Washington, D.C. Day Trip

On Monday the 10th, we spent the day in D.C.

My mom's plane was leaving early on Tuesday morning, and she had been wanting to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We decided to combine the day with a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo to visit the panda baby Tai Shan who had just celebrated his first birthday on Sunday the 9th! For more about the zoo and the pandas, go to http://nationalzoo.si.edu.

Here are some photos from the zoo:


Little Tai Shan -- Well, not so little now that he's a year old! He was a little shy, so this is one of the best shots I could get of him. He flashed his butt once though! I just love pandas!


Mama panda Mei Xiang sits and enjoys some bamboo. I just think she is so beautiful!


Here are my little animals posing in front of Tai Shan's poster.


What a goof!

They also had a small mammal house where we discovered golden lion tamarins! Tamarins are small primates that resemble little lions in their coloring. Here is a little video of a black/gold variety of these interesting little creatures. The kids really enjoyed them!




After the zoo we headed down the road to Arlington Cemetery. You may remember the story of my mom's high school sweetheart. John Chubb and my mother met at Perry Junior High. They were engaged in high school to be married. Unfortunately the Vietnam war called him away, and his helicopter went down. He was listed as MIA until just recently when DNA confirmed the recovery of his remains, along with the remains of his fellow crew members. Most of what was identified returned home to Gardena, and a very nice memorial commenced...allowing him to rest with his parents who passed on years ago. Portions of the unidentified remains were given a home in Arlington during an April ceremony. At the moment, there is not a permanent marker, but we found the location.

Here is my mom saying some words to her long-lost love:


Before that though, we took a little tour around the grounds where we paid a visit to the grave of the Kennedy's:

and the amphitheater that sits in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


Afterwards we caught a glimpse of the Capital and the Washington Monument:




Believe it or not, this was really my first time to see D.C. since moving to the east coast in 2001. This August 1st marks our fifth year here in P.A. I'm realizing there are too many things that I need to visit...I've been missing so many wonders that are right in my own backyard!

Tooth Watch 2006 Update...

The new Davidism:

"I don't want my tooth to come out! It's my best buddy!"

Crazy boy!

So the second loose tooth is putting up a good fight...despite the fact that it is going diagonal now! Seriously! It must miss the other tooth because it is leaning towards the empty space where the other tooth was! One day it was straight...the next day it was leaning! The Leaning Tooth of David! ha ha ha

So feel free to guess on when Tooth 2 will give up the fight... I still have a prize available!!

Searching for Pusey!

I thought that would get your attention!

When I told my mom there is a Puseyville, Pennsylvania, she just had to go and find it... so today we shipped the kids off with my in-laws and we armed ourselves with my camera and some soft drinks. Stepping off the porch I shouted, "Let's go search for Pusey!"

(Okay, we are easily amused!) (Maryanne, if you are reading this, you are probably shaking your head at us crazy West Coast folks who are still in awe over the Amish and the funny little names of Pennsylvania towns. Sorry! Kick me later!)

So we headed out...

but stopped at the World Famous Shoe House on the way. The shoe house is right here in York County, PA! I pass it often, but this is the first time we ever stopped to visit.



Then we got back on the road in search of Pusey! I told my mom it was just a little speck on the map, and sure enough...here is what we found in Puseyville:


a sign....

and a cow!

Then we just had to pop on over to Intercourse, PA! Here we found Amish things and more signs and lots of road apples! ha ha ha






We spent most of the day laughing, so it was a good day!

Let's Play Hide the Pirate!

No, that's not some sex game!

First...why does the Pirates Happy Meal Toy look like he came out of South Park???



I just thought that was funny!

Anyway...the kids occupied themselves on the way home from Knoebels by me playing Hide the Pirate with them. I would tuck him into the sun visor or behind my seat. They would squeal really loud about it...until Daddy yelled at them for screaming. No more hide the pirate...but it was fun for a little bit!

Sunny Sunday!

Here is my mom with the kids. She goes back home on Tuesday morning very, very early. We'll miss her.



I threw this picture in because...well...I just can't stop looking at my little girl growing up so fast!

Big 4!

Turn down the volume to avoid hearing rotten singing! ha ha





I can't believe she is already four!

