SEE anything in front of me until I was like 5 feet behind it! I don't recommend that. Sunday night was fun, Tank cried when we tried to get him to sleep, but he did really well meeting Pudge or maybe I should say Pudge did really well when she met him :0).

They're great friends!

Tank likes Pudge's set up much better than his

Hey Baby Let's Go To Vegas!

2009-02-04T19:16:00.001-08:00

Ok..so it's just me goin to Vegas, but I am going to pick up a baby!!! A boy to be exact.....and he's soooooooooo cute! Yes, that's right folks, the Bush's are adding to our brood! Why? Well, because we're insane! No, ok, so I'm the only insane one, but we love all things baby so we figured let's add one more....and here he is...our new pride and joy....

Ours is the one in the middle

He's the biggest in the litter and as of right now is 12-13 pounds and almost 8 weeks old, he's an English Mastiff and will be Pudge's Boyfriend..lol...ok maybe not, but ya never know!

So anywho, we haven't come up with a name for him yet, we've been tossing around names like Dozer (as in Bull dozer..lol..), Bruiser, Bruno etc... All suggestions are welcome! I'll be picking him up on Saturday so we have a few days before a name has to be chosen :)

My Blogoversary

2009-01-30T09:29:00.001-08:00

I have been so stinkin busy with school I missed my 1 year Blogoversary! Only by 2 days..now 7 or 8 days, but still! I had no idea when I started this blog last year how much it would evolve into what it is today. I have to give it to my BFF Marylin, she's the one that convinced me to start it up!

I'm so grateful to my 17 readers, I write for you guys and my family and it's such a warm and fuzzy feeling when you leave me comments, makes me feel like I'm good at something! In honor of my 1st Year I leave you with a list of my favorite posts..is that conceited of me..lol...Hope you enjoy and my 100th post is only 5 posts away so stay tuned for a give-a-way!!

These are in no particular order...:

1. My very first post

2. The Many hats of Nate

3. ABC Tag

4. A poem for my mom

5. New York Yankees

Ok, that's all for now for my favorites. Nate is running amuck and wants to go outside, so before I lose my mind even more...time to play!

Three Little Words

2009-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

I had the most amazing experience on Monday, I was sitting at the computer doing homework (because that's what my life consists of these days) and I had Sesame Street on for Nate, well I was so engrossed in the screen that I had tuned everything out, when all of a sudden I feel his little hand touch my arm so gently and he peaks around at me with this very shy smile and says.."I love you!" and then giggles and hugs me! Now for mom's all around the world when your little one can finally grasp what it means to love and actually express it verbally, it's hands down one of the best days of my life. So, naturally after that I scopped him up and started giving him kisses and saying I love YOU I LOVE YOU over and over, so much so, that he will now shout it whenever he feels like saying it to me. It felt like all of my life has been summed up in his three little words to me, he and my daughter are the reason I'm here.

I Heart my Ink

2009-01-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

So about 11 years ago I got my first tattoo, it was a dolphin on my left shoulder. It cost me $60 bucks and I did it on a spur of the moment, actually one of my closest friends and I decided as we were driving down Charleston to stop at a tattoo shop and just look, next thing I know she's getting her boyfriends name tattooed on her lower back and I'm staring at a really cute dolphin that I just had to have...does it matter that we were only 19 at the time? **by the way she broke up with her boyfriend 2 days later and his name is now a giant tribal band on her lower back**

My second tattoo came only 4 months later and am proud to say still looks good, however I did walk around with it as an outline for about 3 years before it was finally colored. The story on that goes something like this....I heart this baby dragon sleeping...I have to have it tattooed on me!! So, my ex-hubs made friends with a tattoo artist who was just opening a shop, they struck up some deal and an artist named BOOM gave me my dragon on my right shoulder, I sat like a champ for 4 hours with only one break! 2 months later I find out I'm preggers, so much for color! Flash forward 3 years, I am at a good friend of mine's concert, they are giving away a $100 gift certificate to the tattoo shop where I got my dragon, I win! 2 weeks later my dragon has color :).

The red dragon is the one that is 11 years old :)
The big purple dragon is covering my dolphin :)

My back has now undergone a complete transformation! My dolphin is gone, covered by another dragon and I now have a whole fantasy land that starts at the top and goes all the way down to the top of my tail bone. Most of the inspiration for what you see is based on Amy Brown, she's a well known artist that draws and paints faeries and dragons and other awesome creatures. My tattoo artist that designed the whole piece with me is Terry Oakes, she used to work at State of The Art Tattoo here in Tucson, but is now on her own. She and I have become pretty close through this whole process and I hope that she and I will remain close now that it's complete. The total time in hours that I sat for this piece was 80-90 over the course of a year. I have a total of 7 tattoos, I count my back piece as one because it's all connected, if I was to count each piece seperately it would add up to about 22 tattoos total...lol..

Here is my ink that I am so proud of...

**sorry about the flash..it's hard to take pics of my back without help..lol**

Janana Bee: I know I'm a Mom because....

2009-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Janana Bee: I know I'm a Mom because....

Hey all you MOM'S go read this, she is so right on!! Way to go Janana Bee!!

Is it really Monday?

2009-01-19T09:05:00.001-08:00

Last week flew by in such a hurry and now here it is MONDAY again, I feel like yesterday was Monday..haha..

I started school last week so I was extremely busy trying to work it in to my schedule and figure out what the heck I was doing..now that the first week is over with I think I have a grasp of what I'm doing? Maybe? I know one thing for sure...I LOVE IT! My brain feels useful again! Sometimes being a mom turns me into a machine, I have but a few phrases- No! Don't! Stop! Leave Pudge ALONE, she's not a horse! Bath Time! EAT please! Stop hitting! TIME OUT NOW! oh and I LOVE YOU :)...

Needless to say it's refreshing learning new things and being able to flex my brain muscles! Turns out it's still in there and becoming stronger by the day!

I'm really glad so many of you enjoyed Mark's guest post. It's been fun reading about all of you too, seeing you through your other half's eyes.

I would like to say that I AM REALLY TIRED OF BEING SICK! For 2.5 weeks now I have been sick, coughing, sneezing, stuffed up nose, sore throat and Nate has been sick for just as long, with all the same crap, he's on antibiotics, but the cough he has is horrible, it breaks my heart when his little body just rocks with it and his cheeks puff out from trying to hold it in, and now Mark has it! We will ever escape the house of sick?? I hope seriously that none of you have to go through this sickness....it's really blah! Ok, that's my rant for the day.

Off I go to get caught up on my reading...I'll try to comment as much as I can and stay up to date with all of you! Enjoy your week!!

Oh and in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Day....I leave you with this..

Who knew?

2009-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

I am just as surprised as all of you by Mark's post, you live with someone for 5 years, you go along thinking you know almost everything about them and then they blog one day and all this stuff comes out that I never knew he felt. What an interesting experience this has been. Eye opening really :). Who knew? Maybe I can get hime to post more often..hehe..although i don't want to create a monster, I'm bad enough..haha..

Thanks for your sweet words Mark. Love you.

*Mark's Guest Post**

2009-01-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well I am not sure what to talk about??? I would tell all of you how wonderful I am but for those who know me would already know this and not need to hear it from me. I guess I can give some history of my past.

This is me. yes it is a big machine I am not 2 feet tall standing next to a car tire. I have worked hard to get to where I am at in life, with a few if not many off course ventures.

I was born and raised by some of the best parents on the planet. Mark and Brenda. They taught me right from wrong and at times turned there heads at some of my wrongs. They believed in all I did and participated in all they could for me. I can't remember a time that they missed a ball game I played in ...no matter the miles it took to see it

I grew up in Grand Rapids MI. went to college in Big Rapids MI and this is where the fun started. Alcohol was introduced to me.....yes we became good friends.

I have held various jobs from large corporations to "mom n pop" companies. I was mostly in management positions.

I left Michigan in 2001, headed to Las Vegas, NV , then to Portland OR, Salem OR, Lakeland FL, Tampa FL, then decided enough is enough and left the corporate life and moved back to Las Vegas NV.

During all these moves and transitions I was in a self destruct mode, back in 2001 I lost a family member very close to me, He was like a brother. I felt bad because months prior to his death I left Michigan, after I left He informed me that he felt a little hurt since I left in a hurry and did not stop by to say goodbye, ans sadly I never got to see him to say goodbye. and do to this feeling I had from this error on my part I became better friends with alcohol did not care how much I drank, when I drank and rode my motorcycle everywhere i could sober or not .

I did not find much or trust much of anyone, until I returned to Las Vegas, and Worked as head of security at a good friends bar. this was a family away from my family. Yes I know people become friends with other co-workers and co-workers are like "family". which I call BS to. I have been in the co-worker "family" and it is nothing compared to this close fellowship of friends from Tommy Rocker and all the employees/co-workers. From the owner Tommy to bartenders, wait staff, cooks, management, and even custodial employees There was always the sense of someone was there truly looking out for you and your best interest. This may be hard for some to grasp but you would had to have worked in this environment to understand truly. it wasn't boyfriend girlfriend, guy girl, boss employee atmosphere it was brother, sister, long term friends.

If not for this family I would have not met my wife Mesa. We met at the bar,many of the bar employees were going to a midnight hockey game and Mesa lived with one of the employees and was invited to come along to the game., From there we were together since (luckily after that first kiss), I still was on my self destruct pattern and drinking alot having to call Mesa all hours of the night to drive me home and she put up with alot of my SH@! and for that I am thankful and am truly grateful for her to see through the stupid in me.

I recall one of the first times we hung out, we went to Walmart.......yes I know you all think that is sooooo romantic. but anyways we were at the store and I bought her a stuffed animal of Scooby Doo wearing pajamas, this way if I was not sleeping next to her I could trust Scooby to look out after her, I also bought her a bag of Lifesavers candys, so that way she would think of me when she had one. but the more I think about the bag of candy I think of it more that just a bag of candy , I really think I was handing her a request and lucky me she accepted the request.

After a couple of years we were married and a year later as most of you know came Nathen. He has just turned 2 and I am so proud to be his father, and crazy to admit it i find myself doing some of them annoying things my parents did and said when I was little.

It has been 2-3 years since I had a drink or even a drop of alcohol. Which i will go back to the bag of candy and the request. Mesa thank you for being a lifesaver. with out your commitment who knows where I would be or if I would still even be.

And for that Mesa you truly are my Lifesaver.

** Message from Mesa: Thank you The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom for hosting the Guest Spot Blog party today! This has been a blast and I hope we get to do it again! :)** For more Blogs with guests please head over to hers!

Clever Girl Goes Blog: Under the sea.

2009-01-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

Clever Girl Goes Blog: Under the sea.

For all you Twilight Fans check out this post I promise you'll laugh outloud!!

Life Lessons

2009-01-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to those of you that left such heartfelt comments about my last post. Saying Thank You just isn't enough, but it's all I've got. I have made some incredible friends out here in Bloggyland and I feel so blessed to have you all in my life. You taught me a wonderful lesson- you taught me that I don't have to be afraid to share who I am and where I have come from. When I posted about my family, I came about this close to deleting it, purely out of fear of being rejected or misunderstood, I'm really glad I didn't chicken out :).

I was reading the Sunday paper today and I always browse through Parade, in doing so today I came across a really wonderful article that I would like to share with you. It's by The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan.

