Clark Kent vs. Superman

So a little over a month ago, Kace and Cris had a cheesy routine vision test at school, Kace failed the first time so the stupid volunteer had him take it again with the same letters and lo n behold he passed... imagine that?

Anyway Kace had recently been complaining about how things further away were more blurry in his right eye and if he closed his right he could see things in better focus. So I took my hunch and made an eye appt for him. It was a joke, or at least I thought it was.. I was in the room and silently reading the same eye chart with him (with my glasses on of course)and he blew it big time, I had to look a few times to make sure we were looking at the same chart. He got only one letter correct. So after a series of tests Kace became the newest member in the Wise family to inherit the 4 eyes trait. He seems pretty cool with it and that is good for me, we went out and bought him a cool case and he got 2 pair (one is a back up and it also came with a sunglasses attachment) and for a kid...that's pretty cool.

Agustin thinks it is the end of the world and Kace is now damaged goods thanks to my family genes, but I think it just adds more character to him (of course a mom would say that right?) Kace is near-sighted and his right eye is 20/75 and his left is 20/50... look out world... There is a new Clark Kent in town!

Amen. Can I have some Luck with that?

So there are a gazillion tree's that look like this around my house, all covered with ice and snow, and too old to probably handle it, so the other day my neighbor in front of my place was nice enough to knock on my door and advise me that she heard the tree cracking all night long and about 8 years ago it fell on a few cars, so if I felt the need to move my car, that I could park it in front of her place. I went out there to discover a huge branch laying next to my car and decided to take her up on her offer. That is however, how I got my car stuck and my chain snapped, but heck, at least a tree didnt fall on it... yet. So I lasted only one day of going nowhere and the panic of finishing up my Christmas shopping really got to me, and I 'rigged' my chain that broke the day before and put it back on my car. The red Duck Tape in the picture is my handy work. (I dont want to brag, but it worked and I am actually super proud of myself) If it hadnt of course I would be one of those idiots stranded out there that everyone else is honking at and flipping a certain finger.
As I am putting on my newly taped chain on my tire though I am still parked in front of my neighbors house, my car is running so the windows can defrost some of the ice before I take my window scraper to it, and I hear this loud crack! I look up to see her gutter swinging right for me! I jump to the right and turn around to discover that a branch from a tree across the street from hers had snapped and pulled down some power lines that swung across the street and attached to her house. The power line managed to stay attached and she didnt lose her power, but it hung low with one of the smaller branches still dangling from it. I look at her house, and I look at the power line dangling, then I look at the big branch sitting in front of my car where I once stood. I just kinda stopped to take it in, and didnt realize that a lady up the hill (in ski's) and a guy shoveling his car out across the way also stood shocked and dumbfounded like me. And just as quickly as it happened the guy went back to work on his shoveling and the lady continued to ski down her hill, just then the neighbor came out of her house and started making small talk with me, I asked her if she didnt hear all that from inside her house...she hadnt and once she looked up, she was not happy to find her gutter swinging in the air with her electricty potentially ready to pull its own plug. I really wanted my car out of there and even managed to joke with her about how, I think my own parking spot might actually be safer, and I am taking the risk and parking back there tonight. I guess if a tree is going to fall on me or my car it might as well just do it already, just let me make sure I have 'tree' coverage on my insurance first. (which I do...I checked...whew)

This picture shows the hanging powerline in the middle and off the the right, you can see her gutter hanging off her house, the tire marks is where my car was.
After all was said and done, I finished my shopping, my car has no snow on it, and can handle the next 3 inches coming tomorrow morning and my chains are still safely on my car, snug as a bug in a rug!

Is White A Color?

This is the view off my deck. It took some convincing but Cris went out there with the ruler... the ruler sinks all the way into it, so I am guessing it is over a foot deep.
I got out of the house yesterday and even managed to put my own chains on, but when I attempted to do the same this morning, the weather, my chains and my car all decided that they were done playing in the snow. My right tire chain snapped and the tire really enjoyed spinning in a crazy, dirty snow frenzy...ah well it was fun while it lasted. I guess we will really have to make the best out of board games and hot apple cider.

All Fun and Then Some

I love having Fridays off, it gives me an extra day to take care of errands and to them while the kids in school, but last Friday was a little more special. It required me to wake up earlier and actually attempt to look decent. The boys and I had a date! It was Muffins for Mom at school. We left for school an hour early and the cold chill warning was in the air, advising us of the winter storm that was creeping in. It was all worth it though as we walked into the warm gym with a nice smell of muffins. Every mom was handed a rose and we selected a muffin or two of our liking, grabbed a drink and sat down and got to enjoy each others company. It was great for me, because we are still fairly new to the school and I got to actually meet some of the parents. I am so much happier with this school and so are the boys. here are the boys at the Muffins with Mom.
For my birthday last month my co-workers purchased 2 tickets to the Nutcracker for me. I have always wanted to go to the show, I just never had a very insightful boyfriend to do so. So I got to go on opening night this year. I went with my co-worker and friend Carissa. We were so giddy and excited, both just ecstatic to watch it, not to mention to dress up and have a girls night out. The music flowing so well with every step and flutter of the ballerina's. It was truly a great event and I would love to make it a tradition, I think at first the boys may not appreciate it, in its entirety, but the story and tradition of it just appeals to me. it even started to show a little snow on my way home. Just a taste of what the remainder of the weekend was going to be.
On Saturday the boys and I were on a hunt for little gifts, Kace has a gift exchange at school and I an ornament exchange at work. We worked our way through the crowded mall and even enjoyed a cinnabon treat (the boys I mean, not me...maybe.) We weren't as successful as I hoped so we trekked over to Target and in the strip mall by Target is a pet shop. The boys asked if we could just look at the animals and I willingly agreed. The puppy's were overly expensive but definitely adorable. It was this time last year that we had 7 puppies in our home to hold and adore. I wandered off to the gerbil/hamster side because I knew they would be less expensive and easier to maintain and care for. so in the end, we left with a new family member. Let me introduce you to 'Dusty' - He is adorable, the boys are ecstatic and he is right at home with us. He is pretty darn cute, very well behaved and loves to roll around in his little hamster ball. He just goes until he runs into a wall and then he will turn around, run as fast as he can into yet another wall and he can do this for hours. I am not sure if it is because he is still a cute baby, but he sleeps through the night right now, and that is just awesome.
So the boys enjoyed the 3 or 4 inches of snow we got yesterday and I had fun making it off the hill this morning.

