Amy's Blog Site

Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star

2009-04-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

It has been an incredibly long time since I have blogged, but tonight a special moment happened that I just had to share.

But first things first. So in the last few months I have signed up as a Cookie Lee Demonstrator, and have been working at receiving my 3 months of quick start awards at sales. Calista just turned 3 last week, and we had a wonderful party! Plenty of pictures to be seen, I should really post them here as well. Leonard got his motorcycle, a Yamaha Raider, and his lisence, and has been enjoying getting to ride his new bike!

Life has not been perfect (is it ever?) but overall I have to say that I feel pretty content in many aspects of my life. I am content at the progress I am making as a person. I have been working hard at losing the weight I have struggled with for a while, though I have to admit the last few weeks have been iffy. However, overall I have been doing well. I have some wonderful friends that have been a huge support, and just awesome in general. I turn 30 in a few short months, so making the best of it that I can! :-)

So, tonight we went to Keizer to have a birthday dinner for Leonard at his dad's house. Len took the scenic tour down with his bike a few hours earlier, and Calista and I took the drive separately. So, we got home not long ago. Generally when I am driving I have music up and just enjoy the ambiance of whatever is playing. I can hear Calista sort of in the back, so if she is saying something she wants me to hear, I have to turn it off completely to hear her at all. Tonight we pulled up, and I turned off the radio. I immediately heard Calista's soft voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star"....so I joined in with her. Together we sang a round of Twinkle Twinkle as we both looked out the car windows at the beautiful clear sky with the twinkling stars above. After the song was over, it was quiet for a moment as we enjoyed the moment, and suddenly Calista says sweetly "I Love You, Mamma". Melted my heart on the spot! Just about made me cry in fact! :-) It is those kinds of moments that do a heart good!

Calista the Guitar Hero Groupie

2009-01-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been months since I posted anything! Guess I have gotten a bit lazy.

Well, I had to share this video. My mom/sister gave us a Wii and Guitar Hero (Aerosmith version) for Christmas and today Len was playing Guitar Hero and Calista was rocking out groupie style, so I got a short video clip of it to share.

I hope I will blog about the rest of Christmas and vacation shortly!

I have a new Creative Blog

2008-10-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

Hello to the few readers that I have! lol.

I have created a new blog for my Creative Outlet. Here it is:

http://amylovestostamp.blogspot.com/

Since I am stamping nearly every day, I want to be able to share my projects with a wider audience! I hope that you will subscribe and check it out on a regular basis. And hopefully i will not drop the ball, but keep up with it!

Calista's Bed and other silliness

2008-10-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

So just wanted to share that Calista officially was switched to her toddler bed on Saturday. The toddler bed just consists of her crib, taking the front railing off, and adding special bed rails to both ends of the bed....so there is a hole in the middle. She took her first nap in it that afternoon. I was worried sick about it the night before wondering if she would stay in bed. Anyway, so when we finally heard her after naptime, we went in to see how she had done. She was sitting on her bed, feet crossed at the ankles, reading a book. It was very cute. That night she did great, just one nightmare (not uncommon for her anyway).

The next morning she didn't wake up until around 9:30, but she was awake and had been playing in her room quietly when we finally went in to get her. She never opened the door and came out. Naptime that day we heard her talking a bit after we put her down but she never came out. I finally went in around 3 hours later to check on her. Apparently she had been up playing before nap, and there she was asleep on the floor, with a blanket over top of her, amidst the blocks she had been playing with. Opening the door had woken her up. It was really cute. She manged to tuck herself in on the floor! lol. Poor baby, I felt bad but she didn't seem to mind. She did great this morning too, she was actually in bed when I went in to get her (I could hear her up and moving around and talking)....she never came out of her room. She seems to understand sleeptime isn't over until I come in to get her. I wonder how long this will last?

So, she is doing great.

On another funny note, just a few minutes ago we walked in the door from my earlier Weight Watchers meeting. She was up on the love seat, laying on her stomach. I hear her pass some gas and then she says "Mamma!" in that sarcastic playful tone that she says she wants to recognize what just happened, but didn't want to take the blame. It was quite funny actually. She is her mother's/father's child? lol. ;-)

Ok, just wanted to share!

Stupid Spider!

2008-09-24T23:55:00.001-07:00

So, a funny story...

Before I get to that story, I think I have mentioned before that we seem to have a crazy amount of spiders around our apartment. They like to show up in the shower, which is the most horrible place for it! If I dont have to get rid of at least 1 spider a day, its a surprise! There must be something about our location. Makes me shudder to think about it.

Anyway...

Monday as Calista and I were walking out the door in the morning to my Weight Watchers meeting, as I walk out the door and close it, I feel and see something drop right past my head and onto the ground. Missed my head by centimeters, I swear! Of course, I am not going to put up with that sort of attack, so I immediately exclaim "Stupid Spider!" And he/she is quickly stomped! I cannot remember if Calista was frightened or not. She may have just been watching the spectacle with wonderment or amusement. More than likely, it was out of relief that I took care of that dangerous scary "bug".

So, we go about our business. As we are coming home from the meeting, as we are walking towards the door, Calista exclaims "Stupid Spider!" (sounds a bit more like "Shtoopid spyer") and stomps on the grown with her foot near where I squished the monster earlier. I thought it was pretty stinking funny. And the best part? Now EVERY time we walk out that door, or come up TO the door, she does the same exact thing! Sometimes she even says it as we are merely pulling up in the car in our parking spot at home. And it is more like a question, than a statement. Like perhaps she is asking "It's gone, right?"

