The View From Cloud Nine

It is official. One item is now marked off my bucket list. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been in the same room, and no more than, say, 150 feet from Phil Jackson. Not only did I get to stare at the back of a living legend's head for 3 hours, but he saw and acknowledged me!!! That's right folks, little ole me. As thousands of Kobe Bryant-crazed fans stared in awe at an athlete, I patiently waited by the edge of the court for just a glimpse of the man whose basketball teams I've followed for almost two decades. The clock was counting down to tipoff, and as I was about to give up, I heard a nice man say, "There he comes!" Everyone around me knew who I was waiting to see, and the second I saw Mr. Jackson's head towering above his assistants, I thought for a second that I might faint. I calmly said, "Mr. Jackson!" and held out a pad of paper and pen for him to sign, but as time was about to run out, I knew he wouldn't be able to. He politely smiled, nodded at me, and hurried to the court. If tipoff had only been at 7:05...

As for the rest of the night, everything was so much fun! Thanks again Mom and Dad for being so persistent in finding me kick-ass Laker game tickets for Christmas. You guys are awesome. I only have two regrets: I brought the wrong camera. My pictures do not do justice to how close we actually were to the court; and I didn't have fresh batteries in the darn thing like I thought. Anyway, I will upload some pics later when I'm not so high on life!

Taking Chance

Last night, my husband and I watched an HBO original movie called "Taking Chance." I recommend that everyone who has access to HBO watch this 78 minute masterpiece. "Taking Chance" is the true story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl's journey as he escorted the body of Chance Phelps, a nineteen-year-old killed in Iraq in 2004, to his final resting place in Wyoming. The story is breathtaking and will leave no one dry-eyed. The reaction of those whose path Lt. Col. Strobl crossed was nothing less than extraordinary, and it made me proud of the respect that Chance Phelps was given by the people in our great country.
Being the wife of a War on Terror Veteran, I thanked God again, as I do every night, that my soldier is home and able to kiss me every day and watch our children grow. I think people often forget what our soldiers are doing, and that so many have paid the ultimate price for the greater good. Those who have come back still live with the effects of their unselfish service in one way or another every day. So, don't wait until Veteran's Day or Memorial Day to show them that you care. Thank a soldier today. Tell them that you appreciate what they have done and that you are glad that they are home. Don't be afraid to approach a stranger in uniform, because I guarantee you five small words - Thank you for your service - means more to them than you know.
From the poem "They Did Their Share" by Joanna Fuchs
... we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.
Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;
In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.
Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.
No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.
Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.
We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

So I am here to again thank all I know and love, as well as those I don't know, who have served and are still serving our country:
Thank you Wes, and Papa, Ed, Uncle Mike, Chase, Jared, Jordanna, PK, Irwin, Rex, Marshall, Mark, Kelly, Stephen, Clay, Logan, Corbi, Warde, Travis, Jeremy, Jimmy, Sean, Tod, Monte, Mason, Patty, Manzella, Barry, Dean, Sloan, Bowers, Yasmine, Ty, Dave and Misti, Lowery, Dean, Cody, Catherine, Shane, Tish, Tim, Seba, Jack, Roger, Mitchell, all you guys in the 366th and 812th MP Companies that I didn't list individually, but are still just as important!, and David Payne--may you rest in peace.

Wii Will Wii Will ROCK YOU!

After my parents purchased a Nintendo Wii, it didn't take long for Wes and I...and Cade... to decide that we wanted one. My thinking was that it would be an excellent way for us to work out and not even feel like we were. Of course, I prefer this type of video game over Cade's usual computer game addiction (thank you, again, Dad...), because he is definitely active when playing Wii Sport. What I didn't plan on was my 6-year-old's already competitive nature increasing exponentially.
Cade wanted me to play a game of Wii tennis with him. I thought, "Okay, this should be fun!" It was then that my little trash-talker started talking. "Hit it hard, Mom. You're gonna lose!" I kind of giggled and served the ball. Cade answered in a flash with a hard hit that left me stunned, and my guy at 0. "Ha Ha, Mom! I told you you're gonna lose!" My original game plan of letting him beat me to boost his self-esteem was quickly forgotten. He needed his head deflated! We continued our game, needless to say both of us playing our best, and finished the game with a score of 3-0---Cade the victorious one. The icing on my cake of defeat was when my son starting singing "I am the champion...of the WORLD!" to the tune of Queen's "We Are the Champions." I guess I should start working on my serve.

Meet my hubby!

My amazing husband, Wes, is a man of many qualities. He is, among many other things, ..

a great daddy

lots of fun

a friend

an animal lover

forever a soldier and my hero

an outdoorsman

incredibly handsome

and the love of my life.

Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you and hope we made your day fun!

What in the "Hail"?

February 10th, and we had hail, damaging winds, and a tornado.
Fan-freakin'-tastic.

No Sir to Negativity!

This quote was taken from one of the smartest people I know...someone who is near and dear to my heart: "I hope Obama does good. And I dont see the point of going against your president just because you didn't vote for him or he made a bad choice in the past. He's now your president so pray, and hope he does something great." No better words have been spoken by someone in a very red state. This person was not necessarily for or against President Obama, but he just shows a quality that so many people lack: objectivity.
We should all look at everything from a more objective point of view. Stop being so darned influenced by the negativity that seems to be suffocating our country. I have found myself trying to be MUCH more objective lately--you know, putting myself in someone else's shoes and trying not to pass judgment. Just recently, I began a new job doing administrative work for our local sheriff's office. I love it, but I'm really starting to see the effects of negativity in our society. Yesterday was visitation day at the jail-a jail which houses some pretty hardened criminals- and I felt a strange, overwhelming bout of sympathy for the mothers of people who have made mistakes, and continued to make mistakes, which ultimately landed them in a small cell for a very long time. A lot of people would say, "Well, their parents are the reason why they turned out to be that way." This isn't always the case, and I saw that yesterday. Visitors check in with us in the office before they are taken by a deputy to see their loved ones. As they signed their names, showed ID, and left their keys at the front desk, I saw a sadness and an embarassment in their eyes and behind grateful smiles. I wanted to say, "I'm not judging you." But professionalism kept me from small talk, so I smiled and told them to have a good day. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not necessarily the "nature" factor that turns someone into a criminal. Environmental influences, i.e. negativity, play a major role in how a person becomes.
Positive thinking yields positive actions. So be happy. Smile at someone who is frowning. You never know, it might change their day. A simple "hello" shows someone that they are worth being noticed.

Material Girl

There are certain material things in life that I don't really think I can live without. Chief among those many things has to be *drum roll.........* My husband's plain ole white Hanes 100% cotton tagless tees: size XL of course. Yessirry, the good old ones. I won't wear his newer, stiff, unstained ones. There is definitely some charm that comes with a 6-year-old shirt that Wes won't even wear to work out in. I don't know if it's the stretched-out neckline, the shortened length from being washed so many times, the miniature holes in the seams of the armpits, the softness of the material, or the faint hint of his cologne that just never seems to completely wash out, that makes my slumber peaceful. Whatever it is, I will continue to pick those babies off the top of the trashcan when Wes tries to retire them, throw them in the wash, and wear them over and over again! One thing is for sure: Late at night, when we're ready to pass out after a long day of work and kids, all I have to say is, "Can I have a Honey shirt?" and my honey pulls open his second drawer, grabs an old tattered shirt, and tosses it my way--with love.

Blasphemy!

*Warning: Full-on rant is approaching...

Stephen King was recently quoted as saying that "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good." That pained me to even type. Curse you, Stephen King, curse you!

First of all, Stephen King, you will no longer be on my list of books to read, and as far as I'm concerned, I've NEVER read any of your books. You are not nice.

I don't recall Stephenie Meyer ever having said that had she not written her novels she would have probably ended up being a serial killer. You are sick in the head.

Had you written the Twilight series, everyone would have ended up dead, and the world would have ended, you negative creep.

Movies made from your books are better than your books, ass.

Nightmares were created because of you, freak.

What kind of person, besides John Wayne Gacy, could make children afraid of clowns, jerk?

With that said, Stephenie Meyer is a fascinating writer. She has taken fictional beings that people have been afraid of for centuries and created a beautiful world, a world in which her readers long to live in, where humans can co-exist peacefully with things previously only heard of in horror stories. Her writing is so descriptive that there are no holes left in the picture one creates in her mind while reading such brilliance.

Stephen King, you can shove it.

Gracie Rose

I have a niece with a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome. People with WS are missing more than 20 genes on chromosome #7. Because of the Williams syndrome, Gracie Rose suffers from numerous problems, including: pulmonary stenosis, gastric reflux, digestive problems, developmental delays, hypercalcemia (elevated blood calcium levels), hyperacusis (sensitive hearing), and musculoskeletel problems. A Valentine's Day Fund Campaign has been established by the Williams Syndrome Association in order to fund research that will lead to better medical treatments and cognitive understanding of Williams syndrome. Please help our little angel on earth and all children and adults with WS by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Williams Syndrome Association. Every dollar helps! Donations can be made by phone at 1-800-806-1871 or at http://www.williams-syndrome.org/.