There's A Wocket In My Pocket

Wordle Challenge

2009-11-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

title="Wordle: Things I Love"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/1396425/Things_I_Love"
alt="Wordle: Things I Love"
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Lovely October Weather.

2009-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

So we have been having some glorious October weather! We have spent a ton of time outside enjoyting it. The nights and mornings have been cold, there's been a little bit of rain, but there are some gorgeous, gorgeous sunshine. We have been taking Liam to the park and we have been outside every single chance we get. Here are some photos.

This is the day we took Liam to the park. He had a blast running around, although he had absolutely no interest in any of the park toys, he just wanted to run around!

I love these pictures of him, he looks like such a little boy.

He was obsessed with the soccer goal posts. He kept running through them, and then he kept getting tangled up in the strings. It was funny, but I was glad Trey was there to keep him from getting strangled.

We got to spend a little time on the actual park area. But it was mostly spent chasing Liam around and trying to get him to like the stuff.

I tried to get him to crawl through one, but he wasn't having it. He would rather run around it to get to me, then through it. I was trying to get that super cool bordered photo. No such luck!

We finally got Liam on the swing! He was a bit unsure for a few moments, but he eventually got into it.

And I even managed to get some great pictures of the beautiful fall colors.

Thanks for visiting my blog and checking out the pictures!

Margy.... The Racist.

2009-10-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, the title is probably a little misleading, but something happened to me at work tonight that really upset me.

It was a typical Friday night, and I'm walking along doing my thing, asking people if they want a drink. I go down a row, just like any other day... I ask people if they want a drink, get some responses, other people just keep playing (they don't like to be bothered when they are playing), but like I always do I ask each person if they want anything. Some do, some don't, some ignore me. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I get all the way down the end of the row, and a woman starts yelling at me. I look back, and she says to me, "What? You don't see me sitting here, I want something to drink." She is obviously pissed off, and downright rude. I take a deep breath, and walk back to her, and say, "I did ask you, ma'am, and you gave no response, so I moved on." At this point, I'm not being rude, although I would love to be. I ask her what she would like to drink, and she doesn't say a word, she just starts grabbing stuff off my tray. I am holding my tongue, because that is the rudest thing you can do to a server. First, a person has no idea what I'm carrying, and second, if you grab something off my tray and I'm not paying attention, you can cause the tray to become unbalanced and spill all over the place. On the guest and on myself. And I carry hot coffee. She proceeds to pick everything she wants off my tray, and turns around and starts playing again. I just walk off, as I am walking away she mutters under her breath, "This place is full of nothing, but damn racists."

Now this stuns me. I mean I am in shock. I am almost 30 years old, and no one in my entire life has ever come close to calling me racist, sexist, or any other -ist, lol. The lady was African American.

So I am really upset about this. First off, I am the furthest thing from a racist person. I don't give a crap what color a person's skin is. I only care about what kind of person they are. I hear about this happening a lot. There have been numerous times that guests have complained that a person was racist, because of many different reasons. The person may have been a racist, or the guest may have just been upset, because they were told no.

I really just don't know what to say to this. I went to high school in Robbinsville and my first year in a small hick town was horrible. I got picked on, people threw things at me, and of course I heard many rude comments. All because I wasn't white. My brother eventually got moved to another school, because someone in our school SHIT in his shoes, while he was in gym class. I once got beat up by the football team, because they were picking on a friend of mine who is black. I jumped in the middle of it, and got my ass kicked.

So for someone to call me a racist, that just pisses me off. I hate racism, and I hate reverse racism. I have now been on both sides of the fence, and they are BOTH ugly. To be treated like crap, because you are not a certain race, or sex, or you just don't fit in, is the most ignorant thing a person can do. BUT to assume that someone is being racist to you just because you are a "minority" is also just as ignorant. If everyone in the world would treat people exactly as they want to be treated, then maybe this kind of crap wouldn't go on.

I would not have been rude to this woman, if she hadn't been rude to me first. And if it had been a person of any other color, I would have acted the same exact way. Granted, in my job I know that I am suppose to turn the other cheek, and all that. But at the end of the day, I will give every person in this world the same amount of respect that they give me, no more and no less. That is exactly how I was raised, and it is the way I will raise my son.

And for the record, I do realize racism still does exist. I live in the deep south and I see it more than a person should. I am horrified at some of the things people thing, do, or say. Whether it be prejudice against women, homosexuals, African Americans, Hispanics, or people with ugly feet. Well I really hate people with ugly feet (lol, just playing, Trey says I have hobbit feet, and I do). Nobody should be raised to treat any person differently. BUT that door swings both ways. I see a lot of racism toward minorities, but I also see a lot of racism toward white people.

People need to be educated, and that's also why I think that kids should have to serve a term in the military when they get older. If they were forced to leave their safe haven, and thrown into a service with different cultures, maybe change could one day begin.

Self Introduction!

2009-10-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

As part of the new blogging challenge at scrapbook.com, I am doing an introduction page!

Real Name - Margy Lynn
Name on SB.com - Margy - it's not very original, but it's simple and I don't have to tell everyone my real name, yes, lazy, I know!