Too funny.

What a Big Kid!

2008-09-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't this kid too adorable? Calista was walking around with her hands in her pockets so I told her I wanted to take her picture. She was getting so close I couldn't get a picture, so when I knelt to try and get a better shot, so did she. Well, I think it's adorable. Sometimes she looks so grown up! My big girl.

Amy's Teeny Baby Pictures

2008-08-30T00:35:00.000-07:00

I think once not long ago I had mentioned that I was born prematurely, and that I had pictures somewhere that I wanted to find and post. I had to take pictures of these from my camera, so they aren't perfect quality, but it gives you the right idea. It amazes me how tiny i was. I made up for it, didn't I? ;-) Just wanted to share!

Whats that all over your mouth Calista?

2008-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was baking cookies this morning and Calista came in to show me what she did:

Yeah, she got into my lipstick which was on my bathroom counter. This picture is slightly smaller so you might not get as much detail....but its quite clumpy, and it was also on her teeth. Oh, and did I mention it is colorstay? lol. I wiped it offf afterwards, but she still has color left over. Funny girl. I couldn't be mad, it was so cute. Afterwards, she got really impatient about cookies (whined about it when they weren't done) and so I sat her down to enjoy some fresh, hot cookies (if you have never had my cookies, you are missing out). She obviously enjoyed the yummy cookies.

Amy's Winter Blues

2008-08-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

I know, you are saying "What, it's not winter?!" Well, we have had incredibly hot, sunny weather for a while. Until Monday when it got rainy and a bit icky out. And my mood went downhill. It's crazy! I have decided it is not the cold wintery weather that affects my moods. Temperature isn't the big deal. It's the dark skies, and typically the shorter days too. Something about it makes me want to stay inside all day, sit around, do nothing, and eat eat eat! There is no other explanation for why I have been doing really good eating wise for weeks, and then Monday I suddenly have the munchies. Tuesday as well. Weather continues to be iffy today. I am trying to put a damper on my eating, remind myself that not only do I have a bbq/party to go to tonight, but Saturday night I am supposed to be going on the Portland Spirit (Dinner boat) for Len's work, and last time we had that I ate more than I should have!

But yeah, the blah skies make me feel depressed, overindulgent on food, lazy, and whatever else accompanies these things. Last winter wasn't the best time for me. I suspect every year that struggle might even get a bit worse! Having kids hasn't made this easier. It means I am less likely to get out when i need it ( I know, I can take Calista with me most places, but its difficult). At least acknowledging it means I know what to look for. I should really take the advice of my Doctor, Kenny, Len, and anyone else who has suggested it, that I should seek some extra help when I am feeling down. Perhaps having this in the winter time, having someone to just talk to and sort it out in my brain, will keep me in check and feeling a bit happier.

Anyways, stupid weather! Perhaps I should move to California. I would rather see the sun every day then the wintery dull cloudy skies. I am a pessimist about winter...what can I say? I admit it! lol. Give me sun any day!

Fill the Boot

2008-08-16T02:11:00.000-07:00

So on my way to work Thursday, during rush hour, I passed one of the busier on ramps on Hwy 217 (I was on the freeway, looking down towards the exit), and I saw, as usual, what appeared to be the typical panhandlers standing by the metered on-ramp collecting money from drivers waiting to get onto the freeway. Upon closer inspection, I realized there were at least 2 people on that corner, on either side. Holding uniform signs. Since I wasn't driving, Len was driving me to work, I squinted to get a better view of what the signs said. I finally was able to read one, it said "Fill the Boot". At that point, I took a closer look at who the people were holding signs. These are firefighters, dressed in full uniform, in close to 100 degree weather. Standing on the corner, in place of the typical beggers, asking for donations to a better cause. I really thought this was really cool. Typically, as I am passing corners with people on the street begging, I pretend to look busy, because I don't particulary want to pass money to these people. In my opinion, people in need of money that badly have resources around them, and I know if they sought it out, could find shelter and possibly have help finding a job. I know, I know, there are exceptions to this. Just my opinion. We have all heard of the scams out there, where a doctor discovers he can make more money on the street by looking like a bum, and begging for spare change. Blows my mind. So, its hard to say whether or not you should or shouldn't give these people money. Perhaps they really do need it, but honestly I would rather give to a charity where I KNOW my money will not go to buy booze, cigarettes, or whatever other unnecessary item that could be purchased with this cash. So, I was filled with a sense of "wow, how cool is that that these firefighters are being honest and standing out there in this aweful heat collecting money to go towards a truly good cause." I am not even certain if the money was going towards the Fire District, or simply to be given to charity, but I really felt that if I had a $20 on me while passing them, I would have felt very GLAD to pass that money on to them. Go men and women in uniform!

Fourth of July and Erik's Wedding

2008-07-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry it takes so long for me to blog anymore. I still do not have access to my California pictures from MONTHS ago. Someday I will put them into a slide show and post the link here!

So, I am posting some pictures here from my July 4 weekend. My dear friend Erik Novoa got married this last Saturday. July 4 they had a pre-wedding picnic at Silver Creek Falls. There were a few people from high school I had not seen in years, or even since high school. It was good to see them. And I finally got to meet Trista, Erik's bride-to-be at the time, now wife.