Camping Knoebels Style

First of all... WE LOVE KNOEBELS!!! www.knoebels.com

Why do we love them so much??? It is a parent's paradise! With good traffic, it takes us about an hour and 45 minutes or so to drive north to Elysburg. There, nestled in the trees, is a wonderful old, yet up to date family park. The parking is free and so is the park admission! We go during the week so we can buy all-day ride wrist bands for the kids. Then if you need to go on a ride with the kids, rides are like 80 cents, et cetera, using a ticket system.

Food in the park is very reasonable! You can get a hot dog for 1.75, or a BBQ pork sandwich for 3.00... not to mention it is very delicious. They keep the place incredibly clean and tidy.. even the bathrooms...and everyone there is very friendly. Even when the parking lot is full, the place does not feel crowded at all. Kids wait for rides for maybe one turn at the most. They have plenty of rides for little ones and big kids.

So this time we did something different. We camped! Okay...but not like real camping with tents and stuff... we rented a cabin!



This is how sad and pampered we are though... the bathrooms were a little far, so we would drive back and forth between the showers/bathrooms and our cabin! How spoiled! The kids were excited when they walked in, but David said, "How are we going to watch TV?" We need to spend more time with nature, I guess!

We arrived Thursday night and left Saturday around noon. Our plan was to stay Saturday and play all day in the huge pool and water area, but it was still closed for post-flood clean up. If you hadn't heard, while we were in California, we got hit with lots of rain. Knoebels sits right on some big creeks, so it is used to flooding. They have the whole clean-up process down to a science. But alas the pool was closed, so we came home early.

Here are a couple more pictures.




We'll probably be up there again one more time this summer to enjoy the pool. We'll see. We still haven't really been to Sesame Place this season...got to get moving!

CELEBRATE 4!!!

It seems like just yesterday you were just a small Sam-bean-a....


Christmas 2002 - 5 Months old with big brother David.

And now you are my big FOUR-year old!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA!!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Here are some fireworks from last night at the York Fairgrounds! I hope everyone had a great celebration!




And the 4th also marks my mother-in-law's birthday! Here is Janet with the kids and my father-in-law Nelson. (Here's a secret...this photo started out as three different pictures! I took many because some people didn't cooperate well. It started with Samantha poking her cheek...then the finger was in the nose..then the finger was in her mouth...then David was making a bad face..then Nelson looked like he was going to pass out by the time Sam got her finger out of her nose... three pictures and some creative editing later...I got this one:



And here is Samantha being sweet...



Then David snapped this candid picture of the little nose picker while my mom was cutting my hair...




See...got my hair cut:



David showed off his sketching abilities:



And finally...more fireworks!!

Back from California!

Well, actually we have been back since Wednesday morning! The footage of David and the tooth happened in our backyard. I'm still trying to get situated though! ha ha

We came back with my mother, which makes things feel like we are still on vacation. The kids are enjoying her. We are going to Olive Garden today to eat.

I can't believe it was a week ago already that we were have a blast at my grandma's birthday party! She had such a good time, and boy was she surprised! First, the kids walked in holding a big bouquet of flowers and my mom took them over to Grandma. She said, "Mom, this little girl wants to give you some flowers." Grandma said, "Oh, okay." She kind of looked at them for a moment and thought they looked familiar...but had no idea until she saw me poking my head around the door that it was MY kids! Then she about fell apart!! She was so excited!

Then her sister and niece arrived... the Mariachis started playing... and here is what I captured because I WASN'T BLINKING! he he... I was so glad I decided to be there. My grandma is the one in the white blouse, and her sister is in the green blouse... came all the way down from Oregon to surprise her.




and below my cousin Cha-Cha, Grandma, and Auntie Elo dance to Happy Birthday...



In my family, Mariachis are mostly only present at funerals. They are such a powerful and emotional element to any family event. Now and then it is a treat to have them at a birthday or wedding...but still pretty rare. This was wonderful to see my grandma enjoy them while she is alive. The last time we had mariachis was my grandpa's funeral. They always make everyone cry. This time it was nothing but happy songs! David refers to them as "Big singing Mexicans".

I'll post pictures from California after I get a job out the door. I have quite a few nice shots from the party and from the beach with friends.

Update on Tooth Watch 2006

New scoop!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is the latest on Tooth Watch as of last night, 6/29!!!

