Sarah & Shelby

HOLBROOK - Tangibly Vicarious

2012-01-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

An attempt at a family photo today while visiting Jim Gray's in Holbrook to satisfy Shelbys archaeologic whim. A thankfully reoccurring whim. We bought a sticker book, Brazilian Agate bookends, an antique single slice toaster and took a few polaroids.

While Shelby immersed herself into a paleontological fantasy land I myself revisited a Holbrook not on any map. A town as a segway through fantasy both literal and make believe. It's such a funny place. To me there is everything and nothing there. A girlish contrived non-truth. All a mirage. As we left today I picked up a dusty bit of dignity, paid homage and said goodbye adding one last song to my 'Couples-Only-Skate' play list- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVe1bYSKXQ

Fortunately though, I can't go back to who I was before this place. It's the weirdest thing; the difference. Night and Day. I am ironically better, stronger, much more stubborn, and hell if I ain't a bit arrogant concerning only myself due to such a stereotypically wrong Holbrook I have to ditch. God I love this Holbrook, FIERCELY AND LOYALLY LOVE IT, but I gotta jet.

(for those of you scratching your heads...it's okay, just one will understand)

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

2011-11-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

According to Shelby there ARE such things as vampire cats. Duh mom.

Picture For Amy Jo

2011-10-27T18:00:00.002-07:00

a little blog goodbye to Rooster, a great horse

CHEYENNE AND TINOS WEDDING!

2011-10-25T14:40:00.003-07:00

A sneak peek at their wedding pictures

Random Recent Favorites

2011-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

2011-09-27T17:53:00.001-07:00

Shelby made a lei from the garden

(looks like she is doing the hula but she is actually doing her robot...it is awesome)

SEATTLE for free

2011-08-30T11:35:00.004-07:00

Ol' childhood friend Chris photographing the Troll Under the Bridge.

-Adding to Seattles Gum Wall-

Ran into the GhostBusters!

(wish this was a color shot, didn't have time to switch it)

-Super Sticky Shoes-

Chris' shot with my camera

-Space Needle by night-

(Had to remove the SO weary looking traveler picture of myself, no offense to sweet Chris)

Shelby showcasing her new socks...which she is totally obsessed with.

Thank You!

Tye-Dye with the Kid

2011-08-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

greatness.

2011-08-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Shelbys First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Shelbys teacher Mrs. Romney

Laughing at Bristol chasing a bug

13 years later...

2011-08-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

...found this guy in a closet. Another unfinished Leo from 1998-ish. Gross 20 x 30, stained and in need of being thrown in the trash. Oh-well, Mark Wahlberg does it for me these days.

BROKEN, ALL BY MY LONESOME

2011-08-01T09:37:00.001-07:00

Light on the tack, this is our first time outside of the round pen.
I am still alive and have yet to hit the ground (no jinx). I have had this boy since he was just a baby...making this particular day amazing, to me.

No More No Haulin Toyota

2011-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

LOST AND FOUND PHOTOGRAPH

2011-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Pinedale Bridge Run

2011-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

Shelby waitin on her mamma

Shelby and Trishas dog ...head bigger than her

Shelbys Dummy Roping

2011-07-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

ALL THE KIDS DID GREAT

RECENT ART

2011-04-24T19:51:00.001-07:00

Bull Elk

9 x 12, Charcoal

Alannas Sonagram

9 x 12, Charcoal

Dalai Lama (forgot the pre-frame photograph)

5 x 7, Charcoal

Mom and Aunt Carol as Children

9 x 12, Graphite

Seahorse

9 x 12, Oil Pastel

Two Crabs

9 x 12, Charcoal and Graphite

OLD ART I LOVE

A THROWBACK...

Leonardo DiCaprio

(High School, Junior Year)

15 x 20, Graphite

Moon Sculpture

(College, Freshman Year)

Ceramic

EASTER 2011

2011-04-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

SHELBY TURNS 5

2011-04-24T16:56:00.001-07:00

ARIZONA SCIENCE CENTER

CAKE AND MAKING HER BIRTHDAY GIFT

SHELBYS VOCABULARY...(lets keep in mind that she is 4)

2011-01-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

This last week...

1. "Mom, this door is SO DIFFICULT!"

2. "Mom, you are practical" (I'm just guessing she doesn't really know what that means)

3. "Mom, you are my favorite disaster"

And just for documentation sake; Shelby LOVES to dance and is completely obsessed with Dancing With the Stars as well as Live To Dance, that may be because I don't let her veg out and watch TV otherwise. Besides a movie or two, its all she gets. She also has her first celebrity "crush", Taylor freakin Swift. ...yes she has posters.
I put shelby to bed one night in her pajamas, a couple hours later I snuck in to give her a kiss and make sure the covers where over her and she was passed out in her ballet tutu with a Taylor Swift magazine article draped over her tummy. sneaky sneaky girl.

SO FREAKIN FUNNY...

2010-12-16T16:47:00.001-07:00

BACKIN UP SONG

ONE SINGLE THANKSGIVING PICTURE

2010-12-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hooray for woodcutting!!!

Michael and Joaquin cut, I stacked.

SNOW ANGEL

2010-11-29T14:51:00.001-07:00

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND 2010

Morenci Mine

2010-10-31T22:01:00.001-07:00

About a month ago I went to spend a week with my grandpa. We went on a couple drives and ended up at the Morenci Mine where my grandfather worked as a mining engineer for Phelps Dodge. He mostly worked out of Bisbee but was asked to do a few special projects that kept him and his family in Morenci for a few years. I can remember this trip from when I was little. He took us into the big CAT bays where Michael and I did not even come to the center of a tire in height on those big loaders. I had such a wonderful time with him. I learn a new story about my family each time I see him.

I wish i could have known him as a young husband and father. He is so knowledgeable, so professional and respected in his community and beyond. It would have been cool to see him in action.