After the picnic, we went to Len's dad's house in keizer for the rest of our July 4 celebrations. Calista had no nap all day, except some snoozing in the car. I am sure she was exhausted. She had fun running around Grandma and Grandpa's yard, playing on their slide/swingset, and even enjoying some strawberries from the garden. His dad invited 2 sets of missionaries over to enjoy a hot dog/smores roast around their campfire (they have a fire pit built into their back yard). The neighbors around that neighborhood must all pitch in together to buy illegal fireworks, because we had quite a spectacular show just watching what neighbors were setting off around us. Rather freaked calista out, but she got better about it. By the end of the night, she was saying "look!" every time she saw a firework or heard a noise.

Saturday my friend Erik had his wedding, at the Elsinore Theater in Salem. It was a very lovely wedding. Very elegant, and really they had thought of every detail. The ceremony was performed by one of his best friends, Brian Doherty. Right after the ceremony was a very moving slideshow, and even a mini Organ concert. This theater holds one of the largest pipe organs around. It used to be a movie theater, and now they have silent films shown there from time to time. Len I guess used to know the organist, since he grew up in that area. I got to see some more friends I hadn't seen in a long time. I still can't believe Erik finally is married, but Trista is wonderful. I am so happy for the two of them!

An old Friend Heather. I didn't feel so bad remembering her name at first, as she couldn't remember mine either! Thats what happens when you dont see people for 12 or 13 years!

Another old friend from high school, April, and her hubby! April, you look great!

A snapshot of the ceremony. Unfortunately most of my pictures in the theater turned out blurry, due to bad lighting I am sure. The colors were beautiful. Wonderful wedding!

The beautiful (and really tasty!) cake. There were butterflies as decorations EVERYwhere. It was beautiful. The color theme was a red with a coral color. Great combination!

Another old friend, Jessica! It has been a long time as well!

Emily and Devin at the wedding! They were sitting at the table behind us.

Len and Calista enjoying strawberries from Grandma/Grandpa Downing's garden on 4th of July.

Some of the gang from HS (I was the oldest of the group. all the others were a year behind me. Trista actually went to S Salem HS, same as my hubby! Small world). Brian, April, Noelle, Trista, Peter, Erik, me.

Calista sitting at her own picnic table at Gma and Gpa Downing's...

Calista, me, Noelle, and Erik at Silver Falls.

Noelle and her new boyfriend, Kerry, at the wedding.

Erik's mom, Susan, at Silver Falls. She is just a lively, beautiful lady! It was so good to see her, and she was so sweet with how excited she was to see us all!

Calista and myself at Silver Falls. I love her outfit for the day. :-)

Dear Erik! He was a happy man this weekend!

Len and Calista at the falls. They both seem a bit distracted. :-)

Calista and this little girl somehow just formed an unspoken bond when they saw each other and grabbed hands. I happened to find them right when it happened. :-)

My New Hair Cut and Style

2008-06-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

I colored my hair at home, though its hard to tell in these pictures. I just lightened it. Then I went in and had a cut. This ended up being different than what I imagined, but I like it! And it will be super cute when I flip it out.

Depression and weight gain, and Adoption

2008-05-31T01:10:00.000-07:00

I have had a rough few days. The affects of my 20+ gained lbs is really getting to me. Depressing me actually. It is a miracle I havent technically gone up a size, though I am pretty darn close. My clothes are tight, I have not worn jeans in months. I just hate how constrictive they are. I think I will permanently be wearing more flexible, stretchy materials. I just like how they feel anyways, regardless of my weight.

Unfortunately, I am an emotional eater, BIG time. I was doing good for several weeks, then I went on vacation and I have not been able to get back on track since then! Vacation was impossible to eat healthy, so I just let it go. The week after, I could have been good, but working the long hours meant I didn't care. The week after that we started moving. I ate whatever I wanted. That third week, however, I was getting a lot of workouts in due to moving, so I actually saw a small loss!

Well, its been a couple weeks now, and I have not gotten back on track at all. A couple days ago I was feeling really upset about it. I was meeting a friend at the mall where I get WI, and decided to go step on the scale while I was there. Yeah, up another 5+ from 2 weeks ago. I thought maybe it would help me start over at least for the half of a week I had left until my next WI. Apparently not.

Tonight I was really depressed. Its a combination of all this extra weight, feeling out of control, and the fact that my 2 year old is driving me absolutely bonkers lately. Going out in public is a joke now....shopping, going out to eat. She is whiney the whole time. Ugh. So, the combination is making me sad, irritable, and depressed. Sometimes I think depression hits me for no reason as well, but I really think this time is all about me and the weight thing.

So, I have this desperate plee for help. Dear friends, help me with moral support, however that may take form. Don't be harsh, but help me stay on track! Gentle reminders? I dont know. I need something, whatever that is.

On an unrelated other subject, I have been thinking a lot about my birth parents. For those of you who did not know, I am adopted. When I was 10 months old I was placed in the care of the State, who placed me in a foster home, with the couple that would become my adoptive parents. From 10 months until I was 5/6 I was off and on staying with my foster parents, and my birth parents. My Birth Father, Harold, and my Birth Mother, Denise, were separated for a good time of this. My memory on the subject is choppy for some reason, I keep forgetting the details. Anyway, supposedly Denise was physically (and probably mentally) abusive, and Harold, while a loving father, I think struggled with making ends meet. I had been hospitalized as a baby due to physical abuse, by Denise it is assumed. I am not certain, but it seems that my mom has told me Harold was an alcoholic, but again, my memory is shady so this may not be accurate. Perhaps it was more speculation. Anyways, whatever the case, both Harold and Denise were not suitable parents at the time, both making poor decisions. During a final attempt through the state, Harold was given custody of me, and Denise was allowed supervised visitation as long as she was able to start getting her life in order. It sounds as though Harold at some point broke the rules stated by the court when he allowed Denise to have me without supervision, which at that point meant termination of his rights as a legal guardian and parent, as well as Denise losing all rights. Mom tells me Harold put up a fight by taking off with me in a car, and the police went on a little chase before he relinquished. I am sure he didnt want to let me go, however he obviously made some poor decisions, he knew what the rules were, and they were broken. My mother cried when she got the phone call telling her that I was finally theirs. I was so proud to become a Finney, and when I was 6 years old, I was adopted by my foster parents. I think they had always been my family, more so than my birth parents.

