We will miss you gma max.Mj had to go first so he could sing in your welcoming choir;-)i'm sure there were trumpets galore! Kisses to you max.Reunited with joe.

mavericks snail patrol

i grew up in a little town south of san franciso on the coast.
home of pumpkins, fog, wave watching/surfing, and coffee shops.
where flip flops and sweatshirts are the norm.
don't leave home without your reefs.
have you ever heard of mavericks?
it's the home of mavericks too.
the moist climate provides lush agriculture.
and lots of snails.
we had a beautiful garden in our backyard.
not big, not small.
cozy and inviting.
complete with an outside heater, post remodel my senior year.
plants and flowers of every kind that would flourish in a town with more foggy days than sunny could be found.
i've always thought snails were interesting creatures.
they're quiet.
sticky and slimy, but they don't run from you.
there's something marvelous about animals that are completely free of fear from something 100 times their size.
i'm not too fond of their slimy trail, but i think their antennas are endearing.
and we all have shells right?
harmless little creatures.
but no good for a garden.
i didn't see my step mom weeding or mowing the lawn, but as the entire family will confirm we would often find her out on "snail patrol."
the poor little lovlies didn't stand a chance.
no pest control at our place.
the supreme goddess, also known as "gram" could be seen with a paper towel in hand (quilted?), and a plastic ziploc in another.
the little snails would be sealed and shipped away, so TA' speak.
i'm sure you fellow "gardening goddesses" will agree with her methods.
oh how i enjoy them on my window now.
happily slime-ing my window,
with their endearing antennas.
have you figured out which goddess you are?

green

we're recycling.
HOT DOG it feels GREAT.
much less "trash" as well.
meaning less garbage for s.d.gib to take out.
well, it's really the same amount of "taking out," but it feels like less.
my college roommate would be so proud.
she used to store old newspapers under the mat by her bed.
we're talking a huge mound of newspapers.
like Mt. Everest in our room, hiding under a pancake.
at the time i must admit, i thought it was a bit "granola,"
but now, i respect the woman!
thanks roomie!
kat, just know that amanda wanted to throw them all out one day, but i stopped her!
go me:-)
and know we're doing our little part.
i'm still not entirely sure of all of the rules "recycling" entails,
but i do know that the little 3 arrow pyramid is a GO.
the rest is a guess for now.
recycling goddess, please what are the rest of the rules?

toffee crumbs in my bed

i had a migraine last night.
they sneak up on me once or twice a year.
never at convenient times of course.
it all starts with the white spots in my eyes.
at which point i must pop some sort of over the counter pill,
banish myself to a dark place,
and try to sleep it off.
fortunately, sean was on his way home early so he stopped by to pick up the pork loin.
they went to the store for dinner supplies.
enchiladas.
extra tasty.
by the time they returned all was well in the head department.
a coke is always a good way to seal the healing deal of migraine invasion.
although bree did have a very coaxing offer of caffeine patches?
after our tummies were filled with enchilada and salad (with poppy seed dressing i might add, mmm), mom and grandma brought out tasty souvenirs from their recent trip to thailand.
butter cookies with toffee crumbs.
homemade from the shop of an old friend there.
as i ate i realized there were no nutrition facts listed on the box.
absent any labels of any sort.
this led me to eat more.
b/c as all goddesses know,
no nutrition facts label, no calories.
we almost ate the entire box.
then it was off to bed with angels and demons.
(i surely hope you're reading with us)
an early night while sean cleaned up the kitchen.
and for the 2nd time in our marriage i was fast asleep before he even got to bed.

should have paid more attention in world history

courtesy of google images

(the only "world history" image i could find had a naked woman in it, so i decided to skip it and post ol' abe)

we had some friends over for movies and popcorn on saturday night.

after a rousing round of "seven pounds" on the tube (which i understood much better the second time around),

we got into the discussion about how i had heard that

"north korea was threatening to bomb hawaii."

obviously, they do not have the appreciation for a tropical paradise as the all knowing and all powerful americans do.

from that point nuclear war was the topic we entered.

i sat in our lazy boy, legs crossed, hand up on my chin looking extremely intelligent, and i listened.

"they just don't have the resources to do it on their own. they'd need france, germany, or china," mentioned tenille.

at which point i thought, "i really should have paid more attention in world history."

i believe it was my 7th period class sophomore year that i missed twice a month for away games.

i think of myself as a educated and intelligent person.

i have nearly perfect verbal grammar (thanks dad and sandie), and a strong knowledge of elementary education.

i have learned more about babies and children than i knew existed (and nursing for that matter).

i am always reading a book, sometimes multiple books.

but if you ask me about world powers and who would have to team up with whom to be able to initiate a nuclear war?

you'll have to ask tenille.

she is very knowledgeable.

i would assume many of you are well educated in this genre.

as for me,

pass the cook books and the ABCs.

and don't go thinking i don't value education.

i am proud of my bachelor's degree.

even prouder of my husband's soon to be doctorate degree!

i am an advocate of education.

continuing education as well (which reminds me...i need to get going on updating my certification!).

life is for learning.

i'm just saying i would rather learn about babies and things of that sort than nuclear war.

it's much more rewarding.

and peaceful for that matter.

so i'll enjoy my blissful ignorance for now.

and learn from my "world history goddess" what i missed in 7th period sophomore year (sorry mr. bregey, i really did love your class, but i just can't remember most of it...sigh. we miss you!).

if you are interested in a well educated person in history and current events (with lots of personal opinion, sass, and grace) click here.

ol' blue eyes

his rosy cheeks
how you can hear his smile through the phone
water skiing, always dropping to the single ski
wake boarder, flips, jumps, turns and all
anti-snowboarder
easy like sunday morning
intellect
charm
burning down a chicken coup
painting himself black as a child
horse back riding
tassel shoes
cubans
beach
skiing
heli-ski
outdoors
lattes with cinnamon and brown raw sugar crystals on top
perfect grammar & etiquette
prime rib
bbq
ribs
Weber
master griller
less is more, especially with words
"the sigh"
7-11 slurpees
the store
the jag
baby blue mercedes
i said, "it's hot in here."
afro puff
curly hair
eloquent
ol' blue eyes
silver fox
tact
knowing just the right advice
grandfather ryan/grandpa
remote control motor boat with brennan
golf
tennis
basketball
professional
real estate guru
letters home to his parents explaining "C" grades in college
("we have this gig that is really hot right now. i'll get my grades up soon.")
iowa
driving home from giants games in the little benz with the top down and freezing fog
baby beluga and raffi
interrogating sean on the porch at the lake house
wine connoisseur
consistent
wise
adorable
loving
the very best around
i love you dad.
perfect in every way.
happy father's day.