Happy Halloween

This came from the History Channel's website . . .

Ancient Origins

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

At either rate I hope all of you enjoyed your Halloween this year. Nadia was the princess Bride, I was Cinderella, and Pete was the Death Skeleton. We went to Brenda's to Trick-or-Treat with cousins Hannah, who was a skeleton witch and, Emily, who dressed up like Scream. Here are some pics of ours. Enjoy!

I Do!

There comes a time in a girl’s life when she finds that one true love. The man she falls head over heels in love with. She idolizes him. Her world revolves around him. She dreams of one day wearing the perfect dress and pledging her eternal love to him. For Nadia, and most every other little girl in the world, that first special love is with none other than their “Daddy.”

Nadia has been in a wedding, watched them in movies, and even seen video of Mommy and Daddy getting married. In her two year old brain . . . a wedding is when you dress up like the most beautiful princess in all the land. You find your true love, the one who will love and comfort and care for you forever. You carry flowers and play beautiful classical “princess” music as you walk down the isle to meet your prince. You meet him at the end of the trail and promise to love each other forever. Then you and your prince exchange rings saying, “with this ring I thee wed.” Then they say “you may now kiss the bride." They kiss and walk back to their party and dance. Here is the best part, at the end of the wedding you get to eat “birthday cake!” How wonderful!

Nadia has been talking about getting married for a while now. She just loves dressing up. So, to appease our little sweetie we gave her a wedding this past Sunday. And when asked who she wanted to marry she of course said “My Daddy.” We gave her everything she ever dreamed of for this special day minus the “birthday cake.” She didn’t even notice though. She was to excited to marry her Dad and that’s all that really mattered to her in the end. She took her vows very seriously.

All in all it was a beautiful day and a beautiful first wedding for our little girl. I have a feeling the next one won’t be as cheap. But that’s okay; thankfully we’ve got at least twenty or more years to save up for it. Boy will he be in for a surprise when he finds out this will not be her first marriage. We plan on playing the video of this wedding on her wedding day.

Please check out the slideshow I created of this beautiful day!

A Bit O Human Behavior

I have learned a lot through observing our human behaviors over the years. More so now than ever since having a child of my own. Nadia has been teaching me about many basic human instincts and behaviors which we are all born with. I’m not going to get into it all of that now though. I just want to share a story detailing one aspect of our human nature that I find amusing.

Pete was in the living room playing with Nadia while I was preparing yet another fabulous meal. I could see the two of them playing and Pete was letting her bounce on his belly. Pretty fun game, probably even more fun than jumping on the bed I’d assume. After a while Pete began to make a few groaning noises like it was beginning to hurt. Nadia of course paid no mind to him and kept on bouncing. She was having a great time. Finally he told her okay that’s enough for now. She persisted laughing the whole time. Pete kept trying to tell her to settle down and stop but she just wanted to keep on bouncing.

I started thinking this is a true behavior for all of us. It’s just so much simpler to see it in a child. We treat others exactly how they have allowed us to. If you let someone belittle you or talk down to you that’s how they will continue to treat you because you have given them the green light to do so. If you demand respect and love at all times that’s what you will receive. We as humans just want to “keep on bouncing” because that’s what you have allowed us to do.

Many of you may already know this simple fact. If you do, then congratulations. I just felt like sharing. It amazing to see how and when we humans begin to implement these basic life skills before life experiences get in the way.

Forgive me while I catch up

Let me first apologize to my loyal readers. I’ve been lost in a cyber-haven! Lots of my readers have been wondering where I’ve been and when are they gonna read about it. Well I could blame it on lack of time with all the fun I’ve been having this summer. I could blame it on all of the crazy running around I’ve been doing with Nadia and my exchange students. These are all true statements and al legitimate excuses but I think the real culprit has been MySpace. I have been wrapped up in catching up with old friends and family that I haven’t seen in years. It is amazing.

Since moving to California I have had to retrain my mind. Anyone I see who looks familiar is not. That is the sad fact. When I first moved here I saw so many people who looked like my family members and my friends. But each time I would get close enough to approach the familiar face would vanish and I’d be face to face with a complete stranger. Excuse me! I felt like I was going crazy and I’m sure the people who I ran after to talk to had the same idea. After a while I trained my brain to know that NO ONE out here is familiar or from my past. So, I stopped looking. I gave up any and all hope of being reacquainted by chance to anyone in my past. Que sera sera.

