C'est mon blog!

Sui*Generis

2011-10-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

What is Sui*Generis??? In latin it means "one of a kind; unique". It is a name that I came up with to lable my creations. . . . all sorts of creations! I originally started with making crochet baby headbands and adult scarves. Since then I have experimented with paper products, hair accessories, crochet flower pins and now beanies! I also have a passion for "spiffing" up furniture (taking something that was ugly and making pretty in other words).

I have created a blog specifically for Sui*Generis:

www.sg-rethought.blogspot.com

Take a look and tell me what you think!

Treasure Island - Forrest Theater, Carmel by the Sea

2010-06-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

As is my custom, when attending theatrical performances, I would like to write a review of Treasure Island now playing at the Forrest Theater. However, my review will be incomplete as I was only able to attend the last half of the show. Do to a few "hiccups" on the way to Carmel from Gualala state park campground, Clayton and I arrived to the said theater at intermission. We stayed for the rest of the performance so I would like to give you what little I can in case anyone would like to attend. The play closes this weekend if you plan to go.

It was cute. The props were awesome, as always, the atmosphere was light and fun (we attended the 2:00 pm matinee on Sunday) and everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood. I did have some problems with the acting however. Young Jim Hawkins left a lot to be desired. OH sure . . . he had his words memorized, but there was no feeling or emotion behind them. ok, ok. . he is a kid . . . but still!! Long John Silver was great along with Ben Gunn. Many of the others were somewhat pitiful actors.

Overall, entertaining but would not go back to watch the entire preformance.

Now.. . . next month they are showing Alice in Wonderland in which we plan to attend. I will write another review at that time :-)

New buddy

2010-05-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

This lil'guy showed up on mine and clayton's doorstep about a month ago begging for love, attention and food. We put him in our backyard with food and water but were going out of town for the weekend. When we came back he was GONE! oh no! I happened to see him in our next door neighbors back yard and when he noticed me there, ended up escaping from their backyard to ours. We checked with our neighbors and they were going to take him to the pound. I decided it was a good idea to take him to the parents house (though they didn't think it was a very good idea) After a few days of trying to find a home for him, Clayton thought he was going to take him to the pound. I kinda fell in love with the little guy and convinced my parents to keep him on a temporary basis . . . he is still there :-)

We named him Jack (sometimes referred to as Jackie-Chan by myself and Jack-Squat by my lovely mother) . . . Jack has had some very trying times, escaping the house to be found on the other side of a very main road, being backed up over by a toaster car and having pulmonary contusions, eating a variety of dead animals and leaving them in pieces on the front yar. . but continues to remain OUR DOG! he's a sweetie

recommencement

2010-04-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

. . . whewww. . . it has been a while. . . .

I decided to recommence my blogings and pull away from other social networkings. There is so much more to share with a blog . . life experiences, travels, feelings. . .

I didn't know really how to start. . . so I thought I would start by thanking my parents . . . they are truley amazing people and I am so proud to call them my parents. Thank you for always being my encouragement and my security. As I now start my own life adventure (marrige, new house, perhaps children) I want to thank you for everything that you have helped me to become and the keys to success that you have put in my life . .

I love you both more that you will ever know!

My Grandpa Hammonds

2009-12-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Grandpa . . . you know what?? I LOVE YOU!!

In memory of my dear grandpa who passed away 12/12/09. You will be dearly missed . .

Happy Birthday SNOOKUM!!

2009-11-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Happy, Happy 24th birthday to my wonderful husband. . . Clayton!! I love you baby!! Had breakfast with the family today and then we traveled up past Jackson to find our very own Christmas tree and cut it down!! I have never done that before and thought it would be fun and fitting for our first christmas together in our first home. It was a blast!! Now it is off to roast dinner at my mom and dad's house with desserts, games and friends to follow!

New Job

2009-11-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have finally recieved a job in Labor and Delivery as a Registered Nurse. This was the reason that I had started nursing school!! While L&D has been the goal from the beginning . . . I had a few twists and turns along the way (thanks to my good pal Misha . .hehe). I was forced to recieve some experience in Med/Surg first (which is probably a helpful twist) and have finally found myself excepting a position as a full time Perinatal Nurse. So, So, So excited! I start this monday!

Dinner

2009-10-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

ugh!! My first dinner made in my very own house was a disaster!! I tried so hard . . . and I really CAN cook . . . sigh. . First, I got a recipe from my mother-in-law for chicken and rice. Bought the groceries, was excited. I then forgot to cover the chicken and rice with foil which I realized AFTER I pulled it out of the oven 1.5 hours later. I also cut the tip of my thumb off with a brand new junk knife while I was cutting ingredients for a salad and spilled A&W all over the floor when it exploded upon opening. None of this should have happened. . . sooo . . as it was. . . we ate the poor dried out and hard rice with chicken and it wasn't all that bad. Clayton bandadged my thumb up and I have since cleaned all A&W off of the floor, cabinets, countertops, etc.

Tomorrow night I shall try a roast in the crockpot . .

Bridal Shower

2009-09-13T09:36:00.001-07:00

I had the MOST wonderful bridal shower ever!!! Thank you so much to all of my absolutely FANTASTIC bridesmaids who made my day so special. . . and to all of my most EXCELLENT friends who came to show their support!

Again, I could not say thank you enough! *tear

Wedding Website

2009-08-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

We finally have a working wedding website. . . here is the link if you all want to take a look :-)

www.sarahandclayton.wedsite.com

(to see each page you have to click on the page you want to see from the index. . . if you just click the next button on the book you won't see all the pictures. . . if that makes any sense)

Funny Video

2009-07-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

I think this is a good idea!! Should I do it?? LOL! ;-)

2009-07-25T21:41:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Engagement. . . .

2009-06-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

. . . what a wonderful thing!! :-)

Clayton asked me to be his wife this last saturday in Napa, California . . and I said YES!!! So happy!

Red Room

2009-05-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have a RED room. . . there is no question about it!!

This will be my "guest" bedroom . . it was a little brighter than I thought it would be :-)

4:12 AM

2009-05-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

What is there to do at 4:12 in the morning when you can't sleep??? I have been working 12 hour pm shifts for the last three nights and as a result was extremely tired most of the day but have now found myself completely awake at 4:12 am. Since I cannot sleep, and none of my friends are awake to hang out with me on my night off, what is a girl to do???

I have been working on renewing my expired passport online for the last 15 min or so, have taken a benadryl to perhaps help me sleep, and have tossed and turned in bed for the last 3 hours prior to me getting up and coming downstairs to sit at the computer.

Anyone have any suggestions for me to do the next time I find myself without an ounce of sleepiness in the wee hours of the morning??

Back in the Day. . .

2009-04-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Found some pictures from a few years ago. . . . hehe

My favorite scripture

2009-04-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" ~John chapter 14, verse 27

This scripture has been a favorite of mine since my old bible quizzing days. . . . it has ministered to me on many occasions. I thought I would share it will you all. . . feel free to leave something that has ministered to you. . . you never know who it will help :-)

Sigh. . . .

2009-03-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

My life has really been in the fast lane these last several months, and while some love living life in such a fashion. . . it is not exactly my cup o’tea. I prefer quite nights at home, time to myself, reading a great book, scrapbooking, playing games with my best friends. . . don’t get me wrong, I love to party it up as well. . . but I just haven’t had time for ME lately, or for my friends. While once upon a time I was somewhat of an “avid blogger” I have been reduced to maybe one post every 2 months. Sad.

Anyway, here is a brief synopsis of what has been happening: Work at my new house is a constant and while looking at the “big” picture we have actually accomplished quite a bit, it doesn’t seem like it on a day-to-day basis. It seems as if it DRAGS on and on and on, meanwhile consistently draining my checking account. Ryan and Kelly were married the first part of February and it was a beautiful celebration. I was also able to enjoy many of my family that came out for the occasion. I am continuing to work three 12 hour shifts a week and that is definitely enough for me! No extra pick-up shifts no matter HOW much they pay me. . . no sir-e. Beth, Clayton, my parents and myself went on a small adventure over this last weekend to Half Moon Bay and then up through Pacifica, San Francisco and then home. It was quite fun and relaxing! I have decided that we need to do a day trip like this at least once a month. I am really missing Europe at the moment and am looking for every chance to go back. My mom and I found some great deals to Ireland right now. . . it is very tempting. . .if only my checks weren’t disappearing as soon as I get them . . .

Well Friends. . . I hope my life slows down here soon. . . can’t quite keep up with this pace for very much longer. . . good news though: my dearest friend Janell is moving back to California in a few months and bringing her new husband with her. I can’t wait!

Here is some of the work that has been going on at my house: Before and "somewhat" after of main bath room and entry way between living room and dinning room/kitchen

Few pictures from the wedding. . . don't have many of the actual ceremony on my computer since I was in it. . .

Trip to Half Moon Bay. . . it was Beautiful!

The work begins. . . .

2009-01-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share the updates on the house with everyone. . . .

I got my keys!!! yay!!My realtor, Courtney. Courtney, thank you so so so much! U are awesome!

Getting supplies. . .

The results of our shopping spree :-) (there was more stuff as well. . . )Mom hard at work in the kitchen. . . she did a WONDERFUL job on the refridge. . . we can actually use it now!

The men tearing apart my pitiful and pathetic bathtub. . . this thing was UGLY!!!

This was what was under the bathtub! It was quite a surprise. . . we found all kinds of goodies. . . acorns, droppings, etc. . . . don't worry, I cleaned it all up.

The demolition crew!! It was actually quite fun ripping and pounding the drywall, wouldn't you say so kelly?

Me and my hunny

Taking the refuse to the dump. . . what an adventure!!! First of all, I didn't know that we actually had to do the work of removing the trash once we got there. . . . also, you wouldn't believe the great stuff that people actually throw away!!! I saw so many great finds (but clayton assured me it was against the law to take the trash that others threw away at the local dump) . . . too bad . .

Caught the guy coming to take away my sign . . he wasn't too thrilled that we were taking pictures of him though. . .

Some of the first visitors to my new house :-)

My New Home!!!!

2009-01-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

I have gone and done it. . . . I bought my first house!! The loan docs have been signed, financing has been completed and I will receive my keys tomorrow! It is truly a dream come true!

I found the house while garage sale-ing with my mom about a month and a half ago. . . when we had my real estate agent, Courtney, call and inquire on the property we found out (much to my dismay) that the sale was already pending. Upon further inquiry, however, we discovered that it had been pending since June of 08 and could be coming on the market any day. Courtney had though it would be a good idea to go take a look at it and perhaps make a back up offer as soon as possible. On my way out to meet Courtney to view the house I received a call. THE HOUSE WAS BACK ON THE MARKET THAT DAY!!! I couldn’t believe it!! My mom, Courtney, Clayton and I went to the house in the dark, with no electricity and flashlights to check out my house. I put an offer on it that night! After a grueling weekend of waiting to find out whether or not my offer was accepted, I finally found out that it indeed was!! My next obstacle was to get the financing through (which I was already pre-qualified). As of last Friday, my loan docs were signed and as of today the financing was completed. I should get my keys tomorrow!! (that is kind of the whole transaction in a nutshell. . . everything went uncharacteristically smooth and sort of fell into place. . . weird!)
(The fireplace! I LOVE this!!!! This sold me big time!)

I still have a lot of work to do (actually, my dad and Clayton have a lot of work to do! Ha), but the house is adorable and I can’t wait to make it “my own”!!!

(on Christmas Day. . . . family went to visit my little house and wish it Merry Christmas in our own special way)

Happy 23rd Birthday Clay-don!!

2008-12-04T11:53:00.001-08:00

Happy, Happy Birthday to my incredibly adorable boyfriend!! (it was actually on the 28th of November but I haven't had time to post yet. . . yikes!!)

I hope you had a wonderful birthday weekend! (we went to Monterey/Carmel with my mom, dad and brother and enjoyed a one man performance of "It's a Wonderful Life", goofed off, thrift shopped and ate massive amounts of cake) :-)

You are Awesome!!

Welcome to the World. . . . Part II

2008-12-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Romalise Kelbatyrov!!!

Born November 27th 2008 weighing 7lbs 6.5oz.
I can't wait to meet this precious angel!
I LOVE the Kelbatyrov family!

Welcome to the World. . . .

2008-11-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

Raelynn Paige Azvedo!!!

Born November 22, 2008 weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and 19 inches long. She is adorable!!! Im so happy I am an aunt once more ;-)

The Sound of Music ~ A Review

2008-11-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Janell, I stole your parents for the evening. . . . and I liked it!! mwuahahaha!!!!

Ok, so a group of us attended The Sound of Music at the 24th St. Theater last weekend. . . it was delightful! Many of plays have I seen at this theater, and all are worth the $20 admission price (with the exception of one which I will not name but which we left after the first scene and were able to get our money back). If you are unaware of the story line, here is a synopsis:

“In 1930's Austria, a young woman named Maria is failing miserably in her attempts to become a nun. When the Navy captain Georg Von Trapp writes to the convent asking for a governess that can handle his seven mischievous children, Maria is given the job. The Captain's wife is dead, and he is often away, and runs the household as strictly as he does the ships he sails on. The children are unhappy and resentful of the governesses that their father keeps hiring, and have managed to run each of them off one by one. When Maria arrives, she is initially met with the same hostility, but her kindness, understanding, and sense of fun soon draws them to her and brings some much-needed joy into all their lives--including the Captain’s. Eventually he and Maria find themselves falling in love, even though Georg is already engaged to a Baroness and Maria is still a postulant. The romance makes them both start questioning the decisions they have made. Their personal conflicts soon become overshadowed, however, by world events. Austria is about to come under the control of Germany, and the Captain may soon find himself drafted into the German navy and forced to fight against his own country.” Written by LOTUS73

If you would like to attend this performance you must hurry!! The last showing is on November 23! (also, I would recommend dining first at Crepeville, across the street from the theater)

Disney. . . a look at the past. . .

