My Grandson, the Maestro!

Isn't he just the cutest thing? He loves playing the piano at Grandma's house... Yesterday, he even learned to play it pretty.... and kept wanting to sit with me on the piano bench and practice playing one finger at a time!!! Wow! I have a very smart grandson!

Idol Schmidol...

Yes, I'm seeing RED... 4 people kicked off tonight... 4 BAD choices... Come on America??? Take the cotton out of your ears!!! Sheesh......

Alright, already!

Okay, Third Try is the Charm! Cabo Pics!

These only took me an HOUR to upload! Apparently, my pics are too loaded with megabytes... But at least, they loaded! So, enjoy!

My Sister in the hot tub with a Miami Vice! Yum!

My sister looking out over the waterfall, while in the hot tub drinking a Miami Vice.

The view out our condo... climb those stairs and you are at the hot tub!

Don & Tim being nutty...

Our best friends, Tim & Dianne, having lunch at The Office on the Beach.

Meg, Drew, Don & Tim - whale watching...

My Sistahhhh and me on our way to Cabo!!!

The USB Port

YAY!!! Thank you, Dyan.... I finally know how to download pictures! I didn't know what a USB Port was, but now I do. It's that little cord thingy that allows me to transfer pics from my camera to the computer! Whoa!!! I'm in love!

So, here are some pics that I downloaded! Oh dang, I think I broke my computer...

Idol Chatter - The Girls

Okay, so today was choir, so I had to DVDR Am. Idol. When I came home from church, stopped by Taco Bell, loaded up on good Mexican junk food, came home & sat down in my comfy leather chair and pushed "play".... It's the girls night!

My thoughts... I liked Carly alot... and Syesha, but not many of the rest. I thought that the last blonde chick was not really great... the one who can sing opera... she came out and tried to be a rock & roll chick... and failed at it. And what was up with Amanda tonight? I thought she looked like a lion, and sang awful... I just don't see her staying around long. The blonde who sang Carly Simon was alright... oh, and I did love the last black chick, the one from my hometown of Joplin, MO, she was very good. So, we'll see what happens tomorrow night... Good luck, Ladies...

***

Today was our first "musical" rehearsal. I played a video of the Pensacola Children's Choir's performance of "The Rock Slinger..." It was fun, and I believe that the kids really enjoyed it. The main cast members received their books tonight, and wild applause was all around. I love my kids... I think that this musical will be tons of fun putting together.

***

Yesterday was not a good day for my sweet Cali.... Last night, I noticed her in the kitchen, sorta squatting over the throw rug, and I thought she was peeing. So I was telling her to go potty outside... and she just squatted there and looked at me.... So, I got out of my comfy leather chair and went to her, and boy, the smell hit me! Since her hair is long for the winter, she had, well, you know, she had poopies stuck to her bottom, tangled up in her hair, and it couldn't get out! So, I grabbed her, half a roll of paper towels, and some sharp scissors and up to the bathroom we went. Boy....... talk about NASTY!!! I had to cut away the hair around her little bottom, and then the poop just poured out... poor kid. She was so happy to get that shit (excuse me) off of her bottom.... and then I had to completely disinfect the entire bathroom, including the scissors!!!! It was beyond gross. What I wouldn't do for my baby....

***

Christian was cute today. He stayed with the choir during our rehearsal and viewing of the musical. The room was dark, since we had the musical projected up onto the big screen... anyway, Christian basically had the run of the place, walking among all of the kids who were sitting & lying all over the children's chapel... And at one point, he stopped in front of one of our first grade boys, and squatted in front of him, and then started trying to grab his nose! Over and over and over again... Poor Roman, he just sat there and didn't quite know what to do.... it was pretty funny.

Tomorrow I get to go pick up Christian after my endo. appt. I'll bring him to my house for some "Grandma" time.... and then later, Dyan will come over and teach me how to download pics from my camera to my computer. Fun times ahead...

And that's my life so far...

Idol Chatter...

Okay, watching American Idol right now...

Comments:

Love Robbie's long hair! That is so freakin' cool....

Was disappointed in the first guy... but I loved the dreds guy... Jason Castro.

