Happy Halloween!

This year Halloween is on a Friday... we are going to visit David's cousins up near Charlotte and attend their annual Halloween Party. It's a lot of fun but so far we've not been there on actual Halloween night. Marissa will have plenty of fun and decorated houses to trick-or-treat at. There are places around where we live of course, but not everyone is into this particular holiday and it makes for a long evening with houses few and far between (maybe it's the neighborhood we're walking!) so this will be a nice and fun change for us. The housing area where Chris and Holly live get into all kinds of holidays. They are the kind that do the friendly competition of who can decorate the best. Everyone gathers together for block parties during the summer and neighborly holiday parties such as the one we are going to.

As for our Halloween tradition, we do it for the fun of dressing up, the compliments on our costume ideas as well as to see all the other beautiful, scary or creative costumes wandering about the neighborhoods. Oh yes, and for the free candy! Lol

So I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween in 2008!

And....

YOU'VE BEEN MOONED!!!!

And since Halloween is on a Friday this year... parties are abound to happen, please...

Drink Responsibly!

Flaming bag o' What?!

Hahaha, funny!

Haha...Argh!

To some, you might think it's funny but to me it is not. I haven't posted anything for awhile because I'm on the computer at work and when I get home I either don't want to be on the computer or if I do I feel that I shouldn't be on the computer because someone else wants to be... or maybe it's that I can't get on the computer because someone else is already there.

My DH is addicted to his cigar websites and chatting with his buddies. Now this world of his has it's benefits for both me and him. Of course he talks and meets with other people that have an interest in the sames things he does. Some of these people whom he's never met are so touched by his service to our Country that when he was deployed and our house was broken into, they wanted to do something special for myself and Marissa. Marissa now has a lovely new Dell laptop (for which I am totally jealous!) and I have both a Coach and Guess purse. These are just a couple gifts that David's cigar buddies have sent to us. Of course he's received cigars and other such paraphenalia from his friends but they are, after all, his friends. I was lucky to receive anything at all so I can't be too upset with his friendships.

We were even lucky enough to spend a weekend in nearby Myrtle Beach in a luxury condo where we shared the 3-bedroom, 2700sf (with foyer!) home-away-from-home with a few friends from "work". It was a Cigar Retreat for those from the webchat that were close enough to attend. We only had to pay about $60 per couple/family for the whole weekend!! The cigar smokers spent hours hanging out with one another at the Penthouse suite of the gentlemen that helped build the luxurious condo-plantation. That's how we got such a special rate to begin with. And we got to hob-nob with the "elite" folks. It was still a down to earth weekend filled with dinners out and shopping, trips to the beach and miniature golf. A trip that wouldn't have been possible or even planned if "we" didn't know these people from the cigar chats. So again, I should not complain.

But I'm still complaining. I mean, I'm writing this blog when I should be doing other things... (ie: working) and I feel as though if I'm on the computer more than 30 minutes I'm just wasting time or I feel the presence-pressure of my DH who wants to take over and talk to his friends (cuz they all might perish if they go a day withough exchanging thoughts!). I haven't even balanced the checkbook in a month because I don't feel as though I can be on the computer to enjoy myself or to work on it. Now my daughter is asking almost daily to use the computer (it was only a matter of time before she figured out how fun the internet could be and that a simple, non-connected computer wasn't good enough).

The time is coming where we will have to get a router and have a LAN setup in our home so that we can all go to our secret corners and live beyond in a world of keyboards, pixels and prose. We probably won't talk to eachother much (not that we talk that much now) but we'll be happy to have "our"space out there in the World Wide Web of networks. Where we can talk to everyone else - and maybe, just maybe we'll send eachother emails or communicate by chat from our separate corners. Lol.

All I can say is... Eww!

VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

Read about it here.

For our little Red Bird...

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?'

The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'

Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'

The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university.'

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, 'It was my son's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:

'Dear Mom,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You'. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'where was He when I needed him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

No one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper.. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone.. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love,

God &
Me.

Oh My...ley!

Well, I was on a video hunt for the "Just Stand Up" cancer fundraising song and lots of information about Miley Cyrus was surrounding my search. To include her youtube feud. I know, that's old news... but I hadn't seen it, only heard about it. Hey, I gotta a tween in the house - I hear these things. And yes, we watch Hannah Montana - religiously. Lol. On to my point... I was searching, oh yes, so I ventured over to youtube world and found the infamous video, watched it and then got side-tracked. I found parodies and other such videos but I had to share this one... cuz she's funny. To me. Her name is Venetian Princess. She also has this page. Enjoy!

Fab Five

Here are the rules:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. Link back to the person who tagged you.
3. Link back to this parent post.
4. Tag a few friends, or five, or none at all.
5. Post these rules- or just have fun breaking them!

FIVE WAYS BLOGGING HAS AFFECTED ME:

1. I've learn so much more about spreading information to my family and friends. And I've learned what to look for when my daughter decides to really get out there on the computer and internet.

2. I have always loved scrapbooking - well buying all the stuff to create scrapbooks. I just don't make the time to do any of it. I will though, one day - I promise! Anyhow, what does this have to do with blogging and how it has affected me? I can "scrapbook" online. I can share my photos and captions or stories and share them with friends and family immediately. No one has to wait to visit my house to view my scrapbooks and with digitial photos I don't have to worry about developing film and then cutting and shaping them into books with stickers and then handwriting my stories. I'm so much faster with the keyboard anyway - my thoughts flow with my fingers. Unlike penmanship, I can "delete" my mistakes and continue on with my message.

3. I have also met some new people through blogging or have found interest in others without actually meeting them. People I have things in common with that I never would have known about without blogging. There are people that make me laugh and bring me joy just reading about their life. It's like reality tv or a great biographical book - only real time with real people. And they aren't getting famous from it (are they?), they are people just like me that have some of the same interests.

4. I have always thought about keeping a diary or a journal. I love to buy them or give them as gifts but they usually end up as notebooks to keep a task list in or grocery shopping lists. I might write an entry here or there but never anything that takes up a month's worth or a year's worth of thoughts. This is an easier way of organizing my thoughts and keeping up with it. It's fun for me. I believe it's just another way we are evolving in this electronic era.

5. I'm always thinking about what I can put on my page. This picture, this event, this family trip... what kind of information is noteworthy on my blog? Silly thoughts, huge endeavors? It's all so amazing how different it is to blog and share with people than to email friends and family. In some ways it's like I can update everyone at once even about the simplest things. In other ways it's a forum to discuss issues with any readers I may have.

It's a small world out there after all.... how do you see the world? How has blogging affected you?

I tag:
1. Kim (cuz she's usually the one who tags first)
2. Stacie (she's good at responding when she has the time)
3. Jenni (I think she enjoys this as much as I have found to enjoy it)
4. David (you gonna stop reading mine and my friend's blogs and make a page of your own!?)