CALIFORNIA

2010-09-25T10:21:00.002-07:00

last weekend we moved to tehachapi ca. It should only be for a few months. we followed kyles job here. we have had little luck finding a place to rent with a 6 month lease and a deposit under $1250. right now we live in a hotel but it honestly feels like a dream since i get to be a stay-at-hotel mom. here are a few pictures from the week.

golden hills community, tehachapi ca

the park

santa monica pier, santa monica ca

leo carillo beach state park, malibu ca

OH HOW HE HAS GROWN

2010-09-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

AN OFFICIAL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH STEVE REEL

2010-09-15T14:09:00.001-07:00

i sat down with Steve last week after he was finished with his trash duties at Rodeo Video. Steve was feeling talkative...which is odd, ha. i had always wondered a few things so it ended up like this.

full name is Steven Robert Reel

born November 14, 1965

5'10" tall

favorite color? red

favorite kind of car? (points at me and says) "yours" (oh how sweet, he doesn't even know what i drive)

any brothers or sisters? two brothers, Jackie and Joe

any pets? no

favorite outfit? the army one (from a recruiter in Show Low)

worst injury? bleeding pinky cuticle (holds it up for me to see)

how does he get his look? hair spray then carefully combs straight back

tanning method? natural, not fake (must be from all that walking)

favorite food? Bits Pizza

what kind of cell phone? Nokia from CellularOne

whats in his wallet? all kinds of passes (i.e. lobo football stadium, Thunder Raceway, back stage to somewhere) also a police badge sticker

coolest place ever traveled to? Las Vegas baby

whats in his cup? Pepsi

favorite movie? Pure Country (great choice Steve!)

and finally...

any hobbies? (shakes his head no) what i wrote down...popping his knuckles

well, this concludes our interview. i hope you enjoyed it.

Dear seemingly farther away outside world,

2010-09-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

My phone died. ...well the screen did. I can hear text messages coming in, but I CANNOT see them!!!!! Its okay that it died, I was actually a little excited without an ounce of panic about having an excuse to not be attached to the thing but its the taunting that has finally gotten to me. The chime of some unknown person trying to reach out to me through text message, leaving me helpless to do anything about it.

However, there is coolness to this incident. I am eligible for my upgrade THIS WEEK! Two years and just a couple of days off little cell phone, you've done a good job (minus one little repair needed a few months ago) holding up to my four year old and our puppy, oh and my clumsy fingers. I only wish I could go down to the store and get one this payday. In order to get a way low price on a new phone I have to order it from a certain website and wait for it to come into a certain post office box. DANGIT.

Anywho, moral of the story is, to those who read this blog, who might be trying to reach me, my phone is dead for a few days. Thanks, and may he rest in peace, OH and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET THE NUMBERS IN MY PHONE BOOK BE SALVAGEABLE!!!!

FIRST DAY OF PRE-SCHOOL

2010-08-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

-showcasing the new freckles-

a painting i did for a friend who's dad passed away on the 13th.

2010-08-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

TARA GOT MARRIED!

2010-08-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

OVER 30 YEARS AGO MY MOM AND TARA AND AMANDA'S MOM ANDREA (ALONG WITH ALANNA'S MOM KAREN) WERE BEST FRIENDS. THEY TRAVELED AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH A BAND (CUSTER'S LAST BAND), YES THEY WERE ROADIES. THEN THEY GOT MARRIED AND HAD BABIES (TARA AND AMANDA, ME AND MICHAEL). ALONG WITH ALANNA, THESE GIRLS ARE AS CLOSE TO TRUE SISTERS I HAVE EVER GOTTEN.

AND SO, TARA GOT MARRIED! SHE IS THE BEAUTIFUL BRUNET ON MY LEFT. THE GORGEOUS BLOND IS HER SISTER AMANDA WITH WHOM I USED TO PLAY MERMAID WITH IN THE POOL.

ANDREA AND MY MOM - THE WILD WOMEN

24th RODEO - KEG RACE

2010-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

KYLE AND ARMANI, THEY DID GREAT!

MY SWEET FAMILY

2010-08-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

L.O.V.E.

A CERTAIN KIND OF EVENING (last Monday)

2010-08-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

-TRACTOR RIDE-

-OUR (rented) BACKYARD-

-REED AND AMY FLAKE WITH ALL THEIR GRANDKIDS-

-SHELBY'S BLINKING TOOTH BRUSH IN THE DARK-

TURQUOISE CHAMPIONSHIP

2010-08-05T10:40:00.001-07:00

Gallup NM last weekend

Kyle was the cattleman. I joined him for one of the three days and boy did we get soakin freakin wet. It was SO FUN! Latter that night we had a date and went to see Salt. It was pretty good.

-Kyle (second from right) trying to save Red Rock Arenas life...atleast for the days roping.-

-in the announcers booth watching Kyle and the way to close lightning-

-sweetheart about twenty minutes later-

-my driving buddy Spur, she is my in-laws dog but they were out of town so she hung out with me for the weekend. dont tell Bristol.-

Chasing Trout #7

2010-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I went to Santa Fe NM to work at a PRCA Rodeo. We had a lot of down time between perfs and decided to check out the Pecos River. It was absolutely beautiful. We hiked our butts off, it felt great. I caught five brown trout. Kyle didn't have the luck of his irish wife that day but we had a wonderful time.

a few pictures from the day

-on the way in-

-brown trout-

-lunch after, took this pic for you Morain!-

MORE FROM MY PHONE..

2010-07-30T13:28:00.005-07:00

Shelby announcing the 24th Celebration Rodeo with papa (Reed)!

********************

An updated picture of Dark. Isn't he getting so big (compare to 5.4.2010 post)?! But of course I pick the muddiest day to snap a shot of him. He really is so georgous when he is clean and slicked off. He is the sweetest. His disposition is phenominal. He also LOVES me, thank goodness. We are still waiting a while longer to break him and cut him (eh hem, yes you know what im talkin about cutting), but in the mean time I sack him out, rub on him, blanket him, he lets me halter him, put the fly mask on, groom and fly spray him AND he is a champ at letting me pick up all four of his hooves. I believe he will make an awesome sound horse some day. I have been working hard with him and it is such a great feeling to see progression.

P.S. Notice the background. That's right, you should see my mad tractor skills!

**********************

I quit work at the pharmacy due to NEVER seeing Shelby. I would seriously get home sometimes at 11pm and have to work at 7:30 the next morning. Shelby would be asleep when I got home as well as when I left the next morning. She would go a couple days sometimes without seeing me...not okay. So I found a 9-4:30 job in Snowflake and we are all so much happier. BUT, I do dearly miss most of the people I worked with. Matt was an awesome boss, Steve was super cool and understanding like no other...a rule stretcher in the most charitable ways, J-Bob, a couple of the managers out on the floor, as well as a few others that I didn't mention but most of all I miss Robin. She is the pharmacists that I enjoyed working with the most. We have everything in common from A-Z, and we could talk horses literally ALL DAY LONG. She is one tough lady but such a softy on the inside. I miss her...did I mention that?

Ladies of the pharmacy calendar photo shoot!

Squirrel soup Robin made for my birthday. Thanks for shooting all those squirrels for me Rob! Sorry lil' guys. P.S. Gotta watch for bones.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!

