Once upon a Snowday

Yesterday was a day of much snow about 8" or so. The kids were kept home. It was Mertz who was sick with asthma and Alina was made to stay home cause I had a feeling I wasn't going to be able to get her (walk like I always do) from school if there was an early release..which there was after all! So Alina played hookey and we went to the mall to get her a new backpack since the zipper on hers busted--lets hope the new one doesnt bust only after a few months. I would have been able to fix the old zipper if it wasn't the cheap craftsmanship!! There's really nothing to sew it to cause its a vinyl type fabric that's been snarled from the zipper from opening and shutting as it has been getting stuck on it. On our travel in to the mall we revisited this kiosk that sells joke toys and games and such. The last occassion we stopped by the kids really wanted to purchase some of the joke stuff, namely a type of candy that said to make a stink in your mouth like a fart or something like that. The words "Farting candy" is printed on the packaging. Two pieces of candy wrapped in red cellophane. All the ideas of what this stuff was going to make someone do was getting us all giddy to the point of laughter! Alina wanted to trick Pa, but it was purchased as a gift to give to Mertz so it was left up to him what he would do with it. We got home and Mertz was in the Living room with Pa and with asthma its not like he's sitting there totally run down, although it could get that way, but he was doing okay and we let him open the bag giggling to ourselves as he kept asking what is it? He burst out laughing remembering how much he wanted to get this stuff the day we last visited the mall weeks ago. "I'm going to give it to my friend Brendan!" he blurted out. Logan and I advised him that it wouldn't be such a good idea to give it to your friend but to someone he's been having a hard time with---a relaxed way of giving back! Mertz has one boy in particular that he's had tension with all school year and was told to stay away from, and I've even met the kid and didn't like his rudeness! Today, when he went to school it was done. You can see him tell his story on YOuTube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWM1k_YdSjA so you can get first hand his "giving" his own back to this kid in a suttle way. By the way, one candy was experimented with beforehand at home. We opened one up and crushed it in a baggie so everyone could get a piece of it and it was YUCKY!! Mertz, Alina and Pa had some but lets just say it didn't stay long in any of their mouths (Logan stated it tasted like a very strong black licorice)!! I had a good laugh watching them all, and that's when we agreed Mertz should hand over the last candy to his arch-enemy, hehehe!!

Talk Radio

Listening to talk radio lately here and there. I love listening to Laura Ingram she is so real and upfront with the listener, I love her! Then I was listening to Micheal Graham I love it that he lovingly calls his wife "The Warden"! I get it, even though he says most of the married women who listen to his show ask him why he calls her that.... Perhaps I'm also a warden and admit it most women dont admit to their ways! There are other names for us like the "CEO" :ball and chain: oh there are much more but my fav. is the warden!!! HAahhaha. Don't get me wrong I love my role as a wife but sometimes you men out there are a bit childish, foolish,etc. that you need a (((good eyeing))) once in a while. I used to listen to Laura Schlessinger who has the answers for lifes hardest questions about doing the right thing in very difficult situations, dealing with human relationships and so forth. I miss that. I have no idea when she airs around here. Also used to listen to Rush Limbaugh, with Logan, but he's a bit off these days in his thinking and doesn't always give good information anymore like he used to. Laura Ingram has a coulple of books out I'd like to buy and read she has a load of truth when it comes to our nations deeper problems that the mainstream media ignores! When I thought I have seen and heard it all, it comes more clear to me after being an active thinker in politics with knowledgeable people; that I truly need to search deeper and think always for myself with information presented, and help lead my family in paths that are rich in good causes and steering clear of trechourous ones with evil adgendas. I used to not understand politics and thought 'who the heck cares', which is most of the way we think nowadays--truly admit, I didn't want to understand it it seemed so complex (and it is) but it wasn't until Logan kept listening to talk radio that I discovered what it is we need to understand about it one thing is for sure--we don't trust our polititans we don't like the things they do or what they have become or even stand for over the past many decades but long ago it was very different...anyhow, they are the ones who are going to either make or break our lives because ultimately they do get in the way of our lives when we see they have gone too far! Why does Massachussetts for instance now force the people to have health insurance by the end of 2007?? Why in California they no longer have the right to bear arms?? Why does the government have to be so heavliy a part of our lives?? I just want to live without them knowing everything or making me do or not do something that I don't see or do see as a must-have--Why? so that they can have more power over me?? It is now a bit of slavery, is it not?? They are keeping us busy so they can get more of what they want out of us, even our entire belongings--I know this idea sounds far fetched but stick around a while and ours won't be ours anymore. So I sound a bit whacked, but its maddening how people go about their day not caring that we are a part of a messed up government that doesn't know where to stop getting their nose out of our private affairs--even buisnesses are doing bad business and yet we sit and smile while we get air blown up our skirts how **great** this country is....... Anyways just had to spill the feelings of my recent thoughts accumulated over the past ten years and the ideas I have developed or even the feelings I have come to realize and wow have I come out of a new shell with this, feeling a bit more complete about the nation I currently live in.

