Where you can find me...

For now, if your looking for me and have bookmarked this page, try looking for me at http://steph.getaylor.com or http://365steph.wordpress.com/. I've been a good girl and have been blogging daily!

Christmas and Moving = Disaster!

Yup - Movin! Rain, Snow and Christmas all make for a chaotic move! But we're pretty good sports about it, and we've had some great help! Here's a picture of the new house...the movers will be here on the 21st to get the heavy stuff...and the beds! I hope to turn over a new leaf after the move and get back to blogging!

Ladies Beware

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:

You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves. Well, this kind of cruel theft is happening with other body parts as well My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick . The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal.Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans. And then the thieves struck again.

My Butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.

Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time.? What could they do to me next?

When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee! Those "plastic" surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts - stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know has something "lifted", look again - was it lifted from you?

THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS!

P.S. Last year I thought someone had stolen my Boobs. I was lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my waistband.

It happened to me, so BEWARE...

Love ya! Steph

Provided all goes well on her tests...."4.0 Baby"

Well, Miss Amber has been trying desperately to get her (outstanding) 3.875 GPA up to a "4.0" over the past couple months...and the Identity Book Presentation (Freshman Profile) did it----she's over the edge!!!!

As of this morning she's offically a "4.0" student! Proud you ask? UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!!!! She's the bomb! We are so proud of her!

The only (teeny tiny) catch is....she must still do well on her EOC's....(End of Course-Finals) which are this next week...We have faith!!!! YOU GO GIRL! You are amazing!

Memorial Day Weekend and possibly Studying?

This Memorial Day weekend, we pretty much just hung out. Friday night, Amber got to go to her first Midnight Movie - Pirates III - which made for a VERY long night for all of us. Drop her off just before 11pm, so she can stand in line with her friends....Midnight the movie starts....2 hours and 45 minutes later, we are waiting outside the theater for her HOWEVER, they waited to watch ALL the credits...after 3pm, she makes it out...

By this time we're all starving...DEL TACO here we come! LOL - Pathetic. We ended up getting home, eating and then watching (you're not going to believe this) DRAGNET - from like 1967 or something like that....absolutely nothing else was on! We finally all headed for bed at about 4:30am...the rest of the weekend, really is a complete blur....we did alot of sleeping (mostly to catch up) and eating (because we can). Honestly, our schedules didn't get back on track until Monday.

Speaking of Monday....yesterday afternoon, I looked outside, and this was what I saw...something that I think must be a new form of Studying. All I can say is at least she had company! They don't however look like they were helping too much!

Whatever works I suppose...school is almost over! I really miss the complete family time that the summer will bring.

From My Mommy to Me - On Mother's Day!

Steph,

When I read this, it made me think so much of you. And how you truly shaped my Motherhood, good and sometimes bad, but since there is no manual! I’m very proud of my daughter, in every aspect.

Dear Daughter,

If I could wish
one wish for you
this Mother's Day,
it would be
that you always
know how much
you are loved as a daughter,
admired as a mother,
and cherished
as a wonderful friend.

Mom


Sweet huh? :) I thought so! :) Thanks Mommy!

Weather, Weekend and WOAH!

Today, it was 93 degrees (the record for today was 94 last year in 2006)....it's 10pm and it's still 71. Nice breeze though now...

I am not one for VERY hot, or VERY cold. I love the in between. I don't know that I could live in Seattle because of the rain....but I'd be happy with 70 and slightly overcast every day, all year round.

The weather really has been pretty nice, which helped make for a nice weekend last weekend. We had family in town from Seattle...Graham's Dad and Step-Mom. We mostly hung out at home and just visited. Friday night we were able to stay outside on the deck until very late. And Saturday Doris and I got treated to a nice pedicure at the Spa. It was SO NICE! :) While we were gone, Amber watched the "Boys" and Graham and Jerry went to the store to get the rest of the things we needed for dinner.

We had Red Wine, Rosemary and Garlic Red Roasted Potatoes, a nice salad, sourdough bread and ....Rosemary and Garlic BBQ Lamb Chops! ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! We ended our night with a game of Mexican Train Dominos (they play differently (cheat) than we do----LOL---just kidding) and had a Key Lime Cheeseball from Swiss Colony Occasions with Vanilla Wafers! YUM! :)-----Then no rest for the weary, up early on Sunday morning for breakfast before they headed home. Pretty good weekend. :) The boys really were on their best behavior which was nice, and the girl...well, she was too! EXCEPT for the extra hole she pierced in her ear (the previous Tuesday) and we found out while waiting for our table surrounded by all the Mothers Day breakfast patrons waiting as well...so fortunately for her there was no way for either of us to really beat her! LOL....She lucked out. And I guess we did too...it could be worse!

Uh, Yeah...Happy Mother's Day Mom...don't kill me...please...(I think is what she was thinkin)....

Graham's Mom and Step-Dad will be here the middle of June...I hope she does NOT have any more surprises in store...if she does...the funeral will be the following Friday. Don't send flowers, just send more earrings!

Mother's Day Early for Me!