2010-07-28T10:04:00.001-07:00

My blog tends to mostly be about Shelby and Shelby, oh.....and Shelby, BUT this is to good not to post about. Rent this flick if you haven't, It is beautiful. Truly. I love it.

how my little angel sleeps

2010-06-06T20:38:00.002-07:00

SUNSHINE

2010-06-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

WE WENT TO THE VALLEY TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS BETH, TYLER, AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY. SHELBY BORROWED LITTLE JENNA'S BIKINI...SHE IS TWO AND A HALF! WE WEIGHED THE GIRLS, 28.5LBS EACH EXACTLY, GEEZ WILLY! WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME. WE MISS THEM SO MUCH. THE SHELBY AND TYLER PICKED UP RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF. BETH HAD HER BABY A FEW DAYS LATER, A LITTLE GIRL.

jenna bug, isnt she beautiful like her mama!

beths baby belly

beth and i

A YEAR AGO TODAY - PHOTO ARCHIVE

2010-05-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

CHASING TROUT #6

2010-05-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

SILVER CREEK, AGAIN

CHASING TROUT (i mean bass) #5

2010-05-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

MAKING UP FOR SILVER CREEK. THIS BEAUTY WAS OVER 4 POUNDS!

Snowflake man made

(and incase your wondering, we put her back; im the catch and release kind)

4 ALREADY

2010-04-21T15:53:00.004-07:00

SHELBY TURNED 4 on sunday. We had a small family party, a..um...spider cake per Shelbys request, and just a beautiful warm spring day.

OUR NEIGHBOR VANESSA who shelby likes to play with from time to time.

BLOWING OUT HER CANDLE

THE ONLY GROUP SHOT THAT I GOT

KYLE ATTACHING THE HORN WE GOT SHELBY FOR HER BIKE

KYLE AND HIS MOM

A SUN BLARING FAMILY SHOT

WALKING BRISTOL TO END THE EVENING

JUST KIDDING, SHE WALKED ME!

P.S. HAPPY BIRHTDAY SUNDAY TO TYLER LOGGINS TOO! SHELBY MISSES YOU BUD!

OH PLEASE NO!!!!!!

2010-03-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

YOU KNOW HOW everyone has a celebrity look alike? WELL, in the last few months I have had on four separate occasions all different people tell me I "look just like Casey Anthony". Who is that you ask? It is that girl who killed her kid! I can always tell when someone is gunna tell me this because they start the conversation with..."Dont take this the wrong way, but...".

I THINK I have you beat Chelsea, I would WAY rather look like Lady GaGa! :)

I DONT KNOW. What do you think?

THIS IS HER...

AND LETS NOT forget the angel...

PHONE PICTURES

2010-03-03T20:55:00.002-07:00

I HAD TO clean up my phone a little so I downloaded pictures I wanted to keep around, thought I would blog a few.

ME AND MY GIRLS

Shelby at Hebrews

Bristol a.k.a. "Brizzo"

First towell wrap, she was diggin it!

Holy mackerel! Shelbys hair after the flat iron. It is about 4-5 inches shorter on most days when I leave it natural, her curls are beautiful!

SUSHI AND A FREE CONCERT WITH FRIENDS

Quail eggs...yes we ate them and they were SO good!

Our view...of really gross people...that we made fun of terribly.

Ranch headquarters, Queen Creek AZ

Kyle Flake

Ohso

Breaking in roping steers

DEAR MOMMY...

2010-03-03T19:52:00.001-07:00

THANK YOU SO much for all you do for us! I love you!

CHASING TROUT #4

2010-02-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

SILVER CREEK AGAIN. Bristol stuck by my friend Kyle most of the time. She is insane...that water was ice cold! We both got skunked. Second time this year. What is it with Silver Creek?

THE FATTENING HUT

2010-02-13T09:52:00.002-07:00

THIS LITTLE GIRL gets two heaping meals a day, dry mixed with wet food, plus treats and still her ribs show and her hip bones gouge. You would think I am a terrible pet owner if you saw her up close. She turned one this month on the 5th. Technically she is still a puppy. Lets srsly get her on a hampster wheel though, the amount of energy she has could power New York for a month alone and I think this is the problem. She could run around FAST for 6 hours straight without stopping...not kidding you. I have searched the isles up and down for higher calorie dog food with higher quality ingredients for better absorbancy, found one at the vets office - Royal Canin, OMG it glistens with the "good" fat, best dog food ever! But at $50 a bag I was back to mapping isles in Walmart. I have dissected her POOP, yes I said poop, looking for worms and unless she has one big fat tapeworm in there she is clean.
SO I REMEMBERED reading about the fattening huts of the Hima tribe of Uganda, creating heartyer brides by keeping them in a hut making them consume gallons of whole milk then periodically checking them for signs of weight gain, i.e. stretch marks. I disagree with this tradition/ritual making marriage less about love and more about the prosperity of a brides father and her groom (yes, I realize I am divorced). Comparing her to fattened cattle and their value over mal-nourished bovine and what that says to society about the ~~owner~~, I mean husband. I get it though, I realize in a country of poverty, signs of a full "cubbord" is a great thing, but I stand firm in my little bit that marriage should be about something other than male societal progression and objectifying a bride counting her as nothing more than a dowry.
NOW HAVING SAID that, I will proceed to try not to make a mochery of my own argument by adopting this idea for my dog. She is after all an animal...like the cattle...they should stick to animals. ANYWHO, Bristol is beefing up after restricting (staying in her hut) her activity just a little and by giving her a cup or two more of food a day. Thank you men of the Hima tribe of Uganda. I owe you one. Would one hereford calf be enough?

SHELBYS SHOTS

2010-02-02T19:38:00.001-07:00

SHELBY GOT MOMENTARILY fascinated with my camera at my moms the other night so I let her go for it. Here are the 4 that somewhat turned out. It was fun.

THE GHOSTLY WHITE blur that are her sweet little toes.

SHE VERY SPECIFICALLY asked to take one of my pocket.

BRISTOL

TRYING TO HELP her hold it up, laughing histerically as she keeps both eyes open to look through the view finder.

Phrase of the day: Shelby buon lavoro!

Translation: Good job Shelby!

THE "LIZARD" OF OZ

2010-01-31T14:48:00.002-07:00

SHELBY IS STILL to little to sit through an entire movie without needing to get up, run around, distract herself then come back to it. There have been only a couple of movies she has been so enthrawled with that she sits like a statue through the entire thing; Wizard of Oz was one of those. She watched it once and remember almost all of it as she asked me questions about it later that night.

RAISING THE BARRE put on a production of the Wizard of Oz this weekend. My friend Johnnie helped put it on and she did such a wonderful job. All the kids in the play did great too.

SHELBY KEPT CALLING it the Lizard of Oz. She was so scared every time the Wicked Witch of the West came out. It was a long play and she was so good, just watched intently. Im so proud of her.