Just writing in my joys and trials

Well before I had gone to the doctors I was weighing myself at work here and there on the scale. Well I reached the highest weight at ??? (sorry,not going to share that horrific #) but anyways I've lost 5lbs! Walking and watching my intake in the aspects of carbs and portion size and only eating when I feel hungry and not reaching above the number 8 of fullness. I was reading an article the other day on healthy eating habits and it said focus on your hunger level. Zero is hunger pains or empty stomach, 3 was about minimally hungry, 5 was a satisfactory number and pushing into 678 was of course a fuller and fuller feeling and well 10 was about the way you'd feel after eating EVERYTHING big portions at a thanksgiving meal and dessert with the need to release your waistband!!!! Haha! So I'm setting my numbers on that scale and hope to continue to have a bit of control and knowing when I'm actually hungry rather than eating out of an emotional or boredom fill.... So I"m really trying to set my goals realistically and hope to keep up the walking even on the brisk cold days. So Thanksgiving I plan on keeping to my favorites and smaller portions than ever, and keep the day light as I will have just worked the night and going to work the night of Thanksgiving...whoa tough days of travel. We are keeping up with tradition of going to Chichester with family there.
Coming next month will be a more steady schedule for work. They offered me a Tues-Friday night schedule with Sat-Mon OFF! That means a bit more time together as a family on the weekends and not having to work with certain people I don't particularly like to work with on the Sat-Mon shifts. I am losing one day of pay but am still considered full-time and right now I need less of a flip flopping schedule and I don't have to work weekends anymore!!!! Fridays are really considered a weekend night to work so I won't be missing on the weekend pay differential-phew! So I'm hoping things will be good and work out for me in the long run.

So this week has been a week from hell!
Logan went and had carpel tunnel release surgery on his left hand on Tuesday. It went well. He was very nervous although he hopes to be back playing the guitar in a few months! The operation was quite quick. The few days leading up to the operation, Logan had a tooth that was dead and the littlest bit of disturbance was a major pain. The operation with his wrist seemed like nothing but his tooth was what bothered him in the most extreme way the next day on Wednesday that he couldn't stand it anymore. The dentist was able to take him that day and they ended up pulling it out, but it wasn't as easy as that! It was a tooth that had been filled once before but it had become so brittle that when this dentist tried to extract it it broke into many pieces and had to dig for the whole tooths roots which led to 2 hours of oral surgery (more than just a simple tooth pulling)!! So two days (back to back) of surgery; more than I think the body can withstand but he's been recovering and still feeling like he got into a boxing match, and his wrist is feeling just fine with a few pangs of pain here and there if he moves it the wrong way. Well its time for me to go lie down before I go off to work tonight.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Where is this counry headed?

So I'm looking at the headlines, drudgereport.com, non mainstream newscasting and what do I see? Some things are probably on the mainstream but they don't always get the truth out. For example the US dollar bill is losing its worth. That may not mean anything but it does in a huge way! We soon are becoming dependant on other countries for our goods like China for instance who wants to kill our kids with their lead poisoning paints on the toys children are playing with. Haven't bought my kids toys in months and neither are they the Dora explorer or other toys mentioned. MY kids play with other toys other than mentioned in the recalls. So thats one thing that worries me about our country. Another thing is that dollar bill. We soon will be paying so much more for the goods coming from foriegn countries and with the worth of our money isn't going to give us much spending power now is it? Seeing moving to England is one of the things we are doing it looks like the longer we wait the more money its going to cost us to get there if the dollar keeps dropping. In August when we went it was almost an even 1BP:2US Dollar, now its working its way down to $2.50 to 1 BP!! Thats outrageous! This is a step toward a major depression! And gas prices hit a high in CA at $5/gallon. Logan's dad works for the Mobile company and he saw in NH at the Canada /NH border a station costing $4/gallon. Most of the gas stations are creeping up to $3/gallon again!! Things aren't getting better in my pocket, I'm not getting paid more for the rise of the costs, the ratio of cost of living to my pay and many others like me aren't equivical, in fact much less! Our big government is much to blame and please if you are going to vote, Ron Paul is the way to go! He supports the constitution, where others are failing to recognize it anymore, the sign of the last days anyway...I hate to say it but I'm just not feeling proud to be American if we keep letting in illegals in and giving them all the benefits as a citizen and better cause they don't pay taxes in the way that we do as legals. URGH!!