My mom was always baffled that Harold never attempted to find me or get contact once I became old enough. She always thought he would. She has never wanted Denise to look, nor does she particularly want me searching her out. Also, I have a sister, probably about 2 years younger than me. She is most likely my half sister. Mom tells me she too had been placed in the care of foster parents, as she too had been hospitalized as a baby due to physical abuse injuries, and so I am uncertain what her fate came out to. I do not know if she ever went back to her birth parents, or was also adopted. I have photos of my father and mother, they are polaroids, and I went ahead and took pictures of them to post, as I do not have a running scanner right now. There is also a picture of me as a baby, sitting with a social worker that worked on my case at the time.

People always ask me if I am bitter about it, or how I feel about being adopted. I think it has always been who I am. I dont remember Harold or Denise. Which I suppose is sad that I dont have at least some good memories. I was just too small, and perhaps it was all too traumatic. Am I bitter? Never, I am not that kind of person, I never will be. People tell me I should hate Denise. I don't. I can't say that I know what she was going through at that time. Sometimes I find myself with a nasty anger streak, and I always wonder if I inherited that from her? I would like to think I would never take it as far as she did. Did she have horrible feelings of regret after taking out her anger on me or my sister? I know I am a person who feel deep remorse for all actions that I know are not good, and I would think most people would. So, nearly 30 years later, does she still feel this regret? Does she wonder who I am, where I am. Does she care? What about Harold? Why didn't he ever come looking for me? Was he afraid I would reject him? I find it extremely hard to believe that he doesnt care. Or didn't. Its been so long, I am merely a short time in their lives where they had a small child in their care. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a child I had given birth to be take away and adopted by another family. Especially after I had actually cared for them, and possibly even loved them. I hold no anger, no malice. I feel a sense of longing. I admit that I romanticize what might ever come of meeting my birth family. I always felt a sense of disconnect from my family I grew up with. That there is this part of me that will always be separate, distinct, different. Up until 2 years ago I had never known an individual that looked like me. You can imagine how it makes me feel to have a child that has so much of my likeness. My mom talks often about how many of Calista's mannerisms are like mine. Except, of course, her temper. I was a sweet child, that didn't throw tantrums. I wonder if it was because I had gone through some traumatic times? Its amazing, I dont seem to be that sweet person anymore. Thats another story, however.

But yes, I have often thought about what it might be like to meet them. I even made a few attempts to locate my birth father, right before I got married. len made some phone calls to names in the phone book. Either none of those men were Harold, or they simply didnt want to be contacted. Again, I somehow feel like they wouldn't just not want to find out about me, who I am. Meet me. I know, over and over again people tell you not to get your hopes up. I know this, I am not dumb. But does that mean I should never have hope? Perhaps they parents are dead. Somehow, I dont feel that either. From time to time I would get those silly notions that children often fantasize about....the kind where "I might be a princess" or, like the kid in the movie August Rush, where he learned the music and somehow his parents found him because of that. However, my circumstances are not like that, obviously. I wish I knew where to look, who to talk to. If I had the money to hire a PI, that would be my next step. And I am sure someday I will. I think I will always feel some part of me is not whole, even as small as that may be. Maybe thats pathetic, or unreasonable. But it is what it is. I can't say I have spent years of my life depressed and agonizing over this. But I think about them often, and often imagine what they might be like, or try to view myself in third person and see what they might see. I would love to have a relationship, of some kind, with one or the other parent. And sister, and whatever siblings may exist out there. Not to replace family, no, but to fill this tiny gap in my life that doesnt have any other thing to fill it.

Anyways, just some things I have been pondering. I see myself as having a complicated and unique past. I had plenty of heartache, but never had a lack of love in my life. My family has always been there to love me, even though I often have so little in common with them. My sister, Chris, today, sensed me being down about myself. She told me I was hot, not matter what. lol. Nothing like a sister to give you that kind of unconditional love and support. Its different from what a spouse can give you...yes, they give you that as well. I think its different when it is your family. Most people say that you cant pick your family. In some ways, we did, however. Or it was fate, I was meant to go to them. I have a lot of respect for my mom, my sister, and my father who passed away when I was 10.

I am babbling now. I dont know if I have anything I can add to this subject. Just some ponderings from me. Now you all know a little bit more about me. :-) I think I have an interesting story to tell. I had plenty of love, and even some tragedy in my life. But it has never stopped me from moving on in my life. Not yet anyway. I often look at myself now, and am disappointed in who I have become. I hope the next 30, 40, how many ever years, are filled with some more amazing details. Love and Tragedy, worthwhile meaning in my life from whatever else life gives me. Its amazing how many things happen to us, even sometimes in the course of a year. I hope family members could someday look back and talk about what a unique person I was, and what a full life I lived.