Look at this Girl Go!

So I made it through Thanksgiving with out over stuffing on delicious comfort food. I went and hung out with my brothers. It was perfect, not too over crowded and I felt very welcomed. Nan made some 'look-out Martha Stewart' worthy deserts and even though I took home left-overs I would like to say that I did not touch any of them, but my boys and friends sure enjoyed it!

Due to the holiday and the other worthy participant's schedules, Weigh-in was delayed a few days so we weighed-in this morning and guess what?!!! Yep! This girl is on fire!
4 more pounds lost, and I don't miss them a bit! my pants are at the point where a belt is required and the only tragedy is my chest. It was fun while it lasted, I guess. LOL.

So I made it through one of the major holidays and still managed to stay on track and lose weight! This is getting easier than I thought and I cant wait for the finished product. I am up for the next challenge of Christmas fudge!

Thansksgiving is all year long

I wanted to take this time to be sappy and grateful for all my wonderful blessings in my life, but this year alone has been a life changing year for me. I thought it was going to be life changing just because I turned 31, and a person feels like things should be progressing and really moving along when you hit the milestone over 30 like that.

For the most part I let my year get lost, I let things just "be".
Then I woke up and I have struggled the most this year than I feel I ever have, but it was all worth it. To feel what I feel, to know what I know.
I have a friend who suggests that people write things down on paper, well this is going to be my paper.. here is a list of my blessings, my accomplishments, my loves and joys, my truth, faith and heart.

I am humbly grateful for:

Kace and Cris- 2 amazing children that I was blessed to be given to me by the great lord. Who tell me every morning I am beautiful, who compliment me, who when they snap at me, come back quickly and apologize because they care about my feelings, who are a great example to me and keep me going strong.

My brothers - thank you for the good, comfortable and spiritual talks. the dropping everything to help me move, to give me a blessing, to call me and ask me how I am doing. I feel closer to you all, and forever grateful for how wonderful each and everyone of you are to me and to the boys. I cant say this enough, you are the most amazing brothers and I think this is just the beginning.

My sisters - Your examples and strengths surpass me, to send me emails, keep me in the loop and just give off the motherly, caring love that you do. I enjoy being able to catch up with you on blog's and emails. I dont want to use life and distance as an excuse to not spend more time with you, to talk with you, to share and laugh with you. I love you both very much.

My sister-in-laws - my brothers have wives just as amazing as them, if not more than. Thank you for your patience, understanding and willingness to help out where you can. I adore each and everyone one of you and so glad you are a part of this family. You all have something amazing to bring to me. I love you.

My mother - Who knows I can be quiet the handful and even heartache and worry, you still take me in, hold me up and make sure I am ready to walk back out that door again ready for the next day and what it might bring. You are simply there EVERY time I need you, EVERY time I fall, you are picking me up. I love spending time with you, sharing conversations, interests and time with you.

Agustin - I am so grateful for how we can converse about more than just the boys, that you show genuine concern with my family and provide me with updates about yours, to support me, offer help where you can and mostly for just understanding and being so great as I struggle. You make it more than about the boys and they have a terrific father.

I am blessed with:

My home - just perfect for the boys and I. We have found a place we can hang our hats and be comfortable. The kids can walk to school, have great neighbors and a pretty cool landlord.

My car - that gets amazing gas mileage and has helped me through this gas price shock. That doesnt cost much in repairs, and is low maintenance (thank goodness because I feel I am high maintenance enough)

My job- To work with normal people, not money-hungry materialistic snobs, to be able to help people that need it, to look forward to going to work every day. To just simply have a job when so many are losing theirs, And the health insurance is great!

My Health - to not have any health concerns, not a hint of a cold, to be able to continually keep moving, getting in shape and staying more fit and active for the boys and I.

The Church- For being able to have a place where I feel so comfortable, to have the truth that I was blessed to be born with. The support, the love and the knowledge that is ever growing.

My biggest accomplishment this year was that I stepped outside of the box I was living in, I took the knowledge of knowing how mentally challenging it was for me and I broke free. I couldnt be more happy, more grateful, more ready for the new tomorrows that I now have, the possibilities that I shut out before. All the struggles, the challenges, the stress was worth it for this moment to sit here and reflect on such an amazing year, to take the good and the bad and make it what it is now and what is still left to come.

The Number Is....