2008-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

About a week and a half ago some beloved friends and I decided to go to Disney on Ice at Arco Arena in Sacramento. I have been to Disney on ice in AGES!!! It was Disney’s 100 years of magic show and included Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, It’s a Small World, Aladdin, and many more!!! It was actually quite fun and entertaining (others in our group through it was silly and a waste of money . . . no names mentioned). You should have heard the way Clayton hollered “YEE-HAW” along with Woody in Toy Story, or Nolan Boo-ing the bad guy in Mulan. . . all of us were caught standing up and marching to the Mickey Mouse Song . . . you know the one. . M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E (spelled out) hehe. . . It was a step back in time for me. I think it is always good to do something like that every once in a while and just be a kid for a night. Sometimes it gets tiring being a grown up . . . . and sometimes it is wonderful! :-)

(At half time the smoke and fog from the production had an adverse reaction with my eyes, causing burning, itching and watering. Cool compresses had to be applied, thus the red appearance in the photos)

Doesn't Clayton look like he is having such a good time?? :-p

Ryan and Kelly ~

Nolan and Krista ~

Me and Biff~

Nemo!!

The Crew ~ Princes and Princesses

The light parade~

I love this weather!

2008-11-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

Maybe it is just the new excitement that comes with the start of a new season. . . but I absolutely love this weather!! I love the rain, the cool chill to the air, the falling leaves, the coziness of being at home while the wind howls through the window panes. . . wonderful bliss! I will probably be quite ready for the wamth and freshness of spring come February, but for the moment I am reveling in the season of Fall.

Here are some alternatives I found to the traditional "umbrella"

Fictional Findings Discussed

2008-10-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am a book fanatic. When I am in my “reading zone” I shant be disturbed or interrupted for any reason . . . it takes away from the impact of the words I have just processed. My family can attest to my reaction should one try to interrupt my rumination.
The written word is a powerful thing. . . It can transport one from the “real world” into a world of excitement, fantasy, dread and anticipation . . . that is also why one must be extremely careful in what they read. It is a dangerous thing to get caught up living through and in the fictional findings of literature and forget to live your own life which can be just as exciting and fulfilling (if not more so). With that being said, there are only a handful of things that I find more enjoyable than curling up on the sofa, in front of a fireplace, with a fuzzy throw blanket and a cup of hot coco reading a wonderful novel. Whether it is mystery, murder and intrigue (I would recommend Mary Higgins Clark), love, life and trust (Nicholas Sparks), thrilling with a medical perspective (Robin Cook), or one of the good ol’time classics (Lord of the Rings, Gone with the Wind, Jane Austen, Little Women, etc), I find pleasure and enjoyment in most everything I read. . . . . .which leads me to the purpose of this post. I have just finished reading the third book in a wonderful series, in my opinion, written by Christopher Paolini. The fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle will not be released for some time and I am currently looking for more literature with which to satiate my cravings. The readings must be worthwhile with wholesome content and highly recommended. Has there ever been a book or series that you have read that has changed the way you view something or has had some sort of impact on your life??? or maybe it was just a great read and you would recommend it to others? If so, please let me know :-) Feel free to comment and post on your favorite pieces of literature and why you would recommend them. . . . it will not only help me immensely, but also others who might be in the same quandary as I.

As for myself, I would recommend all of the above books and series as well books written by Francine Rivers (Mark of the Lion series is incredible!), The Count of Monte Cristo (written by Alexander Dumas), and some of Frank Peretti’s creations. I know there are many more that I have read and would recommend but at the present have slipped my mind.

Nurses, Think Twice. . .

2008-10-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . . . when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . . . and makes no reply
When you say in a loud voice . . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . . . A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not . . . . . . . . . lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am, . . . . . . . . as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . . as I eat at your will
I'm a small child of Ten . . . . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . . . . . who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen . . with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty. . . . . .My heart gives a leap.
Remembering the vows . . . . . . that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . And a secure happy home.

A man of Thirty . . . . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . . . With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . . . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, . Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . . My loved one and me .

Dark days are upon me . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . . . . . .. . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . . And the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man . . . . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age. . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . . . . . . grace and vigor, depart.

There is now a stone . . . . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . A young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . . . . . . . . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years . all too few . . . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . . . . . that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people . . . . . . open and see.. Not a crabby old man . Look closer . . . see . . . . . . . ME!!

~author unknown

The Annual Shot! Do you have it??

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Flu season is here!! Have you received your flu shot yet?? I got mine today while at work. . . I have to admit it was slightly painful and left my arm a little sore, but I figure it will be well worth the inconvenience and pain if it will perhaps protect me from illness and several days of missed work. I, along with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend that everyone receive a yearly flu vaccination. Here are some interesting facts I compiled from the CDC website:

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.

Every year in the United States, on average:
• 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
• more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications
• about 36,000 people die from flu.

Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), are at high risk for serious flu complications.

Symptoms of flu include:
• fever (usually high)
• headache
• extreme tiredness
• dry cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle aches
• Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

It is recommended that everyone recieve the vaccine, but especially high risk populations such as people over 50 years old, pregnant women, and health care workers.

Some people should not be vaccinated without first consulting a physician. They include:
• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
• Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for use in this age group).
• People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.

CDC Flu Website: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

The Evolution of Music Videos

2008-09-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you viewed a music video such as this? Ahhh. . . these were the "good ol'days". . . it is sad to see how far our society has sank within the last 50 years

Fashonista ~ Def: Mika Leann Hammonds

2008-09-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Ryan & Kelly!!!!

2008-09-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend my wonderful brother asked his beautiful girlfriend to be his wife. . . and she said YES!!!! I am so excited and thrilled for them as well as for myself, gaining a sister!! YAY!!

The Wizard of Oz ~ A Review

2008-09-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ok. . . a little late on this post, but a couple of weekends ago the gang (Hammonds’ Family, Moya Family and Mr. Wyatt) went to Monterey and Carmel for the weekend. Among other things, we enjoyed the performance of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Forrest Theater. I have written about the Forrest Theater before and most of my reviews were great!! (exception: Evita) This review will be no different. . . I give The Wizard of Oz a rating of very entertaining and pleasurable.

Because of the fact that we went on the very first night of this theatrical performance (were able to get the tickets at ½ price), some of the props were not all the way completed and there were some small mistakes throughout the play. . . nothing that couldn’t be overlooked, however. Dorothy’s voice was just a tad bit annoying, but the Wicked Witch was AMAZING!! She did a really, really good job. As Dorothy makes her way through the land of OZ she encounters many different individuals. . . Glinda, the good witch, arrives and leaves most of her scenes airborne on a glittery swing, the Munchkins were adorable, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow were all in character quite well and the Wicked Witch and Flying Monkeys are also airborne throughout the performance. There was an overall “good” feeling to this performance and I would definitely recommend it!!
Toto was ADORABLE!!! and such a good actor too!

The following day, we enjoyed some of the sights around Carmel/Monterey: Carmel beach, Lover's point, Shopping in downtown Carmel (met some interesting people in a certain "soap" store), listening to Louis Lamour stories on the beach, so on and so forth! :-)

An Employee At Last!!

2008-08-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am here to inform you all that I am no longer unemployed. I have received an offer of employment and have accepted the said offer to work at Lodi Memorial Hospital in the Medical/Surgical floor. This full time, night shift position was offered to me last Friday and I readily agreed to the conditions. Although I really wanted to work in Labor and Delivery, I feel that this position will allow me to develop as a nurse and provide me with much needed skills for my future. I am excited, yet nervous at the same time. I will start working this week and continue in my orientation to the hospital/floor for about 8 weeks. Lodi Memorial is only about 15 minutes away from home and is expanding to a brand new wing which will have all private rooms (said to be opening late next year). YAY!!!

Coskun Wedding

2008-08-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my BEST BUD JANELL!!! . . . and Aydin too of course! :-) The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Coskun was absolutely beautiful! Janell coined it “Cinderella goes to Turkey” and that is exactly what it was like. The girls were all wearing dark blue satin “foofy” dresses with long white gloves and gold shoes and the back drop was Mediterranean pillars with big urns and white flowers. Janell was simply gorgeous!
There were many sweet and funny moments throughout the ceremony. No one will forget how Aydin loudly proclaimed “I do” only to have Bishop Wilson make the comment, “Aydin, you might want to speak up” in a jest. Aydin then yelled even louder, “I DO!!!” hehehe. . . . Bishop them made some comments about Janell’s past boyfriends whom he did not like and wanted to punch them in the face! LOL!!! It was all very precious . . .
Meg and I attacking the cake!
Mother of the Bride
Von and I feelin' a little crazy at the reception. This was the "safest" picture to post! LOL

The Famous "FACES" picture. . . this has been done throughout the years. We have one at Amy's wedding as well :-)
A cute Usher I found

After the wedding, some of the bridesmaids, groomsmen and friends of the bride and groom came over to our house for a little “after party”. What a blast! We played ping pong, had a campfire and sang songs we made up about Janell and Aydin. . . one we named “That’s our Janell” and another “Turkish Delight”

I will miss you my buddy. . . .but I know you are coming back soon to visit. Hopefully REALLY soon to stay. I wish you all the happiness a marriage can offer and I know Aydin will treat you as he should . . . if not, just let me know. . . .I know people who know people, ya know??

Sweeney Todd ~ A Review

2008-08-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ok. . . Sweeney Todd has captured my attention for a while now. It perhaps started when I heard Josh Groban sing “Not while I’m around” live in concert. I then met Josh and learned that his dog’s name was Sweeney . . . “as in Sweeney Todd??” said I.

I learned about a month ago that Sweeney Todd, the Broadway musical, was coming to Sacramento and was playing at the Music Circus, Wells Fargo Pavilion. I was determined to get a group together to see this well known musical. Several of my closest buds had agreed to go and we set the plan in motion.

First of all. . . I had never been to the Music Circus before. It was great!! The theater was situated with seats surrounding a small stage in the center. The actors/actresses would enter from several corridors making it a bit more interactive with the theater goers. The atmosphere is quite a bit more relaxed than the Sacramento Community Theater . . . one may purchase food and beverages in the outside pavilion (complete with waterfall) and bring these goods inside the theater!

Ok . . . on to the story of Mr. Todd. According to Wikipedia, “In Stephen Sondheim's 1979 stage musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, based on the 1973 play of the same name by Christopher Bond, Todd was known as Benjamin Barker, a middle class barber, married to Lucy Barker with an infant daughter Johanna. The villainous Judge Turpin exiles Barker to Australia on false charges in order to have Lucy to himself. Mrs. Lovett tells Todd that Lucy poisoned herself and that Turpin adopted baby Johanna as his ward. By the time Todd returns to London, Johanna has become a young woman and falls in love with a sailor, Anthony, with whom she plans to elope.

In the Sondheim musical, Mrs. Lovett takes in an orphan boy, Tobias Ragg, after Sweeney kills Toby's previous guardian, Adolfo Pirelli, who turns out to be a former assistant of his that tries to blackmail him. Toby is the first character to catch onto Sweeney Todd's crimes and also is responsible for Todd's death in the finale.”
Benjamin Barker, Sweeney Todd, is full of hate, vengeance and murder. His sole purpose is to kill Judge Turpin but after the first killing of Mr. Pirelli, Sweeney cannot stop his lust for blood. He begins to kill all of his customers and Mrs. Lovett then makes meat pies out of them to sell in her shop . . . “Seems an awful waste...I mean, with the price of meat what it is, When you get it...If you get it...” she argues.

It was actually quite funny, yet gorey and morbid. While my good buddy Chris would argue with me on this subject, I believe that the moral of the story is what sin, vengeance, bitterness and hate can do to a person. Mr. Barker was not an animal with murderous intents when the whole story started. Yes, he was done wrong . . .very wrong, but he allowed thoughts to enter his head and after the first taste of blood he could no longer control his hunger for vengeance and was eaten up with it. (this could deffinitely preach!!!) It just shows how low humanity can go without even really realizing it . . . This man no longer cared who he killed, when he killed them, or how. . . . . Think good and hard before you let bitterness and hate creep into your heart. . . . dumm dum dum dum duuuummmmmmm (scary music)

Go ahead Chris. . . I know you are ready with a rebuttle. . . ha!!

HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY RYAN!!

2008-08-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today is the best brother in the world’s birthday . . . he just so happens to be MY brother!!! Not only is he the best brother in the world, but also a best friend! If you don’t know this guy . . . you are missing out!! I am so glad that we have remained close throughout the years and we can tell each other just about anything . . . you are an amazing person and am happy to be “ryan’s sister” :-)

Results: NCLEX

2008-07-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

I PASSED!!!!! I PASSED, I PASSED, I PASSED!!! No more teachers, no more books. . . . .

I have officially passed my NCLEX and am now a licensed registered nurse in the state of California!! I took the test some weeks ago and should have found out my results two days after the fact but I had some problems with the school and my transcripts. I had to call Sacramento State and get that worked out and then the Board of Registered Nurses then took a couple weeks to process them. Sigh. . . the thought of "oh no. . .what if I didn't pass" has constantly been in the back of my mind these last couple weeks. I have faithfully checked on the BRN website every morning (late morning actually!! ha) to see if I, by chance, had a license number yet. This morning was no different. . .the difference came when my name popped up with a license number next to it and the label of "RN"!!! I ended up running outside, barefoot, around our house with three dogs chasing after me and biting my feet/clothes. . . it was an exuberant sight I am sure. . . I still can’t quite believe it!! My goal over the last 8 years is finally accomplished! Now I just have to find a job. . . . . .

Evita. . . A review

2008-07-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Evita. . . .hummm. . . what can I say about Evita??

According to the description of Evita on the Forest Theater Guild’s website:

“Argentina's controversial First Lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate fifteen year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at twenty-two, the president's mistress at twenty-four, First Lady at twenty-seven, and dead at thirty-three. Eva Peron "saint to the working-class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military" was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century. Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, EVITA creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself.”

Well. . . The description sounded great so I was anxious to see the production. I invited several of my friends to join me, one of which is now living in Pennsylvania and was desperate for some good theater while she was out visiting, and we made our way down to Monterey/Carmel for the day. We ate lunch on Fisherman’s Warf in Monterey and headed down to Carmel for some shopping and a little beach time. . . . . it was very enjoyable and the air was clean and sweet (compared to the Sacramento air) . . .The time came to make our way to the grocery store to pick up our dinner and head over to the theater.

