Shout Out!

I am SOOO glad it's Friday. I've been sick with a headcold all week, and I am starting to finally feel human again. Every now and again, I've decided I want to spotlight another blog that I enjoy. This blog has given me inspiration. One of the many blogs that have given me a desire to rekindle the creative side of my spirit. The owner of this blog, Amber, is one talented girl!

We do have some real connection from way back... her and her husband moved into our Dublin congregation for a bit before they left us for greener pastures elsewhere in the Bay Area. (Now they live out in the country... and have cows! Cool, huh?) Her husband, Brent, grew up in the same town as Eric and I've known Brent's sister, Andrea, since our first year at girls camp together. And Amber and I were part of a recipe "group" together for a while where she shared a recipe for Eggo Waffle filling that has become one of my favorites!

So without further, ado, click here and go check out her blog. You won't be sorry! (I decided to post this before I saw her post for today, which just confirms how cool she is.) Les Mis is one of my all-time faves... the book, the musical, the music. Nothing beats it. I'm about a third of the way through the very same copy pictured in her blog, and now I'm inspired to pick it back up and finish it.

Without Pain, There Would Be No Joy

A couple of years ago, I listened to the audio book Marley & Me. I bawled like a baby through the entire last CD. Why? Because I knew that the end of the story would be when Marley died. Because all dogs die... and because I knew that my dog would die too. And probably sooner, rather than later. I cried because I understood the agonizing decision that I will someday have to make about putting my dog out of his suffering.

Almost 2 weeks ago we found ourselves making that hard decision. We knew our dogs life was coming to a close and we didn't want to have to take him to the vet until we were prepared to relieve him of his suffering. We scheduled the vet visit after a particularly difficult afternoon of pain and whimpering from the dog. I just couldn't take it anymore. Home treatments weren't working and the last pain scrip the vet had given us for him was long expired.

We ended up postponing the inevitable while the vet tested for valley fever and gave us some pain meds that would not only help him be more comfortable, but also determine if his problem was caused by a muscle issue. Those would be the treatable options. But, as I knew deep down in my gut, it wasn't going to be something easy to treat. We still don't know exactly what the problem is, but my gut instinct tells me it's bone cancer.

We still have a week or two of pain meds left (depending how much of a dose he can live with), and then it will be time to make the big decisions. I don't think it's going to be something we can or will be able to treat. We could possibly keep him alive longer on strong pain meds, but really who does that serve? Not him. It's time to say good-bye. I am resigned to it. I think I am ready. I know it's going to tear me to pieces, but it has to come someday... dogs don't live forever. And I have a firm belief that Moreno will be waiting for us in Heaven, tumor-and-ear-infection-free. And that knowledge makes me happy.

My bigger anxiety is about the kids. The last time we went to the vet, Taylor point-blank asked me if Moreno was going to be coming home from the visit. I couldn't lie to him. I told him I didn't know for sure what was going to happen. I've never seen my 15 year old son fall apart like that. He was torn up. My heart ached for him. It's going to be even harder when it really happens. Do I prepare him again? Give him a chance to say good-bye? Or do we not tell the kids until it's over? Save them the anxiety of knowing what is happening?

I could really benefit from some wisdom from all you veteran dog owners out there. What's the best way to break the news to the kids? Help... the clock is ticking... and time is not in my favor.

Five Products I Would Be Happy To Endorse...

This is the Pampered Chef Rice Cooker. Unlike my plug-in rice cooker, it cooks rice in 20 minutes flat in the microwave. It also doubles as a microwave cake pan, for a cake that can be made in 10 minutes flat. I love how every part fits easily into the dishwasher. My mom gave this to me as a gift at least a year ago and we use it 3-4 times a week. It's the best!

