Merry Christmas!

From mine to yours! I hope your Christmas was wonderful, full of love and family, and sprinkled with magic!

Christmas Spirit Acapella!

Christmas kisses!

I love Christmas!

Belated Thanks!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...mine was great! I spent it with family and great friends. We had yummy food, a 23lb turkey, and wine! Who could ask for more? Well I did get to play Rock Band all the holiday. It was mindless and fun. The kids even joined in! Who knew Jakob was a drum phenom?

One sour note of the holiday though....this morning I woke up to a broken car window, stolen portable DVD players, 40 missing DVDs, and a pilfered XM satellite radio. What a crummy way to start back to work. :( I'm still thankful that no one was hurt, that we all have our health, and well..... for the bonding effects of turkey and video games! Thank goodness that wasn't in the car!

Singing the Praises!

Do you love your hometown? I love my hometown of Corpus Christi even in the 110 degree heat of August! I love it even when I hate it! Ellen has started this new type of online scrapbooking about hometowns all over the country. Check it out to see what interesting things your neighbors have to say about your home "tierra".

some interesting things I found under Corpus Christi, TX.

1.Most talented Corpus Christi Kid - Now I'll be singing "up down up down I go Cwazy" all day!

2. Texas is the catapult to California for beautiful women like Eva Longoria, Farrah Fawcett, and hmm, umm, Betty White!

3. We were jipped out of a Guinness World Record for the largest sno-cone! If you live in Corpus and have never had a Sno-ball sno-cone...stop what you're doing and go now! I know it's still 90 degree in the middle of November there, and a sno-cone would hit the spot!

Go check out your hometown. Maybe you will find out something new!

http://ellen.aol.com/

I was a rockstar in another life...

and Guitar Hero III lets me relive the memories! I'm so addicted to this game! It is so much fun...and it has a killer playlist! I haven't been this enamoured with a video game since Ms. Pac-man!

Even though I know the truth....

It still kills me that celebrities look so damn good in their pictures! I know it's all smoke and mirrors, and this website I visited today shows the magic of photography touch-ups! I spent a few minutes enjoying the before and after pics! If you roll over each picture over and over again it looks really cool (and kind of scary Nicolette Sheridan)!

When you get to the site, click on portfolio!

By the way, no photo shopping was used in the picture of me above! Even though my legs do look soooo thin! Well... maybe I did photo shop about three inches of hair for effect ( I am so lying, my hair was really that big!)

Go check out the beautiful people below!
http://www.iwanexstudio.com/

Trippy!

Chris and I watched this for half an hour! It goes both ways for me! Check it out!

Optical illusion! Are you left or right brained?

What worries you?

10 Things that Worry You

1. The environment. I'm not a tree hugger, but I care and worry about how what we do affects how we will live.

2. Money, Money, Money. There is never enough.

3. Getting older. I look pretty good for thirty-something, but I can see my face and body changing. It's a very scary thing. If I had enough of #2 then I'd be on Christian Troy's table getting the best view AND service in plastic surgery!

4. Time, Time, Time. There is never enough. (wait...Didn't I already say that?)

5. My kids. Do they watch too much TV? Do I give them enough attention? Will they make dumb mistakes (like I did)? Do they love me like I love them?

6. Random accidents. If you know me, you know I'm not scared to die of falling, in a fire, or in a car crash. I am more afraid of dying or losing someone in a freak accident; something that no amount of careful planning could prevent.

7. Middle and High school kids mental health. As a teacher, I see some disturbed students and the signs ARE THERE. They need help before it gets to the point of black trench coats and an armory of assault rifles.

8. My brother. So idealistic. So hippy chic. So poor and aimless.

9.My eyes. I get blinder and blinder everyday. Soon I will unable to drive, have to have a guide dog, and a carry a white taped stick.

10. Diabetes. I am a sugar fiend (I have gotten better though) and it runs in my family.

10 Cities You Could Live In (for a month, for a year...if you couldn't live in your own)

1. London - I love an English accent, and I think I would be endlessly entertained just people watching (and listening). I would also love the music scene!
2. San Antonio - When we went to visit this summer we were enthralled! Things I have seen a million times (The Alamo, Market Square, Space Needle, etc) seemed like the first time!
3. Cypress, Texas - To be near Brigette and Kylie for a little while.
4. Las Vegas - for a month of debauchery!
5. Atlanta- For inexpensive houses and a million things to do, not to mention being close to my in-laws ( Yes I would want to be close to them!)
6. Austin - We were not impressed with Austin when we went to visit this summer (damn non-flying bats!) but I would love to live there for a few weeks for the South by Southwest music festival.
7. Barcelona - because it just sounds beautiful.
8. Souda Bay, Crete - For the goat cheese pizza, the harbor, and the restaurant on the cliff all described to me second hand by my hubby.
9. Ft. Walton Beach, Florida - White beaches and warm water, who could ask for anything more!
10. Maui - Do I even need to explain why?