Thanks for sharing some of my story with me!

The following are the pictures I mentioned. As you can tell, I look a lot like my mother, minus the dark hair. I had some teeny baby pictures to share as well, but I cannot find those. Another time I will share.

Sexy Celebrities?

2008-05-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not yet posting vacation photos! I havent had a chance yet to get access to these. I will soon!

Instead, I will amuse you with a list I have been compiling as of lately.

We all have our favorite celebrities, whatever our reasons may be. I have decided to amuse myself, and all of you readers, with my favorite sexy male actors/celebrities. AND, I want to hear yours! Please place a comment on here telling me who YOUR favorites are and why. :-D Male OR Female.

First, I have a long time drool-affair with actor Ewan McGregor.I don't think I necessarily was drawn to him in Star Wars, though he looks pretty darn good in that beard! No, I think what hooked me onto this Scottish actor was seeing him in Moulin Rouge. A man that can act AND sing all at the same time? Wowsers. mmmm. He has such a lovely voice, and I love that he can belt it at the top of his lungs and he still sounds so appealing! You can also see him singing in a couple of my other favorite movies: Down with Love, and Miss Potter. He is a bit on the skinny side, but thats forgiveable. ;-) I am excited to find out he will be playing Carlo Ventresca in the upcoming Angels & Demons movie! Woohoo! Great book, was looking forward to the movie, and now I am even MORE excited. YAY.

My next drool-worthy actor would be an obvious Colin Firth! Seriously, the accent pulls me in! He is such a brooding character in nearly every roll he plays, you cant help but want to learn more about whoever he plays! He is wonderful in Pride and Prejudice, and I love him in the Bridget Jones movies and Love Actually.

My NEW favorite actor apparently is James McAvoy. The first time we saw him was as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia. Ok, so the guy isnt necessarily sexy in that roll. HOWEVER, he is VERY drool-worthy in Becoming Jane! He is also in Atonement, and I saw another preview of a movie he will be in as well. I discovered that he is Irish, which doesn't surprise me at all. Apparently celebrities of the Irish or Scottish variety pull me in. Maybe it is also that he is my age. Does that mean I am getting old, that the older sexy actors are being replaced by new ones? Perhaps not. But, he is such a lovely man. lol.

Ok, I have another. A strange one! Ok, so Jack Black has had some really bizarre rolls, BUT, in a normal roll, there is something about his goofy and silly ways and his silly singing. I am thinking about this guy in particular in the movie The Holiday. So, place Mr. Black in a not quite so bizarre roll, he really isn't that bad!

And while we are on the subject of The Holiday, WOWSERS about Jude Law. I think its the cleft chin. Very nice. lol.

And how can we forget Johnny Depp: AKA Captain Jack Sparrow. I think it is especially in Pirates of the Carribbean that I drool over him. I know, isn't that absolutely bizarre? I mean, he is so slimy in that movie, but somehow yet so appealing. I don't get it, but I don't question it either. Actually, he is quite a talented actor. He has done so many rolls, you have to give that man kudos!

And, I think that is it for now. I am sure at some point I will smack my forhead when I remember someone! lol.

Oh, I have another....my choice for cradle robbing would have to be Daniel Radcliffe. I know, it's horrible! But seriously, Harry Potter has become quite the hottie! Its the scene in the last movie, near the begining, where he is running away from a dementor in the pouring rain. Shirt stretched tight over muscles! My breath was taken away for a short moment there! lol. My sister just about smacked me upside the head when I told her that! lol. Hey, I can't help it, he is quite a cutie!

Ok, one more. Mark Ruffalo...from 13 Going on 30....maybe its the dark hair, maybe because he has this wierd resemblance to Donny Osmond, I have no idea! lol.

I know this is such a silly blog, but I couldn't resist. I don't really have anything particularly interesting going on in my life, other than that we recently moved.

So, PLEASE tell me your favorites and why! Don't be shy, I dont want to be the only one making a fool of myself. lol.

So busy, not much time for blogging...

2008-05-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I promise a bigger and better blog is coming soon! I have been so busy since leaving for vacation!

Vacation was good, I will post more about it later! I have tons of pictures and some videos to share. It was quite busy, and Calista had some good days and some rough days. I was very glad to get home honestly. That is a long trip for a 2 year old, and just as long for her parents. :-) I just hope by the time I finally blog it I will remember stuff! The weather was gorgeous, I loved where we stayed, and it was nice to get away.

Last week, week after we got back, I worked 50 hours. It was nice to be really busy, though I started out the week rough as Calista got really sick throwing up in the middle of the night. Ugh. I dont get a chance to see work people so much, so its nice to get the chance every once and a while. And OVERTIME baby. :-)

So, Friday after I got out of work I signed Lease paperwork and got our keys to our apartment. So, we have been moving things to the new apartment since then! Getting closer to getting things settled. We have pretty much all of the big furniture pieces over, just need to clean up lots of little stuff! Did I mention I love my walk in closet? Lol. I am a chick, I guess. I love closet space, what can I say? AND I will be building my craft armoire (from IKEA) probably tommorow. Woohoo! Its already nice having more room! We can finally move around, Calista will have her own room to play and sleep in, we will have an office separarate from the living room (except my desk armoire, but thats a small little thing) which means we can watch movies when Len is using his computer. Yay! It will be so nice just having more room. Period.

Struggling to get with the program on Weight Watchers again. Vacation makes it near impossible. That's just how it goes I guess.