Well today was a weigh-in day, the first one since the biggest loser office competition started. I was dreading this, simply because I know I could have been better, but when I got there and weighed in I was pleased with the outcome. There are 5 people total in this competition, 2 gained weight and 3 of us lost weight. So while the 2 who gained weight actually may have gained some muscle, they still need to pay up. $2.00 for every pound! That is $12.00 added to the already sweet pot of $250.00 so far!

My number at weigh-in this morning was 153.8... resulting in a loss of almost 3 lbs, and while that is not a big number and realistically I wanted much higher, I am satisfied, if I maintain a weight loss of 3 lbs every 2 weeks I will have lost 20 lbs at the end of this competition. now that is a pleasant number I can handle. So I am going to keep on chugging, put a little more effort into it and keep my goal in mind!

Pay It Forward

"One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness, it usually comes back to you" Unknown


I am all about doing little things for people just to bring a smile to their face or as a small reminder that this world still has some good left in it. I have these cards I got from a website called random acts of kindness and occasionally I get to use them, the theory is I hand the card to the receiver of the nice gesture and they in turn pay it forward to someone else.
My point in all this is that lately I have been the receiver and it is hard for me not to be the one giving and doing. It is just who I am. So today we left the house a little late, I am driving the boys to school and no longer do I make it to the first light and I hear a loud noise, it is constant and sounds like a car I had in the old days where I had a 10" glass pack on the muffler. It is such an annoying thing to know that a noise like that is coming from a car, but worse to know it is coming from MY car.
The light signal I was sitting at turned green and it is taking me right on the freeway, it is wetter than wet out and pouring rain. I don't want to deal with this right now, but it sounds as though my car might explode. So I get on the freeway and take the first exit a couple hundred feet away. I pull down a side road off the freeway, I get out and check my 'rear' end. My muffler is still attached but it is sagging on the end where it meets the rest of the body work crap underneath. I knew it wasn't going to make it through an entire day of driving like that, but at 7 in the morning, I didn't have a lot of choices. I drove off, I made it out pass the oncoming traffic lane and sccrraatchh, damn it! I was dragging my muffler. The kids were going to be late for school and why oh why didn't this happen yesterday when I had the freaken day off? I stop in the middle of these two lanes, my hazards on, and I thought there might be a chance if I could take the muffler off that it had a chance of surviving and being re-attached, but I didn't know how to take this thing off, let alone I was not going to get my work clothes wet and dirty from the road by really getting down and looking at it. Sooo I made a few phone calls... no answers and just as I was about to make another call my little brother B calls back. He is on his way. (Did I mention what an awesome family I have, I have the coolest brothers, every single one of them and my mom and sisters are so understanding. I really got a great deal for a family)
I am sitting in this somewhat of a middle lane, the windows are starting to fog up because the sound is to unbearable to leave the car running and I make a few phone calls to work and to school to let them know there will be a delay for us. Just as I am finishing up these calls, Cris tells me that there is a car next to me, I quickly look to see this young guy sitting in a white truck. I jump out and he asks if I need help. I explain to him that my brother is on his way, but that my muffler is dragging and I would like to just get it off all the way but I don't know how. He didn't say anything, pulled his truck a little more off the main lane and walked straight to my trunk, laid down (YES I said laid down ... in the freaken rain, soaking wet ground and all!) and he wiggles and wrestles my muffler off and throws it in the trunk for me. I wanted to show him my appreciation but all I had was a thank you. He was cute though and had a great smile, so random guy I don't know, that was a truly nice thing to do this morning and I would offer to wash your pants or even buy you new ones (now that my head is more clear).And no I didn't get his number either for those of you who were thinking it.
However I know from being that kind of person that, that is not what he was looking for. I appreciate the kind and generous people of this world who don't think twice to do something that was probably so simple for them, to help out another. It really means alot to me as a receiver.

The ending is a normal one, After I dropped the boys off at school (who were not happy that they didn't get to miss the entire day) I drove straight to Midas, an hour and $120 later I have a new muffler, the old one could not be saved (probably why it wanted to fall off in the first place)
and I didn't think to take a pic of the old hanging muffler (why would I? it was raining and bleh outside) but I did however take a quick pic of my new muffler. So as cheesy as it is, here is the pic of my day today.
One less thing to worry about I guess and I am grateful that it wasn't something more major or expensive.

A Few of my Favorite Things...

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"...

"I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad"

So things have been going pretty good lately, I feel great emotionally and physically. Today was raining the way the good 'ol Northwest should. I loved it!
I threw on my running shoes and ran, it felt so good to get that fresh rain air in my lungs, to splash in the puddles like I was a kid... I am sure I had a very kid like smile on my face while I did it too. There is something very sobering for me to run in the rain...
There a few other things that work for me that bring me to a even keel with myself.
I feel like sharing them so here goes:

* Cleaning, but after I am done cleaning sitting on the couch in the clean room and enjoying my vacuum lines, not wanting to get up, move and disturb them.

* Going through a box of pictures, looking back and remembering some old good times, and also remembering some things I have been through in the past and made it out A OK.

* Driving alone on a less driven road, listening to music, or not even listening to music but enjoying the beautiful scenery around me.

* Hiking alone or with someone, this too is something to just get back in touch with the simpler things, to see how amazing God is and what he has created. The silence of the wooded trails helps me clear my head.

* Dancing alone in my room or house to music. Music (if proper) speaks to the soul and dancing not only gives you some exercise but lets you release an inner child.