13.1

Check me out!

A month later...tanned and just as busy!

So... our vacation was awesome! I havent uploaded all 500 pictures to Kodak Gallery yet but I do have the South Carolinian leg pics up. Thanks to Mark, Sarah, Jack, and all the other awesome family members we met while we were there. It was a great time.

For all 103 pictures click on the link below.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=uavuwsc.c4wfrosg&x=0&y=6721x

Why must you mess up my mojo?

5 miles in the heat of the Morn'. AHHHH refreshing! Some weird old guy trying to lick the sweat off of me as I run by...disturbing! I almost had to stop because I was THAT freaked out.

:(~ <----GROSS!


On a brighter note.....

This is the new website I found online! I can map any run I do. I DON"T have to drive around in my car, checking mileage, wasting precious gas! Yea!

The key to my sanity!

Running makes me a nicer person!

If you only knew!

Chris makes me laugh everyday! This picture was taken on "date" night. We had a great time just walking around taking pictures of each other. This picture was taken with the timer and that is genuine laughter from both of us. Can't you tell? Not everyday is this much fun, but these are the moments that I cherish.

Want to hear something you've never heard before?

This is a great independent internet radio site that is out of Corpus Christi, Texas (my home town!). Mostly country, some other "crossover" stuff, and pop too. I love supporting local and independent music, and this is a great way to do it. Check it out...especially if you are from Texas, because these are mostly local bands that play around the state!




http://www.hosstheboss.com

Runner's High

I love the way my shadow looks when I'm running with the sun at my back. The sinewy lines are fluid harmony. I look thinner, stretched like good yoga. No bumps are visible, just solid grey movement. As it pulls me forward, appearing in and out of the tree's dappled shadows, I see the gait of my father, and it makes me run a little longer. Of all his qualities, quirks, and passions, I'm glad this is one that I inherited.


Animated GIFs

Ten on Tuesday...but it's Wednesday!

This is like a myspace survey...but cooler...and shorter! Ten on Tuesday is remenicent of John Cusack's lists on High Fidelity. I love lists, and when I saw this on a friends blog I thought, "I wanna do it too!" Here it goes...

Movies that I remember fondly from my youth:

1) The Neverending Story - THe first movie I recorded on VHS to watch over and over!
2) Mary Poppins - I knew all the songs
3) Superman I and II - I waited in line to see it the second one in theaters!
4) Beetlejuice - shake shake shake Senora shake yo body line!
5) Clash of the Titans - One of the greatest movies of all time!
6) Big - Tom Hanks is the best!
7) Pinocchio - My parents say I cried at the end...because it was over!
8) The Wizaed of OZ - I knew all those songs too, and the munchkin dances!
9) Star Wars - Because I was in love with Mark Hamill!

I was wrong about Paula Abdul

Beacause of my hectic schedule, three jobs and graduate class, I only got two hours of sleep last night. I haven't gone on two hours of sleep since my early twenties, and I'm telling you it is a strange experience. It's like being on drugs I think. My heart was racing all day. I was jittery, and I was so tired I COULDN'T sleep. WEIRD! I seemed to get a second wind about 5 pm... Complete turn around... I cleaned (something I've been neglecting) , I ran 4 miles, I did lesson plans. It's surreal. Usually, 5 hours of sleep is what I get, and I am EXHAUSTED by the end of the night, sometimes falling asleep by 7pm. It was strange this morning though, and I can see where Paula Abdul and Uncle Jesse claimed sleep deprivation for their strange actions. I wish I had video of me this morning...but I don't. It was a little like this though....

Pickles, Popcorn, and Popsicles

Do you think I could create a diet with those three things? The three Ps! I wish I could lose twenty pounds eating the three Ps! I probably could if that was all I ate....hmmmmmmmm. That might get old. Maybe this will satisfy my salty/sweet tooth for now.