Well, I am at work late and saying a "quick" hello. I promise to post more details about vacation with pictures soon. And perhaps some apartment photos too! Later all!

Vacation and Moving!

2008-04-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

We are leaving to go to Newport Beach, California on Saturday! We will be out of town until the following Saturday! We will be staying at a time share, Marriott Newport Coast Villas. We will be staying with Len's brother, Matt, and Dixie's (his wife) family. Actually, we will be in one villa with his bro, and her parents and sister will be in the other. While in Newport Beach, we will be visiting Disneyland/California Adventure, Seaworld, Legoland possibly, and any shopping, beach playing, and other site seeing we may want to do. Plans subject to change. :-) After we leave Newport Beach we will be renting a car and driving up to Sacramento to stay with my bff Cilla and her family, for Friday night. It will be nice to see her again, even if for a short time. I am really looking forward to the warm sunny weather. I am seriously sick of the cold weather we are having around here. It is stinking April and we still have low 30 degree temps at night! Anyway, I will be taking LOTS of pictures, and I will tell you all about it when we get back.

The other good news is we put a deposit down on a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment today! We went in to sign a renewal lease on our current apartment, that we have been in 5 1/2 years now, and made the decision to upgrade. It was sort of up in the air exactly when it would happen, but we officialy have it now. We will be able to move in starting May 9! Sooooo, its going to be busy the next several weeks. After we get back from California, the following week I will be working full time filling in for the office manager. That Friday we will have the new apartment, and then from that point on we will have 10 days to move in to the new place, and move out of the old one. Good news is the new apartment is only a couple buildings over! :-)

Well, just wanted to share the news. More to come after we get home from vacation!

Arm! Picture

2008-04-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

I told you I would post a picture of Calista posing for prayer. If you ask her to fold her arms, she folds them and says "Arm!" which is what she is doing in this picture. Excuse the mess in the background! :-)

Calista the 2 Year Old

2008-04-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe my baby girl is 2! It boggles the mind. While some days she is growing way too fast, other days she is driving me up the wall and I wish she were 18 and out of the house. ;-)

But, seriously, she is really growing so fast! And her language skills are really growing quickly too. It amazes me the things she picks up on.

Here are some cute examples:

-She definitely has her favorite tv shows. Ok, well one that I know of. "Elmo"....thats right, Sesame Street. She will pick up the giant remote we have like a big girl and try really hard to turn the tv on with it. Of course, Mommy has to take over. Sometimes when I go to turn the tv on she asks "Elmo?" I have to explain, no, Elmo is only on in the mornings. She also happens to know the theme song to "Two and a Half Men". That is the lineup of shows I watch, on the WB. From 7 to 8 is Two and A Half Men, and she knows when the credits roll at the end, that it is time for bed. She usually sings along "Whoo hoo hoo hooo" (you know what I am talking about if you have seen the show), and then says "Bed Time!". Thats new, Len discovered this recently. And she really does enjoy watching tv and movies, especially if Mommy and Daddy are watching as well. She snuggles up on the futon, arranges the pillows and the blanket over top of her, and smiles at me and says "Nigh Night" :-) And procedes to suck the binky if she has it, and twirl her hair with her eyes fixed on the screen.

-I am impressed that she knows the difference between night time and nap time, and will tell me as such. It used to be it was always "nigh night" but now she says "nap time" and "bed time".

-In Nursery at Church she is really picking up well on the prayer thing. I have to admit we are not always the best at home with this, and are trying harder to do this as a "family". It is very cute, she says "Arm!" and folds her arms when we say "Prayer time, fold your arms!" And she often does it randomly as well, at home. We will practice prayers together, though she doesn't stay that way for long, at least she is learning it. For those not LDS, generally we teach children that you are reverent when saying prayers, and the easiest way to show this is by folding your arms. I think it also keeps kids from playing with things, or doing anything else with their hands at that time. Today at my Weight Watchers meeting, she saw another kid getting a snack, and said "Arm!" as she folded her arms. It's really cute to see her pick up on that.

-Calista is EXTREMELY social. At the Weight Watchers meeting today, someone else pointed out, as I was chasing her around the room, that she is the welcoming commitee for the meeting. She worked her way around the room, stopping in front of people and exclaiming with pride "Hi!" while waving and giving them a huge grin. We will be walking down the street, or walking somewhere, and she will do that to people. Actually, she has always done this. She is so full of Hi's. Even at home she is cute like that. Chatty and just social. She eyes my phone a lot too, and when i am on the phone she will say Hi! very loudly. However, if I hold the phone to her ear, she suddenly pushes it away and gets bashful. Ahh, I know this will change someday. :-) If she is anything like her mother, she will never stay quiet! lol. The one place she is NOT social is when I take her to my work. I am not sure why, at first I thought somebody there seemed scary to her, but even those most "kid friendly" at work got a terrified reaction out of her. Last time I took her in, a couple weeks ago, she was climing with fright up and over my shoulders. She kept saying very tearfully "Bye bye!" in a shaky voice. Poor thing. I dont really think it is the people, I think I took her there enough when she was little that something now bothers her, but for the life of me I cannot figure it out.