Well once again, Amber blessed her mom....an Early Mothers Day gift...unknowingly! In several of her classes they have been working on different assignments that will all go together into a "Freshman Profile" ...including Poems, Biographies about them (that a classmate wrote about them), and several other things, including a profile about someone in their family that is either interesting or famous. They will all present them the last week in May. My darling daughter wrote her profile about "yours truly"....how sweet. I bawled! Several times! :) She wanted to blog it, who am I to say no! Here it is...enjoy!

Amazing young lady we've raised! Thanks BABYAM!

Rhododendrons are poisonous to dogs!

Just in case you didn't know...Rhododendrons are poisonous to dogs...the leaves are the worst, but the blooms are bad too. We found out via personal experience. Amber saw a commercial for Greenhurst Nursery a couple weekends ago...and wanted to go. No problem. We left there with FOUR beautiful Rhoddys...all in different colors. We planted them and within a couple days had our first bloom on one of them.

The "boys" didn't seem to bother the plants. YEA! However, when Humphrey saw that first bloom, I think he was dying to taste it! These boys put everything in their mouths! EVERYTHING! Toddlers I tell ya! Anyway, they got the opportunity to be alone in the back yard for "just long enough"...which wasn't very long at all...and Humphrey managed to eat almost the entire bloom. We didn't however notice (it was on the back of the plant) until he started throwing up beautiful purple puke. Sick, I know, but necessary to tell you...as it was VERY pretty BEFORE he ate it.

The vet said she'd like to give him the once over, since he'd probably puked out everything already...(seriously like probably 10 times or more)...but that it causes cardiac problems and can mess with the liver and kidney functions...so off to the vet we go. He stayed all day. His ALT levels are up (which so are Tommy's---we found out when he got fixed last month) which is a red flag for Liver Disease... so they both have appointments in June to get more blood work.

Humphrey seemed to get through it fine, however it's scary, because you don't know what that poison is going to do to their little systems and they are still indeed PUPPIES...

We knew that we might have to get rid of them, if Humphrey couldn't stay away from them, but we decided that we'd watch and make sure they didn't get into them again. They are almost NEVER unsupervised, as they are little "followers" and follow all of us EVERYWHERE.

But alas...although Humphrey stayed away...little brother didn't. Tommy set out to potty, managed to get side tracked and when mommy realized (that's me) that he was AWOL from the living room...I found him swallowing something. My first thought? "The Rhoddys"....sure enough, another New Red Bloom was devoured. I was a wreck. Called the Vet, and by the time she told me to give him a TEASPOON of Hydrogen Peroxide...he'd already started puking...I'll tell you they make them vomit almost instantly. So we got about 1/2 a teaspoon down the little guys throat, and within almost a minute, he was going at it again....meanwhile, while Mommy's cleaning up...Daddy is digging up Rhoddys...so sad! Almost $200 in gorgeous blooming plants...must go! I called my friend Carrie (who doesn't have any dogs) to come get them...and that they needed to be planted right away...I was bawling...for every reason you could think of. She jumped in her car, and came right over...Thanks Carrie! They now have a good home.

Needless to say, the boys are doing ok. But please make a MAJOR note that these plants are NOT good to have when you have dogs!

This is SO my personality!

Saw this today on someone elses blog...(Button Fuzz - Who makes me laugh everytime I visit his blog) and if you know me, you know this is soooo my personality. And you also know I would never do it. I'd talk about it, but never do it! :)

Funny Hub

Birds Nest...and VIDEO!

I keep forgetting to take a picture of the NEW birds nest, that Miss Robin Redbreast built, and abandoned (we think)...during her torturous smacking of our bay window...I'll do that in the morning. However if you look to the right (in my recent posts) and click on Repeat Vistor, you can see the video of her that I took -it's toward the bottom of the post. I finally figured out how to get videos posted! Yea Steph!

Age or Expansion?

At 30-something (lol) I'm finally expanding my musical horizons a bit...no one would probably ever have guessed I'd enjoy Harry Connick Jr., and there are some that would wonder where Toby Mac/DC Talk fits in...but Joshua Bell? Steph likes THAT type of music? Are you sure? :) YES! I'm absolutely sure!

I came across his amazing sound by accident, "Secretly" reading "the next blog" and landing on someone's interpretation of "Pearls for Breakfast" which prompted me to also blog about that story. Then the Today Show did another similar story about him this morning, and I was once again mystified....

There is nothing more to say, except....WOW!

Introducing....

Drum Roll Please......I would like to introduce you to...my Uncle Rick and my NEW AUNT Gena!!!! Congrats!!!!! We love you both! xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxo - Rick, be nice to her....and Gena, welcome to our extremly CRAZY FAMILY!!!!!!

Tickets! Tickets!!!! & MORE TICKETS!!!!!!!!

