In as many days, it is another June gloom morning. Reflective of my mood as I sit here and think about the good and bad times we have shared. My husband is away and so are you…I pine for you both, but miss you more than him. It’s been a bit since I have seen you but know we will be together again soon. I’m so bursting at the seams to tell the world of my love for you. But people frown on affairs…I don’t want to give you up, though, and probably won’t. Death will decide for us, I guess.

I’m so lonely for you, Laitie, my laptop!

*sticks out tongue and grins…I know sheer evilness!* *HUGS & SMILES*

I’ve been told alot of women would kill to be my size. Perhaps, but try my shoes on for size. I have a weight problem, too, but it’s gaining the stuff. I have a hard time finding clothes, even in petite as the length is designed to fit an anorexic 6 foot Amazon female…I’m only 5′ 1 1/2 and just a hair under 90. I know I can get into a Girl’s size 16, the biggest made for them…however, the style is obviously YOUNG and sorry but I just won’t be caught dead in some of the fashions out there for teens.

My goal is to reach 105 lbs, without being preggers and without clothes on. One of the things I plan to do is eat alot of ice cream…it helped when the ob-gyn I had during my preggers state with Brianne suggested that I gain. My choice of ice cream? Dairy Queen’s cookie dough blizzard…I’ve had three in the last two weeks, however, I will be feasting on Breyer’s brand of the stuff from here on out since DQ’s is 3+ bucks minimum a pop. Girlie tells me I should start toning what little muscles I have and BIL suggested tummy crunches with the big, fun ball…I’ll borrow Mattie’s.

I don’t think I’m going to pressure myself with goal dates but I would like my family, friends and readers to help hold me accountable for my “diet” goals. Your encouragement would definitely be appreciated. *HUGS & SMILES*

In the time I’ve been married to Vern, I had never received a moving violation or parking ticket (something I’ve prided myself on)..until today! Sorry, my honie. *sad* It happened because I pushed my luck by overparking in a 30-minute lot, by an hour…it isn’t the first time I’ve done so. My clock ran out and now I owe 10 bucks to a company in another state…possibly + tax if I don’t get payment to them by a certain date. Ah well..will start a new streak for another 17 years tomorrow..

Manic Monday

What do you do when you are feeling very sad or depressed?

Pray, cry, shop, eat ice cream, shop, talk to someone, shop

Who was your first crush?

Lawrence…I don’t count anything before him (3rd grade)…LOL!

If given a chance to skip work for a day (without repercussions), how would you spend the entire day?

Currently, I don’t work but if I could, I think I’d like to go north and play around in the Bay area. *SMILES*

Happy MM, everyone..have a great week! Thank you in advance for stopping by! *HUGS & SMILES*

Friday’s Feast

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

During the holiday season ‘07…like to look nice and fresh during that time, with all the parties to attend and people to see

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

First thing would be mom, how she was always there to attend school events and make holidays fun. Second thing would be being carefree, unlike today’s children

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Butter…lots of it on corn and popcorn, as in drippin’ off!

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

Currently, I’m learning I’ve always been interested in..sign language. Others would be Tagalog & Ilocano (Filipino dialects), Japanese and Chinese.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

Into my career as an interpreter for the deaf/hoh, seeing Brianne in high school and doing more traveling

Happy FF, everyone…have a great weekend! Thank you in advance for stopping by! *HUGS & SMILES*

“Draw Me Close” by Michael W. Smith

Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I’m your friend
You are my desireNo one else will do
Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you

You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near

Manic Monday

Who would you like to see on a new banknote (dollar bill, etc.)?

A great non-presidential individual in our history…Martin Luther King

If you were reincarnated as some other plant or animal, what would it be?

I’d like to be a dove, a known symbol of Christianity and peace.

If you owned your own restaurant, what would you call it?

Hmm..that’s a hard one. Don’t think I’d want to own that type of business.

Happy MM, everyone…have a great week! Thank you in advance for stopping by! *HUGS & SMILES*

It comes from many places…spouse, children, family and friends but as humans, our nature causes us all to pale in comparison to the strength you get from walking in the word, walking along side God & Jesus. Every now and again, we find ourself taking a wrong turn but once we’ve righted ourselves, they are always there, with open arms, that enfold and protect us as we pick up where we left off.

One of many songs of praise to illustrate this is “Shout to the Lord!”, here performed by Darlene Zschech, on Youtube:

I like this version as the version and video of the song, accompanied by the words, are soothing:

You Are a Boy Shorts Bikini!

You’re a sexy girl, but you don’t have to let everything hang out to prove it.

