Much to my surprise, an excellent fellow blogger, John gave me the Excellent Blogger Award. Thank you again, John! This means so much to me and helped bring me out of a lost feeling of late.

I caught a nasty stomach flu from my grandniece and was down for a week or so. Catching this on the heels of the bronchitis/walking pneumonia junk left me feeling completely drained and rotten. My body doesn't bounce back as I think it should, which is frustrating and has me wondering if more is going on with my immune system. I see my doc on April 21 and we'll see what he thinks. OK - enough about me! This post is about excellent bloggers!

I will start by stating that this list is short of many excellent bloggers because, to me, you all are excellent bloggers!

Darlene is a friend of mine and fellow photographer, who I met at the physical therapy pool. She's fun, smart, and a caring lady and I feel blessed to have her in my life. She invited me to the Wasatch Photo Club and teaches me a lot about photography and life. Along with Darlene, I met her mother, Elaine, and friends Joyce, Arlene, and Mable who are all so much fun. On Fridays, when I'm not tending Eli (or can get my behind out of bed) I look forward to seeing these ladies in the pool. Darlene's fun personality and love for family and extended family shines through her words on her blog. She is an avid walker/runner and she finds money every time she goes out (rain or shine) then keeps track of it in her posts.

Next is my friend, Hula Doula, whom I love dearly! She's so fun and she puts up with me when I go to Denver. She also has the BEST throne in the world, complete with air conditioning! She and her Hula Hubby had the opportunity to completely re-do their bathroom, which would mean dismantling the throne and air system but they decided not to mess with a good thing. I tend to believe she did it for me but I also know it's her secret hiding place when she needs to get away from her kids LOL Hula and I have a lot of laughs when we're together and we share a lot of like experiences, which made us bond. She writes of adventures with her kids, Hula Girl and Hula Boy and they're the most wonderful children, filled with love and life. Believe me - Hula Boy is every bit as effervescent in life as he appears through Hula's writing. Hula Girl is as wonderful too and more; she's growing up to be quite a young lady. If you haven't read Hula's blog, you're missing out!

Hula led me to the next Excellent Blog, the Lost Fart of Blogging. This blog is so funny and fits with my twisted sense of humor. Bob is hilarious and so is his wife, Joyce, who comments a lot on his posts. The stories he shares of his adventures and past experiences crack me up... now I just need to visit more and leave comments; I've become lazy in my blog reading and rely on the SharpReader.

Dave is another friend of mine who has a great blog. He had to go "private" for a while due to coworkers and his boss reading his blog but he's back in the public sector now so I can give him this award and for you all to be able to access his blog. Dave is a very caring man who has a great passion for those in his life. He loves Corvettes, fine wine, sports, his family, and traveling. He has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh. You'll always find a wide variety of things on his blog because he not only writes about what's going on in his life but also finds great links to the strange news.

Trée is a fantastic writer and artist; he has a great imagination and has the makings to be a sci-fi writer.  His story of characters in another world is interesting, captivating, and full of passion.  His imagery and fractals are breath-taking and beautiful.  I've been following the story for years and it gets better all the time. 

Margaret is an incredible lady who is a teacher in Washington state.  She is passionate and supportive of her family and her two daughters' dreams.  She has a great sense of humor and she's one of the few people who get me.  She and I share the same types of anxieties and understand one another when we're stressed out.  Margaret has been there for me many times and I'm blessed to call her a friend and have her in my life.   

I encourage you to write about the excellent blogs you love and share what you find excellent about the writers behind the blogs.  Spread the sunshine and the world will be a better place. 

 

Yesterday I received the news that a good friend of mine died; she and I knew one another since 7th grade, when my life became fuller because of her.  Suzanne Orton, 40, died last Tuesday, February 12, 2008,  peacefully at her home, according to the obituary.  When "at home" is mentioned in obituaries, most the time it means by the person's own hand, however, I refuse to believe she did anything to cause her death.  I feel it in my heart and soul. 

In our early 20's, Suzy was plagued with trauma from her childhood, such trauma that she developed multiple personality disorder.  Within five years, she took control of the MPD and no longer needed medication.  She had a strong faith in God and she forgave her abuser, which gave her the power to overcome it all.  I kept in touch with Suzy, usually via Christmas cards and the occasional phone call and/or email.  I am proud to call her friend and she helped me through one of the toughest times in my life, for which I will be forever grateful. 

I carry all the memories and laughter in my heart; she had such a way about her, she could always make me laugh.   

 

Suzy was a friend like no other,
She was kind, cheerful, and true to another.

Suzy had a true inner strength,
A strength she shared at length.

She was full of life and laughter,
Her antics had me laughing for hours after.

Suzy’s heart was filled with empathy and compassion,
It was no secret that those she loved were her passion.