Well...a few days ago, we saw a commercial that Martina McBride was coming to our little ole town...AWESOME! Amber will be so excited! :) So, Graham took a peek to see when the tickets were going on sale....and lo, and behold...Harry Connick Jr. is coming too!!!!!! NO WAY! (WHAT A HOTTIE!!!!!) - Those tickets were available for purchase now...and he'll be here on my birthday! Two tickets please! - Hubby must love me...cuz they arrived in the mail yesterday - Happy EARLY B-day to me! :) -THANKS SWEET CHEEKS!

So, the Martina McBride tickets go on sale on Friday (we put it on the calendar)....but Graham managed to come across the pre-sale password for her tickets last night...Can you say "DAD's the BOMB"! They went on (pre)sale this morning!!!! And at just a few minutes after 10am...I was purchasing 3 tickets...AMAZING little extra bonus (not having to get caught in the website lockup tomorrow, or the push & shove line at TCBY!)

I also have to mention that on Wednesday morning I saw a commercial during the Today Show that Josh Groban was coming too...holy cow! My mom loves the guy! Mother's Day gift? You betcha! :) I was hoping she wouldn't see the commercial...what was I thinking that she lived in a box?....We also had put that on the calendar. So after the order of the Martina McBride tickets (such a great experience with the whole presale password thing)...I had to start searching for the Josh Groban presale password too...i'd be out of my mind not to at least try!!!! :) I "googled" it. I never found the password right out...but I guessed at it! And BING...enter in a few letters, and to my ABSOLUTE surprise...there I was faced with ordering tickets that second! Holy Cow Batman!!! Funny thing is, for both sets of tickets I was only going to get the "medium priced" tickets....but I have since learned that pre-sale orders are for the higher priced tickets. LOL - OOOPS!!!!!!!!!

My mom was tickled pink today when I gave her a "home-made" ----Happy UN-Mother's Day card, with the confirmation email in it....and they don't even go on sale until Saturday! :) Can you say BONUS POINTS! :)

Amber too was very excited when Graham handed her the confirmation email for Martina! I think it's been a good day all around! Especially for the ticket sales people....they have received a TON of money from us in the past couple days...today especially!

Blessings all around!

Reflection...

Well, she came back again this morning, but before 7am. I swear she didn't stop last night until after 8pm. I just found this article, and so I am off to try the tips! Wish me luck. I can't afford a headache again today!

Repeat Visitor...

During last several days (off and on), early in the morning we've had an unexpected visitor. Though the dogs aren't too fond of her, I'm sure she doesn't really care much. The first day she arrived, Saturday, I kept hearing something hitting the front window, It sounded almost like a sprinkler, it was every couple seconds. So I got up to check, and several times I watched as Miss Robin Red-breast flew into the front bay window, smacked it, and tried again. Over and over. I tried to get a picture, but by the time I got the camera out, all I could get was a blur...the boys had beat me to the window and scared her off. How sad, yet comical that she would continue trying. Off and on throughout the morning she tried to get inside. We have two small birds nests under our front porch, that have been there since we moved in, but we have not had any one take up residence thus far. This happened again this morning, only I got some great shots of Miss Robin this time. They boys have been almost too busy to notice, thankfully. HOWEVER, this time, the poor thing has hit the bay window at least 75 times now. I started taking pictures of her at 8:22am, and the last picture at 9:33...it's now 9:48 and she's still "knocking"...my heart breaks for her since I know that birds don't have any repreive from their head-aches like we do, and I promise, she's gonna have a whopper!

Strange! Over and over....so, just I moved myself into the front sitting room to watch, and see what she might be trying to get at...and I swear her "hits" are every several seconds..15 seconds, now 5 seconds, and 3 seconds. Here are the boys...and there she goes----into the tree, only feet away. I'm sure she'll be back. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her "smacking" the window, but that might be too rude, I would hate for someone to get a picture of me making a fool of myself.
I wonder how long she'll stick around, she's beautiful, though sometimes brains are more of an asset...

11:16am - She's still going at it...

11:53am - I'm getting a headache now...I don't believe this. Here's the video

1:30pm - Amazing determination, yes...she's still attempting the impossible!

2:38pm - I've got to find something to hang there...I am dumb-founded at this point, cuz it's not even bothering the dogs anymore...

4:20pm - You wouldn't believe me...

4:48pm - Still no reprevieve unless I go out there...this is her contribution to my suffering, that she left on our porch...(see below) this is only part of it, a small part - can you say GROSS!

Vanished!

I logged in this morning to find my cool pink and white with pink flowers Blog template, was GONE! DISAPPEARED! VANISHED! This will have to do (green/pink/black) until I find "the perfect one" again...**sigh**

The House that Jack Built - Phase II

So another weekend passed by very quickly and although there was not alot of rain, there was WIND, pretty much all weekend...so much wind that it really got irritating!

Graham got Phase II of the Deck Landscaping done. The Bark and Border....it's beautiful! Amber and I did some much needed bush/tree pruning and pulled some weeds, so that the flower beds could get their cedar border and some new bark added to them. Wow! What a difference a little bit of border/bark can do!

