The solution for 90% of life's problems

Pastor David read a quote on Sunday that said: "The solution to 90% of life's problems is sleep." This week has been a rough, sleep deprived week. Last night, I got 9 hours! 9! All of a sudden, the world is a much better place :-). The sun is shining. The birds are singing and life is GOOD! Thank you Jason, James and Gabby for letting me sleep in!

We're having a leisurely day today. I have to grocery shop when Jason gets home from work and do a little clean-up in preparation for Wayne and Judy's visit, but other than that, it looks like it will be a relaxed day on our new couch. Jason has already been referring to the recliner as "his" recliner, so I guess I'd better get used to the couch ;-). I have to say that it was really nice last night to sit on a real couch while I watch tv. Well, I was actually watching the computer. We opted not to get cable after all. The local cable company was too expensive and even if we could get our landlady to approve satellite, both Direct TV and Dish want a 2 year contract and we're not willing to sign one.

Jp and Gabby are attempting to fill water balloons right now without much luck. I better go help them and then find some breakfast. I hope you all are doing well and I can't wait to see all of you in 5 weeks!

Jp's popularity

Well, it seems like our son's popularity is growing and growing :-). We went to church this morning and Reagan wasn't there :-(. Refresher for those of you who can't remember. Reagan is Jp's "girlfriend" from church. After church, the kids were playing in the play area as usual and a little boy from Jp's class kept trying to get Jp's attention to play with him, which he finally did. On our way out to the car, a little girl named Rebecca (easy to remember ;-) ) called after him. We walked (well, the kids ran) to our cars which happened to be parked right next to us and as Rebecca was getting into her car, she yelled: "Bye, Jp!". Her mom comments: "Oh, so THAT's Jp!" Hmmm. My son. A chick magnet?!? Jason is VERY proud!

Darth Kiddos and My New Do

Course 2 finale

Just wanted to jump on really quick to show you my course 2 finale from last night. I'm pretty pleased with it :-).

Yesterday, Jp was watching me in the kitchen while I put the dowels in the cake and asked me if he could "build" a cake too. I told him "not now". Then I said that I was pretty sure he was going to be an awesome cake builder in a few years. He looked at me in all seriousness and said: "No Mom. When I grow up, I'm going to be a Jedi!". Thank you, Jason, for introducing our son to Star Wars this week. It is actually very cute to watch him discover that all-amazing world of Star Wars. Phantom Menace and New Hope only. The others are too intense for him, Jason says. I just go along with it because I have no clue when it comes to Star Wars.

YAY!!!!

Gabby gave me an excuse to make a cake today. She stayed dry yesterday from the time she woke up until the time she went to bed, through church and nap! So today we had a "potty party" :-). I thought it would be a great excuse to get one of my practice cakes in, but I needed some piping gel to do it, so off to Michaels we went. My instructor was there and I told her, nervously, that I had applied to be an instructor. She had told me on Thursday that she felt I could easily be good enough within a year, so for me to just go and apply made me feel somewhat presumptuous. Her reaction surprised me though. She said: "Good! We're going to need another instructor. Make sure you take pictures of your cakes and bring them to me. I'll show my boss." YAY!!! I'm so excited (and nervous!).

I worked on this cake most of the afternoon. I find that the designs I don't care for become the most challenging cakes to do because they don't excite me. If I were choosing the decorating style, piping and filling with stars would not be my first (or second or third) choice, but it's what the first half of course 1 is all about, so I figured I should show that I know what I'm doing, or at least can fake it ;-). Most of the decorating was done with the kids at my elbow asking every two minutes if I was done yet. GRRRR! They didn't care what it looked like. They just wanted to eat it. And they finally did :-). The hard part though, was that within 2 minutes of completing it, I had to cut it. Now hold on! I put a lot of time into that :-)! Oh, dear. I'm certifiable. I am becoming attached to blobs of fat and sugar!

Here's my latest "blob":

A quick update

Just wanted to pop in for a quick update. I have a lot to do tonight, so I don't have time to post pictures and such, but I didn't want to deprive you of juicy Herring news, since it's been over a week, after all :-).

Mom came for a visit last week. A Mother's day gift from Dad. It was soooo nice to have her around. The kids loved having a live-in playmate and I enjoyed the company. Thanks Dad!