Don't blink...

You might miss something good.

Friends... this morning I hugged a friend, (some of you know who I mean), who blinked and found herself saying good-bye to her 32-year old husband. In just a swift moment, the Juniata River took him under... leaving a family struck with shock and disbelief... and beautiful children who will grow up with an emptiness in their life where he belonged. I hope they will fill it up with happiness and good memories of their dad.

Why is it that it only seems to be tragedy that makes you take a moment to look around? Some days flash by so quickly. You wake up, move about, go back to sleep again... taking for granted that the next day will find you all in the same place and in the same condition. Why is it so hard to live life to the fullest now just in case now is all there is?

The minister said something at the service today... "What if it were you that died? Are you prepared to face it?" What does that mean? Am I prepared to leave this world satisfied that I said all I wanted to say to everyone I wanted to say it to...done all the things I wanted to do? Did I spend quality time with those I love? Will my children feel that I left them a legacy? Will my husband know how much I love him? Will I know that those I have wronged in the past have forgiven me? Will I know that everyone I love with know I loved them too?

I think his point was more about believing in "God" and "Jesus". What a turmoil inside of me with that idea. I make it a point to not really discuss religion with those around me. It's too sticky. Also for me though, it's a sore spot. I come from a Catholic family. One that believe in certain traditions... yet did not attend mass regularly. My feelings are mixed. I had my first communion, and it stopped there. No one said to me, you should do this and do that... but they did give me a sense of faith... faith that there is a place for us beyond the body... a place where we will meet again, and that those that love us will be waiting and watching over us. I may not feel close to "God" or "Jesus"...but I feel close to family that I miss, and I do have faith that I will see them again. I'd hate to leave this world now, but my heart feels that someone will be waiting for me on the other side, and that I might be able to watch over the ones I love that stay behind.

I think often about what I would do should something happen to Keith or the kids... events play out in my head. Sometimes I worry that something is wrong with me for being so morbid... details down to seeing them in caskets and what they would wear, what I would say, et cetera... I'm starting to think that I'm not a sick person... I'm someone in touch with possibilities...even bad possibilities...to the degree that when I snap out of thoughts such as these, it always results in hugs and kisses and expressions of love and gratitude to those around me. It reminds me not to wait until it's too late...it reminds me to try to blink less often... don't let something precious slip by without enjoying it.

Friends....thanks for reading this mushy post. I'm a melancholy mess today. To see a friend in pain is just very difficult for me. I wish I could rewind the days back to Father's Day and pluck her husband out of harm's way so that she would be smiling today... but I can't. All I can do is say "I love you" to all of you because I really do love you.

I know it is only a few people who visit my blog, and that's just fine with me because I know who you are, and I can speak right to you...and I know that I love you all. You are important to me. You are part of what makes me who I am. Without you in my life, I would smile less. I miss you all each day, and I am glad you allow me to share a little piece of my world with you here. It's not the most amazing life I live... but it's mine that I am creating with my wonderful friends, and I am so glad you are here to share your lives with me. So...let's hope I don't miss anybody, and that you don't mind if I say your names out loud here.... but Yoko, Tracey, Cyd, Maryanne, Faith, you are my most dedicated readers who comment often and brighten my day. Thanks! Hopefully some lurkers may be Ann and Shawn...and then the friends that may not visit at all or even know I'm talking about them now are...Rick, Sarah S., Karen W., Laura (the phantom), Nolly, Joan and Rob, Kelly H., Nancy C., Kristen M., Linda L., Elena, Barbara, Darren O., I love you all!!! Okay...and I'll even go so far as to mention a few people that I have thought about often but have not seen in ages and would like to mend some fences with... those would be Jason Y., John B., Cong V., Richard L., and Terry J. Boys that are now men living their lives somewhere... long forgetting all about me... but I wish them well. **Sigh**

Sorry for the wishy-washy day. Thanks again! I love you guys!

***Hugs*** .... Rachel

P.S. -- How am I not blinking? Well, as an example...my Grandmother is being given a big party on Sunday with Mariachis and everything! We really could not afford to drop $1200 right now for tickets, but the four of us will be on a plane Saturday to surprise her at her party Sunday! I can pay off the credit card again later...but I can't turn back the clock when she is gone and I regret not being there to see her face when her sister walks through the door, having traveled from Oregon to Cerritos, CA. How are you not blinking? Think about it a second...and then go do it!