She listened with her heart and soul,
And in her company, I was never alone.

She was there when I needed a friend,
And soon, she had me laughing, again and again.

Not matter what she went through in her younger years,
She fought hard to overcome her pain and fears.

Suzy had an incredible spirit, which glowed from within,
That spirit still shines today, for it will never end.

Suzy will be remembered for her Christ-like ways,
A true inspiration to me, then, now, and always.

I will carry her memory within my heart,
Now that she is safe, loved, and at peace in His loving arms. 

Rest in peace, my friend; I love you with all my heart,
Karen
 

I sit here with my heart full, perhaps fuller than it has ever been.  There was so many blessings this year along with hard times and losses.  I remember my 2007 New Year started with coming out of my bedroom that morning, on my way to my bathroom, and I was startled by my dad standing in my way.  There stood the man that I love with all my heart, who the so-called physicians at Ogden Regional Hospital said would never walk without assistance again after his 9-week hospitalization.  The physical therapists never gave up, we never gave up and most importantly, Dad never gave up.  As my eyes filled with tears, I hugged my dad to make sure it was not a dream.  He had walked down the 14 stairs to my basement to tell me that he finished his physical therapy; mastering the stairs was his last hurdle.  During last Christmas, my family kept calling Dad our Christmas miracle because along with the negative assumptions of his walking was also accompanied by the assumptions that Dad would never regain his mental faculties.  He showed them!  We're so thankful for his new doctors and for all the blessings we've had this year.  Although we still face a battle every day, he's worth it.  Laughter and love go hand-in-hand in our family and he is the root of it all. 

The first ten months of the year sped by and most everything is a blur due to me taking the toughest classes of the four years I went to school.  I sacrificed a lot over the past four years but I was determined to finish my bachelors... and I did in October.  I have my beautiful diploma but my family is waiting to celebrate it on June 14, when the graduation ceremony is scheduled. 

My nephew Tyler and his wife, Sara, brought a sweet baby boy, Caleb, into the world last summer.  Then my nephew Travis and his wife, Sara, brought sweet Eli into the world and despite having a rough start, Eli thrives.  My niece Keldi and her husband Matt are expecting their second boy this April.  Our family is growing and it's awesome to see the people I love thrive and grow.  My niece Elyssa started a special school program and her teachers agree that she is indeed, brilliant; she just cannot say all she wants to.  There is still no diagnosis but we're focusing on her growing and being happy. 

The loser, Elyssa's so-called-father (we call him the sperm donor) was released to a half-way-house in early December.  My sister called the facility where he was held and made it clear that he was not living with her.  Although she hasn't gotten a divorce yet, it's a big step for her to say "no" to him.  He tries calling her often but she ignores the calls.  Kathy suffers from bi-polar and she's had a rough time of it for the past few weeks due to a medication change but she's starting to come out of it.  I know in my heart that if she gets strong enough to divorce him, she can do anything.  The school, bus drivers, and aides have all been warned about him, in case he tries anything.  I'd actually like to have him try something... because he'd land himself back in prison. 

I am grateful for all of my family.  I drove my parents to Idaho Falls, Idaho, Friday for my Aunt Lou Jean's 80th birthday celebration.  The weather was snowy but we made it there safely and back home Saturday, despite Idaho's *cough, cough* so-called snow removal services.  The celebration was wonderful and she deserved such a lovely party.  Cousins, aunts, uncle, were there; local and those who traveled from California, Utah, and Washington.  There is so much love in my family and as I hugged those who I have not seen in years, there was no love loss.  I enjoyed catching up with them all and was honored to be part of the celebration for Lou Jean.  Not many 80 year-olds can still hula like she can. 

In other news, I met someone special at the end of October and I've hesitated in sharing it on my blog - mostly because I did not want to jinx it, however, he is part of the reason why my heart is so full.  His name is David and he's the "special friend" who lost his sister recently.  The outpour of love and support for him has not only helped him and his family but it's made me appreciate you all the more.  David is an incredible man and we have a lot of hopes for the coming year.  He has two children, a daughter (who lives with her mother) and a son (who lives with David) and he is an incredible father, which makes me adore him even more.  He's funny, sensitive, romantic (he blows my mind), caring, and strong.  He actually lives in Utah (only an hour away from me), which means I was wrong when I said, "There are not any straight, great, handsome, sexy, available men in Utah who are not dorks."   He is a little nutty because he loves my sense of humor and he indulges my *snicker* moments.  Our time together has been limited due to work conflicts and the tragedy of his sister's death, but we're patient because we know our relationship is worth waiting and fighting for. The man makes me swoon.......... even through a text message. I wonder where he's been all my life and he asked me the same; however, I know that we've both been on our own journey and the journeys finally met.  

