Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Hakuna Matata

Ya know, some days it gets to be a little bit too much. . . for instance, since we got back from our trip the kids have been on me like white on rice. I'd have to be a state-of-the-art-robot zombie to actually handle things, and get it all done. (packing, unpacking, the never-ending laundry, etc . . ) Fortunately, when things get too stressful, when it gets to be too much, my nervous system has developed a safety button/mechanism that I use regularly. It's quite simple really. When I feel like we're getting close to meltdown, I just. . .

shut it down.

There's really no other way. At least not for a high-strung individual like myself. If I didn't shut down, shut it off, whatever, I would inevitably short circuit, overload, implode, spontaneously combust. Period.

And there it is. So, if you happen to come over when the house is an undeniable wreck, and you notice me sitting on the couch, quietly munching licorice sticks, watching TV, and calmly ignoring you . . . if I seem to be oblivious to the obvious need for drastic action, hopefully now you will understand, (sigh) and be patient with my being in safety mode.

Thanks for your consideration. Have a great day. : )

Driving It Deep

I found it sort of interesting that the 3 campaign signs we saw while traveling to Arizona and back, and we took 2 different routes, all said RON PAUL.

One was up on a lonely hill in beautiful southern Utah, mounted on sturdy wooden stakes, surrounded by pine trees and snow, against a backdrop of clean blue sky and little white clouds. We were on route 89, heading north. . .

Maybe, come retirement, we'll buy some cabin land down there by lake Powell, and relax it up in style. The gorgeous scenery made a lasting impression.

Wow. Ron . . Paul.

Go figure.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Phoenix

Well, we're back from our fantasmagorical trip to Arizona! This past weekend we drove down to see my brothers in Phoenix. We went through Vegas, saw Hoover Dam, lots of cacti, etc. My cousin and her hubby stayed at the Belagio a week or so ago. A romantic weekend getaway. Hmmm. I got to go to a truck show. : ) Yep, that's right Baby! Trucks. Wheeeee! We took our 16 month old baby with to help keep me grounded. (ha ha) He's my teddy bear. I couldn't leave him.

Anyway, we had a great time. We farmed out the kids to relatives and neighbors. It took a lot of planning, getting them all situated, but we did it, and we were on our way. It was a long drive, but a refreshingly quiet one. It was weird. There was no fighting. It took 11 1/2 hours to get down there. We were trying to make it in ten, but ended up having tire problems round about Cedar City. . . I will never understand why all the tire stores are closed on Saturdays, when everyone is out and about and may in fact need assistance. . . Wal-mart was pretty much our only option. I guess they're good for something. Small grin.

The truck show was fun. Beautiful day. . . I'm going to try to figure out this picture collage feature, and you will see that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I only wish that everyone could get audio to go along with it. : ) Take a real estate entrepreneur/investor and a medical student to a ghetto style truck show, and you're bound to find some amusement along the way. Thankfully nobody got beat up. : ) I'm just kidding. We had a great time. It was nice to spend some time with my little brothers. And the hubby man. Quality time con la familia. : ) Si, si, Senor.

I almost want to buy a second home down there in Glendale. It's beautiful this time of year. . . a balmy 70 degrees, sort of overcast, breezy and warm. It was like San Diego. Sort of. Minus the ocean. Three of my brothers have lived there (in Arizona) off and on for about 9 years now, so it almost seems like home. Good times. It was an especially relaxing trip because the baby has finally gotten over his raging double ear infections.Turns out he was allergic to penicillin. It was so nice to have relative quiet after 2 weeks of incessant, high pitched whining. Deep sigh. 2 words. Zithro-max. Finally, a moment of peace.

Phoenix. South Western Heaven. I especially loved the giant gecko lizard mural that was carved into the concrete barrier bordering the freeway. Uh-huh. : )

Next time, though, I think we'll definitely take a playpen. . . pack-n-play. . . whatever it's called. Then we could sit down. : ) Toddlers seem to have batteries . . that just don't need rechargin'.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Eleventh Grade

Well, it's happened at last. I've been saying for years that I am in no way prepared for this . . . teenager. . . stuff. I'm pretty sure that statement was right on. I could cite a hundred different examples which would candidly illustrate why I am not ready to have teenage kids, but I'll just give ya a couple.

The other day I found myself rifling through my 11th grade daughter's room, trying to find something to wear. . . for me. It's just so wrong. : ) I've taken to borrowing her clothes! It's like we're roommates or something. And then the other night she was tutoring my husband, helping him with his Calculus, or some equally disturbing math class. . . They're actually taking the same class at the community college right now. (What?!) Our little girl mentioned this to one of her teachers, and the guy just about fell over laughing. . . I'm not sure what to think about that. . .