Tooth Watch 2006 Update

Well, today is June 19th, and the tooth is still holding tight... If your original guess has come and gone, don't fret! You can guess again...

Not only that... somehow all the attention the wiggly tooth was getting made the tooth right next to it jealous...AND IT'S LOOSE TOO NOW!!! These were David's first two teeth. He got them both first, and I guess the one would be lonely without the other, and they are going to be the first to go out...together!

So guess on the date for both teeth to fall out. The second one is much tighter than the first, but it is loose! I will offer two prizes now! Good luck! We'll keep you posted!

Tooth Watch 2006

Today's tooth status... still very wiggly, but holding on strong!

Cookout

This past Sunday we had a Grand Opening of sorts for our newly revamped backyard! We invited my in-laws and Jen, Scott, and Paden over for a cookout! The weather was lovely, and we really enjoyed the day. Here are just a few pictures.


David with Keith's dad, Nelson. Inseparable!


Rare, VERY RARE!, photo! Keith's birthday was on the 7th, so it was also kind of a birthday party. He's getting old! This year he turned 36!


Here's Jennifer, Scott, and little Paden. Jen and Scott are tying the knot this July! Along with Scott's daughter Emily, they make a cute family.


Q. "How many floaties do you need, Sammy?" A. "All of them!"

New Toy!!!

I have wanted a computer writing tablet since way before they were affordable to the general public. In the recent issue of Simple Scrapbooks I saw an ad for the Wacom Graphire4! It reminded me of this inner longing for this tool...the ability to draw in a program as if drawing on paper!!! he he he So I splurged and got it! It's fun!!!! I tested it out by drawing the little fish in the post below. Want info about the Graphire4? Go to www.wacom.com !

Caught snoozing....

David has a new chair from, as he keeps referring to it, "The New Movie Cars!"... but look who seems to like it best...




Caesar approves of this addition to our furniture collection! LOL! This chair talks too...but he doesn't seem to mind.

Grounded...

All day spent in front of laptop...
Pages and pages of testimony to clean up...
No fun...

Me want to go outside...

Waaaaaaaaaaaa!


Tooth Drama update.... still there, but more wiggly. Who wants to win a prize? Whoever can guess what day David will lose his tooth gets a prize! Guess away! Guess more than once! I'll dig around for something good to give away!

Update on the "Tooth Fast"

Well, it lasted until David heard the words "Happy Meal". Fast officially over after approximately eight hours!!! HA!

Tooth Drama...Part II

David's tooth has been loose already for a couple of weeks, but the video in the previous post was taken at a moment when he suddenly noticed it was more loose and more sensitive. Well this morning he announced that he is not going to eat until his tooth falls out. I decided I will have to record how long he is on this "tooth fast". I bet it won't last too long! To be continued...

Loose Tooth...

The drama begins....

Have a Joyful Day!

Just a little something I put together! Hope you enjoy it! It is particularly special to me because today is David's Boo-Boo Heart Day! He had a checkup with the cardiologist at the beginning of May! All is good. The heart size is becoming normal, and he doesn't have to go back for three years!! Yay! Happy Boo-Boo Heart Day, David!!!!

Blame the Shoes!

Who knew that these green Sloggers gardening clogs from Target would be so entertaining??? The kids love them!

Introspection of sorts...

I have been working for Art Miller and Associates for nine months now!

It has occurred to me though that for the last nine months I have been totally absorbed in work.

I have traded my art for Art.

I'm not going to say it's a sacrifice because I still believe I can have it my way. My way is a life where I can comfortably pursue my career as a stenographer. I can create fun things with glass and metal and fabric and paper. I can keep a tidy house with happy children and a happy husband inside of it. I can spend time with people I love. I can share my creations with others and make them smile. I can join in with the growth of my kids and not just scratch my head at how fast it is happening.

It's all still tangible. I still believe. I love my family and friends. I can make it happen.

What is your way? What are you creating in your life today?