What Your Pet Can Teach You

Live in the moment.

Nurture a balanced life.

Trust your instincts.

Be direct and consistent in your communication.

Learn to listen.

Don’t hold grudges.

Live with purpose.

Celebrate every day.

When I finished reading this I thought about Nathen and how easily all of these lessons can be applied to what our children teach us too, not just pets. When I am having a tough moment my son can usually tell and will walk up to me, touch my face, look at me with his big brown eyes and say "whats wrong?" and then he'll get this giant smile and giggle for absolutely no reason other than to make me smile in return, which I do-even if I don't want to. I can't seem to stay in a bad mood with him in my life and Thank GOD for that. So, I hope that I helped at least one of you dear friends see the importance of all these lessons and that we can all try to learn them in the best way possible, by doing them :). Have a Happy Sunday!!

Sometimes you just have to let it out

2009-01-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

"If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?"- This question was posted over at My Rambling Thoughts by The Rambler for her Think About It Thursdays post and it struck a cord with me.

For a few years now my own mortality has been on my mind, its inevitable because the older we get the more people we know and love seem to depart, so I often ask myself this very question. If I were to go would my children know just how much I really love them, have I done enough to show how much I appreciate all the hardwork Mark does on a daily basis and how grateful I am to him for allowing me the opportunity to stay home with our son? I am not so good at being as grateful as I should be and I know that as of lately I seem to be building a wall to keep out the bad, but in keeping out the bad I'm also keeping out the good.

Sometimes my survival instinct takes control and I shut myself off, but I mean seriously after all the stuff that has gone on, sometimes its just easier to try to be numb. I still feel the emotions I just try not to let them out, which is bad bad bad. So in an effort to cleanse my soul and open up again let me get heavy for a moment.

Here goes...I was raised by my grandmother, she was a hard woman, not affectionate unless you were an infant, rarely ever gave praise and she and I fought about everything until the day I moved out. She did what she could to provide a stable home for me and I regret the way I treated her. She passed very quickly in April of 2007, and I didn't get to say goodbye while she was still concious, if I could have I would have told her that she was more of a mom to me than my own and I love her with all of my heart and I am so honored to have been her granddaughter, she taught me more than I ever thought was possible and without her I would not be who I am.

My father was not around growing up, he was a drug addict and alcoholic and the most abusive man I have ever known, I watched him do some horrific things to my mom and even though I witnessed these things from the ages of 1 to 5 I still have a very clear memory of it all. He killed himself when I was 17, his kidneys were failing along with his liver and he decided on Christmas eve to pop as many pain killers as possible and drink one last beer, that was it. If I could have talked to him I would have told him that even though he made mistakes and even though he caused me and many others pain, he was still my father and I will always love him and wish that I could have known him and that underneath everything he was trying to escape he still had a good heart.

My mom, well, more like a sister or best friend, she and I had a unique relationship. I was the mom and she was the daughter for almost my whole life. She and I had somewhat of a falling out around March/April in 2008, you see she had an unreal amount of guilt when my grandma died, she was tormented by all that she had done to my grandma. In March of last year my mom went missing for 2 weeks, I thought she was dead, I almost wished that she was at the time because it was better than what she had really been doing. My mother was also a drug addict. She decided to go and live with someone crazy woman and her family, quit her job and just disappear to get high. I was beyond crushed when she finally called me acting like nothing was wrong. I told her I wanted nothing to do with her, that she would never see me or her grandkids ever again, that she was done breaking my heart. I refused to speak to her for months every time she called I let my phone go to voicemail, some messages she left were as if nothing at all were wrong (she was high), other messages she would plead with me to please call. Finally my step father called and said she was in really bad shape, so I finally talked to her. A week later she ended up in the hospital. She never would tell me exactly what was wrong with her, she was very vague so I just assumed it was drug withdrawls and in the end I was right. My mother committed suicide on August 29th, 2008, so-called accidental overdose, there was a note though, her last thoughts and a good-bye saying she would be able to take care of me better from heaven. I saw her 2 weeks to the day before she died at my cousins wedding. She was in bad shape and I had a feeling that the end was near, but I let my anger get the best of me and I shut her out and didn't stay but maybe 15 minutes with her. I think she knew that I loved her, I just wish I could have been stronger for her. I know that nothing I could say or do would have stopped her, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked the chance to try. I am constantly being told not to beat myself up and I don't I just have big wishes that I know will never come true. So, to my mom I would have said if given the chance- I love you, I know you did the best you could and that you were sick and because of your sickness you weren't as available to me and I'm ok, I'm healing and will continue to heal and most of all I forgive you.

If I died tonight I want all of my family and friends to know I love them and I wish sometimes I could be better at expressing it.

I know my story was heavy, but sometimes I just have to let it out...

Think Thin Thursdays! An Honest Scrap Award! And Get your Significant other to guest post!

2009-01-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

It's Think Thin Thursday folks and my goal for this week is to keep off whatever weight I lose due to having the wretched FLU! :) So far I'm down 2 pounds as of this morning...yay for feeling like I swallowed gravel!! :) Head on over to The Not So Blog-Blog and have a look around, even if you don't have a weightloss goal, her blog is alot of fun!

So another fun blog to check out is The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom, she's doing a really fun guest post next week, she's letting her HUBBY post on her blog! Thus she has presented all of us in bloggyland with the challenege of getting our loved one or ones to do a guest post next week too! So, head on over to her blog for all the details! Oh and my hubby will be doing a guest post so stay tuned! This should be interesting!!

I also need to say thanks so much to my wonderful friends Angie and Randy at PsychoHairapy for awarding me this:

Let's start with the rules:
The honorees are to: A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep! B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Ok so here goes: Ten honest things about myself!

No particular order....

1. I have no will power when it comes to coffee and chocolate, I have tried to quit, but it's just not happening.

2. I sometimes would like to give my 2 year old away, especially when he's being REALLY naughty! (however I NEVER would cause I love him!)

3. My dog Pudge is more of a pain in my tush than any dog I have ever had and I sometimes want to give her away too!

4. I'm really unorganized, it's something I need help with, Closet Organizers seriously need to see me!

5. I am on 3 different kinds of medication to help keep me sane, so far I don't think they work..hahaha

6. I sometimes lack tact :)

7. I am petrified of failure, yet I know how to pick myself up and dust myself off. If at first you don't succeed try try again!

8. I love my friends as if they were the siblings I've almost always wanted :)

9. My parents damaged me and still to this day I have a hard time letting go of the anger towards them.

10. I am afraid of what people will think after they read this (however, I won't let it keep me up at night) and if you don't like my honesty than that's too bad for you..neener neener neener :)

Now for the people that I am doling out this award too.....drum roll please......

EVERYONE THAT FOLLOWS ME!!!

Thanks for reading and have a great evening! I'm off to die a slow and miserable flu death...(did I mention I am melodramatic..that could be number 11 on my list....)

Pics from the BFF trip

2009-01-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

Me on left, Marylin on right

Nate's Blanket

Mark's Blanket

My awesome Apron!

All these were handmade by my very crafty BFF, go check out her crafty blog, she's doing a giveaway!!

"Inspirational Tuesday"

2009-01-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

**Along with my inspirational tuesday pick I also go off on a tangent..hehe..**

I am choosing Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert as my topic for "Inspirational Tuesday" because this book inspired this tattoo. This is my left foot, I used the analogy when getting this tattoo that I wanted it on my left side so that when I walked I did so with love....

A little cheesy I know, but it was my way of reminding myself to always keep LOVE in front of me as my goal, to be better at it.

There are so many great points in this book, I took away from her story an understanding about the power of prayer and listening to your inner voice. She is a wonderful story teller and does an awesome job of drawing you in and keeping you intrigued while she goes on her spiritual journey. She made me want to travel to all the places she went and experience them for myself :)

I have struggled with Faith for a while, I am such a control freak that I have the hardest time just letting go and giving it to The Man upstairs, even though my heart knows I would be better for it it's my head that gets in my way. I am getting better I believe at chipping away some of my fears, I know that I am the right path these days or at least veering towards the right path.

I am embarking on a new journey, I am going to start school on January 12, I am going for a psychology degree. I chose this path because people fascinate me, I also want to be able to help those that need it. I'm a little nervous, it's been 11 years since I have been in school! I have my first assignment already, I have to write a 300 word autobiographical essay! How do I sum up 30 years of a crazy life in 300 words... Well wish me luck, this will be interesting!

** I finished my autobiographical essay and its a little more than 300 words, it's about 510 :), but the point is I got it done!! **

How to have fun at 30?...have kids..sleep...eat lots of good FOOD..and laugh til it hurts your face!

2009-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

My best friend and her 11 month old son arrived Friday at 9 am, ironically enough neither of us had slept the night before..we were literally ZOMBIES, it was quite hilarious. My favorite memory from that day will be of her sitting on the ground with our boys playing with Hot Wheels and smashing them together, making the *bakoosh, skoosh* crashing sound....while in a very dazed state :). Needless to say Friday was spent being lazy and making a run to WalMart.

Saturday was a little better, both of us were pretty rested so I decided to take her to the Tucson Botanical Garden...well when we got there a wedding was about to start and there was nothing Botanical about the place..just cacti everywhere, that's Tucson for ya, desert all the way! So, instead of hanging out there we went to Target and then to Cracker Barrel. Now I have NEVER been to the Cracker Barrel, but I will tell you that I am now in love with it, seriously it is COMFORT FOOD HEAVEN! We had so much fun walking around the little shop and playing with the toys and laughing at all the Old fashioned candy that they sell, I'll be going there from now on for all my gifts for people :).

For dinner that night she made US fabulous tostadas, when I say fabulous I mean sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tasty! Makes my mouth water just thinking about them they were that good! We stayed up fairly late talking and laughing about stuff you guys would probably think is way silly, but all I have to say is FISTS? REALLY!!!! *inside joke*..hehehehe

Sunday dawned nice and rainy, so while she was ambitious and went for a run, I parked my butt on the recliner and pretty much stayed there all day! My husband grilled some steaks for dinner and after we stuffed ourselves, she forced me to take her to Cold Stone Creamery, for of course the BEST ICE CREAM ever! *have you noticed a food theme..hehe..* (what can I say, food brings people together..haha)

I dropped her off at the airport today and once I was back in my truck had a nervous breakdown cause I already miss her so much! It's really hard being away from my home town, as great as it was to have her here, it felt like the time just flew by too fast and it's always bittersweet when you have to say see you later.

One of the greatest parts about her visit was getting to see our boys play together, Nate has never been around someone smaller than him and he was soooo hilarious to watch, he LOVED having James here, finally someone to play with! Nate was very good at policing James, he made sure that james didn't eat the wrong things and was somewhat a sharer. Here are a few fun pics of the boys!

I'll be posting more pics another time since she has the ones of she and I on her camera! *Thank you Marylin for spending the weekend with my family and my crazy self, maybe I will get to take a vacation from my brain soon?!* Love ya*

Hello 2009!