I've never been much of a flosser. Thus, my kids aren't learning to floss either. But my cousin's wife recommended this flosser for those in our family who don't floss and thus get cavities, and I LOVE it. I went from flossing 3-4 times a year to 3-4 times a week. It's just so easy to use and you don't have to cut the circulation off in your fingers to floss, either. Double bonus! I can't wait to see if my hygienist actually notices the difference next time I visit.

At 36, you would think I'd be more into wrinkle cream than acne cleanser, but alas, such are the joys of my life. Several months ago, I started breaking out with zits that would take weeks to heal. Since I started using this stuff twice a day, my face looks and feels fabulous! (And yes, my dear SIL who shall remain nameless, washing my face twice a day is working better than once a day!)

Here in the desert we are serious about deodorant. Since it's hot, sweaty weather more than 50% of the year, you gotta find the good stuff. I love this deodorant. I hope they never stop making it... it has 3-4 scents, all of which are pleasant, but not overbearing or obnoxious, it works better than any other deodorant I have tried, and they even sell it in bulk at Sam's Club!

I had to take my own picture of this product because I couldn't find one online anywhere, but I love these sponges. I buy them in two packs at Target and they are the best. My mom is a "dishcloth" person, but I hate the nastiness of dish clothes once they have been used. I wasn't really a sponge fan either, until I found these! Trust me, if you try them, I am sure you will love them!

Now, if I could only find someone who wants to pay me for all my kind words...

I Thought This Didn't Happen in the Desert

Today on Facebook, my son joined the group titled, "I survived the Arizona Tornado Scare of January 2010." I could go off on a whole different subject talking about how ridiculous some of these FB "groups" are... but that's a whole different post entirely that I may or may not come back to someday.

This week has been one for weird weather. As you may or may not know, California was not the ONLY state in the union getting record amounts of precipitation this last week. Arizona got it's share too. After 3 days of rain, we thought our pool might overflow... (but thankfully, it did not!)

Thursday night was probably the worst day for us. We have DirecTV, and the storm made it impossible for us to watch TV Thursday night, so we turned off the satellite and turned on a DVD instead. I left the kids at home on the couch watching a movie to go out and do some visits to ladies in my congregation. I didn't really want to go out in the bad weather, but I'd already had to re-schedule these appointments once, and I didn't want to have to do it again. As I made my rounds, the weather got steadily worse, and when I was finally on my way home, the rain just started to come down in sheets. I couldn't seen more than 20-30 feet in front of my car. That's when I really started to listen to what they were saying on the radio: Tornado warnings! The news guys then proceeded to list off the things you should do or not do in the event that you are in the path of a tornado.
While I drove the remaining 2 miles back to my house, with now white knuckles, I listened to their instructions. (I've never lived anywhere in a tornado zone....) I found out that if I saw a tornado coming towards my car, I was supposed to abandon my car, and run for a ditch and lay in the bottom of it. I saw two problems with this plan: first, I wouldn't be able to see a tornado coming because the visibility was so terrible. Second, every AZ street has ditches nearby (for water collection during the monsoon rains), but guess what... every single ditch in Phoenix was guaranteed to be a foot deep of freezing cold rain water!

Fortunately, I made it home without incident and was never so happy to be in my own home again with all the family together! When I put my kids to bed, I told Taylor that if he heard what sounded like a train coming to run over our house, that would be a tornado, and he needed to wake everyone up, grab a kid and head for the closet under the stairs. I think I completely freaked him out, but I felt like I had to cover all the bases, right?

On Friday afternoon, the rain had finally given up enough that I could walk the neighborhood and get these photos. Our common areas lost 6-7 trees and the Tree Doctors were out Friday cleaning them up. We had 4 new lakes in the neighborhood (all were in our pre-made water collection areas), but as far as I know, no other flooding.

The bright spot of my photo shoot? These purple roses... I didn't know roses were so hardy. They survived the storm just fine.

It feels good to know what we need to do if we ever have another tornado scare here, but hey, give me an earthquake any day, will ya?