100 Word or Less Tell Us About Yourself, I used 60 words:
mother, daughter, aunt, sister, friend, scrapbooker, photographer, waitress, student, smart, OCD, honest, kind, tempermental, moody, loveable, chubby, funny, wife, loyal, ethical, whiny, lazy, happy, veteran, feisty, short, nerd, creative, decisive, opinionated, liberal, outspoken, outgoing, sarcastic, obnoxious, annoying, spicy, persistent, overprotective, gracious, observant, shopaholic, sincere, brilliant, political, tree-hugger, band geek, thinker, assertive, grateful, crazy, motivated, humble, idealistic, compassionate, clingy, conceited, tired

What type of scrapbooking do you do?
I do mostly paper scrapbooking. I enjoy doing layouts about myself and my family. Of course, my son gets his fair share of scrapbook pages!

What ispires you?
There are many things: magazines, colors, nature, my surroundings, and I get a lot of inspiration from the amazing scrappers at scrapbook.com.

What are other favorite things that you like to do?
I like to take photos. We love taking Liam to the park, or on hikes although it's starting to get a bit cold. I love being in the water. I love watching tv with my family. Occasionally we'll play video games. We love going on day trips to Ashevill. And I adore shopping (too much, but that's another blog).

What do you like to do to relax?
watch TV, scrapbook, play on the computer, sit on the porch

What's your favorite kind of music?
I like everything, seriously everything. Some of my favorite artists include: Lorrie Morgan, Tool, 3 Doors Down, Black Eyed Peas, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Matchbox 20, the list can go on and on forever and I am sure that I am forgetting many!

What's your fave TV show?
There are so many: Desperate Housewives, TruBlood, Grey's Anatomy, House, Eureka, Sons of Anarchy, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, Community

Do you collect anything?
Only scrapbooking supplies. I use to collect dolphins, but I got over that a few years ago!

What make you, YOU?
There are many different things. I am hyper and really dorky funny. I love to laugh, and I enjoy life. Being a mom is a big part of me right now. I'm an ex Army soldier, and I have a lot of discipline from that. I'm a total book worm and a nerd, and I love school. I'm very shocking and inappropriate, and if I might brag just a little, I am unforgettable! No one forgets me or the crazy things that come out of my mouth!

If you were on a desert island, what 3 things would you take?
my computer (I'm assuming the desert island has electricity).
my son (I'm not taking Trey, because he would hog the computer, lol).
a kindle (totally stole this answer from someone else, it's brilliant!)

Scraptastic Scrappy YardSale!

2009-09-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, I decided to do a huge purge on my scrapbook room. Now I am asking for some financial advice from all my scrappy friends. Below are the pictures of all the stuff I want rid of. I was thinking about using ebay, or something like that. What I need from my buddies is.... Should I sell it as one big lot, or separate smaller ones? How much do you think is reasonable? Thanks pals! I'll post descriptions under each picture!

8x8 Paper Packs (all complete)

K & Co. Sweet Pea Baby Girl

I think there might be one page missing from this.

Scenic Route -

Sumner Collection

Ashville Collection

Lynden Collection

All complete.

Making Memories -
Spring Fling Paper Pack
Blossoms Box
Clear Dimensional Butterfly Stickers.

Other STuff:
Craftmates - storage organizer
Embellie box
Wire and Metal labels
Scraparatus

Duke Power - Robbing Customers One Kilowatt At A Time

2009-09-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

So if you read the title of this you probably know this is a rant blog.... I have had some horrible customer service, but what happened to me on September 1st with Duke Power tops the list, right up there with Mediacom.

I went on Duke's website, and under their mission/values statement this is what I found:

Here's the link (wouldn't want anyone accusing me of plagiarism):
www.duke-energy.com/about-us/charter.asp

And here is an abbreviated version of their missions and values:

"Integrity: We do the right thing. We honor our commitments. We admit when we're wrong.
Passion: We're passionate about what we do. We strive for excellence. We take personal accountability for our actions."

Their mission statement is actually laughable, given what I went through with a company that has repeated complaints from their customers. So here's what happened:

I woke up on September 1st with the power in my house completely off. Unfortunately, the power is not in my name, so I had to interrupt Trey at work. He quickly put in a phone call to Duke.

Here's how the whole thing started. We've been having a rough summer, and we've been late a couple times on our power bill. Duke sent us a letter saying they were gonna charge us a security deposit of approximately 250 - 300 dollars. They really didn't care if we had been customers for so many years, and had never had problems until now. They told us we had to pay the security deposit or have someone eligible sign a waiver for us. This had to be done by August 31st.

Trey's mom was eligible, so at about the middle of August, Trey and Jeanne went to RadioShack and signed the waiver. On the 25th, Trey places a call to Duke, and they tell us that everything looks good, and the security deposit will be removed from the bill. On the 1st, they turn our power off.

When Trey calls Duke, on the 1st, they tell him that RadioShack gave us the wrong form, and there was nothing they could do about it. It wasn't our fault, but they didn't care. They also tell us that they have left us a message saying that our power would be cut off. When Trey tells them that we received no phone call from them (and we looked at all of our cell phone records), they say, "well maybe we called your mom." Jeanne says they never called them, so we tell them this. They pretty much say, they don't care, it's been put in the computer that there was a call, but they can't tell us what number they called. They also say that they won't accept a waiver now, and in order to get our power on, we have to pay everything, including the deposit, and a reconnection fee. Well, like I said, we're poor, we don't have that kind of money. And when you make a mission statement saying that you can admit your mistakes, and take responsibility for your actions, why would we expect anything less?