JOHNNIE MADE THE house, isn't it Awesome?!

JOHNNIE AND HER man Lance

SHELBY WANTED TO marker up her face for the play, I thought it was a great idea!

JOEY CAME TOO but his picture was blurry, dont want to leave him out. We all had a great time and are really proud of Johnnie.

Phrase of the day: Uscire sul comune!

Translation: (as Shelby would say) Go out on the town!

ITALIA - due, Roma

2010-01-29T21:30:00.004-07:00

I FLEW INTO Rome and even though I didnt stay there I returned to explore it several times throughout the summer. I loved the energy and the character, the drivers dis-obeying "optional" traffic laws, the food, the art, and the idea of standing in the same spot as historys Caesar, the Gods, and every Pope. You find yourself stopped in your tracks nearly breathless trying to take in the actuality of it all. Touching the same sculpture that Michelangelo touched or staring up into his ceiling knowing that art has gone in reverse, nothing as beautiful or of such value has been painted in centuries.

THIS IS THE terrible first shot on a roll of film and first shot taken in Italy. It is of the Vatican during an address from Pope John Paul II. He is under the maroon shade and shown on the big screen in the center of the picture.

THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

THE SISTINE CHAPEL

I almost got thrown out for this shot. No cameras, NO FLASH allowed! I couldnt hold the camera up to my face to take it, it was literally a shot in the dark; this one 'Creation of Adam' was number 4 of 33 paintings making up the enormous ceiling (im sorry i didnt have color film in, what a shame).

MICHELANGELO PAINTED THE chapel ceiling for Pope Julius II between 1508 and 1512. It was all restored in the 1980s.

SCULPTURE ROOM

TROJAN PRIEST LAOCOON and his two sons. Marble, 1st-century AD.

THE SPANISH STEPS

(for lovers)

ALWAYS COVERED IN azaleas.

THE TREVI FOUNTAIN

(MY VERY FAVORITE PLACE IN ROME)

THE FIGURES ARE of Neptune flanked by two Tritons who represent the two contrasting moods of the sea.

COLOSSEO

ONE OF MANY HOSTEL ROOMS

VALLEY DAY TRIP

2010-01-27T23:08:00.001-07:00

A FRIEND OF ours is really sick so I decided to take the day off of work and take a day trip to Mesa for a visit. Minus a tearful goodbye, this is how the day went.

1. WOKE UP TOO early...BEFORE MY ALARM clock went off...ON A DAY that Shelby was with her dad...WHAT THE @#*%!!!!

2. STOPPED TO CHECK this out just south of Payson.

3. STOPPED BY GATEWAY ER to see some old friends.

4. GRABBED ME SOME IN-N-OUT. I miss you cheeseburger animal style no fries with a chocolate shake, no matter how much atherosclerosis you may cause me! I savored every bite of you today without guilt!

5. STOPPED HERE TOO, I love it here, I would not-kidding-you-live-here-if-i-could!

6. YEP, YOU GUESSED it, stopped again.

7. I NEVER DO the dew but I may have crashed and burned without it tonight.

8. AN OVER THE sholder "What is Shelby and Milhouse up to back there?", shot.

Phrase of the day: Detesto il mio orologio interno!

Translation: I loathe my internal clock!

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!

2010-01-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

I HAVE DREAMT of Brad Pitt twice this month! What is going on?! I love it!! and keep em comin!

Phrase of the day: io sogni nel miele

Translation: I dream in honey

P. S. Dont be jealous Johnnie!

Photograph courtesy of http://bradpitt-information.com/

ITALIA - uno

2010-01-24T19:39:00.005-07:00

AFTER MOVING THIS month I stumbled across an old pre-digital camera, pre-laptop photo album. They where all from my summer in Italy. I was soooooo happy to look through them but a little sad that I have let so much of why I spent months of my life there go. EVERY MORNING I leave for work and Shelby and I are rushing out the door as she is grabbing her Milhouse and her horse and her mini etch-a-scetch and hot stuff (a sea horse beanie baby type a thingy) and everything else she owns that will surely miss her far to much while she is at daycare I have to holler at her "Andiamo piccola bambina! Sono pronta!" Which she well knows means "Let's go baby girl! I'm ready!". I love it and i miss it. Little things like that is what lingers.

AFTER SOME THOUGHT I realized that letting it go the last few years doesn't take away my experience in Italy and that the passion is still there and it will probably be easier to pick back up with familiarity. SO I SET a goal, 365 days to fluency again. I will make an effort to dedicate 30 minutes of study time each and every day for the next year (more time spent on it during weekends and the few weekdays that Josh has Shelby).

IN THE MEAN time I will periodically blog by city the scanned pictures I have dug out of hiding.

A FEW OF my favorites just to kick off...

My very favorite most coveted picture. Ascoli Piceno in El Centro. Ascoli is the town I lived in. I only had a film camera and a photography class at MCC where I developed a chosen few in the dark room like this one.

L'Isola di Capri

My constant companion

SO IN THE spirit of fluency.

A phrase of the day: A domani!

Translation: See you tomorrow!

2 1/2 years, 7 moves.

2010-01-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

A BEAUTIFUL FIRST morning in another new place. We moved again the weekend of January first. It could potentially be hard on Shelby I think but we try hard to have fun and explore in all of our new places. Maybe versatility will be what she takes away from this era in our lives, I don't know but so far so good. I have a great kid and our lives are pretty damn great together.

CHRISTMAS

2010-01-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

SHELBYS FIRST SNOWMAN

AUNT CAROL

FIRST BIKE

MY BIRTHDAY

2010-01-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

FRIENDS, LAUGHTER, HOT WINGS

THESE EARRINGS I wear on my birthday are the earrings my mother was wearing when she gave birth to me. Weird? maybe, but I think its cool and love that I have them.

THANKSGIVING

2010-01-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

MY BROTHER MICHAEL

SHOUT OUT TO ANSEL - PART TWO (lazy in the second half)

2009-12-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

MOMS BIRTHDAY

SWEET LORI

SHELBY

PEOPLE KEEP ASKING

2009-12-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

CODY IS ONE of the greatest men I will ever know. He has too many great qualities to list, a few being his sweetness, his unselfish ways, his intelligence and work ethic, and so many others. We had a phenomenal summer together that I would never want to take back, not one single day. We were great together but there was just one thing, one, more important than anything thing...there were three of us. Shelby will always come first and it just wasn't going to work out. Over the summer people kept telling me that it was normal for it to be hard with a kid in the picture but I had tested that theory twice before Cody and it had never been that hard before. She is the best kid anyone could ever ask to be around. Cody did nothing wrong at all, its just complicated, and it just was not going to work out.

