An old video

This was taken last October. Cha seems like such a baby in that in this video. Her hair has really filled in and she talks so much better.

She's a bit bossy, isn't she?

Update on Vic

Thanks to my dad for sending me this great picture. Graduation day 1985. How cool were we??

Vicki was a great friend in high school. She is two years younger but we were with her all the time. She had a million and one friends but she, Tobi, Kharen and I always seemed to be together. Good memories.

She is still in the hospital with no movement on her left side. She's stable which is good. We all just have to wait and see how it goes. I hear she's in good spirits as always, and prepared to fight this thing. She's a strong and determined woman.

Hugs and prayers for Vicki Jean

Dude, where's my car??

Really now, I should have known better. I drove a silver Subaru Forester for five years. Every third car on the road seemed to be a silver Subaru Forester. However I could always find mine because of the car seat and the junk in the back. And the dirt and scratches. Oh, and I always park in the same spot when I go to the store. I call it my alzheimer's training.

I went to the grocery store today and when I came out I was totally lost. I looked in 'my' spot and didn't see my car. I panicked. Dude, where's my car??

Then I remembered the Yaris. You know, the rare four door, black sedan. There aren't many of those on the road at all. Since we picked it up two days ago I've seen 3 black Yaris' and one blue. My neighbor up the street has a Yaris, how in the world didn't I notice? I've also seen a 1,000 black four door sedans (no lie, Rte 422 is a nightmare and I drive it two times a day).

As I was driving home from the grocery store I decided that I needed to do something to make the car stand out. Not to make it cool for others, but so I could find it in a crowd. The Forester cargo area didn't allow for me to put anything in the back window, but I think I'm going to have to find something for the new one. But that got me wondering what says 'me'. I remember back in Santa Barbara I had a cut out of David Letterman in the back seat window of my Audi. It was supposed to look like he was riding in the back of my car. (I'm telling you, I was super cool back then.) I don't think Cha will go for it, unless I decide on Dora or Diego.

If I were excited about either one of the presidential candidates I would put a hat with their name in the window. But I think about the summer of 91 when I was living in DC and had a Bush bumper sticker on my car. Some woman who was crossing the street cursed Bush and smacked my trunk with her umbrella. I don't see McCain or Obama worthy of scratching my new car. Maybe if it were Newt....

Anyway, I think I've decided to put a breast cancer survivor's hat in the back window. Something to nag tailgaters to remind the women in their lives to get themselves checked. It's a bummer that that's what says 'me' but the pink will certainly help me find my car.

Thankful Thursday

Hagedorn sent me a couple of myspace links this morning that opened up a whole new world of thankfulness. I know that it's not polite to judge or compare yourself to others but sometimes you can't help but thanking God for being so normal!

So here are a few things that I am now extra thankful for:

1. That my momma wasn't forced to raise my baby

2. That my husband doesn't have an unhealthy obsession with certain face paint wearing rock bands and take to dressing like them in public.

3. Babydaddy is employed, not in prison, and a decent man

4. There are no wheels attached to my primary residence (not that there's anything wrong with that....)

5. That I even have a primary residence.

6. I am fully aware of my body's trouble spots and make it a priority to keep them hidden, or at the very least not accentuated.

7. My fashion sense, such that it is, does not allow for blue eye shadow.

8. Clean, matching sheets.

9. My digital camera.

10. Family, friends, co-workers, people on the street who are more successful, happier, prettier, skinnier and richer than I am who inspire me to try harder. (Not that I'm not grateful!)

It's a.....

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Yaris!!





Yay!! We traded in Matt's 20 mpg mini-van for this beautiful 35 mpg gem. A 2007 Toyota Yaris with 18,300 miles to be exact.

Honestly, before I stepped foot on the sales lot I had never even heard of the Yaris. I was originally looking at the Ford Focus hatchback which got great reviews from Consumer Reports. But the minute I got behind the wheel of this car I was in love. It's nice and small and feels like a Honda Civic, only it's less money. The reviews are good and hey, it's a Toyota so how bad can it be!

Matt is now driving my Subaru Forester so Cha and I will be tooling around town in our black beauty. I'm so in love!

Prayers for Vicki

I received this note about Darling Vicki, my friend from high school. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. She is only 39 and has two beautiful daughters.


On Monday, July 14th, 2008 Vicki suffered a brain aneurysm and is in critical condition. She underwent brain surgery that day where they cupped the artery.

She became paralyzed on the left side indicating a stroke had occurred. Doctors performed a second angiogram. They were immediately able to verify that a stroke had happened and proceeded to perform an angioplasty (a balloon that is inserted to increase blood flow to the brain.). The paralysis was still present after the procedure.

Vicki is not as aware as she was earlier in the week. Nate and her parents are asking that her visitors are restricted to immediate family at this time so she can focus on stabilizing and recovering.

Random Pics

This is one deep-thinking Kitty


Jaime and I - seems like yesterday!

Me at Cha's age. See, I was blonde and had a lot of hair!

Uh huh, he loves his job

A quick game of Strangle

Obviously I didn't get the memo about wearing floral prints

Ria Kitty