That irritating gay kid is coming up next.... ughhhhh.... okay.. Danny, you are not selling that song to me.... who are you thinking about anyway??? And stop making your chin bounce up and down with your vibrato!!! Sheesh........ Oh, what's that Randy's saying about his vibrato??? Hmmm.... and in my opinion, that range was too low for him... What was that??? "Thank you!!!" Ughhhh....get him off of the screen!

Next? Not sure I like David Hernandez either.... jury's out on that one... let's see what he can do.... ::Commercial Break:: Oh, I love those Sonic commercials... I can so relate! Okay, back to David... hmmm, so far so good. best vocals so far tonite... oh, yeah.... sing it! (Girls, I know I'm a nerd!) oh, that kid can sing! Randy, I loved it too! So far, he's my fav. I agree with Simon... best vocal of the night so far. Way to go, kid!

Okay, Jason Yeager is next... oh, not sure if he's one of my favs... let's see what he's got...okay, not crazy about this one. Not doin' a thing for me.... back to my card game. I agree with Randy... not the best song.

Okay, Chikezie... He's kinda cute... let's see what he can do. He has a great smile! ohhhhhhh nice. Good start! What a set of lungs! When you know my name.... hilarious! Good choice kid! Sing it!! Loved it!

David Cook - the local boy... Ohhhhhhh yeah! Total rocker dude! Loved the 70's music... All Right Now... great song... he's sellin' it. Way to go, dude!!! ::clapping wildly:: Oh....... geez, Simon, take a downer! Chill out, man!

Okay, last but not least... David A. How cute is he??? Imagine... great song. How refreshing, someone relying on their vocals!! He's pure... WOW. Nuf said. WOW.

Who is going home? I'd guess one of the first ones... Tomorrow nite... the girls.

Hope I haven't bored anyone with my silly ramblings... Kinda fun for me to sit here in my big leather chair with my laptop, watching this show and making my own commentary... I know I know... a nerd. But Simon's right, David is the one to beat! Wowzers!

I'm a proud Grandma... I admit it.

Dyan finally sent me some pics! Now if I only could learn how to download the 500 pics I have of Christian on my OWN camera!!! Sheesh.... I'm technology challenged!

Hello Gorgeous!

Too cute for words!

Love that smile!

Like Father, Like Son... let's go mow the grass!

Exhaustion

Exhaustion.... being at church for 11 hours. The kids sang this morning,"Do You Know Your Shepherd's Voice?" and they were wonderful and blessed many.

We had auditions for our spring musical cast this afternoon... 1 - 5:30... Then we had to pow wow and figure out who to place into what role... it's always very difficult, because we have some very talented kids... and I always get such a headache, because I know that some kids are going to feel such disppointment... I hate that, but I suppose it's a part of life... learning how to deal with disappointment. But on the flip side, there will be some kids who are very thrilled. Guess it balances out...

Anyway, I'm completely wiped out now... got my feet up, Don is making me dinner & feeding the "babies", and I'm settled in to watch the Oscars... I can't help myself... I love the movies and seeing all the beautiful people... wish I was one of them. Ohhhhhhh, Helen Mirren looks really old on TV's red carpet show.... very wrinkled... so I don't feel so bad right now. I don't really have any wrinkles yet... and I take very good care of my skin. But I would like to have an eyelift... and my neck lifted.... deep sigh.... someday.

And that's my life so far...

My Handsome Grandson

Isn't he just ADORABLE???

Oh, I wish it were springtime!!!

Playing in his back yard...

Gonna help his Daddy...

I tried to get Dyan to send me some NEW pictures.... but alas, I'm having to resort to copying them from her blogspot page.... maybe I ought to learn how to download pictures from MY OWN camera???? Ya think?

Feelings of Abandonment

I feel abandoned.... where are all my friends? Does noone ever read my blog? I never, ever have any comments..... I'm starved for comments.... Dyan? Jenny? Anyone??? Where is the love???

On further thought.... who needs it??? I'm just gonna go do something fun today instead..... gonna grab Don & take his butt to the movies. Do you know how LONG it's been since I've gone to the movies at a real theatre??? Geesh, I cannot remember. What are we gonna see, you ask? We are gonna see Fools Gold, and I'm gonna drool all over Mathew M... I cannot even tempt to spell his last name.... but he's the hot one!