Trey gets really angry and says that we don't have this kind of money, and this was their fault, not ours. The lady tells him, "I can't help you, but I'll get a supervisor to call you." Of course, a supervisor never called us. We waited hours, and no call came. I wonder if they recorded it in the computer that they called.

I get on the internet and find the number for the NC attorney general's office. I call them and explain it to them, and they send me to consumer protection/fraud. I talk to them, and they send me to the Utilities Commission. I talk to a lovely lady there, and give her all the information, and we get off the phone so she can call Trey. Trey and her talk, he tells her every little detail, and she tells him she will call him back.

She calls him back after having talked to Duke. She tells Trey that Duke sent over our records, etc... She also tells us that Duke is in the wrong and we are in the right. Trey asks her why a supervisor still hasn't called him... She explains that Duke knows we can't live without power, it's just a waiting game to them, and eventually we are going to give in and pay them the money, because that's just the way the world works to those people.

So she tells him she is going to handle it and calls Duke back. Fifteen minutes later, she calls back, and says it is handled. She has told Duke that they have to turn our power on, or she is going to start fining them. Lo and behold, within thirty minutes Duke is at my house turning the power on, while I give him dirty looks from my front porch.

In the end, we won. But how many times has Duke pulled this crap on people who didn't think to google or look for a government office to help? How much money has this company made off of the unsuspecting public? Right now, Duke is the only power company in Western North Carolina. They are a monopoly and they have no problem scamming people out of their hard earned money. I plan on writing every single person that I can in the government, and I urge other people to start writing their state representatives. That is why we voted them in office. I am tired of getting scammed by people, because they think they can. Enough is enough.

Scrapbook Giveaways

2009-08-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have been noticing a ton of scrapbook giveaways lately. Here are some that I have come across in the last few days.

http://creataliciouschallenges.blogspot.com/2009/07/mr-linky-test-2.html

http://craftypagan.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-celebratary-super-sweet-blog-candy.html

http://cardgrotto.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-candy-time.html

http://apinksunshine.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-blog-candy.html

http://thecraftyden.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-candy-timeat-last.html

http://papercraftsbyrach.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-candy.html

http://stardustgemsandribbon.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/sweet-sugar-blog-candy-no1/

http://clairebsd.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-blog-candy-giveaway.html

http://basicgreychallenges.blogspot.com/2009/07/yay-its-official-we-are-back-thank-you_28.html

http://lilsweetpeasplace.blogspot.com/

http://theresmagicintheair.blogspot.com/2009/07/big-blog-candy-give-way.html

Liam's Blog

2009-08-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've been doing really badly at keeping up with my blog posts. I've been trying to scrap Liam's first moments lately, and I am having a hard time keeping up with all of the info that I have.... So, I am going to create a list on here that I can refer to when I need exact dates and such!

