LOST

not on THE island though. too bad, because they get paid big bucks to be lost.

but i'm lost because i miss my "kids". all 108 of them. i most recently quit my job at a small Adventist school on the island here and was just thinking about how fun it was to be their secretary. scrapes, bumps and boo-boos. tardy slips and notes of excuse. uniform fines and spectacular show-offs. and most of all, the best hugs you've ever gotten ;)

lost is okay though. just sad sometimes. i'm on a mission now. not mars, but then i do have boys...

smiles

analogy

life is like a bag of peanut M&M's.

its short.
it sucks.
so enjoy the chocolate.
before you go nuts.

my lil' politician

i wish life could be lived in the simplicity of childish thought. granted it might be chaotic in some areas, and lacking in others, but when it comes to politics it might just be downright fun.

as prayers began tonight, the bedside ritual, my lil' politician made his debut speech. after the perfunctory thanks for the day, forgiveness of sins, he moved with ease and agility to this fiasco we call the presidential race.

"God, please bless Sarah Palin, Barack Obama... and who's the other one?... Oh yeah, please bless his vice president, too. (Where did McCain go?...) Help them to really enjoy being president. And make the right choices as they take care of us. Patrick, any prayer requests..."

i give him kudos, he even remembered some names. what are they watching during the day? i'm guessing the debate was high on the list today.

in the end, my prayers go with whoever God chooses to put in office. not so much who gets there, but as lil' man said, more how they make the choices that take care of us. amen.

goods.

today was a good day. new pair or slacks, pretty pink sweater, the soft scent of rain, sunshine peeking through the clouds and adding a trace of color to the sky, traffic that flowed, the laughter of friends, kisses from my boyz, bubsy telling me "just three more minutes mommy, i'm going to sit on your lap here because people do that when they love each other", boogers pride over wrenching a bad habit out of his mouth (poor thumb really ;)), precision 360 kick WHILE leaving the ground (booya!), girlfriends with funny nicknames, trial run at remembering how to play piano, laughing at myself as i realize just how much i have forgotten, 14 days until the hubby makes it home, beating super mario at his own game, Auntie Penny's shepherds pie, shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate from the big island, girly glee over hot cars, the prospect of visits from the mainland, and last but not least a cool, tasty glass of cran-raspberry juice...

somedays, the best part is remembering what has been good. God bless!

way to go, dad.

i think i've had my fill of "banner" father figures for one day. for the week really. and by "banner" i in no way intend to say that they should be on display. more likely they should be in the closet, and with the events i saw today i'm thinking prison might not be too far off.

so my boys and i are sitting on the beach today minding our own sand-crafting, wave-splashing business when i chance to look over and see a father burying their child in sand. this would seem a trivial event, i mean we are at the beach. what else do you do at the beach than mock bury the kids who drive you nuts and splash, tag and dunk them a few times for a bit of stress relief?

but as i observe what is thought to be happy moment, i see that not only is he burying his child but he is heaping load after load of sand upon her chest and fashioning them into giNORmous mounds. this leaving her more bountiful than a couple of trips to the plastic surgeons office. holy cats, batman, you have got to be kidding me!

you would think he would stop there. i mean much further and we may as well tattoo pervert on his forehead. heaven knows some labels are much deserved. but he doesn't stop there, he goes on as if to dare anyone to see him as anything less than honorable as he takes copious amounts of pictures. from EVERY angle. that's right, pose for me little sista, this is gonna go nice in my gallery. sicko.

what hurts the most however is the mother standing by while father stages multiple, inappropriate sexual innuendos during "play" time. does she not see it... does she not SEE IT?!

and then, as if my day needed topping off, i see a dad laughingly put a pink cap gun to his daughters head, demand all her money and then blow her brains to oblivion. honestly now. we wonder why society is the way it is.

at the end of the day i felt expressly happy about the 20 superb fathers i could name off-hand for each of the grossly dysfunctional two i saw today. and even more happy for my bubbly children and their guileless approach to a disturbing world.

innocence really is bliss.

i've learned that...

there are points in life that you will have to make a decision that no one is going to understand. but that doesn't mean you don't decide. it just means you do a lot of explaining or learn the hand actions to "what ever loser".

dogs do not belong in their very own stroller. puffed and pink or not. its just wrong.