What Kind of Bikini Are You?

For a surprise graduation present, we took Brianne to see “Wicked”. All she had to know on Saturday was we were taking her somewhere she needed to look nice. She wore the blouse from her grad day outfit and a black skirt. We parked in a lot across from the Pantages Theater and as we walked towards our destination, I watched the expressions change on her face. You can tell when she saw the signs advertising the play, she was wondering “Could it be?” and then as we stood in the will call line to retrieve our preordered tickets, she exclaimed “Oh, no way!” and hugged us tight and said “thank you!”. Our tix were for relatively good seats…Orchestra section, Row TT, seats 301-303. Of course, we let her have the aisle seat so she can see better.

The actresses for the co-lead roles were Teal Wicks, an understudy who took over as lead for Elphaba, and, Laura Woyasz, an understudy filling in for lead Erin Mackey as Glinda. Teal was SENSATIONAL! Every time she sang, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sweet sound of her soothing-to-the-soul voice. The supporting cast held their own.

After every major number, Brianne clapped with much enthusiasm, and at the end, was just glowing with happiness. Looks like we accomplished our goal for the day! We love you, Briannie!

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Friday’s Feast

Appetizer

If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?

In this order, I would choose Europe, Asia and Australia.

Soup

Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?

Internet Explorer

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?

I would say 5 or 6. I am more interested in World/Ancient history

Main Course

Finish this sentence: Love is…

Love is God, the perfect love
Love is Vern, a husband/wife love
Love is Matthew & Brianne, a mother/child love

Dessert

Have you ever been in or near a tornado?

Nope and don’t plan on it. The thought of being picked up and thrown to another area is frightening

Happy FF, everyone…thank you in advance for stopping by. Have a great weekend! *HUGS & SMILES*

Happy birthday to RAE! Thank you, lil’ one…you’ve earned your keep! *shared secret laugh* *SMILES & LOTSA’ CYBER HUGS*

I am so proud to share Brianne ended sixth grade and her elementary school career receiving 5 A’s and 1 B, placing her on the honor roll. The B was in a math, something she struggled with throughout the year…the accomplishment there was it was in a D in the third quarter. Shows she buckled down and did well when it counted. I know I’m hearing cheers from Theresa, who is a math teacher. *SMILES*

As for me, I happily surprised to have found out I received a B in my “Perspectives in Deafness” (deaf culture) class.

YAY for us! *HUGS & SMILES*

I would like to wish a Happy D-Day to all of the special men in my life, especially Vern…you’ve been a wonderful father to our halflings! *HUGS & SMILES*

Princess cut, paddleboat ride, lake, train, waves

Graduation, family, food, TGIF

What an exciting time! She was chosen to lead the Class of 2008 in the Pledge of Allegiance and spoke in a group farewell speech to the principal. Here is a picture gallery of her at the graduation ceremony and a few of a mishap:

Brianne receiving her certificate:

Brianne showing happiness over her accomplishments during the last 7 years, as she returns to her row:

After the ceremony, during photo ops, Brianne injured her foot on a curb located on the playground. Here is Vern giving her a piggy-back ride into the emergency room:

Getting her vitals taken:

Looking through yearbook while waiting to get pictures taken of her foot:

When asked what she will remember of this day, she answers, with actual joy: “Getting my first pair of crutches!” That’s my daughter! LOL! I don’t have one of her on them at the moment but will get one and post it soon.

Congratulations, Briannie! We’re very proud of and love you very much! *LOVE, HUGS, KISSES & SMILES*

June brings a most joyous occasion for our family as Brianne bids farewell to elementary school. As usual, the graduation ceremony will take place in the morning on the second to the last day of school, June 11th. It will be followed by a softball game between the entire sixth grade class of 2008 and staff members. Our hungry halflings will then be served a bbq with the trimmings. Mmmmm. Unfortunately, these events fall on what is a regularly scheduled minimum day so things will be rushed to meet the bell release of 12:45 p.m. The post graduation activities include a lunch with a group of her friends and their families at BJ’s (BIG thanks to Joyce for organizing it) and, of course, alot of picture taking. On Saturday, the 14th, is our family dinner in celebration of her graduation. She chose TGI Friday’s over Watson’s Soda Fountain. Her Auntie Wanda voted for the Cheesecake Factory but when Daryl told her it wasn’t an option, she withdrew her vote. LOL!

Also on the 14th, we are celebrating the high school graduation of my cousin’s beautiful daughter, Samantha, with a family bbq at their home. It’ll be another nice day of getting together with extended family my side in less than a month. I look forward to it. Heading there for a bit before Brianne’s own family dinner.