The Rest of the family

So I've been hogging all the blogs here with all my health issues. So whats next? The kids are in the public school system right now and let me just say that its what we expected but less than a pleasure. Its a convenience for me so that I can sleep better in the daytime but still I'm finding myself taking more time to do other things rather than sleep which isn't all great. TeMPting to do dishes and housework when there are no little feet scurring around me. Mertz is adjusting to the rules, and his teacher seems to be bothered by his antics/playful/socializing behavior. Not all is well there but we're hoping things will smooth out. Alina is thriving in her class, reading very well and being a social butterfly making all sorts of new friends. One of which we just invited to our ward's Trunk or Treat and the girls had a blast!! Logan has several nights/late afternoons where he teaches all over in various destinations but mostly at the music school. He is concertizing with his guitar x-professor friend, doing house concerts where he gets to play for a intimate small crowd (!me included!) and then end with a delicious meal that the hostess(es) have cooked and some great laughter with people we've met for the first time or with friends!! After November 9th Logan will be undergoing carpel tunnel surgery! He's been suffering from it for a while now and has let it come this far after our trip in August and the concert that was long ago planned for November 9th which was booked back in the summer. So this will put Logan in some relief but also he will have to rest from playing the guitar for a time. The docotor says that he may not be fully healed in even a years time, thats a long time.... Still he was to go for the other big surgery and needs to locate a hospital in MA to do that. Logan and I are in the process of downsizing (as if we haven't downsized enough) so our plans for England are coming to and we are selling off most of our possessions too big to take with us overseas except the items that we absolutely need to have or things that have sentimental value and cant replace. So far our plans are that in the first full week in August our hosts from England will come to NH with playing opportuinites that Logan will set up for them, then it looks like two weeks after that, Logan and Mertz will take on flat hunting in Sidcup while Alina and I finish off the details of moving and we will meet them hopefully in our new pad. August looks pretty busy for me!!! Just for all those who are worried about Logan not having a job....it looks like this. Our friend Matt has 80 students this school year and that's a full 40hr work week and he's already had to turn away 40 more students inquiring to have lessons and he says the calls keep on coming. Logan only wishes he had 40 students in NH and not to mention the pay is so much better in England-in fact double the pay compared to here, its just right and thats only half of it! Logan is anxious to get there, and I told him maybe it would be better if he just went to England and set us up, say after the holidays but we don't know if we could be apart so long like that but I feel it would be more or less of a rush for ME... there is so much to get done and to do.

The tests

Well, I need to update the situation that's been going on. I went a couple weeks ago to the doctors and it WASNT my blood sugar that was high, in fact it was within normal. The number that was high was my cholesterol hence the fish oil! So we can rule out that I don't have diabetes---but my cholesterol is a heads up for diabetes, but is something I can work on. Has any of my siblings here gone fasting for 12 hours and found that they have dyslipodemia or experience high triglyceriedes?? My doctor said this was unusual for my age. Working on my weight has included walking to the kids' school (in the afternoon only) and home with them on average 4 days a week and that's almost 2 miles a day and notice that my leg isn't hurting much at all anymore.. I have up till January to get my cholesterol under good numbers (that means less pies and goodies) and if not then I may go on some medications.

Part 2: My poor left Leg

I have a bit more information. I had some lab work done and they found my blood sugar was high after fasting for 12hours (I should have asked for my number seeing I'm in nursing and know a bit about this stuff, duh!). The doctor wants to see me early next week to talk about medications. I was directed that I'm to start eating low carb, sugar free foods, and I'm told also to take fish oil pills (oh that sounds gross)next they'll be telling me to take shark cartilage (gag).
Okay are you thinking what I'm thinking: High blood sugar on a fast, sugar free/low carb diet, hmmmm something tells me I've got diabetes. But however this isn't exactly what they have told me YET but this is what I'm almost sure of! My leg isn't hurting so much as before, if at all, weird... I'm certainly disappointed of the clues that point in that direction. I walk about 4miles a week or more but with my leg bothering me its been a bit painful to exercise, and being tired, it doesn't help to want to get going. That's all.
P.S. here is a picture of me at England's Hever Castle around in the garden

My poor Left leg

On Monday I go to the doctor to see what's up with a pain I've had in my heel and leg. It has been "under my skin" more ways than one, for a short time now. It has been affecting me when I walk, cause it hurts at times. It feels like my muscle in my calf is a bit tensed up almost the feeling of an oncoming charlie horse there. I took Friday night off from work cause it really is bothersome and I feel I need to take it easy. I spent most of the day keeping my leg elevated. You think I could massage it but it really doesn't feel right but I do it lightly. I don't want to speculate anything so I'm just going to leave it to the doctor to figure it out thru tests and whatever have you. I just sigh and wait. There won't be any rumors here just truths. The truth is I don't know what is the matter with my leg and hope that it will be resolved in a manner of time. Tonight I am home and tomorrow night as well, and then comes Monday to tell all my troubles...so say a prayer, sing a song, and think of me, so I may have strength to do what I need to to get thru taking care of myself. There I'm done, "and now" I say, "it getting late, I'm going to go to bed." Nighty night!

Some pictures

Here are some Pictures!!!

Logan and Matt playing in concert Hever Castle

Logan, Matt and Suzie in Concert Leah and Logan in London

Logan and Matt Trafalgar Square in London with National gallery in background

I took way more videos than of pictures cause I can take pictures while playback out of the video, but I haven't done that yet, its quite a project. This is proof that meeting online/MySpace isn't always a bad thing, everything was so wonderful!! We are deciding to move there sometime next year cause jobs for Logan are much more in demand there not to mention to go for his Masters degree in London to study with some famous musicians(guitarists)! So when I say that we didn't get to see much of the sights its because we have plans to return to live there so it really isn't so bad.