* Watching a movie by myself, sitting in a dark theater, eating all the popcorn with no other hands, really taking in the art of acting and filming.

* Doing service, whether small or big, it makes the soul feel good. It is easy to get caught up in life when things are going good, but when you stumble it makes you realize how others stumble even more, and if I help them then we both feel good.

* Reading. I love to go find a good corner somewhere and read without interruptions. Getting into the book and not wanting to put it down. When weather is nice, I would take the boys to the pool, let them play and splash and I would pick a good corner and read in the sun... got a good tan too.

* Sitting in front of a fireplace during the cold months, but especially Christmas morning, the lights on the Christmas tree with happy kids, I love those!


I am blessed.

I'm So Great They Made 2 of Me!

Got Twins?

So I was going to post first thing this morning because I know my sister, the queen of posting on her blog more regularly than anyone, would once again try and steal the show....
you know what? That is my birthday present to you! I am giving you the joy of being better than me, but just this once...j/k...kind of ;)

But really now, you get the top-dog on this one. There is no way I have the skills to put every song on my playlist to a happy birthday song..oh, wait... I don't even have a playlist. To change my background to happy birthday, To add several pictures of the 2 of us, (do you have any ones where I look decent?), and especially remember all those cool things... I hate my lack of memory.

So instead of working against you.. I figured I would join you, after I clear up the fact that you pushed me out of the womb, it wasn't I who pushed my way out... after all you hogged it the entire 9 months, what was stopping you from enjoying the leg room after I was out of there? LOL.

We stole the show a lot. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

*We would mix our funny socks up and you would wear one of mine and I yours so they looked even funnier.

*We walked down the hall in Jr High School wearing dads pants, one body in each pant leg, people looked at us like we were nuts, but we had a blast.

*When you tried to chop your thumb off in shop class, I was in Science and my thumb was killing me and I didn't know why until later when I discovered what happened to you.

*We were called the 'dude twins' because we have a slightly deeper toned voice.

*We would jump across beds to the other, jumping back and forth sometimes throwing our pillows at each other, and once exhausted we would stay up late in bed talking to each other... Sometimes we would hear dads deep voice say "go to sleep".

And since you were so gracious on sharing my wonderful moments I thought I would add to those as well:

*When we would fight as we got older, I would hit you and then run with you running after me to hit me back and then turn and run like lightening until I caught up to you to pull your hair... this would go for only a few minutes and shortly we would be back in the same room and fine around each other.

*We typically dated the best friend of each others boyfriends (well usually me after you..so I guess a thank you for the boyfriend)

*We used to play with matchbox cars too (I'm not too proud to admit that)

But the best thing about my sister and being a twin is:

*You always have a friend the first day of school.

*There is always someone who understands me, even when we are a gazillion miles apart

*We compliment each other in every way

*We have the awesome automatic bragging rights of having a twin sister, and a bond that no one would understand unless they themselves are a twin.

My sister is humble, sweet, spiritual, awesome at spontaneous humor, knows how to get a good buy, creative, and a darn good writer.

Happy Birthday!
I love you and think you are the best! I hope your day was great today and know that I am thinking about you and miss you!

Ready, Set, Go will power!

So today marks the day of no more eating like crap and actually doing some hardcore exercise.
It needs to be done and there is never a good time to start as there is always something that will blow it. So I already know the challenge I have in front of me as I start this a few days after our homes are blasted with sugary crap candy and we enter into Thanksgiving and Christmas...not to mention the weather does not support a healthy, active outdoor lifestyle...so yes, I have carefully taken all of these factors into consideration.

But there is a new wardrobe with a hot pair of shoes at stake! It is a competition. A few co-workers decided that they wanted to do an office type biggest loser. So we have come up with a fun individual member names, we made official rules such as no sabotaging others, no binging and purging, no weight loss supplements or surgery. Each participant put in $50.00 and we weigh-in every 2 weeks. if at weigh-in anyone gains weight there is a $2 fine for every pound. if someone misses a weigh-in they get the same weight from the last weigh-in used and a $5 fine. The competition is based off of percentage lost.
So see what I mean.... I have clothes on my mind! I will need the money from the other losers to buy new clothes!

So I weighed in today at 156.6. I will update here, every time I weigh-in. At the end I will post a before and after picture. I am sharing this on the Internet as it holds me more accountable if I do not follow through.

A few things I have started to change:
no more coffee - I now drink green tea.
no alcoholic beverages
I went shopping and was very conscious about calories, carbs, and fat.
no soda - think water, water, water.

I think I will do okay on the food part of this, it is sticking to the exercise routine, that will be my challenge....so here goes.

my name for this competition is 'Wine is not a fruit'.

Halloween fun

So we have tried to go out and do some fun things this year for Halloween. First we ventured off to the Roloff Farms, and if the name sounds familiar than that means you watch the TV channel TLC, because the Roloff's have a TV crew that follows their family, the show is called 'Little People Big World' - yep the little people, I really wanted a picture and autograph for you C, but didn't want to wait in the ghastly lines for it, not to mention I am from Oregon and was not going to act like a tourist in my own state. Even though I went to the farm, I didn't act giddy and that is what counts.
I went with a girlfriend and she borrowed her friends kids so can't share any of the good pic's as it has the sweet faces of the other kids and seeing as I don't have permission from their mother I wont.
My eyes are closed and Kace looks absolutely happy about having to sit and take a picture (hence my hand on his head) ah well cant have every picture look like it belongs in a scrap-book. Cris was a happy guy, his pumpkin weighed 18lbs.
We took a guided tour of the farms, it was actually bigger in person Matt and Amy however were not(ha, that kind of made me laugh). I have a sunbeam right in the middle of me, not sure what to make of it, but yet another perfect picture for the scrapbook.
I will say I was super glad we got there early, because when we were leaving the line of cars going into the farm was miles and miles long. It was something I can say we did as not sure I would do it again.