My life is full of incredible friends - each one is special to me and I'm so blessed to have them in my life.  I wish the very best of health, happiness, and peace for each of my friends in this new year.  You all are my friends and I appreciate the love and support you've shown me over the years; you've kept me strong and I've never felt alone with you all by my side.

It's been a year full of discovering and igniting passions within myself and it feels great to feel free enough to explore the person I want to become. I am a work-in-progress and have the self-love to continue the work; my self-esteem has always been low but it's getting higher. I believe that I cannot truly love another without first loving myself. It's been a year now since I opened this place, where I share my thoughts and passions. Again, I thank you all for your friendship and for your part in my journey.

I have a request for a friend of mine, Suzanne.  Her mother passed away yesterday morning and I ask that you keep her and her family in your thoughts. 

Gee whiz, the past few days have been a whirlwind of activity; first with all the cooking and baking I did then with the Christmas celebrations.  I have to admit, despite the sadness I've felt lately, this was one of the best Christmases I can recall.  My family focused more on one another than we have in the past.  My siblings and me pooled our money to purchase Mom and Dad a frost-free freezer.  Mom was upset with us at first, for spending the money, but once the freezer arrived and she realized how much work and energy this will save, she began to come around a bit.  I'm afraid she'll have to continue getting upset with us all because we plan on going in on gifts for her and Dad's birthdays as well as Mother's and Father's Days. 

Sara, Caleb, & TylerChristmas Eve, my two sisters, my niece Elyssa, and my brother Bob and his four kids (two have spouses), and two grandchildren came to dinner.  This is the first year in so long that they've all come and it made Mom and Dad so happy.  I got a lot of compliments on dinner and I think everyone had a good time.  Susie and I kicked Mom out of the kitchen so she could visit with Bob and his kids. 

Matt, Keldi, Jaxton, & BobThis was a hard Christmas for Bob, and I was happy to see his family rally around him.  His wife Kori is divorcing him due to problems she had with Bob's daughter, Heather.  He also said it all was a matter of bad timing - they remain friends - and who knows, when her son grows up and Heather does too (18 and 19 respectively) and they won't cause problems. 

After our dinner was over and Bob and his kids left, Mom, Dad, Susie, and Elyssa went to my brother J Dee's house.  I got my Christmas wish of having a white Christmas - it was wonderful!  Although driving in the blizzard of snow, up several hills, gee whiz, I could have used Santa's sleigh with Rudolph, but Santa needed it more than I did on his busy night.  When I arrived, feeling like I'd taken a dive, head first in the snow, Santa called out my name to sit on his lap.  I can't tell you what I wished for *snicker* but he and Mrs. Claus gave me a wink.  We saw all of J Dee and Patti's kids and grandkids while we were there. 

Chelese & Adam taken earlier this yearI also was able to congratulate my nephew Adam and his new fiance', Chelese; Adam proposed to her on Sunday night.  It was wonderful to see all my siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews.  My heart was filled with love and happiness, which felt so good. 

Me holding Sweet EliSusie was holding sweet Eli and pointing out the fact that she had her and I didn't.  Right then, Eli decided to cry and Susie handed Eli over to me.  She calmed right down - proving once again, I have the magic touch and that Eli likes me and we have a special bond. ;-)  I cuddled Eli, talked to her, and she cooed back while I stood and rocked back and forth.  Pretty soon, her momma, Sara, covered her up with a blanket and she soon fell asleep. Gee whiz, that little girl has a hold of my heart strings.

Elyssa and vanityAfter Mom, Dad, and I got home, Mom and I finished cleaning up the dinner mess and then stayed up until midnight playing the roles of Santa's Elves to put Elyssa's lovely vanity together.  It was a labor of love, if not a royal pain!  Seeing her face Christmas morning was worth every bit of frustration we had.  I even had fun playing with the hair dryer, lipstick, cell phone, and scissors because it played noises when each one was lifted up.  What a hoot.   

After we opened gifts, I decided to go out and do some light shoveling (gee whiz, I think that is an oxymoron); we had another six inches of snow that fell during the night, which makes about 10-12 inches out of the whole storm.  It felt good to be outside in the lovely sunny day with everything covered in snow and breathing in the lovely fresh air.  I shoveled 1/3 of the triple car driveway then the front steps and walkway and was about to leave the rest for my brother when two neighbors walked over and finished the driveway and helped me finish the front sidewalks.  I offered them some treats but they both laughed and said they were shoveling snow to work off the Christmas goodies they had already eaten. 

The rest of the day, I relaxed and napped a bit, while begging my body to forgive me and to quit hurting, but alas, it did not.  I felt better yesterday and my muscles were sorer than my joints so I figured I was forgiven since I slept twelve hours that night.  