2/22/08 - Liam is born at 7:01 pm, 7 lbs. 10 ozs, 21 1/2 inches long, labor lasted 32 hours.
02/25/08 - Leave the hospital and go home
02/29/08 - 1 wk old.
03/01/08 - Liam meets his cousins Tyler, Faith, and Cruz for the first time.
03/03/08 - Liam's first bath.
03/06/08 - 2 wks old.
03/08/08 - Liam's first road trip to South 21. Charlotte, NC with granny.
03/09/08 - Liam meets Kathy, Brooke, Ashlee, and Christain
03/11/08 - doctor visit, Liam gets circumsized :(
03/13/08 - 3 wks old
03/17/08 - Liam's first St. Patrick's Day
03/21/08 - 4 wks old/1 mth old, doctor visit, 8 lbs. 4 oz.
03/24/08 - doc visit
03/28/08 - 5 wks old
03/29/08 - Faith comes over and sees me breastfeeding Liam, she tries to imitate with her baby doll.
04/04/08 - 6 wks old
04/06/08 - first smile
04/11/08 - 7 wks old
04/17/08 - Liam meets Nikki and Bishop
04/18/08 - 8 wks old, starts cooing
04/23/08 - Daddy's Birthday, we leave Liam with mimi and Aunt Stephie, and spend our first evening without our child, Roger joins us for dinner
04/24/08 - doc visit, 11 lbs 14 oz, 23" long, Liam's first immunizations
04/25/08 - 9 wks old, we try to give Liam a botthe, he hates it
05/02/08 - 10 wks old
05/03/08 - Liam's first NSD. He spends the day on mommy's craft table in his bouncy chair.
05/15/08 - 11 wks old
mommy goes back to work
05/23/08 - 12 wks old
Liam laughs, mommy is at work and is devastated
05/30/08 - 13 wks old
06/06/08 - 14 wks old
mommy goes to the bathroom, and Liam rolls off of the couch on to the floor. first roll is a very devastating one (at least for mommy, Liam was fine).
06/11/08 - Try to Liam a pacifier, hates it.
06/13/08 - 15 wks old
06/15/08 - Liam's first family reunion with Trey's family.
06/18/08 - Liam starts crying and self soothes himself back to sleep, naps on his tummy
06/20/08 - 16 wks.
06/24/08 - doctor appointment, 14 lbs, 12 1/2 ozs, 25" long, more immunizations
06/26/08 - Liam's first shower.
06/27/08 - 17 wks
06/29/08 - go to Japanese Steak house for Birthday dinners.
06/30/08 - Start giving Liam baths in the kitchen sink (so much easier).
07/01/08 - Start giving Liam baby cereal.
07/04/08 - 18 wks
07/11/08 - 19 wks
07/18/08 - 20 wks
07/25/08 - 21 wks
07/26/08 - Liam meets Liz and Kahlia
07/28/08 - Liam loves tummy time.
07/31/08 - Liam likes to play with his feet and stick them in his mouth.
08/01/08 - 22 wks
08/05/08 - first tooth starts coming in
08/08/08 - 23 wks old
08/14/08 - bottom front teeth pop out
08/15/08 - 24 wks old
08/21/08 - 21 wks old. Liam likes to pull toys out of boxes.
08/22/08 - 6 mths old, loves to low crawl, loves to laugh
08/28/08 - Liam is on baby food. He hates butternut squash.
08/29/08 - 26 wks old, go to granny's house to play with Liam's cousins.
09/01/08 - Liam pulls himself to standing position
09/05/08 - 27 wks old
09/08/08 - Liam eats rice for the first time, Liam suddenly decides he loves sucking his thumb
09/12/08 - 28 wks old
09/13/08 - Liam sits up without help
09/14/08 - Liam's favorite game is to pull the DVDs out of the shelf.
09/19/08 - 29 wks old
09/21/08 - Liam's cousins come to visit and I finally get a photo shoot of the matching 4th of July outfits I got them.
09/22/08 - 7 mths
09/24/08 - Liam is such a happy baby!
09/26/08 - 30 wks old, Pop comes over to visit Liam.
10/02/08 - Liam says syllables like: ma, da, ba
10/05/08 - Family trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway
10/08/08 - Liam takes a bath in his new duck bath tub!
10/09/08 - 3rd tooth pops out
10/21/08 - first official family photo
10/22/08 - 8 mths old
10/28/08 - Liam's first political involvement.
10/30/08 - Liam goes with us to vote.
10/31/08 - First Halloween. We go with Liam's cousins: Tyler, Faith, Cruz
11/02/08 - Liam loves to beat pots/pans with utensils.
11/04/08 - Political party with Jenna. Liam is in totally ga-ga over this girl!
11/10/08 - Liam has figured out how to take his diaper off, so he can play with his lil man.
11/22/08 - 9 mths old
11/27/08 - Thanksgiving dinner at Stephanie's House.
11/28/08 - Liam is in love with remote controls.
11/29/08 - Road trip to Virginia Beach!
12/11/08 - Liam has started table food, regularly, he has a healthy appetite and eats almost everything we hand him. He loves veggies and chicken noodle soup.
12/22/08 - 10 mths old
12/24/08 - Christmas Eve at Steph, Mac, and Mimi's house. Mimi gets Liam some Baby Einstein videos (which he loves).
12/25/08 - Liam takes his first steps. Christmas breakfast at our house and we have a houseful!
12/29/08 - Christmas photo shoot with Liam and Tyler.
01/09/09 - Liam goes to sippy cups without blinking an eye.
01/13/09 - Liam can climb in the laundry basket.
01/19/09 - Liam can climb on the couch.
01/22/09 - 11 mths. old. Liam self weans himself off the breast, and finally sleeps through the night.

Photo Shoot

2009-07-15T23:38:00.001-07:00

So today was a super day! Gyrome and I met Regina and her family at the Island Park in Cherokee. I had promised her months ago to do family photos. She had her beautiful children Bianca and Zach with her. This was an awesome photo shoot. Her kids were great and loved running around finding spots for pictures. Zach even suggested shots to me that I thought were awesome. This was my first photo shoot with people other then my family. I loved getting the chance to practice my photography, and hanging out with my friends!

Feel free to critique me and help me improve my skills! I used a Canon Rebel xTi.

Here were my favorite group shots:

# 9764

#9767

#9751

#9765

#9739

#9770

#9771

#9768

#9774

#9801

Here are the individual shots I got of Regina!

#9775

#9784

#9785

Here are the pictures I got of Bianca! She is so photogenic!

#9772 #9778 #9779

This is by far my favorite picture that I got today!

#9794

Here are the pictures I got of Regina's handsome son, Zach:

#9776

#9777

All in all, I had such a great time!!!!!!! What a lovely family!

P.S. Just in case some person wonders in here and wants to "steal" my pictures... All images are my property, and cannot be used or reproduced without my permissions!

I Am Like A Cat!

2009-06-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

Here's another one of these quizzes! I don't know why I like these things, but they are fun!

You Are Like a Cat

You are independent and a bit stubborn. You are content to do your own thing.

You are curious about the world but still an individual. You prefer to be a solo explorer.

You enjoy your alone time, but you also like some quiet company from time to time.

You crave companionship, even if it means just spending time in the same room together.

What Pet Are You Like?

Okay, so let's see how accurate this one is!

You are independent and a bit stubborn.

I think that this is pretty accurate. I am a very independent person, and Trey could probably tell you how stubborn I am.

