My view!

Rosie O'Donnell....I've lost total respect for you. I don't like you!

I watch The View and I get disgusted every times she opens her mouth. She speaks as though our government is the only government that does things behind its people's back. I'm tired of hearing how the Middle East governments are diplomatically not accountable for how ALMOST the entire world views them. Do they not blow each other up? Do they not terrorize tourists? Do they not treat them women like they were slugs? Do they not allow MOST women and girls the chance of education? Are the women not raped and beaten? Hello?

Back to Iran. Who's right? Were the English in Iranian waters or Iraqi waters? The Iranian say they were in Iranian water. The English say they have GPS proof that they were 2 miles outside the Iranian boundary waters.....safe in Iraqi waters.

I'm sorry Barbara Walters and ABC.......you made a mistake. You ruined The View. It's no longer The View. It's Rosie's view. Nobody elses. Yeah, she has improved your ratings...for now. But once we all get tired of her rants....then what will you do?

I'm sickened.

Revelations

Am I the only one worried about the latest confrontation with Iran?

I'm sick with worry. Literally.

This country is strong. We are proud. And we are the last to admit our wrongs. And this time, we aren't in the forefront but our "mother" is. But as her children, we stand behind "her" and show our muscle by sending troops out to the waters where it all began. Not sure how many English naval soldiers were taken, but they were taken by the Iranian government. So now "mother" is angry....so are we.

We are already in Iraq. Iraq was easy prey, I would say. Iran...not. If we go to war with Iran, what would the consequences be? They aren't a country divided. They are well armed, well trained. And not afraid to fight. They are well established and have most of the Middle East on their side. They are the "mother" country to all terrorists, far and wide. And...they are NUCLEAR capable. Why do you think most of the United Nations want to sanction their ass? Oh let's not forget North Korea...their allie. Geez, can this country handle going to war with Iran?

Most of our soldiers are tired and worn out. They just want to get home and chill. Relax with their families before heading out....again. We are stretched way too thin as it is. Heck, they are thinking of changing the "Don't ask, don't tell" rule. Not enough straight men and women....so let's call up the gays. So they are willing to overlook this rule. (Mind you, it's about time. They are just as capable of fighting, dying, and supporting our country as the rest of them. Thought that rule was tooooo stupid.)

So what does this country do? We are so proud. We don't back down from a fight. Do we stand up and back England? Can we afford to? Am I willing to risk having my husband go to a country that is literally mean in fighting? Iran is a threat. Once we go in.....if we do....it's a fight-to-the-death war. I don't see an end.

So here I stand. Scared shitless. Wondering............

I just hope "mother" can get out of this without calling on her children.

Gandalf

Another reason to own a German Shepherd!

Gandalf

He looks EXACTLY like Daisy! Scary...........

Amber Alert

Please God, bring little Myachel home! I pray to you God, please, please protect her and lead her home. No mother deserves this torment.

Sheer Genius!

Matthew. My Matthew!

The kid has a talent of letting you think he is a dumbo and then pulls Bill Gates out of his brain. What the....? Okay, he is only 9 years old and in 3rd grade. I'm not calling Harvard yet. LOL! "What gives?" You might be asking yourself. Thursday afternoon, he comes home and tells me he has a note from the teacher. I dig through his backpack and find an envelope. Not usually a good sign. I open it up slowly and take a deep breath. "What am I going to have to ground him for?" is the thought running through my head. I open up the letter and it's type written. Another not-so-good sign which means it could be coming from the counselor or principle. Ugh! I read the note.

He PASSED his TAKS (It's like the SAT for elementary and high school kids) exam in reading. Cool! So I unfold the other piece of paper and read the results. OMG! He aced the exam. ACED IT! Out of 2500 points, he got a 2487. He missed only 1 question. Only 1. OMG! And as I'm reading this and totally freaking out...Matthew pulls out another test score. Not the dreaded TAKS mind you but another very important exam. (Texas just loves to test the fiesta out of the children...no joke!) It was the Math Curriculum Based Assessment. He got a freaking 100%!

