Turning on your blinker does not give you the right of way!

Okay, so I've tried being totally positive about everything. Sometimes a girls gotta vent about something though. So, here is the run down.

1. Just because you turn on your blinker, it does not give you the right of way. It just tells me you want to come over and it's up to me if I choose to let you in front of me.
2. Just because I let 1 person in does not mean I'm a pushover and I'm going to let in the other 20 trying to get over.
3. Instead of trying to cut over about 2 inches before where you want to turn, you might want to consider trying to change lanes a little more ahead of time. I realize, that it is very important for you to get there before me, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way. You can't always get what you want. If you didn't know where you were going, that's fine, but is it really saving you that much time by cutting over in front of me rather than just going to the next opportunity to turn around?
4. If you are sitting in the lane next to me and you are not in front of me or behind me, but next to me and you turn on your blinker...I CANNOT SEE IT! Remember, your blinkers are on the front of your car and the back of your car. So, if I don't let you in, don't assume I'm not being nice...IT'S BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WANTED TO COME OVER!

which, leads me right back to my original opening.....Turning on your blinker does not give you the right of way and I am in no way required to stop my forward motion to let you in. So, keep your middle finger to yourself!

Vent over....Peace out!

Charles Swindoll once said......

The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life....the remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the strings we have, and that is our attitude.

-Just something that spoke to me today. :)

Big Brother is Back!!!

I can't believe this show has been on for 7 seasons already. What's even more shocking is that I have been addicted since season number 1! This I think though will be the best season yet! I'm really hoping that the team from Big Brother season 6 can pull off a win for one of them. I was so rooting for Janelle and Kaysar last season. Anyway, while I have to say that I am addicted to this show like crack, I can say that I have yet to hit the internet dealer for the 24/7 live feeds. I keep thinking about how much scrap stuff or what cute pair of shoes I could buy with that $40. Hmmmm....

Why have I been such a shop-o-holic lately? I have no idea what has gotten into me, but I've had the urge to shop like I've never shopped before! Thankfully, I've been very good at controlling myself. Talking myself out of things, being rational and all. I did hit the mall today, but I came home with nothing...nada...zero...zilch! I tried some stuff on, found a pair of pants, that I'm sure I'm gonna decide that I really do have to have, but I'm thinking on it first. We'll see how I feel in a few days.

I need to follow Jen's lead and get with the program and start purging the excess, because everyone who knows me knows I have excess. I am a pile maker. I make piles of stuff everywhere...books, mail, scrap stuff, pieces of useless paper, catelogs. You name it, I have a pile of it. I need to get rid of these piles! In my defense though, I come by this trait lovingly and naturally from my Dad. He's a pile maker too. Thankfully, G is okay with my piles. I think he's even starting to think it's homey. LOL. Hmmm...maybe I should take this time to start purging my piles instead of blogging....I'll have to think about that. Peace!

So Proud!

Little J is just so stinkin' cute, and he is making G and I so proud! He's really becoming a little stunt boy now! For the last few nights, he's been testing the waters at pulling himself up in his crib. He has been so motivated to get himself up! When he was born, my parents bought him a music box, that plays a little light show and tells a story and sings songs. It's called the Dreamscapes Soother by Leap Frog. He's always loved this thing, but since we came back from Switzerland and got the voice activated Winnie The Pooh Moonlight Dreamshow , we've been using it. Well, in the last couple of days, he's decided that he wants both of them playing at the same time. So, now we've been determined to climb up to it. It's not just enough though to be able to reach up and turn it on.
The goal now is to actually get to it and look directly at the light screen. Usually, this kid is asleep by 9:30, but lately, he's been staying up till about 10 trying and trying to get to that standing position. At 19 months, most parents are complaining about chasing after their little one, or they are beaming with pride that their little one is learing to be potty trained or even speaking in sentences. Sometimes it's hard when your little one is behind, but I can't help but beam with joy and jump up and down as I see little J trying all these things. He as such amazing tenacity and such strong motivation to do anything and everything. Everyday I see just how big the little steps he takes are. I also know, that this amazing little boy is going to take us on one heck of a journey!

Little J is pooped too!

So, this photo is from the other day, but I can say without a doubt, that Little J was tuckered out today. What an amazing little kid this is! He had his first physical therapy session today. Before the therapist came, she told me that they usually run anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how long the little one is willing to work. Little J worked his little booty off! He worked the entire hour. By the time the hour was winding down, you could tell he was so tired out. They were moving him this way and that, doing some resistance training, some muscle building and working on the cues to get him up on those knees and eventually those feet! What a wonderful day, watching him work and move and interact with others. SWEET!