I'm swamped with choir stuff.... auditions being tomorrow and all.... spent several hundred dollars at the office store... new ink cartridges for the printer, a hardwood floor chair mat, and a brand new eco friendly chair for me! I figured that if I'm gonna be in that chair alot, it better be comfy! I'm spending money like I have it! lol Who cares? Noone reads this blog anyway........ oh, shoot, there I go again, whining.... Where is that cheese?

That's my life so far...

Idol Chatter, part deux

Okay... I do not agree with getting rid of Joanna over the rocker chick, Amanda... what are people thinking? I've quite frankly, never been a Janis Joplin fan...

And getting rid of Colton was fine by me....and that young curly headed boy, but come on.... how about getting rid of that obnoxious kid? He's about to make me puke...

And what's up with all those kids crying????? Oh geez... it's like the Miss America Pageant... Don says it's that they were crying tears of joy, that they missed the cut! ROFL Goofy kids....

But, I'm still addicted....

Idol Chatter

Alrighty.... who is this year's Sanjaya??? I can't find him....I finally finished watching my saved DVDR's of American Idol.... it's insane, because the other night, Don & I stayed up 'til midnight, watching 4 hours of saved American Idols... and HE was the one making all of the comments! If you knew Don, you'd realize how funny that was...

Who do I like so far? Guys.... the australian... and I like the dude with the dreds... and both of those young kids have good voices... but i like the maturity of the other two...

Just finished watching the girls performances.... definitely like the little asian girl, and the black chick with the cool hair (Sayesha?) and Carly. What did Simon mean about all the hype about her? I dunno....

Yes, I need a life.

And that's my life so far...

a good reminder...

"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

This is a great reminder to those of us who seem to struggle alot...there is an enormous amount of peace that comes from this quote...

It's a Diet Coke kindofa day....

Yup, it's a Diet Coke kindofa day.... Went to Bible Study this morning, which was good. I was reminded of alot of things spiritually, that I'd forgotten about. It is important to not live a superficial life, but to be authentic with people. It feels good to bear the big burdens with others... For instance, when I'm up in front of our entire congregation directing the children's choir, I confessed that I feel so inadequate. In fact, I feel inadequate in most things I do... I wonder to myself, "What am I doing thinking that I can make a difference in the lives of these children? What am I thinking that I can teach them about the Lord?" I know, I know... but that's how I feel alot of the time. I try to exude confidence.... but deep inside, I don't feel it always.

Washed my Jeep today.... FINALLY.... I hate my car being dirty. Like it clean. Went to the bank, deposited checks from last week.... came home, had lunch, watched my soap... (no idea what is happening), and straightened up a little in the kitchen. Now I really need to get upstairs and start unpacking. The cleaning ladies are coming on Thursday, and they're gonna concentrate on my bedroom, among other rooms. So, I'd better have stuff put away. I need a Diet Coke for that.

I need to get on the computer upstairs and start working on KCC paperwork.... rehearsal is tomorrow... and auditions are on Sunday. Lots to do to prepare for that. And we're singing on Sunday morning... "Do You Know Your Shepherd's Voice?"

Do you know your shepherd's voice? Are you listening with your heart?
Have you stopped to hear him calling? Felt the peace His words impart?
As the world shouts it's orders that are easiest to hear, won't you draw away and listen, to your Shepherd standing near?

Do you know your shepherd's voice? Are you listening with your heart? Have you stopped to hear him calling, felt the peace His words impart? Are you listening?

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters, and He restores my soul.

Do you know your Shepherd's voice? Are you listening with your heart? Have you stopped to hear him calling, felt the peace his words impart? are you listening, to your Shepherd?
Are you listening, to your Shepherd?
Are you listening, to your Shepherd?
Are you listening?
Do you know your Shepherd's voice?

THis is one of my alltime favorite children's anthems.... and my choir sings it angelically...

Alrighty... I need a Diet Coke.

I need to get stuff put away....and stop procrastinating. I am a procrastinator. I admit it. So what??? I'll fix that problem tomorrow.