We thought long and hard about borrowing dads' truck, buying a wheel-barrow and getting bulk bark. And after much consideration decided that buying the bags (Wally World had a great deal on it) would be a more viable option. And easier! So....Graham went and got some bark. The first load, which we thought would get us a great start, well...after 25 bags of bark...really didn't make much of a dent. We wanted it pretty thick...because the ground isn't level back there, we wanted the bark to make sure and give the impression that it was...LOL! Shortly after Graham got the bark dumped into the back bed, we realized we needed more! So off we went again to pick up 30 more bags! I can't believe we got all that into the Expedition!

Lookin good!!!!!!!!! But still shy a few bags! Can you believe that? 55 Bags of bark by this time and now still a few shy! We picked up a couple more from HomeDepot because they are the only place that had the cedar edging we used, while we were there....and although we bought 8...we could have easily used 10...the front bed is a little lean, but we could not bring ourselves to go back! Do you blame us???

The wind was just driving us crazy and I swear it didn't stop until this morning, and it's supposed to be beautiful today! Sunny, 67 and no wind. I don't get it! And then of course, tomorrow and Wednesday (Amber's outta school that day) they are forecasting rain! We just want to get our cushions out for the new furniture, so we can enjoy the deck...is that just asking too much? We're not so much worried about the rain, as the wind blowing them away...maybe we'll get them out today.

Flowers and other decorative things will come, when we're sure there are no more Frost warnings...and with our weird weather, who knows when that will be!

Pearls Before Breakfast

Ok - So I have to admit, I'm enjoying reading other peoples blogs...and about a week ago I came across a guys blog that just made me laugh almost to the point not being able to breathe. Tonight I checked it out again, and came across another post, although this one wasn't funny, it was just amazing. Amazing in the fact that people now-days are just too busy to see beauty that is put directly in front of them...they don't stop to bask in the awe of things that could help change their whole outlook on the day ahead of them...

That's it! I'm stopping no matter what it is! - Even if I'm going to be late...life is just too short!

Even though this is a very long read, it's soooo worth it, and don't forget to watch the video's (with sound)...beauty at it's finest! Click here to read the article Pearls Before Breakfast

IF A GREAT MUSICIAN PLAYS GREAT MUSIC BUT NO ONE HEARS . . . WAS HE REALLY ANY GOOD? - I loved that statement (from the article)

My prayer for you all today is:

Dear Lord, thank you for all the beauty you provide for each of us daily, I pray that all your children seek the time as they read this post, and read this article to stop and appreciate all (ALL) beauty that is before them, not just the obvious. Thank you for all the blessings we are so freely given, because every second we're alive is a blessing from you.
Amen.

On my HIGH horse again...

The title says it all...but, safety (internet safety) is my passion...and you already know this if you know me...I don't quit!

We've seen a commercial a couple times the past few days that has just struck a cord. I wish they could show this commercial at school every day (maybe I'll suggest that)...it all surrounds safety in posting (blogging, myspace, etc.) geared toward teen girls. I have one of those (a teenage girl), who does blog...and the few times we'd seen that commercial, she was no where around.

Today, I found the link to the commercial. I made her watch it...and I highly recommend you watch it, especially if you have/know a teenage girl...or boy for that matter...you could help save a life. Show them this video too!

http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/yourname.htm

As always, though I don't solicit them...I welcome your comments.

School for Dogs?

Yep! You heard me right! Humphrey Bogart and Tommy Lee just had their second Doggie Lesson. It’s not puppy kindergarten at PetSmart, it’s one on one puppy school. We have a dog trainer, who’s been training dogs for 35 years who comes over once a week for between an hour and an hour and a half and teaches us to work with the dogs. They are doing great! What good little guys! They are so smart! Anyway, we’ve been learning Sit, Stay, Down (lay-down) and Heel….and today we added Check and Come.

You can completely see the different personalities between the two when they are working. Amazing how quickly they can pick this stuff up!

We worked them in the front yard tonight which was nice, kids running around, riding their bikes by, cars and another lady walking her dogs, she’s got two Miniature Pinchers and a Greyhound. They both seemed to handle it pretty good all things considered. In a couple weeks we’ll be taking them to the park…so they’ll have more distractions.

Right now, they are sound asleep laying next to me. That ½ hour to 45 minutes wears them right out! Very sweet!

Mickey

Yesterday I was watching the Today Show, and saw a story on a darling Boston Terrier. His name is Mickey. Rather than try and explain the story myself, I'll post the link.

(If ever this link is broken, please let me know and I'll remove the link).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18037022/

Of course the story caught my eye, because we have our two Boston Terriers. Humphrey, is micro-chipped in two places, and Tommy Lee will be when he get's fixed on the 25^th of April. We believe it's a great idea to get your pets micro-chipped. The chip is smaller than the size of a piece of rice, and has to be inserted with a needle…amazing!

The House that Jack Built!

Thought I'd post a quick note, about our Easter Weekend. Graham and I have been trying to decide what to do in the back corner of our back yard...when we moved in last June, it was a weed garden, so we thought we'd turn it into a vegetable garden. It didn't get enough sun, sadly...and it got too much water, due to the back neighbors sprinklers not being adjusted properly. So after that mess...we knew that was not going to work, but we had no idea what to put in it's place...we discussed planting grass...decorative patio bricks and even having a concrete pad poured. None of those really seemed logical...so we came up with a DECK, then we could put a Gazebo on it! Yea! Great idea!