Today, I am working a 12-hour day (oh joy) and then another weekend will begin again; gee whiz, I could get used ti this.  Lots of snow is in the forecast so we'll see if it's a white New Year's too. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families and those special to you.   

It's incredible how much laughter and joy that comes from one moment in time.  Yesterday, my coworkers had a little celebration for my graduation and they gave me a bouquet of balloons.  I brought them home and shared two with my niece, Elyssa.  You would have thought I gave her all the balloons in the world. 

She jumped and squealed with joy as she pulled the balloons down then watched them go up again.  My heart soared with each giggle and smile and I'm not likely to forget how much fun I had with her.  

As I wrote earlier this week about miracles, Elyssa is a big miracle.  Despite developmental delays from an unknown cause (still no diagnosis), she remains happy and loving.  The doctors first said that she may never walk, then it was that she would not learn her alphabet, numbers, or normal things for her age but they were wrong.  She is a little behind in her gross motor skills still, but she keeps progressing.

She's going to school in a special program and LOVES it.  She loves to ride the bus to and from school and she loves her teachers and classmates.  She cannot express her feelings in many words but she's got the most expressive eyes and smile.   

Once she begins to speak more, whether it's vocal or through signing, I envision her soaring like those balloons.  Up, up, and away. 

the WORLD SERIES, Colorado Rockies versus Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park tonight, 6pm Mountain Time and I am ready.  I love both teams so it will be a little difficult to choose sides.  

Today is "wear your favorite team's baseball jersey" at work and a co-worker who is a die-hard *cough, cough* Y*nk**s fan told me I needed to wear my Colorado t-shirt and leave my Red Sox jersey at home.  Like I'm falling for that.

This is the same man that I harassed teased the day after the Y*nk**s lost the World Series to the Red Sox in 2004.  He was teaching a class and I walked passed the door to the classroom, wearing my Red Sox jersey proudly, and lingered a bit to catch his eye.  He stopped talking, grabbed his chest, and said, "Oh Karen, you're killin' me!"  The entire class looked back and me and cheered me on and a few voices yelled, "YEAH RED SOX!"  He has not forgiven me for that day yet *evil grin*.

Would it be too much if I wore my Red Sox jersey open with my Colorado t-shirt underneath?   

It's back to work I go, where there's work to be done, and hopefully some fun, hi ho, hi ho. 

I'm actually looking forward to going back to work but will miss sleeping in and having afternoon naps.  It's only for two weeks then I'll have my right calf muscle extended and will be off work until after Thanksgiving.  It's a hard life, I know.  I'm sad that I haven't been able to take many photos of the fall leaves since it was too hard to get in/out of my car.  

I've enjoyed going through some of the photos I took towards the end of summer though, since my school work got in the way.  I took some photos of my dad in September while he was outside sweeping and cleaning out the road gutters, without him knowing.  They didn't quite have the quality I wanted so I changed them to black and white - voila.  I'm still learning "people photos" but I like the way these turned out.   

I better get my behind to work!  Have a great day, everyone!   

The ride we took went over the bridge where we fed the fish earlier that morning (Big Springs, Idaho) and we parked in the parking lot where our cabin was built and have a look around. Here are some photos looking down at the river, where we once had a view and a dock.

I used to sit on that log in the river as a kid

Then we drove about a mile down the river to the old railroad bridge and boat landing. Everything to the west of the boat landing (up river) is protected area. No boats, fishing, or people are allowed in the river. Which is why we cannot have a dock where the cabin is now and one of the reasons we had to move the cabin 22 years ago.

Lou Jean stayed in her car in the parking lot of the landing which was a short walk to the landing. Lou Jean was going to be on the lookout for bears and moose and if she saw any, she was supposed to honk the horn.

Mom and I walked down a boarded sidewalk, through some brush to get there. We heard some rustling but were pretty sure it was a small animal or a bird, but it gave us the creeps. We made it to the boat landing and the bridge safely and had a great time.

I found myself obsessed with photographing the railroad bridge. I got some great angles and it seemed as if I was looking at it for the first time in my life.

This is a view from under the bridge

This is looking down river.

As I was taking photos of the trees around the boat landing, all of the sudden, I heard Lou Jean start her car. I looked past the brush and saw her lights were on. I started to freak a bit and told Mom that Lou Jean started her car. Mom just looked at me with the deer in the headlights type of look. I'm used to freaking out but not Mom! Animals usually don't bother her... but this year was different; probably because there have been grizzly sightings.

We stood still and listened but couldn't hear any rustling. Then we started talking really loud and then Mom said she heard Lou Jean honk her horn. "Oh shit," I thought, the only way out was through the brush or around the brush next to the forest. We started yelling to Lou Jean and waving our arms to tell us to come get us! She finally got the message and drove down.