But anyway, all you parents out there, prepare yourselves (and this should sound ominous) . . . for the Eleventh Grade.

Friday, February 15, 2008

We Just . . Take the Cake

The other day, at the high school band concert, I discovered how truly innovative my boys really are. . . The one participating wanted to leave early, and apparently also wanted food. His brother was fine with that, the box of Cheez-its he carried being almost . . all gone. Drummer Boy led us back to the commons area where all the grub (refreshments) from the parent reception were still laid out. The only other person there was a stray high school kid, a lone student, leaning up against the wall, chatting on his cell phone. My boys' eyes shone. We could still hear one of the bands playing, far away, in the gym. They never should've left those defenseless munchies unattended. . .

After a couple of minutes of unashamed snarfing, I snagged some cookies for the little kids and suggested that maybe it was time to head home. "Sure, in a minute." was the response. Finally Clint and I decided to leave. Tommy lagged behind. We were halfway down the long hallway before he rounded the corner and reappeared, carrying the Cheez-its box carefully, hugging it to his chest with his right arm. He grinned. Instantly, I knew what he had done.

"I'm a genius! I announce it to the world!" he remarked boldly when he had caught up to us. "I'm so glad we brought the Cheez-its."

Of course he was. : ) I made a face at him, disapproving, hands on hips. The cracker box was packed full of goodies. Goodies he'd kifed from the spread down the hall. I'm just glad we were spared the humiliation of anyone else witnessing this blatant pillaging/extravagance. No one saw him do it. No one, that is, but that dark haired kid, standing there by the pillar. . . Hmmm.

I wondered/hesitated for a split second. Should we grab him and toss him in a locker? Should I have Clint tackle him and offer him a bribe to keep quiet? Or should we just let him stand there snickering, no doubt spilling the beans about our uncouth behavior and lack of stealth to . . . whomever it was . . he was talking to.

I sighed deeply, turned, and kept walking. There was no fighting it. The legendary Mason Clan had done it again. : )

Driving home, I had flashbacks about the school Fun Fair in 2nd grade, when my entire family had joined the cake walk at the same time. . . How embarrassing! I remember my parents laughing and my brothers giggling, as we shamelessly dominated the game. We couldn't help but win. . . every single time. . .

: )

Valentine's Day!

Yesterday, we awoke to dimly lit windows. They should have been black.

"Uh-oh, Honey." my hubby said, "We're in trouble."

Yes, we had slept in. But after a few minutes of rushing around, trying to rouse and round up the troops, trying to pull off an essentially futile exercise, our trusty firstborn, who of course was on the phone by this time, let us all know that school . . . had been canceled!

This hasn't happened once in the past 6 or 7 years. People who live close to the Rocky Mountains usually aren't that impressed by a little run-o-the mill blizzard on a Wednesday afternoon. We weren't sure, so we flipped on the news, and sure enough, lo and behold, there it was. . . school was indeed canceled! For the Alpine school district closer to the mountains. . . but ours was implementing a 2 hour delay! Of course all children living in the south end of the Salt Lake valley screamed Hallelujah simultaneously. Sure. Not so much their parents . . .

"Wahoo! This is the best Valentine's Day ever!" yelled our son Tommy. He ran outside and did a belly flop in the snow. "Cold! Cold!" he exclaimed as he ran back in without brushing off. I was less than enthusiastic.

But it was sort of fun, I guess, having 3 feet of snow in my front yard, not being able to back out of the driveway w/o strenuous shoveling and half a ton of salt. Ha ha. But we're resourceful, we made it happen. . . The boys had a great time pushing the car away from the mailbox after finally digging it out. I've never seen them so happy to be working. : ) I'm pretty sure, however, that the one elementary school, up in the foothills, that was forced to have a little snowed-in sleepover, with the entire student body, was probably having second thoughts. . . but the kids sure were lovin' it! It's interesting how your views change as you get older, and have to pay . . car insurance. . .

But, all in all, it was a great day. I had lunch with the hubby man at Cafe Rio. Yummy, yummy, yum! My favorite. : ) I did have to spend the entire rest of the day taxiing kids around to 4 different schools, various valentine parties and McDonald's. . . But those expensive chocolates in the pretty red box were still unbelievably good. A party in your mouth. Truly. : ) Ah, the magic that is chocolate. . mmmm. And Charlie came home for an hour or so in between work and his anatomy class. What a day. That's right Baby! Good times. : )

We even had a visit from the Valentine fairy. . . who, legend has it, resembles a 220 lb red headed man in his late 30's. . .

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Snoopy For President!

I say we make Snoopy president! Vote for Snoopy! Our favorite all American doggy! Snoopy in 2008!