You are content to do your own thing.

As strange as this may sound, and as much as I love my family, but I crave/need my alone time. It makes me happy to chill in my scrap room. I love just playing on the computer, editing photos, and scrapping. It is essential to my well-being!

You are curious about the world but still an individual. You prefer to be a solo explorer.

I don't think that I agree with this. I do enjoy my alone time in my scrap room. But when I am out exploring, whether I am on a hike, out taking pictures, or even out on a walk, I really love having my family with me. Liam loves the outdoors, and Trey is great about pulling over and stopping anytime I ask, just so I can get a photograph!

You enjoy your alone time, but you also like some quiet company from time to time.

I don't know if this is true either. I do like company, but my family and friends are far from quiet, and I don't mind it a bit.

You crave companionship, even if it means just spending time in the same room together.

This is very true. I am quite content to just be in the same room with my family. I would actually like scrapping in the same room with them, but my child is way too destructive. I also don't want him swallowing any of my buttons, flowers, or brads. LOL.

Quiz!

2009-06-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

So I took this quiz and here are the results!

You Are Rain

You are dark and dramatic. You tend to be a bit over the top.
You have strong emotions and they can change quickly. You are tempestuous.

You are wild and unpredictable. You tend to overwhelm and surprise people.
While you are aggressive, you are also a homebody. You don't really care for physical activities.

http://www.blogthings.com/areyourainorsnowquiz/">Are You Rain or Snow?

So let's see if it's true or not!

You are dark and dramatic. You tend to be a bit over the top.
You have strong emotions and they can change quickly. You are tempestuous.

I can see how this might be true. A doctor once diagnosed me as bipolar, and I really hate that term. I prefer to think that I am just set in my emotions, lol. There is no middle ground. I am either wildly happy, or crazy. With the exception of a very few times a year, I am almost always a raging ball of sunshine!

You are wild and unpredictable. You tend to overwhelm and surprise people.

I am a bit wild (not in a party type of way), but in a I want to be the center of attention and make everyone laugh kind of way. I also like to do shocking, inappropriate things that make people think I'm crazy, lol. But I am a bit predictable, I like things to be the way they should be. I can be overwhelming at times, but I don't think that surprises anyone, they are use to me by now.

While you are aggressive, you are also a homebody.

I don't think I am that aggressive. I like to joke and have a good time, but I have never really chased after guys, or anything like that! I am definitely a homebody!

You don't really care for physical activities.
Okay this is definitely true. I think this quiz was a really good one, because they asked this question,
"Do you like physical activities?"
and I said,
"No."
So at least they got this part right, LOL!

My Greatest Achievements

2009-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Our latest blog challenge is: What is your greatest achievement...in your eyes what do you feel you have done in your life that you are the proudest about?

I have done many things in my life that I am proud of. Some are big and some are small. I have also done many things in my life that I am not proud of, but thankfully, that's not what this blog is about.

I have done a lot of volunteer work. Everything from school oriented volunteer projects, church volunteer projects, community projects, and even small things. I think I am prouder of the smaller things. Things like stopping and picking up the trash that people have left on the side of the road. Things that never get recognition, but I hope that I am setting an example that my son and future children will learn and live by.

I did four years in the military after high school. I am very proud of this accomplishment. I can remember getting my ass handed to me in boot camp, and thinking that I would never make it, and I did. It's still really wierd when people thank me for my service. I didn't make near the sacrifices that many other military members have. Many of our soldiers have given their lives for our country. Many mothers, fathers, children will never see their loved ones again. While I don't feel like a hero, I am proud that I did something that many people never thought I could do. Not only did I do my time in the service, but I enjoyed it. I met so many remarkable people, and I learned so much.

There are many other things that I am proud of. I have always made good grades. I am a pretty good friend, although I probably don't keep in touch as well as I like. I'm a good person, and I don't like mean people, or bullies. I stand up for what I believe in. I try very hard to not be judgemental, and to be understanding. I am good to Trey, and I'm a good mother.

All of these things make me proud. But none of them are my greatest achievement. As cheesy as this sounds, I think that my son is my greatest accomplishment. Having a child is a huge responsibility. Choosing to raise a child, and teaching a child right from wrong is a huge role. Being the person that a child looks up to is an overwhelming duty. While as a parent, there are times when a person cannot control the person that their child becomes, most of the time a parent can control that. At some point a parent is no long responsible for the person that their child is, but to a certain extent they can steer their child down the right road. I think that Liam and even any future children will be my greatest achievement, if I take the role of parenting seriously. My actions are important. I know this is terribly cheesy, but this small, little boy is everything that I had ever hoped for and wanted. He is a miracle, and he has changed my entire world.

In The Event Of A Natural Disaster

2009-06-10T00:06:00.001-07:00

Our latest blog challenge at sb.com is: If you had to evacuate your home because of a natural disaster, which of your possessions would you bring with?

So here goes my list of things to bring with me in the event of a natural disaster. This list is in the hopes that we actually have time to pack up our stuff. In the event of an immediate evacuation, my list would be much shorter.

The first things that I would bring would be my most prized possessions (lol). My beautiful family. My mom would be included in this list, since she lives with us now.

