Wednesday, August 31, 2005

I am Only a Little Geeky & Need Help from a Bigger Geek

I am currently moving my blog from blogger to typepad. Since I paid for the typepad account, I figured I better use it. I also might upgrade the account, so that I can have my own domain name (shh, don't tell Randy - I've spent to much already) (Crap, I forgot I tell him everything anyway - can't keep my mouth shut!). So far, so good, except it didn't transfer the pictures that go with by blog entries. Any suggestions? I'll let you know when the move is complete.

Also, my Bluetooth mouse does not run smoothly. I'm having a hard time pointing at things on the screen.

Turns out, I am not the geek I would like to think I am. I just have quite the fondness for geeky gadgets. xoxo

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

It's a Bug's Life

Monday, August 29, 2005

Good Times

Sent a letter to a bunch of my old students earlier. Of course, half of their email accounts have expired 'cause that's how kids are.
It's such a love-hate relationship a teacher has with her students. I keep thinking, man I miss those little hoodlums. The freshman I had when I first taught high school are seniors this year. It makes me a little teary. I keep looking back at all the fun times I had with my students. Times when I'd be blown away by something they would say or do, but then reminded that I was (gasp!) in high school once too. Times when the whole class would be laughing at some shared joke. Once, the whole class threw wads of paper at the kid who was habitually tardy.
As I drift though memories of who was dating who & whose mom was gonna kill them, I always drift to the sour ones too. Like the kid who I sent to detention every day for the first 15 days that he joined my class. Or the time I had to call a kid's dad because he wouldn't take his hat off in my class (That one's kinda funny, though. The dad came down right away & yelled at the kid in front of the whole class). It's crazy, even the not-so-great memories make me smile.
Memories, misty water-colored memories. . .
I may have been a hard-ass, but I was always fair. We had fun & I think the kids appreciated that. I'll probably go back to teaching when Gracie goes to school. I'm pretty sure it's what I'm meant to do. xoxo

Sunday, August 28, 2005

WTF?

Can someone please tell me what these comments are about? I didn't think a blog could get spammed. I feel quite violated, please tell me what's going on. xoxo

I Can Do It!

We're back from the river. Had a great time playing in the sun (110 degree heat). One of my favorite memories will now be floating down the river in the dark, drinking cheap wine, chatting with Randy while our baby girl is sleeping soundly next to me in the boat.
More importantly though, I CAN NOW JUMP THE WAKE!!! This means that when wakeboarding, I can jump from one side of the "V" the boat makes in the water to the other. It's probably about 6 feet across & 3 feet high, but it's enough to feel scary, in a good way.
I have been wakeboarding on & off since 1998, and I've been trying to jump the wake for the last 3 summers (pregnancy did slow me down a little). It really shouldn't have taken me so long, but I didn't always have the guts to try hard enough. Be excited for me. Be very excited for me.
It should also be noted that I have been a cripple for the last three days because of all the wakeboarding & crashing.
Next up: Buena Vista in September. xoxo

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Flies

As I'm getting GracieGirl ready for bed tonight, she grabs my face with both hands and says, "flies!" I can't think of anything better than the giggles that follow giving that girl butterfly kisses. xoxo

ps - leaving for the river in the morning. We'll be back Friday or Saturday. Sorry for the lapse in blogging, maybe I'll find some WiFi in Needles (yeah, right. . .)!

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Odd Photos I Just Had to Share

These boots were made for walkin'.

Got them today @ Target.

Teeny frog sitting on top of the molding around the front door.

Sipping soda without the straw.

Smallest lizard I have ever seen. Cute, huh?

No, she's not just hungry. She's doing some serious raspberry playing.

Our dirt (with a fancy sign).

GracieGirl soup.

xoxo

Half Naked Thursday

I almost forgot, but here it is.

I've been looking forward to Half-Naked Thursday for awhile now, so that I could post cute naked-Gracie-buns pictures. But in honor of Rachael's entry, I've decided to start with something else. May I present: Randy stripped down & running into freezing cold water. No, he's not drunk. Thank you, Malia for the HTT concept! xoxo

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Another Reason Why I'm Momma of the Year

Items I can no longer buy for GracieGirl because I will eat the entire package in one sitting:
  • Frozen French Toast Sticks
  • Fruit Snacks
  • Goldfish
  • Fruit Bars
  • Mac 'n Cheese (sometimes)
  • Sugared Cereal
  • Cheez-its
  • Cookies
  • Cake
  • Pretty much any kind of junk food.
Luckily, Gerber makes crackers, fruit snacks & fruit bars. All of which Gracie loves & I think are disgusting. xoxo

Monday, August 15, 2005

The Latest


  • GracieGirl survived the thunderstorm - with a self-inflicted black eye & a fear of sleeping at night. Breaks my heart.
  • There is currently an adorable sign in front of our dirt. This precludes the actual moving of the dirt, which they do before they build the actual house. The sign looks like our contractor's biz cards:
Can you tell why I love that she'll be building our house?
  • I got Tiger today. I can't wait to play with it!!!
  • I'm sure there's more but I can't think through all this screaming, which I'm trying to ignore so she'll sleep. Poor baby. xoxo

True But Little Known Fact:

No matter how loud you turn the radio up, your toddler's cries will always be louder. xoxo

Sunday, August 14, 2005

KA-BOOM!