Love Ya! xoxoxoxo

Our stay in England has come to a close. We have arrived home safely after a bitter 19 hours of travel from the moment we woke up to the time we arrived home including all the delays and all the driving. We went by train, tube, plane, automobile, and bus! It was an incredible time in England. We saw not only London, but we had a unique chance to see the countryside with the locals. Matt and Suzanne Sear were the couple who initally invited us to England. Logan and Matt had practiced guitar duet music for about a year in their respective homelands and finally got to meet and practice together for the first time in person. After hearing them play together (after having done sessions of practice for hours and hours) others commented that they sounded like they had been doing it for years! Logan and Matt played at Matt's parents house in front of Matt's parents and Suzie's parents-all very nice people. For the next two nights after that Logan and I were invited to stay with Matt's parents (they are more comfortable driving) Matt doesn't drive at all and Suzanne got her drivers license years ago but is only now driving.She isn't all that comfortable driving the roads and highways so it is my understanding that this is why we had a few days with the parents, although it was also something they wanted to do to show a couple of Americans around cause they love the USA- so they were extremely pleased to have us stay with them. We were delighted to experience some of England's best back roads that lead to many small villages and historical sites that only the locals know where to find! Many tourists/newcomers to the country only go to London and that's all they see of England but Logan and I got the real experience to hang out with the locals!!! We went to a few ancient churches which have been around for centuries. In one church in Shoreham, England the locals were there having their afternoon tea and scones talking together and with us. Some of the locals brought with them some goods from their garden, of which was a garden that belonged to the town for the villagers and each household gets a chance to have a section of it. The man we met brought some of his veggies that Matt's parents bought and we later enjoyed for dinner. Logan and I had some orange juice and a delicious slice of fruited bread another local woman made. We later drove down some very narrow roads which only one small car could drive on. The road was so narrow (forget about your Ford F-350) and tight fitting, for example if we had rolled down our window we could very well touch the thick bushes growing alongside the very edge it was one bad turn and your in the wall of shrubs! I have never in all my life seen this kind of road! Even overhead was dense leaves from the trees growing directly over the road just enough space for a small car, like a wormhole! Some other places we went was a Lavender farm where they grow my favorite, Lavender. As of now they were not growing -out of season- but I was able to get some in a sachet to smell. Did you know Lavendar can be used like mothballs for clothes and you can also use it in cooking? I didn't know that! I love it for making a room smell nice or in the shower as bath soap or shampoo!!! While Logan and I were visiting we talked till we were blue in the face about the comparisons between cost of living in the USA and the cost of living in England. The Englanders say that its much cheaper in the US. Well if you want to know and believe it here are some figures: gasoline in the USA= abt. $3/gallon currently, in Enland they spend close to $8/gallon (us money)! That is expensive! No wonder why they don't drive much (Matt and Suzie). We learned that many who reside in England don't have to have a car cause the public transportation is well used and organized either by bus, train, or the underground tube (like the subway). If one lives in a good sized town they can walk almost everywhere(I hope I lost some weight) otherwise they do have to drive! The idea of Logan and I renting a car was out of the question for it was another outta sight expense in two ways, not knowing how to drive on the left--confusing to watch, let alone drive, and the other expense was and would have been $400! No WAY! We didn't need it cause among Matt's good friends and family we were able to get along fine without a car, and thanks to their public transportation and our feet. Off track here, another cost of living example: gallon of milk in my grocery store $2.79 and England's would run me $4.00! However the pay is considerably better for in some ways they were and in some ways depending on the profession not so. Teachers get paid here pretty poorly to start anyways, about $20,000-30,000 in the US. In England, $50,000 and upwards and the pay doesn't stop during summer vacation correct me if I'm wrong but its my understanding that in the US it does, I may be wrong though. But they get paid much better in England, but then they get taxed from the royals way too much 40%! Its comforting to know that we all share even across the ocean we all have the same workplace issues, the nursing industry is the same there, working underpaid and overworked and understaffed for example. I Overall the people in England are a bit more mannered, I can only speak of my own experiacnes here in NH, but if someone bumps into me they usually just keep going without saying anything. In England, people say they are sorry for such happenings. I noticed very little 'BLING" young men acutally wore their pants at their waists what a find! and nobody was so worried about having the better car or toys etc (there's no room for it in that small country), even that naughty "rap" culture we have adopted here in the US which Logan and I find apalling was mostly absent. I never once saw anyone in England with one of those pretentious cell phones that are stuck on the ear, those scream, "I am a pretentious snob". Ulgh. Another topic in another blog. So we really enjoyed the fact that people had some kind of rooted knowledge that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.While in England, on our 10th wedding anniversary, we visited Hever Castle. One of the notable kings who lived there was King Henry the 8th and what a beautiful sight; even gardens galore! After the two days with Matt's parents, we returned to Matt's house. We went back to our fun nights at the Conservative Club playing pool and guitar practicing for the boys while the women, Suzie I and, did some shopping and watching movies and going to London. Then it was two nights of performances for the clan, Logan, and Matt played their guitars( and Suzie did some beautiful singing). Logan and Matt had some unique experiences together finding that in many ways they were very much the same in their thinking, the techniques they use in teaching guitar, they had a very similar laugh and similar mannerisims. We now believe they are long lost brothers! Suzanne and I also had some similarities; we like to teach, she's a teacher of special needs kids, she is much like I am a bit quiet and we both are our husband's secretaries and we both have to remind our men about the same sort of things. It was so funny and bizarre at the same time. Suzanne even has the same digital camcorder as me!! I was teaching her how to use hers cause before we came she had just bought it and she hadn't had the chance to read the directions. Even a bounus with that is; I could charge my camcorder's battery with their electric charger cord( the outlets carry different wattage and they have different sockets) and I save money not having to buy a converter! It was strange; out of all the camcorders in the world we had the same! God's hand was in much of our trip, I do believe. The food was excellent! I didn't have any bad food (I stuck to what I knew). Logan did have some toast with Marmite (something I didn't know) piled on (its a yeast extract) and he loaded it on thickly like peanut butter and when he took a bite it made his mouth quiver. Afterwards he was told to spread it on lightly..its like putting on a pile of salt, so can you imagine?? There was nothing really different, I'd say the food there was better than here. Their sodas were not so strong in syrup, it was very light tasting.
England's air, it made my hair feel very thick, it poofed out making it harder to manage my thick locks but I managed. I had a magnificent time in England, we felt so at home, we knew the common british slang and learned some new ones. Logan and I watch a lot of British comedy and dramas by choice and so England was that much better. The new friends we made enjoyed our company. Each night we went to a private club and met some new local friends and made some great bonds there too! We had some late nights talking and laughing and sharing. The best time we've had in years!
Cheers everyone!