Another prized possession, would be my bear Rupert. Rupert was given to me in the 10th grade. My guy best friend and I decided to exchange presents on Valentine's Day, because both of us were single. I gave him a cross stitch that I had made of Tasmania Devil (his fave), and he gave me Rupert. A few months after our gift exchange, my dear friend Kevin committed suicide. I am lucky that I have Rupert to remember Kevin by. He goes with me everywhere!

Another thing that I would take with me is my camera. It's a passion, and what I use to document my life.

There are many other things that I would take. If I had the room my computer would go, because of all the valuable files it holds. If there was no room, then I would take my external hard drive and all of my data cds and video files. Trey would insist that we take one of his video game systems. Pretty much the only things that I would be considered about our are personal items. Everything else in our life that can be replaced is not really a priority. Pictures, mementoes, things of that nature would be the priority!

The Road To Nowhere.

2009-06-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today, Trey, Liam, and me decided to go to the "Road To Nowhere." I hadn't been in years, and I knew that it would be a nice walk.

The Road To Nowhere is a historical attraction in WNC. It is a road that was started in 1943. Back in the day, when the US government decided to build a dam for WNC they needed land. They asked the local landowners (Native Americans) to sell their land at unreasonably low prices. Some complied and some refused. When people refused, the government condemned their land and took it anyway. It was pretty darn shitty, but people are continually hurting other people, so what else is new, in this world.

The government promised the people two things...
1. reimbursement to Swain County for flooding the road (Hwy 288) and
2. to build a road that would give the people who were forced out access to the 28+ cemetaries that they would no longer be able to reach.

Over the years, people have promised that this road would be finished. It is now 2009 and in the same shape it was in, while I was in highschool. It's a pretty sad story.

Here are some of the pictures from our trip today!

This is some graffitti that was inside the tunnel.

Here are some pictures of the tunnel. That's little Liam in his stroller.

This is the spot where the road ends and it becomes soil and dirt. Past that there are some really good hiking trails.

In total, I took almost 300 photos today. Some I loved, some were so-so, and some went straight into my recycling bin. Here's some other photos I took today.

As part of a challenge on sb.com, I took pictures of some doors today.

I also got some pictures of these really pretty daisies. My favorite flower.

I also got this really cool shot of a dandelion!

My Scrap Room

2009-06-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm a horrible updater. Anyways I spent a good part of May reorganizing and cleaning my scrap room. I never knew what I had (and I have a lot of it, lol) and where it was. Here is my new and improved scraproom. Now all I need is another Basic Grey Magnetic mat, so I can work on my 2 page LOs at one time, and a clip it up. I am still on the fence about the clip it up....

This is the right side of my craft room. My computer sits right next to my desk so that I can watch TV (it's got one of those channel tuner things). On my craft desk I keep my embellishment center, my making memories turntable thingie where I keep my most used tools, a basket that holds pens horizontally, a basket for misc. stamps, and another basket that holds different products that I might use in hte near future. Under my desk are 12x12 Sterilite boxes that hold different things.

On the left side of my room, I have a wire rack for solid color cardstock, more sterilite boxes that organize embellies and such by color, two sets of pegboard, a changing table (I love this thing) that I use for cutting and my sizzix die cuts, and a smaller desk with my mini sewer and a basket for paper scraps on it. The drawers of my changing table hold my punches, sizzix die cuts, and acrylic paint, and some other misc. things. I keep all of my completed pages in the white boxes, because I don't have any albums (I have no idea what kind of album I would like to use).

My collections of patterned papers (another addiction) are housed in huge sterilite boxes. I use to keep them out in the open, but Liam has decided he likes to tear patterned paper the best. I seperate each collection into 12x12 plastic envelopes, and when I have scraps I leave them with the collection. I am not much on picking papers that match, so it helps me to keep everything together.

So here's a view of all of my patterned paper collections, I know it is shameful. Trey calls me a collector. Along with the smaller collections (basic grey, I keep my larger pp pads in here as well. I have made a vow not to buy any more of these boxes, and I can't buy new collections until I use up some of the ones I have. This way, I don't constantly have to find ways to expand.

My pegboard holds most of my embellishments. Like my patterned paper, I have too much of pretty little things. It also holds my smaller acrylic stamps (prima stamps, studio g, etc..) I try to keep only lighter things on here, because I don't want my wall to fall apart, lol!

Under my desk are my sterilite boxes. I have my drawers organized into: adhesives, circle cutter and coluzzle, tools (hole punches, crop a dile, rulers, wire cutters), stamping stuff (ink pads, blocks, and embossing powder), foam stamps, pazzles stuff, stitching stuff, scrap ribbon, border punches, magazine clippings, misc stickers (that would work well with cards), blank cards and envelopes, die cut punchies, foam and felt punchies, acrylic shapes and chipboard, alphabet letters (I actually need two drawers for this, but thickers smush really well), and a drawer for all my journaling blocks (another addiction).

On one of Trey's bookshelves I have several different glass jars for flowers and one specifically for lace ribbon.

Next to my filing cabinet that holds my small solid paper sorted by color and our bills (I don't like that drawer) is a small table that holds my Pazzles. This tool cost a lot of money, but it was such a great investment. Not only will it cut any true type font, but you can buy or make designs that you can cut on here. I wish I was artistic enough to make my own, but I usually buy a lot from paperthread.com. This bad boy will also cut thin chipboard, acrylic, felt, and vinyl. I usually spend a day cutting up all my scrap paper into little punchies that I can just add on my pages, later on.