WE BROKE UP...officially...over the phone, months ago. It was upsetting and too many people wanted there to be more drama to the story THAN THERE ACTUALLY WAS but I certainly have no hard feelings toward Cody.

SO THAT IS the jist for those concerned who have carefully and thoughtfully asked. I hope Cody has a wonderful Christmas, he deserves it. I also hope he enjoys the rest of his time in vet school and knows what a true gift it is to be there.

FOR VICKI

2009-11-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

SHELBY ON HALLOWEEN...
she just really wanted to be a big red flower
(a bit blurry, it was getting dark and im anti-flash)

THE LOOT...

A LITTLE PISSED AT MY MAN OBAMA

2009-10-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

I DEFINITELY NEED to do more research on this but from what iv heard about the Interim Report of the new Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force issued on September 17 is that there will be a ban or at the very least major restrictions on sport fishing. Do the people who drummed up this policy have any idea how much money us sport fishermen spend on licenses and other fees that I am happy to pay that go directly to conservation and protection of these waters and wildlife?

ASA Ocean Resource Policy Director Patty Doerr was quoted saying "As with any good federal policy decision, discussions about measures that may restrict public access to public resources must involve an open public process, have a solid scientific basis and incorporate specific guidelines on implementation and follow-up. We are very concerned about the abbreviated 90 day timeline which forced the Task Force to issue this policy document prematurely. The implications of such a policy are vast and nationwide. Therefore, the review process should be very deliberate and go well beyond the 30 days public review and comment period which started on September 17."

I hope they consider this comment before moving any further. Sorry Obama, much love.

CHASING TROUT #3

2009-10-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEKEND WAS Silver Creek and the first time skunked this year. It was a beautiful warm day and the least upset I have ever been about not catching a thing.

GEARING UP

BROUGHT A BUDDY this time instead of a pistol

THIS DOG WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME

2009-10-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

BRISTOL LEARNED TO dig out from under her kennel. A few weeks ago I got a call at work from Codys brother Logan that he found her hit by a car on the highway. He described her back end as possibly irreversibly screwed up. He said he thought she wont make it another 15 minutes, she had agonal breathing and was "flat as a pancake back there". I was devastated. We felt the best decision as she lay there awake and dying was to shoot her. After making that decision I hung up the phone, went to the vial storage room and bawled my eyes out. About 15 minutes later I called Logan back and he said that when he tried to move her off the road and into his truck bed that she tried to get up and stand for a few seconds. I felt my heart almost leap out of my chest. I asked him to take her to the vet and that I would be there as soon as I got off work. She was miserable but alive. She broke her pelvis in half but could stand. I took her home the next day and she spent the next 15 days in a crate except to drink and pee. She healed up beautifully on my very strict heartbreaking limited mobility decision and is now back to running around without so much as a limp. Bless her heart and heaven help mine. This dog is 8 months old and has already almost died twice (#1 being the rattle snake bite)....Ugh.

CULTURALLY SPEAKING - AN ADDENDUM

2009-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

I FEEL THE need to write a softer addendum to the before written "Culturally Speaking". While I still believe the same that pieces of certain cultures religious rituals should be left untouched for the sake of preserving tradition and the legacies of our ancestors as well as bringing new born ideas, feelings, and beliefs to those who are open enough to receive the experience without bias. I felt it a bit harsh after re-reading but wasn't sure I would change it.

IT DAWNED ON me today what just might be the internal conflict. While practicing violin I played a few hymns as well as other pieces. I flipped through the hymnal and caught a verse that made sense to my underlying cause. The verse read, "How swiftly round the world his voice reveals...". It is actually referring to the voice of the prophet but at first glance I thought God. This initial thought brought some peace to my little battle. I realize not all religions believe in God but most in a higher power. It was calming to know we can harbor this commonality and still preserve religious culture throughout the world.

WHAT HAS BOTHERED me has been persecution and judgement by both or all sides. Mormons should not be judged for being stereotypically that. Every Mormon is still an individual person bringing into the religion a different way to live Mormon but sharing a common belief that deep down there is a feeling and a comfort of truth.
On the other side, members of the church should step out of their bubble every once in awhile and maintain a golden rule-esque quality and keep our own judgements of other religions out of existence. We may not actually be tainted by embracing the heart of another as they explain their own religious and cultural beliefs and without a thought of rebuttal.

I STRUGGLE WITH this because I don't like ties or structural boundaries put on my mind. If I don't find individuality within a belief system I slightly rebel in a spiritual way. Balance is my goal.

CHASING TROUT #2

2009-10-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

SAN JUAN RIVER near Farmington New Mexico

look closely

My San Juan worm and line (for wet fly fishing)

Apache Trout

CHASING TROUT #1

2009-10-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

A COUPLE OF this years fishing trips. Not as fruitful as other summers but fly fishing is fly fishing, never a waste of time.

BLACK RIVER
Only a couple Brown trout on this day. Caught on hand tied mosquito's.

Wild Turkey on the way up

The Black

Terrible only picture I got this summer

A SHOUT OUT TO ANSEL

2009-09-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

IT WAS MY Grandpas 92nd birthday last weekend. He was up from Safford to celebrate at my moms. He brought me up a book that made me really excited. It is a 1948 first edition of Ansel Adams photographs titled Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. He asked me if I knew his work and I said YES, of course, everyone does. He seemed a little unaware of his fame. Then he proceeded to tell me about shooting with him and how Ansel had an 8x10 enlarger but that he (my grandpa) only had room to house a 4x5, and other details only a personal conversation could tell. I was floored. My Grandpa doesn't lie about things, he doesn't even really ever joke. Still unsure if I should really believe it but he grew up near Yosemite, went to Berkeley and USC and probably ran into people like that from time to time.

I THOUGHT THAT for the rest of the month I would shoot in only black and white for a little bit of fun. I am a little to blue in tint right now and need to adjust my manual settings but this could be a good experiment.
Here are the happenings so far the last two weeks.

GRANDPAS BIRTHDAY AND most guests in attendance

GRANDPA

MICHAEL AND AMELIA

LILY

JOAQUIN

BALLOONS

AFRICAN VIOLET

COOKING

BATH

BRISTOL

WOODLAND WILDLIFE FESTIVAL

RUFUS PHASE RED-tailed Hawk

(100%) ARCTIC WOLF

A FEW WORDS FROM SHELBY

2009-09-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

ON A SPIDER in the bathroom that she thought might have been dead.
The spider moves..."Oh, IT'S WORKIN!"