Sounds great doesn't it? It really is! Its very pretty...and when we get our new furniture unpacked (hopefully tomorrow) and then get the landscaping done (maybe next month) it'll look even better. We are so excited! Our new patio set is a dark weather resistant wicker, with tan colored cushions, ottomans, and a coffee table...very pretty! (I'll post pictures when we get it out there---so check back!)

Graham worked VERY hard. He spent all day Saturday working on the deck, until the weather decided to turn on us late in the afternoon, so Sunday he finished it up, and put up the Gazebo. We did help (Amber and I)...however, he deserves all the credit. We just helped keep the supplies coming, and made sure he stayed hydrated...and all the other "grunt" work...but we can both say we helped. Hard to really do much more than that...watching it was really a one person (with helpers) job. Poor guy was very sore!! I think he still is. He's got bruises all over his legs! The "boys" helped too...NOT! But they sure had fun playing outside all day!

We will continue to add pictures as we get more done...we still have not made any final decisions about landscaping yet...a fire pit, or a fountain....or neither. Large river rocks, bark, decorative bricks....bluck!

Right now the weather is still pretty unpredictable, so we're waiting to seal the deck until June (as per directions from the deck-lady at HomeDepot) when the pollen and flower blooms are done blowing all over, so there is no possibility of a "film" in conjunction with the sealant. And for those of you who might be wondering, we do have a "screen" for the inside of the Gazebo, to keep out the bugs...but we also are waiting until the weather shapes up. The winds out this way (South of town) are stronger and we want to preserve the netting for when we'll really need it. :) Can you blame us?

Inside the center top of the Gazebo there is a hook for a....believe it or not....chandelier. I am not kidding, they have outdoor chandeliers! We are not putting electricity out there, but we are thinking of hanging a battery operated lantern out there...just gotta find one first!

Ok - I think it's bed time...it's been a long couple weeks. Maybe tomorrow I'll post more about what's been going on around here, other than the deck...zzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Enough is Enough - March Against Meth

I have so much to say about the title of this blog, and honestly not enough time, but I expect to continue on with this, often.

In 1998 Milton Creagh came to the Treasure Valley and spoke to the community, with very direct verbiage...YOU HAVE A METH PROBLEM HERE IN IDAHO...no one listened. I actually was 28 when he came here, and I went with my mom to the Idaho Center to listen to what he had to say. Everything that came out of that mans mouth was so right on the mark. I remember listening to him and just shaking my head in agreement...some of the things/drugs that were prevalent were very new to our community...some I had seen 10 years prior, and yes...some I had done. When we drove away I remember that my mom and I didn't stop talking the whole way...we were both in awe, we were both humbled, we were both pretty shaken. I realized then...10 years after I had graduated that I had an addictive personality. I realized then that only by the GRACE of God had I managed to excel in life without being an alcoholic or drug user. I had lucked out an was only...a smoker.

I shared alot with my mom that night that I might never have shared, and admitted to trying a good chunk of the drugs that Mr. Creagh mentioned while in Jr. High & High School (yes, I said Jr. High). I was a pretty good kid, knew right from wrong, and also really wanted to be accepted. And just like in that 1998 address by Mr. Creagh then, he said it again over the course of several days MULTIPLE times this week (March Against Meth) to many audiences...kids (people) do so many stupid things just to be accepted, and be cool. I am one of those statistics. I also realized that with a 6 year old daughter (at the time) that I needed to really stay educated and keep a watchful eye. I can't change the world, however I surely can keep a handle on myself and do everything I could to keep the lines of communication open with my daughter so that when she was presented with (notice I didn't say "IF") the opportunity to smoke/drink/use drugs/have sex/the list is endless, that she would at least have as much information as she possibly could to handle the situation properly, make the right choice, say no, etc....and if she made/makes the wrong ones...well then I can only hope for a few things:

1) That I (we, my husband included) have given her all the right/informative information and that it was a mistake that SHE made freely knowing it was wrong to begin with, not because she didn't know better.

2) That she has enough respect for herself and for us that she will come to us and admit that she's made the wrong choice, and she's learned from it---before it gets worse.

3) If she is/or knows of someone who is in trouble, that she feels comfortable coming to us (or someone else she trusts) so that hopefully she/they can get help and also so that the burden of hiding/hindering a problem is not on her shoulders. Kids/teens have enough stuff going on in their daily life, they don't need the extra stress. That's what parents/adults are for, to support these up and coming future parents/leaders/educators in EVERY POSSIBLE POSITIVE WAY.

