HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

hello everyone! i want to wish everyone a Happy New Year now...it's a couple days early, but my next 2 days will be busy. mostly i'm cleaning and chillin'. i'll be getting back to those home projects starting tomorrow. plus i need to take down the tree and trimmings. New Year's Day i hope to be spending time with Madison. what a great way to start a new year. once the new year day is over, i need to start homework again for my class. i've had the luxury of not doing anything for class for two weeks now. time to roll again. fortunately i've read two books in that time. i just finished Memoirs of a Geisha. that is a beautiful story. i saw the movie when it came out, but definitely enjoyed the book that much more. now i understand the movie a bit better too. so if you haven't read it, i highly recommend this one. it's beautifully told and written. a heart warmer for sure...

anyways, come this weekend, our new minister will be moving into town. i asked her to call me if she needs help, but right now i realize i also have something to do too for our hike group. i can postpone checking out our next hike, but i hope i don't have to. starting next week, i'll be doing the custodial duties too at the church for a short stint-i think. i'll be talking with our new minister once she arrives about the position, so there's a possiblity i'll continue doing sum of that job in the future as well. have no clue for sure right now. only time will tell. but the last few days i've been wondering if i want to work that many hours again. sometimes i miss working so much, yet othertimes, i know this illness says NO! i'll have a few weeks to contemplate the request made to me by the new minister of working more hours. again, i'll discuss this with her in our meeting once she's on board full time. sometimes i think i still have too much time on my hands and not sure what i want to be doing with it, so why not work more? i'll say a prayer for guidance and wait for the answer. it's all good no matter what happens. with my temporary at least new busy schedule i may not be on here as often as the past. i will stay in touch however. this is a nice place for a change in pace for the day or week. so you folks take care and i'll be in touch soon....again HAPPY NEW YEAR!

a buffalo burger...

O my achin' back....i sit enjoying my buffalo burger here at home. Marsha got me hooked on these burgers a few months ago and i finally found a place i could buy them in bulk and bring them home. Yummy! for $2 per burger here, it beats the local Fuddruckers at $10 for the meal. just as tasty too...so anyways, today i began those home projects again that i had started back in august i think. i finally got back to it. now that i have another week off before having to study for class again, i'll dive into and finish it this time. i'm calling it my winter cleaning that's usually done in the spring. spring gets here, i want to be outside, not in doing home projects. so i started with my books. i had a bookcase in the narrow hallway and decided it was time to get rid of it. with this in mind, i concluded i needed to rid myself of sum other books located in my second bedroom on 4- 4 tier bookcases, standing over 6' tall. so i unloaded and reloaded and put them in plastic bags since i didn't have boxes. i cleared a ton away. some i recognized as 20 yrs or more old. i kept the ones i really enjoyed and may reread some day. during the process of bending, twisting, and whatever else i was doing, i put a strain on my lower back. i came out to load the roll-a-way bed into the jeep (with the help of Marsha) and lo & behold, i felt the ache. i'm still achin' but i'm not stopping-just taking a break at the moment. what this tells me AGAIN, is i have too much weight on me AND i'm totally out of conditioning. i already knew i was way too heavy. and to top it off, while going thru books, i found photos of when i was "skinny". those photos are only about 5yrs old, if that long. what a difference retirement has made. Marsha didn't even recognize me in the photos. so anyways, i'm going to post one of those photos on the frig and use it to make my goals of exercising and diet i'm beginning like yesterday. i almost started the weights and crunches this morn, but want to move that set inside somewhere so i know i'll use it more often. i'm also going to ask my psychriatrist if i can use acai berry to help me lose weight. my guess is she'll say no, but i'm going to stay optimistic for a yes this time. anyways, reality has set in and it is time now to lose the weight and get myself back into some type of shape health wise. this is my main and maybe only New Year's resolution. i'll let everything else in my life take care of itself....
anyways, Christmas was fine. i went to the church potluck and then to someone else's house. this acquaintenance at church has been trying like forever and a day to get me to her house, so i finally went for a short visit. her business partner is starting some classes on extraterrestrials so i wanted to inquire on that. since i've been reading Sitchin's book regarding E.T.s, i was curious as to what this guy had to say. needless to say, i won't take the class after learning more about it. i will read more of Sitchin's books though and educate myself that way. i did finish the one book of his on Christmas day. interesting to say the least, but i'm not going to get into when will they return, which sum people think it'll be 2012. i feel they're already here and if & when they show themselves to the masses again, i'll let others determine that. my mind has been broaden a bit more by reading this book. i'm anxious to learn more, but that'll be down the road. i recommend it if you have an open mind to the bible being referenced about the extraterrestrials that were here a long time ago. the book= The End of Days...by Zecharia Sitchin....so anyways, i'm done with my sandwich and i'm back to my projects for a tidbit. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Have a JOYous day filled with LOVE and wonderful memories for the year to come....