He's got a pretty big constituency. . . Everybody loves him! I say he's got a good shot at making the White House, because we all know . . he's so COOL. Calm, laid back. In touch with the people. . . Is he cooler than Obama? Let's take a poll . . . .

: )

I asked Charlie what he thought, and he responded without hesitation: "I'd vote for him."

That's right Baby! Snoopy. The Dog.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Time Flies When You're . . .

Today . . . today was definitely a Monday. Currently, I've just finished changing a very interesting diaper, my 12 year old son Tommy is drying the dishes, with a blow dryer, (kids his age are sooo creative) Charlie is out changing the EGR valve in my car, (which by the way goes from zero to 50 in about 2 seconds, when you're late for a band concert), Junior Girl Laena got her new cell phone in the mail today, and she's calling everyone to tell them about it, (huh?) and Aleia took her Valentine box to school and found her pink glasses. (Breath) Jeffy is learning how to whap a baby sized basketball over the house with a hockey stick and roller blade on ice for good measure. The baby has yet another violent ear infection in his left ear, we learned this morning, Eric wants to go to the zoo to see the snow leopards, after being inspired by some videos he checked out from the library, Clint told me about his Band-o-Rama Concert, complete with parent reception, literally 30 minutes before it started, and then stood strategically behind Brett Huish with the cymbals the entire time so that I couldn't embarrass him by taking pictures. (I feel like the guy who rattles off the super fast disclaimers after commercials during radio shows.) Good thing Mama's got it goin' on. : )

p.s. Did I mention that I also watched 3 neighborhood kids all afternoon for a friend who's husband is in the military, and actually got 5 or 6 pages done on my story. And then there was dinner, grocery shopping, Charlie's math class, laundry . . . Where am I? My mind just went blank. . .

Tommy the Tominator just asked me what time it is. I'd say it's time for bed. : )

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Annie's Wedding



My little sister is getting married. AAAhhhhhh! It's like time doesn't even exist.

She's my only baby sister. It's just her and me, Amy and Ann Marie, and six brothers. She was born when I was 14, and we live 13 hundred miles apart, so I haven't been able to spend as much time with her as I would have liked. . .

Sigh.

But the good news is she's found a really nice guy. I've talked to him only once, but from all accounts and indications, he is a kind, generous, good hearted person who loves my little sister. : ) Plus they have a lot in common. You can't really beat that.

Warm smile.

Their story is one of those disgustingly romantic tales that no one really wants to hear, because they would be so flipping jealous, so suffice it to say that they went to school together, he transferred down to LA, narrowly missed being hit by hurricane Katrina, they were drawn back together, and then last summer he took her to France to visit some relatives where he proposed in some ridiculously romantic garden somewhere close to Paris. Like I said, disgusting. ; )

Anyway, Congratulations! To my baby sister and her fiance. Looks like we'll be flying back east again this year for Memorial Day weekend. . . : )

Best wishes and lavender dreams.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

They Say The Best Things In Life Are Free

Sing it. . .

Charlie called a little while ago, and asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day.

"How 'bout. . . Niceness." I said thoughtfully. "Maybe some . . sensitivity."

We'd gotten in a little . . . argument last night about something stupid that I don't remember. Mostly due to frazzled nerves and mutual sleep deprivation.

"Where can I pick that up?" he asked.

I giggled.

He continued. "I don't think they sell that anymore. . " Indeed. How insightful.

"You're pretty funny." I responded, making polite conversation.

"Maybe I could check E-bay. . "

I could hear him smile. Sigh. If only every day were Valentine's Day. Bring on the flowers and expensive jewelry. . .

Just kidding. Don't wanna break the bank. Mostly we girls like to snuggle and talk. : ) Maybe go out to dinner. . .

The Lesser of 2 Evils

It would seem that we are at an impasse.

I have a question. . .

What would happen, hypothetically speaking of course, if John McCain were to suddenly drop dead of a heart attack or something.

Would the nomination automatically go to runner-up Mitt Romney?

Deep, deep sigh.

As I slumped to my knees this morning, after listening to the heaven-sent Glenn Beck program, I realized that we are indeed in some serious trouble. This country faces an unheard of dilemma. Not since the Revolutionary War era have we been in a position like this. (Am I wrong? Wasn't there always one good candidate?) After some thought, I realized that we now have 2 options. (Assuming, of course, that Mitt Romney comes in second place. . .)

Well okay, I guess one option would be to vote for one of the socialists still battling for the number one spot on the other side. . . Unthinkable.

That being said, as I see it. . .

We can band together as conservatives, Republicans, people of all faiths who still hold on to those antiquated things known as values, show up on election day, vote for a straight Republican ticket, and save Congress. A worthy, necessary mission. . .

or. . .