2009-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

*Thanks for the award Sandy!!*

YAY it's a new year and I'm so optimistic! I love January 1st, it's the best day of the year especially if you start out on the right foot or the left depending on which you prefer :) I have to say that I'm very grateful right now for Sandy over at The Adams Family blog for introducing me to "Think Thin Thursdays" hosted by Bridgette at The Not So Blog-Blog I am so excited to get started and even better because now there's a support system! Too bad they don't live in my house to smack my hand or upside my head whenever I want to eat crap! Hahaha :) Anywho, I hope others will check it out and join up too :)

I am way behind on posting Christmas pictures so here are a few of the fun we had!

My little elf :)

My Uncle

Our Tree

Nate's Hot Wheels stocking stuffers

Nate holding my stocking stuffers..A Harley mug and my fave candy bar- Kit Kat :)

Nate opening his presents one handed..his football was his fave gift..haha

Nate's new favorite Toy! and Mine too! This toy is seriously one of the best learning toys I have seen yet! If you have a toddler that is very inquisitive this is the toy for them! :)

So I end todays post with a hopeful heart and extreme amount of excitement because Marylin and her little man will be here tomorrow!!! WOOHOOOOOOO! :) :) :)

Say Bye-Bye to 2008 (can you tell I hang out with my son wayyyy too much?)

2008-12-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

2008 held alot of ups and downs and I'm ready to kiss it good-bye and start fresh in 2009. After Christmas I kind of forgot that it was still 2008, I was already in the new year mode..haha..I guess that's because I haven't really celebrated New Years Eve in about 5 years. The first year Mark and I were together, well I should say within the first few days of us being together we were ringing in the New Year, sort of, he had to work that night at the bar he was a bouncer for, so I got all prettied up and perched on a bar stool until he got off :), we were a whole 9 days into our relationship..I was devoted :)..After that I don't think we ever really did anything for New Years..Oh well, not a big deal to me, the holidays are over and a fresh start is just what this family needs :).

I decided not to do any resolutions this year, it's sort of a waste to me because I never stick to them, I do however have goals :) (not the same thing, I don't care what you say!). I will be starting school in 11 days! I have already started my healthy eating habits and since I have the Wii Fit to kick my booty I've already started my weight loss goal! So THERE! Hehehe..

I don't know about you, but I always feel a teeny tiny bit of hope at the start of a new year, it's as though there are a million possibilities ahead. I don't regret or feel that I wasted any of the last year and that is a great feeling :). I'm so proud of my boy for all the things he's learned and continues to learn. My daughter also accomplished a great deal this past year and is turning into quite the young lady! My husband got a promotion and finally loves his job and all before he'd been there a year! I learned how to be more patient and take one day at a time. I also learned how to breathe, I didn't know before that I wasn't...

Ok I'm done rambling about 2008 :) Happy New Year my family and friends! See ya next year..ba da bum bum..hehe...

Inspirational Tuesday

2008-12-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

I was watching GMA this morning and saw a really great story/interview at the end about Dana Canedy, she is a senior editor at the New York Times, where she has been a journalist for twelve years. In 2001, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for "How Race Is Lived in America," a series on race relations in the United States. She is also the author of A Journal for Jordan which is a beautiful and tender introduction, a loving good-bye, a reporter’s inquiry into her soldier’s life, and a heartrending reminder of the human cost of war.

The reason this story inspired me is because it is a Father's words to his only son about life, love, and faith. This father kept a journal while fighting in Iraq and when his son turned 6 months old, he finished it, shortly thereafter he was killed while fighting. *Thats the short explanation*

It is a book that I will keep for my son as its message is one that I feel will guide him throughout his life's journey, as well as helping to guide mine.

There are many books out there have inspired me or helped to guide me, the one above is just the most recent. Another that I think everyone should read is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch or at least (click on his name) watch the Video of him speaking!

I also love the Chicken Soup For the Soul series, there are some that are just really uplifting. There are others in the series that tend to make me a little sad, but there's always a good moral to it :).

So why am I doing Inspirational Tuesday? Well, I guess because I wanted to be different..lol..and every now and then I feel the need to put as much positivity out there as I can, it's more for me than anything, putting it out here means I have a place to come back too when I need a little uplifting. Anywho, I hope you enjoy my little list and take a moment to reflect on what inspires you :)

Stealing..for a good cause

2008-12-28T15:20:00.001-08:00

My wonderful best friend sent me the sweetest email today along with a Youtube video and in the spirit of sharing I am stealing/borrowing her sentiment because I feel the same way about all of the wonderful women I have in my life, new friends and old ones alike. So in honor of True Friendship of all us gals please take a few minutes to view this beautiful video...I couldn't have said it better myself :)

Lots of love to all of you!!

A Better Place and The Twilight Movie

2008-12-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

My brain seems to be in a better place today, I was reading some of my last posts and they have been on the somewhat bleak side, sorry about that. I am happy today, I went to the movies last night for the first time since living here in AZ with another person, my friend/tattoo artist! It was my first girls night out in months, and the other girls night outtings had all required me to travel to Las Vegas, don't get me wrong I LOVE GOING HOME to see my friends and family, but it gets a little expensive to drive that far just for a few hours of fun..lol..What movie did we see, you may be asking? TWILIGHT, yes I surrendered to the part of me that just had to see EDWARD CULLEN (Robert Pattinson) on the big screen. So, did I like it? **Warning- BIG SPOILERS TO COME, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW STOP READIN HERE**

Here is what I did like about it:

1.Robert Pattinson and Robert Pattinson

2.The super hilarious scenes, i.e. Bella falling (reminded me of myself), Bella "dancing" with Edward with a cast on (he was supposed to be dancing the both of them ya know her feet on top of his, but she's in a cast and poor Robert pattinson just looked awkward)

3.Robert Pattinson dipped in Glitter/Diamonds

4.The scenery-I'm seriously contemplating moving to where they shot this movie, it's THAT beautiful

5.James. Laurent and Victoria- they were portrayed beautifully.

6. Bella's truck

Here is what I didn't like:

1. Kristen Stewarts performance as Bella, she really didn't capture my attention the way she should have and her chemistry with Edward Cullen was BLAH, there was no passion AT ALL from her. Any emtoion she was supposed to portray just fell flat, even at the end when she was begging Edward not to leave her, her supposed to be hysteria was not even Tantrum material.

2. The boy who played Jasper was HORRENDOUS! His face throughout the whole movie had my in hysterics, he looked CONSTIPATED, seriously it was so bad I wanted to give him an Ex-Lax to help him relax.

3. The girl that played Rosalie-Ummmmmmmmm, so not pretty. I mean according to the books Rosalie is supposed to be a KNOCK OUT, this girl was anything but, Bella is supposed to be plain compared to her, well Kristen outshined her for sure.

4. Carlisle- yea, NO...it was all wrong.

5. I liked Emmett, but he should have been bigger :)

6. Hated Robert Pattinson's face he made when Bella walks into the classroom for the first time, he looked like he was going to vomit, he even put his hand over his mouth and made his eyes bulge, he needed a trash can.

7.Hated his facial expressions when he was trying to hard to have emotion

8.The so-called super speed, frankly it could have been done ALOT better

9.All the plot lines that were NOT IN THE BOOK, that is what frustrated me the most, they deviated from the book SOOOOOOO much that I was at one point confused because they would use dialog from the book but it didn't correspond with what was going on.

10. The boy who plays Jacob Black looked like he was wearing a really BAD WIG, that was also very distracting.

I could keep going, but replaying it my mind is upsetting me..lol..Here's the thing, I did enjoy myself in spite of all the screw ups, I feel bad for the Author, did she not have any say at all at how her book would be portrayed on the Big Screen? I know also that they had a very low budget to work with so maybe that was why they did what they did and also when it comes to books turned movie I tend to be a snob, BUT I really feel that they didn't do the story justice and I hope with all of my heart that the second one is done much better.

So there is my official review of Twilight-The Movie, my review of the books is THEY ARE UNREAL (in a really good way!). I am reading them for the second time and I love how it takes me to another place.

Today is also my mom's birthday (or would have been), I am actually ok, I know she's in a better place and is more than likely hanging out with Jerry Garcia! I'm jealous! :) I am also doing a countdown to when my best friend is coming to visit which is in 6 DAYS!! Woohoo! Ok off to be productive before Mark leaves me for being a bad wife..hehe...Happy Sunday! And Happy Birthday MOM! I miss you and I love you! Tell dad, grandmas and grandpas hi for me :)

I LOVE COFFEE..Yes I do! Don't You? What about Hot Chocolate?

2008-12-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

So over at Lovely SITS a really great, totally awesome, completely mind blowing, fantastically and magically delicious GIVE-A-WAY is happening RIGHT NOW to Win a Keurig Platinum Brewing System and $50 worth of K-cups. My suggestion if you happen to LOVE coffee, tea or Hot chocolate is GET over there right now, join the SITS movement and try to win this beautiful coffee, tea or hot chocolate making machine.....Look how pretty it is...

Not only is the magical machine perfect, it has some really yummy coffee, tea and hot chocolate brands such as...

So do yourself a favor and go over to SITS and enter to win!! You might get lucky!!

Did I miss it?

2008-12-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas went well this year, having my uncle here was so fun for not just me, but my husband and son enjoyed him as well. The best part for me this year was Nathen's face when he woke up Christmas morning and saw all the presents under the tree, he was so excited and just exuberant, his little eyes twinkled and I wished at that moment that I could bottle that feeling and save it for later. We opened presents and watched the Disney Christmas parade (which I had never seen before) and it was so beautiful, makes me want to go to Disney World now for Christmas. There was a performance by David Cook during the parade that brought me to tears and made me miss my family and mom and grandma so much I almost couldn't breathe, so instead of dwelling on the pain I let his voice take me away...This video is from his performance at the Rockefeller Center

I asked the question "Did I miss it?" because I feel as though part of me hasn't been present for the Holiday season this year, I feel a bit guilty because I was dreading so much the emotions that this time of year brings up in me, that I feel as though I shut down for about 90% of it, I didn't grasp the full Christmas spirit until yesterday, and I knew by then it was too late. I did my best and I am happy that my son enjoyed himself, I can't wait til he can actually understand the meaning of the Holidays and not just presents. So, I hope that all of you enjoyed yourselves and that the coming new year will bring us some peace and happiness :)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

I am going on a blogging hiatus for a few days, my Uncle is coming to town so I have to be entertaining :). I just wanted to wish all of my bloggyland friends a very Merry Christmas!! *so far we are kicking the cold's out of the house and Nate is no longer running away from me, he is now trying to wipe MY nose* Merry Christmas again!!

Some of my favorite Christmas songs courtesy of You Tube..

Josh Groban...

Rudolph

Snotty Sunday

2008-12-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Bush family is currently battling the beast of snot. Noses are running and trying to stop from being attacked by the MOM WITH A TISSUE! How can so much grossness come from one so small?? I am praying that we will all be healthy again in time for Christmas, I don't want to have to change the words from "I'm dreaming of a Whie Christmas", to "I'm living a GREEN Christmas"...UGH! And not the environmental GREEN either (gross..gag..gross) I'm sure you all wanted to know about this too, which is why I felt the need to share the small details of my Snotty Sunday :)

*How do you make a tissue dance?*
**Put a little boogie in it!**

Yes, I am sleep deprived and am losing my mind. Stay tuned maybe I'll say something funny tomorrow. Or maybe I'll get sleep and the snot will go away..oh that would be nice! *Fingers crossed*

Enjoy all of your not snotty sunday, is it weird that I giggle every time I write snotty sunday...wow I am sick....