Well that's my scrap room. It's not fancy, and it doesn't really coordinate like some designer scrap rooms, but it's all mine and I have a ton of room. I'm not sure what I would do if I had to fit all this stuff in a smaller space, lol. Hopefully when we move out of the house we rent, and buy our own place we will still have room for me to have a scrap space! Thanks for visiting my blog!

My Most Embarrassing Moment.

2009-05-02T19:18:00.001-07:00

I did a layout today for NSD (national scrapbook day) that kind of hit a rather embarrassing moment in my life. I'm just gonna share the LO with you, and post the journaling!

So here' s the journaling!

So last Thursday an incident occurred that brought up some old memories. Liam and I were hanging out around the house when I noticed this guy flying in our hallway. I grabbed liam, the cell phone, and headed to the bathroom. We waited there until trey got home and killed the yellow jacket.

I am sure that many would think that this was an overreaction, but for me it’s just a defense mechanism against a vicious insect that has tried to take me out before. It all happened back in 2000. I was stationed in south korea we were out on a field exercise, and I had gone to someone else’s shelter to help set it up. I was pounding a ground rod (a six foot metal rod), when I hit a wasp nest with the sledge hammer. It was pure, utter hell. They attacked, as I stripped and ran to the hospital (about a mile away). When I got to the hospital, I was almost completely naked and had no idea where any of my army gear was. I had over twenty bites on my body and face. The worst bites were the ones on my face (two on my lips, two on my cheek). They watched me for an allergic reaction, and sent me home. To add insult to injury, the doctor handed me pain medication and told me to take it every four to eight hours for pain. I was so traumatized that I thought he said every forty-eight hours. So for two days, I was in miserable pain. Going into combat against wasps is something that I hope I never have to do again. I keep thinking that I’ll eventually get over my fear of stinging insects. Maybe, but maybe not!

Blog Update!

2009-05-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

So once again I haven't been the greatest blogger, I have been scrapping like crazy! So here's some of my latest layouts with details!

So here's the background on my latest los. I am part of Project 365. Which is basically to take a photo a day, for every day of the year and then scrap them, by the week. I started out with that intention, and then changed my mind. First, because it's hard for me to scrap every week. Second, I couldn't figure out how I would get 52 layouts (52 weeks) into one album, and I wanted to only have one album for this project. So I changed my mind and decided to do one double page lo per month. On one side, I have my pictures, the other has my journaling. The pictures are all contact size, but they aren't that hard to see in real life.

Here's the first one!

Here are the highlights from January: we started back to school, Trey started back to work, we had a couple big snows, we had a lot of family time and went to Asheville a lot, the casino laid off 84 people, I rearranged my scrap room, we got XM radio, and I got stuck on the highway for an hour, while waiting for someone to come salt the road. I had pulled off because I was sliding all over the place and my little car couldn't handle it. While I sat there, I got to watch two 18wheelers get stuck, and slide into each other. I got to watch countless other cars slide into the guard rails, and I was just happy I decided to wait!

In February: I spent a lot of time walking Lake Junaluska with my friend Erin. I applied for Radiography, changed my mind and then applied for Medical Lab Technician. I got accepted into both. I took the HOAE and scored a 24/25. I spent a lot of time in observation at area hospitals. Liam turned one year old! I got my new crackberry. Liam learns how to wave bye, bye, and he can understand what I'm saying (I think), but he still doesn't want to walk. I took Liam's birthday weekend off, and we had a whole weekend of family time! Liam was pretty sick at the end of February.

March 2009: Stephanie's baby shower, more time at Lake Junaluska, a trip to Charlotte to visit South 21, Kathy's Birthday, I dissected an earthworm, I worked a lot of hours at work, we got a WII fit, I fell in love with twilight and read the series twice, I locked my keys in the car, had ot do yearly training at the casino, and we had a BBQ at a friend's house.

Now on to my award. Sweet Ashely gave me this award, you can see her blog at: http://dna301theminorgroove.blogspot.com/

I believe that I am to pass this blog award on to 4 different people, so here goes:

Carmen @ http://carmenscreativechatter.blogspot.com/

Kim @ http://kimberkv.blogspot.com

Janet @ http://janetslittleplace.blogspot.com/

Klo @ http://scrappingklo.blogspot.com

1980 - The Year I Was Born

2009-04-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

So I was born on July 02, 1980! Per our bloggin' challenge over at scrapbook.com, I am listing some fun facts from the year I was born. I know there is a lot, but I wanted to include anything I might like to put on a future LO!

