It's Monday!!!

This weekend was the Poppy Festival. After spending all day Saturday at the softball field, off Honey and I went to the festival!!!There was a guy making a sandperson, bagpipes,a Russian bear and a Timberwolf!!!A fab NASA exhibit (well, alot of people here do have jobs they can't tell anyone about!! Lots of aerospace and Edwards Airforce base is here!!)And a vulture!!! We got there when it opened, the day was sunny and warm. Just a beautiful day in the high desert!!! And the food!! Yummy! Although we did not overdo, we did have a Gryo and an apple pie candy apple and a mudpie candy apple and a strawberry smoothie and a lemonade!!! Then we went home and crashed! :)And now some pictures of the babies!!! Baby is up on top. She is such a mellow Sibe (as long as we don't bring adult rescue Sibes in the house - puppoes are ok!!) Then Gibbs in his new blankie. Yup, I had to crochet him his own blanket!!! And finally Max, my running partner!!

Before and After

Monica over at Pixel Perfect is hosting this blog hop. Take a picture SOOC (straight out of camera) then show your edited version. Pretty cool!

Anyway, I present my entries:

This Morro Bay Rock in Northern California. Morro Bay is one of our favorite places and the coast of  California is one of the most beautiful anywhere!! I shot this last year during our anniversay weekend trip!!!

The finished product took me a few hours in Lightroom and Photoshop. I was going to toss the top image - but then I wondered if I could salvage it and Voila!! I think it pretty and dark! I hope you all enjoy! It's kinda scary to show people your SOOC shots!! Thank goodness for CS4 and Lightroom!!!

My friend Sarah took this shot of me!  I do not like having my picture taken, I see all my flaws. But I look better now then I did two years ago. So, I am doing Shoot Me. Because in ten years I will not look this good. I know I'm an optimist!! Hahaha!!! Head over to Forever in Blue Jeans and start putting you in your shots (at least once a week!!)

Wordless Wednesday

My Mom (the baby in the picture), my grandma, and my great-grandma!!!

Ventura, California

Post It Note Tuesday

I'm loving Post It Note Tuesday!

 Head over to Supah's page Adventures of a Wannabe Supah Mommy and link it up!!!

Dodger game and Super Science Saturday

Thursdays game was awesome! We had a blast with our friends, Shelby and Becca. It does not look like we had fun because this is how Honey poses for my pictures!!!!! But we did!!

They were visiting from Montana.

I saw this little guy and he was so cute, cheering and waiting for his foul ball!

I think Dodger Stadium has got to be the prettiest stadium EVER!!!!

Since it was Jackie Robinson Day, everyone around the league wore number 42!!

I have no words for this shot!!! Hahaha!

Ethier after hitting his walk off  hit!!!!!!

All right, my focus was off, I was using the small point and shoot!! But the I took this shot because the rookie was wearing his pink backpack!!!

Shrimp and Papa working on their rocket!! Shrimp took the Silver! She had a han time of more then 7 seconds!! Papa is already working on the design for next year, when Flea enters the competition!!!

Friday Follow

Hey Everyone!!! Last night we went to the Dodger game!! Extra innings! But they won!!! My boys!! Pictures are coming! But Honey and I are spending the day together! So I am off to find new blogs (I love fridays!!) and then we are hitting the gym together and softball tonight!!

Cross your fingers today is Shrimps drill team tryouts!!!!

Carin from Forever in Blue Jeans has Shoot Me!!!

 She explains it  Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!

I look back at my life and think, "why aren't I in any of those pictures?" Then I remember, because I thought I looked awful, fat, no make-up, etc., etc., etc. But the funny thing is, I wasn't. I would kill to look like I did in my 20's!!! And my kids and Honey think I look pretty good now. So, I'm in!! Go on, head over there and link up!!!!

Post It Note Tuesday

Thank you!!!

Thank you everyone for your very kind words and thoughts!! You all mean so much to me!!!

I had a very good wekend! Honey took friday off and we (what else?) went to the gym and took a class together then we had lunch and went to the bookstore. I love going to the bookstore! After that we went to oldeststillathome son's baseball game. And topped the evenning off with a screening of New Moon! Love me some Jacob!!!

Saturday was all about softball! Four games to be exact!! And lunch at Applebees! While at Applebee's I was pretty sure I saw yup! Yarnagogo herself! Rachael Herron and Lala!! (That's Rachael on the the right and Lala on the left!) She has a new book out called, "How to Knit A Love Song." Honey told me I could not go say anything to them until she had safely left the building! But I looked up her schedule (book tour) and noticed she was supposed to be in Northern Cal saturday and couldn't possibly be her!!! (Which she confirmed later in a tweet!! I almost died when I saw that reply!!

yarnagogo @janinemilitello how funny! Not us! But we like it that we have a doppleganger couple out there.... :)

Sunday we had breakfast with friends! Honey surprised me, because just this last week I mentioned we hadn't been out with them in awhile so she set the whole thing up!!! After breakfast, softball pictures!! Then we took Shrimp and Flea out to Red Robin for dinner and some jeans (has to be skinny jeans! Rolling eyes here!! Hahaha!) shopping!