I'm a WINNER and Now go Enter this fabulous GIVEAWAY!

2008-12-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

I never win anything until TODAY! I won a $25 gift card today just for following a great blog! My prize supplier is Kalei at Bloggedy Blog Blog , she is also the Rambler's sister :). She has a really great blog so please stop by and say hello and become a follower!! Thanks Kalei!!! :) Woohoo!!!

Ok so since I won something today I'm trying my luck with this great giveaway that my bloggyland friend Sandy has recommended, so go check out POOBA for your chance to WIN THIS....

An Award and why I'm a stinker :)

2008-12-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

First of all I have to give a big GIANT thank you to Janna over at Janana Bee, on Dec. 17th, she gave me an awesome award on her blog and it gave me the warm fuzzies and I feel blessed to have her has a bloggyland friend :) Please go check out her blog..she's a great writer and makes me laugh everyday! :)

The award states "This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I have met some really amazing ladies and gents through the blogging world and they all bring something different to the table and they all give me something to look forward on a daily basis. I have always been of the mind set that everyone that comes into your life does so for a reason and that there are no such thing as coincidences or accidents, I believe with all my heart that the Man Upstairs is in his own way showing me that it's ok to come out of my shell and make friends, even if most of them live far away or are just through this vehicle of the internet, I am becoming comfortable once again with who I am and even better I'm being accepted for who I am :) So while I am supposed to choose my 8 favorites, please know that I pass this award out to all that take the time out their day to stop by and learn more about me and my craziness and family :)

The 8 that I'm choosing today are....

1. Georgie at Decisionally Challenged

2. AngelJoy at Hippy Chick

3. Randy and Angie at Psycho Hairapy & Running With Scissors

4. Sandy at The Adams Family & Just For Fun

5. Young Momma at Perfect Pen & Kim's Keepings

6. The Rambler at My Rambling Thoughts

Ok so I'm stopping here because I am getting stuck, I can't choose anymore, it's too torturous! There are so many blogs that I read that I love just consider My Daily Reads list as everyone on their getting an award!! Ok now that thats done I will share with you all why I AM A STINKER!

Monday- going about my business, not doing anything out of the ordinary, checking the bank account since I have to do it every other day out of fear and paranoia (I had my debit card NUMBER stolen about a month ago and someone racked up 200 bucks in charges) so while I'm doing this WHAT DO I FIND.....a pretty large charge on our Credit Card (I am immediately in panic mode thinking the worst), anyway I see the charge is for a plane ticket...still worried, but now very suspicious, I start thinking maybe my husband is going somewhere or sending me somewhere and so I send my BFF in Vegas a text message asking if she might know anything and of course she says no. I call my cousin, ask if she knows anything, she says no....So against the advice of my BFF I call my husband and ASK him if he bought a plane ticket (because I suck and hate surprises) and of course he lets out this giant groan and sounds all disappointed, because YES I HAD RUINED my Christmas surprise, the wonderful man that he is (most of the time..hehe) is SENDING MY BFF (the one who claimed to not know anything..she's good let me tell ya! and by the way SHE LOVES TO TORTURE ME!!) to STAY WITH US FOR 4 DAYS!!! I'm so beyond excited!! Anyway, so I'm a stinker because I should have just not said anything..but I can't help myself...hehehe.. Well that's my story anyway and I'm sticking to it! So, in case you ever want to surprise me, please don't tell me about it or use a shared bank account with me :) (Love ya babe..THANKS again for the wonderful gift!!)

Yesterday

2008-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

I turned 30, it was a good day! It snowed in my home town of Las Vegas, NV and I was homesick for a better part of the day, but I got through the Birthday that I had been dreading with happy times and bittersweet moments. Having lost my mom only a few months ago a part of me kept waiting for the "Happy Birthday" call all day, knowing though in my head it wouldn't come, my heart though kept skipping a beat every time my cell wrang...I wonder if that will ever go away? My husband gave me some great gifts and I got lots of presents and birthday wishes from my friends and family and my bloggy friends too, that are all so far away. Thank you for everything all of you, you made my day special and it means alot. :)

These shoes were my present to myself..and BONUS they were on sale :)

Bye Bye 20's...

2008-12-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my official last day as a 20-something.....WAHHHHHH....This thought occured to me while I was driving today, the feeling of holy cow I have to grow up now because HELLO I'm going to be THIRTY 3-0 tomorrow! I can't believe how fast time flies....I mean seriously I feel like I just barely graduated High School and now I'm realizing that with my gray hairs, my achey bones when its rainy, my inability to eat a whole medium pizza to myself and not gain weight are all indicators that I am no longer in my care-free youth. Did I spend my time wisely? I really learned ALOT on my journey to 30, enough to last the next 30 years that's for sure! I wrote a blog on my myspace a few months ago and it still applies to how I'm feeling right this moment so I will share with you what I wrote :)...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

So I'm turning 30 this year, I'm not alone in this some of my best friends are already 30 or are turning the BIG 30 before me, I have been thinking about this magic number recently and its causing me to start reflecting on my life and ask alot of questions. There are milestones in everyones life, turning 10 you're officially into the double digit age, turning 13 you're officially ateenager, turning 15 getting your learners permit and 16 getting a drivers license (if you're lucky) and then 18 you're a so-called "adult" and then 21 you can finally have a drink of alcohol legally, although most people I know started that way before the legal age..lol..and now the glorious age of 30, where now maybe you'll get taken a bit more seriously because you're no longer a twenty-something.

For the last few years I have had this sense of dread about turning 30, its halfway to 60, I'm starting to get wrinkles, I have a few gray hairs (no matter how many times I dye it they keep COMING back!), my boobs are not where they used to be, not they are at my knees or anything, they just aren't at the perky 18/19/20 year old stage anymore (so I will be getting a BOOB job!), I have a little extra baggage around the hips and butt and thighs and arms and face and well everywhere! I am ok with my flaws, well some of them, the ones I'm not ok with I am working on fixing, however,as much as this process can be daunting getting older is actually kind of fun some days, I look at the new generation and think back to the age of 15 and realize that I think we had it alot easier than the kids do now.

I used to wish all the time that I could go back, maybe do things differently, well somethings anyway, but now I am content to just look at today and try really hard not to worry about tomorrow or 30 years from now, there's a part of me that wonders what I'll be like, I can only hope that I'll still be me only wiser. It's kind of a strange feeling knowing that yes I will always have things to learn, but the milestones of life now belong to my children, I now get to watch my daughter reach her double digits next year and well Nate is still just LEARNING everything, everyday so I have that to look forward to, but as for me growing as a person, it feels like all I get to do is become one more year older and thats it.

Like I said though I know that there are still many lessons to be learned and many mistakes to be made, I just hope they are really small :).
So, the things I have learned on my journey to 30....

1. Keep your friends close no matter what, one day they may be all you've got.
2. Know your priorities and keep them straight.
3. Forgiveness...learn it..live it...love it...Forgetting, well just know that no one does unless they have alzheimers, so what you do to people and what they do to you will remain..
4. Love, still trying to figure this out, I thought I knew about a million times but somehow my "ideas" about it keep on changing...so I keep on learning
5. People will always disappoint you, its a fact of life.
6. Trust is earned and not given
7. Time heals ALL wounds, as long as you let it, if you keep picking and picking and picking you'll continue to bleed..so let it heal.
8. Faith, gotta have it even if you don't believe sometimes it just sneaks up on you..
9. Integrity, I never knew what it meant until now, its something I want to continue to have and never let go of.
10. Laughter can cure any ailment, seriously.... :)

So thats my top ten lessons for now, I'm sure I'll add more. Thanks for reading and I hope for you a wonderful journey through life, full of love and laughs and mistakes and lessons....

Christmas Pictures??? Yea..not so much

2008-12-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

(Insert Family Here)
Did you know that trying to get a 2 year old to take a picture with the family is nearly impossible? I tried everything I could think of to get him to sit with us or even on his own in his cute little hat and funny Dear Santa shirt, but no, he just cried and screamed and yelled and threw himself on the floor, he would rather be the one TAKING the picture. Go figure. So this year the Christmas picture will be of Mark with Pudge. I am not including a picture of myself because I am fat, I have eaten too many of my chocolate chip cookies and Nate's birthday cake and now I need to lose 40 pounds! So I will be exercising on the Wii Fit for my birthday and wishing I could eat a Cold Stone Creamery Cake (drooling right now thinking about it!)....So anyhow, if you're on our Christmas Card list try not to be too disappointed maybe next year when Nate is 3 and not hell bent on being naughty, he'll join us! :)

Kim's Keepings GIVE-AWAY!!

2008-12-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

One of my bloggy world friends is doing a really awesome give-away from her blog Kim's Keepings, she makes these awesome Book Bands, that are way better than book marks, which for me always fall out because well since I'm clutzy I drop my books 95% of the time thus loosing my place, so a book band would work for me :) And for all the other book worms I know! So go check her out HERE and sign up for the give away!

The Blog Frog!

2008-12-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

So I learned about this from Little Bites of Heaven and decided to give it a try. It's an interesting site so far, some neat widgets to add to my overly crowded sidebar! I can't wait to change my blog around..any suggestions?? :) Anywho, go check out and sign up for free and YOU could win a $200 Target Gift Card!! Unless of course I win, then maybe I'll buy you a present with it ;)

7 Weird Things

2008-12-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the The Rambler I have been asked to write 7 weird things about myself, well I'm not going to do this alone, so I have enlisted my hubs Mark to do 7 weird things about himself! *As soon as I asked him to do this his very first answer was and I quote "Marrying You!! Hahahahaha" Sometimes he thinks he's the funniest person alive...me not sooo much ( I love you babe...hehehehe)..So without further ado....7 Weird Things...

7. I am a clutz, I'm talking can't walk in a straight line down a sidewalk without finding a way to fall off of it and potentially disable myself or someone else type of clutz.

6. I like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches and no I am not pregnant.

5. I used to sleep with my socks half on, so that just my toes were covered. Yea, that's a little bizarre...

4. I'm afraid of the dark. Always have been and it seems I always will be.

3. I love getting tattooed, I love the pain of the needle- it helps clear my mind, I know thats really weird right? I can't help it though, once the work is done its like I'm a walking piece of art (I have a huge back piece that is comprised of all Amy Brown artwork) and I also have a butterfly on my left arm with two roses and both of my big toes are tattooed the left with a frog and the right with a moon and 2 stars and the top of my left foot has the word LOVE just as it was written on the cover of the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elisabeth Gilbert.

2. I am obsessed with the Twilght Series, I am reading it AGAIN for the second time. Also just can't help it...

1. I love to faux shop online, what is this you might ask? Well, it's kind of like window shopping, I basically go to all my favorite stores online and I look at all the clothes, accessories and shoes that I would love to have and I put them in the shopping cart and then I just don't checkout, I look at the total at the end of my spree and see how much I spent if I had all the money in the world :)

Mark's 7 Weird Things...

Apparently there's only one....

He Married ME!

Oh yeah and for those reading this...TAG YOU'RE IT!! Hehehe :P I also like to "hehehehe" and "LOL" alot..is that weird??

Happy Birthday Nate!