-The tantrums definitely come more frequently, especially when she is frustrated or bored. Or if something isn't going her way...which is often. For instance, when I get ready for the day, which usually is late morning by the time I get my bum moving, she takes this to mean we will be going somewhere. So, being as helpful as she can be, she grabs her shoes, grabs my shoes (or daddy's), and says "coat" while trying to located her coat. Often, once she has what she "needs", she will grab a to go item, often a sippy cup, a snack, and often a stuffed animal of some sort or other toy. Eventually I get tired of saying "no, we are not going outside" and I sit down, and she throws all sorts of fits over this. She is a get up and go girl. Loves to get out and do something, and I can't really blame her. We have quite a small and packed apartment for her to play in. I suppose we all grow up and move on to "bigger and better" things. She also has a hard time sitting through Sacrament meeting at church. Now that she is nursery, we only have to entertain her the 1st hour, and this is such a chore! Often she gets bored quickly, and being since she still has a hard time communicating what she wants, she goes through the diaper bag and simply does not find what she is looking for. And throws books, food, whatever she can take that aggression out on. Oy. She also gets quite embarassed after the fits. She sometimes comes over and expects to be snuggled, crying into my shoulder. Its a "Oh mom, can't you fix it?" Or perhaps more of a "I'm sorry, I over reacted" Just not sure really, but it is nice to know she feels some comfort from one of us after a fit. She also gets a lot of time outs after these, especially if she hits one of us, or throws something and screams inappropriately. Anymore we measure our success by: "Is she crying?" If she has crocadile tears, you know she picked up on the message somehow, and if she is laughing in our face, yeah not so much.

-She really gets into reading, especially "big people" reading, such as a magazine from mom and dad, or at Granny's house, a pile of old work papers that she has first sorted and organized, and then sat down to read each one page at a time. It's even cuter when pictures are involved and she is pointing things out to us, and trying to learn what she is looking at. I am so glad she is a reader, nothing like a good book to relax you!

I wanted to snap a picture of the Arms! thing, I may try to get a picture of that tommorow to post.

Well, I have gone on long enough. Just wanted to share some things I find quite cute about Calista lately. There are plenty more, but it is late and I am tired.

My new favorite cooking tool: ziploc!

2008-04-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

I have fallen in love with a new product: Ziploc's Zip & Steam Microwave bags! I love vegetables, but honestly I cannot stand cooking them. My husband can attest to the fact that honestly I don't cook. I just don't like making the effort most of the time. So, after hearing people talk about the zip & steam bags, I just had to give them a shot.

Can we say SIMPLE and easy? Wow! I have cooked potatoes, including sweet potatoes....slice them up, throw them in. Don't need to add any water, it steams in it's own juices. I also steamed artichokes! Whole! I just sliced off the stem where I wanted it, placed it in the bag and microwaved! Now, the issue of a messy snack is still there, but at least cooking it was a snap!

Tonight I went beyond the vegetables. These bags supposedly are also useable for meat, but I haven't tried that yet. No, tonight I tried fruit. We have some Fuji apples from Costco, that I just do not love. Too sweet, I like my apples bitter. Well, I cored/sliced my apple (after I peeled it first)....placed them in the bag for 3 minutes on high. mixed 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar with cinnamon (1/8 tsp perhaps?) and sprinkled over the apples. I cooked for another 1 to 2 minutes in the bag. Can we say WOW? They are still slightly solid, not completely mushy, and they were simple to throw together! Len ate his with icecream, mmmm. I am sure Calista will enjoy it too when I make them again.

I know, this post is such a commercial, but seriously, these are an amazing tool for someone that is too darned lazy to cook most of the time...it's a wonder my daughter gets fed. :-)

I will post a more informative blog when I get a chance, just not much going on here at home.

The rest of Calista's birthday

2008-03-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we started out Calista's day early! I had gotten about 4 hours of sleep, at most, due to staying up until 3:30ish to finish that birthday cake I made for Calista.

So, headed out to drop off Calista and head to work, when i discovered it was snowing! Bizarre! Hard to see it in this photo, but it was coming down in huge flakes! Didn't last. Calista enjoyed watching it come down as we drove to Granny's!

I had to fill in for the office manager at work today...and it was a really slow week due to spring break, so it worked out in my favor that I didn't have to work too late! I was done at 4, and then I was able to head home to prep for the party. We ended up serving dinner as well.

Here are a bunch of photos from the party!

Opening gifts. she was so gentle with her paper handling at first, but I helped her get the hang of it.

Len and Bert

Len's dad and his wife, Liz.

Silly Noelle not giving me a normal face shot! So, this is what she gets. ;-)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Calista!

2008-03-28T02:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Calista! She is 2 years old today! That is just crazy talk. :-)

I will have a hectic day, as I will be working, and then trying to make it home in time for a few family members and friends to come over and enjoy this cake I made, along with some ice cream! I had fun doing this cake. I feel all domestic or something. :-)

I had to mix my own colors, found some really slick gel colors that you mix into frosting. I am glad I bought two of the huge containers of frosting! This is a double layer yellow cake, with plain vanilla frosting. I like my white and yellow cakes....chocolate just doesn't do it for me! Chocolate to me is more suitable in truffles, brownies, and ice cream....ok, well really just about everything except cake. :-) Unless it is molten lava chocolate cake, and that is a whole new story!

I digress. I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my sweet little 2 year old! She is really a good little girl. She may have her share of temper tantrums, but they last a mere few seconds generally, and then she is on to new and better things.

I will post more pictures as they become available, after the party! I think next year is going to be really fun! She is really going to start appreciated the fine art which is birthday party throwing. :-)

Goodbye Giant Rollerskate

2008-03-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

After 12 years together, it was finally time to end the relationship. That's right. The car affectionately known to others as "The Roller Skate on Wheels, The Green Pea, The Bubble" and whatever other nickname I have forgotten over the years, has been sold! We had decided that after several years of difficulty getting this car to pass emissions tests, that this year would be it. Once it expired in May of 2008, we would officially be done with this car. Unfortunately, her transmission died again early this year. So, she has sat in her spot (as pictured here) since it happened.