From England

Hi all who read my stuff here. Logan and I have arrived in England just two days ago. I was able to share with Logan his first flight ever off the ground and our first flight together ever!! It was confusing when we got into Dublin airport there was little by way of direct directions as to where to go to thru security but it was finally found in the many lines of people snaking around in various areas. Then in just a few hours we were off and in England. So far we ate at a very nice Indian Restaurant where Logan had his lamb vindeleau, I had an awkward moment when I asked for 'what dressing they had' for my salad order and they looked at me funny and offered me tomato sauce!!! Umm no. Then he offered me after going out to the kitchen and came back offereing me ceasar dressing which is NOT my first choice. But it turned out it had gone bad and I had a dry salad but what an amazing salad it was! My dinner was some chicken dish with some spices and we had my favorite jasmine rice. Very good food, I wasn't afraid. Today we went to church in Orpington a town 10 min. south from where we are staying. The church was a bit small, the ward was about average size but I was told many people are on vacation so not everyone was there. But I noticed that there were considerably not a whole lot of children. Between the ages of 2-18 I could only point out less than a dozen. The men were mostly acting as the decons and two boys involved in the whole sacrament part. Without a gym, the building was very small to what we are accustomed to back in NH. A woman next to me sat together thru all our meetings offered for Logan and I if we ever want to visit Australia we can stay with her and her husband. What an offer! She handed me her address and phone number for there and a phone here in England. She said they were in the process of moving down under. This networking is fabulous, maybe she wants Logan to serenade her to sleep or whatever! Then we scooted off to London for lunch and sought after many music/guitar shops all down a long street. Walked much and saw just a small section of London. The buildings are much like what you see in Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, to name a few it is just so amazing the archetecture. So far we've also had a unique opportunity to visit a real pub, and not exactly what I expected. I imagine a pub being unclean and grubby. But it was clean and attractive.
It was actually a good time but being mormon I don't know how well that goes over. Logan drinking a Lemonade I with my ginger ale. There's an irish man that gives a 20 question test every Sunday night so we got to gather around all the guys and gals and he'd ask the questions and we'd just yell out an answer questions about all sorts of subjects almost like his own trivia pursuit game. Everyone got into it. Real good fun anyways. We are enjoying ourselves and finding that we have a long lost brother here, Matt, who has many of the same things in common with Logan. Its beginning to be a bit of a long running joke. So anyways were having a real blast!!

Random writings

So the cast on Mertz's arm is off! The weekend is approaching and I get more and more anxious about our trip. We will be going first by bus, then plane, and then by tube hopefully remembering all our belongings along the way and then we meet our pal, Matt. He himself just went on a gig trip to France and had a boring time with the french. They served him tomato slices and hard boiled eggs for meals! That sounds pretty gross! He also said that the people sat in silence for 6hours at a time! What a horrible time that must have been for him. He said he and his wife had to sneak out while shopping and get a pizza so they wouldn't die of starvation!!! So he chatted with us thinking also of his bad experience he hopes ours isn't like that; on the phone in retrospect he said we are welcome to eat anything (which I am sure he planned on anyways) and come and go as we please and he again sounds like a fun guy to be around. We certainly have a lot of things to share so I don't think we will ever be in silence for any period of time. His parents are also welcoming us to their house in the country for a few days. So some fun will be had in the big city and in the countryside. Logan wants to play some golf if possible with the dad but we shall see... both of them have bad backs if there isn't any carts.
Mertz went golfing with Logan last night at Ponemah Green, a real 18 hole golf course for the big shots. Logan said Mertz did some good shots and did well for a 7yr old some good old Father and son time. Mertz had been wanting to go since Logan picked up the sport a few months ago in May. He's been making some close bonds with some men at church who also enjoy golfing. I have no time for much. My days consist of running errands, housework, cooking making meals(whenever Logan can't fill in okay so 90% of the time) and sleep and taking the kids out for play as much as possible. I have been doing some embroidery work on a scarf you put on a bureau. That seems to be my hobby right now. I've been at it for a month and still have some more to do on it but more than halfway done. I've been wanting to get started on some paintings with oil being the medium, I have some canvases, a wooden easel Logan managed to get for free and was going to be thrown out at AC Moore where my nephew works as a stock boy, the thing is beautiful! What would be more beautiful is if I could do it without worry that the kids wouldn't get into the oils and make a mess of it in our apartment---a huge deal if that happened! I also have plans to make myself a dress to wear at the temple. I have a nightgown pattern fit for the role as a temple dress. That will be after our trip to England and will be happy to wear my own dress again. Well much of this post ran a bit random, my random thoughts I felt to share.