2008-12-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today a sweet little man was born at 10:30 pm, he was brought into the world with the help of my husband, my very best friend Marylin ( his aunt ) and his grandma ( my mom..RIP). It was a super easy delivery after a very hard pregnancy. I remember that day clear as a bell, it was ( next to the day my daughter was born and my wedding day) one of the happiest days of my life. He is more than a blessing. Today he is 2, on the night he was born I remember watching Monday Night Football and the Chicago Bears were playing, well as fate would have it the Chicago Bears are playing tonight too, and BOY OH BOY does Nate LOVE football, if he could watch it 24 hours a day he would! He is my best friend, as much as a 2 year old can be, but I understand him (most of the time) and I really feel like he gets me (most of the time). It's funny to say he's my best friend, but he just is! He's had a great day today, he helped me make his cake ( by licking the beaters ) and he got some fun presents. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Bush and Auntie Charmaine and Uncle Harry and cousins Lance and Courtney for the cards and Birthday wishes :). Here are few pics to enjoy...

Now that's how you eat cake!

Who me? Freak out? Never....

2008-12-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

The joys of having a 2 year old are endless, he's my little cuddle bug as well as a prize fighter, well almost prize fighter :). Today was one of those days that started out pretty normal, woke up at 8 am, made my giant pot of coffee, made him eggs, and checked my blog and my bloggy friends blogs :) and found some new blogs that I really like..They're on the Daily Reads list..

Anywho, morning passed to afternoon again without anything going on, out of the ordinary that is, which should have clued me in..No freak outs yet, no breaking up of any fights between Pudge (our sweet American Bulldog) and Nate, but something was brewing...I could feel it!

So, around 1:30 pm I'm chatting on the phone with one of my friends in Vegas and Nate is running wild on a sugar high ( I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch and he's addicted) and next thing I know Nate is standing next to me and I hear "crunch, crunch" coming from his mouth, well I hadn't given him any food and there was no way he would eat the dog food and then all of a sudden I spy something silver shining around his lips...I immediately hang up on my poor friend and grab Nate's mouth and yank it open and what do I find?! PART OF A FREAKIN GLASS ORNAMENT!
So mom brain took over.. I grab him- lay him down on the ground- and proceed to shove my fingers into his mouth while dialing his pediatricians office and cursing at the stupid automated voice asking me to push numbers! Don't they understand I have a real emergency here?! Poor Nate is looking at me with huge eyes that are about to pop out of his head and crying and gagging and I'm about to cry and gag too, I managed to get some of the pieces out of his mouth, but he definitely swallowed some of it. In the mean time I have spoken to the nurse and she's trying to get me to calm down, apparently this happens all the time, NOT TO ME, but I didn't say that, I just answered her questions and made sure Nate wasn't bleeding. After all was said and done, I was instructed to have him rinse and spit with water to make sure there were no cuts and now I just get to wait til it "passes" through his little body. I swear I will never have glass ornaments ever again! And I really need to learn how to calm down, any tips?? By the way this all happened in the span of 3 minutes! It seriously felt like I was in slow motion though...My mom brain has let me relax and I'm going to go take a book/nap break :) Does anyone else freak out? Or am I just a crazy overprotective/reacting parent? :)

The Closet of Me

2008-12-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

I decided over the weekend that I would FINALLY clean the closet, Mark was so happy, not happy enough in my opinion..I mean really he should have danced the jig or something! Or bought me a present..hehe..anyway, so I am going through all the boxes, all the tubs, all the clothes....etc..etc..etc..I even cleaned UNDER our bed! Unheard of for me..I'm seriously the worst pack rat ever, but I have gotten much better in my old age :) While on my quest to be more organized and clean, I came across some "stuff" that made me go OMG and awww..I remember when I was that skinny...and WTF was I thinking keeping THAT...in going through this process I came to the conclusion that I might have MPD (multiple personality disorder) or I have just had alot of "versions" of myself....hehe..Scared yet? Don't be! I'm harmless, its the other ME's that have been in my closet that you should be afraid of!

I am the girl that apparently never throws anything away, clothing, make-up, paper, bags, shoes..My rational is that I might actually wear the clothes again one day, what- I used to be a size 6, it could happen again..if I stopped eating! The lots of paper,well maybe I will be a Hamster one day and need it for the bottom of my cage..I don't really know why I do this, but I do, some of the stuff I found was seriously like 10 years old, from my HIGH SCHOOL/College days...I found a note that was passed in my History 101 course, between me and some boy about a rental car and niglets ( I mean really? I needed that for the last 10 years why?) *by the way it was the boy who brought up niglets, according to him they are little ethipoian or african babies..and now I can't remember because I finally threw the stupid thing away! Apparently I used to think it was funny. I also found my report cards, I used to be pretty smart! I now suffer from mommyhood amnesia, it makes you forget everything that you knew before you became a mom.

So, now that I'm a mom and wife, its fun to look back and reminisce about being well not a mom or wife..not always single..hehe..I figured out that I have completely different versions of my outside self, I have always been pretty much me on the inside (except for the brain dead stage when I was teenager).

First version- The "I thought I was a model for a minute"- I was actually a model for a whole minute and then I woke up and changed my mind. But the evidence is still there, I found a few proofs from my first photo shoots..I was 18...I was skinny!

Second version- The "I think I need to shop only at Buffalo Exchange"- for those that don't know, that's a now super expensive "Vintage" shop, that only takes name brand items these days, I used to go there for everything, jeans (which I still own, but can't wear), tops (also still own, but can't wear), shoes and bags. I have all those things tucked away in a storage bin, out of sight out of mind, but still part of me.

Third version- The- "I thought/think I am a hippie"- So this one I still am, I am still the patchouli wearing, tye dye shirt having, Grateful Dead listening, GIVE PEACE A CHANCE screaming hippychic, only more subdued :).

Fourth Version- The "I am a badass biker momma"- Ok so I was this girl for a little while when Mark had a Harley, I still have her in me as well, something about Harley's and Leather and wind in your face and the feeling of flying when you're on a bike, however I can't fit into those clothes anymore either, so they are also thrown into the bin.

The version I am now- "I am a mom and a wife and a blogger and student (again)"- My clothing reflects who I am now, I shop at Kohl's and Target (tar-jay) and Walmart and I no longer care about brands or vintage, or being a badass (even though I am..hehe). I am just Me and I like who I am, I like where I am in life and I REALLY like that I can see the floor in my closet!

5 Things I heart :) and my first sort of award

2008-12-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

So I was perusing my bloggy friends yesterday and The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom was giving away an award for her first 5 commenters and also tagging them to list things they heart (love), so I was lucky number 5 and am going to tag/award my fave people so...here we go...

ALL OF YOU!!! Hehehe..I know what a cop out right? BUT I really do feel that way and since I plugged my bloggy faves yesterday then go check those out and my Daily Reads list :) So whoever decides to take my award and "run with it" is free to do so, you are ALL deserving! So, now on to the things that I Heart!

1. Friends and Family....that is a no brainer!

2. Laughter in my house, this is mostly because of Nate, however Mark is known to say or do some funny stuff every now and then and I also give myself comedic relief because of how clutsy I am, always stubbing a toe or kicking the never used Eliptical machine, I'm really surprised I'm still walking somewhat normally! Hehe!!

3. COFFEE...Not just any coffee though, I am a Starbucks junkie! I have to have an Iced Grande or Venti (depending how much sleep I've had) Vanilla- No Whip- Mocha! And at Christmas time I LOVE the Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate :)

4. Candles...I love Yankee Candles, almost all the Christmas Scents are my favorites, but there are others I burn all year round, like Vanilla, and Black Cherry, and Mango Salsa Orchard Pear...sooo yummy!

5. The Twilight Saga! Yay for Edward Cullen!! Hehehe..I'm such a fan of these books, I didn't WANT to jump on the bandwagon at first, but I'm really glad I did :) I'm reading them all again..I know I'm a nerd, but I can't help it!

So whoever wants to take the Award and list the things You Heart go for it! Just remember who LOVES YOU!! :)...ME!

My boy sure can make me laugh

2008-12-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Bush sent Nate a really cute musical Christmas Card and as promised we caught him on camera opening it :)*please do not listen to my voice I wish I didn't sound like I was 5*

Also in the box of goodies was mark's old football jersey from high school and Nate loves it :)

Nate also LOVES bread, he's a carboholic just like his mommy...Yesterday I was reading my favorite blogs, Janana Bee, The Rambler, my best friend Marylin, and CGGB (I have alot more that I read, but I would be here forever listing them all, so those are my top 4 that I follow every single day ) and now that I have shamelessly plugged blogs for my bloggy friends I will get back to my story about Nate and Bread...hehe..while I was reading he was in the kitchen, nothing new, he usually runs from the kitchen to the living room and down the hall and back again, over and over and every now and then he'll pause to show me something, well...while I wasn't looking he decided to empty the bread bag and eat it all! That's no sandwich, it's just bread...hahaha...

Please don't look at the rug (and I know you will now) I washed it yesterday after I saw this picture....I don't notice stuff like this and I should..I'm horrible! Anywho, there are so many more things I could post that Nate does that he does just to make me laugh, he is my little jokester and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! He really does crack me up everyday..even when he's bein naughty...How do you get mad at a face like his? I know I know I'm a sap!

More than I could hope for

2008-12-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

I dedicate this post to my extremely wonderfully generous mother and father in law. We received the boxes of goodies today and I must say as I opened the box, I thought for sure Santa Claus had been here. (He delievers early via UPS and again wonderful parents :).) Times are tough every where this year and we are no exception, we make do with what we have and this Christmas our focus has been on Nathen and Elissa, the only thing I wanted was the Wii Fit :) and so that was our deal, get the Wii Fit and then all the extra funds were for the kids. I was not expecting to have presents under the tree for Mark or myself this year, and I didn't mind that, but now WE have presents too! I will be good and not shake them I promise :).
In all seriousness though, I am not doing my emotions justice with what I'm writing, honestly it's really hard to put into words the amount of Love and Gratitude I feel for my family that is in Michigan. It's like they saved Christmas :) So while I can still see the screen I'll end my post here (yes, I ama big old bawl baby when I'm overcome with emotions..so what?!) Thank you Mom and Dad Bush with all of my heart, you'll never know just how much this means to me...

The Christmas Spirit

2008-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Santa Biker in training :)

Merry Christmas!!

It's no secret that I have been struggling this year and now that the holiday season is upon us, I am doing what I can to hold onto the Christmas spirit as tightly as possible, this is my favorite time of year and I'm going to keep it that way :). So, over the weekend we put up the tree and got Nate a Santa hat. The hat is too cute, we walked around Walmart with it on his head before buying it and sooo many people kept saying "awww...look at the baby...and how cute!" He did a good job of spreading some cheer that day :). The tree has not been so lucky, unfortunately Nate would rather use the ornaments as baseballs and throw them all, so only the top half of the tree has decoartions and even those are few...Oh well, maybe next year :)

Top half of the tree

Bottom of the tree...even the garland is gone now...lol..

The Secret is in the Sauce: Merry SITSmas!

2008-12-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

The Secret is in the Sauce: Merry SITSmas!