So Stinkin' Cute!

So, what have we been up to this weekend? Well, if you ask G, he'll say work! He's been painting and washing cars and hanging out with Little J. If you ask Little J, he'll say just having fun! It has been a busy weekend, since G does not get very many of them off, we have to take advantage of them when we can! G finished up painting our living room and hallway. OMG does it look awesome! I got some shopping done...YAY! First I went to the annual flea market at Stampers Warehouse. I didn't spend too much just $32 and I got quite a few Stampin'Up and Close to My Heart stamp sets. I love getting these sets! I also picked up the new A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper by Ali Edwards. This book is AWESOME!! Run out and get it now!!! I did a little more damage at the mall...but again not too much. Sorry, no shoes this time :(. We also had a great dinner at Outback Steakhouse with some friends of ours that it seems like it's been ages since we've hung out. Must make it a point to do this stuff more often and not let the time run away.

The week ahead is looking busy! Little J starts his physical therapy on Tuesday. He's already trying to do so much before they start! He's really been amazing me this last week with all the new things he's trying to do. It's kind of weird, that here I am with this amazing little kid who is already 19 months old and behind on his milestones, and I'm jumping around doing the happy dance for all these seemingly little things he's trying to do.

Today, little J spent some time in the bathtub....he just loves being in there! Whenever we pull the camera out, you can count on some huge grins and smiles! I love this photo of him peaking out over the top of the tub.

Elmo's Pooped!

A few weeks ago, my Auntie JoAnn and Uncle Doug came for a visit. You know they couldn't come see Little J without something in hand. Little J has a huge love for anything Elmo! A great example of this love, is a couple of months ago, Little J and I were shopping at Wal-Mart. Little J was sitting in the cart while I was bent over picking something up from a lower shelf. All of the sudden, I feel something hit the back of my leg, and then I hear this little whine. I look up at Little J, and there is this one GIANT crocodile tear on his cheek. I look down, and what do I see at my feet, but a Ginormous Tickle Me Elmo. This thing is bigger than Little J! Somehow, he had managed to grab hold of it from the shelf and pulled it off. So, I pick up Elmo, and Little J immediately starts smiling and hugging Elmo. I go to put it back on the shelf, and here comes the whine and another little tear! I put Elmo in the back of the cart thinking, that when little J is not looking, I will quietly put this Elmo away...afterall, who would pay $40 for a ginormous Tickle Me Elmo? Little J did not take his eyes off of this Elmo! Elmo made Little J so happy, that I am the one who paid $40 for a ginormous Elmo! Anyway, the photo you see at the top is Little J's newest addition to his growing Elmo collection. My Auntie and Uncle of course did not come empty handed, they brought Hokey Pokey Elmo! Elmo does the whole dance! After you make him do it three times though, he tells you "Elmo's Pooped!" G and I love that part the best! I can tell you for sure, that Little J will be giving any and all Elmo's a run for their money. This kid can watch, play with, hug, love and laugh until all the Elmo's are pooped!

The current Elmo population at our house: 3 and growing!

Whew! Time to settle down!

We have been getting inundated with visitors lately! I love having company, but it is also nice when your house settles down and you can get back to your routine and just being lazy sometimes. We don't get very many family photos, so I had to share this one. We took G's mother and sister to San Francisco for the day. We made a stop on Treasure Island on our way over the bridge and got some great photos. We really just spent the day wondering around being tourists. G's sister had never been down before to visit us and had never been to San Francisco. We did the whole Pier 39 thing, including hot clam chowder soup in a bread bowl, then we tood a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and down Lombard Street. After all the hot weather we've been having, we pick the cold and foggy day to head over there. Little J just loved having his Auntie here! He actually whined when she was getting ready to leave.

Auntie K really helped G out. She painted our entire living room for us! G's been finishing up the hall way, and soon we will be able to move our furniature back in....along with a few new pieces I'm looking for ;)! I can't wait to get it all done and enjoy the calm of the space.

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Little J and I spent it shopping! Poor G had to work, so what better use of the day, than to shop a little! No shoes today, but I still have a pair to put a photo up of (I know
Jen your still waiting for the photo)! I did get Little J a cute new outfit from
Gymboree at an amazing 60% off! Gotta love that! I also made a killing at New York & Company. I love their coupons! I also finally caved and bought some
Bare Escentuals make-up on QVC.

Well, it looks like I've written a novel here tonight! Now it's time to go tackle my lists of things I need to do, things I wanna do, and such. Let's hope I can clear all those lists!

Just For Fun!

