my view...

so over the weekend i posted this... the view from my mom's kitchen window...

then i got a comment from my new friend Amy over at the bitchin wive club... who happens to be my brother's neighbor and good friend... that i should put out a tag to have everyone post a picture out their front door...or back.. and link it back to me...

i cheated because it's too late to take a photo so i picked one i took this time last year... snowing...
it's my first Mr Linky so don't leave me hangin'

it's time for fragments...

I figure that this may be the best way for me to get back in the swing of things...

i got home yesterday... took the o'dark hundred flight (aka 6 am) which meant i was up at 3:30... read finally decided to just get up because i couldn't sleep... there was some crazy storm with wind and rain... gusts up to 50... i didn't even think my plane would leave...

at the airport all was good... left on time... connection good... good seats... good seat mates...

at SeaTac my boys were waiting... what a treat because it is usually me driving myself home... big hugs happy faces... stop for lunch...

this is where the fun begins...

super hubby - your car wouldn't start this morning...
me - why...
super hubby - no idea...
me - we'll deal with that after the game...
super hubby - one other thing... the router at home is not working so we have no phone or internet... (we use vonage for our phone)
me - are you kidding me...
super hubby - no, but i'll figure something out...

(we are poaching from our neighbors so i can do my work, i'm not sure it is poaching if they know but thank goodness i don't have to try dial up or hang out Starbucks all day to do my work...)


drive to soccer game... we get slaughtered... i swear there are 7 year olds in this club that play better than high schoolers...

as we are driving home B announces he has to go... he can't wait... can he just pee in a cup in the car...

he's heard a story about my younger brother peeing in a coke can on a road
trip and frankly i think he just wanted to give it a try...

so we let him... i almost vomit from the idea and smell of it all...

home at last... it STINKS... gerbil cage is awful... maybe i will vomit... next thing i know C is running around with no pants on because he had an accident in the middle of the family room, super hubby is trying to charge my car to see if that is the problem... and tells me to call the fleet manager road side assistance... I'm on the phone with them trying to get C to put some clothes on... B to clean up his Lego's which have taken over so he can clean his gerbil cage... but mad because he was in the middle of building the ultimate Lego creation so now he is crying about it... the chaos is not coming out of my fingers the way it felt... you'll have to trust me...

they are sending a tow truck... but wait... now the car starts... i'm still having it towed to the dealership... it's only 8 months old... the battery shouldn't be dead and the lights on the dash should not be flashing...

we are all standing in the driveway watching the tow truck driver hook up to my car... the neighbors are now watching...just watching.. not asking what is going on... i've now decided they think my car is being repo'd... i decide i don't care... i'm exhausted... jet lagged and ready for bed...

it's now morning... and i have no idea what time it really is??? could W have just left it alone... i thought i fixed this all with the electronics... every clock in my house confuses me...

back to reality...

heading home... too bad I can't take the view and my parents with me...

heading home...

*** this is not my cheeriest post...and rambling... but I have to get these things out...

as I was getting on the plane I was wondering why I had picked a window seat... I'm a road warrior and I love my aisle seat... I settled in... tried to watch the movie... read my USA today... my people... turn on the ipod... nothing was working... super hobby and B are sitting way behind me and my mind is spinning...

somehow now that I'm on the plane the tightening in my chest is worse... there are even more tears.... it's like now that I'm on the plane I realize this really is the goodbye...

I decided to open the shade and look out the window... that is when I see the shadow of my plane in the clouds... (i don't know how obvious it is in this photo since i'm doing the mobile blog thing from my phone) I've never seen that before... because I never sit at the window.... I start thinking. about all the things that have happened since my grandma passed on wednesday....

I had not been able to find a ring she gave me for my 18 th b-day... it should have been in my jewelry box but it wasn't... then on thursday there it was where I always thought it was but wasn't... several weeks ago I misplaced the book make way for ducklings... C loves it, and I remember my gma reading it to me... I was ready to buy a new one until last night when I was packing and found it right there by my bed where I had looked a thousand times the last few weeks... my gma always talked about the elves who took things and then brought them back when they were done...

I've decided that she has arranged to have those elves give me a break this week and give me back my stuff... and to help me see things I wouldn't normally see like this cool shadow out my plane window... which lead me to mobile blog to pass the time...
thank you for looking out for me gamma!

just what i needed...

i've been a bit numb this week... not very into story telling... or even feeling creative... but it's Friday so i figured i should make my rounds in blog land since i've been under the covers this week...

that is where i come across this cool tag that Brittany got... i'm sure you know her... she is the one who had twin girls... already has 4 boys... and got rear ended on her way to the doctor and ended up having the babies that day...

anyway... she was tagged to go to the 6th folder in your pictures folder and pick out the 6th picture... and this what i find... silly picture of super hubby on our way to marry our friends... remember when he was the reverend??? thank you for doing this tag so i could get a well deserved laugh...

the more i remember... the more i cry...