I started a blog about a year ago to reconnect with my family and some friends who I was lucky enough to stay in touch with. This made me feel good. Reconnecting, sharing stories and photos. I heard about the MySpace phenomenon but refused to give into temptation. My husband (the computer genius) said it was bad and that was good enough for me to want to stay away. Little did I know how much I was missing out on. My cousin Patrick invited me to join about a month ago and I did just to see how he was doing. This opened up a world of family and old friends which I never fathomed possible.

Needles to say I am now a MySpace junkie. I miss being able to stay in touch. Until now it has been so difficult from 3,000 miles away. This place has opened up a whole new world. I have found so many people who I basically wrote off. C'est la vie! My mind has been expanded. No more of what I had trained it to believe these past years. These people were actually here! I wouldn’t be surprised if I found some of my dearly departed friends on here through some sort of glitch in the matrix. But that is getting off the point and I would need to write a whole other blog about that one. Maybe even a series of blogs.

So what I’ve been doing and why I haven’t had time to blog is doing some much needed catching up. It’s good for the soul. Well . . . mine at least. I’ve been doing plenty of writing, just privately to my good old friends and family. So, if you are in my family or an old friend of mine and you’re on MySpace, look out! I’m gonna find you and find out how the heck you’ve been. I promise when I’m done catching up there will be many more blogs and pictures coming so please be patient.

I feel the need for speed

Check out the specs on this hot new car. I'm hoping this will be my next big purchase. It's the granddaddy of them all, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. The Veyron would earn two membership cards in the 500 Club, courtesy of its 1000-horsepower quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter 16-cylinder powerplant. Vromm Vroom. That's hot!

Bugatti Veryon

Bugatti Veryon 2

Bugatti Veryon 3

Yes . . . I have switched over to the Dark Side

Okay, I have been super busy this summer with a trip back east, family gatherings, a wedding, a few birthdays, canoeing and now at home with 4 exchange students. Things have been crazy and hectic but I'm totally enjoying it all. I can't wait to start posting about all of our wild adventures.

But, the real reason for this post is to tell all my faithful viewers that I have succumbed to the pier pressure and am now on MySpace. Which is what has really been sucking up all my time. I am addicted! I love that I can find a lot of my family members and many of my friends (new and old) on this handy little site. I am loving it! So, from now on I will primarily be using MySpace for all of my posts but will also try to continue this blog as much as I can for those of you who are still not enlightened. Thank you all for reading up on our family adventures. It means a lot to me to know you care enough to take time out of your day to see how we are doing.

If you do have a MySpace account or want to create one (it's free) please send me an e-mail or comment on here that you would like to find me on MySpace. If you try to find me yourself you may have some trouble. I am using a fake last name and have set my home zip code to look as though I live in The British Virgin Islands. So, please give me a shout if you'd like too hook up on MySpace with me. Thanks all! Love and Huggs!

Happy Birthday Emily

This post is long overdue but couldn't be passed over. Last month we celebrated my adorable niece Emily's 8th birthday. She is getting to be such a little young lady. When I met her she was less than 18 months old. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. This is what she looked like as a toddler. She was just like a little cupie doll.


We had the privilege of celebrating two times with her. Once on her actual birthday and again over the next weekend. We had a wonderful time celebrating our special nieces very special day. Her party's were of course fabulous and she was a perfect little princess. My parents even got to join in the celebration all the way out from Jersey. Here are the pictures we took. Hope you enjoy!


Happy Birthday Emily! Hope it was a good one. We Love You!

There’s a thin line between dreams and reality

Somewhere in between that grey line lies the spirit world. Which if you start to contemplate weather that in itself is either dream or reality is even more boggling. If you are a loyal reader than you already know that I do believe in angels. I believe they talk to us in subtle ways everyday. I also believe that they have the power to visit us in our dreams. This is where I’m not quite sure it constitutes a dream or an actual visit from beyond and what really is the difference?