Mom went home Saturday. I left the kids with Jason and dropped her off at the airport. After that, I headed to the mall and spent over 3 hrs shopping for summer clothes. Jeans and 106 degree weather don't mix, so I didn't feel like I had much of a choice. Those of you who know me know that I really don't like clothes shopping, but the Penneys in Sacramento had a lot of selection, so I was able to find a few things. I also got a new purse because even Jason told me that the purse I got for free on Freecycle was atrocious. I figure if my husband says that, it must be REALLY bad (it was. I was embarrassed to be seen in public with it). My new purse is cute and pink, like most of my new clothes. Not sure what my deal is with pink, but I'm really drawn to it lately.

After shopping, I decided to get my hair chopped. All these 100 degree + days made me realize that long hair is terribly over-rated, so my hair is now chopped just below my ears. Jp told me I look like Grandma :-). I'll try to post a picture later this week.

Well, gotta go. More later!

Becca

Oh, one quick thing. I decided to go ahead and apply for a Wilton Method Instructor position, which means I have A LOT of cake decorating practice to get in over the next few weeks to be good enough for the position when my instructor leaves in July. It's a long shot, but I've been thinking and praying about it a lot and I think it's what I'm supposed to do. You know when you keep trying to pray over and over: "Lord, please show me what you want me to do." And you can't get past the "Lord..." because the thought "I've already told you." keeps interrupting over and over and over. Hmm. Maybe that means I'm supposed to apply ;-). Now if only God would say: "You need to apply for the job on such and such a day in such and such a fashion and you will be hired (or not) on such and such a day at such and such a time and you will make this amount of money and you should spend it this way." *sigh*

Yosemite - Part two

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees!"

Strollers are made for pushing, right?

That is, until the end of the day...

Thanks for taking the time to look at all of our pictures and I'm sorry about all of the posts. Love you all!

Yosemite - Part one

Last Saturday, Jason took us all to Yosemite. The drive was REALLY long (3 hrs), but once there, we had a blast. The kids got to explore to their hearts content.

The pine cones were quite a hit with Gabby. She wanted to take a bunch of them home, but I had her narrow them down to only one. (mean old mom!)

Ah, the river! Beautiful, refreshing, and lots of fun!

And we cannot forget the sticks! Two of them made their way home with us.

Some fun pictures

Jp had a sliver and I was trying to soak it out. Gabby decided to join the fun :-).

Gabby helping me cook.

Finished product. They were supposed to be for a church auction, but I didn't think of the fact that I had nothing to put them in that would show them off appropriately for an auction and keep them fresh for a couple days. Jason got to eat them instead, much to his chagrin :-).

Package from Nana

A couple weeks ago, the kids got a surprise package from Nana. Hi, Nana!

Special syrups for milk. YUM!

Now THAT is cool! (Notice Gabby in the background.)

Who needs anything else when you have band aids?

Thanks, Nana!

A taste of CA

Enjoy!

Catching up - Mudfest

I've been trying to figure out how to post albums of pictures so that you can see them all, but after hours and hours, I've decided to revert back to posting one picture at a time because I can't figure it out :-(. If any of you know how to post more than the allotted 4 pictures per post, please let me know.

Mudfest was a couple weeks ago, but I still wanted to share some pictures. This took place in one of the mom's back yard. The kids had a blast! And yes, JP was the only one in pants. He didn't want to change into his swim trunks because he said those sweats were his grubby sweats. So, in 80+ degree weather, he splashed around in a thick pair of sweats and loved it :-).
This was definitely a "boys house". The mom has two sons and is expecting a third baby this month. Everything about the backyard screamed BOY! Poor Gabby was one of two girls there, but she didn't seem to mind in the least.
The mud was fun, and so were the treats!!!

Father/Daughter

Jason is lounging on the couch with Gabby on his lap, watching the Little Mermaid. It's quite endearing to listen to the two of them singing together :-). But the cutest part is the disagreement that arises when King Triton yells at Ariel for going to the surface. Here's how the dialog went:
JASON: Is Ariel being naughty?
GABBY: NO! Her daddy is!
JASON: Don't you think her daddy knows what is best for her and is trying to keep her safe?
GABBY: NO!

I'll come back later today to post more about our trip to Yosemite this weekend, but I just had to paint that picture for you :-).