The play started off with the announcement of Eva Peron’s death to the people of Argentina. It was a little weird. . . . it only got worse. Eva started off as a singer/actress and worked her way up the latter by doing a variety of different things (some not so good). . . she then met Mr. Peron, a captain in the army, and smoozed him. . . she convinced him to run for office and convinced to people to vote for him. . .at that point, it was half time and our group decided that it wasn’t worth the time to stay for the ending. LOL!! The singing was horrible, the dancing was atrocious, the acting was pitiful and the music was awful!! We had fun laughing at it all though. I was oober embarrassed because my brother and I were the only ones to have seen a play at the forest theater before and had bragged about how great it was!!! It was quite a let down. . . .come to find out, there are two different acting groups that use the theater and the good one that we usually go see doesn’t start until the fall! I may be able to redeem myself when we go see the Wizard of Oz in August. . . sigh. . . .
The Stage. . .
The band. . . uhhhh. . . yeahhh

By the way . . . I don’t recommend this production. :-)

Beauty Tips from Audrey Hepburn

2008-07-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

(A poem she wrote and was later read at her funeral)

4th craziness in Frisco

2008-07-10T01:11:00.000-07:00

A brief recap should be adequate as the pictures sure do speak for themselves. . . . the afternoon was spent shopping (it was very interesting shopping. . . . CRYSTAL!!!), being accosted by several homeless individuals, and preached to for 20 minutes or so. . .after which we made our way down to pier 1 were we thought the fireworks would be showing. They weren’t. Lesharon, Crystal, Lachrisha and myself decided to make our way down to pier 39 on foot to catch a glimpse of them. . . . it was crowded to say the least. By the time we reached the pier . . . the wonderful display was over :-( . . . . we decided to make the most out of it, however, by purchasing the best doughnuts in the world!!!!! These little doughnuts are such a delight! This is precisely the time that we received a phone call that the rest of our group had already boarded the Bart and were on there way back to Pittsburg where are vehicles were located. . . . AHHHGGHHH!!!! With 5 million people pressed around us, we struggled to get directions to the closest Bart station which was back on Market Street. . . . right were we had started from! We decided the best plan of action was to run all the way back to try and arrive at the station as soon as possible. . . yes, we ran all the way back to pier 1!!! (Lesharon braved it in her socks!!!! Hehehe) The ride back on the Bart was an entertaining ride. . . .

Crystal and "BOY BOY" . . the rat!!

A competition of Slide??
Playing "Down by the Bank" with 5 complete strangers on the floor of the Bart. . . we are soooo mature!!
HAHAHAHA!!!

HILLYBILLY MEDICAL TERMS

2008-06-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Benign......................What you be after you be eight.
Bacteria...................Back door to cafeteria.
Cesarean Section…....A neighborhood in Rome.
Cat scan..................Searching for Kitty.
Cauterize................Made eye contact with her.
Colic.......................A sheep dog.

Coma.....................A punctuation mark.
D&C........................Where Washington is.
Dilate......................To live long.
Enema.....................Not a friend.
Fester.....................Quicker than someone else.
Fibula......................A small lie.

G.I.Series................World Series of military baseball.
Hangnail..................What you hang your coat on.
Labor Pain................Getting hurt at work.
Medical Staff.............A Doctor's cane.
Morbid.....................A higher offer than I bid.
Nitrates...................Cheaper than day rates.

Node.......................I knew it.
Outpatient...............A person who has fainted.
Pelvis......................Second cousin to Elvis.
Post Operative..........A letter carrier.
Recovery Room........Place to do upholstery.
Seizure...................Roman emperor.

Tablet....................A small table.
Terminal Illness………Getting sick at the airport.
Tumor………..............More than one.
Varicose.................Near by/close by.

I think I'm in Love

2008-06-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

You might want to turn off the music on the bottom of the page first :-)

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I think this fits, yeah??

NO, I did not create this. . . some people have wayyyy too much time on their hands. I found it and thought it was hilarious. . . and true! :-)

Found out from a friend of mine recently that Josh had a four page spread in "Instyle" magazine. . . . of course I ordered the magazine!

Could this be infatuation, facination, limerence, a crush, an attraction or just an absolute love for a Voice that comes with a pretty cute face??

The Phantom of the Opera: A review

2008-06-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night I enjoyed my graduation present from my wonderful brother. . . . orchestra seat tickets to the last performance of The Phantom of the Opera at the Sacramento Community Theater. In addition to myself, Ryan & Kelly, Bro. & Sis. Moya, my mom and dad, James & Emily, Jared & Charity, Nate & Amanda, Ryan C. & LaChrisha and Drew also enjoyed the performance. I have to say. . . . I have seen The Phantom of the Opera at least 3 or 4 times and this performance was THE BEST YET!! I was almost brought to tears when the phantom provided such a heart wrenching performance of “the music of the night” . . . . (The phantom, listening and watching Raul and Christine sing “that’s all I ask of you” and feeling betrayed, softly sings “I gave you my music, made your song take wing . . . and now, how you’ve repaid me . . . denied me and betrayed me. . . . Christine. . . .”) and then wraps up the night with outstanding acting and singing as Christine must make a choice between freeing Raul and staying with the phantom forever or leaving Raul to perish as she makes her escape. It was all very emotional. More emotions were to come when I saw a picture of the phantom in the playbill (very nice) and decided to catch a peek of the actual actors as they were exiting the building. I was disappointed. . . . the phantom did not seem to be the same dashing man whose photograph was in the playbill, but rather an older and a bit “heftier” version. LOL! Oh well . . . he still did wonderfully! I was much pleased with the whole production and cannot thank my brother enough for this exceptional gift.

I haven't been able to stop singing "Phantom" songs since. . . *sigh*

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Wade Douglas!! Thanks for being such a great Dad!

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad. ~Author Unknown

Day Trip

2008-06-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

This last Thursday I spent an enjoyable day in Monterey and Carmel with my two buddies, Beth and Jenna! We walked around Cannery Row where we bought fudge, candy, caramel apples and enjoyed free samples of clam chowder and Ghirardelli chocolate. Afterwards we made our way down to Carmel where we played on beautiful Carmel beach, witnessed a massacre of crabs, stocked an Irish Wolfhound (I want one, you see), and grabbed some soup and sand which before heading to the Forrest Theatre to enjoy a production of Lerner and Lowe’s Camelot. The Irish Wolfhound is the big, shaggy, grey dog
Massacre of litte crabs. . .so sad
"Beach Surfing"
Camelot proved to be a delightful little play and I was thoroughly glad that we made the trip down for it! The story began with Arthur meeting Guinevere and proceeded to the creation of the “round table.” The French knight, Lancelot Duloc, arrived on scene to promise his services to King Arthur and this new “round table.” In the process. . . Lancelot and Guinevere seem to have fallen in love, although I can’t really say that I blame Guinevere in this case. . . Lancelot was extremely good looking!!! (but it was very wrong. . very wrong indeed!!) hehe. Lancelot and Guinevere are found out and Lancelot must flee or be captured. The decision on how to punish Guinevere then falls to Arthur. In all justice he should burn Guinevere at the stake, but he loves her too much. In his indecision, Lancelot arrives and rescues the beautiful Guinevere . . . only to meet Arthur on the battlefield (a full out war had erupted as a result) in an attempt to right the wrong done. Arthur states that nothing can be done and Lancelot returns to his armies while Guinevere receives forgiveness from Arthur and lives the rest of her days as a nun. A young boy is told to remember the glory of Camelot before Arthur marches once again into battle . . . and so ends our story.

happy birthday biffers

2008-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my buddy Elizabeth’s birthday. . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY Biff!!! (Liza, Beth, Eliza, Liz-Bifh, so on and so forth) I am glad to have spent most of your birthday with you . . . . Monterey, Carmel and your ooky-spooky birthday party. You are such a great friend and blessing to me. Thank you for putting up with me . . . as most people cannot and it is truly a feat to accomplish! :-)

I was just thinking. . . you know a person is a great a close friend when you can whisper their name and they immediately know that you think there is a cute guy nearby and you want them to give you a second opinion on the matter! HA! That is precisely what happened in Monterey on Thursday. . . “How did you know?” I asked. . . . “Because I know you all to well” was the response!

I think we make a great pair. . you and I.

NCLEX

2008-06-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well guys. . . . I did it! I registered and scheduled an appointment to take my NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) to be licensed as a Registered Nurse. This is the big one! The test of all tests! The mother lode!!!!! Without passing this test . . . I simply have a BSN but am not an RN. I am scared, excited, scared, nervous, etc. etc. I get one whole month of studying as my test is scheduled for July 11th at 2:00 pm. I plan on studying at least 2-3 hours a day. . . . I cannot afford to fail (literally . . . the test is really expensive!) Ha! If anyone has taken this before, feel free to leave suggestions and comments. I would GREATLY appreciate it! :-)

Graduation!

2008-06-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 24th, 2008 I graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Magna Cum Laude. I was also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society and was listed on both the Dean’s and Chancellor’s lists. This was the end of a seven year education and is marking the beginning of my “grown-up/adult” life. While I am excited to see where my life will now take me and the many new experiences that await me, I am also a little nervous and perhaps scared. It is a time of transition for me. . . I have never really been out of school before. I plan to go back to college in 3 or 4 years to obtain my masters, but in the mean time. . . . LIFE will occur! Ha! Scary thing, life is. . .

The ceremony was everything I thought it would be. My parents, grandparents, brother and Beth and Range came out to Arco Arena to show their love and support! Thank you all!! When I walked out to “Pomp and Circumstance” there were no tears in my eyes, just pleasure of the moment. I was amazed at how packed the arena was and how much love and support was in the building. Most of the ceremony I couldn’t really understand, as the speakers and sound system was set to address the audience and not the floor of the arena where we graduates sat . . . but the feeling of excitement was still there. As they were announcing the graduates, moments of “the wave” shot through the remaining graduates that were still seated. A beach ball was momentarily air bound, before security quickly confiscated it, which resulted in tremendous “Boo’s” from the graduates and crowd. We could not keep quite and moments of noise and yells of joy were dispersed throughout the ceremony. It was finally over. . . . everything we have worked for. . . . every test we have struggled to pass. . . . every tear of frustration we have shed. . . . every stressful semester we have prayed to endure . . . it was over. The relief, I believe, was felt by all!

After the graduation, we headed off to Café Bernardo to enjoy some “brunch” before setting up for my grad party. It was wonderful.

My party happened to be at my house and we grilled some sort of teriyaki/sesame ginger chicken with rice, a mandarin salad, chocolate covered strawberries, and pineapple upside down cake. Many of my closest friends and family came out to show their support . . . which I was so thankful for. We played badminton, boggle, chatted and enjoyed each other’s company around the bonfire that night. It was a special, relaxing time in which I soaked up the reality that my education (for now) was finally over!

Thank you to all of my friends who have put up with the excuses of studying for the last 7 years. . . I know it was frustrating at times (believe me. . . it was frustrating for me that I was not able to have fun and hang out on those many C and C events, etc) but it was worth it. LET’S PARTY!! Hehe

Our game of badminton. . . . . I lost :-(

Cheerleaders!

Our intense Boggle game. . . I lost :-(

Aydin presented me with my favorite colored . . . . . foliage??? LOL

Thank you also to all of my family (friend’s are included in that word) who have put up with my fears, complaints, frustrations throughout my education and who have offered support, encouragement and a listening ear when I needed it. You all ROCK . . . and I couldn’t have done it without you!

I've been "Pinned"

2008-05-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening I received my Bachelor’s of Science, Nursing pin from Sacramento State University in our official “Pinning Ceremony.”

“A nursing pin is a type of badge, usually made of metal such as gold or silver, which is worn by nurses to identify the nursing school from which they graduated. They are traditionally presented to the newly–graduated nurses by the faculty at a pinning ceremony as a symbolic welcome into the profession. Most pins have a symbolic meaning, often representing the history of the nursing program for that school of nursing.” (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia)

My buddies!!! These girls have been with me through a lot of rough times (studying, crying, worrying) and a lot of good times (white water rafting, skiing, laughing, goofing off). . . Love you guys immensely!!
Jenna VanderDussen. . . . .
Lynde Gregg. . . . .

The Pin had symbolized, in the 19th century, which individuals were indeed nurses from those who were not. This was before nurses were licensed and registered. Today the pin and pinning ceremony is kept as a tradition, but nurses must now take a licensing examination (NCLEX) to be registered as a “safe to practice” nurse. I asked Rebecca Holmes, RN, to be my official “pinner” at the ceremony and it was truly an honor that she agreed to pin me. The evening started off with each of us graduating nursing students walking on to the stage, an address from our class president and Dr. Hanson-Smith, followed by awards and a class slideshow. We were then called up one-by-one to be pinned and to provide our pinner with a flower. It was a nice ceremony which was followed by a lovely dinner at Bandera’s restaurant.

Thank you to my mom, dad, brother, Sis. Holmes, Crystal E., Matt S., grandma and grandpa, and Janell for coming out and showing support at my pinning ceremony. You all mean so much to me!!

I have laryngitis!!

2008-05-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can’t speak a word!! HA!! It is funny, weird, crazy and FRUSTRATING!! Some people think its great *ahem* but I don’t think it is. . . I’ve never been this quiet in my life! Enjoy it while you can people. . . . .I’ll be back!

In a "Funk"

2008-05-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Starting at the beginning of this week I have been in a sort of “funk” so to speak. . . I don’t really know why. . . . perhaps it is because once again my allergies are messing up as well as asthma and sinus problems and I feel horrible. . . . . perhaps it is because I am oober stressed out about my final on Friday. . . . perhaps it is because my life will soon be changing so drastically (with graduating, finding a job, maybe moving, etc) . . . or perhaps it because other life circumstances. Whatever the reason, I am not feeling right. . . . . I feel as if a good cry will help, but the problem is that I usually am not a super emotional person. I should be extremely happy. . . I am graduating this weekend, having a graduation party, just had my birthday on Sunday, am not going to have to do any more homework, have a future and opportunities ahead of me. . . . . so WHAT IS THE DEAL??? I hope it resolves soon. . . .

Forest Theater ~ Carmel-by-the-sea

2008-05-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

WHOOHOOO!!