More Games at arcadecabin.com | Cool Generators

Father's DAY!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there, and especially to my two favorite dads of all time! I love you both very much. Chris, when I watch you with our children, I count my lucky stars! Dad, though it hasn't always been perfect, we have made leaps and bound in our relationship and I'm thankful.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

My son Jake is 9 today! I remember having him in the hospital 9 years ago, the most traumatic birth of all three of my children, but so worth it! He is a gift!

Waitin'

So I picked up a second job waiting tables. I've waited tables off and on for about ten years , so this seemed like the easiest thing to start to do again. I really want to start saving money for a down payment for a house, and though I do have a full time job, three kids are very expensive! For those of you who have NEVER waited tables, it is not as easy as it looks. You have to put up with a lot of bull. I'm pretty good at it because I am a service pacifist. I hate confrontation, and I like to make people happy. So, I understand the term "the customer is always right".

What I have noticed in the many years of waiting tables is that it is the same story, different actors. You have the SAME archetypes working in the restaurant business. it's almost comical. here are some that I have noticed at the new restaurant, that I have known at every restaurant I have ever worked at.

1. The MegaWitch - She complains about EVERYTHING: Tips, what she is expected to do, the guests, the other servers, the weather, etc. She is a pain to work with, she's never happy, and she has been there longer than you!

2. The Greediest Server Ever - In general, servers are there to make money. In that sense I guess there is a bit of greed, but there is always the one server who is the greediest of the bunch. He, usually a guy, will do anything to make a buck. He will take on too many tables, he will sacrifice the kitchen ("the kitchen is running really slow tonight" when in fact he forgot to put your order in), he will be cheap on the tip out, he will bitch and moan if you get the party he wanted, and he will always, always brag about his tips.

3. The Crazy Kitchen Guy - He is an ass. He yells and screams at the servers. He is rude, crude, makes bad jokes, but is amazing with the homemade lobster bisque. You've seen those reality cooking shows. I guess its a prerequisite if your going to be a food genius to be an asshole.

4. The Way Too Dedicated Manager - Company guy who haunts the restaurant 80 hours a week. He is so dedicated he has a coronary when things are not going just right. This is his baby, and you have to do right by it. I can respect a hard worker, but the obsession of some these guys is just strange.

If I've forgot any let me know!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sometimes I get really bored, and only a mindless AddictingGame can cure that kind of boredom! This game is my favorite because it really isn't as mindless as you may think. You have to think about negative space and that makes me think I COULD be a math genius! Not really, but the BAKER looks like Jon Lovitz and that makes me laugh!

Play Games at AddictingGames

A Mother's Gift to the World

I hope everyone is having a great Mother's Day! Amidst all the gifts (Click here to check out mine!)remember as a mother you have also given a gift to the world! This truth was clarified to me when I received this email from my mother~



Monica,

I wrote this mother's day poem about 25 years ago. I JUST REALIZED IT IS UNFINISHED. Please add the next stanza. Happy Mother's Day. Love your mother.

I GAVE A GIFT TO THE WORLD,
OF MY OWN MAKING AND NURTURE,
HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE AND PASSION.
THERE STANDS MY GIFT
MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN MICHAEL ANGELO'S STONE
MORE MYSTERIOUS THAN DA VINCI'S OWN.


Wow...It's true. Our children are the true gifts. This is the poem with the stanza I added.


I GAVE A GIFT TO THE WORLD,
OF MY OWN MAKING AND NURTURE,
HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE AND PASSION.
THERE STANDS MY GIFT
MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN MICHAEL ANGELO'S STONE
MORE MYSTERIOUS THAN DA VINCI'S OWN.

I GAVE A GIFT TO THE WORLD,
AND THAT GIFT RECIPROCATED,
MULTIPLIED AND DIVIDED INTO GLEAMING FACETS.
MY OFFERING IS ETERNAL REPRODUCTION,
AS SOPHISTICATED AS THE MAYAN SPAN OF TIME
AS INFINITE AS THE THEORIES OF EINSTEIN.



We've decided that we are going to add a stanza every year. What a wonderful "gift" my mother has given me. Thank you Mom! I love you!

In anticipation of Jake's birthday!

Jakob, my middle boy, has his birthday weekend all lined up! He wants to see Pirates of the Caribbean, go to a baseball game, AND have a birthday party! His birthday just happens to fall during the Memorial Day weekend this year, so we have an extra day to party. Jakob's party last year was lots of fun. So fun, in fact, I created a birthday music video for him. Just call it Jake's Apple Tree~

(be sure to silence my music mayhem on the left so you can hear the music accompaniment!)