Merry SITSMAS! :)

2008-12-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Rambler for introducing me to the SITS-Mas blog :) If you are not familiar with this blog, go check it out its the really pretty link right off to the right -------> its pink with leopard print :) ------>
In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit I am sending all my readers and future readers to this Blog because it really just makes you want to stand up and SHOUT MERRY CHRISTMAS (I MEAN SITSMAS ..hehe..) Also if you add a link to their blog of your blog you might win a prize..HELLOOOOO FREE STUFF :) Enjoy!! :)

An interesting Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T08:51:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving dawned cold and rainy, fitting my mood, I was not in a very Thanksgiving-y place this year, missing my family and friends in Vegas and all that...anywho, Wednesday night I had decided to get a jump start on the baking and made the pies and Mark made the Green Bean Casserole, all that was left was the turkey, potatoes and stuffing..oh and the gravy. Put the turkey in around 10 am and watched football for a few hours.....the turkey cooked faster than we anticipated so around 1:30 it was a mad dash to get everything else done...as I was preparing the stuffing and gravy, Mark was warming up the greenbean dish, not wanting the turkey to overcook, we decided to take it out of the oven...in my mind things still happen very slowly, I remember picking Nate up so he would be out of the way, Mark grabbed the oven mits, opened the oven....began to lift the turkey out and next thing I know I'm paralized watching FLAMES shoot out of my oven and LICK the top of the stove....Mark was quick and slammed the oven door shut, extinguishing the flames, but not before smoke escaped and invaded the whole house..the turkey was fine, we were fine, stove and oven were fine...sadly my gravy didn't make it and the stuffing..well..it wasn't the best that I had made...all in all it was a very interesting Thanksgiving, and another thing to add to my thankful list...I'm Thankful we still have a house :)

Thankful

2008-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

I am most thankful this year for my family and friends, without their love and support over the past year and a half really, I don't know where I'd be, more than likely I'd be in a looney bin, but thanks to them I am at home with my boys and will be celebrating the holidays with a bittersweetness. I miss my mom and my grandma more at this time of year than any other. I am so glad I paid attention when they cooked over the years! I find myself constantly wanting to pick up the phone to call about how to cook something. My family has always been big on getting together to eat, food seemed to be the glue that held us all together along with my grandma, she always used to make SOOOOOOOO much food, I mean even though I have a big family, she would cook like she was feeding 100, and there was usually only 20-25, everyone always had leftovers to take, maybe thats why she did it, so that she could take care of us for more than just that one night? I really wish I could be in Vegas this year, I have missed now 2 Thanksgivings now and it stinks! Sometimes I am glad we moved, but I get really really really homesick especially now. So, now that I have thoroughly depressed myself, and probably those that are reading (sorry about that), I will move on to more poignant things that I am grateful for.
1. I am grateful that Nate has finally started talking more clearly, makes life so much easier :)
2. I am grateful that my husband still has a job :)
3. I am grateful that I am going back to school next year for a psychology degree
4. I am grateful that I will be turning 30..they have got to be a better decade than my 20's
5. I am grateful for the new blog friends that I have made..seriously some days just reading funny anecdotes about someone else's life just makes me happy :)
6. I am grateful that I jumped on the Twilight bandwagon (even though mark thinks I read too much..lol)
7. I am grateful for the gas prices having gone down!
8. I am grateful for all the life lessons that I was taught this year
9. I am grateful that I have a wonderful support system
10. I am grateful that I am alive.
I know the last one was kind of dramatic, but I really am grateful to just be alive, to be able to experience every day. I don't live my life like every day is the last, because I believe that there will always be tomorrow, not that I take everything for granted, but to me when you say this could be my last day, its not a feeling of oh I better do everything I can, its a feeling of doom. I don't want to think its my last day I want to believe in a future :) So on that note, may this coming year be more than anyone hopes for :) and remember to be thankful for all you've got!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Fun!

2008-11-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today was family day for us Bush's, we decided to check out the Tucson Zoo, which up until about 3 days ago I had no idea even existed! So off we go bright and early to show Nate real live animals, all he's seen are dogs and cats and birds :). Now I must say that the website for the zoo is somewhat misleading, it makes it look like the zoo is really big and will take 2+ hours to see everything, soooo not the case! Even though it was small we all had a great time, Nate especially. I really did enjoy myself until I saw the Lion, when I saw this animal I almost cried, it reminded me of the lion from The Last Unicorn, the one in the traveling circus, Mommy Fortuna's traveling circus (I think is what it was called?), anyway the poor thing is literally skin and bones, not an ounce of meat on it's body ANYWHERE, it makes me sad and angry to think about it, needless to say we didn't linger long at that exhibit. My favorite animals there were the giraffes and elephants, they were most active and really neat to watch, one of the elephants was doing some sort of little dance all by himself :). Nate's favorites were ALL of them, he was so fun to watch, he just laughed every time he saw a new animal and asked very eagerly, "what's THAT?" every couple of feet :). The zoo only took about an hour to see and I am sure we will go back one day soon, just so I can watch Nate's face light up, that was the best part!

29 going on 13...

2008-11-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

It seems that I am going back in time these days, I'll be turning 30 next month and yet my insides feel as though I'll be turning 13! By the way Twilight, completely obsessed with it! So much so that I went and ordered the entire BOX Set yesterday and had shipped overnight so that I wouldn't have to wait and buy one at a time, what can I say the saga appeals to my inner teen!

All day long I have had my front door open waiting to see the beautiful brown UPS truck pull into my drive way, which just did about 30 seconds ago, I probably gave the poor guy a heart attack as I came running, YES I SAID RUNNING, out of my front door to grab the box from his hands! He looked at me like I had 2 or 3 heads, but I don't care, I am that excited about these books! So now that I got them, I can calm down and read them! They really are quite pretty though, all hardbacks with beautiful slipcovers, I love BOX sets! :)

Ok so off I go, back into the Twilight world! :)

Peer Pressure!!! Or maybe it's just the bookworm in me :)

2008-11-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

After a late night phone call from a very dear friend of mine YELLING at me to "GO BUY TWILIGHT, YOU'LL LOVE IT!" I finally succumbed to the peer pressure and bought it today. My inner bookworm has been craving something new anyway, and since I have been into Vampires lately, thanks to a show on HBO called True Blood, I figured why not? Also I have to say that my curiosity has been peaked ever since Tia over at CGGB (Clever Girl Goes Blog) did a post about it and then put a video of one of the songs from the soundtrack up too, I was pretty much sold! *Side note, if you haven't checked out CGGB please do, you won't be sorry, Tia is a great writer and makes me laugh on a daily basis!*

So tonight I will dive into the world of Twilight :) Expect a full review once I'm done, I love passing on good books! :)

A Few of My Favorite Things for the Holidays

2008-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

I live in the desert, literally out in the middle of the desert, there are other houses around, but we all have an acre of dirt and weeds that can sometimes pass as "grass", between us. Since it's the desert it's HOT 10 months out of 12 (sometimes 11), which means that I get ONE whole month of fall/winter :). So in honor of that I am going to share some of my favorite Fall/Winter/Holiday things..

1. Normally it would be the colors changing, but out here everything is Brown 365 days a year, so I guess I will say I like watching the colors change everywhere BUT here :)

2. I love the COLD and as soon as it hits 75 degrees I break out my sweaters! HAHA!

3. I love to bake, I usually bake all year long, but for the Holiday Season I tend to go overboard and become a comfort food maniac! Some of the things I bake are...chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, fudge, brownies, cupcakes, pumpkin crisp, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin pie, apple pie and if I keep going I'm going to get really hungry.....

4. I love hot chocolate, mostly the Starbucks kind because I always get a Peppermint Hot Chocolate...if you haven't had one TRY one this year, I promise you won't be disappointed!

5. I love YANKEE Candles, their Fall/Winter Scents are so wonderfully yummy! I have a whole list of those that when you burn them together or even separate they make your whole House smell so good, so here goes..Harvest, Red Apple Wreath, Pumpkin (anything except spice, I'm allergic to it), Christmas Cookies, Jack Frost, Silver Bells, Atumn Gold, Autmn Leaves, Sparkiling Cinnamon....That's just to name a few... I'll add to the list later :)

6. I Love to GIVE presents, sounds corny I know, but since most of my friends and some of my family's Birthdays are during this season I get to give presents for like 3 months! Oh and I like to GET presents too, my birthday is 8 days before Christmas (Dec. 17 for those that don't want to do the math..hehe). Serioulsy though I think giving presents is way more fun, especially when it's a REALLY good present and you get to see the person's face light up, it's just the best feeling!

7. I love Holiday FOOD, not just the baked goodies, but Turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes, and stuffing..did I mention stuffing? And gravy and sweet potatoes, and green bean caaserole, and even though I don't get to eat it anymore, I loved my grandma's Carrott Bread Pudding with lemon sauce, it was something she ALWAYS made at Christmas and only she and I would eat it, I can't think of anyone else ever eating it but us (Brit correct me if I'm wrong please..), I also love my Aunt's Blueberry Yum Yum, it's also a Family tradition, Thanksgiving and Christmas ONLY, but I swear if given the chance I could probably eat it EVERYDAY!

8. I Love Christmas Music and movies, it just takes me back to being a kid and I get soooooo giddy, another great feeling! Some of my favorite singers/movies are Josh Groban, Nat King Cole, the soundtrack to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Carol, T'was The Night Before Christmas....another really long list.....

9. I love TRADITIONS, putting up the tree and decorating it, wrapping presents (even though I suck at it!), watching A Christmas Carol on Christmas eve, singing songs with my family....everyone gathered around opening presents...(man I miss my family!)

10. My favorite thing about this time of year is all the LOVE you can feel from people, except for the crazy ones that are out shopping, some of those people are not about the love...most places you go to though people are just kinder around the Holidays, something about this time of year that just makes you want to LOVE everyone...maybe it's just me?

There is alot more stuff that I really love, but I'll stop here because my child is banging on things.....What do you love about this time of year?

The Wii Fit!

2008-11-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Mark and I had a deal for Christmas this year, the only thing we were getting for each other was the Wii Fit, so for us Christmas has come early! I found the Fit Board and game at Target, it was the LAST one, so naturally I had to buy it! The other night we set it up finally, and I stepped on...Now keep in mind it comes with a warning label that says be aware that others will be able to see your weight and BMI and all the fun stuff that you don't really want others to see (especially your husband!)..So with Mark holding the remote controlling the process, I held my breath and waited for the numbers....I will not at this point disclose that information all I will say is that I have now taken to working out EVERY DAY! Now after the Board/Game tells you how fat you are, what your inside age is and makes your Mii (game version of yourself) fat just like you, it tests your balance. For those of you that know me really well, you will agree that balance and me are not friends, I fall off of sidewalks, I trip or stub my toes at least 2-3 times a day...well the Game is now on to me! It ASKED me if I frequently trip or fall when walking?! What kind of crap is that?! HAHAHA! Also, I did an exercise yesterday (apparently I did it wrong) because at the end of the exercise instead of telling me to do it again, it called me a COUCH POTATO! Usually I get ok scores after each attempt, but not that time! I have to say though that I absolutely LOVE the Game and all the exercises, I have never done Yoga before and I am actually learning alot about it! My legs are killing me today, but I will keep it up! Oh and Nate loves Yoga too! He does all the poses with me :)....So even though it yells at me and beats me up....I have give it to the creators at Nintendo, they did an awesome job!

