Thankful Anniversary

Dan, I am thankful for 9 years of marriage with you, and I am thankful for you.

I love you.

Your girl

Samantha and Daddy at the Zoo!

Samantha has always been very confident about what she likes. Her favorite color is (and always has been) red. Her favorite number is (and always has been) 4. And her favorite animal is the elephant, as evidenced by this picture taken at Mountain Mike's a month ago...

During the month of October, all kids are free at the San Diego Zoo, and active duty military are free all the time. Sunday I asked Dan if he would find an hour or two this month to take Samantha to see the elephants.  Dan quickly accepted my request and took Samantha this morning! 

She was immediately in heaven when she saw this before they even got to the front gate.

Our girl loves to pose silly for the camera!

This is a bird that's extinct.

But here is what they really came for.

My Baby Girl made a friend at the zoo today.

I wish I could post the amazing video that Dan took of her at the kangaroo exhibit saying, "Daddy, we need to go to the elephant AREA!" What a precious memory Dan will always have of this time with his daughter.

My 9/11 Tribute

As I reflect on the day, and its significance, I can't help but think of my cousin Chris who serves honorably in the U.S. Army.  This is how I feel like 9/11 gets the closest to me and my family.  If the tragedy of this day had not happened, my cousin would not have served multiple tours in Iraq.  And he wouldn't be returning soon for another year long deployment.  One more year away from his growing children.  One more year away from his beautiful wife.  

So Chris, thank you, for working to give us enduring freedom.  Thank you, Tabatha, for persevering as single mom. 

The two of you are amazing examples of dedication and sacrifice.

One More Day...

Do you ever feel like you're just trying to get through a day?

1. Playgroup-inevitably one of my children has a meltdown at these things, so even though I am always happy to be with other moms I never really relax. My kids were shockingly doing great, so when the end of playgroup came I decided to leave BEFORE a meltdown could occur, even though others were hanging around. Well, nope. Just to make sure I don't ever go an hour and a half without one, Samantha screamed the whole way out! Good times!
2. Nap time-Samantha wasn't falling asleep, but she was happily talking in her room, for some much needed rest time. Timothy heard her, and thought that meant she should come out. He opened her door, which ended mommy's rest time.
3. 1st Swim Class for both kids-pictures and videos to come later this week, but this was a heart wrenching experience for mommy that ended on a good note. We'll see how day 2 goes.
4. Free USO meal-totally a bust. No parking, long lines.

Tomorrow is another day.

Transition Week

It's the first full week that we don't have school, and the last full week that I'll be a single parent. I'm not organized enough right now to post something exciting, so I figure I'll give a "brief" update.

Our first week of school being out, we...
1. have tried out 3 new playgrounds in various spots in San Diego.
2. have been to the beach once, ever so briefly, because it has barely reached 70!
3. have FINALLY gotten an antibiotic for Sam, after being sick almost a month.
4. saw Pirates Who Don't Do Anything with free movies!
5. (I) have gotten about 20 loads of laundry done.
6. have planned July activities for MOPS
7. moved furniture around the house because...
8. I got so happy vacuuming with my new Dyson that I took all the furniture I could lift out of the living room and family room!
9. have fallen in love with the class guinea pigs that we get for the summer.
10. celebrated our first Father's Day w/o Daddy around. Last deployment Dan was home on emergency leave because I had to have my gallbladder removed asap!

This week we will...
1. start swim lessons-1st time for both kids.
2. get my hair done
3. make homecoming banners tonight at the "return and reunion"party!
4. have our 1st MOPS playgroup of the summer!
5. give away multiple bags of toys and clothes & organize what's left behind.
6. TRY to blog every day.
7. spend more time in the sun, as it's going to get into the mid 70's by the end of the week!
8. organize papers (ugh).
9. treasure the last week my baby boy will be 5.
10. trust God to get us through this last week.

Disneyland #1: Birthdays

I'll just warn you now that this whole week is going to be filled with Disneyland posts! I'm going to talk to death about it this week, and then next week move on! Each day I plan on...