Just looked up the 2008 season of this wonderful little theater! If you have never been to Forest Theater at Carmel-by-the-Sea, you are missing out! The theater is an open air theater tucked away in a small "forest" just a few seconds from Carmel beach. There are two open fire pits at both sides of the theater to add to the ambience as well as provide a little heat from the cool night air. One usually prepares some sort of “picnic” to bring to the theater (which can range from cheese and crackers to sandwiches or dessert) as well as blankets to snuggle up in. The day usually starts off by enjoying Monterey (cannery row, shops, antique stores) and then making your way down to Carmel-by-the-Sea. This exquisite little town is full of art galleries, doggy boutiques (and most stores have water dishes set out in front of them for your four legged friend. . . . . even the Coach outlet!) and a plethora of other little stores. Carmel beach is absolutely beautiful and many beach goers bring their dogs to play on the beach (mika has been several times). The productions at the Forest Theater usually start around seven or eight o’clock and last until around eleven o’clock. The tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for students and $10 for children. It is well worth the price!!

The 2008 season is as follows:

Zoot Suite ~ April 24th – May 11th (missed that one!! bummer!)

Camelot ~ May 22nd – June 15th

Evita ~ June 28th – July 27th

Looking for a group that would like to attend Camelot. . . . let me know!

James, maybe a C&C event?? (off the books perhaps?)

http://www.foresttheaterguild.org/

Thoroughly Modern Millie - A Review

2008-05-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

May 2 – 25, 2008

Show Times:8:00 pm Fridays & Saturdays, 2:00 pm Sundays

"Millie Dillmount, a fearless young lady fresh from Salina, Kansas, determined to experience Life, sets out to see the world in the rip-roaring Twenties. With high spirits and wearing one of those new high hemlines, she arrives in New York to test the "modern" ideas she had been reading about back in Kansas: ‘I've taken the girl out of Kansas. Now I have to take Kansas out of the girl!’”

Last Friday I had a very pleasurable evening in which I, along with friends Jenna, James and Dakota, enjoyed an evening meal at Crepeville and afterwards took in a show at the 24th Street Theatre in downtown Sacramento. I usually enjoy the Broadway productions put on at this little local theatre and this show was no different. It was a cute, upbeat production focusing on the drama a young Kansas girl encounters when she pursues her dreams in big town New York. She comes with dreams, ambitions and goals, only to be robbed of all her possessions on the very first day. Her dream is to become a “modern” woman who “bobs” her hair, shortens her hemline and is an independent thinker. In order to attain her dream, she applies for many job positions in which the boss is an eligible bachelor. She believes it is best to marry well and not for love. If she can marry such an eligible bachelor, she will be able to survive in New York. Through a series of circumstances she does indeed end up working for a dreamy, single, CEO of a up and coming business. She also meets a seemingly penniless scoundrel of a man who enjoys taking a different beautiful woman out to eat every night. Yes, this “scoundrel” ends up falling hard for her while her handsome boss only sees her as an efficient worker whom he calls “Johnny” (she is Johnny on the spot, you see). I will not tell you the end of the play, as I think it is delightful and you should see it yourself! Overall. . . I would say it is about a 8 out of 10 for such a small theatre production and for the price. . . . it is only $20 for adults, $18 for students, and $15 for children or groups over 10.

Also, Nunsense will be playing July 7th – August 3rd , Anything Goes September 5th – 28th and The Sound of Music October 31st – November 23rd.

More reviews to follow!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T16:50:00.001-07:00

To my mother,

First of all . . . . . I love you with all of my heart! You have not only been a wonderful mother to me, but also a true and faithful friend. You have shown more love to me that I could ever deserve. You are absolutely beautiful!

Merci pour toujours!

Sarah Ann

All I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.

~Abraham Lincoln

Because I feel that

in the heavens above

The angels,

whispering one to

another

Can find among

their burning tears

of love,

None so devotional

as that of "Mother,"

Therefore, by that

dear name I have

long called you,

You who are more

than mother unto

me.

~Edgar Allan Poe

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful Mothers!!

National Nurses Week, May 6-12

2008-05-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Nurses Week to all the wonderful, awesome, great, and spectacular RNs!!

Thelma Louise Hammonds. . .

2008-05-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today I lost my loving Thelma. Due to a terminal illness, my dad had to put her down today while I was at work. I was extremely sad, but I knew she was suffering. When I said goodbye to her this morning, it was as if she knew. She seemed sad, started shaking and put her head on my lap. It is never easy to say goodbye. . . . never easy to loose something. I guess I have been getting plenty of experience with this over the last several years. This dog was one of the most loving dogs that I have known. She loved everyone. Thelma, we love you and you will be missed. . . .

Rainbow Bridge:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

~Author unknown

Sacramento makes top 25 list -- for worst allergies

2008-04-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

According to a recent article in the Sacramento Business Journal:

Sacramento has been ranked the nation's 22nd worst city for allergies.
Ratings of the 25 sneeziest cities were put out by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, trying to promote its Flonase Nasal Spray. Data came from allergy reports to health agencies.
People in unranked San Francisco, Modesto, Lake Tahoe and Redding can wipe those smirks off their faces. Pollen in the ranked cities can spread and affect allergy sufferers up to 400 miles away, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
The 25 worst metro areas, with their allergy specialties and percentage of population affected, are:
1. Charleston, S.C.; with oak, cedar, birch and grasses; 21.8 percent affected. 2. Houston; oak, ash, hickory, pecan, grasses; 26.9 percent.
3. Chicago; ash, oak, mulberry; 20.6 percent.
4. Fargo, N.D.; birch, oak, willow, ash; 23.3 percent.
5. Billings, Mont.; ash, cedar, poplar, cottonwood; 28.2 percent.
6. Tampa, Fla.; oak, pellitory weed, hickory, pecan; 21.8 percent.

Could this be why I am on three different types of asthma medications and cannot breathe out of my nose for the first several hours of each day?? I think so!! I have been on Advair (a preventative), Albuterol and my Nebulizer. . . all of which has been keeping me alive, but definitely not comfortable. I also looked up the allergy forcast which reported that pollen is now falling most heavily from Juniper, Oak and Sycamore trees. http://www.weather.com/ also has avaiable a handy little calendar from which you can "Plan your life with the Monthly Allergies Planner." Why wants to plan their life by a monthly allergies planner?? Not I. I think the best solution is to move to some far off land surrounded by water and plenty of fresh air. A place where I barely had to take asthma spray the whole time I was there! But I am open to suggestions . . . . one article I read said that I should move to San Diego to escape my allergy problems. Humm. . . maybe I should look for the top 25 list for the least allergies!

Something to Ponder. . . .

2008-04-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

"We squander health in search of wealth; we toil, we sweat, we save; then squander wealth in search of health, and learn too late that health is wealth."
~Hans Seyle, 1960

there are NO rules in ireland!

2008-04-18T17:01:00.001-07:00

I was told that it was a nice view "just beyond the sign" . . . .

joyride!!
hummm. . . is it worth it?
residents?? i COULD be a resident. . .

i laugh in the face of danger! ha-ha-ha!!

yes, we went in. . .

Driving in IRL!!

2008-04-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

ok. . . it's not the best representation of the actual driving that we did because it wasn't really "downtown" and it was also a main highway. . . most of the time the streets were much more narrow and filled with pot holes. I forgot to take footage during the week so this footage was taken on the last day and not in the best spot.

Ireland Day 7 ~

2008-04-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Day 7~

We are heading back to Dublin today to stay the night in Dublin and fly home tomorrow. On the way back to Dublin, we had several stops planned. The drive itself straight to Dublin would have taken at least 4 hours, but we also stopped at 3 castles on the way. The first was in the town of Adare. Adare is famous for the thatched cottages. Through town we stopped and took some photos of these cottages. They were adorable. None of the stores were open yet so we made our way down to the castle ruins. A “no entry” sign greeted us. We went in :-) We began to snap some photos before a group of workers came out of a shed and we were forced to explain ourselves. We asked if we could take a few more pictures and they let us. I think the main guy in charge fancied my mom . . . he kept talking to us and followed us back to the car. He told us that he was heading down to the Abbey shortly if we wanted to go see that as well. He also told us that the castle ruins were not open until May, they were doing some preservation work, and if the Big Wigs were not making a visit there today he would have shown us around! LOL. He then told us of a real castle being built in France at the present time, just south of Paris. He was going there as well. . . I think he was sort of inviting us! ( what is up with these European men?? They LOVE us Americans . . . every time I have been overseas we always get hit on several times!! I guess our homegrown boys don’t know what they have, eh?)

Anyway, we left Adare and headed toward the Rock of Cashel, also known as Cashel of the kings and St. Patrick’s rock, is located at Cashel, County Tipperary. The Rock originally served as the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster (southern part of Ireland) for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Cashel is said to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century A.D. The buildings that are currently present date from around the 12th and 13th centuries. The rock and its edifices were presented to the Christian church as a gift . . . but I don’t recall at what time period. I think, don’t quote me, around the same time as the buildings (12th or 13 century). This structure/rock can be seen before ever entering into Cashel. My breath was taken away as I began to drive towards the town and rock. The structures were MASSIVE and beautiful. When on top of the rock, one can see for miles and miles on every side. Beautiful rolling hills of the countryside, quaint town of Cashel, a friary made for the friars at the base of the rock, etc. The scenery was some of the best that we have seen! THIS was my Ireland!! We saw a very educational film on the history of the rock and church. Afterward, we walked down to a little restaurant called Grandma’s kitchen were we enjoyed a nice heater and sheppard’s pie. Yumm!! The place was a bright pink building with yellow windows and the inside was almost as bright as the outside. The Rock of Cashel and it’s surrounding beauties were supposed to be our main stop and attraction for the day . . . little did we know what adventures lay ahead.

The inside of the chapel at the Rock of Cashel. . . . just to show the enormity of the structure!

Granny's Kitchen. . . where we enjoyed our meat pies

We decided to drive through Kilkenny on our way to Dublin because it wasn’t too far off the most direct path and I had heard that there was a lovely castle to behold. Kilkenny was a much larger town than we expected, but it had the same small, colorful European buildings and narrow streets that we had become accustomed too. It didn’t take us too long to find the Kilkenny castle, which was an extraordinary monument. We had to park several blocks away. We were able to get into the last tour of the day and the interior of the castle was just as beautiful as the exterior. All of the furniture and paintings were original from several different centuries. . most dating to the 15th century. The castle was also completely restored to how it would have been in Victorian days. This castle housed the Butler family for hundreds of years with the last Butlers residing there in the early 1900’s. The castle was sold in the 1950’s to the Irish government and restoration crew for a meager sum of 50 pounds. Can you believe that!!!!! I want to buy a castle for 50 pounds!! Sheesh. At the end of the tour we attempted to buy post cards of the inside of the castle (they wouldn’t let us take photos) at the bookstore. The bookstore, however, was closed. . . . bummer!!! After walking the grounds, my mother attempted one last time to bribe some workers to buy us some postcards from the closed bookstore if at all possible. I stayed on the outside of the castle, convinced that her attempt was in vain. Nevertheless . . . she succeeded!! And she didn’t even have to pay! LOL! She explained to the nice lady at the desk that we were in Ireland for holidays and that this was my graduation present for graduating from nursing school. The lady was so impressed that she produced several postcards and a pamphlet of the castle (all which cost euros) and gave them to my mom for free! She also told her to congratulate me and wish me well. Hehe. Luck o’the Irish!

Finally on our way to Dublin, we passed a sign about 45 minutes away from KilKenny announcing Kilkea Castle on a turnoff. I made a split second decision and we found ourselves on a country road on our way to Kilkea Castle. This castle happened to be a hotel and we once again asked about accommodations and were told to have a look around the castle. The castle was restored, but looked much more authentic and felt more like an original castle then did Dromoland. It was not as fancy, but was more unique. Parts of the stone walls were still showing through most of the rooms and the drawing room had an original fireplace with coal burning rather than electric. Kilkea Castle was built in 1180 and is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Ireland.

I finally found him!!! My knight in. . . (rusted armor??)

We finally ended up at Lucan Lodge around 7:30, checked in and then strolled down to Courtney’s in Lucan for a wonderful meal of ham and cheese stuffed chicken . . . called Chicken applewood. The finals for some soccer game were playing and as a result the atmosphere was festive. The bar/restaurant was packed with people watching the game on several different screens. We found our way to a quite corner of the restaurant and enjoyed our last evening in Ireland. I was sad, and happy. Sad that I had to leave – yet happy that I was able to have this experience.

Ireland Day 6 ~

2008-04-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Day 6 ~

Today we went down and enjoyed an Irish breakfast as usual (an egg, some bacon that looks more like slabs of ham, sausage, tomato, mushroom, cereal). . . but something unexpected occurred! There seemed to be two different types of sausage on our plates! The link sausage and some type of sausage patty. The only thing was, one of them looked to be burnt to a crisp while the other looked normal. HUMMMMM. . . . mine was the same way as my moms. After some pondering, I figured out that it must be white and black pudding, an Irish specialty. I came to Ireland telling my mother “whatever you do, don’t eat the black pudding” but now I had a strange desire to taste it for myself! And I did!! Ha! (Black pudding is made out of some interesting ingredients. . . . something having to do with the life’s source. You may want to look it up)

Our drive for the day consisted of going north to the Cliffs of Moher and driving back down through Ennis, Limerick, and a few other small cities before coming back to Glin. The quickest and easiest way to get to the Cliffs of Moher from Glin was to take a car ferry across and complete the drive on the other side of the bay. That was fun!! I just drove my car right onto the ferry!

There was a beach along the way near the town of Spanish Point. We decided to stop and enjoy the view, air and sand. It was very beautiful and almost felt like we were in a completely different country than we had been in the previous day.

The Cliffs of Moher were fantastic!! They were sheer cliffs that rose to a height of 700 feet tall! Absolutely amazing! They reminded me of the “cliffs of Insanity” LOL!!

We stopped by Quinn Abbey and took some pictures, but because we were running short on time and it kind of looked like every other abbey (that is HORRIBLE to say!!) we decided to bypass the inside of the abbey and get down the road to Knappogue Castle.

Knappogue Castle was built in 1467 by Sean MacNamara. The castle has since been returned to its original glory due to the extensive restoration done by Mark Edwin Andrews of Houston Texas. This castle was beautiful (from the outside at least). It is supposed to be open as a hotel, but when we arrived . . . the castle was completely closed down! There was nobody there at all! Sooo. . . we took our liberty and posed for several pictures. The grounds were beautiful and all around the Castle were rolling Irish hills. It was very serene and peaceful!