Jake's Apple Tree

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My Muse!

My friend Sarah is an amazing artist! A few years ago she "talked" me into taking a painting class with her at a time that I really needed a creative outlet. It was the best thing that could have happen to me at that time in my life. I was stifled and Miss Sarah B gave me the opportunity to express myself. After the class was over, she continued to teach me on her own time. We would meet at her apartment on Monday nights up until she went back to Chattanooga. I miss her so much! And I miss our wine drenched Monday night painting sessions. She recently sent me pictures from her art show, and I was floored. Most exciting is that she sold some pieces! Below are some of my favorite pictures from her art show. She is so awesome!

Busiest Month ever!

I spoke to my dad this past week and he said, "Why haven't you called me?"
"I've been so busy Dad!" was my reply.
and he agreed, "You're the busiest person I know!"
I don't know if that's true, but I have been very busy in the last couple of weeks with life, school, and the kids.

Some of the things that happened or are happening this month (yes and we are only at the beginning!):

Gabe will be starting private viola lessons May 8th

Alyssa and Jakob's soccer season is winding down so trophies had to be ordered, money collected, and banquet planned (Chris and I are the team coaches!)

I will be beginning my graduate classes May 10th

May 4th was my mother's birthday

May 5th was Cinco de Mayo (so many people don't know what it's all about so click the link to learn)

May 5th was Sarah Sherfey's Art Show in Chattown! (She is my muse in everything artistic)

May 5th was the wildest Peruvian Party ever celebrating the graduation of Claudia and Pia!

May 6th is the wedding date of Jake Briggs and his lovely wife!

There are so many more miniscule things that had to be taken care of and organized in the last couple of weeks as well! We aren't even half way through the month yet!

Oh and how could I forget! one more entry to the list:

Spiderman 3 came out and so requires a family outing (50 dollares for tickets! No popcorn for anyone!)

So I'm off...how was your month?

Cool Music and Art!

I am SERIOUS about music

You are the music while the music lasts.
T. S. Eliot
I am a music lover. It may sound cliché, but I do have very eclectic taste, and I listen to almost everything. I can see the merit in so many songs, bands, and genres, and I want to absorb it all. It KILLS me that I am not an expert on ALL music. I want to be a bottomless vessel of music knowledge, filled to the brim with first hits, previous bands, and best songs. I want to be able to spout appropriate lyrics just at the right moment during intense conversations, and make interesting music analogies to support arguments. In the spirit of the above quote I will make a music commitment. For 365 days I will blog about music, songs, instruments, bands, lyrics, and anything else I think is significant to the love of the tune. I am by no means an expert, though that wish lives in my heart or hearts. Please help me by sending suggestions, music information, interesting lyrics, pictures, rants, and raves. So while the music lasts, I’ll be the music- blogger ;~ )

March Madness?

This is Spar-ta! Chris took me to see 300 this weekend and I was floored! We had to wait until 10:00pm to get a ticket because all the earlier shows were sold out. I was very tired and wondered how I would stay awake through a two hour movie! HA! I couldn't have slept through that movie even if I had been up for a week prior! It is an amazing movie! It makes me want to paint pictures in vivid comic book colors! It makes me want to go back to school and major is ancient historical battles! It makes me want to be a Spartan woman (I think maybe I was in another life!) It makes me want to wash clothes on the abs of those scantily clad Grecians! Even if you haven't been to the movies in 10 years, you must go see this movie. Don't wait until it goes to video! Don't wait 10 years for ABC to put it on the Saturday night movie special. Don't wait until you can buy it for 5 bucks at the thrift store! SEE IT NOW! If you are still skeptical, check out the trailer below. I have many favorite lines and parts that I would recommend to you, the viewer, but I want you to notice the unspoken power of the Spartan queen when she gives King Leonidas the nod to do what he must to send the message to the Persians!