Christmas with Madison

she's too cute....& too funny!.....tonite was my night at Marsha' with Madison and family in tow. Madison is such a delight. Pure Joy. she just tickles me pink. Marsha had green chili stew ready for us upon our arrival. Madison with her mom & dad showed up within a few minutes after i did. i didn't know it until they left later this evening, that this was Marsha's night of Christmas with them tonite. anyways, so we ate our stew, except for Madison she had cheese tortillas with a few pears. once we were finished, i entertained Madison by taking her picture. she literally posed for me and did so in all of these photos. once her picture is taken, then she has to come see the picture on back of the camera. she does this all the time. she knows it's her and likes looking at her own photos. sometimes she'll even kiss the photo on the camera while Marsha and I laugh heartedly. after photos, Madison was given the go ahead to open the presents. she knew they were hers, and most of them were. we saved my gift for last for it would be the only toy to play with tonite. Marsha had given her her toy a few days ago-a talking bus to spell her ABCs and hopefully help teach her to talk. she speaks a few words, but has yet to be miss chatty cathy. we all know once she gets started, it'll probably be tough to keep her quiet. but we are anxiously awaiting. anyways, these are a few photos i snapped as she opened her presents. again she was posing for these photos, directly looking at me while i shot the picture. once she opened my present, the remote control car, she was almsot all play. she loved the car as long as it didn't come near her. she became afraid once it got near her feet. but as long as the car was running far away from her, she would yell go and pump her little arms in excitement. so it's going to take a little while for her not to be afraid of it. she enjoyed playing with the remote and making it go, but was literally running for someone or the couch if it came her direction. i know in time she'll adjust and will no longer fear it. when she could, she'd push the car on her own and had no fear. she actually got fussy when her dad was packing it up to take home with them. she insisted on having it in her hands...lol....anyways, all in all it was a good night. later Madison curled up in my arms and insisted on looking at the book Marsha gave me for Christmas=60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Albq. it's a great book. i knew i was getting it but tonite was the first time i actually got to look inside it. to top the evening off, Marsha & i had hot chocolate, made with milk this time. the kids were on their way home and it was our time to unwind. to my delight, Marsha was really happy with her gift i gave. another lamp made of glass blocks from one our friends at church. i just recently got my own as well. they're absolutely beautiful. anyways, Marsha now has one to go in her bedroom for year round.....it was a great evening. something to put in my memory books. what a great extended family i have. how blessed i am for their presence in my life!

It's a GIRL!!!

alas, i just found out that my grandbaby is going to be a girl! whew hoo! her name will be Glenna Brooke. her first name is after her biological grandmother who went missing years ago. i'm sooo happy for my son and his wife. i hope he isn't too disappointed with the gender for he wanted a boy. i know he will love this little girl with all his heart and they will try for a boy again later. he'll find out tonite when he calls Earma. she's going to try and do another 3way call to me so i can wish him Merry Christmas. I'm excited! i can't wait to hear his response about the news. Earma has decided to stay in Hawaii and have the baby due to doctor's recommendations. i found out she has placenta prezia, but today she was told that it is absolving. that was more good news which means less complications for the pregnancy. if i can save my pennies to be there when the baby is born, i will. if i get my bike sold, there's a good chance i could go over there. if not, i'll wait until she comes this way as she travels to Arkansas once the baby is born. it's all good. now i'll have to go window shopping for baby clothes and things which will be really exciting. i'm getting purple clothes. wearing purple brings peace around the Being (person). so this is a great Christmas gift today. i'll be wearing a smile for days on end....

hot chocolat...