So, with all of that in mind...I am thankful that God has really been looking out for me, and that my tough addiction is smoking...not that it is easy to quit, not that it's a better choice, but only because I know I can beat it. I know, in my very heart that I would not be able to beat any of the other legal/illegal alternatives...and believe me, I've had strength through alot of trials that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I seriously believe everyone has an addiction, some of us are just luckier than others when it comes to the severity...that is why when we (as a PEOPLE) see the path of destruction that gangs/drugs/alcohol are bringing to our families, friends, neighborhoods and communities...we need to get a handle on it WHERE we can. And the first stop is in our living rooms...don't think you have to be "all that" to your kids, they respect the fact that you aren't perfect. Share your struggles, share your experiences! And don't wait until your kids are 12 & 13 to start talking to them...if you have elementary kids...start opening the lines of communication now! They are having issues in grade school too...some issues worse than others, but if you can talk about gossip/backstabbing/bullying when your kids are in the 3rd and 4th grade...then you will be able to talk about smoking/drinking/sex/drugs etc. when they are the most vunerable, and hopefully by then, they will be coming to you!!!!!!!!!!! You won't have to ask, they'll tell you what their friends are doing.

I was about 10 when I tried smoking...I got caught, I lied, I continued to do it. I didn't inhale...but I still did it. I thought I was cool. I thought I was cool until 7th grade (Jr. High School), when some girls walked by me in the hallway and started taunting me that "ewwww someone smells like smoke"...they were the popular girls. So I thought, then I found out that they were the girls that didn't smoke cigarettes, but they were the girls that smoked pot. Now that's gotta be cool...if they're doing it. See the pattern? Fast forward to High School...by now I (or even you who is relating to this story) know who has what drugs, I have a job, I have money and even transportation. Scary isn't it. Friends/boy or girlfriends that are older, who have friends who have different drugs...you are cool aren't you? So easy.

Parent's, friends, family...anyone reading this...YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT IMMUNE, DRUGS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE. Kids raised in good homes, both parents, brought up loving God, making good choices, good grades, with money, with goals...etc - those kids are no more immune than the kids with one parent, living in a shack, with no God, bad choices, no money, no goals....Drugs have no boundaries.

Kids will undoubtably make mistakes. That is part of growing up, learning, testing the waters...but help them to grow up saying "NO" (remember Just Say No?) and knowing "Not Even Once" is the motto they need to learn and also live by...because it only takes once, to get addicted to smoking, it only takes one drink to get addicted to drinking...it only takes once to get addicted to meth (and die), it only takes once to have sex and get an STD, or pregnant...

Be a good listener, not a preacher. Ask questions, be honest, be blunt! Do this daily, do it early, do it now...and please explain WHY they need to know "NOT EVEN ONCE"...

Update

Guess it's time for an update! :) What a loser! - Amber and Graham have been surpassing me...what's with that? LOL Maybe this long one will help me catch up a bit!

Ok I'll start here (previously emailed this to a friend, perfect for blogging) - Well I’m home from San Jose (gone the 13th, 14th and 15th)…I'm tired, with the time change and then time changing back and forth between here and San Jose…messed me up. Early rise every day, long days….3 of them! We went to the Doctor on Sunday, then off to the beach…what fun! It was almost like driving to McCall (Or maybe Idaho city) through the canyon just to get to the beach…where it was open. Mountains so beautiful! Then the waves! Awesome! Then dinner at Alice’s Restaurant. Guess Arlo Guthrie wrote a song about Alice’s Restaurant…don’t really know the song/era/reason…but I overheard that it’s FAMOUS…I read a ton of reviews on it….and every review was either a 4 or 5 star….all held true. Great food. I ate a burger called the "La Mans". Then back to the hotel….strange place I’ll tell ya. Looked like a college apartment complex (a small one) from the outside…nice windows the tic/tac/toe kind…well kept up outside…walk in the front door, everything looks updated and nice…newer carpet, new paint and wallpaper (textured)…and a sign. I posted a picture of it on flickr. Hysterical. I finally figured out it is because the hotel permits smoking which is known to cause cancer….anyway, the rooms are nice. Jaccuzis in them…ours had two beds a kitchette with fridge, stove, sink cupboards…and a sofa and table w/two chairs. Cute. :) Almost old, trying to get to new status. :) Serve breakfast every morning…scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast, toaster waffles, muffins, bagels, juice, fruit etc….nice! And then Monday thru Thursday they have a lite dinner, menu rotating. Monday night was make your own deli sandwich, with tons of stuff! :) Free food is always great! Then Monday we left for the surgery center we had to be there by 8:30, met a nice man who’s son was also having the same surgery as Rachel. Very nice guy from Ohio. Rachel did awesome throughout everything. Amazingly strong little girl. She just seemed to know what was going to happen next and wanted things to be very similar. They helped make it that way for her which was great. She slept all day, once she woke up we were released within about a half hour, it was about 5:45 when they wheeled her out to the car. Then we ate our sandwiches (Rachel had some candy and 7-up) and we went to the $1.25 store, so Rachel could look around. She felt pretty good. When she was ready to leave, we headed back to the hotel to do some coloring and have some girl time. Tuesday morning we were up at 5am, and outta the hotel after a yummy breakfast about 7:30, and only by the grace of God did we make it to the airport in the traffic (10 miles) in 30 minutes, and about 5 different freeways/expressways etc. later….to return the rental car and get checked in, through security, and into a very crowded room to wait for the plane. :) We all made it home in one piece. I was lucky, I got a good nap...Carrie and Rachel however, did not. Poor girls!