Then 2 days ago we went to a Graveyard Tour at a local graveyard in Vancouver. It was really cool, the historical society put on the show and we went to the graveyard at night and the volunteers dressed in character of the local people from the 1800's buried there. we were escorted around the graveyard from grave to grave by candle light and greeted by these ghosts from the past while they told their stories, struggles and successes. It was truly a very cool thing to do and not scary at all. The boys were enthralled by it, the volunteers took on their characters so well.
I think I would enjoy making this a tradition as every year they pick different persons to share stories about. I didn't realize that this is a pretty popular thing to do, there are several of these around and all over the states too.

Kace and Cris are trick-or-treating with their dad this year and I already dropped the costumes off with their dad, so no pic's, but Kace is Batman (a very good looking one I might add) and Cris is Iron-Man. Too bad the beautiful NW has its typical rain forcasted- I am just glad kids don't care.

I can't help it!

I got a letter in the mail from the school the other day and while I was sure it had something to do with them wanting money or volunteers for something, I was way off and really surprised when I read what I read.

I have pre-bragging rights, well maybe they are flat out bragging rights which ever way you look at it. The letter reads like this "Your child, Cris, is being considered for the Gifted Education program" ... WOW! I mean I always knew my kids were smart kids, and not to sound totally dumb founded but I would've expected that from Kace, before I saw it for Cris... I was pondering whether some of Cris' behavior portrays signs of Turrets (constantly clearing his throat and making open motions with his mouth for no apparent reason... he just has to be moving and doing something) and the school is telling me my son is smarter than his classmates. Cris was ecstatic and had to call his dad and make sure grandma heard the news. Kace on the other hand was a little upset, he knew he was smarter than his brother so how come they didn't send him a letter?

So as a parent I am taking full advantage of the fact that I have been blessed with 2 amazing boys and their talents and abilities continue to have me taken back.

Karma and Drama...are they twins?

Imagine this, I wake up 15 minutes late because I am in a nice dream. Get ready and walk out the front door, it feels really good, my favorite time of year...Fall. Crisp air with a slight chill and its still dark outside... brings me back to days when I was up at 4am in boot camp to get my exercises on. All in all it was a perfect morning. The drive to work was as usual and I arrived a few minutes late, carried a short friendly conversation with a co-worker then we agreed to go across the street to Starbucks and grab a coffee. (a true excuse to continue our non-working, but pleasant environment) I am waiting for my coffee at the other end of the barista bar and just as my drink is called out, I reach to grab it and a gentlemen passing me drops his coffee!
I cursed so loud and am pretty sure I had a lot of people looking at me in the very busy morning hours. I didn't care, like always I am not wearing socks and my foot gets a taste of how hot coffee is. The entire lower half of my pants is now soaked in coffee, the guy who's coffee splattered everywhere is very apologetic and very embarrassed. I truly felt bad for him, but shamefully was focused on the fact that my pants were going to carry a brown tint on them for the rest of the day and forever if I don't get something on it to make sure there will not be stains. I was thankful I was wearing black shoes. The coffee slid right off the slick exterior and if there was a stain I wouldn't know it.
As I share this story, my pants are still wet (I lifted my leg into the bathroom sink and ran cold water on my pants). I am not moving from my desk so that I avoid questions about my pants that looked like I stepped in a toilet. My co-worker took full advantage of the humor out of it and convinced an innocent co-worker to sing I am a little tea-pot to me! I sang along and even forced a few of the movements out. Funny it was, but just not to me at this moment.

So given my recent 'drama' going on - family, you know what I am talking about. I was just curious if Karma and Drama are twins?

73 Random Things About Me

73 you ask? because 73 in itself is a random number, not to mention it is the number of things I could think of about myself in a whim and lets be honest the number 100 is over played ;-)

* But as a side note here are a few random #'s about my random choice of # 73:
- it is the 21st prime number.
- Interstate 73 runs through North Carolina.
- Amateur radio operators use 73 as an abbreviation for 'Best Regards'.
- The space shuttle 'Challenger' exploded 73 seconds after it launched on 1/28/86.
- It is Barry Bonds 2001 single season home run record.

