And a whirlwind one!! So it is two days since Christmas, and even though we didn't go anywhere, this is the first chance I have had to sit and relax a little! The kids are rockin' away on guitar hero, and the hubby is at work. I am finally getting around to uploading pictures from the new camera to the computer, and to the 8g jump drive my wonderful hubby.. oopss I mean fabulous Santa gave me in my stocking!!, so I don't bog down the pc with pictures I am guessing! I may even post a few here! And you may start to tell that I am more of a landscape kind of picture person. I love taking of people too, but just don't think I am that good yet. So I will stick to scenic's right now!! By the way, did I mention I love my new camera?!?! LOL!!!

Oh My Gosh, almost forgot, We got a new car!! A Honda Odyssey! Loovvee It! I guess I may have already mentioned it, buy hey, what do you expect?! I got an awesome tri-pod to, so tomorrow when they hubby is off work again, we plan on taking some family pics with the new mini to send to family, I will definitely post some here!

Christmas was awesome as always. Much like everyone else in the country, ours was not as extravagant as past Christmas mornings, but we were together, that is what matters. The kids did still get a ton of stuff, so that made Hubby and I happy, even though we couldn't do more for each other, but Hello! We did just buy a car!! :) We miss the family like crazy, and were still dissapointed that we couldn't make it to Cali for the holidays, but we were able to talk to them so that is good enough! They know they are on our minds, and we are on theirs.

We did have some good friends stop by. Reid, Fred and Cindy, and Cindy's two sons. It is always wonderful when they can all come by, or when we all get together anywhere. Just chillin with good friends is always a treat! Even got Reid to partake in the guitar hero epedimic!!! It was great!

Fred's b-day is coming up quickly, and I think we are going to chillax! Out at his place with a good fire, and good friends! Last year we did the big blow-out thing, this year it will be more intimate!! I can't wait!

We did Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve this year, and to be quite honest, I was absolutely surprised and amazed that my dad and step-mom and her mom actually came over to spend it with us! I was flat out ecstatic actually! I cook a ham, and all the fixin's, even pies! We ate and opened presents! It was something I have wanted and needed ever since moving here. I truley hope that this was the start of a tradition. I could do that every year, really! I have always loved family getting together for special things like that!

Speaking of which, they are actually doing Christmas with Sandra's family today, wow, good thing I remembered!! :)



(She is a teenager what can I say, this was the most excitement we got out of her!)

Here's the rules:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same
NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

Here's my pic


So I guess my secret is out. Yes I have tattoo's. No more pretending to be one of the norm!! This is a picture of my back tatt in progress. Originally I had just the colored butterfly you see near the top of my back. I had that one done about 5 years ago or so, in California. There is a whole story behind just that one alone. Anywho, about two years ago, I started doing some studying just in my spare time of different religious beliefs, not just religious but spiritual and such. I came across the Tree of Life that now adorns the upper portion of my back. I then started to envision this beautiful work of art. With the meaning behind the butterfly itself, the Tree of Life, Water and Reflections, a beautiful idea emerged. Along with all of the changes and loss my family and I particularly, have experienced in the last 4 years, this tattoo has very deep meaning to me, very deep!

P.S. It looks awesome with color!!


Well, now I am supposed to Tag 4 other people. But I only have a few people's blogs anyway, and two of them have already done this. Another person I have never talked to. So I will tag my Very very good friend Reid!!

Have fun!

Been playing like crazy!! Here are a few pics of just random things!!





The star on top of our tree.. been playing with different exposures and such.

Just a random ornament

And the boys!

Wow, even with high speed satellite internet, these pics take forever to upload!! So I will have to post more later!!

Ok, I know it is early, but hubby new I wanted it so bad that he let me open it when it got here! So here is my early Christmas present, and something I have wanted for a long time!



Is it not beautiful!? :) I will post pictures I took with it soon!

I just looked at my blog, to check on the post I just did, and noticed my Feedjit has listed someone visiting my page from San Luis Obispo. Hmm, my aunt possibly?? :) Wonder if she is stalking me? **laughing my bum off!**

Well, guess we will never know!

Well, I really wanted to and had planned on sitting at the computer tonight and blogging to my hearts content. Alas, now that I am here, and have had numerous things come up, I am thinking I am just to exhausted. I am still kind of sick, been another sneezy day. I finished cooking dinner, and now have to go fold clothes the hubby said he was going to do. Also have to get the kiddo's in the shower and ready for bed. So it is almost 8 pm and I still have about 2 hours worth of things to do, think I will just have to wait to blog more in depth! :(

P.S. I really really really can't wait for my Christmas present to get here!!! :)

Love to all!

So I finally have some time to talk a little more about my trip to California. More importantly though two days ago was Thanksgiving! So I will update a little about that too.

Ok, so to explain the picture a little bit.. I love Jack-N-The-Box! Pretty much the only fast food I really enjoy, and like eating! So whenever we go to California, it is a must to stop in Valencia and grab Jack! Doesn't matter what time it is. I think they are open 24 anyway! So I had to take a picture this time for my hubby, since he couldn't enjoy the mouth-watering, deliciousness of a Chicken Fajita Pita with me!