1. Posting several pictures-for the benefit of Dan and grandparents
2. Posting Disneyland tips for your benefit
   

TIP: In case you don't know, Disney is offering free admission to either theme park on your birthday! We were going for 3 days, so we purchased 3-day hopper tickets which were extremely cost effective, especially for military. The great news is that if you have an annual pass or a muti-day ticket (i.e. 3-day hopper) on your birthday, you get to choose 1 of these 3 other exciting birthday gifts:

• A birthday FASTPASS® exchange card+ for a certain number attractions at both Disneyland® Park and Disney's California Adventure® Park; or
• A birthday fun card (gift card) in an amount equal to the price of a 1-Day/1-Park ticket
• A 1-Day/1-Park ticket for you to use any time until your next birthday.

The third day we were at Disneyland was my birthday, so I picked option #2, This meant that I got a $69 gift card which I used this to buy our souvenirs. When I registered, I got a birthday pin, and the rest of my party got the "I'm celebrating" pin. I was told Happy Birthday all day long by every Disneyland "cast member" (employee) and total strangers visiting the park. Very festive. Timothy gave me the postcard pictured (paid for by me, of course).

The bag below was my present to myself! Of course these types of bags are everywhere these days to encourage a "greener" world, and for $3 this was cute, practical, and will always be a fun reminder of our trip.

Since this was the first time my kids had been to D-land, I knew I wanted to buy Mickey Mouse ears for them. So here are some tips about those...

If you buy mouse ears, I recommend going to The Mad Hatter shop on Main Street in Disneyland. This store has the full selection of mouse ears and build-your-own mouse ears. Here's how it works:

• Pick a hat (15-20 options)
• Pick a set of snappable ears (15-20 options)
  
• Place appliqued stickers anywhere on your hat you wish (every character you can imagine)

Yes, you pay for each item, so if you let your child pick a ton of stickers then it could really add up. However, Timothy's custom hat with 3 stickers was only $4 more than Samantha's pre-made hat, and I think much cuter and personal. Samantha had to have the color red, and none of the red build-your-own mouse ears looked very feminine.

You can get their names stitched on the back for free, and while they do that they also heat the stickers so they stay on the hat for good! You can pay $7 for a nicer stitching, but we like "free"! I don't know if you can tell, but Timothy's ears are holographic:

Here are some Mad Hatters:












My 2 little Mouseketeers:

Disneyland Here We Come!

Uncle Andy & Aunt Danni (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) arrived safely tonight, and the kids were SO excited to see them! For someone who doesn't live near any family, it is very special to see my kids with relatives. We leave Wed morning, and I'll be back in bloggy land next week!

Have a wonderful Easter!

One Month Down, Five to Go

Yes, it's already been a month since we said good-bye to our sailor. Some days have gone pretty slowly, but I have to admit if each month passes like this one I'll be one happy camper. Today has been much more relaxed than the last few have been! And I have to share 3 things Timothy said today that are such a snapshot of his little personality right now:

1. Mrs. F stopped me to tell me about the "funniest thing" Timothy said at school today. They were talking about using all 5 senses, and she had each child tell what their favorite food was. Timothy said brownies. She asked him what brownies smell like, and he said, "They smell like HORSES!" Ha ha! Evidently, the whole class just rolled, but you don't think it's funny either, do you? Welcome to my son's new sense of humor.

2. We get into the car, and Samantha starts crying about her hand. Timothy drops his head and says, "Oh, I WISH she would STOP crying!" I wanted to laugh so hard!!! I only made it a day and a half hearing her cries before my nervous breakdown, and yet my son made it 4 days!

3. We were driving to Target where I had to pick up a few groceries. Samantha screams, "I want some yogurt!" I told her the good news is that we have plenty at home and when we get there she could have some. Timothy said, "The bad news is [he pauses for comedic timing] we're not getting any now!"

Now that was actually funny.

The Facebook Phenomenon

I'm sure my Facebook experience has been similar to most. I first joined and didn't do anything with it for months, but every once in a while I would get a "friend request". The whole thing just seemed foreign to me, and then one day I decided to log in to my much neglected account. There was an entire network of communication between "friends". So I commented here and there and finally got brave enough to give a "status update".