We stopped at Craggaunowen Project, a castle and whole town system set up for modern viewing of a medieval lifestyle, and were about to purchase tickets to see the whole display when the lady at the counter mentioned that Bunratty Castle (our next stop) closed in 30 minutes and we would not be able to make it in time. I wanted to see Bunratty Castle!! We jumped in the car and got there as quick as possible (going the wrong way a couple of times) and were still able to purchase tickets and get about a half hour in the castle. Bunratty was also set up as a whole village with the castle being somewhat restored to how it would have looked in its medieval time period. The castle was built in 1270 by Robert De Muscegros. The castle has quite an extensive history of being taken over by many chieftains of clans as well as the forces of Confederate Ireland. The castle was completely furnished with original furniture dating back as far as the 13th century. We found out that the reason Bunratty closes at 4 o’clock everyday is that there is a medieval banquet every night where guests can enjoy a meal and entertainment in various rooms of the castle. If we would have known this earlier we might have tried to fit it in the schedule. It looked as if it would be very memorable. After touring the castle (it haled quite a bit while we were in there) we visited the grounds where there was an extensive folk park featuring reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. There were old tools, furniture and artifacts on display with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops and peat fires in the cottages. In the town was the Dr.’s house and office. I thought it might be cool to get a photo inside the procedure room with some of the tools since the barrier keeping people out was pushed off a little to one side. “Mom. . get a shot of this!!” I said. (she had no idea what was in my head). I then attempted to go around the barrier and pick up a tool to make a face and have my picture taken. *weewooo wee-owww wee-ooow* went the alarm! That was the fastest I have moved in quite a while. I was out of that room in a few seconds fast. After I was out of imminent danger, and there were no guards coming to arrest me, we had ourselves quite a laugh! Sometimes I don’t know about myself!

One of the bed chambers

I forgot what this room was called. . . . but it was beautiful!

This was the dinning hall getting ready for the night's banquet

The Great hall. . .

Beautiful stained glass windows. . .

One of the thatched cottages. . .

Inside of the cottage. . .

Blacksmiths shop. . .

The "Dr.'s house" . . . . :-)

We then made our way over to Dromoland Castle, now a luxury hotel with a golf course. The original building construction dates back to the 15th or 16th centuries, however the present building was completed in 1835. It was a very beautiful castle and, by asking about accommodations, we were able to walk through many of the rooms and view the inside as well as the outside of this majestic building.

Driving back to Glin, we stopped at Askeaton Castle. This castle was in the middle of the town of Askeaton and we were unable to get close to view the castle as it was currently being restored/preserved. We were able to snap a few pictures from the closest we could get. It was located right next to, if not on, a river running through the town and was quite lovely.

Once again, we were on the road back to our B&B, bed, and a warm meal when I spotted something along the coastline! It was a building so captivating that I had to find out what it was! There were no little brown signs to guide the way, which we had been accustomed to looking for, so we backtracked and started driving down random roads. We finally asked a local who was taking out his trash and he replied “oh yeah, that’s a castle. It’s not a medieval one though! It was built in the 1800’s for the Lord of Limerick.” He then gave us directions on how to see it and we made our way back down a deserted and “private – no trespassing” road. The castle was run down with no security guarding it. I just had to have a look inside! It was beautiful! Run down, yet beautiful! I decided that I NEED this castle. I would have liked to check it out in more detail but it was getting dark and I had a very nervous mother wanting to get out of there before someone caught us or before some straggler attacked us! Hahaha!! Oh well. . . I guess I will have all the time in the world once it is in my possession.

Dinner at a quick little restaurant on the way home and we were in bed sleeping soundly.

Ireland Day 5 ~

2008-04-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Day 5 ~
Today started off driving (once again)!! We drove through Gougane Barra on our way to the Ring of Kerry (a popular tourist scenic drive). Gougane Barra seemed to be a deserted mountainous region with not much to see. We were told it was beautiful! . . . . I think we must have missed the pretty part. . . oh well.

The Ring of Kerry is a long drive around the Kerry Peninsula. It lasted throughout most of the day. In the Ring of Kerry we saw many interesting sights and surroundings. We stopped in Kenmare for a breakfast . . . our first non-Irish breakfast (the Irish breakfast consists of a piece of sausage, bacon *thick though, not like ours at home*, an egg, mushrooms and tomatoes) of an omelets and French toast. The town was cute and colorful like so many of the other towns throughout Ireland. They were a little friendlier than usual. . . . a guy whistled at my mom three times!! Ha! They also seemed to have a fascination with our wellies that we wore (boots). We had so many comments about our boots and one guy went as far as to lean out of a two story building and yell “nice boots!!” as we were walking by on the street!! Hummmm. . . interesting.

Staigue Fort was our next stop along the ring. It was a very old fort made of slate stones and was dated to be in the early centuries AD before Christianity came to Ireland. It is assumed to be the home of a wealthy Irish chieftain who needed security. The wall was six meters high and four meters thick built without any mortar. By the way. . . this fort happened to be off of the main road about 3 km and somewhat in the middle of nowhere!! There were quite a few sheep to keep it company though. . . and the sheep were wonderful! The Irish grow multicolor sheep! I had never heard of or seen such colors on sheep!

In Killarney National Park there was a lovely lookout spot called Ladies View. It was extremely cold so we were only able to snap a few photos but the view was amazing! The view consisted of a wonderful valley, streams, lakes, etc. Ok. . . back to the car. . . I’m FREEZING!!

Also in Killarney National Park was a turnoff for Muckross House and Abbey. “Oh!! Let’s stop!” we thought! “Should I bring the umbrella??” mom asks?? “Nah. . . but you can if you want” was the reply. Lucky for me, she brought the umbrella. The walk to Muckross house was about 1.7 km and before we got halfway there . . . it started HAILING!! Out of nowhere! And not just a small amount of hail! It hurt!!!! Ran, we did, back to the car . . . discarding any notion of seeing the house. By the time we got back to the car it had stopped hailing, but we weren’t about to try it again, not after the beating I took. We drove down the road just a minute or two and saw a sign once again for Muckross house! Ha!! There was a spot to turn in and park without walking the 1.7 km! what do you know??!! And by now it was all sunshine! Ahhh. . . isn’t it ironic?

On the other side of Killarney city we found a sign for Ross Castle. A castle?? I’m there! We ended up taking a tour of the castle which had been in ruins and was restored to the original style of the castle with original furniture dating back to the 17th century. At this time in Ireland there were approximately 3,500 castles of this sort scattered throughout the island. One of the O’Donoghue Ross chieftains built the castle around the 15th century. It was pretty neat to see what an actual castle would have looked like inside. We were told that the last owner of the castle, before it fell into ruins, had torn off the roof to avoid paying extra tax and as a result the natural elements had caused the castle to fall. It was rebuilt on the instructions of a wealthy American (forgot his name) who made a deal with the Irish government that if they had rebuilt it in the actual fashion for it’s time, he would return the castle along with 16,000 acres of national park to the Irish. The Irish government now owns the castle and all of the land.

Lastly. . . we visited Carrigafoyl Castle. It was very neat, but they closed at 6 pm and it was about 7:30 pm. We didn’t get to see the inside of the ruins, but that didn’t stop us from taking pictures!! I think this castle dates back to the 16th century??

We checked into The Old Castle House B&B, located in Glin and right behind the old Glin Castle. We were almost certain we were at the wrong B&B because the place was beautiful!!!

There was a lovely stream and grounds surrounding the house and we were met by a very sweet Esther who immediately took us to our room and then offered hot tea and cookies, which we accepted readily! It was amazing! The room was decorated in old Victorian furniture and had a beautiful view of the front lawns and castle ruins. We had to double check our printed reservations to make sure that it was really only 70 euro for the night and not 70 euro apiece! We also checked online to double check on the rates for sure! LOVE the place!!!

*Sigh

2008-04-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight is actually day 7 (I have to catch up on my blogging. . . .couple days behind) and we are leaving in the morning. I really do not want to go home!! I LOVE it here!! I am a little sad looking through the pictures of our whole trip thinking that some of the days seemed like ages ago. This was such a wonderful trip!!

I could really live here. . . . really!

(especially if it was in my "unknown castle" --- read the upcoming day 6 posting for details on this castle)

Ireland Day 4 ~

2008-04-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Day 4 ~

Today we started off the day by chit chatting with Carole, the owner of the B&B. She gave us lots of information on what to see and what not to see. We decided to take the scenic route by the ocean around to the ring of Kerry and up to Dingle Peninsula. We didn’t get that far! HA!!

We shopped a little in Blarney first, at the Blarney Woolen Mills mostly. I found some AWESOME deals and ended up buying an Ireland sweatshirt (of course!!) and a Celtic picture frame as well as some woolen gifts for different people. It was fun!! Because of this little shopping spree, however, we were cut short on the rest of the day. I think it was worth it though :-)

We traveled through a quaint little city called Kinsale on the coast of southern Ireland. This was a harbor town and was very colorful and the air was cool and sweet.

Driving along the coast we came across a cute antique shop and I quickly pulled off the road. Janell had requested a tea cup from Ireland and by George, she was getting a tea cup!!!! I found a cute tea cup that I thought she would enjoy even though it was actually made in England (sorry Janell. . . I asked the owner and she said there are only 3 types of cups made by Irish makers and they are rare and very expensive. Since the English are known for their bone china most of the china in Ireland comes from England. I tried though. . . it is still bought with love from Ireland)

Around the corner from this antique shop was a beautiful spot where we turned off, called Harbor View Beach. There was a chill in the air from the gust of northern wind, but we still enjoyed the beautiful views.

Our first monumental attraction on our day’s long road trip was at Timoleague Friary. This Friary was very similar to the rest of the monasteries and abbeys that we have seen this far. This Friary was burnt and plumaged by Cromwellian soldiers and has since become ruins that now serve as a cemetery.

Our next stop was Ireland's first fair trade town of Clonokitty. . . which apparently has two “titties” . . . at least that’s what my mom said!! (ha!! It was a mix up of letters as she was trying to spell it, but it came out wrong) We had ourselves a good laugh. The town was small, but thriving. The roads were extremely narrow and colorful! Very cute!

Drombeg Stone Circle was not far away from Clonokitty and we decided we had to take a peak. There was a medium sized stone circle with a burial pot found underneath the soil at the middle of the circle thought to have been the remains of a cremated youth. The stones were also arranged so that at a specific day in December the moon would shine directly between the two larger stones of the circle, giving some kind of meaning. There was also two baking huts on the premises and a well that could hold up to 800 gallons and could be heated in 18 seconds by throwing hot stones into the well making the water hot enough to cook meat.

Glandore was another little town that we passed through with a beautiful view! We stopped only momentarily to take some photographs of the beauty.

Our last stop of the day before heading to Glengarriff to bed down for the night, was at Mizen Head. Mizen is the most southern tip of Ireland. There is a light house and guard tower at the end of the tip, which was inaccessible to us and many miles away (it seemed). I did take the advice of some young men walking back from the area that the best view was on the other side of the “no entry” sign. I couldn’t resist!! It was a very nice view. . . one that my mom had to forego. It was also very windy. . . I would have put Marilynn Monroe to shame!!

We ended up in Glengarriff for the night and checked into a motel where I was able to get online (finally) and start posting on my website. I seemed to have spent all night uploading pictures and putting together blogs for my friends and family to enjoy. . . .I won’t get any sleep whatsoever now, but hey. . . anything to make them happy! LOL!!

Ireland Day 3 ~

2008-04-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Day 3 ~

Today we awoke to a cold and musty room. :-( We decided we would not stay the additional two nights that we had reserved because “it was too far from our other destinations”. . . which was completely true!! I was sick to my stomach as I dressed for the day thinking that the owner would make us pay for the nights we had cancelled. We took some pictures outside of the castle and had breakfast in the dinning hall. I must say that it showed improvement during the day but was still uneasy. She took the cancellation “ok” but became much less hospitable. I felt like a burden was lifted off of my stomach when we were finally free of the place. . . terrible to say that though.

On our way to Blarney, to see the Blarney Castle, we made a pit stop to visit an antique store. I bought a book written in the old Irish spelling and wanted an old French map of Ireland, but it was €625 which would equal about $937!!!! It was only about 8.5 x 11! The shop owner said I had very good taste! LOL. Mary, the owner, was a very nice lady who had the gift of gab! Among other things, she told us of some old monk ruins that were located about 5 miles away called Kilcrea Abbey. Since we were going in that direction anyway, we decided to make the stop. She also said that across the road from the ruins was a stone fence you could jump and walk out to an old bell/guard tower in the middle of the field and “if there are cows inside you can just shew them out.” Hehe! We found the ruins, which were great, and then decided to go for the tower. Mom was a little nervous due to the fact that we were crossing onto privately owned property, walking through three-quarters of a mile field, and entering a dark, deserted guard tower. Me. . . I thought it wad completely normal. When we got to the tower I decided to climb all the way up through a very small stone stair case. Mom was uneasy about the idea so she stayed firmly planted on the ground and took pictures! Ha! It was beautiful!! There were so many little rooms that branched off inside and the very top of the tower was grassy and had vines growing all around. It felt peaceful and wonderful. I mostly thought about how this tower could have provided Misha and I the best playhouse in the world growing up!!

Going in!!!

First Floor. . . .

Second Floor. . . .

Third Floor . . . .

