Week of Joy

10 Things That Brought Me Joy This Week
(pictorial version)

This shirt.
$2.50 on clearance at Old Navy.
I want to go back and buy, like, 10 more. But I don't really need 10 brown shirts, do I? ..............Or DO I?????????

My Husband.
He put together this cute outfit for Lucy all himself.
Shoes and all!
Bonus points for braving the tidepools in Point Loma with both kids.

Yooooooooooooguuuuuuuurt.

AND

Yogurt with good friends!

Oh FINE Emmy, this picture.

Love the shirt.
Love the tights.
LOVE the boots.

(She has a cute denim skirt on too....honest.)

Time with Aunt Susannah (David's Sister.)
Nathan turns into a snuggly sweetie with her and I love it.
(Oh yeah, and Nathan took this picture of her.)

Grey's Anatomy was sooooooooooo good!!!

This photo.
David took it and it brings tears to my eyes.

And this week we have a tie for Number One.................

Attending the Padre game today and going from this....

TO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cried. I stood there in the middle of Petco Park crying for my sweet sweetie Trevor Hoffman and actually thanking God that I could see him accomplish something so amazing. I will be boring my future grandchildren with the story of today.


AND

DISNEYLAND!!!
We went for Shari's Bachelorette Party on Saturday and it could have NOT been more fun, more perfect or more wonderful. I can't even try to describe it so I will hope that you can look at the faces of my friends and me and see what I wish I could say.

Making Me the Happiest Blogger on Earth

The Happiest Place on Earth.
Today? Absolutely.



(More to come later--I am TIRED!!)

10 Things that Brought Me Joy This Week

10) My shows are back! Amazing Race, CSI, The Office.....there are lots. Welcome Back! I missed you!

9) Many nights of good sleep. Did you know that is what normal people do at night??

8) Can you say FIRST PLACE PADRES?! Woo Hoo!

7) A beautiful birthday party for the baby I love of a friend I love even more.

6) An abundance of "Just Lucy" time this week. Oh she is a joy...my heart swells when I get to be with her.

5) An amazing morning of Worship today amidst some personal mini-storms, God was there and I saw Him clearly.

4) My eye makeup looked REALLY good for a party on Friday night.

3) I started a hilarious book.

2) Just me and Nate the Great at the mall on Monday picking up a present for his teacher. The plan? Spend about $16. The Execution? The Sephora Lady showed us something better than just a bottle of lotion. She showed us lotion in a box SHAPED LIKE A SCHOOLHOUSE. Total spent? $37. My son's teacher had better let him be line leader the rest of the year.

And....

1) SEVEN MILES BABY!!!!! Amy and I walked SEVEN MILES and did it in GOOD time and we weren't even sore the next morning. It was an AMAZING accomplishment and I LOVE that I got to share it with a friend.

Shattered Glass

Beautiful Picture
Assembled by God
I saw the crack in the glass forming
and prayed for God to fix it.
It stopped.

Today the crack broke clean through
Breaking my heart along with it.
Beautiful colors broken apart
The new hue this union of blended colors created
Scarred forever.

I can still pray-I will pray.
But I mourn the loss of this artwork in my life.

Bugging Telemarketers 101

Usually when they call, they are treated to the adorable giggles of Lucy who runs around with the phone to her ear saying "Heh-woah?" and "Daddy?"

Today, I have decided that the telemarketers don't deserve such wonderfulness on the other end of the line. Instead they receive the drunken cheers of the Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Park Ride. "Yo ho, yo ho! A Pirate's life for me!" They don't stay on the line.

Although I did have one guy who stayed so long, I had to start the song over again.

Suggestions for my Telemarketer Torture Song for tomorrow?

Just as Long as He Doesn't Love His Teacher More Than He Loves Me

We started school today! What a good morning!
Pictures in front of the house.....

Pictures in front of the school...

And pictures inside the classroom...

Nathan was excited to go to school. He loved his clothes and his bucket. He loved the present we got for his teacher and he was excited that his friend Owen (nickname Ooo-eee) was in the class with him.

I really wanted to stay once I dropped him off. When we went into his classroom, that was my plan. We wandered around the different activity stations and he kept saying, "C'mon Mommy, let;s see what's over there."

Parents started leaving. David was ready to leave.
I was not.
I looked around, saw a classroom full of no parents. ("Room full of empty people!")
I turned to Nathan who had settled with some cars and his teacher had suggested he make a road for the cars to drive on (how did she know his love for roads?!?) I asked for a kiss and he asked for me to help him build his road. I told him I was thinking about leaving and he said....

"Miss Richardson, can you help me build my road?"

I left shortly after that.

He did wonderfully and I will be begging him for information on what he did all day (if 2 hours can be considered a "whole day") but for now, we are celebrating that we all made it.

And no, David, I don't CARE that Nathan's bucket was the biggest one in his class. I am expecting BIG things out of him!

September 11, 2006

I wanted to sit down and write about what today means.
But my words simply didn't come.
However, I did find my feelings in another's blog and I would love for you to read it.