Those of you who know me know I had a dear Aunt, named Lynnie, who lost her battle with breast cancer last November. The last time Pete and I got to visit her was in April of 04 and we didn’t know she was sick then. It all happened so fast. Once we found out she was sick about a year or more later I tried to call her as much as I could. I wanted to stay in touch and sometimes the phone is a difficult way to communicate with a baby crying in your ear. I decided then that I wanted to make a blog for her and for all my family to keep in touch with them. I wanted to create a place where they could go to read about my life and enjoy current pictures too. This blog was essentially born for Lynnie. Unfortunately by the time I pieced it all together it was too late for her to enjoy. I hope all of the rest of my family can enjoy it now.


I had a difficult time knowing she was sick and there was nothing I could do for her. I wanted to visit her so bad but life got in the way. We are more than 3,000 miles apart. So many times I was tempted to jump on a plane even if it was just to see her for an hour to hug her. I received several sad calls from my mother updating me on Lynnie’s weakening condition. There were times when I fell apart crying to Pete. As the calls kept coming I started to become numb and remove myself from the pain of this harsh reality. I knew one way or another I would make it out to see her one last time or at least be able to see her family and help consol them. I just kept telling myself to keep it together until then. When she did pass away it become impossible for me to get out to her funeral. I never cried, I held it together, I remained numb.

So back onto the subject of dreams, I had one the other night, or was it a visiting? All I know is I had no recollection of it until the next afternoon when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Pete and I were driving out to the mountains and Nadia was passed out in the back car seat. We were talking about my family and about the people he would love to hang out with. He started spouting off names, “Uncle Johnny, Aunt Dottie, Aunt Lynnie, . . .etc.” Only I didn’t hear the etc. part because my brain was stuck on Aunt Lynnie. And then the light bulb went off! I remembered I had a dream about her the night before that I had not remembered until that very second. Before I even spoke he just looked at me and said, “I don’t know why I said her name but something just told me I had to say it at that instant.” Freaky stuff!

I proceeded to tell him “I had a dream last night about Aunt Lynnie. We were lying in her bed. It was Lynnie, Me, and then my mom all lying next to each other cuddling. My viewpoint in this dream was positioned looking down onto the bed at all of us. Aunt Dottie stood at the foot of the bed looking at us and my view was behind her. I never saw Aunt Dottie’s face I just assumed it was her. I was lying next to Lynnie hugging her and rubbing her arm and laughing with her and I kept telling her, “I love you, I love you so much!” The next frame in my dream she was gone and all was holding onto was her pillow and I was sobbing, “I miss you!”

As I told this to Pete I began sobbing and a wave of emotions came over me. I had to just sob. Was this a dream? I tend to think not. I believe I was visited by her for a very specific reason. Now that I am looking back on the dream I am thinking that the woman I was standing behind was not my Aunt Dottie but my Grandmother(Liz). I think she was her guardian angel guiding her on her journey.


Sometimes being separated by so many miles makes it difficult to grasp certain concepts especially if you have been removed by distance for so many years.
Sometimes I feel numb to evens that happen in life that are so far away from me even when they mean so much. Sometimes it takes a few more miles to travel before reality sets in. Thanks for coming all this way to see me. Thanks for letting me say my goodbye even though I couldn’t be there when it happened. Thanks for letting me know that you are still here watching over us all.

I love you Aunt Lynnie and miss you so much!

Much More to Come . . .

I apologize for getting so far behind on my updates. We have been very busy lately and I have lots to report. For now I am pretty tired and ready for bed but I couldn't resist showing you all this one. My parents were in town for a visit this passed week and we had a blast. More on that later though. Here is a cute little sketch we had done of our 3 generations . . .


Please tune in for much more soon.

Dear Mom,

When I was young I thought to myself, “I could do it better!” I thought I would be a better mom. I would never yell, scold, or punish. I would never say “NO!” I would let my kids stay out as late as they wanted and hang out in cars with older kids. I would let my kids make their own plans and eat whatever they wanted even if it made them sick. I remember thinking I was gonna be a “cool mom” and be my kids “best friend.” I thought I knew it all. I had it all figured out. One thing was for certain, I was NEVER going to turn into my mother!

That was until, of course, I had a child of my own . . .

That’s when it all came together. Nothing meant more to me in this world than making sure my daughter was healthy and safe at all times. Everything I do now, all my decisions, all my plans are made with her best interest in mind. When I say “NO” it is for her benefit, for her safety, or for her future health. Any time she may think I’m mean or horrible for making a decision for her it is always done out of love.