We climbed into her car so quickly, in a panic, and we asked her, "What did you see? Where is it?!" She did not know what we were talking about. She started her car because she needed to charge her cell phone while talking to her daughter and she never did honk. Thanks, Mom! We laughed and laughed about that. I got out of the car and took a few more photos but I had the creeps still so I decided I had enough.

I wanted to stop at the springs again to get some photos at sunset and that is when we encountered the big bull moose in the river. Lou Jean pulled off the side of the road and I snapped the photos.

I used my telephoto lens and was about 100 feet away, unlike the idiots who were standing on the side of the road with children (babies and toddlers) when their cars were way up in the parking lot - a heck of a run! Luckily it wasn't bothered by them.

It was such a gorgeous night but was too dark to go anywhere else so we decided to settle in at the cabin and watch a movie. Another early night... but it was a fun-filled day! The biggest adventure will be posted tomorrow, so stand by! :-)

There's nothing like the feeling I get when waking up at the cabin. Sleeping well and soundly (despite Dad's little trick with the flashlight in the middle of the night!) and hungry for a big breakfast. The altitude and the fresh air casts a spell over an appetite in the morning. My Aunt Lou Jean just woke up and I joined her in the kitchen to make breakfast. She built a nice fire in the stove and I got the bacon going in a frying pan. The morning was chilly but not too bad, just right. The sun was shining and it was going to be a beautiful day.

After stuffing our faces with bacon, eggs, pancakes, and orange juice, we showered and dressed for the day. We made extra pancakes to feed the BIG rainbow trout fishies at the Big Springs Bridge (right by the springs of the Snake River). While I was putting on my make up in the bathroom, Mom yelled, "Karen, grab your camera! There's a moose!" (Click on photos to EMBIGGEN)

It was right outside the side window and to the side of the deck in a grove of trees. It was a small bull moose, perhaps about half grown. He was a gentle moose and didn't mind that I was out on the deck snapping photos. He stood a while then finally laid down in the trees.

He didn't budge when we got in my car and drove off to feed the fishies and then head to West Yellowstone.

The sun lit up the springs and river so beautifully - it's one of the prettiest mornings I can remember. There was a little breeze but it felt wonderful to me. We parked in the parking lot and walked to the bridge. Mom, Dad, and Lou Jean left me behind to lallygag and take photos.

I met up with them on a bridge where they fed the fish. I grabbed a couple of pancakes and joined in the fun. I took a video of feeding the fish:


> Mom happened to run into a lady she knows from home - go figure - so that is who Mom was taking to in the video. The lady is the one who dropped all the cheerios into the water.

I took more photos and then we headed for West Yellowstone, which is about a 30 minute drive from the cabin.

One of my favorite mountains is Mount Sawtell, which is a profile of an Indian Chief laying down. I didn't get a shot of the whole range because there was no safe place to pull off the highway. The mountains are arranged to show his headdress to the south, then the north shows his hands folded across his middle, then all the way down to his feet.

We had fun in West Yellowstone, going through all the shops, old and new. I got some great deals in a couple of stores but not all the stores had things on sale. There were more people than there have been in the past years, after Labor Day, but it wasn't overly crowded. Dad spent most of the time in the car and on benches and by the time we were done shopping, he was a real bear. I can't blame him for being bored but he said he wanted to go with us instead of staying at the cabin.

I bought a pizza for dinner, which cheered him up somewhat, but he was happy to be back at the cabin. I wanted to go for a walk to take some photos but since we were tired, Lou Jean decided that we'd drive to a few places instead of walk. It was also getting close to sundown, when moose and bears are more likely to be out so it was safer to drive. Dad stayed at the cabin because he didn't want to be around us gallivanting women any longer LOL

More tomorrow!

If you'd like to see who is who in the photos, click on each photo and it will take you to my Flickr page. My mouth is zipped as far as the years these were taken ;-) TTFN!! See ya'll next week!

This little girl, the Doodlebug, as I call her (my niece E), has me by the heart strings, actually, all my niece and nephews do but I must admit I haven't been tortured and horrified by anything like this before. 

When my nephew Travis was little, I used to take him to all the He-Man movies, watch the cartoons, watch Rainbow Bright, and other shows.  With my nephew Adam, it was Winnie the Pooh (he claims it was I that I watched it more than he did, which may have some truth to it) and he remembers that we used to watch the movie, Dirty Dancing, and Adam would pretend to be Johnny and dance on the tree log.  Ah, good times. 

Now, here is the contrast and shows how much I love her... and perhaps how nuts I am.  I've been DVRing Barney & Friends for her every day and then taping the eps on a videotape so she can watch one episode after another.  I'm wondering why on earth I don't just go out and buy some DVDs of Barney so I won't be tormented so.  For two straight hours while I was reading my textbooks for school this past weekend, I was subjected to Barney.  I found myself reading ahead to the listening music exercises just so I could tune out Barney.