Let's see, the rest of the week consisted of catching up on sleep, wanting to do laundry...and not accomplishing it...and getting back into the swing of things. I was thankful to come home to a house just as clean/picked up as I left it....but sad to hear that Graham and Amber did so well without me. It's so nice to be needed...

Saturday Amber and I went with my mom and Gena out running around. We went to Morris Hill Cemetery to find a headstone, for one of mom's fellow genealogists. We cleaned up around the headstone of this mans, and what we think was his wifes. Then placed some flowers for them, and took a couple pictures. We also went to lunch, Japanese, maybe not my best choice to take them too...but none the less an experience. LOL - I tried to pay the bill..since I ordered so much food (I wanted them to taste so much)...but even though I gave the lady my bank card...mom walked over there (while I was not paying attention) and told the lady she was buying. I was not amused. We also hit the dollar store, and ShopKo on our journey. :) Saturday evening, our friends (and previous neighbors) came over for a very nice visit and brought their youngest son, and puppy with them. Scrappy and the boys love their play dates! It's so nice to watch them wear themselves out. And we get to visit!!!!

Sunday afternoon sleepy head slept until almost 1pm (she about choked when I went up and told her it was 10 to 1)...then she got some food in her tummy and settled in to do some homework. Graham and I took the boys to Zamzows to get some round-up and fertilizer...they went nuts...they love people! Doesn't matter who, or where, just people! Then we headed to Home Depot for a doggie door. Even though we ran errands, sprayed round-up, installed the doggie door etc...we still had time for a short walk around the block with the boys.

And finally...today...MONDAY...I got some laundry done!!! Monday is usually my laundry day, so I don't feel like I'm behind at all! Yea! We all pitched in with dinner and had bacon, eggs and pancakes for dinner. YUM!

Tomorrow is a new day! It's not Monday anymore, however there is a 60% chance of rain, and the weather has been so beautiful, i'll be sad to see it go...spring is here, that's for sure! We are having the "Dell" guy over in the morning, to fix a clients machine (Gold Support is Awesome!) which is so funny, since he's doing what Graham would normally do, but...the customer paid for the extended warranty, so Dell comes out and does it! Funny! We also are having a meeting with a man who does Dog Training in the evening...these puppies are so cute, we want them to STAY cute...and learn a few manners. :) We tried Puppy Kindergarten, and both of us were really not impressed...add to that our little guys are so VERY social and hyper, it's almost impossible for them to chill and actually learn in that one hour time frame when there are 4 or 5 different "friends" to play with! We'll see how this meeting goes!

Hopefully this will catch me up with my blogging...I'll try and stay on top of it. If you get a chance, you gotta read Graham's Blog he secretly reads news (inside joke) and found a real whopper of a news article! Hysterical! --- Secrest Out !

Better than Myspace...

So, first of all, I must comment on my last blog entry. I prayed Amber would be able to handle having a blog, and that we would not regret letting her have one. Some of the things she's blogged about are not on our top 10 list of things to blog about, however most of them are exactly what we had in mind.

Our biggest deal is that it's NOT myspace, and she has a place to be herself and vent. The sharing with our family and our friends is just a bonus so they will know how she is...and really who she is for that matter. :)

We're proud of her, and sometimes we just have to let her be her. No matter how hard it is sometimes. Choose your battles. :)

Please feel free to comment, and share your thoughts about this...it's always helpful to hear what others have to say!

xoxoxo
Steph

Manipulated

Ok - So I admit it, I am a sucker! You see, I guess it's not only me...both Graham and I caved. Amber was all bent out of shape because Mom has a blog, and she doesn't. We told her to state her case, and give us 7 reasons she would like to have a blog and 3 safety rules. She gave us 8, and 4. All of which are logical, and rules that she knows. Yea! It's not myspace, so we're happy. Anyway...we have full access, and hopefully she'll use it correctly, or it's gone! Zap! Disappearing! :)

Dear Lord, please help her prove she's a good girl by following the rules! Thank you! Amen :)

Jane! Get me off this crazy thing!!!!!!!

Today is Thursday and you'd think that things would have slowed down by now...NOT! Graham finally made it home Tuesday night around midnight. It was quite a chore for him to get back home though, as US Airways doesn't let people fly "standby"...can you believe that? He also got a very rude lady at the check-in desk. Poor guy! Needless to say, it all worked out eventually, US Airways made it right for him, thank goodness!

On Wednesday morning, Humphrey had to go in to get neutered. However, not only that but have 3 baby teeth removed, and microchiped in 2 places. Talk about traumatic! He really has been a trooper though! Thankfully they gave him some pain meds. Woo hoo! Pretty soon the whole family will be doped up! LOL Tommy didn't fair too well though, he really sulked all day, wandering around the house aimlessly looking for his big brother. One look from those sad eyes and you just HAD to give him a treat. Seriously he made out like a bandit (manipulator) while his brother was getting the shaft!