See how well you know your United States geography! I'll fess up, I only got 80% with an average error of 160 miles. Have fun!

Things have been crazy here, with our company. Today was the first day that G, little J and I have had the house to ourselves for awhile. It's nice! It was great having G's sister here though...she painted our living room for us! I love it! Can't wait to get new furniture and get it all set for relaxing!

I did get some new shoes...I'll have to post those later..they are CAUTE! We spent a day in San Francisco and got some great pictures...I'll have to post those later too. I also went back to an old hobby...counted cross stitch. I have not done that in say 15 years! Don't think I'm giving up scrapping though!

Good Fun!

The other night I got to go out to dinner with the BAS girls and some scrapping celebrities. What fun that was! We had a great dinner at Chevy's and some good conversation! It's always fun hanging out with these ladies! Also in attendance for dinner was THE Ali Edwards! What an awesome person she is! Her positive attitude and great personality are contagious! I loved chatting with her! I also got to meet Cathy Zielske. My camera battery was dead by the time the night was ending, so the picture of Cathy and I is on Suzy's camera. She was another great person to chat with! So sweet!

Welcome baby Tanner!!

Angel and Christian welcomed their new little bundle of love to the world today! Little Tanner Mason Kekoa was born at 1:24pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs, 10 oz and he is 18 inches long. Congratulations Angel and Christian! Congratulations to Granny Suzy and Grampy Paul too! This Auntie can't wait to meet him!!!

YAY!!

Just a quick update! After 3 agonizing weeks of waiting for my bloodwork to comeback from the genetics lab, I am officially not a carrier for the disorder my little one has! This means, that we have a less than 1% chance (which is the same odds as every other pregnancy) of having another child with the same disorder. We have been so looking forward to expanding our family, and now we can with minimal risk! I am also relieved to know, that had we done genetic testing prior to getting pregnant, there would have been no way for us to forsee this.

Photos of my new shoes!

Just sharing a few photos of the new shoes I'm loving right now!

These first shoes, I got at the Steve Madden store at a mall nearby. I love the fact that they were on sale, as I've been looking for a cute pair of brown wedge style shoes! Can't wait to wear them!


!



These, were just calling my name! I saw that beautiful orange, and I was hooked! Then, when the sales girl brought the shoe, and I saw the name of the style, there was no way I was leaving without them! They come in a cute blue and green as well, and I'm thinking I might need the blue color too!

Random!

Things that made me happy today:
-My Mocha Coconut Frappacino!
-G getting up with little J and letting me sleep in!
-G making dinner and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards!
-Loving my 2 new pairs of Steve Madden Shoes (I'll post pictures later)!
-G telling me to go do some more clothes shopping! (I didn't go, because I'm waiting until I have time to go to SF to a few stores I've been wanting to hit)
-That the new Janet Evanovich book comes out tomorrow! TWELVE SHARP!
-My nap in the guest room at 4pm!
-Little J's smiling face today, and when I left the room he comando crawled after me and cried! I just love him!

Things that made me unhappy:
-That the neighbor picked today to have their driveway jackhammered up at 9am sharp! There went the sleeping in!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Just want to take a moment today to wish all the Dad's out there a very Happy Father's Day! Some Dad's I'm especially thinking of and sending extra special wishes to are:



My Daddy! Thank you for everything you have done and do for me! I love you very much!

G! Of course! As I've said before, I am so lucky to have a husband like you, and little J is so lucky to have you as a Dad.

Both of my Grandfathers! They have both gone on to Heaven, but I think of them each and every day.

All of our friends who are dads or are soon to be dads!

Elmo is the Bomb Digity!

At least in our house that is. Little J is an Elmo freak!!! I have an Elmo story to share, but your going to have to wait for it, because I still have to take the perfect photo to go along with it. All I can say right now, is that Elmo makes little J happy. Since Elmo makes him happy, he makes me happy too!

Things have been crazy in our house lately! We have had tons of family visiting, and that isn't going to stop for at least another week or so. That's just fine with us too! It's been so nice having everyone come to see us and offer their love and support for our new journey. It was really nice to have my stepmother here, to go to Little J's evaluation and eligibility appointment for Early Intervention Services. I was a bit nervous about this appointment and what it would entail. We knew, that it would primarily be an evaluation of what types of therapies little J was going to need. Since he was diagnosed with something so rare, we knew that he was going to be automatically eligible. My stepmother is one of the few people who can keep me grounded and focused when my emotions start to take over. The appointment went very well. I really think that the team of people doing his assesment really got a clear picture of what little J can and cannot do. I also cannot wait until we can get all of the right therapies in place and going. Little J has been making such great progress in the last few months while we've been waiting for this appointment, and I am very anxious to see what he will do once the pro's get a hold of him!