Sad day for me... my 90 year old grandmother passed away this morning...
i cried hard at first... couldn't' breath... then it passed... then i read this post from my brother on facebook to our younger cousins who are in college...


Greg Tracy at 11:38am October 15
thinking of you and kate. just don't let any of the great memories die. that's why grandparents are so great. they give us lot and lots of great memories. just wait until you have kids... you'll realize all over again just how important she was.


and the water works started all over again... my grandma was an AMAZING woman... and these are just some of the great things I loved about her...

1. she ate frosting sandwiches


2. she had the softest hands


3. she could craft like no one i knew


4. she had the best stories


5. she inspired me


6. she was a proper Yankee (no not the baseball team)


7. she took great care of me when I needed her


8. I loved to hear her say my name... i'll miss that the most


9. she had the coolest toys to play with when i was a kid


10. she still mowed her own lawn at 75


11. she loved me even though I gave her a cat for her 70th birthday


12. taking a walk with her was like going on an adventure


13. her house was my favorite place to go when i was little


14. her closest were full of magic


15. she was just plain COOL!

I love you Grandma... you will be missed!!!

if you are patient good things come...

I love watching these awards move around bloggy land... i wait patiently to see who will pass it to me and today was my lucky day! Amy Amy Bo Bamey from Life of Nguyener (Win-ner) shared some love today.... thank you!!!

so as always you have to do something to get these because nothing is "just because" these days...

NAME 6 THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY....

1. peanut butter and chocolate
2. when my kids can't stop laughing
3. the stock market going up almost 1000 points in one day
4. super hubby's face when he is at the tiller of our sail boat PB&J
5. visiting with friends
6. Pizza Night with the Neighbors

then pass it on to 6 others...

1. a new place of discovered... Babbling Brooks
2. Shannon at the nut house
3. C&C mommy @ C&C world
4. Annie @ Cookies Chaos and Conversation
5. Pixie @ the good, the bad, and the ugly
6. Danielle @ Life of the Hewitt Family

scout duty...

I got to bring b to his cub scout meeting tonight... and with mobile blog I couldn't help but want to share.... these boys are talking about the cute girls in school... they are in second grade ... is this normal?

Mail Goggles...

i love the stories you can find in the newspaper... especially on Sundays... this Sunday our paper was VERY thin... but there was this great piece about Mail Goggles... we need something like this for cell phones to prevent drunk dialing...

SEATTLE (AP) — Here's the scenario: It's Friday night, and what began as an innocent happy-hour margarita morphed into a few pitchers. After all, those tacos were salty.

Bidding friends adieu, you jump in a cab, head home and decide a quick e-mail check is in order. And there it is: a message from your ex. Or your boss. Or that friend you're secretly mad at.

If you're the kind of person who types tipsy and regrets it in the morning, Google's "Mail Goggles," a new test-phase feature in the free Gmail service, might save you some angst.

The Goggles can kick in late at night on weekends. The feature requires you to solve a few easy math problems in short order before hitting "send." If your logical thinking skills are intact, Google is betting you're sober enough to work out the repercussions of sending that screed you just drafted.

And if you can't multiply two times five, you'll probably thank Google in the morning.

To activate Goggles, Gmail users should click the "Settings" link at the top of a Gmail page, then go to the "Labs" section.

you've got the wrong Marla...

I got this in the mail today... that's right a "personal" letter from the alaskan... i've said it before... i try to keep this stuff to myself but sometimes i just can't help it...

Dear Mrs. Palin

sorry but you've got the wrong girl...as much as i appreciater your "personal" thanks i have never supported your party and have never provided what you call "unstinting generosity"... did you choose that word to show us your vocabulary is bigger than W?

please remove me from your mailing list... i get enough junk mail to have my own recylcling center as it is...

regards,

The "other" Marla

Putting “panic” in perspective...

Chief Investment Strategist Corner October 8, 2008
by James Swanson, CFA

6 facts to help dispel the fear

1. In January of 1970, a bear market started that lasted until May of that year. The market
during that time fell 35.4%. In May, a bull market began that lasted until January 1973
and brought a 124% gain in stock values.