At the top!! Whoohoooo! (you might have to look really hard to see me. I tried holding my arms up to make me more visable. It was a long ways up there)

Next stop up was Blarney Castle. The town of Blarney was quaint and relaxed. The castle was surrounded by beautiful grounds and a stream. The castle was built on a massive rock that provided a sure foundation and acted as additional protection against any would be assailants. We first ventured out into the dungeons of the castle which were essentially a long tunnel of about 4 feet high by 4 feet across. It was dark, dank, and wet. The tunnel floors and walls consisted of uneven rocks and small boulders which provided an excellent opportunity to break a leg or bust one’s head. Afterwards we headed towards the regular entrance of the castle where we were able to view the dinning hall, the kitchen, the master bedroom and other small rooms (for the priests and young ladies). When we got to the top of the tower, quite a bit of climbing on a stone spiral staircase, we did what is in “Discovery Channels top 99 things to do before you die” . . . . we kissed the Blarney stone! This stone hangs out over the top of the castle and one must lie on their back and lean out over the edge of the castle upside down to kiss this stone. Luckily there have been bars placed beneath your head in case you should loose your balance, but it was still a little freaky. Kissing the Blarney stone is said to give the kisser the gift of eloquence. I also learned the difference between boloney and blarney. Blarney is the varnished truth. Boloney is the unvarnished lie. Blarney is flattery laid on just think enough to like it. Boloney is flattery laid on so thick we hate it. “Boloney is flattery laid on with a trowel. Blarney is flattery laid on with the lips; that is why you have to kiss a stone to get it.” ~ Monsignor Fulton Sheen ~ We then were able to see some of the mystical side of Ireland through the wishing steps, witch’s kitchen, and witch’s stone. Supposedly there is a witch that lives on the premises of Blarney castle that is obligated to provide individuals with free wishes in return for taking their firewood. On the wishing steps it is said that whoever walks up the steps and then down again backwards while closing their eyes and thinking solely of a specific wish, their wish will come true within a year! . . . . Yes, I tried it! HA! (but I’m not telling what my wish is! I guess will see if it really works in a year’s time. . . check in for a later report!) The witch’s kitchen is a cave that is often lit up with a fire from the witch every night when she is released from the witch’s stone (a stone that resembles the face of a witch), or so the villagers claim. It was all very interesting. Also located on the grounds is the Blarney House. It is privately owned and as I understand is accessible to the public for staying overnight.

Dungeons

We then found a Bed and Breakfast that we could stay at in Blarney before venturing off to a neighboring town about 30 minutes away to see the Mallow castle. The castle was in ruins and nearby was a “new” Mallow castle that was privately owned. Although it was in ruins, it was still beautiful. It amazes me that people through history would let these monumental structures progress into becoming ruins. I understand many of these came to be this way through plundering and pillaging of different colonels, such as Cromwell, or the kings, such as Henry VIII.

Returning to Blarney we found a nice pub to obtain our dinner of a grilled cheese and ham sandwich which we ate while sharing a table with a couple who were also staying at our B&B. This was an interesting couple! The woman was in her 70’s and was Irish who then lived in England and then to Australia. The gentleman was in his 80’s and was Welsh born but lived in Australia. There names were Liz and Merv. They were a riot! They told stories of travel and of their lives in Australia. On one occasion Merv traveled to New Zeeland to visit his daughter and when he returned he informed Liz that he had bought a Mexican restaurant. There was now a Mexican restaurant in New Zeeland with a Maori chef, an Irish waitress and a Welsh owner. Ha!! We were invited to come visit them in Australia!! Afterwards, we returned to our room to make up for lack of sleep from the previous night.

Ireland Day 2 ~

2008-04-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Day 2 ~

We experienced the Ireland that I love!! We ate a wonderful breakfast at our B&B and from there left on our journey south. We knew it would be a long drive, about 5 hours straight, and we wanted to make several stops on the way. The first stop we made was in Carlow to see Carlow Castle, or what was left of it, and Duckett’s Grove. Carlow castle was right in the middle of town and all that was left of it was the very front wall. The rest had been blown apart by the previous owner to have a lunacy asylum built. It was such a disappointment that someone could do this to such a historic and beautiful building!

Duckett’s Grove was an old fortress/castle out in the middle of nowhere. The castle was falling down, but there was also a courtyard and walls surrounding the building. It looked as if this were a town within the walls. It was beautiful! We were the only ones out there though so it seemed a little isolated. It was here at Duckett's Grove that we found two original and authentice four leaf clovers!!! Great Luck t'was!

We then made our way down to Jerpoint Abbey, one of the oldest and best preserved Cistercian Abbeys. It began to be built in 1160 and has been preserved remarkably well. The tour guides name was “Jim” and he was very knowledgeable. We were able to lay our hand on the face of sculptured tomb to supposedly heal any type of facial ailments. The main attractions at Jerpoint Abbey are the intricate carvings preserved for hundreds of years. These carvings were made by a local family of carvers. Unfortunately the tour was exceedingly long and we had a deadline to catch. We were supposed to check into the Castle Townshend by 6 o’clock in the evening and still had hours to go!

We could not resist stopping at Kell’s Prior though, seeing as it was only 5 minutes off our beaten path. It was huge!! Built by the Cisternic monks and looked as if it was in the process of being restored. Mom and I decided to get a closer look as it was quite a ways off the road, separated by a field occupied with sheep. We strode through the field taking pictures of the sheep and wondering “are we supposed to be here?” We ventured to a side gate to peek inside the Prior for a quick glance before heading back. . . hoping that we wouldn’t get caught!

My driving skills have shown significant improvement. . . now it is very rare that I turn on my windshield wipers instead of my blinker and pull out into oncoming traffic. I occasionally still reach over my left shoulder for my seatbelt or look to my right for the rearview mirror. Those are still conscious efforts to make.

After a LONG drive, we ended up in the town of Castletownshend only to find the town basically deserted at 8:30 pm. By the time we found our way to the Castle, we were tired and hungry. The owner informed us that we wouldn’t be able to find anything to eat after 9:00 pm and showed us to our room. It was disappointing. The outside of the castle was great! The inside?? Not so much! She first led us to a room up through three flights of stairs where a cat was lounging on the bed prepared for us! Since we didn’t want to haul our luggage up all those stairs, and wanted to save 20 Euro, we decided to stay on the ground floor. It felt a little creepy with spider webs in the corners, a mouse hole in the wall, smell of must and dirt, and a not too comforting host. My mother felt that it was necessary to barr the door due to the "spookiness" of the place and that the door handle was not in working order. . . the locked worked though. . we think. I had to take a picture. . . it was too funny. She explained to me that the purpose of the boots was to raise the chair a little higher to keep the door nob in place and secure. ha!!

It certainly wasn’t the medieval castle I had dreamed of staying in with a roaring fireplace, freshly roasted meat waiting for us in the banquet hall and claw footed tubs! Oh well. . . I think we are going to check out tomorrow instead of staying the other two nights. Hopefully we will not have any issues with canceling our reservation after one night. Just not a good feel. . .

Ireland Day 1 ~

2008-04-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Day 1 ~

Day one started out at 3:30 in the morning as we dressed and drove to San Francisco . . . we were lucky enough to get Matt to take us. We then flew to Philadelphia and from there to Dublin. We arrived the following day in Dublin around 9:00 am. When we tried to rent our car, we found out the insurance we purchased online was not sufficient and had to buy a new policy that cost three times as much! Driving on the left hand side of the road is definitely a new experience for me. There were times I thought we might not make it back to tell the story. . . the roads are crazy as well with no street signs to help with directions. By the end of the day we were frazzled because we got lost and it took us 3 hours to get to a place that was 20 minutes away. Ugh! (Dublin was absolutely crazy!!! Traffic was nuts and we couldn’t find our way anywhere! Very frustrating!) The roads are also very poor. . . at times they go town to a narrow one lane road filled with potholes. . . other times they are multilane highways. Hmph. . who knew? There are also signs that say “reduce speed now” with a sign directly behind it reading “100 km/hr” LOL!

We did get to see Malahide Castle though!! It was beautiful! When it first came into sight I almost started crying. . . the castle is one of the oldest castles in Ireland, built in 1185, and occupied by the same family, the Talbot family, for over 800 years!

I attempted to see the hill of Tara, where the ancient kings of Ireland ruled, but then we had the 3 hour mess-up with directions and street signs. Needless to say, we made it to our Bed and Breakfast, the Moat Lodge, over an hour late and decided not to stray too far from it that night. It was a delightful little cottage within walking distance from the city of Lucan, where we visited an old cemetery.

Lucan Lodge B&B

Lucan Cemetery

We mapped out our adventures for the following day while eating a calzone in the room before crashing into a well deserved sleep.

Fresh off the Press. . . .

2008-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

IM GOING TO IRELAND IN TWO DAYS!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

Totally a last minute decision! I was initially going to go to Ireland in June as my graduation present from my parents. . . . however, next week is my spring break from school and the trip is almost half the price if I go now instead of in the summer. My mother had suggested that maybe I go next week and save some moo-lahhh. We started looking up flights/B&B/etc. and have officially reserved our tickets today!! We will be gone for 7 nights, 9 days! I am so nervous, excited, freaking out!!! We have so much to do and so little time to do it in. . . . today will be packed with confirming reservations, making itineraries and plans, packing, so on and so forth.

Ireland. . . . .
That land of mystery, romance and full of history. What is it about this emerald isle that calls to me? I have always had a passion for traveling to Europe, but Ireland most of all. I have dreamed of living there in a small cottage with several acres of land, horses, a few goats, my dogs and a scooter/motorbike. I have dreamed of getting married there in a castle with just my closest friends and family. I have dreamed of experiencing the culture and richness of the Irish heritage. I don’t know when my passion for this island started. . but it might have been after I read “Scarlett” (the continuation of “Gone with the Wind”). I have recently acquired a desire to learn Irish tap dancing (after attending Riverdance with Janell in January) ha! Wow. . . I can’t believe that my dream is actually becoming a reality!

MY Lake Tahoe!!

2008-03-26T19:35:00.001-07:00

Today I finished up the 2007-2008 ski season at Sierra at Tahoe! It was beautiful! My dad took me up there for the day even though he had to be at work by 4:00. . . (what a great dad!) On the way up there we passed a thriving little town called Fresh Pond which consisted of a gas station/restaurant/grocery store/souvenir shop all in one! HA!! I ended up driving today so I guess I noticed more things than usual (usually sleeping on the way to the mountain due to the early hour).
Everything seemed new and fresh to me today. . . . The splendor of the mountains, the beauty of Lake Tahoe, and the majesty of the melted snow creating miles of thunderous waterfalls. God’s creation was once again brought to my attention as awe inspiring and wonderful! I am so blessed to be able to enjoy the beauty that surrounds me through each changing season.
The snow was so-so. . . not too great, but not the worst either. It was icy when we arrived on the mountain but as the day progressed the snow began to soften. The wind chill factor was another story. . . it was cold until about 1:00! *Brrrrrrr*
I was able to work on my “moguls” carving skills which my dad critiquing and offering advice. I also was taken out by a snowboarder. . . and NOT on a date! He actually ran me over and thus bending my one good pole that I had. (They will definitely be replaced before next season!) Until the 2008-2009 ski season, I say ado to the glistening snow that covers the faces of rock that I so dearly enjoy treading upon!

Graduation!

2008-03-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update on the dates of my pinning ceremony and graduation. My pinning ceremony (where I recieve my RN pin, etc) is on Friday - May 23rd at 4:30 pm at California State University, Sacramento. My graduation will be held at Arco Arena on Saturday - May 24th at 8:30 am. There are no limitations on who comes. . . all are welcome! :-)

Redneck Mansion

2008-03-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Louie!

A Sad Farewell :-(

2008-03-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a sad day. . . . one of my best buddies since childhood moved to Pennsylvania for a minimum of 5 years. Misha, her husband David, and young son Cylas are moving to Pennsylvania with David’s family so that he can obtain his education. This family has been some of my closest and dearest friends. Misha and I have been friends since we were around 10 or so (??) . . . it’s been so long I can’t even remember. We were young enough to play with Polly pockets, cowboys and Indians, and run around barefoot all day playing the parts of great detectives and putting on mini dramas (some of our other stories are too scary to share with the general public). I was privileged enough to be present at the birth of her son, Cylas, and hope that I will make it to many future children’s births as well! :-)

Mish, I love you very much and will miss you badly. I wish all of you the best of luck in Pennsylvania and hope I will be able to come visit soon.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

2008-03-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to one of the sweetest grandmothers in the world (I have two of the you know!)
Nina Henderson is 71 today!! (she looks about 50 or so I'd say) ;-)
My grandma makes the best peanut butter fudge that has ever been attempted and is so giving and loving. She truely has a kind and gentle spirit and I love her to pieces!!

Senior-What??!?

2008-03-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Patient: S.A.H

Chief Complaints: listlessness, loss of motivation, boredom/sleeping/surfing the web during class, daydreaming instead of doing homework assignments, procrastination

Assessment: Patient is a 25 year old female in her last semester of nursing school at California State University, Sacramento. Patient appears to be healthy but slightly disturbed. Patient stated that onset of symptoms started in late February of this year. Chief complaints seem to be present during any scheduled class time and resurface again once homework is discussed or attempted. Patient describes an intense desire to “be free of school” and the assignments are “useless.” Patient is in great anticipation of the month of May.

Diagnosis: Senioritis - from the word senior plus the suffix -itis (which technically means inflammation but in colloquial speech is assumed to mean an illness), is a colloquial term used in the United States and Canada to describe the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their school careers. By definition, Senioritis is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition such as hypothyroidism or insomnia but is typically said to include: slowness, procrastination, apathy regarding school work, a feeling of entitlement or privilege and a tendency toward truancy, increased drug use, malingering or feigning illness in order to avoid presence in a school setting, cognitive impairments, and changes in sleep patterns. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia)

Known Cure: Graduation

Home remedies

2008-02-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here is some great information I found while browsing around health issues on msn.com. I thought these were great. . . and might just work! To health and happiness!!

Dry, Tired Eyes

Infuse a bag of chamomile tea in 4 to 6 ounces hot water, cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then apply as a compress on eyes for 10 minutes, until it comes to room temp. Chamomile has a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

The Expert: Paul S. Anderson, ND, associate professor of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University

Bad Breath

Drink up to ¼ cup pure aloe vera gel dissolved in about half a cup of water or apple juice. Aloe vera contains an anti-inflammatory compound called B-sitosterol that soothes acid indigestion, a common cause of bad breath. But go easy; in large doses, aloe vera can work like a laxative.

The Expert: New York-based herbalist Letha Hadady, DAc, author of Healthy Beauty

Nasal Congestion

Irrigate the nose with contact lens saline solution, using a Neti Pot. Or try: putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates. (Note: The room may be too hot for children.)

The Expert: Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, research director at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City

Less-than-White Teeth

Combine ½ teaspoon baking soda with 1 or 2 drops of peroxide. Brush on, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse (don't swallow) and ta-da—enjoy your once-again pearly whites. Baking soda serves as a safe, light bleach. A baking soda and salt mixture can also restore the shine of dingy teeth (dip a wet toothbrush into 1 4 teaspoon soda and sprinkle with up to 1 8 teaspoon salt) as effectively as it polishes your pots and pans. However, the peroxide recipe is safer for people on no-salt diets.