yummy. a cup of hot chocolate tonite. it's cold outside but i'm lovin' the change. it's only gettin' into the mid 40s which is typical weather for us for the winter. with the sun shining it makes for pretty good winter weather. the snow has already melted with a tidbit left in the mountains. if all goes well, i'll go up there monday mornin and see if there are any photos to be captured.....tonite i wrapped my last gift for Christmas. all presents under the tree. although few in numbers, under the tree is fully loaded due to the sizes of the gifts. i'm looking forward to tuesday night where most of them will go to Marsha's. i get to spend time with Sugar Plum and i anxiously await to see how she enjoys her remote control car. i got a very bright red one. after playing with it myself, i think to myself i need to buy one for me too...lol. anyways, only a couple days away for the night of Christmas for me. then finally wednesday i get to have lunch with Maggie. it's been forever and a day since seeing her. she's just so darn busy during the fall with her work, that i rarely get to say hi except by phone. so i look forward to that lunch. then Christmas day it's just me and my four-legged kids, unless i decide to go to the potluck at church-which i doubt. i seem to be spending more time there lately and it's not going to get much better. our custodian is resigning the first of january and Rev Julie has asked for my help until they decide to hire again or merge the duties with my current position as facility assistant. i'll be anxious to talk with her once she's here next month for good. Change, the only true constant in our lives....

anyways, i started another book. The End of Days, Armageddon and Prophecies of the Return, by Zecharia Sitchin. it's about the the extraterristrials living here on earth very long ago and the reference to them in the Bible. this is one of the several in this series. it's very interesting to say the least. i'm anxious to finish it and it's a small book of history from Semurian writings and the Bible. i will order all the other books related to this in the near future. i'm anxious to learn more....anyways, i finally gave up on Jarhead. i kept getting a headache while reading it. although i only have a fraction of it to finish, i feel it's best for my health not to complete it. i've gotten the jist of it and that's enough. i'd rather focus on more peaceful reading. dark shadows seemed to hover over me while i read it and i just don't want to go there anymore. war is ugly and this book gives its mentality picture of it. again pretty damn degrading to the human spirit. i knew Marines had it tougher than the other branches, but this book really brought it to light. God bless them!....

well, i'm off to watch women's volleyball. rarely do i get to see it and its the NCAA Final Championships. it's time to relax and enjoy sum more....

merry christmas 2 me:-)

Merry Christmas to me:-)....and Jesse too. so today was a great day for me. first i recently had a financial crisis come up and today i got it taken care of. that made my day. then to top it off i also got to buy my new bifocals. i've been waiting like forever and a day to get them and alas the cash came in for them too. i've got them on now, but still adjusting. it's been months, since wearing bifocals. i have to adjust to that line from the bifocal to the rest of the glasses. i know in no time i won't even notice it. the same thing happened when i first began wearing them. right now having my farsightedness and the bifocals are such a relief. no more blurr except the ever so slight blurr where the bifocal begins. then the finality of the day was finish my Christmas shopping. all presents done. and today i got an extra one for Jesse. i was originally going to get him a gift card, but over the weekend his phone went kaput. so i found a AT&T Go phone that works just fine with the Cingular card in his current phone. it was within my budget and i could not see paying out $200 just to buy a regular phone without the contractual issues attached. i gave it to him tonite. we hooked it up and it works. the last several days has been tough not being able to call and check in with him. then when his phone did start working again today, it would disconnect while we were talking. anyways, to say the least he was happy. (ME TOO!) now everyone can get a hold of him without problems. he's holding up. there are days he's out for the count so to speak, then he has several days in a row he's up and about like he doesn't have cancer. he's just absolutely amazing. i'm going to miss him. i don't want to say good-bye. anyways, today i bought a new steering wheel cover for my jeep and i asked him to put it on. i didn't know it had rubber in it, but some how miraculously Jesse was able to get it on. it was great visiting with him again today. just a few days ago i hung out with him all day. he again helped me with my jeep. we changed the brake light. we put on a license plate he had hanging around onto my jeep but we had to move the wrench a little to get it on. then we put window washer in the jeep. then i helped him clean out his truck and load it with stuff for him to sell at the flea market. that was one of his good days. the more time i spend with him, the more i treasure it. all in all it's a great day today. it was a very good Merry Christmas day gift to myself. time spent with friends. accomplishing some financial goals. getting my new glasses. i'm delighted. a very blessed day indeed!