There is one song that caught my attention and I agree with it, Everybody Needs a Nap, and I wonder why nap times aren't set aside for adults too.  It's pure discrimination... perhaps I'll start a petition because it needs to be a law that everyone gets a nap every day. 

Tomorrow my sister Susie is having knee surgery and I will take care of her and stay with her until Wednesday.  I'm taking my laptop with me for work but unfortunately, there is no internet connections so I'll be cut off from the world.  I intend to take some good DVDs with me to keep us well entertained.

I spent the majority of the weekend doing homework but at least I'm not so stressed as I was (I cannot stand being behind!). I enjoyed a total PJ day yesterday, rested my knee, and pottered around getting some things done.  I watched my DVD of Wild Hogs and snorted and giggled just as much as I did in the theatres. 

No news on the kitty yet, I am pissed the animal officer never came back with a trap and the kitty is still here.  I cannot stand to see her waste away so I'm still feeding her.  My dad said he would call this morning and take care of it for me because he knows how hard it is for me.  I want this kitty to find a good home with someone that can help her behavioral issues or if she is lost, that her owners find her again. 

A dear lady and friend, Merle, gave me the Inspirational Blogger Award last week and I'm completely honored to be among all those who are inspirational.  Now, it's my turn to give the award to five deserving people. There are more than five who inspire me so this was difficult to narrow the awards down.

The first award is to the Sweet and Sassy, Vickie.  She inspires me in many ways each and every day.  She fights MS (Missy) with such strength, even when she does not feel that she as the strength to fight.  She is always there for me no matter how she feels and makes me laugh and feel better about what I'm going through.  She listens to me ramble on and on; never complaining.  She is a true and dear friend and sister of my heart.  I am blessed to have her in my life and I do not know what I'd do without her.  She's one of the few that really understands when I say I'm "tired," which is more than being tired at the end of the day; it's bone tired and exhaustion.  I'm sorry that she understands because she goes through the same thing.  If I had one wish for her, it would be that she could tell Missy where to go and be rid of her. 

The second award goes to the incredible Raggedy.  She inspires me because she deals with so much pain but doesn't let anything get her down.  She's a wonderful friend and has a wonderful sense of humor.  She cares deeply for others and I feel her presence wherever she is. I wish strength for Raggedy and keep her in my prayers so she can rise above all she deals with. 

The third award goes to Monica, who calls herself "The Good One," but I really know what that means.  ;-)  Monica has a strong driving force to fight for any injustice.  She is a talented writer and has an incredible way of expressing herself.  She puts others before herself, especially those she loves.  She gets through rough times on faith and will.  She too is a good friend to me and is a sister of my heart.  I wish happiness for Monica; peace, health, and love.  She's fought long and hard for others and now someone special wants to fight for her. 

The fourth award goes to Eve, who struggles with health issues too but regardless of what she goes through, she's always worried about me.  She's a special lady who has so much love within her and I pray that life will go her way and she won't have to fight such adversity on a regular basis.  She is also a sister of my heart and she deserves to be happy, healthy, and live in harmony. 

The fifth award goes to my dear friend and a sister of my heart, Emma.  She was my first true friend who I met through the internet, over eight years ago.  Emma and her husband Pete encouraged me to begin blogging over six years ago and I am grateful to them.  Emma is a wonderful writer, she has such a special heart, and I love her dearly.  She understands me without me having to explain; which is the kind of connection we have always had.  Although she has tough times, she's always concerned about me and she inspires me to keep going just as she does.  She's got a brilliant sense of humor and is a talented gardner.  I enjoy listening to her Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast as well as the Emma & Pete Show. Pete is an inspiration to me as well; he's a man of many talents and isn't afraid to try new ventures.  My wish for them is to have the world appreciate them as much as I do and for them to be successes in their personal businesses and truly love what they do. 

I want to mention two more ladies who are an inspiration to me.  The first is someone who used to have a blog and I feel she deserves this award as well.  My sweet friend, Dawn (also a sister of my heart) also deals with health problems and it seems as if it's one thing after another but she doesn't let it get her down for too long.  She writes me daily to see how I'm doing and she is always there for me whether I need a giggle or to vent.  She has such a giving heart and thinks of others and hates to see anyone in misery.  My wish for Dawn is for good health for her and her husband so they can enjoy life together.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is Ellen.  A kind, loving, incredible woman who fought valiantly against cancer.  She passed away last Thursday.  She inspired me to fight no matter the odds just as she did.  Her husband Curtis never left her side and their love will never die.  Thank you, Ellen, for enriching my life and I pray you are at peace.  I will keep Curtis and your family and friends in my prayers that they will be comforted. 

  
 

Vickie's sweet mother-in-law, Momma B passed away this afternoon. 