Today is my final and last day of school until Fall ‘08. The exam will be accumulative, with 25% of it covering material from the first half of the semester. UGH! Few things worse than having an instructor being overly GENERAL about stuff. That’s all I have to say about that!

On the 22nd, Vern and I will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary. We don’t have any plans at the moment but do have some ideas in mind. Unfortunately, they may not happen until a more convenient time other than our special weekend.

Anyways, between the above mentioned events, going places and visiting with family & friends here and there, June should be a fun and busy month. Forgive me if I end up posting sparingly and be sure to check back for updates and pictures. *HUGS & SMILES*

On it’s last day, I’m happy to be saying goodbye to the freaky deek month of May 2008! It’s been a busy, rollercoaster ride type of time. I didn’t enjoy some of the dips. Those included Auntie MaryLou’s passing (thank you to those who expressed their condolences)…the too many (diiferent) days required to stay home for the removal/installations of the a/c, heating and satellite units, during THEIR window of time. Then again to fix the satellite signal, the a/c techs took out during installation/removal, and a burned out wire that blew the dsl signal. Good thing those losses didn’t occur at the same time. Thank goodness for small favors. Mother’s Day was full of mixed blessings…we could’ve lost both Matthew and Brianne to a pool accident had we not acted so quickly. In the end, just a little water taken in and shaken spirits. I also suffered alot stress from indecision earlier in the month…it’s so hard staying true to your heart when it may or may not be the right thing in the end. For now, until the next bout, I stay true to myself.

Don’t get me wrong…there were some joyous times, too: the sign language convention; Mother’s Day (sans the pool accident); celebrating the bdays of our 2 BILs and my eldest sister (48, 49 & 52, respecitvely); seeing Brianne in her last district concert as an elementary school student; watching her and her friends as they prepared in our backyard (using a beach tent/backyard lawn as their stage and Zoey as their king) for their play on Greek studies, a script that Brianne wrote herself and used to defeat the team of Sparta (they were Athens) in a showdown during pageant day. On their last rehearsal day here at the house, since they all had their instruments (2 violins, a flute and a saxopohone), Vern and I were treated to a mini concert. If she keeps up her playing, expect to see Jasmine (the child prodigy) playing in a major orchestra somewhere in the world; 5 days of appreciating Mrs. N. and gifting her with a giftcard to Glen Ivy Day spas…she deserves it after putting up with this group of sixth graders. LOL!; seeing “Prince Caspian” and “Iron Man”…both good movies; and last but not least, spending time with family & friends, near and far…those I thank for uplifting my spirits in good times and bad. *LOVE, SMILES, HUGS & KISSES*

Last my faithful readers heard, I was heading to the sign language celebration, which was held at the Long Beach Convention Center. It was an enjoyable few days away from family which I started off having a light dinner with a friend at a cafe near her home. I was starving so the skillet casserole hit the spot. (Thank you, Sher, for dinner and company…I owe you!) After that, I stopped by the Westin Long Beach and checked in. The beauty of staying here vs. the block of rooms reserved at the nearby Hilton is having a family member employed at the hotel. Instead of paying the normal rate of $250+ for a suitable room, I paid only 69 bucks…Hilton’s group rate was $125 and my final bill was less than that. Can’t beat it!

Due to the long line, it took me near half an hour to sign in and get my convention packet. Good thing I arrived early and had enough time to browse the vendor area. Then it was off to the only Friday night workshop I could attend. It happened to be on the field of interpreting itself. Seems the current trend is being a video relay service (VRS) interpreter. VRS is better than TTY because it uses a live person vs. having to spending time typing messages using a special phone system. I think I might enjoy working for a company like this but I’ll probably start off as an intern/volunteer before/after I complete the requirements to be certified. Since this convention was geared more towards already working interpreters to earn ceu credits, some shared the environments they have been exposed to. A few actually worked the prison systems and mentioned how scary it can be at times. I personally will not be looking towards a career in that direction.

On Saturday, I took two morning workshops, both of which were taught by a couple who I have learned sign language from. I wanted something sort of easy as I didn’t really get a good night’s sleep. The first one was with the husband on classifiers. Classifiers are signs used to describe shapes and directions. He actually used a short story from our final last semester and it made me smile knowing that I could interpret it in its entirety THIS TIME. Wish I did as well on the final. LOL! His wife taught the numbering system. I think the group’s favorite was learning how to sign monetary values.

I called the day a short one as the afternoon sessions were a bit on the heavier, longer side. And, plus, with my family missing me, how could I refuse to come home?