watching a bowl-legged walker can be a painful experience. how do they do it when every step looks like the knee is going to let loose with gummy worm acrobatics?

if you really consider your life and what makes it tick, are you equally willing to consider what you would do (or become) without it?

too much of life is spent voicing our "opinions" rather than understanding the facts.

even "Coach" looks silly as a gold-plated, quilt-stitched, hi-top tennis shoe. especially when you see what they're asking for it.

hearing loss cannot be tagged as "plugged" ears. nor a short-term sinus infection as "allergies". denial comes in many forms and only gets worse as we get older.

the 80's era never leaves. it just keeps recirculating itself as bad fashion and neon colors. there is a reason leg warmers went out of style and it should have stayed that way.



and this is just in one day. what have you "learned" today?

girls night

it was girls night out tonight. no hubbies. no kids. no worries.

we went to the cheesecake factory. what a place though, good food, lotsa "cheese". lol! zeee grins that is. we laughed the night away and it was wonderful. God is good to give us girlfriends, where would we be without them?

fyi. a clean croc is a happy croc. i just want you to know that. i learned that tonight. its true. and i'm smarter for knowing it, i'm sure.

have a g'night.

juggle this.

no. 27

gade me miggle.

27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.


you looned spately?

sweet bundle o' love!

i have a baby neice! and she was quite the little chunk of a lady, too. so adorable, so squishy. babies are so sweet. they bunch up, bend this way and that, coo at the smallest thing and remind you why God is good and that next breath is worth the effort.

we flew crazy-like across the pacific to join the happy family in their new adventure. charge me twice, maybe even thrice and i'd still say its worth the venture. it was SO amazing to see my little "hershey". she looks like her daddy and melts with her mommy. it is just fabulous, a moment that cannot be replaced.

congratulations, Sarah & Andre!

"little" logic

as i lay in bed with my 5-year-old tonight, i am given insight into a new way to look at this short blip in time. with the expected kiddle requests and a few extra cuddles we ponder the imponderables. "i miss daddy" i say. i openly admit i need those hugs and kisses every day. "me, too" comes the reply. "only the hugs though, kisses are disgusting". (5 year old logic is so adorable). "but i don't miss daddy". as i wonder how this is possible, he finishes my thought with an answer. simple and true. "i don't miss him, he just has to go to work for a long time, but he's coming back, he loves me."

he doesn't have to miss his daddy, he just has to wait for that big ol' bear of love to grin his way again. and he's sure, downright positive that the reason he doesn't have to miss him is because he's not really gone. he loves me. that's all that counts. and that's what keeps him "here".

so now, i don't miss him. he loves me. thanks bubsy, i love you.

life's simple pleasures

i walked in tonight to the peaceful home of a happy family. somedays i wonder if they really are mine. and then one farts and giggles, the other pun's another moment into history, and the biggest of the children gives me a swift swat on the butt. grrr, baby. yep, they're mine.

there are days when babe and i are talking and we remember one of "those moments". the kind that take your breath away. like a mini-bon, extra icing and a good friend, a cup o' joe to ease up on the morning grind or a whiff of the fresh blossom begging for your attention as the dew settles in the grass. something to make you smile and remember that beneath it all, you are dearly loved.

these moments are the ones where it hits you that something spectacular has happened in your life and somewhere along the way you might have taken it for granted after the newness has worn off. like that great someone you have found lying next to you every morning for the past 6 years. he still smiles as he opens his eyes to find you trying to push sleep out of your mind long enough to say i love you to your knight in shining armor. the little one who's gruff retort seems so long ago as he cuddles up with hugs and kisses telling you you are the "best mommy ever!" the little man ditching independence for the comfort of your pride and adoration at the newest achievement. sometimes the best moments, ones that take your breath away, are the ones when you realize what you already have.

life is too short to take for granted. those moments are all that count. it might be a husband and two children, it might be a puppy who has stolen your heart, a friend who knows you and still loves you or a cushy couch, blanket and a few blank pages. either way its good to stop now and then for one of "those moments". to remember all the joy that could otherwise be passing you by without so much as a nod.

all of this thought over a brisk, rush of fresh, cool air and a contented feeling. God is good, isn't he?

how do you say...

if children are nothing else, they are a constant source of crack-up humor and enlightening viewpoints. here's an example...

as i was folding clothes yesterday, my ever helpful Bubsy comes rambling in.