Rest in peace, Momma B, and may your family be comforted. 

I love you, Vickie, and please know that you are all in my prayers.

It's funny how one little girl, who has developmental problems, can teach adults so much about life. She inspires me to be free to play and express my emotions as they flow out of me. The video is of an amazing ittle girl, my niece, Elyssa, playing with her shadow at my nephew's wedding last Friday. Even the other children needed other entertainment, but Elyssa was happy just playing with her shadow - no other interaction, other than hearing her family around her, laughing and having a great time. Life is really simple and it's incredible having her remind me of that fact.

My nephew Travis just graduated from Weber State University, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Cum Laude. He was 1/100 of a point away from being Magna Cum Laude. I'm one proud auntie. Here are some of my favorite photos of Travis, which make me smile and laugh everytime I see them. (click to embiggen)



Here is a poem I wrote for him for his graduation and below the poem is the photo I took of him last night.

There was a special day,
Over twenty years ago when you were born,
In your tiny hands, you held hope and love,
From where you came, from up above.

Never before could I imagine
What an incredible gift you were from Heaven,
With the sweet red-haired boy
Who brought us so much joy.

As you grew, you taught us to express
All the love we had in our family,
You taught us to say, “I love you,”
From our hearts and verbally.

When you were young, you loved super heroes,
You were our Superman and He-Man,
You believed you could change the world,
By running around on the gymnasium floor.

One thing you may not know,
Is you were always my hero,
Whether in sports or standing in defense,
Of those who could not fight.

I loved Saturdays the best,
Because that is when I saw you the most,
Whether you were playing football,
Or spending the day with me.

I see you now and my heart swells,
For I see how you’ve grown and how well,
The boy you once were, now is the man
Who has made cannots into cans.

All you have accomplished,
Are realities from your wishes,
The boy who wanted to ease everyone’s pain,
Is now the man who has everything to gain.

It is difficult to express in words,
All that is in my heart,
How proud I am of the man,
Who is a son of my heart.

You have an amazing life ahead
And I look forward to seeing it all,
Congratulations, my Travis and Gomer,
And know that you will always be my hero.

I was going to title this post "Old Friends" but considering that the friend I'm referring to and myself both turned 40 this year, we're both sensitive to that word, "old."  Not that we feel old, but milestones are hard.  My childhood friend, Kass and I saw each other on Saturday for the first time in about 15 years.

In this photo (click to embiggen), we posed in one of those instant photo booths, I'm the lovely one in glasses doing the fishy face, Kass is on the right looking sexay, and the girl in the back is Heather, another friend.  This was taken on October 10, 1980; we were out of school for the Utah Education Association break and it was our friend Carol's birthday so we went downtown on the bus and goofed around.  This was the only photo I found but I know I have others. 

Kass is my sister, Susie's hairstylist and has been for years so we keep tabs on each other through Susie.  Saturday, Susie had an appointment with Kass and I went to the salon to see her.  She looks fabulous and is the same Kass as she's always been; fun, sweet, goofy (that IS a compliment, she's just like me that way), and great friend she always was.  It didn't seem like years had gone by, I felt as close to her as I did when we were in school.  

One of the first things she said to me was, "You still smell the same."  Hmmm... well, I've never heard that one before.  Aren't we supposed to say, "You haven't changed a bit?: or something like that?  We laughed so hard about that. I thought about it and remembered that I started wearing Obsession in high school, gathering all the little sample bottles I could find since it was new back then and they had little sample bottles.

Kass brought up some of the goofy stuff we used to do in summers, such as make "Handy Dandy Butt Wipes" for my neighbors whose children needed them.  The really funny thing is, we cut up garbage and plastic bags into squares then wrote "Handy Dandy Butt Wipes" on each square with magic marker.  After a while, we got tired of writing the whole thing out and wrote "HDBW" on each one.  We'd sleep outside in my backyard and we'd toilet paper my neighbors and staple the HDBW's to their fence and tape them to anything we could stick them on.  OK, this is all really embarrassing and it was mean, but.......... I'm sitting here cracking up about the silly things we did.

About 10 years ago, I discovered a cassette tape that wasn't labeled.  I popped it into my stereo and it was a bunch of farting and giggling.  Then I remembered what we did at one of our sleep-overs, we farted into the mic then would giggle.  Ohhh, if I could make a .wav file out of that.......... I think we were in 6th grade or maybe 7th grade.  Just to clear up the fact that girls don't fart... we do and apparently, Kass and I were quite proud of it. 

I was drove the little two-door Subaru that my parents let me use and occasionally, Kass and I would sluff school (shocking, I know).  There was one time that we sluffed and Kass was worried about whether her mom was out looking for her, so we drove past her house to see if her mom's car was in the driveway.  The funny (and idiotic) part was having her hide in the backseat wasn't good enough; she had to get into the trunk for a block or so.  I don't remember who decided the trunk was the best option but we were both blondes, so it's a toss-up!  The good news was, her mom's car was in the driveway and was not hunting her down. 