Now I realize how difficult it is to be a mom and a friend. But luckily I had the best teacher! The greatest gift my mom gave me was life and love and the ability to pass it on to my children. My wish for my daughter is to have a child of her own one day, when she is much much older of course. I think being a grandmother is probably the greatest trophy of all. Once your child lives what you lived and truly understands all the sacrifices you made for the love of a child then you are truly rich.

I must admit I realized none of this until I had a child of my own. Now I am so very proud to say, “Yes, I am turning into my mother!” Honestly, there is probably no better compliment in the world. So to all you grandmothers, mothers, and children out there, especially mine, I hope you all turn out to be just like your mom! Because a mother is LOVE in it’s purist form.

Happy Mother's Day!

Angels Really Do Exist . . .

And they talk to me through my two year old daughter.


I’m not sure if any of you are familiar with the phenomenon of child clairvoyance? It is something only small children experience because they have not developed control over their five senses. Some children have past life experiences and others simply channel multiple “spirits.” At either rate they can recall things out of the ordinary that no other person could know besides the deceased. It’s pretty freaky!

So, here’s the story, the other day Nadia and I went out to lunch at one of my favorite places, Kealani's, a Hawaiian Barbeque restaurant. We are eating our spare ribs and rice and along comes an adorable older couple and sits at the table next to us. The woman starts exclaiming how amazing Nadia is and implying that she is and old soul. She said that she will be someone very important in life she could tell.

Nadia is very sweet to sweet people and she is just listing to this woman go on about her. She starts mumbling a little in very quiet voice. Then she get’s a little louder looks straight at me and says, “Jennifer, that’s my Jennifer!” I almost fell off my seat and started balling. Luckily I was having a conversation with the older couple and I held myself together.

I explained to them that no one calls me Jennifer. No one but my Grandfather that is. And he passed away while I was pregnant with Nadia. His favorite line to me was, “Jennifer, that’s my Jennifer!” When Nadia said it she even said it in the same sweet nasaly tone that he did. I just felt like his Angel was sitting right beside her whispering in her ear letting me know he is still a part of our lives.


How amazing, thanks Granpa!


We'll never forget you!!!

Meet Hitomi

This is our last student from Osaka, Japan. She was only here for one week but she’s left an impact that will last a lifetime. Hitomi, who's name translates to eye (specifically the pupil), is a traditional Japanese Dancer by trade. It is called Nihon (meaning Japan) Buyou (meaning dance). She has been to several destinations around the world performing her dance. Her stage name is Satotsuya and is listed here in kanji on her business card.


We have done so much and she has taught us so much in one short week. We have seen a DVD of her dancing at a festival in Japan. We shared a wonderful beach bonfire together for Rich’s birthday. She taught us several games and songs including a game named "janken" (or stone-scissors-paper) and a song called, "Konpira Fune Fune" which goes along with various games. You have to see this video.


She also showed us how to make Okonomiyaki it is kind of like the Japanese version of Italian pizza meets German potato pancake meets American pot pie. It’s kind of hard to describe but once you’ve had it you’ll never forget it. This food is delicious or as the Japanese say, “oishii” and is native to Osaka. It’s so good that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. This is one variation of many just like our Pizza in the states. Hitomi and her friend Yumiko were gracious enough to show us the art of making these wonderful little niblets.



OKONOMIYAKI
"Okonomi" means "as you like". This refers to the ingredients.



INGREDIANTS
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 cup Water or Chicken Broth
½ Head Green Cabbage
1 Egg + 1 for each pie
1 lbs Chopped Pork + 1 lbs thin patty Pork
Cooking Spray or Vegetable Oil


1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and mix in a large bowl. Gradually add a cup or more of water or chicken broth as needed until the dough is fairly wet. Mix until smooth.
2. Cut cabbage into thin slices and chop pork into small bite sized pieces.
3. Add egg, meat, and cabbage to batter and mix.
4. Heat oil in a pan or spray cooking spray on a skillet. Fry a couple pieces of pork on both sides. Spoon batter over pork and spread circular and flat. After one side is browned flip over and cook other side. Once fully browned crack an egg on skillet and place pie on top. Let cook until egg is done. Brush with sauce of choice or serve on the side.


SAUCES
Ketchup
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Barbeque Sauce
Tonkatsu Sauce (Asian Pork Sauce)
You can mix any of these sauces for a different flare. My personal favorite is Tonkatsu Sauce and Mayonnaise. The beauty of this dish is you can be as creative as you like and add whatever suits your taste buds.