"oh! can i help, mommy?!"

what mother turns down such an offer. i mean, what sane one? so he starts to help. in his manner this means sifting through to find the article he thinks i should fold next.

insert the bra. as he sifts, grabs and deposits, the comments are priceless. not to mention hilarious.

"a bra, mommy. girls wear bras, boys don't."

that's right, Bubsy, remember that one. he continues.

"girls wear bra's to cover up their nipples." (cough, cough) "why is it you don't want your nipples to show again?"

my advice, never have a kid if there's even a minute possibility that you aren't willing to answer the weirdest questions. just a thought.

tag. you're it.

What were you doing five years ago?
wow. eeons. i was... i'm so lame i can't remember. or maybe my life was lame. you pick... oh yeah, i was recovering from the birth of Patrick (little did i know it would take centuries to recover from that one) and living in Sacramento doing the whole SAHM thing. wow, i'm exciting.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (in no particular order)?
1. visit Gregg & Amy
2. bbq
3. r&r
now this, i am looking forward to.

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. brownies
2. starbucks, iced mocha
3. cheeze-its
4. Jamba Juice
5. french fries

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. pay off bills
2. put my children through private school without a wink
3. sponsor mission trips
4. learn how to surf (hey, if i have money, then i have time, too...)
5. Feed some children. Lots of them. (i'm going to be lame and say ditto. this is a good one)

What are five of your bad habits?
1. OCD tendencies
2. touching my face
3. laughing inappropriately (when its funny, its funny, what can i say?)
4. forgetting to pray
5. trying to fix what cannot be fixed


What are five places where you have lived?
1. Spokane, WA
2. Seattle, WA
3. Sacramento, CA
4. San Diego, CA
5. Oahu

What are five jobs you've had?
1. nursing assistant
2. krispi kreme doughnuts (some of the best jobs have to do with glazed doughnuts)
3. SAHM
4. Sears Stockroom (fun times)
5. Secretary / Registrar (amazingly, nothing to do with my degree... hmmm...)


okay, i have no idea who i'm tagging... really, they've all been tagged i think. i'm sad. i'll find who i can ;)

the Mork Family
greekspeedoman
icerenck

late-uh.
smiles

cool beans

lol. i love that phrase.

anywho. two things.

i went boogie boarding for the first time. what a blast! the first real wave i caught carried me all the way to shore and dumped me out on the sand. as i looked up though i found a crowd of hawaiians staring at me. smirk on face. maybe its because i'm so hot. but then maybe its because i was the crazy, haole girl, hootin' and hollerin' over the 2-foot wave carrying her the measly 20 feet to shore.

i'd like to think it's cause i was hot.

second. i'm a yellow belt now. booya.

took my first test on Tuesday and it felt so good to get 'er done. it was crazy, nerve racking to stand up in front of everyone, all by my lonesome and throw my appendages around like i knew what i was doing while my instructor giggled in my direction. i'm a cheater and it cracks her up. some people's sense of humor. really now. just because i took kickboxing and therefore knew the kicks... and because i watched my little booger advance and took note of his forms... i guess i cheated a bit ;)

but i did it. i'm ecstatic. i may still rank like a pigeon in the bird scheme, but someday i'm gonna be a bald eagle. minus the bald part.

that's all folks. g'night ;)

silence is lost

i thought of this picture (appropriately pasted on a t-shirt gift to my brother) today as i stood in line waiting to return my smart, chic, affordable and yet poorly sized garments. it occurred to me that silence is a dying phenomenon. cell phones ringing, purchase-inducing music blaring, billboards chanting those subliminal messages.. you must have me, you must buy me, you must go broke using your all-American credit card.. okay, that's just in my head. still... chatty Kathy running out her dying battery and a gal in front of me frantically texting away to what i'm sure is her five favorite people of the moment. i have never seen fingers move so fast or time move so slow.

it's pretty much a flat-out miracle to find a moment in life anymore where someone cannot reach you. where nothing but the cadence of your own breath is heard. even now as i sit here typing i have the television babbling to my left, vacuum cleaners going in the distance, the neighbors bbq rollin' on and the constant drone of an oscillating fan.

silence definitely is golden and when i find it someday i'll be rich. until then...

i'm going to go buy me some duct tape.

and we all say... amen

bubsy's prayer tonight ended with giggles all around. he patiently asked (okay, i'm kidding, this is bubs we're talking about here...) but he asked to finish the prayers so who are we to say no?!