The Expert: Letha Hadady, DAc

Mild Heartburn

Combine 1 teaspoon powdered glutamine, an amino acid, to fuel gastrointestinal tract cells and cool inflammation; 1 capsule to introduce good bacteria to the gut; and 1 teaspoon herbal marshmallow or slippery elm powder to coat and soothe the digestive system. (The ingredients are available at health food stores.) Mix with 6 to 8 ounces yogurt or applesauce (to get everything down) and take one or two times a day for 8 to 10 weeks.

The Expert: Paul S. Anderson, ND

Mosquito Bites

Rub liquid laundry detergent on the spot and let dry. The liquid soothes the skin, dries the bite to reduce irritation, and seals the area from outside irritants.

The Expert: Paul Lyons, MD, associate professor of family and community medicine at Temple University School of Medicine

Headaches

Try do-it-yourself acupressure. Feel along your trapezius, the large muscle that runs from the high point of both shoulders and joins your neck. Use your thumbs and index and middle fingers to squeeze the muscle just below where it attaches to both sides of your neck. You'll be releasing "trigger points," tiny muscle spasms that can cause neck tension and are a common cause of headaches. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute—or have a friend do it for you. Or try: massaging one or two drops of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil into the same trigger points and the lower neck. "Peppermint oil relaxes muscles in spasm."

The Expert: Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH

Sore Throat

Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon—the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Infuse the tea in 2 cups boiling water, and for every cup, stir in 2 teaspoons soothing and sweet raw honey. Sip throughout the day until your throat settles down.

The Expert: Paul S. Anderson, ND

Dandruff

Douse it with a cup of antioxidant-packed green tea, which will naturally exfoliate dry flakes without dehydrating skin. Steep two bags of green tea in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes to overnight. Once it has cooled, massage the strong tea into your scalp.

The Expert: Letha Hadady, DAc

Pimples

Treat them with tea tree oil and witch hazel, both of which have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. As soon as you feel a pimple forming, dot either tonic on the area twice a day for 2 or 3 days. "Never use rubbing alcohol because that only dries out and irritates skin without having any effect on the bacteria that cause acne."

The Expert: Doris Day, MD

Sunburn

Take a lukewarm bath with 1 cup added ground oatmeal (grind it with a mortar and pestle; instant oatmeal works fine), 1 cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons honey, and 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel. Oatmeal is anti-inflammatory, honey is antiseptic, milk's proteins and fats soothe skin, and aloe numbs pain. "Afterward, moisturize with a cream containing hydrating shea butter and aloe."

The Expert: Doris Day, MD

Diarrhea

Drink a cup of chamomile tea. The herb has an antispasmodic effect that stops contractions in the lower intestine.

The Expert: Evangeline Lausier, MD, assistant clinical professor in medicine at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, NC

Flatulence

Sip 1 cup hot water steeped with 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, which stifle the enzymatic action that causes gas.

The Expert: Evangeline Lausier, MD

Enjoy!! Let me know if they work!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!!

2008-02-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

Happy 31st birthday to my ANN MARIE HUN! I know you said birthdays are kinda depressing at this point in your life. . . but it is still a day to celebrate YOU!! I want to celebrate you, so there!! Thanks for being the wonderful, no-nonsense, tell it how you see it, adorable, genuine friend that you have always been to me. . . . even when my “ca-waab died!” You have helped me through many struggles and hard times that I have had throughout my life and for that I am thankful. I will definitely remember you in my will!! Hehe

Love you bunches!!

Comfort Foods

2008-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “Comfort food is typically inexpensive, uncomplicated, and easy to prepare. Many people turn to comfort food for familiarity, emotional security, or special reward. The reasons a dish becomes a comfort food are diverse but often include pleasant associations of childhood. Small children often seem to latch on to a specific food or drink (in a way similar to a security blanket) and will repeatedly request it in high stress situations. Adults eat comfort food for a sense of continuity.”
My personal favorites:

Stressed ~ hot chai tea, pizza, chocolate!, wonton soup, Doritos

Sad ~ cookie dough ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate

Lonely ~ Thick homemade soup, Shepherd’s pie, turkey, mashed potatoes, pancakes

Indulgent ~ Butterfinger candy bar, McDonald’s cheeseburger, Chili’s chocolate

molten lava cake, chocolate milk, Chocolate dipped caramel apple with
crushed Oreos, Cinnamon Dolce steamer from Starbucks

Any new additions to my list would be welcomed! (I tend to use my comfort foods quite a bit these days) :-)

Birthday Bash!

2008-02-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Helow, my name is Mika and todai I am 7 yers oald. Todai has ben a verry fun dai. My Sarah hade a birtdai parti fore mi with hats and treets and mi broddurs and sissters came too! Fritz and Thelma hade hats butt wer mizbehaving so thei gott tima outt. I then openede mi prisents and gott tweats and chewiis. Sarah made mi pancakies for brek-fast. I lub birfdays. My unkle Ryan sais Sarah is "retarded" butt I thout it wuz verry special.