Then after all the hugs and high fives....I have to help him untie the knot in his shoestrings.

Running on crack...............

Aye! That's what I've been doing for about 2 months now.

I run a lot you see. I run almost every morning. Lately, not so much because I've discovered this thing called YOGA. Yeah, that is what I said. Not the "ohhhhhmm!" stuff. Not the rest-and-relaxation-meditate-till-your-brain-dead kind. Never. Not that. It's the sweaty kind. Bend-until-you-break kind. Balance-till-your-body-vibrates kind. It's awesome!

But I'm off of topic here. Well, one day while running. Something just cracked. (Figuritely and literally) My running times were waaaay too awesome and it was just getting way to easy for me. The running was just a bit "bouncier". Then it occurred to me that the tread felt about the same as it did when the first running board failed. "Not again." I thought. So after my 10 mile run, I got off. I took my shower. I got dressed. I walked into the kitchen and then stopped. Turned around and went to the now closed treadmill. I turned on the overhead light in the living room and looked. Really looked closely at the treadmill. I saw it. Oh yes. I saw the crack. But I rubbed my eyes anyway and looked again. Then stuck my hand inside, between board and rubber tread. I felt the crack. It was pretty big. "Not again." I thought. So as soon as the boys got up and ready for school and finished their breakfast and Lauren had woken and had eaten her breakfast, I called NordicTrac.

Customer service sucks. The dude thought I must have been a heifer because this was the second time I had called for the same thing in a year. No, not a heifer as my friends and family can testify too. Now if this had been 7-8 years ago...then story would have been different. Anyway, he asked my weight. I told him. I can hear by the tone of his voice he didn't believe me. "Whatever dude." I thought to myself. Then he tells me I have to pay for the new board. No, I don't. I've learned over the past 4 treadmills or so that you must buy extended warranty especially if you are me. Like I said in the second paragraph, I run a LOT! We argue a bit and then realizes he is looking at my old treadmill I used to own that was also a NordicTrac....previouslly known as "Precious". She was a good treadmill...until I ran her motor to the ground. (Okay, my friends husband finished her off! LOL!) But anyway, he realizes he is looking at the wrong serial number and he made a mistake. (Gasp!) Then he informs me that he can't help me but to call the warranty department. Okaaaaay. I call them and of course they are closed. But the next day....they were very nice once I got a hold of them and had my new board shipped that day and recieved it at the end of the week. Same day, the technician calls and we schedule the appointment for Wednesday....that just passed. Now my treadmill is fixed.

Now that I have the new board, the run is hard. My legs ache and I can barely breathe. (Could be because my sinuses are clogged. Damn spring weather!) The treadmill feels like brand new, again. So now I have to work harder to get better. The crack made the run easier. It made me faster. But in the end, it didn't help me at all. My legs are weaker and my breathing is harder. Now I have to start all over again. I have to regain the glory I once had.

So I guess the moral of this story is.....running on crack might be easy but it can mess you up in the end.

Don't show your underwear!

You know the old saying....

"Always wear clean underwear because you might be in an accident."

Well, the same saying goes for your house. Trust me, I know. Keep it clean because you might have sexy firemen called to your house to put out a fire!!

The Drive Home..............

Houston! We DID NOT have a problem!

Kemah, TX

This was the very first time for myself to see the Gulf Coast of Texas!

The Kemah Boardwalk

Homes on sticks!

The evening comes to a close! BEAUTIFUL!

The Drop Off

Only Matthew

The trip to Houston was filled with loads of drama. Yeah, D-R-A-M-A! You see this is how it began.......

We leave the house at 9am to drop Daisy off at the boarding facility. Poor Daisy. She was soooo scared. Literally shaking. I fill out the paperwork, unhook her collar, kiss her good-bye and left.

We drive to the nearest gas station to the school we are all to meet at. Bobby fills up the tank, I buy Matthew a bag of chips and all of us a soda for the trip.