Dream Corner

I will always be the first to say that I suck at being a gardener or landscaper. As much as I enjoy beautiful outdoor spaces, I just don't have the mental attention span to create it myself. I'm too much of a perfectionist. I hesitate doing anything if I can't do it perfectly. Unfortunately that keeps me from doing lots of things. I don't know about plants and flowers, and if I don't have time to research it to get it just right...then I won't do it.

Somehow though I gave in to an inner voice this weekend while at Home Depot. (Yes, we always seem to be at F-ing Home Depot!)

For a long time I've wanted a fountain. Keith abandoned me with a cart full of stuff as usual while he went to grab something, so I wandered into the garden area where I saw this adorable fountain! For $129.00, you get a resin urn and a resin round base with stained glass decoration! Cool! I thought by the way the box kept saying, "Design" - that the catch would be it was just painted on in a stained-glass design... but no, there are real glass pieces at the bottom! FANCY! ha ha ha

Well, we couldn't just leave it at that. If nobody knows this already, my favorite Disney character is Thumper. I try as hard as I can to get my hands on anything with Thumper on it. So around Mother's Day I found a little Thumper garden statue at Wegman's supermarket!!!! I just couldn't pass it up.

Okay...let me make this story shorter.... after some playing around...what started as a fountain turned into what you see below....



Yes, those are real flowers in there!



My little Dream Corner! I did it! (With a lot of help from Keith and his gas-powered tiller and his ability to get the border stones to lay just right!) It's a silly little accomplishment, but I'm proud of my little backyard improvement. It combines many elements of my personality... old world charm, a little glass, and Thumper! Oh, and thanks to Keith for also drilling a hole in Thumper's butt to put the copper tube through. It still needs a little something, but for now, I love it!

Damn, It's Hot!!

We spent the day outside for Memorial Day. Keith was tiring away in the sun putting up our privacy fence. It was 98 degrees, and the kids were too hot to play. We haven't put the little pool up yet, so there was one less option! The water hose was occupied by the cement mixer... so how to cool off???

SPRAY BOTTLE!

Stormy...

With the weather being warmer, all the windows in the house have been open... which lets us find Stormy in her favorite place... window sills! Except, she didn't belong in this one! It's the window over the kitchen sink. Bad kitty! But how can you be mad at such a cute and soft little thing. Her fur is like velvet, and she's terribly sweet!

A little updating...

Hi everyone!

Thanks for stopping by lately and leaving the nice comments about the new kitties and well wishes for my broken butt.

Stormy and Caesar are proving to be quite a funny pair. When they aren't chasing each other around the house at 50 mph, they are cuddled up at the end of our bed looking out the bedroom window and cleaning each other. Yesterday Caesar caught a fly...smacked it down in the window sill, played with it a while, and then ate it. Ewwwwwwww! At least he got rid of the fly for us though. Stormy's adventure for this morning started with me hearing David screaming, "No, Kitty! Stop! I don't want you to do that!" Then I heard, "Mommy! The kitty is outside!!!" Apparently she was able to push the screen out of the window, but luckily got scared and jumped back into the house. That was crazy!

They are both very wonderful though, and we are enjoying their presence in the house.

As for my broken butt... I know some people told me it would take six to eight weeks, and my thoughts were, "Oh, great!" (Rolling my eyes. I kind of hoped though that this measurement was a general one, and I'd be better in a week. Nope! It's been two weeks now and a few days... though I have made some improvement, the most important function for me is still incredibly painful. Sitting. Now, the actual sitting is not so bad, but try to get up again -- forget it! If I sit, my butt is okay for about 15 minutes, but then starts burning. When I got to get up, it feels like someone is trying to rip the bone out of me completely. It's very frustrating. Getting out of the car takes a few minutes. I can't sit long in my desk chair. The only place I can really get work done is lying in bed, which is sometimes challenging. I'm hoping Week 3 will bring more improvement because I need to get back to work. Right now I'm catching up on jobs that I took, but once I'm caught up, I'm going to need new jobs. Hopefully I will be ready for it soon.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Miss ya!

Our family is growing!!!

Ahem! May I have your attention, please?

You know that feeling you get when something is missing in your life? I've had it for a while now. Watching the kids grow up, you think about when they were just little babies. It's amazing how fast the time flies... and now they are getting so big. I realized I want to take a chance again...