A new tattoo

2008-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend my wonderful tattoo artist imprinted upon me a now daily reminder of my mother, as if I really needed one, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I chose this particular piece because it is indicative of who my mom was in a sense, the butterfly represents the freedom that my mom had (when she wasn't chained down by her addictions) and the 4 bears represent the different facets of her personality, each one is different, each one is placed in it's own world and thats how my mom was, she was something different to everyone, but the butterfly contained her while also allowing her to be free. I added a few personal touches, one bear is holding a football (my mom loved her 49ers) and one is holding a baseball (she also loved her Giants), each of those will be done in the colors of her favorite teams. I know you can't really see it at the moment but I placed her name along the lines at the top of each wing, you can sort of see it, but the flash kind of whites it out a little. I know she would be "proud" of the tattoo, since it represents her so well, oh yea I forgot to mention, I chose the Grateful Dead because of her love of the band :) and my love of the band as well. I miss her all the time and I know this holiday season is going to make me a wreck, but I will get through it and pretty soon each year will get easier (I hope). I wanted to share this part of me with all of you since I can no longer share with her in the physical aspect, I feel her looking over me from time to time, and every now and then I hear her laugh especially when Nate has done something truly hilarious :). I guess she's not really gone, she lives on in me and my children and for that I am grateful.

Miss you mom, I love you and I hope you like your tattoo :)

Grandma Bush this is for You!

2008-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nathen LOVES the phone and so last night while I was out Mark decided to take a video of him talking to his grandma in Michigan...so Brenda this is for you :)

My 50th Post!

2008-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know that most of the blogging world doesn't commemorate the 50th post, but for me it's a milestone since I don't blog everyday like I should. So in honor of the 50th I would like to say thank you to my friends and family for stopping by and reading and commenting and stay "tuned" for the next 50, cause once I reach 100 I will be doing the faithful give-a-way!

Crayola Markers Rock!

2008-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Nathen is currently becoming quite the artist, he has stopped coloring walls and now colors on other things....I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

At least he is color coordinated :)

Look he colored inside the squares :)

A New Day

2008-11-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama is our president. I must say that even though part of me has turned conservative over the years, watching this election unfold the way it did and watching the faces last night in all the different parts of the country, it felt like the whole country was holding a breath and when Obama won there was this huge sigh of relief and hope surged through the country. I know that Senator McCain could have done a great job as president, there was something about him though that just didn't create the hope that I saw last night. I don't know how to explain it, I listened to President Obama's speech after he won and I was crying, I couldn't help it, it's the first time I have ever felt emotion for any kind of political candidate. Most of the time when thinking of politics I would get angry..lol.. But now, it's different, President Obama represents a change, a HUGE change, he's the first black man to be President of the FREE world! I mean who would've thought, I know when I was growing up I was told you can be president some day, a woman in the Whitehouse seemed far fetched and to have a man of color (trying to be pc :p) was beyond anyone's thinking and now here we are. Amazing..simply amazing. I am hopeful and I feel like the country is actually United again. I hope I hope I hope that he will take us where we need to go and that the country will continue to stand together and say "Yes We Can!"

It's Here!!!!

2008-11-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Election Day is here! GO VOTE!!!! Make a difference!!! :)

http://www.BarackObama.com

Be Informed....

Make a Decision...

http://www.JohnMcCain.com

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SPOOKTACULAR AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE BE SAFE TONIGHT :)

3 Years (Almost 5) and still going strong..

2008-10-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Mark and I in the beginning

At a Monster Truck Show

At the now Planet Hollywood parking garage

October 29, 2005...our wedding day :)

May of 2006, on our HOneymoon in Cleveland, OH at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The title makes it sound like I'm talking about the Energizer Bunny, but I'm not, I'm talking about me and Mark! Yesterday was the anniversary of our wedding day, 3 years is really not as long as one might think when comparing to FOREVER, 3 years is just like sticking your pinky toe into the pool of wedded bliss, it's still the getting to know you years and the what the heck did I get myself into years (HIS thought not mine..hehe...if you ask him though he'll deny it I'm sure), it's also, for us, when some really HUGE LIFE CHANGING events take place, as if saying "I Do" isn't big enough. I guess we just needed some fun stories to tell our grandkids some day.

In the beginning, way back in December of 2003, we began the dating, or speed dating process actually, within months we were living together and engaged. He proposed to me during the Super Bowl while snuggled up on our friends couch, just before he went to California for 3 months. He came home every weekend and when he was finally done with the job there we were inseparable. That's the very short version of how we became a "we". There were trying times and fights with friends and mistrusts and ALOT of happy times and laughing and even a TON of cuddling, who knew a big scarey biker boy was a cuddler..hehe...

So let's flash foward to October 29, 2005...Wed had originally planned to have a wedding in April and a reception and all that fun stuff, but one night we just changed our minds and within a month we were on our way to gettin hitched at the Little Church of The West, surrounded by a few friends and mostly my family (his parents joined us via cell phone). We said our I Do's at 12:30 pm and from there embarked on quite the journey. It seems that he and I like to do alot of things in a very short amount of time.

6 months later we were pregnant, well I was pregnant and he just got to enjoy me getting fat and swollen and cranky and panicky and mommyish, I'm sure he was wondering where his sweet wife had gone to. So..ta..da..little Nate is born December 11, 2006...6 months later, we MOVE to AZ. Again with the fast moving of things...will we ever slow down..hehe...2.5 to 3 mmonths after we leave my home town, friends and family behind we get a HOUSE! I now officially feel like a grown up!

So here we are, one year and 3.5 months after the move into our house and I'm still not all the way organized (for those that have known me for any length of time organization is just not my forte), but I have learned alot from my husband and I'm hoping I've taught him a thing or two and while it's only been 3 years (some days I'm sure it feels like 3 million..again, his thought not mine..) I have enjoyed every minute of it, even when some of those minutes were full of sorrow or anger or annoyance. We chose each other for better or worse and I'm pretty lucky to have him. There is no one else on this EARTH that would put up with me, of that I am sure.

So, thank you Mark for being the best dad to Nate, the best step-dad to Elissa and the greatest husband to me! I love you! :)

Happy 35th Birthday Mark!!

2008-10-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today is my darling husband's 35th birthday :), we are going to celebrate tomorrow because he is working tonight. So in honor of you my dear here are 35 reasons why I love you and what makes you so special to your family....

35. You are a natural handy man

34. You let me watch my girly movies over and over without complaint :)

33. You don't complain when I'm messy

32. You help me with the dishes

31. You sometimes get my jokes :)

30. You are extremely smart (which is sometimes intimidating :p)

29. You know how to push my buttons (not sure how good that is..hehe)

28. You try really hard to put me in a good mood when I'm down

27. You stay close even when I push you away..

26. You don't fight dirty with me (even if you really want too)

25. You REALLY are quite funny (even though I pretend you're not)..hehe..

24. You are gorgeous just the way you are

23. You love coffee with me (or at least you pretend to)

22. You know how to take care of Pudge way better than I do (and I am so grateful for that)

21. You cook!!!

20. You taught me to cook!!

19. You like my family

18. You like to play video games with me

17. And make fun of me when I lose at the video games..haha..

16. You help me when I ask for it, as best you can :)

15. You let me be stubborn (even though I know it drives you nuts)

14. You are so cute when you look at the Hotwheels, it drives me crazy but I love watching you

13. You understand when I need time to myself

12. I love watching Football with you and seeing you get mad when your team that you wanted to win is losing...I secretly laugh inside cause its so cute :)

11. You take Nate outside when I can't stand the heat

10. You do your best to make sure I know I am pretty to you still

9. You are a good son to your mom and dad (no arguing Mom and Dad Bush!) hehe

8. You are a good Uncle and Brother (no arguing Char!) hehe

7. You are a really good husband

6. You are a hard worker and I thoroughly admire you for that

5. Did I mention that You REALLY ARE funny (I figure since I tell you you're not I had to admit it twice that you are )

4. You love me for me and don't try to change me

3. You treat me with respect and love

2. You are a wonderful DAD

1. I love you for you and all your great qualities as well as all your flaws, since it's your birthday I won't mention those :)

Thanks to Mom and Dad Bush for creating such a wonderful man and instilling in him great morals and values. I love you again babe, Happy Birthday!!

New Stuff and advice needed!

2008-10-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

So as it turns out, I do just have allergies, which actually really stinks, because that means they don't go away like a cold would have! Oh well, thats what I get for moving out to the middle of a dirt pile called the desert! So a few new milestones have been occuring in Nate's little life, he is learning how to use the potty!He is so funny, he has to get completely naked most of the time to use it! I haven't put him in pull ups yet, we're still working on getting him to tell us when he has to go, he does about 40% of the time. Another milestone is his use of words, he still has lots of baby babble, however he is using more and more new words almost everyday, which for me is a little scarey because I now have to seriously sensor myself, which is a good thing since I don't need to be using cuss words anyway. He loves to talk on the phone, and he thinks that every person that I talk to on the phone is daddy! He will walk up and try to grab the phone from me and say Hi Daddy! the whole time I'm talking..its quite hilarious.. He has also learned how to count to 3, when I change his clothes or get ready to pick him up or if he's walking down stairs or up the stairs, he counts every time, sometimes he forgets to say one and other times he'll say three two, but everytime he does I feel a swell of pride in my heart and I get so excited about his little brain absorbing everything..my little sponge!

So now for advice, has anyone out there ever done a yard sale? Mark and I are going to do one in a few weeks and I don't think either one of us has ever done one, I helped my grandma do one but all I did was set up and tear down I didn't deal with money or customers..so any advice is welcomed in regards to how to do one, the best way to price things and how much cash should we keep on hand since we live in BFE, remember big pile of dirt, middle of desert..hehe :) It's not very easy for us to get to an ATM machine! I will thank you in advance for any helpful tips!

Colds and an ear infection...blah :(

2008-10-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

So this last week has been one of the hardest with Nate, last Monday after a walk outside he got a stuffed up nose and watery eyes, it was pretty windy so I thought maybe its just allergies, no such luck! My poor boy ended up with a very nasty cold, his nose was so stuffed that the only way he'd sleep is if either myself or Mark was holding him in a mostly sitting position, so after 5 days of only 2-3 hours of sleep a night for me and after doing everything I could possibly think of to alleviate his discomfort i.e. plugging in a vicks vaporizing outlet, rubbing vicks on his chest, giving him saline drops in his nose and trying to sucker everything out (which was SO fun!-NOT!), taking him into the steamy bathroom, giving him Benadryl once- which didn't work, NOTHING was working so I called my pediatrician and spoke to the nurse, at this point he was running semi-high fevers every 4-6 hours so she said sounds like an ear infection and sure enough it is! Good old antibiotics, he is now doing about 98% better and sleeping soooooo much better! But alas I now feel as though I have caught the cold portion of his sickness, since ear infections aren't contagious! Keeping my fingers crossed..maybe its just allergies?! :)

A wonderful family weekend!

2008-09-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend my Uncle Sam (my dad's brother) drove up from his new home in New Mexico to share his 60th Birthday with us. We were so happy to have him here, I made him a very yummy spaghetti dinner and we topped the birthday off with even yummier homemade carrot cake cupcakes :). He claimed it to be the "best 60th birthday dinner ever!" and I quote :).