2. In April 1981, another bear market commenced that lasted nearly a year and brought a
24.7% decline. Then, in March of 1982, the market began to rise and continued doing
so until June 1983, bringing an overall gain of 71.7%.

3. July 1990 brought a downward market that lasted three months, until October 1990,
at which point equity prices had fallen 22.4%. Then, in the same month, a new, now
legendary, bull market took hold and lasted nearly eight years, until July 1998, delivering
a 330.7% gain for the market.

4. Dating back to 1975, 8 of the last 15 bull markets have started in the autumn months
of September, October, and November.

5. Since 1957 there have been 15 bear markets, as measured from peak to trough, and on
average they have lasted 10 months and brought an average decline of 29.4%.

6. The duration and degree of these bear markets were significantly less than the duration
and magnitude of bull markets. During the same period, there were also 15 bull markets,
which lasted, on average, 30 months and brought average gains of 112.5%.

another Swap!

Shannon at the Nut House sent me an awesome box yesterday in my latest swap with Sunshine and Lemonade...

What I loved was that this was more like a round robin because I sent my favorite things to Insane Mama, but I got my favorite things from the Nut House....

so what did I get you ask...

my new favorite thing is the mini bowls from betty crocker... who knew i could have chocolate cake at only 150 calories... thanks Shannon! and we have so much in common... i love to write notes... insane mama got stationary, i love fun facts... and the socks came just in time because barefoot in the house season is over...

the places i've been...

I found this site that lets you map where you've been... looks like i need to spend some time in the south...

want to make your own? click here...

6 things....

thanks to google alerts i found one of my new stalkers... Life as We know it... and she tagged me to tell 6 things about me that you wouldn't already know... she did point out the obvious... i blog so you know a lot... here it goes... i chose the most random things...

1. in high school i chewed tobacco (random i know... not to mention GROSS)
2. my fondest memory of my dad is collecting snowflakes and taking their picture
3. i have twin brothers... one 6'7" and the other is 6'4" (I'm 5'10")
4. i took out a personal ad in '92 and dated one guy for a year and a half
5. i want to run for school board
6. i am over the top nostalgic

facebook....

i love how facebook helps you find obscure things... sort of like blog land...
so my brother has this clever company called Sharendipity... one of the games someone made with it is this one... just plain silly...

click below... and play...

Bombs Over Alaska

Help Sarah Palin protect the United States from Vladimir Putin!
See if you can make it to the bonus round!

wordless wednesday...

the forecast for the next 6 months...

don't forget that we do occasionally have this one...

rain, clouds, possible sun breaks... covers all the bases :)

The Washcloth

I get so many of these emails with stories to pass on... and rarely do I pass them on... last week i had 2 and this one was another not to be kept to myself...

Ladies, this has to be read, laughed at and passed on.

There is not a woman alive who won't crack up over this!
__________________________________

I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am. I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.

As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a
quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.


I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in. Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles away. I
was a little surprised when the doctor said, 'My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?'

I didn't respond.

After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal .. some shopping, cleaning, cooking.

After school when my 6-year-old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, 'Mommy, where's my washcloth?'

I told her to get another one from the cupboard.

She replied, 'No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it.'


I'm never going back to that doctor.

Ever.

ever wonder...

Three jobs I have had*
1. Waitress
2. car wash
3. cruise ship dish washer

*Three movies I would watch over and over * ... and have
1. American President
2. Love Actually
3. Cars ... only because C watches it every chance he gets

*Three places I have lived*
1. Romeo, MI
2. Brisol, RI
3. Noblesville, IN


*Three shows that I watch*
1. One tree Hill
2. Mythbusters
3. the jetsons

*Three places I have been*
1. Venice Italy
2. Lego Land
3. St Lucia

* My favorite foods*
1. Mexican
2. Pizza
3. Chocolate

*Three places I'd rather be right now*
1. Lego Land
2. My parents house
3. in bed

*Three things I am looking forward to this year*
1) end of my current sales forecast
2) fall colors
3) Christmas

portland...

my family came down on the train to have a birthday weekend with mom... this was a bonus train near the zoo...

it's my birthday...

So why not... share a favorite photo of me @ age 7....

Zen Wisdom & Sarcasm

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt or a leaky tire.

It's always darkest before dawn, so if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

If at first you don't succeed...., skydiving is not for you.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.

Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

There are two theories to arguing with a woman - Neither one works.
Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time.

wordless wednesday... almost

as of saturday i've been married 10 years!!!
the flowers on my wedding day... red gerber daisies...my favorite!!!