I HAD A sore throat last week and Shelby was trying to make me feel better. Shelby also had just gone to the bathroom...#2, and she said that it hurt her butt.
Shelby: "Can I kiss your neck ( sore throat) mamma?"
Me: "Sure honey, thank you!"
Shelby: "Can you kiss my butt?"
Me: "hahahahahahahaha!!!!"
Shelby: "Is your neck better?"
Me: "Ya, it feels better"
Shelby: "As better as my butt?!"
Me: "hahahahahaha!!! Ya darlin"

PATRICK SWAYZE

2009-09-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

WHO DIDN'T SEE dirty dancing?! It made me sad to learn that Patrick Swayzes battle with pancreatic cancer was lost. I was soooo rooting for him. Patrick swayed in and out of my thoughts nearly my entire life. During my 10 years of ballet classes and Company, but most of all as I drove up to work at 5:30am on the Arab Horse Farm in Mesa. Patrick was one of the greatest supporters of Arabian horses in the world. I have an album with magazine rip outs of him and his Egyptian Arab Tammen (pictured above). I was particularly obsessed with him during my ownership of Spooks, a grey arab I had out in Pinedale. Before that we met at the All Arabian Horse Show in Scottsdale (you MUST forgive my outfit), one of the nicest people you would have ever met. I am sad about this loss but grateful for his influence in my life.

image credit to: http://allthecreatures.org/horse/patrick-swayze-and-his-horse-tammen.html

YOURS TRULY IS....

2009-09-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

WALGREENS NEWEST PHARMACY tech!

image credit to: http://www4.uwm.edu/shwec/publications/newsletters/Jan-Feb_2009.cfm

RAISING A CHILD SHOULD EARN ME A SECOND COLLEGE DEGREE

2009-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

A FLASH CARD from one of Shelbys National Geographics for Kids and the Blister Beetle we found in the house.
OH HOW OUR children teach us...every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

CULTURALLY SPEAKING

2009-09-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

ON THE DRIVE up to Fort Collins with Cody as we passed through the mountains swallowing Silverton and other quaint towns Cody made a comment that Brigham Young must have passed the beauty of Colorado searching for more, got to the Salt Lake Valley and said "That's it! No more! That's as far as we're going!".
I WAS SILENTLY pleased that Brigham Young did pass it up if the humorous quip made by Cody was truth. I would hate for Colorado to be another Utah. Not that Utah is bad, it is just its own world; its own culture. I like that! I also like to observe and learn about a more liberal Colorado.
REALIZING THE POINT of mission work as being conversion...REALLY THOUGH?! How terrible would that be if the entire worlds sole religion was Mormonism? Not terrible on a moral level but a cultural level. So much of culture hinges on religious belief. To take away from the ceremony and ritual of other cultures would be educationally and culturally devastating.
THERE IS A lot I agree with concerning the LDS church, most actually, but one thing I don't or have a lack of understanding for is the seperation of souls based on conversion refusal.
SHARING THE MORMON culture is a wonderful wonderful thing that I hope is more accepted one day as that...a respectable religion and foundation of a beautiful culture. But I sure hope that one day when I travel to Ireland; land of both sets of my ancestors that I wont learn about Joseph Smith. Instead I hope to breath in the differences between the Native Irish Catholics and the British-sponsored Protestant immigrants and the blood spilt fighting for a belief they felt just as strongly to be the truth as Mormons feel Mormonism to be. Respectfully.

SHELBYS NEWEST HOBBY

2009-08-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

COLORADO

2009-08-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

CODYS SUMMER VACATION is over. Last weekend we packed his things and drove up to Fort Collins so that he could start on his third year Vet School at CSU. We left Saturday and I flew back on Monday.
We took a 5 hour detour and got into Fort Collins 15 hours after starting our journey. We went Snowflake-Gallup-Durango-Silverton-Montrose-Gunnison-Salida-Leadville-Denver-Fort Collins. I am so glad I went, it was amazing!

THE DRIVE

JUST OUTSIDE MONARCH

CLIFF FACE OUTSIDE Ouray, nicknamed the Switzerland of America. So true, Ouray sits snugly tucked into Alp like mountains.

NEAR MONTROSE

EISENHOWER TUNNEL

CODYS LIFE

WHERE HE "LIVES"

A RUMENFISTULA - THIS spoiled famous little cow has on its side what is called a rumenfistula. This hole allows students to reach in and feel the stomach of a cow, the unique to bovine part that allows the fermentation of feed.

WYOMING

THE MOST UNCLOSTRAPHOBIC I have ever felt in my life. Something invisible and free identifying with my insides; every microscopic crevise leaving no space untouched. Every excuse to stay longer. Every blade of golden grass needed to fit into my luggage lasting years until my permenant return. When I left Wyoming I left my home.

THE STREETS OF Cheyenne

THE CAPITOL

AN OBSESSION

AND BACK

FLYING OVER THE Rocky Mountains (BUMPY!!!)

EPISTAXIS

2009-08-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

TODAY SHELBY HAD a bloody nose for the 4th time in 24 hours. In this picture she had tried to wipe it herself before I could pull the truck over. She is also a little ticked that I am taking the time to snap a picture. A little bacitracin up the nostril is all it needed but DANG, it was a freaky day for Willy and her mamma.

NEW GELDING

2009-08-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

CODY DID A castration at his family's ranch that Shelby and I had a chance to watch. He did a beautiful job as always. Some of these pictures are fairly graphic but for all the members of PETA out there, this was a surgical procedure done humanely with anesthetic, using sterile technique, and much care. Dallas is a happy, very unaware yearling.

DRUGS

PREP

EMASCULATORS

I'M SURE YOU can guess

EXTRACTING THE WOLF teeth while he's out (or, killing two birds with one stone)

EXCUSE THE FAR off look on my face but I really wanted a picture of us up.

JULY LOOKED LIKE THIS

2009-08-13T22:23:00.001-07:00

SHELBY SHOCKED US all in her astronaut suit and my old Stetson by proclaiming without any help from us that she was a "Space Cowboy"! We all stopped and died laughing!

MY SCIENCE KID

PLAYING WITH BRISTOL

SHELBY AND HER Tyler

UMMMM, SCIENCE KID again

CODYS DOG BAILEY

A NOTE FROM Cody

FLOWERS FROM CODY on 4th of July. Brought them into work.

THE 24TH ON THE 18TH

2009-08-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

HANGIN WITH BRITTNEE

LOGAN AND MORISSA

CUPCAKES

A WILLIS FARM chicken

BRITTNEES BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER Brooklyn

STORMY DRIVE BACK from Payson

RODEO

FIREWORKS

CODY DID BRISTOLS SPAY

2009-08-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

...AND HE DID such a wonderful job!