I told myself our family was complete, and not to try this again. The pain of losing is just too hard to bear... so you tell yourself you don't need to go down this road again. You want so much to open your heart up some more and share your love with a little creature... but the responsibility that comes with it is so daunting.

Well, it's time to try again. It's time to give it another shot one more time.

Yes.....


It's true....


Our family has expanded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WE ADOPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Two great cats from the SPCA of York!!!

Please welcome to the Hilker Family.....


STORMY!


and CAESAR!!




And since they were cell mates, we knew they would get along together...

Here they are being lovey to each other!





It just hurt so much when I lost my last two cats...that I was scared to get any more... but I've been missing the pitter-patter of little paws for a long time. These two are just the sweetest cats too! So affectionate and mild mannered... except late at night when they go tearing through the house after each other!

Yep, that's right... look forward to nauseating cat pictures in the future!!

hahahahahaahahahahaha!

A symbol of warmth...

The rhodo-whozit is blooming again! That means summer fun is on it's way... if my butt ever heals!!!




HERE I COME, SUMMER!

Broken Butt -- For Real This Time!

It's been a while, but I thought I would blog a bit. I will put pictures up when I can of the new retaining wall in our yard and the kids with their new bikes...but I have a problem right now....

I BROKE MY BUTT!!!

No, not sciatica this time.... I FRACTURED MY TAILBONE!!!

Yep...I can't sit... can't drive... and it hurts to use the potty. I'm also now the BUTT of many jokes. Ouchie.

So what did I do to break it? I slipped on the grass and fell on my a*s. Right then and there, I realized something didn't feel right. So I'm broken for the moment. Please send "get well" vibes in my direction. I could really use them!

**hugs**

UBS: United Beaner Service... "What Can Brown Do For You?"

February 18th found Keith and I in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I had never been there before, so I was really excited...

Until I got there. But we'll get to that later!

First...................... We had a wonderful time at the House of Blues! Right on the boardwalk, the House of Blues sits within the Showboat Hotel and Casino.



Yeah...it looks pretty...but it was FREEZING!!!! If you came to a spot where there were no buildings, you felt like you were in March of the Penguins!!! Sheesh!
I might consider wanting to see the boardwalk again when the weather is warm. It bites in February!

Inside though was warm and toasty. We had great seats for one of my favorite comedians, CARLOS MENCIA! Now I have to admit, I did not know of him in his early days before his Comedy Central Show, Mind of Mencia, but I'm an enthusiastic fan now. He was so nice and friendly! He spent the time before and after the show to sign autographs, take pictures, and speak with his fans. Here I got a chance to speak with him myself. This was after the show because they didn't allow cameras in during the show...so I ran out, claimed my coat and camera, and ran back in to stand in the line to meet him. (I don't know what's up with my glasses, but man that glare makes me look evil!)



Many people might think he is rather harsh with the topics he speaks on. Sure, at first glance it may seem that way. You kind of have to be willing to accept that ethnic groups in America are just the way they are, and there's nothing wrong with pointing it out. For me, a lot of his work hits home and makes me think of riding in the car with my grandpa...the things he would say about the "Messcans", and how he made me feel proud to be who I am. It is a lesson that took me until recently to learn... and now watching or listening to Carlos Mencia's comedy, I feel like I have finally accepted my place in America. I'm a beaner, and I'm proud. Not familiar with Carlos? Check him out on Comedy Central, and at his website: www.carlosmencia.com

Now...as for Atlantic City...


What a sh*t hole! I was not impressed at all. The parking garages charged you to park, very few restaraunts were open past midnight, and there just wasn't all that much there to see. We visited Showboat, Caesar's, Bally's Wild West, and Borgata. The only one that was mildly impressive of that limited list was Borgata, but barely anything was open to eat! We ended up at Denny's near our hotel a mile away from the main scene. It was weird... you would have big hotel/casino, then a block of questionable buildings. It was like old hotels from Vegas were picked up and plunked down here in New Jersey. It seemed really out of place. I asked the parking attendant at Caesar's if she could recommend a good place to eat. I thought she said Mack Donough's, which sounded like it would be a reasonable place to go. She gave me directions, and I said, "What was the name of it again?" She looked at me a little puzzled like, "How could you have never heard of it?" She repeated, "Mack Donough's". We pulled out of the lot and carefully followed her directions... and there it was... to my dismay...MC DONALD's!! Now I know we did not come all the way out to Jersey just to eat at McDonald's!!!!! An hour later we were debating between Dunkin Donuts and Wawa (An east coast convenient store known for good sandwiches) when finally we saw Denny's. Salvation!