A Few NEW links ADDED!

I added a couple of links, one is of music; different music arranged by Logan, and other colleagues some of his own compositions as well! Check it out if you like. Also another site (getting organized) that I found years ago when I almost had a total organizational breakdown. One way I used it to keep my sanity back when I lived with the handicapped woman and others in 2002-03. Occassionally I come back to it, but for me its really all about what she says, make it a routine. If you've never seen this site I recommend it, for it is a system mom once had a book on even the one Flylady refers to (Peggy and Sue's book). Its fun to read all the things people found while cleaning out their homes. But this is a great motivational tool when and if you sign up she'll send you daily e-mails to get going everyday! It helped me make mental notes and no I'm not a total retard but I can get side-tracked with kids demanding things other than what I'm trying to focus on getting done. We were born to a SHE so we have those same SHE tendencies. Don't know what a SHE is? read on the link on getting organized.

My personal facts for Little Criddle

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Okay so I'm putting myself out like never before, I think you may enjoy this list of things....
1. I enjoy watching my kids play together
2. I always try to make my kids day with a hug or get right down on the floor to play with them
3. I find the human body and mind in general very beautiful when treated with the highest respect; the most awesome creation of all!
4. I have to wash all dishes before I make another meal
5. I don't like watching 21st century mainstream television (soaps, reality, or sitcoms on abc, cbs, fox cause I don't feel they reflect the way we should behave)
6. I hate to admit but I love to sew, Mom always knew I'd like it but I denied it for a long time
7. I secretly desire to be a model when I grow up...the End.

Okay so these are my little facts/habits about me
I wish not to tag anyone at this time since it will just go around in circles
Have a nice day!
Hope you all enjoyed!

I Am Amazed

Hi all! I must share my experience that I had the past several days. I was online and I was looking up our last name, dad's last name and some of you, my brother's last name. I came to Geneology.com where people were informing about this last name and one reply was of a man who had a familiar last name on my database for that side of the family's geneology and he knew our line, one that I had information on too. Well I decided even though his response was back in 2002 I'd e-mail him-give it a shot-unsure if he'd respond at all or an answer to a question I had for him. In 24 hours he responded and told me he had gotten some information from the LDS genealogy library. I was thinking, well that's nice he's taken advantage of our church's genealogy services and in my next response I told him he could just guide me into the direction and I could be on my way cause I am LDS. IN THE same email I told him that I had a picture of a headstone with someone with the same last name as his. I didn't know what to expect but I eagerly awaited his e-mail on the topic. His response was, 1. he was LDS too and 2. the name of the headstone was his grandfather!!! I didn't expect those two responses jaw0: dropping! I did a little research and found out that he's related as our 3rdCousin once removed!! That really is a fancy way of saying 4th cousins, dad and this man are 3rd cousins. So good news we have members of the church on dad's side! Small world!!!! He is living in Colorado and has 7 kids( homemade), and two adopted kids. He graduated from West High School in 1966 and grew up in Bedford. WOW I thought! That wasn't all! He lived just houses away from my best friend Amy Nelson! He said his mother lived in the house until her death 25yrs ago. I was blown away from the connections and how close to home it hit! He's a convert to the church and he said I"m his first extended family member he's met that is LDS, also, even his wife is a convert and is looking forward to receiving the couple stories we have on the mormon Pioneers that you and I are related to! We talked briefly on the phone last night and he's sending me some genealogy information with all the temple work the church already did on Dad's side. He even told me that he and his wife were going to do our great-great-great grandfather the end of this year but then I e-mailed him about Camille and Mary. So he's stopped his plans on that so we could do this line. He is Camille's sister's descendant. I really would like to share some of the temple work if any of you are interested once I get the info templeready! One of his callings is working in the genealogy library in Colorado!

I'm still amazed that I've met someone related to us and mormon I just can't believe it! Families are forever and I can see that now more ways than one with all the blessings that have come and will come with meeting Tom just by mere chance--or was it not, was the spirit guiding me to him, my testimony has increased, something is happening on the other side, I know that for sure. I've been sitting on this genealogy now for 7 or 8 years and now the fire is burning. I have my temple recommend and rearing to do the work, our family on the other side are ready for their work to be done!
*I didn't put last names on here for privacy reasons*

Some recent happenings

So I didn't quite fix the picture's rotation but here is Mertz in the splint soon after his mishap.