_______________________________________________________

1. Blueberry Muffin was my favorite from the Strawberry Shortcake friends

2. I love White Chocolate Mocha's (not the calories)
3. I speak Sarcasm as a second language - Japanese was too hard and Spanish just didn't blend well with my sarcastic accent
4. I believe in Fate and Karma
5. I secretly day dream of one day living a fairytale relationship
6. Yellow Starburst are my favorite candy
7. most memorable childhood nickname is: Melamber (my uncle David decided he didn't want to tell me and my sister apart from each other so he combined our names)
8. Cursing is my favorite bad habit
9. I have loved every job I have ever had
10. at girls camp one year me, my sister and some of our closest friends made a pact and named our group Ra-Mi-Ber-Da by taking the last part of each of our first names.
11. Loved the cartoon Thundercats- HO!
12. Cheetara was my favorite character sighting the similarities between me and her
13. My last name (which I kindly borrow from my ex-husband and love it) is pronounced Vee-Ya-New-Wave-Uh.
14. The English translation of my last name is 'New House' (see the obvious reason it stays in a foreign language?)
15. I briefly dated a guy named Elvis (seriously no joke)
16. I collect clowns and even have a tattoo of a clown
17. I love the smell of rain
18. I detest the smell of cigarette smoke
19. I obsessively clean when I am upset or stressed as a form of calming myself
20. Leland from the TV show "Dog, The Bounty Hunter" is hot!
21. I hate wrinkles in my bed sheets and wont get in bed until they are straightened out
22. I love listening intently to the lyrics in songs
23. I do my own french manicure and have for the past 8 years
24. I drive thru 8 zip codes on my drive to work
25. I like the way glasses look on me
26. I love the phrase "I'm Awesome"
27. I hate wearing socks, even in cold weather
28. My most treasured childhood item is a homemade carebear my mother made me.
29. I love shoe shopping
30. I own 65+ pairs of shoes and currently my favorite pair are from Blowfish
31. I fondly remember our family's car - a ford station wagon that me and my siblings nicknamed 'Saddam's Bomb' because it was as worthless as his 'scud missiles'
32. I almost died when I was 16 and my dad saved me, just by checking in on me
33. my favorite white trash event is the Monster Truck Jam - the loud thunder vibration of their engines is a thrill for me
34. my favorite season is Fall
35. Jonathan Night was my Favorite guy from NKOTB
36. I have owned 13 cars
37. I love Hiking
38. I love wearing Baseball caps and think I look good in them too
39. Have a goal of writing a published book
40. I went into the Army to keep by bad attitude, only to learn respect and humility
41. I want just one more tattoo
42. I get compliments on my handwriting all the time
43. Love Piano music
44. Last thing I ate was a whole wheat mini bagel with peanut butter - protein yum!
45. My name Amber became really popular after a 1940's novel titled 'Forever Amber' written by Kathleen winsors
46. The most popular year to name a child Amber was in 1986
47. Amber Alert: stands for Americas Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response
48. my favorite color is Yellow, green is a close second
49. I use to draw 'tag' art in high school and was given the tag name of 'Chiza' from a friend
50. I love having 2 boys but always dreamed of having 3
51. I have moved 9 different times as an adult
52. I slept in my car almost everyday during high school and barely graduated- thanks to summer school
53. I got smacked in the nose with a Hockey Stick in high school PE a few days before prom, the guy felt so bad he offered to take me to prom with my bruised nose
54. I wish I lived closer to my twin sister- we get along better and have such a good time when we do
55. The most recent movie I saw was IGOR (cute, non-scary Halloween movie for kids)
56. I always wanted to be a cop when I grew up and still do
57. my favorite cereal is Honey Bunches of Oat
58. I went blind for a few hours as a child and regained eye sight to a big bird dancing left and right on the doctors finger
59. I sleep with an autograph bat from the Minnesota twins next to my bed for protection
60. I cant swim and too afraid too learn
61. I love fresh Vacuum lines on carpet
62. My weight right now is equal to my weight when I was 9 months pregnant with my first child (yuck)
63. I once craved chicken so bad when I was pregnant that I bought an entire bucket from KFC and ate it all by myself through-out the day.
64. I was declared the 'almighty Otis owner' by my siblings referring to our family pet Otis
65. My dad is my ultimate inspiration, my brothers are close replica's
66. I suck at remembering peoples names, even right after I was introduced to them
67. a huge pet peeve is hair on clothing - animal or human
68. I have a secret that I will take to my grave
69. I love living in Oregon more than I ever have living in Washington
70. I always wanted to skydive but too chicken to actually do it
71. the current book I am reading is title 'Judgement in Berlin'
72. my lucky charm is a pen with my dads name on it
73. I use an old, non-service connected cell phone as my alarm, because I am so use to it

Fun Blog Things- from Yameturkuri (my funky Japanese name)

So I was on my sisters page and catching up with the crazy insane fien of a blogger that she is.... I left off on Wednesday so I had a lot of catching up to do. Here is something I tried out and thought it was fun... Not to mention this is pretty much me in a nutshell. I guess that I can be summed up in a made-up superhero character. Feels nice in such a crazy messed up world that my "f" bombs now have a weaponary powers! That makes me feel damn good :)

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Karate Fly Your Superpower is Cursing Your Weakness is Bacteria Your Weapon is Your Lunar Torpedoes Your Mode of Transportation is Bullet Train

What's Your Superhero Name?

True to myself.... I curse (way more than I should)
I hate germs and dirt, cleaning is my true love
I interpet the lunar torpedoes to be my moods as the moon pleases (and trust me when the moon and the stars mess with me...its soooo on.)
The transportation part has me stumped a little, but I guess when my back seat drivers tell me to slow down or look out for something that there may be some validity to it.

That was so fun for my monday!

If I Had Two Wishes

I have a favorite poem, it was adapted from 'A Child's Bedtime Song' by Denis Waitley and it is something very true to me, it is something I want to give my own boys and something I want to live by. In light of my recent incident of 'parent pains' I decided that this would be appropriate. I have this poem framed and sitting on my desk at work and home.

ROOTS AND WINGS If I had two wishes, I know what they would be
I'd wish for roots to cling to, and wings to set me free;

Roots of inner values, like rings within a tree,
And wings of independence to seek my destiny.