Beautiful lightning. Loud thunder. Gracie's terrified & screams at each BOOM. Sleep is out of the question. xoxo

Thursday, August 11, 2005

News

This is big news for me, but if you're turned off by talk of poo, stop reading. A few days ago, GracieGirl did something she has only done once before - when she was first introduced to the world of solid foods. She went a whole entire day with out pooping! This made for a great day for me, because every day is usually a three-poop day. [I warned you - all poop talk here.] It was a day of happiness & freedom (from gagging), yet a little tense as I wondered when and if the eruption would occur.
Well, I'm pleased to announce that Gracie is finally growing into her bowels. She has since switched from three a day to a nice & healthy one a day. I can't wait to share this entry with her when she's a nice & obnoxious teenager. xoxo

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

I'm Official

Look! I got my business cards made today! I didn't blur out any of the info because I figure, if you can drum up some business for me, then it'll be worth any wackos calling. The only thing that will be different on the cards when I get them is that it will say "mobile" instead of "cell".
There has also been discussion about including a picture on the card. I didn't have time to get a pic taken for this batch, but what do you think? Picture or no picture?
While Dane (Kimi's man) was designing the cards for me, he and Randy thought they'd try making a few cards with pictures on them, just to see how it would look. They made one with a Reef girl on it & one with a very large black woman. Randy says he wants to give both out & pass them off as his wife. xoxo

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

They're Getting Them Hooked Early


No, you're not seeing things. Yesterday, GracieGirl had her first Starbucks. On their menu, they advertise a child size beverage for one dollar - cheap enough for kiddies to buy one with their own allowance! I bought GracieGirl her first sip of latte heaven (she doesn't have an allowance yet & would probably try to eat it if she did). She chose a very sensible soy milk (decaf, no whip, of course). xoxo

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig


Had a blast in Idaho. It's not as potato grow'in as I thought it would be. The cabin was actually 5 miles west of Yellowstone, so it was beautiful. To see pictures of the trip, click here. Following Rachel's example in a past posting, I've decided to create a list to sum up the trip:
  • Hail storm on the drive up caused extensive dents in the radiator. Gracie slept through it.
  • Used my laptop to play movies for Gracie on the drive. She watched Baby Einstein at least 20 times. That's just on the way up.
  • Not quite sure what the attraction is. Basically they play Bach & do a slideshow of toys. For some reason it's better than actually playing.
  • Saw the following animals: grizzly bears, black bears, bison, elk, deer, marmots, beavers, chipmunks, and a bald eagle.
  • Most days, GracieGirl woke up at 5:45, which is 4:45 Cali time.
  • Drove all the way to Jackson Hole, Wy - after spending two days in the car driving to Idaho. Cool town & beautiful drive, but too much car-time.
  • Randy, Gracie & I rode the quads to Montana. Got caught in a hailstorm (no jackets) on the way back. Had to hide out under a bridge. Came home absolutely soaked. One of the best adventures of my life. There is no one I'd rather be stuck in a hail storm with than those two. Gracie slept thought most of that too.
  • Took a bath in B & J's spa tub every night - that's living!
  • Gracie ate a roasted marshmallow & freaked out when her fingers got sticky.
  • Saw a bunch of Mormon kids perform "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Quite cute. If you check out their site, read the actor's bios.
  • Saw bears packed in like sardines at Yellowstone Bear World. Neat to see up close, but a little disturbing.
  • Also went to their petting zoo. Gracie patted a potbellied pig, a sheep, a goat, a baby moose, an elk & a deer.
  • Saw grizzly bears & wolves in a much more natural habitat in Yellowstone's Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center. We even got to see the wolves group together & howl. Pretty spine-tingling.
  • Moved Rusty & Joy into their new home. Nice place. Makes me want to be living in anything bigger than a shoebox - can't wait!
  • The "cabin" was beautiful. Randy snagged my camera & took tons of pictures of it.
  • Stayed in a hotel in St.George specifically because they advertised in room internet access. I was so excited to be able to blog on vacation! Turned out you could use their computer in their lobby.
So glad to be home. We had a fantastic time. Thank you to the inlaws for having us in their humble cabin. Thank you to Randy for bringing us home safely. Thank you God for bringing us home safely. If it's ok with you, next time I'll be flying. xoxo