caption: "Do NOT tick me off!"

(I may be absolutely KILLED for this posting... but, hey, what the hell... )

Today C is 18 years old!
Can you believe it? Seems like just last night we were at the hospital looking at this beautiful new baby girl kicking around squawkin that she was here and ready to take on life. Well, she is still ready and waiting for the time that she can take off to see the world. So this picture says it all...
She's locked and loaded and ready, so do NOT get in her way!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CIERRA!!!!!

We love you!!

dang computers

Hi all, our internet server booted us from its service last Sunday January 13 just after noon. We lost all emails and our contact lists of email addresses. Long story, we changed TV and internet service thru ATnT, but were not set up correctly with email service, so when the old service went away, nothing was saved. So... I am asking all readers to email me just a brief email so I can copy and paste your email address into my new list, and begin corresponding again. I can recall screen names for many of you, but for the life of me can't recall the @ parts. My email address is staying the same as before, so email me, OK? I'd call everybody, but when my caller ID shows up on your phone, you won't answer anyways, SO EMAIL ME!!! haha. Thanks!

Russell Rules!

When Russell came over to visit, I tried my best to stand up as tall as possible to not look like a shrimp next to him, but, alas, I look like a shrimp next to him. Such is life. He is in his I-want-to-hide-behind-my-hair phase. All of us went through it, didn't we? I just hope I live long enough to see his eyes again when he gets the hair out of his eyes... those wonderful blue eyes that'll drive the girls nuts. (don't tell him I said that but it is true!)

Awesome Autumn

Autumn spent the night with us; she is in CA with brother Russell because Tara's parents went to ID for Christmas and brought the kids to CA for a visit for a week. Autumn is a board-gamer like I am and challenges me to games so she can beat my butt off winning. I have a challenge bet going for any grandkid who beats me in Scrabble. The pic shows her scoring a killer word, but alas, she didn't win the game. She sure ties hard tho. If I can get the kids interested in Scrabble, they learn new words, and I do too! We have fun and I will gladly pay up when they beat me... ifn they ever do. ;)) (I know they will soon!)
Russell was here for dinner last night too, and I will post a pic of him soon; he towers over me now and reminds me of when I had to start looking way up at Tim to talk to him. The kids grow up so fast.
It is open enrollment time at Kaiser and work is so busy, but I am still glad to be working at a job I like.
Happy New Year to all! May 2008 be kind to you; do your part to make it so.

Twas a very merry christmas

We had a lot of fun last night with that certain MR SomeOne playing Mr Claus. He was delighted that Braden was not afraid of him too much, and in fact, sat on his lap for EVERYBODY'S family picture!! Usually we cannot get Braden to sit still for a picture, but last night he sat on Santa's lap a long while.
We missed our Idaho kids being there; the only good thought was that Santa's lap and knees didn't get broken from real big kids sitting on him!! hahaha. The younger generation is certainly growing up fast.
Other than that, WE MISS YOU!!
Tim took the time to use the web cam around his house today to show us and Steve's family around the Idaho house, and to show us the snow outside still lingering on the ground. Thanks, Tim, that was a special treat. Tracy got to give TnT some dog training advice as well, since TnT have a new Corgi puppy to train as a service dog for Will.
After we opened gifts here today, we went to The Jarvi house again and had coffee and doughnuts yum yum. Then we came home and had the Pope Ave Kellys join us for our taco fest. and Kim added her enchiladas this year; delicious as usual.
Kim and Jordan are off to MAUI tomorrow with Jordan's gramma Carole; the rest of us are jealous, but hope they have a wonderful time! Aloha!

Merry Christmas!

Thanks to family and friends who sent Christmas Cards our way; we love getting them and love the pictures of kids who growing up so fast. Forgive me for not getting cards out this year except per email. The old arms and hands just fail me sometimes for letter writing, but keyboarding is a bit easier when I can get to it.
Sunday evening we went with The Jarvi and Kim and Jordan to see a cul-de-sac neighborhood of extremely well decorated and lit up houses in Valencia. It was a lighted wonderland. Lights were strung across streets, and yards were decorated to the hilt with Christmas themes. Mostly Santa themes but there was a manger or 2 as well. Several of the apparent home owners were in their driveways with firepits blazing, and even offered hot chocolate or candy canes to spectators. It was lovely! However, it was so darn COLD!! Our car temp read 44 degrees outside. Can you imagine SoCal beach bums in 44 degree weather?? Well, we whine! And complain that "IT'S TOO COLD". I thought I was going to freeze my begonias off! But we all did well in spite of ourselves and enjoyed the gawking at lights.
Christmas Eve we will be at the Jarvi house with Santa, and Christmas Day we will be home for our annual taco fest with the people from Pope Ave and whomever else shows up. Things get fractured when you have to share your kids and their families with their in laws, or when your kids move on to better pastures as in Idaho. But the blessings continue and we rejoice and are thankful for good extended families, and pray everyone has many blessings and good health in 2008.

time flys (or is it flies?)

pics are of Jordan and Braden and little Hudson, taken last week.
Time passes too quickly! Over a month has passed along to the great bin of history, and I wonder what the heck I have been doing because it seems there is nothing to blog about. But I know I been busy! Busy with every day living. Mike fixes me a great breakfast on my work days so I can get to work fortified with protein to carry me through the day. He does the laundry, cleans the kitchen, takes care of the yard, and takes care of grandkids when needed. And then he prints jobs on the press in the garage whenever he can fit them into his busy schedule. Me, I just go to work when scheduled then crochet when home. What a blessed life! And I am thankful for every day of this routine! No current crises to deal with.
We got an artificial Christmas tree in the after-Christmas sales last year. So Mike put it up for the first time last week. It is real nice, and won't dry out to become a tinderbox, so we can leave it up til the cows come home or the creek rises. Nice!
Next week at work we are having a call center mini-health fair with agent appreciation day. that means free lunch... of subway sandwiches... no more grease laden pizzas for us now... our boss is on a health kick. darn it. I am expected to take blood pressures of those who want theirs checked. I hope I don't blurt out with dumb ass things like "holy smokes, why hasn't your fat head blowed off yet, yer pressure is so high!!" I will try to act professional, but that is so difficult!
I have to BORROW a sphygmomanometer if you can believe that. I haven't owned one since I did hospice nursing a hundred years ago.
Wishing all my readers (both of you!) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy2008.