My sister and cousin picked me up from the airport in L.A. They are crazy, but I love them. They definitely look like they are related.. so much so that people really honestly think they are twins. It is quite scary. Only problem is there is about 3 or 4 years age difference. I really look nothing like either of them. They are beautiful, don't know what happened to me. Maybe mom was right? Maybe I really was found under a
rock!! LOL Ok.. just kidding.














So I finally met my sisters fiance, John. He is a great guy. I am so happy for her. They make a great couple, he is very very nice, and I truly give props to anyone that can put up with my sister!! Ha.. love ya Katie! You know I have to give you a hard time, your my sister! But really, good luck John!! And welcome to the family!

While I was out there in the land of Fruits and Nuts as my Georgia friends put it.. my wonderful sister planned an early "birthday party" for me. Originally it was going to be a Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner type of thing. But I think Katie came to her senses when I kept telling her I didn't want everyone to have to cook twice. I loved the get together though! It was awesome, being able to see my family. My grandparents, great grandfather Big Pa, my aunt, my cousins, even my second cousin JR. I really did have a fabulous day! I miss the family so much!






Here is Big Pa! He is my grandmothers father, Yep that's right, my Great Grandfather! 5 generations alive and kicking in my family!!
That is JR standing there!
Big Pa is a most intriguing and awesome man. He turned 95 this past February. Still plays golf, still goes to dances and still drives. He recently got over another bout of pneumonia. Which gave us all a scare. But he is doing amazing now! I love him dearly!


This is my fabulous Aunt and JR again! They are actually cousins, so that makes me his second cousin I guess, not exactly sure how all that stuff works! My Aunt Lisa is a strong women. She has had her share of crap in life and stays happy and phenomenal! She is currently living with my other 'aunt' so to speak, Sandy is not technically blood related but her and Lisa have been friends for so long, that we all call her Aunt San! Her husband Al, "Uncle Al" is just an absolutely amazing man. I love him dearly. He reminds me of dad, so strong and caring. Unfortunately they couldn't come to my party. But I was thinking of them all the same! They all live in Arroyo Grande, on the coast. Aunt Lisa has been with them since she was laid off of her job in Tulare, and has been searching for a condo or something for some time now, but like so many others in the country at the time being, is having some difficulties finding the perfect place to call her own. She had an awesome place in the works for a while, but the owners had some problems like many many other people, therefore gave my Aunt some problems getting everything to go through ok. So enough about that! She will find a place soon, and be completely great!!

Here is us! Katie is on the far left, then John behind her, then Courtney and Travis her brother and then me. (See I look awful compared to them!! Well.. I do have three kids, and I quit smoking last year, so food just tastes so good now, and I am happy! Ok, I know I need to lose weight and work out.. I have tried and well, three kids a husband and a full time job gets in the way of just running to the gym whenever I feel like it.. alright alright, enough about that!)
Anyway, back to us! I am the oldest, then Katie, then Courtney then Travis. They are all great. Katie and John own their own buisness now. Courtney is a shift supervisor or something at Panera Bread in Visalia, and Travis works at Cigna. But hey, they are young and have their friends and their whole lives ahead of them. I am happy for all of them. I am glad they are all happy too! I miss them all so much. Wish they would come visit me sometime.


Here is grandma and mom, and now I feel really bad that I didn't get a better picture of grandma and I got no pictures of grandpa. I will be back out there in February though, I will get lots of good pic then ( I will have my better camera by then too!!) So, back to grandma. She is probably the strongest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and am definitely honored to call her my grandma! She was married to a sailor when she was young. Raised two children while her husband was out on different 'missions' and excersices. Moved to different and new areas of the state and country with those two children. Adopted a third child. Worked and raised babies, after grandpa retired from the navy. Held down different jobs and maintained a healthy social life. Buried her mother, and recently buried a brother, her son and her dog. Moved away after her husband retired, knowing she would be away from her children and grandchildren. Moved back because she missed them so much. Battled and beat breast cancer. And has opened her home to her children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren when they needed it most, and were down on their luck, or just needed that little extra support for a time. My grandmother is definitely my idol. I have learned so much from her in my life. I remember as a child I would spend as much time as I could with her. I much preferred to be with her than at home. My grandma understood me better than anyone else. We had a special connection, much like I had with my Aunt. Wow, I guess I should have written a blog just about her all by itself! Didn't realize I was going to get so emotional and long winded!! So if you can't tell, my grandmother means everything to me! I am sure I will write more detailed info about her later!

This is Jeana and Baby G! She is actually my ex-sister in law.. But I still love her! I have told many many people, I still claim her as a sister and she still claims me as a sister! I love her so much! And baby G is so adorable! I just had to make time to see them while I was out there! I had to meet my nephew!! Yeah.. my first nephew!! Well, not really but oh well! And he actually liked me too! It was great to see them. I will most assuredly be seeing them again when I go back in February! Maybe he will be walking by then?!?!





Well, I guess I should probably finish up here, since I have been on here for a few hours now. I have taken many breaks to deal with kids and animals and such. I really wanted to post some pics of my Thanksgiving day feast I created for us. I guess I will just wait until tomorrow or so. I knew I had to finish up telling my readers about my California trip, and introduce a few of my family members!

So until next time! Have a wonderfully rainy day! (Yeah, it's raining here!)