 Well, now I am off to download New Moon for my iTouch and then gym and school!!! Shrimp is trying out for the high school drill team, everyone cross your fingers for her!!! I hope she makes the team!!!

Pamela at

2 much testoserone is hosting Exhale Monday!!! Go visit her and link up!!!!

Some days I don't like me.....

This shot really has nothing to do with what is on my mind today.

What I want to talk about today is my overwhelming jealousy. And not for the reasons anyone thinks. Ok, so I'm Mexican/Italian, hot blooded with all that goes with that. I am NOT easy to live with, after 45 years I know that about me and accept it.

Nope, my jealousy today is all about the lapband. Over the last few years Honey and I put on way too much weight. She was having tummy issues and we both were getting close to hypertension issues. She really wants to play football again, but because of the weight she really couldn't, she couldn't even really play slow pitch softball. And she loves playing softball.

So, off we went to the doctor to find out about how the lapband worked, if it was right for her, etc. I was on board. I didn't (and don't) like seeing her in pain. She was taking antacids everyday which really isn't good for anyone.

The way it works is for three to six months one is under a nutritionists care to see if weight loss can be achieved that way and to set one on the path of eating differently after the surgery. For a week before the surgery one is on an all liquid diet. After the surgery one is on a liquid diet and gradually goes back to solid food. After six weeks one goes in and has the first injection to tigten the band. If that doesn't work one goes back after a month and has it done again. The goal is to be able to eat small amounts and get full earlier therefore eating MUCH less and weight loss occurs. The surgery is reversible, unlike gastrobypass surgery. So, if weight loss is acheived the band can be removed and no harm no foul. Hopefully, by that time eating habits have been established and no weight gain occurs. Or the saline in the band can be removed so that at a later date if weight gain does occur, the band can be used again.

In theory it is all well and good. Except that watching a loved one NOT eat is difficult. And having that concern thrown at you under the guise of "I have discipline" is hurtful. I did not qualify for the band. I was fat but not fat enough. I have lost about fourty pounds in two years. She has lost 70 in six months. It has also triggered something in her head and she is at the gym for about four hours five days a week.

She has had three fills, I should have put my foot down and said no to the last fill. She claims to eat all the time, I make her breakfasts and lunches and see what comes home. I watch her at dinner and see that most nights she doesn't even eat dinner. I am struggling and am hungry and fall off the diet wagon all the time. I want to yell at her, ok if you have so much discipline take the damn thing out! Struggle with me, don't shrug my struggle off and treat it as though I am just not doing enough. Don't not eat all day long and try to tell me you do. A yogurt and an apple is not eating.

At the core: I'm jealous because I wanted the lapband. I wanted the struggle to be taken away. I wanted to be full after A hamburger patty. But would that have been enough to get me into the gym four hours a day? I don't know. I would like to think that seeing the changes I would work really hard to see more changes. (Which, in all fairness, is probably happening with Honey!) I just want an acknowledgement that while it may not be easy for her, it is easier. I know all of this makes me the worst person ever. The person I love is healthier and looks great and all I can think about is me. I suck.

Womens Football

Yeah that's right women play full tackle football!

Honey played for a few years and we had so much fun traveling the country (ummm no I do not play but I do have amazing stat taking skills!!!!)

Go check out the Independent Women's Football League page and maybe go see a game or two with  your daughters!!! We must let our girls know they can do and be WHATEVER they what to be or WHATEVER they want to do! I grew up pre Title IX and I am still not over being told I could not do something because I was a girl! I do not want my daughters to hear that phrase EVER!

We must allow our daughters to fullfil their dreams no matter what those dreams are and we as moms must not limit them!

It always saddens me to watch softball, basketball, volleyball, baseball and not see more women coaching and officiating! Come on ladies we must step up! Our daughters need to see us doing these things.

 And so must our sons!! If one only has sons, coach them! Officiate the games - if you don't know how, LEARN! Don't just sit on the sidelines and be team moms! Participate on the field!! Everyone has a busy life (which is the excuse we hear most often about parents not helping. Really? These are your kids, find the time!) and if your don't know the sport, take a class, go online, buy a book, go see the sport played by professionals.

This season we have three playing on five different teams, two different sports, one of which Honey coaches.  (Thankfully, one of those teams is done now!!) It's hard and it's busy but it is sooo worth it!

Ok rant done! Thanks for sticking with my ramblings (if you did!) and don't forget to go check out the Independent Women's Football League page!!!!

 

Mckmama over at My Charming Kids is hosting "Not Me" Monday!

Ok, so here is my story:

Picture this: I tell my kids to empty out my truck for the trip to Arizona. As we were loading up for the trip, I noticed that they had left Max's backpack in the back. So, I hand it to Shimp and ask her to put it in the house. And it was not me that was a little irritated and made some snide comment about maybe doing a better job next time.

It was also not me that upon entering Arizona and stopping for gas noticing there were only three suitcases and MAX'S BACKPACK in the back. It turns out that my son packed his clothes in a black backpack (just like Max's) and so, it was not me that doomed said son to no clothes or anything for a whole week in Arizona.

And it was not me and Honey who giggled ourselves silly over his plight that night!

(I did get him replacement clothes and toothbrush!! He had pj's because that's how we roll - leave at 4am, you get to wear your pj's in the car!!)