PUPPA GIRL

LIGATING TUBES

AN OVARY

DARLIN

HOLBROOK

2009-08-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

I KNOW! CRAZY right?! I'm not a fan of sitting at home; Snowflake is a bit limited though when it comes to broadening my daughters horizons. A favorite place of ours in the valley was the Mesa Museum of Natural History. I got to thinking of it after about our 156th trip to Pioneer Park and decided on my next day off with my girl that we would head to the nearest museum I knew of that had dinosaur related exhibits (a Shelby favorite). So off to Holbrook we went. Glad we did.

SHELBY STOKED ABOUT our dino-trip

I LOVED THE display of old cameras

THE HISTORIC, STILL in use court room. View from the judges seat.

THE PONY EXPRESS: This tradition is special to me. As an 11 year old girl I sent a letter through The Pony Express. I was SO excited when I got it back. It was a thrilling experience for a young horse lover and owner and plan on sending one through for Shelby this January 29th run.

THE LAKE

2009-08-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

A FEW PICTURES from a day trip to Roosevelt.

CRAIG LARSON

CODY

MYSELF

CRAIGS SISTER CHARNEA

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

2009-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

TAYLOR FIREWORKS

AN EMAIL FROM MY AUNT CAROL-

A United States Marine was attending some college
courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in.
He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min.' The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting.'

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.
The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently.

The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you do that?'

The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting America 's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So He sent me.'

The classroom erupted in cheers!

CAMPING IN YOUNG....THEN THIS HAPPENED!

2009-06-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

STARTED OUT LIKE this...

OLD OAK AND alligator junipers everywhere...and I mean OLD!

RED OAK

MANZANITA IN BLOOM...

OUR SPOT WITH the Parkers

La la la

THEN THIS happened...

BECAUSE OF THIS...

THE LITTLE BASTARD I am holding is the Arizona Black Rattlesnake. Cody, me, Bristol and Codys tricolour aussie mix Bailey went for a hike to look for shed antlers. We ended up high on a hill about an hour from camp. Bristol and Bailey were about 20 yards straight ahead of Cody and I on top of this hill when we heard the rattle. Bailey was closest to it when we heard it and Bristol was already past it. Turned out Bristol had stepped right on it biting her on the medial side of her right foreleg. She must have been right over it. Didn't rattle until after it bit her. Bristol looped around to me and started limping.....I just knew it. Sure enough two little bleeding spots. Cody had a rattlesnake round in his pistol; one shot he was done.

NOW, DO ANY of you know what the chances are of this happening while hiking with a vet? I should have played the lottery that night! Cody gave Bristol a rattlesnake vaccine 4 days before this happened, we needed 30 days to give the booster for it to be as effective as it could have been but it still helped. We got some water down her before she crashed. After about 30 seconds of adrenaline she was no longer mentally there, started spasming and an onset of temperary paralysis began. We had a mile hike straight down to Codys truck...carrying her, we took turns and kept Bailey close. After camp we had an hour drive back to Cedar Ridge Vet Clinic where Cody works. Not a good prognosis according to our time table. BUT, we met Dr. Despain there and got some IV fluids, IV antibiotics, and some pain meds on board.

BRISTOL SPENT TWO nights there and is now recovering quickly. She has some serious edema, bruising, and a little pain. The only thing we have to worry about now is the possible heart damage (probably minimal if at all because of the vaccine on board), and the tissue damage; it's common for the muscle tissue to necrose at the site of injection so Bris may end up with a small limp but that is nothing. She's alive with a heck of a story under her little puppy collar.

ON A SIDE note: If Bristol wouldn't have stepped on this snake, Cody or I would have.

JUNE LOOKED LIKE THIS

2009-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

HAULIN H2O DOWN the driveway for Codys mamma

RIDIN THE FATcat

SHELBY SWINGING OVER Silver Creek

CODYS DESK AT work

AFTER SOFTBALL

NOT JUST BOLT action any more!

NRA CONVENTION 2009

2009-06-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

HAD A WONDERFUL evening with my Aunt and Grandfather at the NRA convention in Phoenix this year. It was the largest dinner ever served in Arizona thus far. We pondered the thoughts of John Stossel and Lt. Col. Oliver North.
Always a big campin, fishin, shootin family; the three of us are all life members.
This is all so important to my grandfather. It was nice to see him so happy.
MAY 16, 2009

BOYFRIEND

2009-06-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

THE ABOVE IS a word I have never before come close to publishing on this blog. Still unwilling to divulge details due to the unnecessary gossiping of nosey people who think they have any idea about anything which they don't; I will just say that this is Cody, we are happy..harmonious..calm..respectful, he is amazing, went to high school together, great friends, good man, country, 3rd year Vet student ([CSU, Fort Collins, CO, large animal] yes I am bragging about his brilliance).

SHOW LOW 10 YEAR

2009-06-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

COUPLE RANDOMS

2009-06-18T14:26:00.001-07:00

SHELBY AND MILHOUSE

A MOMMY DAUGHTER pair of reversible aprons I made for Amy Jo for her birthday in May

BRISTOLS GROWIN UP

5TH ANNUAL GIRLS REUNION

2009-06-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

WE MET IN Greer this year.

THIS PICTURE IS grossly over exposed, but for some reason i LOVE it

MORIAH AND TREK

SUMMER

CHEYENNE

ME

SIERRA

MAYA

I'LL NEED THESE AND THESE

2009-05-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

WELL ITS TIME to go, the lease is up and so is the heat in the valley. There are so many reasons Shelby and I have decided to go back to Snowflake (for the summer ?).

Work is number one; more offers for equine work there, the valley has been more canine - not why I got into this business but a perk (also lower pay per session). I think it would be smarter to follow the horses when (aside from the canine jobs) my ONLY source of income for SHELBY and I is the part time weekend job at the rehabilitation center I work for. Leading me to..

Number two - money of course. It is just cheaper to live there and spending goes waaaaaay down.

Number three - The living situation. Not having to sign a lease, I found an AWESOME place. Some might not think so but it is great to me. It is this super tiny place next to one of the big homes in the Fields by Silver Creek headed out east of Snowflake. Ron is the owner of the property and wants my help with his horses. There is acre after acre of green land backing all the way up to the creek. Allowing/forcing us to be outside most of the day, there is plenty of room for Shelby and Bristol to run around.

Number four - My mom and brother.

Shelby and I tried to move back January 08 and nothing worked; there was no place to live, no jobs, and snow (not the best time to be in limbo). I don't know how long we will be there this time but it is a much better situation, summer time is beautiful and that is as far as I am really allowing myself to look right now.