I met mi Sarah 7 yers agoa whin she cambe to Flordia. I was 6 weks oald. She hade just loast her dog Spoofy and was verry sade. My brudders and sissters all twied to comefort her and I layed my sewf on her feett. She said she fweld so special. She tooka mi home to my newa hoouse in cali-fornia and I lub it hewr. I know my Sarah lubs mi verry mucha.

~~~~~The pancakies wer soo guud!~~~~~

Her are sumb of mi prisents ------->

Happi Birfday to my twin brudders and sissters too: Beau, Tyson, Amy and Chante!

(sorri four the spelying. Ibe never ben to skoul.) :-)

Friends. . .

2008-02-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you all a poem one of my dearest and best friends wrote for me. She then had it engraved on a wooden box for me and presented it to me last year as a present for being the maid of honor in her wedding. It is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever given me. I hope you enjoy it!

Friends make the world more beautiful
They share their point of view
And help us to see things in a way
That’s wonderful and new
Friends make the world more beautiful
In countless different ways
Making good things better
And enriching all our days
It may seem we take for granted
As the days go past
The good and faithful friendships
That we’re counting on to last
But there’s a special language
Understood by you and me
In which our words of gratitude
Are spoke silently
An though your heart already knows
Sometimes I’d like to say
You’ve made my world more beautiful
I’m glad you came my way

~Elizabeth Richardson

Labor and Delivery!!

2008-01-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

I just received my new assignment for the semester. . . I will be at Mercy San Juan in the Labor and Delivery floor! This is my last semester in nursing school and as such we are able to choose which floor we would like to work on (for the most part). My first choice was at Sutter Memorial, but that was unsuccessful. I will only be attending CSUS one day a week, have community health one day a week and working full time at the hospital the other days. It should be a busy yet exciting semester. I will graduate with my Bachelors of Science, Nursing in May of this year!! Whooohooo!

Winter Fun!

2008-01-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

There are few things that I enjoy more in the winter than skiing. Since living in Sacramento we have frequented just about every ski resort in Tahoe with Northstar and Sierra being the resorts of choice. I have also visited Banff in Canada and skied Sunshine Village several years back. I would love to visit Whistler, Colorado and Utah and am definitely planning on skiing the Alps in Switzerland sometime in my life. There is little that can compare to the fresh mountain air rushing in your face as you carve down the black diamonds or just bombing the less challenging slopes. I tend to enjoy the “bombing” more, in which caution is abandoned and adrenaline is at its peak. I avoid the moguls if at all possible and the trees are sketchy for me as well. Ryan, my brother, is a park veteran and has been successful in his attempts at getting me to jump as well as skiing “fakie". A hot chocolate sums up the day nicely and a nap on the ride home while someone else drives is always appreciated!

Feliz cumpleaños a Ja-nell!

2008-01-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Feliz cumpleaños a ti, (Happy Birthday to you)

Feliz cumpleaños a Ja-nell, (Happy Birthday to Janell)

Feliz cumpleaños a ti! (Happy Birthday to you)

Happy 26th birthday to one of my best friends in the world!! Thanks for being such a FABULOUS friend! We have shared a lot of laughs and good times and as a result have stories to be told throughout a lifetime! I love your laugh, kind heart and contagious smile. I have never known anyone who gets into so many predicaments or has so many crazy and odd events happen in their day-to-day lives . . . . you keep me in stitches! Thanks for always being there for me and for being such a TRUE friend. I hope you have a great, wonderful, fun filled year full of many adventures . . . . . (with me of course!) LOL!

2008-01-01T18:37:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! ~2008~

I wish you all the best in the upcoming year! As Bishop Nathaniel J. Wilson preached this last Sunday morning, 7 is the number of completion whereas 8 is the number of new beginnings. I am excited to see what “new beginnings” the year 2008 will bring in the lives of all my family and friends. . . yes. . and myself as well. :-)

Ice Skating. . Fun or Misery?

2007-12-29T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yeah . . . sooo. . . on the subject of ice skating . . . is it fun, or misery?? I would tend to think that it would be fun IF I actually had some good ice skates for once. The typical night of ice skating is as follows: friends call up and say “hey, got a great idea! Let’s go ice skating tonight!” It really sounds like a blast so I gear up in my beanie, gloves, sweater, scarf, boots, etc. and head out for a night of fun. Once we get to the outside skating rink in downtown Sacramento we first stop by Starbuck’s to warm up with a nice caramel apple cider or perhaps a cinnamon dolce steamer. After warming up the body and soul we head over to purchase our rentals and skating tickets. All is well until we end up at the rental modular. There usually is either a line or the “staff” assigned to the rentals has somehow gone MIA. When the appropriate personnel is located or the line has moved along we indicate which size skates we wear only to be given a pair of skates two sizes too big, sopping wet inside from the last renter’s sweat and ice, and the shoe laces are either too short or the rings to string them through are missing. Ugh! The line is too long to return them for other skates and who is to say that the replacement pair will be any better? I guess they will have to do. The first five or six times around the rink is pure horror! One must grab on to anyone they can find until they feel a little more comfortable standing on metal and ice. When you finally get comfortable with skating on your own, you realize that you ankles are killing you from lack of support and the skates that are seemingly made out of wood (at least it feels like it). A break is in order to relieve the pressure ulcers that are forming on your feet. The cycle continues until you run out of time on the ice or your poor body can no longer take the abuse. The evening ends with everyone saying how much fun they had and “we have to do it again!” all the while questioning whether you ever want to hear the words “ice skating” again. Ladies and gentlemen. . . I propose a solution to this never ending cycle of misery! Let us purchase our own skates that we may enjoy the FUN that ice skating may have to offer. Let us also find bigger and better skating rinks, or better yet a frozen deserted lake, that we do not abuse and injure our fellow skaters on ice. What say ye to this proposal?? All in favor?

(I did have quite a great time with my friends . . . . except for the skates. . . I have a great blister as a result)

Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas. . . .

2007-12-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
~Dr. Seuss

Christmas is a special time, a magical season of love and laughter. Everyone of us has our own ideas of how to spend and enjoy the holiday season. When I think of December, I think of hot coco, a roaring fire, reading novels, shopping, ice skating, mistletoe (yeah, haven’t tried that one yet! Ha!), skiing in Tahoe (someday I will spend Christmas in Switzerland skiing the Alps . . .but not for a while), scarfs and gloves, family (I wish they all lived closer), games, candy canes, decorations, pine trees, boots, Christmas music, final exams :-(, egg nog, cookies and cakes, presents, snow/rain, love, lights, happiness, and the true meaning of Christmas. . . . the birth of Jesus Christ!! I truly believe that it is indeed “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” I spent last Christmas in London, England with Ryan and Ben and while it was a completely wonderful and amazing experience, it wasn’t the same. I am looking forward to spending this Christmas with my family and friends, listening to the Christmas story, playing games and eating all day long!!

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!
~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.
~Carol Nelson

My personal top 11 Christmas songs:

1. “Once Upon a Christmas” Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
2. “White Christmas” Bing Crosby
3. “The Christmas Song” Nat “King” Cole
4. “Little Drummer Boy” Josh Groban
5. “I Want a Hippopatamus for Christmas” Gayla Peevey
6. “A Christmas to Remember” Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
7. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” Thurl Ravenscroft
8. “Baby it’s Cold Outside” Various Artists
9. “All I Want for Christmas is You” Mariah Carey
10. “Santa Baby” Eartha Kitt

11. "Merry Christmas Darling" Carpenters

Let Christmas not become a thing

Merely of merchant's trafficking,

Of tinsel, bell and holly wreath

And surface pleasure, but beneath

The childish glamour, let us find

Nourishment for soul and mind.

Let us follow kinder ways

Through our teeming human maze,

And help the age of peace to come

From a Dreamer's martyrdom.
~Madeline Morse

I wish you ALL a very MERRY CHRISTMAS filled with Love and Joy!!
Love ~ Sarah, Mika & Fritz

A Cinderella Story

2007-11-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, November 24th 2007 to be exact, my biggest dream came to pass!! I met Josh Groban and his dog Sweeney in Carmel California. *for those of you who are not aware, I am IN LOVE WITH JOSH GROBAN!!!* The one person in the whole world who I would want to meet has been Josh Groban for the past 6 years or so. I know all of his three CD’s by heart and could spot his voice in any crowd (and apparently his face! LOL). We were walking downtown Carmel when a young man passed me on the street and brushed my shoulder. When I looked up, I looked into the eyes of Josh! Instant recognition! I turned around to my dad who was kind of chuckling as he said “wow, that kid looked a lot like Josh Groban.” I said “DAD!! That WAS Josh Groban!!” By this time he was already walking down the other side of the street. My dad insisted that I go talk to him but I was a little hesitant as he is a celebrity and I didn’t want to ruin his day. I finally gave in and when I caught up to him, simply said “uhh, excuse me. . . . I know you probably really hate this, but I just recognized who you are and I was wondering if I could take a picture with you.” He replied. . “sure”. . . I then assured him that I wasn’t a “freaky person” and just a “big fan” to which he laughed and told me that I had a cool hat and anyone with a hat as cool as mine was cool with him. Since I was holding Mika he said “hold on, let me grab my dog!” I asked him what his dog’s name was and he told me Sweeney. “As in Sweeney Todd??” I replied. . . “exactly!” *I think I scored some points there!* He then put his arm around me and pulled me in close. . . . *sigh. . . * After the pictures he began asking how my Thanksgiving was and told me to have a great weekend. He was such a nice, down to earth young man and I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. . .HA! I guess sometimes dreams really do come true. . .

C&C Road Trip to Santa Cruz, CA

2007-10-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

This last weekend the College and Career group went on a road trip to Santa Cruz, CA. After enjoying lunch at Armadillo Willy’s we drove over to discover the “Mystery Spot” “The Mystery Spot was discovered in 1939 and offers numerous variations of gravity, perspective, compass, velocity and height. It is an area of about 150 feet in diameter located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz. Within the Mystery Spot the laws of physics do not apply. It appears as though every law of gravitation has gone haywire, turned topsy-turvy and just doesn’t make sense. Some unseen magnetism or phenomenon just upsets all former ideas of equilibrium.” (according to the brochure)

Josh standing in the doorway (doorway is leaning one way and Josh the other)

Chris and I trying to climp a verticle slope :-)

Afterwards we drove to Marianne’s Ice Cream and then down to the boardwalk. We made camp on the beach where we enjoyed a bon fire and music played by nick and jake. A marshmallow fight around the campfire ended the night and we soon made our way back to Sacramento. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day! I am looking forward to the next C&C road trip!

Love and Marriage

2007-10-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 22, 2007, we celebrated the nuptials of Elizabeth and Range. The celebration took place in South Lake Tahoe, looking out over the lake. I had persuaded my good buddy Mike to accompany me to the wedding. . . poor guy. He didn’t know a soul there, except for the bride whom he had met 2 days previously. After putting up with a very grumpy Mike (he did get better as the day went on. hehe) for 2 hours on the drive to Tahoe, we arrived at the residence where the wedding was to take place. It was a beautiful wedding and Beth looked gorgeous!! After a wonderful dinner, the dance floor was prepared . . . I finally caught the bouquet (Biff was scouting me out of course) and we had fun with the YMCA and Conga line. I wish Eliza and Range all the happiness in the world and am glad that they live so close to me (they had better stay that way too!!)

This cake was delish!!! I had a vanilla slice

with fresh strawberries in the middle as well

as on the top! A++

<--- My Elizabeth, Beth, Eliza and Biff

Bride, Groom, Best Man and Maid of Honor ---->

<----Bridesmaids

Mike and I ---->

Wedded Bliss!! (Nate and Amanda's Wedding)

2007-09-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

We started our journey after a grueling day of school (studying fetal heart rates for 4 hours) and drove 6 hours down to Orange County in So. Cal.(listening to Louis Lamour all the way. . .How To Tame a Land). We arrived at the church at 9:30 at night where I stayed until 1:30 decorating the unity candle table and the center isle. The next morning I found myself eating a quick starbucks breakfast sandwich, sipping a white blueberry tea and doing 3 bridesmaids hair as well as the brides hair and my own. . . . wheeeww! The wedding was beautiful and the reception had a real live Mariachi band!

While I fought valiantly for the bouquet, alas I had a failed attempt.

The ladies in the bridal party were a kick in the pants!!

After the wedding a group of us went down to Newport beach, where we could hear the ocean but no longer see it, and enjoyed the taste of Italian gelato (dulce de leche for myself). We went back to the Simmons’ house were we attempted to stay away and socialize with one another (after taking a Benadryl and drinking hot tea I was unsuccessful and fell asleep on the couch).

On Sunday we enjoyed Felix’s Cuban restaurant and walked around Old Towne Orange. We then headed down to L.A. and cruised through Beverly Hills. At Santa Monica Blvd. we stopped to wait in a 45 min line for Sprinkles cupcakes!!!! (look them up online. . . . they are a delicacy) hehe. We then found ourselves at Pink Berry to enjoy a little frozen yogurt! We left L.A. at 7:00 pm (not the smartest thing to do) but made it home by 1:00 am (not too bad, eh?)

I had a wonderful time and met many new friends/buddies!!

Rainbows at Sunset

2007-09-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

One CRAZY week in August. . . .

2007-08-27T16:38:00.001-07:00

Last week I had quite the adventure. . . . my cousin Ryan (whom I haven’t seen in YEARS) and his friend Matt (whom I have NEVER seen) came out to visit for a week. I really didn’t know what to expect and was therefore more nervous that I usually would have been when I found out I had to pick them up at the airport ALL BY MYSELF!! Yikes!! I am not the most social person when I don’t know someone very well so I really pushed myself to the limits! Ha!! The first and second day that they were here was a little awkward for me, trying to get to know them and all, but by the end of the week I felt like I had known them my whole life! (they were probably wishing that I would go back to how I was the first two days of their trip. . . . hehehe) We did have quite a blast and laughed most of the time . . . usually at Matt’s expense. He handled it rather well though, considering.

Our first day together consisted of walking around Old Sac where the streets were filled with participants in a “rubber duck” race (?? Yeah. . I have no idea??) followed by a horrific car ride over to Crepeville for some lunch. We then went to the state capital and enjoyed a nice tour through the Assembly and Senate chambers as well as the rest of the capital building. Sutter’s Fort was next on the list (which I found completely boring. . . I didn’t let them know that though as they seemed to be enjoying it “ok”) and then back to my house where we enjoyed the company of the college and career group as well as other family friends.

Day 2 ~ Church!!! . . . and a little relaxing around the house. Don’t we look good?? hehe

Day 3 ~ We headed out to San Francisco for a day of fun in the sun!! Our first stop was Alcatraz which was very interesting and neat-o. . . then we met up with this crazy red headed girl (??) and hit the main attractions such as the golden gate bridge, Lombard street, Union Square, China town, and Mitchell’s ice cream. We began to feel quite comfortable with each other and as a result were a bit more retarded! (makes for great pictures though)

Lombard Street

Day 4 found us traveling through the gold mining city of Murphy’s were we enjoyed Mercer Caverns, panned for gold (with our hands until Ryan found a pan), and then on to the Calaveras Big Trees. We had a grand ol’time!

While walking through a "tree tunnel" we were attacked by man eating bats and barely escaped!! If you look close enough you can see one of these bats directly above Matt's head.

Biggest "nugget" of gold in the WORLD!! (I think)

Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. . . . . always the jokester!

Day 5 ~ Yosemite!!! After a very LONG drive we found ourselves looking at the beauty of Yosemite National park. . . El Capitan and Half Dome were just a few of the sites we enjoyed. The waterfalls were lacking, as someone had apparently shut off the faucets and forgot to turn them back on, but we were able to see a bear and some deer which was exciting. On the way home Matt begged me for some of my shiny lip gloss. . after much pleading I gave in and got some great “smoochy” pictures as a result. . . (it might not have happened exactly that way. . but it happened)

Days 6 & 7 ~ We enjoyed the beauty of Monterey and Carmel with my parents . . . the weather was absolutely PERFECT!! We also saw Peter Pan at the forest theatre and the boys got to try out a little California diving!

Day 8 ~ Ate a late breakfast (1 o’clock) and then went to the state fair to watch the Rock Church choir perform. . . . also were able to see the baby animals (awww) and watch the rodeo (saw some blood on that one!!).

Age and Time. . . Weird!!

2007-08-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I know I am NOT OLD!

Ok, now that I have that out of the way. . . I came to a realization today. . . it was a sad one. . I AM getting older!! I mean, I know I am not old . . . but I am the oldest I have ever been, right?? I haven’t really thought about it, but today I was on the web and came to a site to which I am apart of and saw “Sarah, 25 years old, Female, California” and it just hit me! I don’t feel 25 at all. . . . I still feel around 20 or so. . . is it normal to feel younger than what you really are?? I remember the days that 25 meant you were now a part of the “singles” group instead of the “youth” group. . . it is a good thing good ol’James bridged the gap with the new and improved “college and career” group. . HA! While I haven’t been paying attention life just keeps moving on without asking permission. . . and it always will keep moving on in the same fashion. I guess the moral of the story is to enjoy today while you have it! I was told once in one of my biology classes that “from the day you are born, you are slowly dying and decaying”. . . . . so let’s die having fun each and every day!

Afternoon Tea!

2007-08-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday I hosted a real life tea party at my house! (it was actually a bridal shower for Elizabeth) Although it was WAY more work that I had anticipated it was worth the effort. I had multiple comments made, such as “you have made every little girls dream come true!” and “the only tea parties I have been to have included teddy bears and toys.” It was suggested to the ladies, in the invitations, to “wear your favorite summer dress and hat” and they did just that! We had a wonderful time and the only complaint that I could have was that the wind was just a little too overzealous :-)

Here is the tea table set up with two different flavors of hot tea. . . some iced tea. . . and some pink lemonade.

Lunch Menu: croissant sandwiches, potato salad, watermelon and Ben’s special mixed salad with strawberries. So delish!

Dessert Menu: three types of deluxe cupcakes ~ vanilla, chocolate and orange supreme ~ Sarah’s berries (which were a raving success. . they couldn’t get enough I tell ya!!), chocolate covered pretzels and raspberry thin mints. . . . wrapped up with some hot currant tea

Elizabeth and I

Mika had to make her appearance!!

Special thanks to: MY MOM!!!, Cheryl S., Lisa C. and Chris H. for ideas, supplies and help!!

Some Day . . .

2007-07-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

*sigh*. . . my dream house. It doesn’t look like much now (and the pic is horrible!! I was walking in the gutter on the side of the road in my heels and church clothes trying to snap a few pictures . . . there is a “no trespassing” sign on the fence and I didn’t want to get in trouble) but it is the house of my dreams. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved this house. Situated in Elk Grove, CA slightly out of town, this historic house has plenty of character & personality . . . and it is FOR SALE!! Of course it is for sale with 19 acres of commercial property making it extremely expensive, but I have been scheming. . . . if someone buys this property they will probably tear the house down to make way for new developments. What if I could buy a small parcel of land around the area and buy just the house (they might give it to me. . save the hassle of bulldozing it) and pay to have it moved down the street to my own property. The house would probably have to be gutted, but as I have never been inside I really have no idea. My next move is to find a realtor who would be willing to take me inside and talk to the owner for me. I also currently do not have any money. I suppose that could be a small bit of a setback. . . .

A Harley it is!

2007-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered that I have a desire to own and ride a motorcycle. The drawbacks are the cost, the fact that I don't know how to ride a motorcycle, and that I would be ridding in one of the most dangerous states to ride in. I have received a lot of negative feedback on this idea, but I think I have also convinced a couple of my close friends to get one as well! Ha! With much discussion on the subject, I thought a compromise could be reached with a cute little Vespa/Scooter that I saw at a power sports retailer. I stopped by after work today to get the price and the details and that was when I discovered that these adorable scooters only go up to 35 MPH. THAT IS NOT GOING TO WORK! sooo. . . it looks like a Harley is back on the menu. . . or something of that sort (Yamaha V-Star, etc).

Bunny Mayhem

2007-07-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

For the last two and a half weeks I have been working temporarily at an office, covering for an employee who went on vacation. This last Monday, something quite unexpected occurred at this office. Monday morning started out like any ordinary Monday, stumbling out of bed while angrily trying to shut off the alarm. Groggily I showed up to work and began setting about the tasks that I am being paid to do. About half-way through the day, as I was scheduling appointments for clients on the computer and filing stacks of paperwork while answering the phones (I have to make it sound good, right??) my employer was on the phone with a client in her office. Now, the office is not very large and as a result I more than heard the blood curling scream that suddenly sounded throughout the building. After checking my pulse to make sure that I was still alive, I whirled around to find my employer, still on the phone, but with her feet in the air and a look of panic on her face. In the middle of the office floor sat the cutest little baby cotton tail rabbit I have ever seen. As recognition of the furry object began to set in, she simply apologized to the client and continued her conversation (which was followed by laughs and giggles when the receiver was replaced).

As I crept forward for a better look, after snapping a few photos for friends and family, the bunny suddenly made a dash back into my employer’s office and behind her desk. It took at least 15 minutes of sweet talk (and a broomstick) to coax the bunny inside of an Office Max box. By this time my employer was back on the phone (with the same client as before). As my fellow employee and I attempted to tip the box right side up and put a lid on it, the bunny made an attempt at escape. The suddenness of it all caused more screams of excitement and my employer found herself once again apologizing to the client and attempting to explain the mayhem that was occurring in the office. At last we were able to properly confine the poor creature and grant it back its freedom in the front yard. The bunny quickly jumped out of the box once the lid was removed and scampered across the yard to a nice big bush providing cover and safety, but not before giving us excitement for the day and a story to be told.

Family Reunions

2007-07-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

After just getting back from a family reunion in Gaylord, Michigan (the first family reunion that I can remember ever going to) I have learned a lot about life and my family. Although I did not know 3/4ths of the people there, we had a connection because we were related and because of this connection we didn't care if others heard us sing off key around the campfire, caught a glimpse of us in our pajamas, or smelled our morning breath. What a weird feeling to be completely relaxed around 100 or so people that I have never seen or met before!! I also learned that one has the choice to age gracefully. . . . or not!

Although Michigan does not have too many positives, in my opinion, compared to California, I was able to witness the beauty of the great lakes on a six hour motorcycle ride, enjoy the clean fresh air of northern Michigan while camping for a week and partake of the delicious taste of the one and only Koegel's pickled bologna. Sound disgusting?? Don't knock it till you try it. . . it is only found in Michigan, however, but you may be able to order it online :-)

When "love" is not enough. . .

2007-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

People are constantly trying to “set me up” with young men whom they know. . . out of pity or pleasure, I have no idea. At weddings I often hear the question “When are YOU getting married?” or “You’re next Sarah!”. . . while I admit I do not like being alone or occasionally feeling lonely, I ask myself “In this gamble with life, it is worth the risk of such heartache and pain for the possibility of pleasure and great happiness?” As relationships all around me, young and old, are crumbling, lies and deceits told, and tears shed. . . . was it worth it to them? Some people say “Just put it in the hands of God” or “Just trust God”, but what about those who have put it in the hands of God and are still in pain. . . is there any chance of love and happiness left for them when their families and lives are torn apart?

I suppose that eventually the day will come when I myself try my hand at this game of love, but will it be enough? Will it last? I pray that it will, but only time will tell. . . . .