Sean Gaffney

Week of Joy

10 Things that Brought Me Joy This Week

10) Seeing Nathan in his first day of school outfit. I had him try it on and I am glad because now I will be preapred for how cute he looks. It has 2 embroidered X's on it and I told him those are my kisses staying with him all day while he is at school. (Pre School starts Tuesday!!)

9) Finding out that David isn't leaving town this week after all.

8) The kindness of friends in a mini-crisis with Lucy's face.

7) Knowing that my friend is playing the spoons in Heaven right now.

6) Laughing so hard that I almost peed. (Susie! SNAKE! Amy! CULT!)) And 4 Miles in under 90 minutes.

5) Ahhhh, Carne Asada Fries

4) Hope for the future.

3) The bouncy curls of The Goose as she ran around with her brother in our front yard and played in the dirt. We did it White Trash Style with the neighbors and TV Trays, salsa and chips and light beer in the can.

2) Goofing off with Russell at Band Rehearsal on Monday.

And the #1 Joy of my week?

1) My sister. We sat in the same room, we watched Friends, we drank Diet Coke.
And I miss her already.

Mmmm, mmmmm Good!

My house smells like it has a crock pot full of stew simmering. Oh I can taste the onions, chunks of beef and delicious veggies. I think my mouth is watering!

Oh yeah, I forgot:



I don't HAVE a crock pot of stew anywhere near my house.

What the heck?



I guess it is better than my house smelling like stinky feet and sweaty children.
(I ruined your appetite with that last comment, didn't I?)

The Sweet Sounds of Capturing the Moment

"Nathan, back up, back up!


Lucy, look at Mommy! Luuuuuuucyyyyy, where's Mommy?


Nathan, will you scoot back please?


Luuuuucy?


Nathan, please let go of your sister's neck.



Lucy! Lucy Joy! Luuuuucy!!


Oh I give up."


Click.

**Pictures added to accurately display the situation**

The One Where I Offend the Church Down the Street

I was on the phone with my sister yesterday while on the way home from Home Depot-land of the best shopping carts anywhere. I mean, isn't this what most kids dream of when stuck in the cart anyway? Hey Mama, lets start this thing up and take her out on the open road! Thank you Home Depot for providing TWO steering wheels unlike the carts at Vons that not only have only ONE steering wheel. And at Vons some genius thought it would be clever to include a HORN in the car. Because that's what I want to hear while grocery shopping: traffic.

I drove towards my house and passed a local Methodist (I think) church and I saw a sign that I had to tell Kristy about.

"Did you know the church near my house is having a Blessing of the Animals Celebration?"

"Oh my gosh, you should go!"

"I don't have any animals.....I have Lucy! I could dress her up like Baby Jaguar again!"

"Take her down there??"

......Bethany at Blessing of the Animals Celebration......

"Hello, I am here with my JAGUAR for the Blessing of the Animals Celebration."

"Excuse me ma'am, this is a child, not an animal."

"Yes it is! It is a FEIRCE Jaguar...look out, she might bite your arm off!"

"This little thing? The one that keeps asking Mama for a cookie?"

"She wants a cookie all right, a FLESH COOKIE! Watch your hands! She may only have 8 teeth but she's hungry!"

......And, SCENE!......

"On second thought maybe I shouldn't go down there. They might think I am a little crazy."

"Only then affirming what the rest of us have suspected for years."

Perfection in Cotton Blend Form

I wear them every Monday-all day-because Mondays are pajammy days.

You will probably never see me in them unless you are Kristen who stopped by one day when I was sick or Amy who goes walking with me.

I have had them for at least 5 years when I bought them for a walking and nutrition class I took at Grossmont College.

They were purchased in the clearance section of Old Navy for about $6.

They are a funny melon color and capris which is very weird.

And yet, when I am home for the evening or even when I have guests, I cannot count the moments fast enough when I can change into them.

I love you Old Navy Discount Section Old Shapeless Sweats.
Never Leave Me.

"Ha bee bay to yooooooooo"

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We are so glad you were born...and glad that you being born gives us an excuse to eat "do-nees!"

They Come Like a Thief in the Night...But With Cups

Last night we had our friends Damon and Emmy over for steaks-yum!-and cheesecake-double yum! While we were preparing dinner, David went out to the garage to get some water and he noticed something through the crack of our slightly open garage door. He figured it was something Nathan had done but he quickly realized the truth. He delivered the news to the rest of us inside. I, preparing my oldest child for a long evening of slumber, ran up the stairs and opened Nathan's blinds.

I spied a van-a familiar one-slowly driving down the street by my house. I threw open the window and I heard the victory cry of a woman who had successfully completed her mission.

Oh yes.

I had been cupped.

These women play a mean game. They drove over 12 miles to accomplish their task and they completed it with passion. They even struck numerous others' homes that night-they sure are efficient!

If their goal was just to "cup" me, it was easily accomplished. But something they might not realize is that their mission also made me smile more than I had in awhile. To those who have not yet fell victim, beware! And to the perpetrators: Well played.