We arrive at the elementary school around 9:45am (we were to be there at 10am). Matthew gets out to play with his friends while we wait for the whole group to arrive. It wasn't until almost 10:30am that we finally leave. Matthew's friend, Nathan, asks if Matthew can ride with them. Sure. I didn't care. Bad mistake!

We were maybe a half hour out of Bryan-College Station (home of Texas A&M University), the leader of the caravan (the pack leader) pulls over. Now he has everyone's cell number and we have his. The assistant leader kept the rear. So we all pull over. We didn't know what was going on. Until...........................

Nathan's dad gets out of his van. The pack leader walks directly to him. Next thing you know they are walking to our van. Uh-oh! I get out (wondering what was going on). Nathan's dad is smiling. It can't be that bad. Famous last words. He comes to me, smiling, and tells me there was an accident in his van. Matthew got car sick. We get to Matthew and he is covered in red soda and orange Doritos (the soda and chips I bought him for the trip). His uniform was ruined. The front seat (projectile) was covered. The seat he was in was covered. The floor was covered. This was NOT our van but Nathan's. I-chihuahua!! We used all of Lauren's wipes to clean up. Matthew had to put on his tomorrow clothes. The rest of the way....he rode with us. I was mortified. Embarrased. If I had a shovel, I would have dug myself a hole to China.

Nathan's dad was okay with all of this. He was laughing actually. We promised to pay the cleaning bill or we would clean it ourselves. Thankfully, he was a dad that had been there, done that.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. But I think from now on......Matthew will carry a barf bag around his neck on long trips!

February 3, 2007

He's 12!!
THE Cake!!
Make a wish!

Patrick (holding Lauren), Eric, Morgan (Harry Potter), Matthew (Peace!)

I mean.....I

Matthew (I mean I!) won 3rd place in the cake decorating contest at the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet yesterday. We made (I mean I!) made a volcano cake with moist dark, chocolate cake with milk chocolate icing. The "volcano" was stuffed with red hots (volcano has to be hot, ya know) with red (icing) lava oozing out the top and sides. Then I took mashed chocolatey-middle Oreos and sprinkled them on the sides and the base of the mountain to give it that bouldery "au natural" look.

My cake (I mean our cake) was called "Aloh-hot!"

To a "T"

Your Birthdate: August 4

You have an extraordinary character - moral, responsible, and disciplined. Your sincerely and honesty shine through in almost every situation. Driven and focused, you rarely let your emotions get the better of you. You're level headed and rational. People count on your to look at things objectively. Your strength: Your unwavering loyalty and ethics Your weakness: Your rock solid stubbornness Your power color: Navy blue Your power symbol: Shield Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Green, that's me!

Your Power Color is Green

You feel most at home in a world of ideas. You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge. You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience. Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What's Your Power Color?

Is there such thing as an ORANGE ROSE?

You Are an Orange Rose

You represent desire and enthusiasm Your vibe: Sexy yet familiar Falling in love with you: happens instantly - it's a fast ride

What Color Rose Are You?

Blue

Your Aura is Blue

Your Personality: Your natural warmth and intuition nurtures those around you. You are accepting and always follow your heart. You in Love: Relationships are your top priority, and this includes love. You are most happy when you are serious with someone. Your Career: You need to help others in your job to feel satistifed. You would be a great nurse, psychologist, or counselor.

What Color Is Your Aura?

Girl Next Door

You are Betty Grable

The ulitmate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

1971

In 1971 (the year you were born)

Richard Nixon is president of the US Charles Manson and 3 of his followers are convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder An earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley kills 64 people New York Times begins publication of classified Pentagon papers on US involvement in Vietnam The $70 million Kennedy Center opens in Washington, DC A four day revolt at New York's Attica state prison ends after being stormed by 1000 state troopers A new stock-market index called the Nasdaq debuts Walt Disney World opens Intel releases world's first microprocessor, the 4004 Ray Tomlinson sends the first e-mail Libertarian party established in USA Kid Rock, Denise Richards, Sean Astin, Winona Ryder, and Ricky Martin are born Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series Baltimore Colts win Superbowl V Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is published The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premeires on television "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel wins Grammy for song of the year All in the Family premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?