And that's my life so far.... Now where is my Diet Coke??

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home...

There's no place like home.... definitely.

We had a great time in Cabo, but are so glad to be home, sitting in my big leather chair, with a roaring fire.... and blogging! What a fiasco it was getting here the last 24 hours...

We left Playa Grande Sunday morning.... got to Los Cabos International Airport.... checked in, after waiting in line for over an HOUR.... and then were told that she could get us to Dallas, but that was it.... Kansas City International was closed! I thought, surely by the time we got to Dallas, KCI would be reopened. Well, not so with American Airlines. Note to self: NEVER FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINES.... We had a totally bad experience with them both ways... very inefficient airline.

Anyway... we did have fun in Cabo.... albeit this year was not a relaxing vacation for Don & me. We have been under so much stress lately, that we really wanted to be able to find relaxing times, but it wasn't so this year. Our good friends from LA & my sister were there.... along with Meg & Drew. It felt like Don & I had to make all the decisions about what to do, where to go, when to go, when to meet for dinner, etc. etc. etc. Which was fine, really, because Tim, Dianne & Chris had never been to a resort like that, or to Cabo, and didn't really know what to expect or what to do. But, like I said, no relaxing vacation for us. I did enjoy alot of time poolside, though... But next year, I need to be sure to do pre-tanning, as I got burnt.... which was pretty painful. My lower lip swelled up like Angelina Jolie's... nice to look at but really painful. By the 3rd or 4th day, blisters developed... and then by the 6th day, double shots of tequila with salt & followed by a big bite of lime was very painful.... very painful. However, at $14 a shot, it was the smoothest tequila I'd ever tasted!

I'm really glad that we got to spend time with Tim & Dianne.... Don & Tim are like brothers to each other, and Dianne is my soul sister.... a very dear friend, whom I miss greatly! And I'm really glad that my sister was able to go with us this year. She's lived a very hard life, and this vacation, I thought, would be good for her. It was very scary for her... completely out of her comfort zone.... but I hope that she had fun. Not sure that she did...

Cabo was beautiful this year.... every day was cloudless & sunny.... and very warm. The sun was really hot this year... it was nearly perfect! We did alot of walking... and alot of lying by the pool. Did not do any reading this year, tho... kinda sad about that....

We are very lucky to be able to go there every year, and I know it.... we are very blessed.... and I do not take that for granted. Don bought this timeshare as a way of insuring that we'd take a vacation every year.... and we both love it down there. Don works very hard, and has made a good living for our family... and I am truly blessed. We have a good life.... in spite of the roadblocks that have come our way.... we keep on trudging thru.... and keep on feeling blessings from up above for our perseverance thru these trials....

And that's my life so far...

Life in Cabo

We're here in lovely, SUNNY, WARM Cabo san Lucas, Mexico! It was a pain getting here tho.... We didn't have any jproblems leaving Kansas City... in fact, we upgraded to 1st class for the ride from KCI to Dallas.... then we got there, got ready to board our next flight.... sat on the tarmak (sp?) for over an hour, "mechanical" difficulties.... they finally decided to deboard the plane, and try to find us another flight.... he said the next possibility would be a 7:50 PM flight... arriving in Los Cabos at 10:50.... and we wouldn't get to our resort until after midnight.... NOT AN OPTION as far as I was concerned! We were originally supposed to arrive in Cabo at 1:05 PM.... Long story short, we were delayed 4 hours. They got another plane out of the hangar, and we FINALLY were in the air! We landed at 5 PM, Cabo time.

Cool thing was.... our friends, Tim & Dianne from So.Cal, had arrived at the same time as we did, and we met up with them in line for customs! We couldn't believe it.... Made it thru customs, got our bags, made it thru bag check, and ran the gauntlet thru the maze of time share pimps... went straight out the door to our driver who was waiting for us with a sign... and the next cool thing was that they had our friends scheduled to ride with us! It couldn't have been any more perfect!

We ate at Panchos the first night.... and i FINALLY had my Carne Asada and tortilla soup! MMMmmmm oh my goodness.... twas wonderful! We didn't stay out late that night, since we'd been up since 3:30 AM.... travel days are long.