WARNING: Not a cheery post

Well it seems like the magic bubble has burst and I'm frustrated. A quick recap: five and a half months ago, Jason got a job offer that we accepted on the spot. Only downside? A 600 mile move away from home. In a whirlwind, we listed, sold and packed up the house. We moved to CA, had major issues with our moving company and ended up camping out for a month without our stuff. Then we started settling in. We have been blessed with a wonderful church and a friendly neighbor family, an active Moms Club and a great local library. And the weather! No complaints there. But the thing is, now that I've been here for a little over 3 mths, the excitement is wearing off and I'm tired.
I fell asleep on the couch this afternoon. I put the kids down for their naps, then sat down on the couch and woke up 45mns later with a bad pain in my leg because of the angle I was laying at. An afternoon nap. No big deal, right? The thing is, I don't nap! I'm not a "napper". I don't like to nap. Even when I had little babies, I seldom napped because I didn't like the groggy feeling afterwards. But today, I did. On accident.
Bible study is out until July 10th and I already miss the weekly interaction. Mom's Club is fun, but I've discovered that most of the moms already have their friendships established and it's hard to work myself into that. My neighbor I seldom see unless she needs something. And I've also discovered that while this has been great for our marriage, bringing us closer together, when the only other adult around is your spouse and he/she is having a bad day...Not a pretty picture.
I miss home. Not the weather :-), and not really Oregon at all amazingly, but you guys. All of you. I miss having somewhere to go where I feel totally comfortable being myself, where I don't have to work to build relationships and friendships, because they are already built.
I was getting really frustrated this afternoon because I've been feeling so anxious and somewhat depressed. Then I realized that most people in my shoes would be struggling too. So I know that what I'm going through is normal, but it isn't too much fun. Please pray for us as the newness wears off and the daily grind sets in. Please pray that God will direct both Jason and me where He wants us to go and especially that we will have the patience to wait for Him to show us.
Thanks!

Political Musings....

Being raised Democrat, seeing Dems as full of crap I became a republican. It took 1 Bush Term for me to re-register as an independent...

Having said that, I have several political observations....

To steal from Simon and Garfunkel "Any Way You Look At This You Lose"

The Congress passed McCain-Fiengold Campaign Finance Reform. The President signed it. The Supreme Court upheld the first amendment provisions of it. So my first amendment rights are legally limited in political speech within 60 days of an election. I can not join a group of like minded individuals and purchase certain types of advertising for or against a candidate within 60 days of an election...

But the political industry and politicians immediately found a way around it. Thus all the not for profit groups out there making political stands and funneling money...

So in this election we have:

John McCain - egomaniac, older than dirt, populist, has a temper... he has run for President before and while there is no doubt he is a hero for surviving his stay in Hanoi, I question what he stands for because while his reputation is "Maverick" and "Independent" he has been entrenched in DC for 30 years and his actual record shows otherwise... He (not John Kerry, a very poor choice of candidate for the dems) is the true definition of a flip flopper.

Hillary Clinton - I lived through the triangulated, focus grouped approach to populist politics under Mr. Clinton. I don't fear Hillary, but I fear the same people that were involved in the first Clinton admin would be involved in the second. Reports have shown that the Clinton clan is tight and trust a limited amount of people. They tend to use the same people again and again for different jobs. Clinton's current campaign is full of them. I don't want to deal with Sandy Burgler (Berger), Leon Pannetta, etc.. again.. I know I'm supposed to love and respect Hillary for being the smartest woman in the known universe. But the worship falls short for me when I think about living another 4 to 8 years of Clinton fatigue...

Barak Obama - Wow. now here's a candidate that stands for.................................................................................................................................................... hope?

He's inexperienced as you can clearly see by the last few weeks on the campaign trail. Would he surround himself with better people than Mrs. Clinton? The un-civil war in the Dem party is happening and the far left folks love him. So does Oprah. But he has taken so few actual positions on issues. He and Hillary talk about health care but the devil is in the details and we don't get the details until after the election when the issue goes through congress. In fact, in the dem primary, he and hillary hardly disagree on policy issues... What do we get with a Obama presidency? that's what I wonder.

So I would like to introduce the perfect candidate for our nations highest office.

Introducing:

Yoda is the perfect candidate. His english is worse than Bush's so he'll appeal to the "didn't make it through high school crowd". He speaks in wisdom and rhyme so he'll appeal to the Liberals. He lives a nearly sinless life so he'll appeal to the religious conservatives. And we know he will surround himself with other brave warrior priests who will help guide our country.

Try? Do or Do Not.. There is no try....