Well, you know how you go through those friend request spurts in Facebook? About 3 or 4 months ago I stumbled upon a pocket of my best buds from youth group (yes 20 years ago!), and it has been so fun! Some embarrassing photos have been posted and we've shared our favorite memories from choir tour!! Good times.

But what I wasn't ready for was the reality of life. A few weeks ago I read on someone's wall, of all places, some tragic news. The mother of my best friend in 9th grade had been cancer free for 5 years, but it had returned and she had weeks to live. Suddenly I was back in 9th grade, and even though I haven't spoken to Michael in years (except for a Facebook friend request), it's all felt very close. Last Thursday Michael's mother went to be with the Lord.

I don't know if death hits me harder because of Samantha's CF...or maybe because my sister-in-law died at the young age of 15...or perhaps because I've watched a very dear friend deal with the loss of her husband? I guess none of these scenarios have to exist for me to know that death sucks.

So this Facebook thing has changed relationships. Childhood friends that I wouldn't have even been talking to several months ago, I'm now grieving with. In the last week there have been steady emails back and forth as we each try to show love and concern in our own way. We were young kids who depended on our parents to drive us places, so we all knew Linda well. She was a warm, welcoming "youth group" mom, who always had a beautiful smile on her face. She will be treasured.

Today my friends from years ago are celebrating her life in the church we grew up in. Oh, I wish I were there right now. Even though I know words can't fix things, I still want them to. And if I were there I wouldn't have to say anything...I could just show support by my presence. Unfortunately, life doesn't seem to always give us want we want.

And neither does Facebook.

Samantha's VERY FIRST Haircut!

She just turned 3. How old were your kids when they got their first cut? I don't know that it's that I'm going to love it forever, but I like it and it's sure going to make Chest PT a lot easier!

Airports Interest Me

In my single days, I did quite a bit of airplane traveling. As long as you don't have preschoolers you're trying to keep happy, airports can be very enjoyable! So when I flew to Texas recently without the kids, I couldn't help but make some observations during my layover at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas...

A BEST BUY vending machine!!!! Are you kidding me? I knew it had been a while since I had flown, but how behind the times am I? You can see at the front of the picture is a Nintendo DS, there were a few camera options, and every possible accessory you can imagine. And believe it or not, the prices weren't higher than at a normal Best Buy. I only know that because I just purchased the DS for hubby 2 weeks prior for his birthday (oops-I meant to blog about that!) According to this article, they started in a handful of cities in September, so I guess if they're successful Best Buy will put them everywhere!

Right next to the Best Buy vending machine (that is the funniest thing to say), was the Charge Carte. Brought to you by the same people who take your money for a Smart Carte. For only $3.00, this station can charge your phone to 50% of its power (that's the claim, at least). I thankfully didn't need to use it, but I can definitely see it being a useful service if I was out of battery power. As you can see, every phone/plug possible is included.

Another wonderful thing about airports is that they are usually decorated beautifully for the holidays. Upon my return to San Diego, I was greeted with this Snowman themed tree. Since we can't have them on the ground, I guess someone got creative!

Graduation: Then and Now

I recently wrote about the fact that President George W. Bush was the commencement speaker at my brother's graduation a couple of weeks ago. It's still hard for me to believe he's a college graduate since he was only 9 years old when I graduated. Here's a little walk down memory lane.

Alex on his graduation day...


Alex on my graduation day...


Each of us in our cap and gowns...


Our mother with each of us...


Friends of Alex...


Friends of mine...

I had to post this particular picture because right in front 2 to the left of me is none other than Stephanie long before she was Stephaniesmommybrain. In some ways it feels like yesterday and in other ways it feels like a lifetime ago!

So what was your hair style when you graduated from college?

The President In Person

January 20th, one month from today, the 2009 presidential inauguration will occur where Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President of the United States. That is a monumental event that has great significance for our country. So on a much lighter note, I have to tell you about my recent experience with the current President of the United States!!!

Last week I flew to Texas to watch my baby brother (he's almost 13 years younger) graduate from Texas A&M (whoop!) The trip had been planned for quite some time, tickets bought and paid for, when A&M announced that the commencement speaker would be none other than President George W. Bush! I was thrilled at the thought of seeing a President in person, and even more so one still in office! I was REALLY looking forward to it, and it (He) did not disappoint.