BRISTOL

2009-05-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

(not Palin) THE OTHER DAY we were offered this sweet little English Pointer. Normally I would have all kinds of anxiety about who's going to tell me no and needing to ask permission and OH GOSH I cant because I live in the city therefore must own small poodle or chidoodle or whatever else that comes in mini size. Then I thought who are you and where the hell did Sarah go?! So I just said YES, and I am so glad I did...its fine, she is wonderful and well exercised and house broken and crate trained and sweet to Shelby.
SOMETIMES I FEEL like people, particularly Josh and his family never got to meet me. The girl in the small town who was a more simple person (not so conflicted) who's life revolved around her dogs, cats, and horses. There is a reason I always felt unsettled with Josh (and that's not his fault), I was never at home and he was never going to leave his home.
ALL THAT ASIDE... Welcome to our family Bris!

NOTABLES

2009-05-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

MILHOUSE LATELY... IT has come down to this. I think maybe some sort of commitment ceremony needs to be planned pretty soon. Milhouse has to have socks on now when Shelby does and for some reason she has been fiercely protective of his eyes. If I pick him up I cant touch his eyes or she will yell at me to "don't poke Milhouses eyes!". I am so terrified of what will happen if we lose him now that she knows the difference between "regular" Milhouse and Milhouses "cousin" (a #2 I got last year in case he got lost or for when regular Milhouse is in the wash).

SPENT A LOVELY morning with my Aunt Carol last Monday. We ate breakfast at Wildflower Bread Co. and went to Changing Hands Books so Shelby could pick out a few for her birthday from 'Auntie Caywol'.

CAROL LATER RAN me into Jeane Wright who ran Jeans School of Dance who I took from when I was little. She now owns Cherry Street Antiques on University in Mesa. (scanned is May 1986...Holy Geez I was 5)
P.S. Amy you should recognize that tutu; you wore it in one of our Pinedale school plays!

FIRST FRENCH braids...

KENTUCKY DERBY

2009-05-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

THE WIN BY Mine That Bird and jockey Calvin Borel brought me to tears. I am so happy about the true Victory! BUT, (you knew that was coming didn't you?) how it was received by most really pisses me off. In 2006 Barbaro with 6:1 odds won the Kentucky Derby on a broken leg then was immediately euthanized on the track (traumatic for spectators but actually humane; most go to slaughter and fetch the owner a whopping $200 [about 10 cents a pound]). And last year runner up horse Eight Belles died on the track just seconds after the race. This year hope brings us Mine That Bird, a young "discount" horse hauled 2000 miles from New Mexico behind an old Ford pick up truck that broke down in Texas (most are flown to conserve energy), the driver/trainer Bennie Woolley, an old rodeo cowboy. Birds odds 50:1, squeezed out of the gate starting out in last place this gelding (race horses that are expected to become champions are never gelded) rode the rail to win the Derby by nearly 7 lengths; the only other horse to beat this record was Assault in 1946 winning by 8 lengths. This was a beautiful miracle!!!
AND BRAVO TO jockey Calvin Borel who was quoted saying "[a horse] can only go so fast, so far" and that he learned to be "so patient with these 3 year olds". THANK YOU!

Borel showing appreciation

SO WHY IS it that the media is calling it one of the greatest upsets in Derby history? Well MONEY of course! The millionaires certainly didn't put their money on a 50:1 horse. Well its about time the rich didn't get richer! Open your eyes people...ITS ABOUT THE HORSE! I hope Mr. Woolley will buy himself a new Ford for the ride home.

quotes from The Arizona Republic
pictures from ClackamasReview and The Washington Times

RANDOM PICTURES OF WHO IM IN LOVE WITH

2009-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,

2009-04-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

WHERE TO NEXT? Any ideas? My lease is up on May 15th and I cant stay here; don't get me wrong, I love the new neighbors - The one on the other side of my wall likes her cigs and it comes through the kitchen hook ups (not to bad). Neighbor #2 in the studio attached to Shelbys wall and has a single door that separates her room from theirs. Now she LOVES her cigs and has finally agreed to smoking outside until I leave in 2 weeks which was a smart decision on her part for I was about to go postal on her. She likes to yell the F word at her boyfriend at night causing Shelby to get out of bed and come tell me she can hear the neighbors and asks if they can hurt her. I grew fond of paying $253 a month during the summer for an extremely inefficient AC unit that runs constantly trying its hardest to keep up with the heat coming in waves through the huge single pane 100 year old window in the front room a.k.a. my bedroom. Oh, and I will miss hearing the gun shots in Pioneer park and the regular visits by the cops to the halfway house across the street.

WE DID DO our best to make the best of it. We had fun around the neighborhood and the dairy queen was 100 yards away. We did have great neighbors for most of our time here and became close friends with them, they have been sorely missed since they left. But for that...I don't blame them.

DONE COMPLAINING, NEW adventure lies ahead and we are happy and excited none the less. Woo Woo! kthanksforlistening!

CHILDREN WRITING CHILDRENS BOOKS

2009-04-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

THOSE OF YOU who have kids probably know that one book that they make you read EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for months without the intention of ever changing up the selection. Please tell me this drives you crazy too!, not enough to enable you from enjoying the reading session but enough none the less. WELL...Shelby is hooked on this Dora book and while I love that she calls her red M&M's rojo now, etc. etc. This particular book has mistakes in it that makes me want to politely yell at the author. He needs a talkin to or I need therapy for being neurotic.

POULTRY 101: Female chickens are hens, males are roosters.

ACCORDING TO THIS book, this HEN (because that ain't no rooster) is knitting HIMSELF a scarf...

ANYWHO, I get to read this book every night.

BIRTHDAY #3

2009-04-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

WE HAD A quiet backyard birthday for Shelby yesterday. Josh put her in a dress, Grandma did her hair, and I made her a cake. It was nice.

A FEW PICTURES:

SHE WANTED A dinosaur cake

COUSIN BEN

I LOVE THIS picture. It reminds me of something Normal Rockwell would paint (minus the cheap plastic toy), I love the look on Shelbys cousin Grace's face in the background. I don't know if it really was a look of jealousy but its just classic.

JOSH GOT SHELBY these glasses. She was cracking us up. She was so nonchalant wearing them; just to cool for school. PEACE OUT!

SO PROUD OF our girl

THIS ONE'S ALL her

EASTER WEEKEND

2009-04-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY NIGHT, AMY Jo, Austin and their kiddos all came out to my moms for a visit. It was so fun! The kids dyed eggs, we had a little birthday cake for Shelby and Amys twins Gracie and Gage, they were all born the 18th of April only the twins are two years older, then the power went out so we lit a bunch of candles and played cards (Go Fish) until nearly 10pm. What a great night!

EASTER MORNING

MY VERY MISSED friend Cheyenne

MORIAH, HER CANYON, my Shelby, Cheyenne, me