The next day he took us out to dinner at CHili's and Nate made a girlfriend through the glass partition, I wish I had remembered to bring the camera these two babies were too cute, they both kept standing up and looking at each other and giggling and waving and if one sat down the other would stand on tip toes to try to see the other, I asked Nate if he thought she was cute and he said "Uh-Huh!" and then giggled and turned red! So sweet!!! He was really good at the restaurant, sometimes its hit and miss with him, but with the little beauty keeping him distracted and unbored he was on his best behavior! Maybe he was trying to impress her..hehe..

Nate also took to his Great Uncle really quickly, by the end of last night he was hugging and hanging out with him without prompting . It was so awesome being able to hang out with my Uncle, I learn so much from him about my dad and what he was like growing up, it's a blessing to me to have that knowledge.
Today was a lazy day as is usually every Sunday, football and naps or now its Football and go out into the heat and take a walk, I keep hoping that maybe I can bring the Fall temps faster if I go out and communicate to Mother Nature that we are done with 100 degree weather :) and to please make it nicer so we can walk more and actually ENJOY it :).

So with that I conclude my tale of this weekends events. Some cute pictures to enjoy :)

The House That Ruth Built

2008-09-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yankee Stadium has closed its doors after 85 years of some of the most amazing and magically historical moments in baseball history took place there. It's a place where legends were made, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gherig, Yogi Beara, Joe Dimaggio and Derek Jeter just to name a few... The closing of this part of history for me signifies a dream that will never come true...

Becoming a Yankee fan was not something I thought I would ever do or be, while being a fan of baseball seems to be in my blood, it was my moms dream for me to be a San Francisco Giants fan, just like her.... I'll never forget the day I told her I had fallen for the Yankees, I believe she called me a traitor..hehe.. Growing up I never really knew what it meant to feel passion for a sports team, I saw all the baseball memorabilia that my mom and step dad had collected over the years and every year on opening game day for either of their favorite teams the house would erupt with cheering and hollering and look out if one of their teams made it to the playoffs or World Series, pandimonium would ensue in our tiny house.. Finally however in 2001, I completely GOT it. I believe that after 9/11 alot of people fell in love with New York, it became this place where a long forgotten brotherhood and sisterhood re-emerged and since the attacks happened during baseball season, the playoffs no less, many sought a sort of refuge in going to Yankee Stadium and also in the Yankees themselves. What better way to try to get back a small piece of peace and normalcy than by enjoying America's favorite past time.

What sealed the deal for me and reall made me LOVE the New York Yankees, the Bronx Bombers, was during Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to this I had always known that the Yankees were not loved on the Westcoast however for me seeing the magic that happens in THAT stadium with those boys that love what they do so well I might add, still to this day I get goosebumps when I think about October 31, 2001- Game 4, at Yankee Stadium, the score is tied it's a full moon and the captain Derek Jeter takes the plate and hits a walk off home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game and as his feet touched the home plate the clock struck midnight and he became Mr. November.

November 1, 2001 Game 5 of the series at Yankee Stadium it's bottom of the ninth and the score is 0 to 2 in favor of the D-backs, Posada gets a double taking him to 2nd, a groundout and then a strike out and THEN the magic happens, Scott Brosius hits a HOMERUN and ties the game! It goes 3 more innings with Chuck Knoblauch scoring in the bottom of the 12th, with Scott Brosius's sacrificial bunt! Final score 3 to 2 Yankees!

Witnessing those 2 magical nights that are a part of Baseball history, the aura and mystique of the Yankees and Yankee Stadium are undeniable, even though I wasn't there physically the energy of all those fans made the Stadium pulse and come alive, you could just feel all the emotions of those fans thousands of miles from where I was, but at those moments I might as well have been standing right there in the middle of it all. As wonderful as it is to enjoy the Yankees what saddens me the most is that I will never get the chance to walk the halls of the House that Ruth built....

My wish for the new Yankee Stadium is that it will allow for the tradition of the famous aura and mystique created by the New York Yankees to continue on...

Follow the "foil brick" road

2008-09-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

So his road didn't go very far, I happened to catch him just in time. I did learn though that I really can't turn my back for even 2 seconds or I need to grow eyes on the back, sides and top of my head. Maybe its just in their DNA, but boys seem to just KNOW exactly what to get into and when. I don't remember Elissa doing half the stuff that Nate does, but that was 9 years ago, so I suppose I have forgotten or I have selective memory loss :).

Searching for the light in the dark

2008-09-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 weeks and 3 days since my mom passed..I keep riding this roller coaster of emotions hoping at some point that it will slow down. I have been trying so hard to get a grip on my emotions, however just when they seem to be in check its as though they ripped right out of my grasp and all I can do is try to hold on for dear life and ride it out..I wrote a poem for my mother the other night while cooking dinner, sometimes its strange places when inspiration strikes...

When night falls and I'm alone with my thoughts
inevitably they turn
to you..

I think of days gone by and I feel
overwhelmed with emotions
Wishes for one more conversation,
one more laugh,
one more I love you...

Life goes on around me in slow motion
it seems..simple tasks
searching for gifts at Hallmark, a nail file catches my eye
"Home is where Mom is"..the world spins
I begin to cry

The words echo "Home is where Mom is"
Yes, you are home and I am left behind
searching for light in the dark...

I miss you mom, so much it hurts...

Happy Birthday Brit!!

2008-09-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

To my dear sweet wonderful cousin Brittany...Happy Birthday to you!

I truly hope your day is a wonderful one and I love you and miss you very much!! So in honor of your 23 years on earth here is what makes you so special...To me..

23. You were born! :)

22. You are one of the sweetest people I've ever known

21. You are a great listener

20. You have a wonderful sense of humor

19. You make everyone around you smile

18. You are beautiful inside and out

17. You love without conditions

16. You never judge

15. You're stubborn :)

14. You have wonderful values and morals

13. You're talented

12. You can laugh at yourself :)

11. You can DANCE!

10. You're a great MOM to little Jakers!!

9. You're a great sister!

8. You're a wonderful wife to Ricky

7. You inspire others (especially me) to be better people

6. You're more intelligent than you give yourself credit for

5. You love to share the Gospel :)

4. You're an inspiration for moms everywhere to get skinny! :)

3. You're an awesome Pilates instructor

2. You are my cousin and best friend

1. You are one of life's rays of sunshine in a world that can be dark sometimes

So Thank you to your mom and dad for creating such a wonderful woman, I am so proud to call you family and friend :) Love you Britt!!!

Nate's training for Regis & Kelly's High-Heel-A-Thon

2008-09-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Fun Times!

2008-09-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some fun stuff that Nate likes to do such as try on Mark's helmet, wear his toilet instead of using it, walk around in my high heels and ride in the bottom of his stroller instead of the seat...Never a dull moment around here :)

Thank You

2008-09-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

To everyone who has kept me and my family in your thoughts and prayers I would like to say Thank You. I recently went back home to be with my family to get together to honor my mom and again my visit was bitter sweet. I am so incredibly grateful for the family that I have, they lift me up and show me more love than I thought possible. I would also like to say a special Thank You to my in-laws, the flowers and basket and especially the Card, it means alot to me knowing that I am loved and thought of by you.
Also to my best friend Marylin and my cousin Brittany, Thank You both for keeping my spirits high on Saturday night, hanging out with both of you makes me want to come home so we can get together every weekend :). I miss you both already so much.

The death of my mother has raised questions about life, my life and hers. I believe that every life has a purpose and that every life is meant to teach a lesson. I have often wondered what my life's purpose is, sadly I know the lesson to be taken from my moms. I meant for this blog to be more positive so I will stop here before I get gloomy again. On that note, Thank you Thank you Thank you again everyone for all that you've done and do for me and my family.

My Mom

2008-08-31T15:21:00.001-07:00

My mom passed away on Friday August 29, 2008 at her home in Las Vegas, NV at approximately 10:30 pm. I am grieving yet still in shock. It doesn't seem real to me I just saw her 2 weeks ago at my cousin Ali's wedding reception...The pain of losing her is unexplainable, she was my best friend, our relationship was not typical mother daughter, my grandma was the one that primarily raised me, but my mom was always there in a sisterly capacity, she was the one that taught me how to be a free spirit and to love music and to appreciate God through the beauty of Nature. So much of my favorite things are because of her, she taught me how to read, she taught me to love books and to use them as an escape instead of what she used as her escape, drugs...My mother was not perfect, she had demons that in the end she lost the battle too. But she had a huge heart, she loved animals, dogs and horses especially, she was always kind to everyone and if she saw a stranger in need more often than not if she could help she would. She was the one person that I could tell anything and everything to without fear, she never judged me or anyone, she only would do her best to understand every mistake and try to guide me in her own way. I miss her terribly and will for the rest of my life, my only comfort is knowing that she is no longer in pain and that she is with her mom and dad who love her just as much as I do. Rest in peace mom I love you.....

Mesa's Musings on life, mommyhood, family and friends

This week

Some bloggy Love

Where am I? Who are you? How did you get here?

Even Serial Killers Make Friends

My education

New/Old Ink

Change of heart

Going Private

I have a Stalker

Obsess Much? Me? Noooo

Friday Favorites **My first time**

Fun at the park!

My 2 Cents about American Idol

The Winner is.....

SITS Spring Fling Day!!

First Semester...wow

What Have I been doing all weekend?

My 2 Cents

A Sunny Saturday

Scarey Times

Twilight anyone?

The Naked House!

My Heart Hurts

Janana Bee's 200th Post GIve-A-Way!!

And the WINNERS are......

Last Day to Enter!

Do all puppies poop this much? And eat ROCKS?

Just a day

100th Post and a GIVE-A-WAY!!

Lucky Day

Goals? You mean I have to have goals?

Home again

Hey Baby Let's Go To Vegas!

My Blogoversary

Three Little Words

I Heart my Ink

Janana Bee: I know I'm a Mom because....

Is it really Monday?

Who knew?

***Mark's Guest Post****

Clever Girl Goes Blog: Under the sea.

Life Lessons

Sometimes you just have to let it out

Think Thin Thursdays! An Honest Scrap Award! And Get your Significant other to guest post!

Pics from the BFF trip

"Inspirational Tuesday"

How to have fun at 30?...have kids..sleep...eat lots of good FOOD..and laugh til it hurts your face!

Hello 2009!

Say Bye-Bye to 2008 (can you tell I hang out with my son wayyyy too much?)

Inspirational Tuesday

Stealing..for a good cause

A Better Place and The Twilight Movie

I LOVE COFFEE..Yes I do! Don't You? What about Hot Chocolate?

Did I miss it?

Merry Christmas

Snotty Sunday

I'm a WINNER and Now go Enter this fabulous GIVEAWAY!

An Award and why I'm a stinker :)

Yesterday

Bye Bye 20's...

Christmas Pictures??? Yea..not so much

Kim's Keepings GIVE-AWAY!!

The Blog Frog!

7 Weird Things

Happy Birthday Nate!

Who me? Freak out? Never....

The Closet of Me

5 Things I heart :) and my first sort of award

My boy sure can make me laugh

More than I could hope for

The Christmas Spirit

The Secret is in the Sauce: Merry SITSmas!

Merry SITSMAS! :)

An interesting Thanksgiving

Thankful

Sunday Fun!

29 going on 13...

Peer Pressure!!! Or maybe it's just the bookworm in me :)

A Few of My Favorite Things for the Holidays

Friday Favorites My first time

*Mark's Guest Post**