Here is a picture of Mertz (oh please don't choke yourself boy with your sling!!) and Alina. We are at Kimballs Ice Cream (park?) where they have mini golfing and bumper boats and a whole lot of ice cream yum yum! We were actually in mid way thru the golf course here in this shot believe it or not we went on the course that wrapped around a waterfall as you see part of it here in the background. It was by far one of the most challenging mini golf courses I've been on with uphills and water hazards and More Water hazards, like playing real golf well, sort of. We were very hot and mom forgot to buy water while doing the long 18 holes and lo and behold there was and I checked it real good, an unopened sealed water bottle at the 14th hole! Free water kids! They were pretty thankful and so wasn't I, it was in the shady part so it was cool enough still. After the golf course we ventured off to the bumper boats and was that a ball!! Mertz and Alina braved their own boat and me I was like a little kid again tooting around busting into other boats and making a splash. Mertz and Alina were also enjoying it since they had never before seen this kind of thing nor been a part of it. Mertz had to be careful not to get his cast wet and successfully even after all the water dumped his way he came out dry on the arm there. Meanwhile during the kids and my playing around, Logan was having a field day taking on a pitch and putt golf course that also was at the Ice Cream park. He played 9 holes of golf with his golf clubs. It took some arm bending for him to want to go to the Ice Cream place and once we found out it had golfing he was cool with the idea. It sounds a bit selfish on his part, but he really wasnt going to go on the bumper boats cause of his big-ness and he didn't want to play mini golf if he knew he could practice the big boy's golf, a sport he recently got back into again he's working on his handicap score. Then after all that, we met up for some awesome Kimballs Ice Cream and headed back home.

Music Day Camp=My Blessing!

I have a few minuets away from cleaning while eating my lunch so I thought I'd write. I'm taking a week and working every day11pm-7am from tonight, Monday , till next Monday morning at 7am to work--its crazy but have to save some money for my upcoming trip!! I was only to work 4 shifts in 4 days in and have Friday off and work the weekend. As it turned out I've offered to help one of my colleagues and work for her on that Friday I had off. Logan heard this and said what are you nuts?? Well I'm just feeling the crunch time...But as it turns out, I won't have to worry so much about not getting any sleep cause this is the first day for the kids to be away at Music Day Camp! So the kids will be gone M-F from 8-4ish pm and Logan too! There may be a couple days I have to go to Manchester with them seeing we only have one car and Logan still has to teach after those hours...I'm not sure, we still have to work out the kinks in the plans but for just 2 weeks they will have some away from home fun! So me working=need of more sleep+kids leaving for the day=me actually getting some sleep=happy gal and blessed!! Okay my 20 min. lunch break at home is over and back to cleaning, put laundry away, and cleaning the bathroom and doing the tail end of my dishes ready, set, bye!

In one month and a few days...

So Logan and I recieved an invitation from a guy in London, England!! It was a combination of my "kind face" as he put it and Logan's playing ability on the classical guitar. Matt is the president of the Classical Guitar Society in London and found us on MySpace.com! He found Logan and asked to be his friend and saw me on Logan's page and asked to be my friend too. At some point I mentioned about Logan being my husband and he said that he didn't even know I was in any way related to Logan and was taken by as I said before, my "kind face". We all have kind faces don't we?? That was around ten months ago that we were invited and everything is falling into place, the dates were perfect, (Matt doesn't know it yet but the trip lands on our 10th wedding anniversary!!) purchased the plane tickets for Logan and I, got passports (mine is still in the process) but Logan got his yesterday, now I'm just making the last arragements for the kids and soon we'll be off onto a land I've never stepped foot on! I'm so excited most definately, staying at their place hanging out with the locals cool, I think. My one fear since hearing him on the phone, I hope I can understand his strong accent and lingo, I'm such a nimrod when it comes to british slang, maybe I need to go study it some. I know about a fag being a cigarette, a story told by my english teacher in high school Mrs Vanderbeken she learned the hard way!LOL. That's just one that stuck in my mind all these years.
Without the kids even for 10 days can Logan and I survive?? OH you bet I can! And time away from work that's even better, I've been so burnt out lately. The longest I've had a vacation for in my 3yrs of nursing was for 4days which is nothing. This will be Logan's first time in the air! I'm still pinching myself not believing its really going to happen. Logan and I have not had a vacation together like this since our honeymoon. In fact this is also work for Logan not just a getaway cause he's got two gigs lined up in London-so much time will be dedicated to practice for him and Matt and I'll probably go out with his wife or something like that at those times. A dream come true!

No Swimming No Gamecube! No Bike riding!