Roots to hold forever, to keep me safe and strong
To let me know you love me, when I've done something wrong;

To show me by example, and help me learn to choose
To take those actions everyday to win instead of lose.

Just be there when I need you, to tell me it's all right
To face my fear of failing when I test my wings in flight;

Don't make my life too easy, it's better if I try
And fail and get back up myself, so I can learn to fly.

If I had two wishes, and two were all I had
And if they could just be granted by my mom and dad;

I wouldn't wish for money or any store bought things
The greatest gift I'd ask for are simply roots and wings.

To Bully Or Not To Bully? That Is The Question.

okay well so I wasn't going to do this, but then I thought of a few things...well more than a few things... and I spent all day thinking about these things. This will all hopefully make sense when I am done, but first I was thinking about Ryan, than I was thinking about my sisters very good blog on Faith and then I was thinking about the kids and Kace in particular and a very specific phone call and lastly I was thinking about me. And they all came down into the same box... fitting perfectly as if I could keep them all in the box, close the lid and forget about it.

However just like my sister (blog is on the right, I cant figure out how to do a line that you can click on) I need to be tested and that is how the Lord keeps us on our toes per say. This year I did something I hadn't done in all the years my boys have gone to school, I prayed and asked for a way for them to have a "father's blessing" before they start school this year. My prayer was answered and I knew it the minute my mom announced that my brothers wanted to get together on Labor Day! I could have performed a blessing to my child and it would have been heartfelt and warm, but it was missing the main ingredient of blessings that I grew up with and that was the priesthood that the men in my family carried. Something my families religion did very well. I am not big on proclaiming my religious practices, but it doesn't mean my heart isn't there. Anyway after all was said and done only Kace got the blessing because the boys' father wasn't ever really good at honoring my requests for anything. I thought to myself though that this was going to be a good school year anyway, and it still can and will be, it just has the bumps of growing up...I forgot to ask for a "bump" exclusion when requesting a blessing (that is a joke).

So today I get a phone call, I recognize the number on my caller ID, it is a number that parents unconsciously memorize... it is the number to the school.
I answer, it is the Principal... and just like anyone in a profession that deals with family the first words out of their mouth are "your child is okay". I was thinking to myself that he might not be depending on what she was going to say, but decided not to share that with her... for normal reasons. She proceeded to let me know that Kace was involved in an bullying incident and that Kace was accompanied by 2 other boys. So 3 against 1. There are several things I could say to this and I could make an excuse as to why my son would participate in such a cruel act, but I know better than to think my children are "all mighty" innocent, I mean I hear them name calling and punching when I am just in the other room at home. I also don't want this to be written off as a write of passage for kids growing up, but the big question... how do I handle this? and let me catch you up to speed, Kace is a repeat offender and this incident happens to be against the same boy as last year. So I have a "failure" mentality hit me. I have failed, I haven't done enough to teach my children to be empathetic, to resist simple peer pressure, they aren't even in the tough teen years...I am truly doomed.

So I instantly did what a lot of people do these days. I went to the Internet in search of advice, suggestions and ways to talk to my child about this. Not to mention I just went to a convention for work where I took 2 seminars on how to talk to boys! yep not kidding and a day later I am at a lost... that worked real well. Well not an entire lost, I know that boys are given stereo types and when a boy doesn't fit in the stereo type they do their best to fit in it so they are not the ones on the "outside" that are getting picked on. Kace has always had an issue with being darker in color skin and I speculate that he is willing to point out something different about someone else to hide his own insecurities. I have known this forever and I know Kace to be a very non-confrontational kid, so he isn't about to stand up for what he truly believes in or feels if others are opposing him. BUT and that is a big but we do not tolerate this behavior. Ever.

As I am going from link to link on bullying I was really in search of ways to teach my child "the bully" on ways to stop and most everything I found was about how to overcome being bullied. I found a website; Pacer Center, National Center for Bullying Prevention, it has a very good "parent" section, and in that section is a link to a web page about a boy named Ryan, you all can visit this page by going to www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org, in short Ryan was bullied for years and at the age of 13 his depression built so high and was so overwhelming that he took his life.
It is a tragic and very sad story, especially for me and as I read it, my son who is a bully, my Kace could be the kid someday who tortures another kid so bad that the other kid, god forbid, does something to get rid of it all. So I printed Ryan's picture, I printed the story and tonight when I get home I will not go in with guns blazing (figure of speech), I will not corner him, I will not raise my voice, I will not take away a material item. I will let him hold Ryan's picture as I read this story to both of my boys (relating a story also helps boys be more communicable) and we will have a short "family Night" lesson on bullying. if Kace chooses to talk to me about it later I would be proud, if he chooses to go the higher road I will be elated.
I wont know for sure how this will go over and I don't think a stern talking to is what he needs at this time. we have had our share of stern talks, we have had our share of having privileges revoked, and last year Kace wrote a letter of apology to the boy that he taunts, nothing has set in. So here is going with a mothers instinct and here is to going in with faith, pride and courage.

Bullying Prevention Awareness Week October 5th - 11th, 2008.

An Ode to Lisa

I was thinking about doing this last night anyway, but since Melinda hinted that I (and probably you too Lisa) don't blog enough I figured that since today is the 5th of September that I would acknowledge a few things that happened on this day in history, but THEN, as I was looking some things up I decided to change it and talk about my sister and the things that stand out about her the most.

So....