We have eaten dinner at The Office on the Beach.... lovely, great ambiance... and you eat right on the beach.... tables & chairs are in the sand, and they have tiki torches all around.... really nice.

We took a water taxi yesterday at lunch time to The Office again.... rode across the marina, got dumped out in the water at Medano Beach. Go to http://www.allaboutcabo.com/ and you can see a webcam picture of the beach we were at. After lunch, Don, Tim, & Dianne went riding jetskis.... and my sister & I went to some lounge chairs. Meg & Drew went parasailing... together.... awww.... The problem with Medano beach? Vendors..... irritating vendors. They bug you every 30 seconds to buy some of their Mexican crap that they have to sell. We keep saying "no, gracias", but they keep coming back. So after about an hour of that.... we decided to hop into another water taxi and ride back across the marina, and take the hike back up to our resort. We did that.... and made a B-line for the "adult" pool & hot tub..... fun times were had by all.

Last night's dinner was at the Lighthouse, Trailer Park, aka El Faro Viejo.... it's a fun place to eat. We had our pictures taken by this guy who sells them.... touristy thing.... and of course, I had to buy them. I had the most delicious lobster tail.... Oh myyyyyyyy, I couldn't eat it all!

After dinner, I came straight home.... was pretty wiped out. Was in bed by 9:30. We are not the partying type..... lol.

Tonight, Don,Tim & Drew are stopping by the grocery store to pick up something for dinner, and we'll cook here in the condo.... and take it easy. Today was a pool day for the girls.... and I am looking rather like a lobster. In fact, last night, while trying to sleep, my lip kept bugging me, and so i got up at 2 a.m. to check it out, and it's all swollen up like Angelina Jolie's! Sheesh.... it's sunburnt and swollen. Not fun.... but kinda pretty!

Dyan sent us a picture of Christian going potty on the Big Boy potty for the first time, and he's sooooooo dang cute.... and he pooed! At 16 months...he's going potty!!!! What a big boy..... His Grandma sure misses him!

Tomorrow, Valentine's Day.... We have reservations at Soloman's Landing for dinner. The rest of the day will consist of me & Meg shopping, Meg & Drew going to Lover's Beach in the morning.... Don & Drew deep sea fishing in the afternoon, and more pool time for me - obviously. I love laying by the pool. Oh, today? My sister, Dianne & I played "Beached Whales" in the pool, and surfaced on this wide, shallow ledge in the pool.... it was quite funny....

We shall have to visit Panchos at least one more time.... maybe 2. Love that place. They have the best tortilla soup.

And that's my life so far...

To Do...

My To Do List prior to vacation:
1. put some shoes on.... (just had a pedicure and my feet are cold)
2. laundry
3. kcc lesson plans for Roger, who is subbing in choir for me next week
4. unload my car - from my shopping today
5. straighten up the living room
6. straighten up the kitchen
7. straighten up the dining room - throw away the boxes
8. straighten up my bedroom - dustmop the floors
9. straighten up my office
10. straighten up the bathroom
11. Be ready for the cleaning ladies tomorrow... rofl
12. make Cali's beauty appointment for Saturday
13. make dinner, eat & clean it up
14. watch SURVIVOR tonight.... yay!
TOMORROW:
1. go to bank, deposit checks, get cash for trip
2. make sure house is neat for cleaning ladies
3. more laundry
4. enter bills onto quickbooks
5. pay bills & mail them
6. go to The Peanut with my sister for lunch
7. take my sister to a pedicure appt. @ 3
8. dinner???
9. start packing - get travel docs all together
SATURDAY:
1. breakfast - out??
2. Cali goes to the groomer
3. take sister to Wal-Mart for her toiletries :-)
4. go to Dyan's in the afternoon so Chris can get her hair cut & colored
5. have dinner at Dyan's
6. Leave Cali & Beauty at Dyan's house for the week. :'-(
7. come home and pack my bags!
SUNDAY:
1. Get up at 5 a.m., shower, makeup, hair
2. Load up the Hummer
3. leave home by 6 a.m.
4. drive to airport, park in extended parking
5. hop the shuttle to the terminal
6. 7 a.m. check in
7. 9 a.m. FLY TO MEXICO!!!!