Photoshop Elements for Dummies

Using the above named book that I checked out at the library last week, I did these blog headers today. Which one do you like better?

2010 - the year to be Realistic

I developed this list about a month ago, and wrote it down a couple weeks ago, but I feel like the more places I have it, the more likely I am to follow through with at least some of it.

I love January. Everyone's lives seem to slow down, kids have very little school activities to worry about and I'm always in a mood to clean and purge. Part of that comes from taking down the christmas clutter. I love my christmas decor, but once January 1st comes, I no longer want it up. I can't get it down fast enough. I love how clean and un-cluttered my house looks after the christmas stuff comes down. It gives me a sense of renewal.

Things I want to be better at - notice I'm not planning to master anything this year. I just want to improve several things. And if they don't all happen, I won't beat myself up... there's always next year, right?

*Journal and blog more... it's no secret the blog has been neglected lately. No real plan on how I will make this happen, yet.

*Dedicate 2-3 hours a week for developing creativity. Last month, I was so inspired by all the cute creative projects I found through other blogs and websites in December. I craved time to run to Joann's and sew rice filled foot warmers or make mod podged tile coasters. I just haven't made it a priority to schedule time for creativity and I miss it. A little part of me has wilted away, and this year, I'm going to ressurrect that part of me. How will I do this? Every Wednesday while Brayden is at preschool for a glorious 3 hours, I will do nothing but creative projects that make me happy. Whether it's sewing something that's been unfinished for 2 years, or scrapbooking my trip to Maui 3 years ago, or learning how to use my photoshop program with my new camera, it will be all about me. I surely deserve 3 hours of "fun" time, don't you think?

*Manage time/housework better. This will also come from Brayden's preschool time... every monday while he is in preschool for 3 glorious hours, I will spend deep cleaning the house. Mopping, vacuuming, decluttering over-filled cabinets, scrubbing appliances, whatever. As long as I have a good book on my ipod, I can handle it. And by doing the yuckiest stuff on Monday, I get it out of the way for the rest of the week!

*Delegate more for RS responsibilities. This one will take a lot of practice and effort. I need to stop thinking "it's just easier to do it myself than ask someone else to do it for me, then have to follow up with them and make sure they do it." If you have any suggestions on how to do this, without feeling guilt, please share.

*Exercise better (include yoga, pilates and weights) Who doesn't have this on their New Year's list?

*Smile and wink more. Self-explanitory, right?

*Write more thank you notes. My MIL is the queen of the thank you note. She is known through her circle of the universe by the sweet notes she writes and mails to people who least expect them. I would love to do that too. Who doesn't love getting some good old fashioned snail mail, with a thank you note in it?

*Finish D&C, read BofM and study OT lessons for Sunday School. I've uploaded the whole book of mormon to my ipod, so I figure I never have an excuse to skip reading the scriptures. I need to spend more time in gospel study and less time on-line. My FB friends might see me less, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?

So, when I look at the really important things on my list... all I need to do is spend less time online and watching TV and more time doing meaningful things. Shouldn't be too hard, right? I guess that means it's time to sign off on the computer for the night. Tomorrow I've promised my kids a fun activity and I have no clue what we are going to do!

More Vacation Photos

Okay, I couldn't limit our vacation to just one post. So here is post number 2. But this is it... I promise! These are just a few shots I really liked (for various reasons....) that don't have people in them. (Or at least, not people I know!)

This picture was taken of the Tower Bridge in Sacramento. I don't think I've ever been so close to this bridge and certainly not at night like this. I could have stared at it all night!These are a photo of the classic Nut Tree rocking horses. Only people who lived in Vacaville 25 years ago will get why I like these. Let's just say they are a classic childhood icon from my hometown.

Our home we used to own in Dublin. This was our first ever home purchase and a lot of blood, sweat and tears was put into this home in the 5 years we lived there. I will always have a soft spot for this house... and I love how the current occupants have decorated for christmas. (I wish the photo didn't have dashboard glare!)