I went on craigslist to begin searching for prices on posting this car, which currently can't be driven away due to the dead transmission. I found a guy that had a listing in which he was looking for Geo Metros for sale in need of engine repairs. Well, having the transmission dead was more than he wanted, but he decided to come take a look. The body is in good shape (this picture was taken yesterday), and while the engine needs a lot of work, and a new transmission, if he gets it fixed up it will be a great car for him to sell. So, he decided to take it. he will be back to pick it up today or Saturday.

Its a bit of a sad departure for me. After all, it is full of memories. This was my first car, which my mom got for me in high school. It had 14 miles on it when we got it. It now has just under 135K on it. It saw me through failing and passing drivers tests. Early release in high school, frequent trips to Haggen and back with my best friend Noelle for mini bottles of coke/sprite. Attemps to pack her with as many people as possible, I think we got 6 people once, which meant someone was in the hatchback trunk. First kisses. 3 years driving to and from Eugene and UofO. Road trips with friends, and road trips that were supposed to happen but never did because of mechanical failure (that darn transmission!). It lasted me through all my first jobs, getting me there and back with great gas mileage. When our other cars at home died, it became the only car for Leonard and I. It held precious cargo in the form of a baby...she took us home from the hospital, and held the carseat even when it was near impossible to get Calista out of the car. In her last days Leonard was actually driving her to and from work, as she was having oil related problems and we didn't want to drive the car too much. So, this is my goodbye to a good car. I hope you will be fixed up and that you will have a good home with someone. I hope it is goes to a teen in need of a cheap car to get them around. Just take care of her!

My Valentines Day

2008-03-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

I have waited forever to post on the day, and I think it is about time.

Valentines Day I woke up, as on a typical day, during the time Leonard was getting ready for work. He had the door shut to the bedroom, however, which meant I knew he was up to something. I had to use the bathroom, but decided to wait till he left for work.

So, he finally came in to say goodbye, and after that I got up to use the bathroom. I walked in to the bathroom, and there were several candles lit in there, as well as two envelopes on the counter. I was, however, still half asleep and wanted to go back to bed, so I left them alone and decided to crawl back into bed until Calista woke up.

I layed back down for about 30 minutes, but it was useless, I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I kept thinking "Boy, she is sleeping in!" At one point I thought maybe Len had taken her with him or something, but the door down the hall was shut, so, no, that couldn't have been it.

Finally I got out of bed, and went in to open the envelopes. One of them said "Open me at 12" so, I opened only the one. It told me that Len had taken the day off, he took Calista with him this morning, and that I should enjoy my morning to myself relaxing. He had breakfast in the fridge, and all the stuff ready for me to pour up a bath. It was very nice to have the morning all to myself. I took extra care in getting myself ready. The note also said I should be ready to go to lunch at noon. Here are some pictures of Len and Calista and their Daddy and Daughter time together.

They spent the day together running errands, however they started out their morning with breakfast at Elmer's. Apparently Calista really enjoyed their breakfast together. :-)

So, I waited rather impatiently through my last 30 minutes or so before noon, and then opened the next envelope. Enclosed was a check for $100, and I was informed to go cash this first, and then go meet my friend Faith at her work to pick her up for lunch.

So, I picked her up, and we headed off to a place called L & L BBQ. A Hawaiian BBQ place. When we got there, at one table sat a little bouquet and another envelope. Here is a picture of us at our table waiting for our food, being a little silly together.

We both ordered one of their "healthy" dishes. It was garlic shrimp on a bed of brown rice, and a garden salad. The dressing we ordered was a sesame dressing, and it was amazing.

The envelope on the table informed us we would next be heading into the mall (this restaurant sits outside of the mall) to go get a manicure and pedicure. :-)

When we got to the Salon, there was another note card for us. It said after our manicure/pedicure, to go down the mall to Claires, use the $20 gift card for some bling bling, and then I would be taking her back to her car, and I would be heading home for dinner.

Here is our fingers/toes after we were done. Notice the matching rings. They made us wear these really goofy thin flip flops, and said we would have to wear them for at least an hour after. Oh well, we looked silly together.

I wanted to post the pictures of Len and Calista's day together. Here they are headed to Safeway to get the fixins for dinner later that night.

One of the errands they ran during the day was to Washington Square to find some massage oils and Godiva Chocolate. They ended up mostly playing during their time there.

I can't remember why they spent time at the Nature Park that day, but I think they were killing some in between time. So, they enjoyed looking at the trees and enjoying some fresh air.

After I headed home, I picked up Calista and dropped her off at my mom's for a few hours, I stopped and got a movie for us to watch during dinner.

Leonard made a nice grilled chicken/pineapple dinner, with rice and broccoli. He had also picked me up a box of my favorite Godiva pieces, Marzipan Hearts. Here is the set up of our little dinner table for the evening.

It was a very long and busy day, but a very nice one! Thank you Leonard for the wonderful Valentine's Day! You are always so good at this. :-) I look forward to what other years may bring. :-)

New Blog!

2008-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I have had Myspace for quite some time as a blogging website. I decided to follow in the footsteps of so many of my friends by creating a blogspot blog! I hope I will update this blog more often than my Myspace page! Keep checking back soon, I will be posting some new blogs soon!