Enjoy!!!

Happy Birthday Rich!!!

This weekend we celebrated Rich's birthday at Moonlight Beach with a great big bonfire and monster mia tais made by my pseudo bartender sista-in-law Rey. They really bit me in the you know what! This was the perfect place to rejoice over an amazing individual. We missed out on sharing Rich’s BIG 30 last year while he was in Japan so we wanted to party hearty this year with him.


Rich was in his element on the shores of Southern California under a million twinkling stars, although it was a bit too overcast to enjoy them in all their glory. Rich, Pete, and the kids played a favorite game of volley circle in the sand, where you stand in a circle and “whatever you do don’t let the ball hit the sand!” We sat around a huge campfire in the sand, roasted marshmallows, and once again tried to solve quantum physics theories with questions such as “If God exists could he build a boulder so big that he in all his omnipotence could not lift it?” Christopher did his usual fire walking routine which he’s getting quite good at.


All in all it was a fabulous night filled with wonderful company and enthralling conversations. We are so happy to have Rich back on land with us again! Happy Birthday!!!


If you would like to see more pictures of this event please clink on this link.

Happy Birthday Michellene!!!

Believing hear, what you deserve to hear: Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
~Martial

Today is a very special day! It is the day that one of my very best friends was born! Michellene and I have been friends for about 5 years. We meet at work and become fast friends shortly after. Rumor has it I was the one who got her pregnant with her second little boy. I found out that I was pregnant and I didn't want to go it alone so I willed it on her. I am very persuasive. How I ever got pregnancy to sound attractive and appealing is beyond me.


Our birthday girl is at home today nursing her oldest son back to good health after a small operation. Troi is doing very well and we hope to see him back to his old lively self in a few weeks. Michellene is celebrating her big day next weekend and I hope to have some pix to share with everyone from that wild and crazy event! Happy birthday Girl! We Love You!


Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~Chili Davis


Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time. ~Jean Paul Richter

Lost In The Middle of The Desert

This weekend we camped out in Borrego Springs at Blair Valley campground. For those of you not familiar with the names, we camped out in the low desert of California. Everything started off great . . . sunny skies, family, and margaritas. It was the perfect day.

Brenda tells me she wants to go on a hike and maybe leave the girls with the boys so we aren’t slowed down. After talking it over and figuring how much time we might have later for a kiddie hike we decided to take Nadia and Emily with us anyway. I asked Pete to join us because my backpack was going to be really heavy and I wanted some help. He suggested I leave Nadia there with him and he would take her exploring. I decided against that because I wanted Nadia to experience “Real Desert Hiking.” My backpack was so heavy because I have been watching Man vs. Wild and I wasn’t about to risk getting lost in the desert without some essential survival items. I made sure I packed a compass, a whistle with thermometer, flashlight with extra batteries, Beyer aspirin, a first aid kit with Neosporin, ace bandage wraps, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, a knife, a flint, a lighter, rope, 45 sunscreen, and extra food and water. If we did get lost we were set but what are the chances of that?

We drive over to the trailheads in Jason’s truck. The hiking party included Brenda, Barb, Phil, Emily, Nadia, and myself. Our mission . . . “To find the Mortreros.” We hiked about a ¼ mile in and Emily got bit by a cactus Cholo. She had needles in her foot and shoe. She was crying pretty badly but Brenda and Phil fixed her all up. It was at this time while Emily was screaming that Barb decided we should go back. “The trail ends here anyway, there is no more dirt path.” With that she turned around and headed back for the truck. We forged on, wounded and all, over the boulders and rocks until we did see a dirt trail. Phil followed us in about a ½ mile and decided to go back and check on Barb.

Nadia led us most of the way climbing up and over huge rocks. She loves rock climbing and she’s darned good at it too even at two years old. I was so glad I brought her along for the experience. We reached a valley and some rather large boulders and decided to turn around. The sun was starting to get low in the wind was beginning to pick up. It probably dropped about 10 degrees since we started. I guess I could have checked my thermometer but we weren’t lost so why would I need that thing anyway?