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed touring the light displays on "Candy Cane Lane". It's better if you can walk it, but we drove it this time around. I wish all those people weren't blocking my photo! Oh well...The first day after we arrived home, we went with all of Eric's family to see the temple lights at the Oakland Temple. This is the temple that Eric and I were married in. If you've never been inside for a session, it's worth it just so you can sit in the celestial room and listen to the chandelier tinkle. It's the most amazing chandelier set-up I have ever seen!

This photo is for all you "Up" fans... Fenton's is a long loved establishment in Oakland, and when we were teenagers and made trips to the temple, there was almost always the reward of ice cream at Fenton's after. Now they have another location in my hometown too, which makes it very convenient to grab some great treats anytime without the commute! (On a side note about the movie "Up".... my aunt and her family have an inside connection at Pixar and they actually know the real kid that the character of Russel was modeled after. Fun, huh?

This one is just another "experiment" photo with my new camera up at the temple grounds. I really love the blur and glow effect in the water of the fountain. I can't wait to learn all the other cool things I can do with my camera. So much undiscovered potential... how will I ever find the time?

And last, but not least, I had to include a picture of my Aunt Karen's corvette. She let Eric take it for a test drive while we were visiting my Grandma, which is a very HIGH honor, indeed. He was on Cloud Nine... only problem was there was so much pre-Christmas traffic every where they went, he didn't really get to put the petal to the metal. Bummer!

13 Days in 13 Photos

So after I blogged on endlessly about our summer road trip, I've decided to go short and sweet on this last vacation. Mostly because the primary people I write this blog for were with us the entire two weeks. So, I decided to pick out 13 photos (one to represent each day we were gone, even though I didn't take any photos on travel days.) These are the pictures I liked the best from our trip...

This one happened by accident, but I loved the blur effect mixed with the genuine smiles they were giving someone else...Grandmas can NEVER get enough hugs from their grandkids!Burger King Knights, UNITE! What absolutely amazes me about this photo is that Dallyn ISN'T holding a weapon. This must be the only time he didn't have one in his hand.I am so glad that these four have stayed so tight growing up. They are lucky to have each other. Lyndi, can I have your hair? I love it! Dear friends who we miss so much from our Dublin days... Brayden wasn't too happy about this photo, but to his credit, he wasn't even born when we moved away from these friends, so he doesn't get the importance of it all!A family photo with my Grandma. Who knows how soon we'd get another chance to all be together for this photo!?!We considered ourselves VERY lucky to get a visit from the big man in red... Brayden was so cute, when he saw him. Excited, but shy too. Not his normal self at all!My mom has carried on the tradition of making felt ornaments for the grandkids... do you see a recurring theme here?I don't think any of the adults were expecting to get ornaments too. Adam and Delia's were made from two of their favorite pets. (Yes, they have more than 2 pets....)

Ours were copied from some photos taken of us wakeboarding while out on the boat. We all got a kick out of watching Dad open his gift from mom and the family. We ordered him a new lawn mower, but it was out of stock until after Christmas. This was the "loaner" he got to open up and use until the real thing arrived!What gift did Ian get that could possibly cause this reaction when he saw the box? I will give you three guesses, but I know you won't get it. So, I'll just tell you... a Snuggie. No joke. He has wanted one really bad for a long time, so my brother got to be the lucky one to be the hero of the holiday for Ian. He LOVES it.

All the little kids playing on some truck toys outside our favorite ice cream place at the Nut Tree. They played and played on these trucks for at least an hour and never got tired of them.

All in all, it was a great trip. We were there almost 2 weeks and we were always going, going, going. There's no resting when there is so much family and good friends to visit. It seems that we never get enough time to spend with anyone, but we do the best we can. Hopefully we'll get some more visitors heading south this year... one great thing about people coming to see us... they get our "undivided" attention!