There are so many things I am thankful for these days. Mostly though, I am thankful for my family, my friends, the doctors who are working with our family and all their care and concern, and that my faith in God is strong. Everyday, he shows me that he is there for us, that we are not alone, and that everything is going to be just fine.

Today, the things I am praying for are that God will keep his guiding hand on little J and our family, and that he will give the doctors, therapists, us and others that work with him, the wisdom, knowledge and capabilities to work together to give little J every opportunity to stay healthy, be happy, live as independently as possible, be able to do anything his little heart desires, and live his life to the fullest. I also pray this for all the other families of little ones going through similar circumstances.

Just wanted to share a silly picture today!

I have not had much time to scrap lately, but I sure have been taking some silly photos! Little J and Daddy have lots of fun playtime, and it always gets the giggles going! Little J has been on a big I LOVE DADDY kick! On Daddy's days off, he wants to be with daddy and play play play! I really love watching Little J an G play and hang out together. I love how they are so close, even as young as Little J is. It really melts my heart, when Little J and I go looking to find G and see what he's up to, and the minute Little J sees him, his face just lights up and the giggles come pouring out. Then, he reaches for him just waiting for that big hug, that only Daddy can give.

Here is Rick looking at Suzy!

Okay, so this photo isn't from my camera, I haven't taken the stupid thing to get developed yet. I only have my SLR-digital, so I had to rely on one of those disposables. Wow, I am not used to having to actually take film for processing anymore! Anyway, we had a great time, and I KNOW Suzy had a great time!

Thanks Lizz, for sharing your photos! I can't wait to see the rest of the ones you took.

I promise, as soon as I get the ones I took developed, I'll share with you! I'll try to find out which stories I have permission to share.

OOOOHHH! I just noticed something. He is wearing the same shirt in the photo that Lizz took, as the one he is wearing in the video to your right! Do you think he just has more than one of the same shirt? Or do rock stars (that reference is for Suzy) really wear their clothing more than one time like the rest of us?

Hey all you 80's fans!

Do you remember this guy? Do you remember drooling over him on General Hopsital? Do you remember listening to his tunes at your junior high or high school dances? Well, lucky me! After all these years, I finally get to see Rick Springfield in concert. I am attending the Star 101.3 Second Chance Prom with my good friends Suzy and Lizz. Just for the record, we are not wearing prom gear. Well, there is an alterior motive for going to see him. Lizz and I sort of have a little job to assist on at this gig. Here is the scoop.

Do you remember that episode of Friends with Isabella Rossellini? It was from 1996, and it was called "The one with Frank Jr." Anyway it's the one where Ross has his laminated list of all the celebrities he is allowed to "date" without getting in trouble. Well, my friend Suzy has one such list. The list only contains one name....you guessed it Rick Springfield. So, Lizz and I have been appointed as the girls who are to catapult Suzy onto the stage to make all her dreams come true.

I got my Fuji disposable camera ready! This event should provide us with some real fun photos. Stay tuned! This event should be SCRAPALICIOUS!

My Handsome Guys!

Even with everything going on in our house these days, and our future heading down a road we did not anticipate, I find myself to be one of the luckiest women in the world! The other day, I was a little pensive about our future, and I was a little sad about the future that I had originally imagined having to be altered. Then today, I woke up and took another look at this photo I snapped of G and little J. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and to have this beautiful little boy. Everyday, I wake up and get to go to his room and see his smiling joyful face! And let me tell you, this kid never wakes up on the wrong side of the crib! He always has that bright happy smile and the minute he sees me, I hear his joyful laugh as well. I know this journey will not be easy, but what journey is? I know we will hit some bumpy spots, but that is what our family and friends are there for. To help when our tires are flat, we run out of gas or need a tow. So to all of you who have offered support and help, I may not call you today or tomorrow, but when and if we need a little push....I've got your numbers! Thank you!

On a side note, many of you know, that G and I would like to expand our little family. All we are waiting for now, is that little test that I took. There is like a one in a gazillion chance that I may be a carrier for this, but since our insurance is willing to pay for it, we decided that it's better to make sure that I'm not that one in a gazillion. If the blood test comes back positive then we would have a 50% chance of having another child with the same disorder. If it comes back negative we have the same chance as every other family on the planet..less than 1%. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Also, if you have an extra spot on your prayer list, please keep us in your prayers, that God will give us the strength and courage to face the tough days, and that he will help us stand strong in our faith in him.

Love to you all!