And then there was snow...

Okay... I'm really late at posting this one, but the weekend before Valentine's Day we had quite a snowfall. Winter has been mild this year, but suddenly....PLOP! Here is what our house looked like that Saturday. I didn't really capture any good shots of the kids, I'm afraid. I'm losing my touch!

My mom the celebrity!

My mom is very popular now because of the story I told you about below.

She went to the memorial services this weekend and has appeared in various news papers and television clips!

She called me today to see if I wanted her autograph.

The important thing is, John Chubb is now at rest with his parents. I wish I had more time to talk about it because it has been so exciting, but I have deadlines to meet.... that I am already late at meeting. Yipes!

Ciaio for now!

Amazing recovery!

This is short and sweet. When my mom was in high school, she was engaged to a man named John Chubb. He volunteered during Vietnam, but unfortunately his aircraft was shot down. He was listed as MIA.

Now... about 35 years later, his remains are returning home to Gardena! Here is the news article if you are interested: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/2313956.html?page=1&c=y

My mom was so emotional to hear of this development. It's closure on a long-lost love story. What a post-Valentine's Day gift for her!

Chapter 31

On January 22nd, I began Chapter 31 of my life. It's funny because Chapter 30 went by so fast! It started out with a birthday party in California after a beautiful wedding of my friends. I was surrounded by lots of people I love. Keith closed the lawn mower shop in April, which was a little sad, but the best thing to do. We had a blast all summer at Sesame Place, splashing and playing in the sun, no runaway Samantha's this time either! In August I made a major career decision to work full time, which created a lot of chaos. In November we celebrated David's 5th birthday in California, surrounded by those same wonderful people, and I even got reunited with four wonderful people that I haven't seen since high school and have missed so much! In December and the beginning of January, I thought I might have a bad heart, and endured some painful tests, but all is clear and I'm quite healthy. (All that worrying I did for nothing!) The day before my birthday, I spent it with Ann and Kathy attending a bead meeting in Virginia and goofing around at a mall, making fun of expensive gadgets and thousand-dollar clothing that looked like something you could get at Wal-Mart. That was hilarious! On my birthday, I had a great day alone with Keith at the Rain Forest Cafe, ending with birthday cake at my in-laws' place with the kids.

And now here we are! A whole year of my life just sped right by me! Not that I didn't enjoy it, but I just can't believe it was so quick. Now this, a new year as a 31-year old... is starting to go by very quickly too! I am afraid to blink.

It's starting off with Keith not working right now. His back hurts him so bad. He is at physical therapy now, and I hope he gets relief soon. He has a lower thoracic intraspinous ligament strain, and the anti-inflammatories he has tried so far are not doing a thing for him. His chemistry is such that he doesn't always respond to medications. So they are trying to find just the right thing to do the trick. In the meantime, he's learning what it means to be a stay-at-home dad.

I'm looking forward to this new chapter. A rough start will hopefully turn out great in the end. There are many things to do, and a big milestone ahead... David will go to kindergarten in September! I have to remind myself to enjoy things more and stress out less. I want to spend more time with my friends too...both good old friends and brand new ones that I just discovered, even good old ones that I just discovered again!

Thanks for being a part of Chapter 31! Don't be a stranger! (That means you!) I promise to be less of a stranger too! Sorry!

"Dep-let Wednesday"

What are Dep-lets? They are little random things heard in a depo that made me giggle to myself...sometimes funny enough to get the attorneys snickering too.


Q. So you are Board certified in internal medicine. Are you certified in any other areas?
A. No.
Q. Did you pass your boards on the first attempt?
A. No.
Q. How many times did you take the boards before you passed?
A. Six times.
Q. Was there a particular area in which you had more difficulty that prevented you from passing the boards the first five times?
A. Not knowing the answers.


This one came from a rather witty doctor who gives a great deposition. It was a pleasure taking his testimony and getting a laugh or two.