And that's my life so far...

The Kind Cop

A funny story:

Today, on my way home from piano lessons, I was driving down 350 highway, going towards Knobtown. I know that there are always cops trying to catch speed demons like myself on that stretch of highway, but heck, I just finished a good piano lesson and was listening to Sean Hannity on the radio, trying to figure out who I'm gonna vote for in the primary tomorrow.

So, anyway... without paying attention, until it was too late, I saw the lights flashing ahead of me... I thought he was pulling over the car in front of me, but no, he waved them on, and pointed to me, and wanted me to pull over. So, the law abiding citizen that I am, I complied. I rolled down my window and handed the cop my license, and said, "Well, ya caught me!" :-) I was kinda laughing... (but really nervous inside) I guess being investigated by the FBI makes one feel that way around cops. Anyway, he said that I had a really great attitude, and that I was going 59 in a 45. I said, "Well, honest to goodness, I just left my piano lesson and was not even thinking about my speed, since I was listening to Sean Hannity on the radio, trying to figure out who I'm gonna vote for tomorrow." He just laughed, and said, "I need to see your proof of insurance". Well, after fumbling around in my jeep handbook, I finally found it, but, it had expired on the 30th of January. He said it was no big deal... Then Dyan calls, and i'm talking to the cop, and she asked if i was okay, and I said yes, that this kind officer had pulled me over for speeding! LOL She laughed her little cute head off...... I told her I'd call her back.

Then the weirdest thing happened. The cop came to me and said, "Now, what kind of ticket would you like?" I'm thinking, WHAT??? So, I said, "Well, I'd really prefer to have a warning." He laughed and said he couldn't do that.... So I said, "I'll take the cheapest ticket you can give me." and laughed.... So, then he said, "Well, how about a $10 seatbelt infraction??? I"m like YEAH!!!!!!! And I totally promised him that I'd never, ever speed again! ROFL. Then I told him that my daughter's brother in law was a cop for Kansas City.... and I gave him his name, and he didn't know him... but I told him that I'd put in a good word for him with this kid. LOL

What a day.........

Today in Kansas City... 79 degrees. Tomorrow, 3 - 6 inches of snow! Go figure.

And that's my life so far...

The Superbowl Party... or lack of...

Okay...so we were supposed to go to a Superbowl party and actually socialize with some adults, of near & around our same age. But... Don has this horrible hacking cough... and so, now we're gonna just have our own little Superbowl party at home.... But it's alright. Now I can watch all those commercials without anyone trying to talk to me.... and now I can watch the game, without anyone trying to TALK to me... and now the 7 layer bean dip & tortilla chips will be split by only Don & me... LOL And I'm now assured of sitting in a very comfy chair... my nice leather chair & ottoman, with my own blanket... LOL Perhaps I'll turn on the fire. It's pretty chilly here.

My kids sang in church today. They were MAHhh velous.... simply mahvelous.... (Billy Crystal, for you who were born in the 80's...) We sang an African-American Spiritual~ This Little Light of Mine. They let it shine! They were very good, and the descant part really shone. I'm sure gonna miss my 6th graders when they graduate from the program....

Last night was fun.... we went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and helped Don's mom buy a new TV... then the family met up at Corona Cantina for dinner... We had 9 adults and 1 baby... lol. Fun was had by all. And, I tried something new... Mojita? I loved them... (there I go drinking again)... in fact, I had two. Yum.... And Don & I split a plate of beer batter dipped tilapia... it was sooooooo delicious!

I'm afraid that I'll be having football withdrawal... I always do the weekend after the superbowl.... it doesn't matter who's playing, I love to watch football.

This time next week, I'll be in Cabo! Woo hoo!!! We'll be at the airport, going thru customs... what a pain that is.... but once we get outside the airport and catch our transportation service, it's off to Cabo, and Playa Grande... and a week of fun! I'm so excited to be taking my sister along this year! I don't think she's ever had a vacation like this before.... but at any rate, she WILL learn how to drink tequila! LOL

And that's my life so far...