"... Thank you Jesus for your compassion, mercy, grace. And feed the people, Jesus. Don't feed them bones, they're disgusting. Just feed them honey. Thank you Jesus for hearing our prayers, Amen."

i don't think prayers get any sweeter than from the mouths of babes ;) have you said your prayers tonight?

smiles

morbid humor

i laugh at my kids.

no really, i do. i'm not kidding. and i don't mean some simple, little, giggle at their silly antics. i mean bust up laughing, double over, slap the thigh, roarin' laughter. you'd think there's sommething wrong with me for being like this, but if you were there, you'd have busted up, too. we'd be laughin' buddies.

we spent a day at Bellows Beach today. its a gorgeous beach. talk about pristine paradise! seriously this is where they get all those post cards from HI. the beach is about a mile long with a light, sandy beach and water that's the definition of turquoise. in all of its beautiful shades. this beach is fabulous in that 30 feet out my oldest can still touch. the waves are minimal with a slight blurp thrown in now and then. its a load of fun.

in the midst of that tranquility there are my boys. squealing and laughing as they romp in the water and waves. it's definitely a day to remember. especially the first time bubsy took a roll. it makes me laugh even now just picturing it, i wish you could've seen it, you'd know why i'm so awful.

there's something about watching your kid tumble in the waves, come up blowing saltwater snot rockets, gurgling from the whole event and lookin' like the raging bull who just saw the red flag. i think he actually cursed the wave out in his big boy manner ... finger pointing, arms flailing, speaking to the wave, "don't do that! i'm leaving you!" and with that he stalked off up the beach to seek refuge on a towle in the sun. i'm thinking that looking up to find me bursting with laughter really didn't help the situation. just a guess.

maybe he'll laugh at it down the road. maybe not. either way, it'll hit my funny bone for as long as i have memory. poor booger, waves are MEAN. and mommy's? yeah, sometimes we are worse ;)

tae kwon who?

i stink. literally. well, i did anyway. not right now thanks to the glorious invention called showers. but in some funny way it felt totally sexy to be stinky tonight. to have sweat pouring down my face, muscles wearing from use. mmm, good stuff.

not convinced? well, you shoulda been there. that's all i have to say.

its fun i've found, looking like an offical "Michelin" man, ballooning on all sides from the puffy exterior of my uniform. (if i was really savvy i would tell you the technical name for the garb. i'm not savvy though. nor technical really.) but as i donned the white belt i felt a pride in being at the bottom of the totem pole. up is the only way, baby. bring it.

so as i whirled and twirled, maybe even teetered a little on the brink of an all-out-flail, i had some of the most fun i've had in awhile. i'm thinking that i like a challenge. oh, who am i kidding?? i LOVE a challenge. give me a chance and i will strive to prove you wrong about any abilities i may (or may not) hold. even when success is not the outcome, the effort is worth the opportunity to excel.


i feel like i'm preaching a sermon from the Sabbath pulpit, but MAN, life feels good when you do something about it. rather than letting it do something about you.

okay, that's it. all i got.

isn't life good?!

one part this

yesterday i was sitting on the logs by the playground, biding my time until i could leave for home. the kids are getting to know me pretty well at school now so they come up with all sorts of odd questions. i admit it feels pretty nice to be known so fondly as "Auntie Rachel" as the kids give me hug after hug and loads of warm praise. they really do make my day.

this day was just like the others, only the one sparking conversation approached me with a mission. he had a question, i could tell. so he came up and asked me if Michael was part Indian.

lol. Michael has been bragging about being Indian (all 1/16th of it, but hey, its there, he's gonna count it). ever since he found out, everything is attributed to being "Indian". he kicks harder, "hey, i'm Indian". he does target practice better, "hey, i'm Indian". he even adds better, "hey i'm Indian". everything is better being an Indian. tell him he could wear feathers, quiver and arrows and he'd be all over it.

but his friend was flat out serious. he wanted to know, was Michael part Indian or not? and it wasn't what he was asking, so much as how he was asking. in the middle of his question, with a quick gander at his limbs, imagining his arm in a fraction, he wants to know which literal part of Michael it is. head, foot, toe or finger, come on now, he wants to know!

crack me up. kids are so hilarious. i just love 'em ;)