I found out that there was an attempted assassination on the president by one of Manson's followers on this day back in 1975... Mother Teresa, the most caring, giving, loving woman passed away in 1997... America Savings and Loan went Bankrupt in 1988, and the only thing positive in world history on this date was that Sweden successfully changed over to driving on the right hand side of the road. So out of all the garb and crap that this world brings the one thing still bright in the life of our family is my older sister, Lisa, who was the first born child of my parents on this day.

My favorite memories of my sister: (believe it or not have nothing to do with us intentionally losing your backpack on a California freeway,and nothing to do with my brothers giving you a nickname that we still laugh at to this day and if my brothers had there way it would probably end up on your gravestone.)
Are when you first started to drive and you drove EXACTLY the speed limit, not a mile over, and when we (your siblings) complained... you simply explained that you did not want speeding on your record in heaven as it was breaking the law of the land. I also fondly remember a dream I had and in my dream I saw a gorgeous woman, she had perfect silky hair that shined better than a model on a commercial for a shampoo product, she had teeth whiter than anything ever seen and a complexion that just simply doesn't exist here on this earth, and the next day when I saw you I realized that it was you that I dreamt about and it was how our father in heaven sees you and your amazing spirit. From that day forward that is how I saw you too. You strive to be that example to your younger brothers and sisters, you make the effort to share your love with us regardless of the things we have done to you. (like steal your new clothes.. I know there is more, but to save a little grace on us, your siblings, I will spare them)

Happy Birthday Lisa, I hope you have an enjoyable day!

To Infinity And Beyond

Kace is my Space nut, he knows that Buzz Aldrin in as amazing person with so many accomplishments, he secretly ponders why everybody thinks Neil is the greatest, and if you do your research the most popular picture of the man on the moon that is so often mistaken for Neil is actually a picture of Buzz and Neil is the photographer.
In fact if Space is brought up in a conversation Kace finds his way right into it, just like my dad... I remember one time at a birthday party for some of my nieces and nephews I was looking at a wall with Planets and other things on it at the party place and my boyfriend at the time mentioned something with-in ear shot of my dad and my dad was in that conversation with-in seconds. So I really enjoy and support Kace and his love of Space, not to mention his dream to be the first astronaut to walk on Mars... They say this could happen around 2022.


Kace recently got to experience an amazing summer vacation. This year we decided that for his birthday he would get to go to Kennedy Space Center and take in all that is fascinating for him. The best part is he got to go with Grandma. Kace and Grandma get along really well and since my mom has been there before she knew what would be the best places that he would enjoy. They spent 2 entire days at the Space Center alone and probably would've spent their entire vacation there. I wasn't there to share all the things that they did together or want to even try and make sure I have the stories correct, but wanted to share the happy face of my amazing 10 year old and let him have the awesome memories of a vacation that will be forever special to just him and Grandma. Thanks Mom!!

This Sucks

Happy Birthday Kace!!! I cant believe your making me so OLD!!!

So I haven't written in a while... for an understatement. Where does time go and yet what I am going to write about is totally a true testimony to where time goes... and the older a person gets the more regrets a person has about choices in the past. And moreover it just completely sucks that I am writing about this since I haven't written in a while and I didn't have the guts to simply pick up the phone.

I have an identical twin sister and her and her husband moved a gazillion miles away, which at first I was like whatever, I pulled my stubborn attitude together and used it to never talk to them again.

I liked the way Melinda put it... "mis-communication". Michal my therapist always says there is 3 sides to every story, mine, theirs and then somewhere in the middle is the truth, and not that anyone is lying or extorting the story any more than the other, just simply that each person takes a certain conversation or situation the way they want to take it, whether it was meant that way or not, and then there is the way things get handled...especially if it brings on what I call the 'mama bear' behavior. And this goes for anyone, but if I feel an attack on me and my kids I am all defense regardless of the true circumstances.... so in short since my sister moved, and before that we have not spoken in a year. I have still viewed my sisters blog, I love her kids and I love being an aunt and even though I took my crappy life situation out on them and it was misunderstood I still love and miss every one of them. I just wasn't big enough to do a damn thing about it. good thing I have the twin sister I do!

So today I read her blog, you can catch it here [http://www.howerton6.blogspot.com/]

and so famously of my sister she made me cry at work... she always knows just when to catch me off guard. Everything my sister said about sisters is true, she nailed my older sister to the T and I am thanking the heavens above she was so gracious when talking about me, because it could have been much worse and it has been. So time for me to say ...
I'm Sorry. it wasn't you, it was me. Just to name a few... how could you possibly be jealous of me? There was a hidden bitterness about our dad passing away and you still had mom, I mean you always had a better relationship with her and I felt like I got a short stick when dad was no longer here, not to mention that even though you and Cory struggled your blessings were more than I could ever want and Cory was and is a lot like the father I miss so much.
You have an amazing marriage, great and adorable kids and even though my relationship with mom is the best it has ever been, I still feel isolated from the bond I see that you have with her.
You say I am more pretty and a better dresser, but you're my IDENTICAL twin sister... so I don't see how that could be. I hide my spiritual feelings, I am more reserved about that side of things and both my sisters are much more open and warm about it, the beauty from that alone just makes you glow beyond any haircut or purse that I have to try and even feel comparable to you.
So in short, you are my better half, my example and yet a pain in the rear for making me cry and always being the bigger person and ending this stupid crap!

I love you and Cory and hope that we can all understand one another better each and every time.