Oompa Loompa Doompadi doo I have another story for you….I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and as a kid I was a little obsessed with the book and the movie. When Nestle created the Wonka candy line… I was first in line. I have been a fan ever since. Nerds, Runts, Fun Dip, Tart and Tinys (remember how they were little cylinders?!), and Bottle Caps were all given their fair shot as being my favorite Wonka candy. I was enamored, though, with the Everlasting Gobstopper, a jawbreaker that changed colors and seemed to last forever, hence the name. I think I liked the way it changed colors more than the actual flavor. It was FUN to eat, like the book was FUN to read, and the movie was FUN to watch. As I grew older my palate matured and I discovered the Wonka Bar. I love candy, but this is my all time favorite. The reason I reminisce about such things is because I was reminded of my fondness for the Wonka Bar by a very thoughtful gift today. At work we have the staff morale building Secret Pal program. If you don’t know about Secret Pals I’ll give you a quick run down. You choose a name from the "hat" and buy little gifts for that person during the week to brighten their days. Of course someone reciprocates your good deeds by getting you little gifts too. You usually fill out a questionnaire about your likes and dislikes, allergies, and whatever else you want your person to know about you. I was pretty thorough, but forgot to mention the ever loved Wonka Bar on the most recent list of favorites. That’s where a good secret pal does some research on you and asks around. I was lucky enough to have some coworkers remember my rabid passion for Wonka candy. Today my secret pal left me a pink polka dotted bag (very cute all by itself) full of TEN Wonka Golden Crème Eggs! I almost died with excitement because this was a new candy I had not tried. They are….incredibly delicious! Very much like my favorite Wonka Bar, but with caramel in the center. It makes me think of Veruca Salt and how she wanted it all, but couldn’t have it because she was a bad egg. I, obviously, am a very good egg.

Hemingway's library

Libraries are great! Being a public school teacher, I have visited my school library on many occasions, but I haven't been to a public library in a while. I went today in search of bilingual children's books for a student who doesn't speak one word of English, and some drama duos and monologues for my forensics team. I hit pay dirt with the Spanish literature, not so good with the drama. It seems all the monologues were not "age appropriate". The librarians were helpful and knowledgeable. The library was inviting and well lit (reminding me of a Clean Well-Lighted Place). This brought back memories of when I was a kid and would trek to the library, a mile away, on boring summer days, or visiting Grandma is the summer (where my husband will contest is the HOTTEST place on Earth) and sitting in the air conditioning reading and playing board games with my cousins. AWWWWW nostalgia! I'm glad my children were as exciting about the outing as I was. Even my thirteen year old was excited about the possibility of checking out "music".

"Like CD's?" I asked.
"No, like books of sheet music!" he replied.

Duh, MOM, you know you have a little Mozart on your hands. Alyssa was winning over all the library staff, too. She helped the library's security officer clean up the children's section. She beamed the whole time and received accolades from the librarians when she finally approached the check out desk. Over all it was a nice way to spend the evening. Next outing the MUSEUM!

Presidents and Tea Parties

The Boston Tea Party it was not, but nonetheless very enjoyable. In celebration of the long President's Day weekend Alyssa, Sarah, and I had a "Teddy Bear Tea Party"! We made a reservation at The Painted Lady and had a very nice time! I had a pot of Golden Tipped Deejeerling and Alyssa and Sarah had a pot of Apricot. Sarah insists I should be English because of the enthusisam of my tea drinking. I drank all of my pot and about 3/4 of Alyssa's pot. I guess being an "English" teacher sets me up for that! BAD JOKE! I hope everyone has a great long weekend!

V-Day!

Hugs and kisses! Happy Valentines Day!

Smart Art!

http://webexhibits.org/colorart/

Check out this site! This site allows you to create your own 'Marilyn' prints in real time on screen with an embedded flash file. Very Cool! It also has some other neat interactive pages dealing with color and art! I love it!

Running on Empty

There is always so much to do and never enough time to do it! I feel like I am constantly on the go! I need a vacation, a maid, a personal assistant, a nanny, etcetera, etcetera. Any volunteers?

Humble Pie

I saw this video the other morning. If anyone knows me, they know I am a huge Johnny Cash fan. Johnny Cash was an incredible musician, as well as a very organic public figure. No matter how much he had, he was humble. He gave roots to inventive music. Johnny could take something old, and make it new, make it his own. I believe that is why he is such a figure of inspiration for many artist today. I read all over the web how some people hated this video. They didn't get how a man who wore black because of his support for the poor and downtrodden could be honored by a bunch of rich celebrities, some not very humble at all. Maybe you won't get it either, but I did. If anything, enjoy the song. It's amazing.

Gabe is going to be a rockstar!

My big baby is so entertaining! He's the one singing, though he is a virtuoso on the viola too! He really has some musical talent. Check him out at his school program. They left his group for last....because they always leave the best for last!

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