We can sit home and do nothing, have no say, no influence at all, and let our country be eaten up from the inside out, infiltrated by an organized evil, the caliber of which has never been encountered, has been heretofore unknown to the United States of America. (As if there weren't enough people outside our borders who wanted/were trying to destroy us. . . )

In the history of our country, we have never before been threatened like this.

What to do. I think the choice is . . . fairly. . clear, although excruciatingly difficult.

We need to give careful thought, careful consideration to the intended meaning of the phrase "United We Stand."

Stand for what? What do we stand for? What do we stand against?

Food for thought.

My husband pointed out that I'd forgotten a third option.

Canada.

: )

He said his Spanish isn't all that good, so he wouldn't want to go in the direction of . . Texas. : )

This is still the promised land, right? I'm thinkin' so. . . This is still the land of the free and the home of the brave, ain't it?

We'll see.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Voice

A few days ago, I was discussing our present political dilemma with my man Charlie. He was evidently feeling some stress.

"You know", he said. "This is nuts. Everyone throwing all this political. . . stuff. . at me. I've had enough. Maybe if I lived in a state where my vote actually counted. . . I'd rather work on my truck."

Yeesh.

My response: "Honey, your voice does count for something. You are part of a collective force, of strong, dedicated people, who stand united, proud, and unafraid in their determination to vote for what is right. Right politically, right morally, right all the way around. They are unapologetic and unashamed, backed by high ideals, traditions, values, etc. They can't help but make a difference. Such people are the reason this country was founded the way it was, they are the force behind whatever is holding it together, they are the only hope for the future. You should be oh so ecstatic to be a part of that voice, that force, that does not break ranks, that may actually save the future of the free world, and that will preserve, at the last, at least in part, the way of life that our courageous forefathers envisioned. . . for us and for our posterity. There ya go, Honey. Feel better?"

I'd say that ^ was something that counted. Today and in the final analysis.

Raise your voice. Feel free to speak.

Monday, February 4, 2008

A Star Wars Dream

I feel like Princess Leia.

"Help us, Mitt Romney! You are our only hope."

The evil Chancellor McCain is somehow being considered as a candidate for Emperor. Even now his evil henchman are attempting to take over the world. Known as Hillary, Obama, and Shmuckabee, they ravage the land, in search of anyone whom they can convince to join the dark side of the force. McCain has turned against us, plotting in secret all the while, his devious trickery and flattering words deceiving thousands. . . .

Is there no one who can yet save the Empire? I mean, the Republic?

Mitt Romney, may the force be with you. . . .

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Sunday, February 3rd


This morning we woke up, threw open the drapes, and were inspired by another beautiful Rocky Mountain snow storm in full swing outside our window.

"Ah. Sure looks like global warming." my husband commented cheerfully.

I grinned. "Absolutely!" I agreed. "Let's cook up some venison, and watch the Super Bowl!"

I love living in Utah! : )

"Maybe they'll cancel church." suggested our oldest boy hopefully, anxious to contribute.

"Very funny."

I wrinkled my nose at him, disgusted. Our church house is 2 blocks away, and we've had a snowstorm every other day for the past month or so.

"Buck up, my little friend! Pull on your boots, and quit your whining."

Kids these days. : ) Sigh. He wants to play in the snow. The boys have yet to make their traditional mid-winter igloo. . .

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Yeah, Baby!

Apparently I need to review my latest 'offensive' blog. . . Charlie says that I am opinionated and that I come on too strong. (He must have forgotten that this is an election year.) Plus it is evidently uncool to refer to someone by just their initials. I should spell out the whole name.

In addition, the phrase "Yeah, Baby." is evidently too much. I called him on it and he didn't want to fight.

"Do what ever you want." he said. "Don't get me wrong. I guess it's just . . your style."

I asked him. "Are you offended by that?!"

Can you guess what he said?

"Yeah, Baby." : )

Ha ha ha.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Perilous Times / Vote Mitt Romney

In all seriousness, the race for the presidential nomination has become, quite literally, morally imperative. I'm seriously, sincerely concerned. Huckabee needs to bow out now, gracefully, or otherwise. My brother is of the opinion that he's just staying in the race for the purpose of siphoning votes from Romney, and other selfish impulses. Right on. I wonder if H has any idea what is at stake here, and just what his choices could bring about. Right now, this minute, he is one of the most powerful people in the world. He could effectively destroy the future for our children. Ron Paul seems to have some sense, but like I pointed out to family members, he is a moot point. . . at this point, if we are talking about someone who actually has a chance to win, and perhaps, affect, influence, actually change our country for the better. We are hangin' on by a thread here. It could go either way. Better start praying. . . praying that Huckabee shows some class, some compassion, (oy), and takes himself out of the race. Officially. Good Night! Or that people everywhere take off the blinders, wake up, and do the 'right' thing. Yeah, Baby.