While I only had one little one to watch, who mostly slept at my feet all day, I paid bills, got organized (at least a little bit more), did some filing, got the laundry completely caught up and managed to finally get the boys' AKC paperwork done and ready to go in the mail! Yea! Cross a couple more things off my list! The bad news in all of this is that I overdid it with my toe. I paid for it in the middle of the night Wed night, oh...did I pay! I guess since I accomplished so much the day before, I should have tried harder to stay off my feet the past couple days. Tough!!!! That is really tough! Two puppies, a teenage daughter and a husband...all of which are used to being taken care of!

Sunday I'm leaving with my best friend (and her daughter) to go to San Jose for a couple days. Her daughter is having surgery while we're there...but in the midst of it all we're going to try and go to the beach and find some "shells"....I can't wait to take pictures! I've never been there before, so we should have a little bit of fun in addition to the little bit of discomfort...maybe we can make up for it. I think my best friend and I both really need a break from reality too. So it should be some good "me" time too.

Been surfing blogs alot lately....I have to admit, they are something of their own breed, obviously. I've found everything from vacation blogs, to baby blogs, to book blogs, to super software geek blogs...wow! I've had this blog for a couple years now, and have never done anything with it...but recently my mom mentioned about one of her cousins who sends out an email with pictures to a bunch of people whenever she travels..."she should blog"...that sparked me to take my own advice. This way maybe mom can show her mine...and maybe it's something that would work for her...it's pretty easy.

I have had several old journals/diaries...but this is different. I am sure that people type their whole lives and thought processes in blogs for that same purpose...along with random ideas and poems...however, I'm not entirely certain of what this will bring for me. I do know that it's been something nice (maybe relaxing) for me to do, and I wish that I would have entered in alot of stuff over the past two years, if not here...somewhere. It's been quite busy around here!

On the road..

On the road
Originally uploaded by Boise IT.

Here's a picture of where Graham was staying. He's so funny! Look closely you can see him in the mirror! Can you say Geek?

Don't bother us! We're sleeping!

Don't bother us! We're sleeping!
Originally uploaded by Boise IT.

Well, in the midst of playing around (since I can't do anything else but sit here) I decided to see what the link is between blogger and flickr...so I picked a picture within our flickr account, and chose the icon that said "blog this" and now I have the opportunity to type in my text, and the title came in all by itself, as the name of the picture.

How fun is this! This is a picture of Humphrey and Tommy...taken quite some time ago. (I'll figure it out, and post it later here). They love sleeping together, and don't like being in separate crates. However, they are starting to out grow the crates. *sigh*

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down!

It's Monday - Aren't Monday's worthless? I say that partially because I'm sitting here with my feet elevated, ice on my big toe...all the while thinking of the things that need done, that are NOT getting done. Graham just left for the airport. He's going to Phoenix to set up a network for a client there...the timing of my toe is just not good. Oh well, what can I do. He's leaving 55 degrees here and going to 85 degrees there. I'm jealous. He also said he might not come back. :(

Humphrey Bogart and Tommy Lee, thankfully are pretty good and seem to know that I can't be up playing, so they just lay either next to me, or on the floor beneath me. Very sweet! They know that Amber will play with them when she gets home. The back door is cracked a bit so they can go out and play and then come back in when it's time to take 5 and check on mom!

Speaking of Amber, she's getting a cold. Poor girl. I think I'll probably keep her home tomorrow, because she's not feeling good (and mom MADE her go to school today, how rude!) and also because she has an orthodontist appointment tomorrow (to get her bleaching trays) and Humphrey has a pre-op appointment to get some blood work done. He goes in Wednesday morning to get neutered. Guess I'll be livin on Ibuprophen tomorrow instead of the good stuff, so I can drive! :)

...ok, more later.

Ouch ! = Couch!

It's time to start blogging! Enough with the "catch-up" emails! LOL This way EVERYONE can be caught up, at their convenience. Sounds easy enough!

We are getting much closer (not quite ready yet) to publishing the new family website...it's amazing. Graham has been working really hard trying to please his most "picky" of clients. Me (Steph). He's doing a great job, and surprisingly without many changes. We had talked about adding a blog to the website, and this way is one way that I could work in it without much effort. I set it up, so I am the one learning it. :) Who knows, maybe we'll all have one of our own someday.

Today's been a rough day, I stubbed my toe on the door, and managed to pull right big toe-nail 3/4 of the way off...blood everywhere! Off to the Minor Emergency Center we went...and after he wrapped it up really tight, and wrote me a Rx, he sent me on my way! Can you believe that? He did give me some great pain killers though! So I can't complain too much. Just gotta stay off my feet, and keep it iced and elevated. Great! Let's see how long that lasts!

I'm just playing around today with this blog, mostly to see what I can and can't do...so understand if things look strange, that's why! Additionally please give me some grace with my spelling etc, since I'm a little loopy! (Loopier than normal that is.)

Love you all!