We had so many slumber parties and always had the best time.  I remember one year, for her birthday (I think!), she had a big slumber party with several friends.  The song YMCA by the Village People was big then and we danced around like them.  What I wouldn't give for a video of that... now, what Kass doesn't know (I forgot to tell her) that about five years ago at a Christmas party, I was hypnotized and I danced the YMCA dance and I do have it on DVD... it's locked away where no one will ever find it, that is until I die.  *snortle*

Kass and I have exchanged email addresses and she's got the URL to my blog (Hallooo Kass if you're reading this!) and we WILL keep in touch.  It's amazing how much I've missed her over the years and since seeing her, that piece of my heart that she had before, she has again. 

This is a photo that Susie took of Kass and me.  Kass said say, "Gee whiz" so I was cracking up.  Susie and I filled her in on the G-Wiz and she's thinking she needs one.  YES, another G-Wiz convert.  *snicker*

Today is the opening day of Major League Baseball; it's an exciting day for all baseball fans, including me.  I love the sexy Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves (thanks to Vickie introducing me to Tim Hudson and John Schmoltz).  I recently purchased the MLB Premium Package with the new mosaic feature so I can watch multiple games. 

As much as I enjoy watching the majors play, I would like to dedicate this post to my great-grandfather, Arthur C. Hancey, my grandfather, Herb Oswald, and my grand-uncle, Denzel Hancey.   The newspaper article to the right (click to embiggen) mentions Great-Grandpa Hancey watching these four Lundberg brothers climb through the Snake River Baseball League that he both played and managed for 38 years.  He was also the founder of the Farmer's Community League. 

Great-Grandpa Hancey began playing baseball in 1896 and in 1910 became the manager of the Milo and Osgood teams (both small towns in Idaho, just north of Idaho Falls).   

 He later was a member and chairman of the Idaho State Athletic Commission, which included all sports.  He moved to the Salt Lake City area during World War II for work and lived there two years before he died.  This article mentions all he did for sports in Idaho and at the end of the article, the son it mentions, was my grand-uncle Denzel "Denz" Hancey who managed baseball teams in the Magna, Utah area. 

Denz used to play on the leagues in Idaho when he was growing up and he was one of the best players, until he also moved to Utah and married and raised his family there.  

My Grandpa Oswald had a deep passion for baseball and used to play with Denz and against him on other teams.  Grandpa was also one of the best players and pitchers in the leagues.  I am disappointed I couldn't find any photos of them playing but Mom thinks my aunt has some photos and I imagine Denz's children have photos of him playing baseball. 

I have baseball in my blood, however, they were die-hard Yankee fans and I am not.  I imagine they're looking down on me from heaven wondering what happened to me.  *snortle*  But then again, the Yankees have changed a lot since they were alive and if I lived back then, I probably would have liked them too. 

Some of the fondest memories I have of my grandpa was watching baseball with him; he told me about the players and what their strengths and weaknesses were.  I don't remember specifics since I was young, but I remember how fun it was to watch baseball with grandpa.   

It's funny, what a movie can do to take me back in time. I was flipping through the channels this morning and saw that Pretty in Pink was on. I've seen this movie countless times, I had the VHS then had to buy the DVD, but I was immediately drawn to watch it, even with the commercials.

I absolutely love John Hughe's movies of that time period; Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, then the Brat Pack movies such as St. Elmo's Fire.

The first meeting outside gets me filled with hope, even though I know how it ends. At the end, at the prom, the second I hear the song, "If You Leave," it draws me in further. I get wrapped up in the romantic ending that my heart races and tears fill my eyes when he tells her he loves her... always, then walks away. Then and I cannot wait until to see "the kiss" in the misty parking lot. With tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, I want to rewind it and watch it again. I am such a hopeless romantic...

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I worked from 9am to 6pm on my mid-term yesterday; for six questions, it ended up being ten pages of single-spaced typing. It's a novel. LOL If I don't get an A on this, I'm going to be pissed. Then I worked on my Auditing homework until 8pm or so. My mind was wired so I read the chapters I needed to. That brought me to 11:30 and I was still wired, despite taking trazadone (which usually knocks me out!). I fiddled around with my iPod, adding new songs and taking off songs I don't want on it. Then, I fiddled with my two new 2GB thumb/flash drives and my older 1GB drive. I finally fell asleep between 1:30 and 2:00am.

I just finished preparing the veggie tray, pickle tray, and baked some brownies for the party tonight. I also have chips and salsa so there will be plenty of food. Now, I deserve a nap.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!