These were the top things on Mertz' list to do this weekend, swimming, play gamecube and bike riding none of which he'll be doing for heaven only knows how long. Mertz had a fall at the park this evening. Logan took him for a walk and usually that walk always ends with playtime at the park near our home. Mertz had his bike so he also was able to get some bike riding in. He is always glad to spend time with Pa 1:1 and do boy things like playing golf, roughhousing, playing guitar, just to name a few things. It had rained this afternoon around 3pm so the park I'm sure was still damp and it was around the time Alina and I headed out to the mall for a girls night out around 5pm we departed. We looked around in some different stores but her main goal was to make it into the toy store-what a shocker! She was really tickled by a toy near the doorway called something like the Repeat Pete. A parrot decked out to be a pirate's best sidekick and when you said something it recorded it and said it back two times with the wings flapping and the mouth moving. We had some funny things to say and make it repeat at a bit of a chipmunk speed so it didn't really sound exactly like our own voices. She and I had a good laugh, and to think if I bought that thing what a trouble it would cause. I know this because at her age and Mertz's age they tend to copy each other and that really gets the other one mad so this toy is the kind of toy that truly belongs in the toy store forever!!! Of all things she ended up buying something in the bookstore, they had Harry Potter stuff everywhere and she wanted the ty beanie white owl that stands about 7in tall (Harry's owl) cute. She loves her stuffed animals, when we agree on buying her a toy she's always picking out a stuffed animal but none will ever be as special as her gray kitty ,"Girl" as she calls her. So that brings us to when we left the mall and headed home. Alina was eager to show Mertz her newfound treasure. We were home about 7pm when we discovered the boys had gone somewhere, we only have one car and knew they must not have gone far. Well just about ten min. later Pa and Mertz come home, Mertz with a long face not looking so happy, Logan out of breath and sweaty having carried Mertz's bike all the way home, the news came that Mertz had a big fall from the twirly monkey bars. A twirly monkey bar is shaped like a circle and you stand on the platform hold on and the bar gives you a twirl and sometimes there is another twirly one and you grab onto that one and twirl again. Well apparently the bar must have still been wet and Mertz went on and fell and in doing so he put his hand down over his bum and landed in a sitting position on the left hand. Yeah, wanna say OUCH! His hand was limp and it hurt for him to make a fist and do other motions. I called the after hour urgent care office to see if he could be seen by a Doctor. We went in for 8pm and had some x-rays done ohh that woman loved Mertz and how good he was behaving she couldn't stop complementing him. He really made her night, she said. He wasn't in so much pain or maybe he was and didn't complain, he was really good and did everything she asked. [I'm so proud in times like these cause there are DAYS when I wonder if I'm doing a good job mothering. And only a few times do I feel that yes I am! Its days like when people I don't know complement my kids on their manners or quick obedience, those are the days I know I'm doing a good job and let me tell you I cherish it! ] Well after seeing the doctor we were told that he had a bone piece somewhere in between his two bones in his wrist so there is a fracture. They put his hand/wrist in a splint which is a step away from having a cast but the radiologist has to look at the x-rays and give us more details on Monday to see if in fact he needs a full blown cast which means NO SWIMMING NO GAME CUBE NO BIKE RIDING and whatever we can think of that commands the use of two hands or water activities. What a way to begin the summer! My poor little man!

What a week

Beginning on Saturday the kids and I went to Scott and Angel's house for a visit and a much appreciated swim! Scott, Angel and I had a very nice visit and of course the kids were having quite a grand time visiting with each other. Mertz, Alina and Hunter were wearing goggles that just about covered their whole face-they all were little divers. One set of goggles had a breathing tube so you could go a bit under and still breathe. Mertz tried that out but I'm not sure if he mastered the whole technique of staying close to the surface, I think he sucked in a bit of water more than his liking; even at my age I was having a bad time with it! The slide was recently washed and put up so the kids enjoyed going down the slide with a splash into the pool. I distinctly recall Alina telling me on the way to their house how she was determined she was going to go down the slide (without being afraid) and she did many times! All the kids enjoyed the slide, the diving board and a new feat for Mertz was touching the bottom with his hand at the deep end and coming back up(that's the best part)! As a mother I do worry about the dangers that water brings, what else DON'T I worry about?! So Scott tells me that my grandmother's house is still on the market and was offered to buy it. I thought it wasn't supposed to be purchased by family?? I wish I could live there, anything is better than where we are now and we really want to live in a house. Unfortunately, Scott said that our aunt who lives out back purchased much of the land out back so here lies the pathetic result no backyard!! A house needs some kind of yard with kids.
We returned home later on and the next day I woke up with a horrible cold! Sunday has come and gone Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I've been feeling so foggy and sinus pressure has been unbearable. I don't have a fever and so I decided to get some non-drowsy dayquil to relieve my aches in my head. I've been going to work feeling this way (I hate to call out 11-7 is a hard shift to replace if someone calls out) and I notice everyone is got something, coughing, sniffling, and such I think I may have gotten sick from them at some point but you never can tell. Yesterday being the 4th it was a day of rest for me while everyone went partying at Logan's brother's house. The weather wasn't very accommodating but the kids still went swimming in their pool, and the fireworks in our city were canceled!! Sometimes I believe it is good to let Logan go to his family outing alone with the kids and me the other way, sometimes it is what it is, our families are so different and thats okay. My own dad rarely came when mom went to visit her parents and she would take us kids alone and that fun anyways. So I don't condemn the practice.