I decided to put Nadia in the backpack for our trek back to the truck. This made my backpack weigh close to 50 or 60lbs. On our way back we ran into Phil who was sent back to check on us by Barb. We headed up the trail into the rock village that marked the beginning of the trail. It should only be a short hike back to the truck from this point. We began walking around trying to follow a defined path but there didn’t seem to be one. Every perceived path would run you straight into a cactus or a yucca plant.


We tried several directions but were unsuccessful in locating the truck that should have been so close. Soon we were in a field of yucca plants witch didn’t look at all familiar. There were mountains all around us and I had a hunch that just behind the mountain on the right we would find the truck below. Phil, being the Sherpa he is, trudged up to the top only to find more desert. No sign of life anywhere!

This is right about the time my brain went into panic mode. I start looking over at my niece Emily who has no jacket on and think “what is going on, what are we doing? Why didn’t I leave my poor little girl at the campsite safe and sound with her Daddy. What kind of a mother am I bringing her into such danger? How selfish! WTF Mate!”

Just then we see a campsite ahead and my thoughts shift first to joy and then to fear. “What about the countless ghost stories I’ve heard on camping trips or the numerous horror films I’ve subjected myself to over the years. What if this was going to be similar to the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” story? What if we go to them for help and they invite us into their trailer where the skin us alive, prop us up on poles, and roast us like pigs. Who would ever know? No way! We were going back into the desert and finding shelter in a Coyote cave for the night. My backpack would come in handy after all.”

“Okay, focus here, I do have cell phone reception so I should be able to just call Pete and tell him to come and save us.” Just then my phone rings, “It’s my Mother!” Of all people to have call you when you are about to become a vultures feast in the middle of the desert! “Uh yeah?” I couldn’t hide my fear, “we’re kinda lost in the desert right now we can’t seem to find the truck.” I filled her in on some more details and told her I would call her back in an hour to let her know on our status.

CLICK, I hang up the phone and I hear, “Phil” in the distance. I look up and see Barb through the brush. Was this a mirage? I’m thinking, “Wow, I’ve heard of people going crazy in the desert but I didn’t think it would happen this quick.” “Wait a minute, it is Barb!” Hooray! Thank GOD for those fluorescent pink pants and neon blue jacket! I guess when it comes to survival you don’t need much, just wear bright cloths! Thanks for saving us Barb!


We actually did have a great camping trip, if you'd like to see more pictures from our wild desert adventure please click on this link.

The Star Of India

The other day Nadia and I dropped “Daddy” off at the airport so we decided to take advantage of our location and visit the San Diego Maritime Harbor. First up on our tour was the Star Of India. I forgot my camera in the car so this was the only picture I have of our little maritime stroll. We walked passed several big yachts and sailboats and enjoyed the art sculptures along the way. We had a very nice morning. I think Nadia's highlight was chasing all the pigeons. She still believes she's gonna catch em one of these days. Who knows maybe she will.

Girl Fun!

This week was Spring Break for my nieces Hannah and Emily. I got to take them for the day and even got to enjoy them for a slumber party! It was great. These girls are growing up so fast! I remember when they were Nadia’s size and now they tower over her like giants. But that’s not all they do. Now they are the teachers teaching my daughter how to do things like how to feed the ducks, the proper way to climb a rock, and even which path to take while hiking through the brush. My, how they have grown. I don’t know where the time goes. It’s crazy!


We had a great time on our girl day. Our catch phrase for the day . . . "Shockie!" (It's a kid thing you probably wouldn't understand.) We painted our nails and fixed our hair. Then it was off to the park to feed the ducks. We played on the playground and with the ride on hydraulic fire engine. We hiked around the lake up to a beautiful gazebo and down through a campground where mouthwatering smells of burgers and hotdogs wafted through the air. We drove around to the other end of the park and counted horses along the way. I lost track after the first 10 but I did manage to count 3 steer (MOOOO). We found another playground with a couple large rocks to climb.


After this we were pooped. I was in no shape to cook after such an exciting day so we headed to Burger King for some chicken fries and some Sponge Bob toys. They had an indoor playground that the girls played in as well. We all grabbed our crowns and headed home for a little R & R. Once home it was time to veg in front of the boob tube, snuggle under the covers, and eat popcorn.


We had a great day, just us girls and I’m so grateful for the time I have with them. Before I know it they’ll be teenagers and I might not be as much fun for them to hang with. For now, I’m takin all I can get. I love these girls!