The Random Ramblings of a Righteous Rigmogifier

I don't believe in karma but I think the spiders have some special sort of power because ever since I knocked down all their webs in the backyard, I have the itchies.

After being soda-free for a couple of days, I really really love Diet Dr. Pepper

I vacuumed popcorn up the other day and now when I see it sitting in my vacuum canister, it makes me giggle a little bit. If I put regular unpopped kernels in there, would it serve as some sort of an extra dusty popper? And how good is Price Club's return policy if I decided to try it?

On days like today, I am a little too hard on my kids. I am expecting my 3 year old to act like a 29 year old.

I totally made up the word Rigmogifier because I really enjoy alliteration and couldn't think of anything clever.

I can't wait for the Amazing Race to start.

I thought my neighbors were going to knock my door down today when I sat down in the bathroom and my son was yelling for me from the backyard. Yelling things like, "Mommy? Are you home? Mommy? Did you go away?"

Real Simple Magazine came out with a whole line of cleaning materials and now I feel like everything from my mop to my buckets are completely unacceptable and shabby.

I always cry at the end of "Monsters, Inc."

This list is a LOT like Susie's Ten on Tuesday...I didn't mean to be a copycat! Hmmmm, now I have to think of one more thing......

Purchased an 18 pack of Sharpies in all different colors and it is almost all I can think about.

Get a Pencil, You're Gonna Want to Write This One Down

Take a couple slices of this...










Spread on a little bit of this...















Add some of this (but always in a swirly fashion and spread with a knife so it doesn't drip later)

















And don't forget the key ingredient...











...combined sucessfully, you will have the perfect sandwich according to the standards of my resident 3 year old.

More Wrong-ness

"..........Sun Maid Raisins, nothing but grapes and sunshine................"

"No, that's not right. The Sun Maid Raisin girl isn't supposed to talk."

"Yeah. Just shut up and get back up on your box."

This is Not My Bond.

And that is all that will be said about that.

(I think this picture is so controversial that even Michelle can manage a comment.)

The Full VBS Education

"Daddy, I want to sing you a song I learned at PDS"

PDS is actually VBS: Vacation Bible School)

"Okay Nathan, I'm ready."

"The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his houose upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rain came tumbling down."

"Wow Nathan, who taught you that song?"

"Miss Stacy did, Daddy.
The Polish man build his house upon the sand.
The Polish man built his house upon the sand.
The Polish man-"

What?

"David, did he just say the Polish Man??"

"Yeah I think he did."







I guess my kid is starting with the Polish jokes at an early age.

Flashback Fridays! Volume 1, Episode 2

This is a picture of my godparents, Ted and Susan Armstrong and me. It was my birthday-10th or 11th I think. I have so many memories with these wonderful people...we got together with them every Christmas Eve, birthdays, Kristy and I would stay with them when Mom and Dad went on vacation.

I remember when their oldest (or is it eldest?) daughter Stacy was married, Kristy was told that she could try on Stacy's dress when she turned 8. On The Day (that my sister looked forward to for a looooooooong time) they took some lovely pictures of Kristy all dressed up. It was such a special thing for them to do.

A famous story in our house was about the attitude Kristy and I took when our parents explained to us that we had godparents and what they were for. Mom and Dad were heading for a trip to England and told us that if something happened to them, we would go live with Ted and Susan. Our kind and very deep feeling parents were prepared for emotional outbursts or some other psychological reaction but instead they received maturity and understanding from their daughters. It was later that day that Mom caught Kristy and I walking around the house with a marker and masking tape, labeling everything we wanted to get when our parents died. Not quite the reaction the parenting books warned the folks about.

In October 1987, I experienced my first earthquake. It was the morning, my mom had walked out the door to go to work, my dad and sister were in the back of the house getting ready for the day and I was on my way out the door to get my brush from the car before my mom left. The earthquake hit as soon as I opened the door. My mom yells to me to get under the dining room table. On my way, a fake-no, that sounds bad, let's say faux-grandfather clock barely misses me on its way to the ground. The noises I heard scared me to the core. The aftershocks kept coming and coming and I stayed under the table.

When the quake stopped, an eternity of silence began. My 10 year old dramatic mind was sure that the earth had obviously opened up and swallowed my family whole. My mind raced with so many thoughts and questions but at the forefront: How far is the city of Cerritos and do I really know how to go to Ted and Susan's?

My mom says it was maybe 1 full minute between the quake and my mom coming back inside the house. By then, I had picked out my room (duh, Kelli's was way better than Stacy's!) and I wasn't all that sad about my family being gone because Ted and Susan always had Kudos Bars and I kept thinking about how they might give me one when I got over to their house.


I mean, c'mon. Those Kudos bars are really good.


Sue was a delightful woman to be with. Her speaking voice was almost melodic and her laughter was infectiously contagious. She taught me how to take baths "Armstrong Style" which meant candles, music, a good book and no one knocking on the door. Sadly, Sue is no longer with us and, as many of you know, I will be walking the November Breast Cancer 3-Day walk in her honor. I scanned the photo I posted above to put on my personal fundraising page and as I looked at it, I felt it was perfect for a Flashback Friday Post.