Each graduate was allowed to invite 2 people to the convocation. They also had to submit the names early so that a background check could be done on each of us! Alex was sent this email that told us what to expect in terms of security:

The most important line to me was "no bags, no backpacks", so did that mean no CAMERAS?? We leaned to the side of "It's the President, probably no camera's allowed." We were wrong! We just couldn't bring the bags in. I had left my camera in the car, and yes I made my mom and brother wait while I went to get it. Hello, it's the President!!!

So this was the first place we sat down...

That's a reporter's camera, so I could either be on TV or get a picture of the President! So I moved!

Like I said, we found out a few weeks ago that President Bush would be the commencement speaker, but what we didn't find out until we received our programs was that his father, George H.W. Bush, would introduce him!!! And Barbara Bush would introduce her husband. Here they are coming in...

When they were constructing Reed Auditorium for basketball games, they didn't take into account that I would need a good picture of the President. Most of my pictures turned out awful, but this video turned out okay. (And you'll tell that I didn't get this from YouTube!)

I took this picture of the Jumbo tron:

My only disappointment of the day was that Bush, Sr. didn't give a real address. He has an apartment somewhere around A&M and goes to games often, so my brother says they see him all the time. Well, okay then. He got up and said, "The President asked me to keep it short, so with no further ado...The President of the United States."

I know what you're all wondering. Was the speech any good? It was fantastic! Needless to say, he was very warmly received at A&M. (No shoe throwing here-that would be at a news conference in Iraq 2 days later). Not only was it the best Bush speech and the best commencement speech (I know, not hard to accomplish), it was also one of the best speeches by a politician I have ever heard. Really, if you don't know me, you need to understand I am REALLY NOT POLITICAL. I can actually get political about how much I hate politics. So most political speeches annoy me to no end, but this was funny (the jokes were actually good) and inspiring. He told us about several heroes he has met throughout his Presidency. You can see better pictures and read the entire speech here, but I want to list some of my favorite lines...

1. And it's always an honor to be introduced by the President of the United States -- especially when he's your Dad.
2. I am pleased to see so many of your families and loved ones here today. While you bled maroon, they bled a lot of green.
3. To those of you who have jobs lined up -- congratulations. To those not exactly sure what comes next -- I know how you feel.
4. Four years ago, I met Letitia Chavez-Paulette. She had been addicted to drugs; she served time for her mistakes. While in prison, she joined a faith-based program called Celebrate Recovery, and to help turn her life around. When she was released, Letitia was determined to support other women returning to society. So she started a transitional home called "A Peaceful Habitation" -- a name taken from the Book of Isaiah. Here's what Letitia said: "God's grace has kept me going. His love has kept me strong. And my faith is a gift that is helping me help others."
5. As you embark on this journey, let me leave you with a few last pieces of advice. First, listen to your mother.
6. Second, develop a set of principles to live by -- convictions and ideals to guide your course. There will be times when people tell you a different way is more accepted or popular. Remember that popularity is as fleeting as the Texas wind. Character and conscience are as sturdy as the oaks on this campus. If you go home at night, look in the mirror and be satisfied that you have done what is right, you will pass the only test that matters.
7. And finally, be on the lookout for role models -- people whose conduct you admire and whose paths you can follow. With that in mind, I have one last example of courage and service. It's a story of a young man who left comfort behind to answer his nation's call, became the youngest pilot in the Navy, and nearly gave his life in World War II. When he came back home, he devoted his career to public service, and proved that success in politics can be accomplished with decency and grace. He reached the pinnacle in government, but he defines his life by other roles -- a father who gave unconditional love, a grandfather devoted to his grandchildren, and a beloved husband of the sweetheart he married a lifetime ago. Some of you will leave A&M with a degree that carries this good man's name -- George Bush. I have been blessed and honored to have carried it for 62 years.

While I was at the car waiting for Alex and Mom, the President flew away in Marine 1!!!

Really, it was the experience of a lifetime!