President: Jimmy Carter
Vice President: Walter Mondale

Billboard Top 10:
1. Call Me – Blondie
2. Fame – Irene Cara
3. Working My Way Back To You – Spinners
4. Funkytown – Lipps, Inc.
5. Little Jeannie – Elton John
6. Upside Down – Diana Ross
7. He’s So Shy – Pointer Sisters
8. Please Don’t Go – KC & The Sunshine Band
9. Do That To Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille
10. Take You Time (Do It Right) Part 1 – The S.O.S. Band

Grammy Awards (held 2/27/1980):
Record Of The Year: “What a Fool Believes” The Doobie Brothers
Album of the Year: 52nd Street – Billy Joel
Song Of The Year: “What a Fool Beliefs” The Doobie Brothers
Best New Artist: Rickie Lee Jones
Best Recording For Children: Jim Henson and Paul Williams The Muppets
Best Comedy Recording: Robin Williams, Reality… What a Concept
Best Female Country Vocal: “Blue Kentucky Girl” Emmylou Harris
Best Male Country Vocal: “The Gambler” Kenny Rogers
Best Duo/Band Country Vocal: “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” The Charlie Daniels Band
Best Country Song: “You Decorated My Life” Kenny Rogers
Best Disco Song: “I Will Survie” Gloria Gaynor
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” Dionne Warwick (I love her!)
Best Male Rock Vocal: “Gotta Serve Somebody” Bob Dylan
Best Band/Duo Rock Vocal: “Heartache Tonight” by The Eagles

Top Grossing Movies:
Nine To Five
Superman II
Stir Crazy
Airplane!
Any Which Way You Can
Ordinary People
Urban Cowboy
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Popeye
Dressed To Kill

Favorite TV Shows:
60 Minutes
Three’s Company
M*A*S*H
Alice
Dallas
Flo
The Jeffersons
The Dukes of Hazzard
That’s Incredible
One Day At A Time
Archie Bunker’s Place
Eight is Enough
Taxi
House Calls
Real People
Happy Days
Little House on the Prairie
CHiPs
Charlie’s Angels
Trapper John, M.D.

• Nigel Short(14)is the youngest chess player awarded degree of International Master.
• Pittsburgh Steelers become the first NFL franchise to win 4 Super Bowls.
• Riot at the New Mexico State Penitentiary.
• US Olympic Hockey Team defeats the Soviet Union in the semifinals.
• Voyager 1 confirms the existence of Janus, a moon of Saturn.
• Pierre Trudeau returns to office as Prime Minister of Canada.
• The first rock music festival kicks off in the Soviet Uniton.
• United States boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
• The Georgia Guidestones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones are erected in Elbert County, Georgia.
• New York City’s Transport Works Union Local goes on strike.
• U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Iran.
• Spain and the UK reopen the border between Gibraltar and Spain.
• Iron Maiden’s debut self-titled album Iron Maiden is released.
• Race riots occur for three days after a court in Miama acquits 4 white officers of killing Arthur McDuffie.
• Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington.
• Voters in Quebec reject by a vote of 60% a proposal to seek independence from Canada.
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released.
• Pac Man (best selling arcade game of all time) is released.
• In South Korea, military government forces and pro-democracy protestors clash; 2,000 protestors die.
• CNN is officially launched.
• A series of deadly tornadoes strike Grand Island, Nebraska.
• Jimmy Carter signs Proclamation 4771, requiring 19 & 20 year old males to register for a peacetime military draft.
• AC/DC releases Back in Black. (I love this album!)
• In Australia baby Azaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite at Ayers Rock, reportedly taken by a dingo.
• Ordinary People a movie directed by Robert Redfort premieres.
• Iran-Iraq war is initiated.
• Six IRA prisoners refuse food and demand status as political prisoners.
• A fire at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV occurs.
• Millions of viewers tune into Dallas to learn “Who Shot J.R?”
• John Lennon is shot and killed by Mark David Chapman.
• United States experiences a 1980’s heat wave.
• Victoria Australia decriminalizes homosexual acts between consenting adults.
• Teen Line is founded in Los Angeles, California.
• Reagan wins the presidential election by a landslide against Jimmy Carter and John B. Anderson.

Decisions.

2009-04-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

Our latest Blogging Challenge is to blog about decisions made that turned out well. This may sound wierd, but I think that every decision I have ever made turned out well. Maybe they didn't seem like blessings, but they have lead me to this point in my life and right here is exactly where I want to be.

There have been a few stand out decisions.

My decision to join the US Army after high school. It was a great decision. I enjoyed my time in the service, and I am proud of all the things that I did. I feel cool when I think of all the great things I got to do. Driving big vehicles, shooting big guns, camping with few necessities, 12 mile ruck marches, 6 mile runs, travelling to Korea, meeting new people, working in communication security and in satellite operations, the list just goes on and on. I made some great friends and experienced really cool things. I have confidence in my toughness, because of it. I got money for college (that will soon run out, lol). I am a firm believer in the fact that I think people should do military service. It will enable them to grow up, and it will make them more proud of the country that they serve.

My decision to go back to school. This was a hard one for me. I don't really like change, and it was hard to actually get my foot in the door. But I am there, and I am glad for it. I will have completed an Associate in Science degree this spring, and I am going on to two years in medical laboratory technology. Fun stuff.

My decision to move back to western north carolina. I don't think I would have met my sweet, sweet hubby and where would I be without this wonderful man?

My decision to have my son. I know this sounds wierd. And I am not talking about having a child versus abortion or any other deep subject. I am talking about the decision I made when I found out I was pregnant. He was a surprise, but I decided that I would have this wonderful baby and that I would be the best mother that I could possibly be. I think that I have done a really good job so far, and because I made these choices I don't see my child as a sacrifice, or something like that. I see too many people decide to have children, but never make the decision to be a great parent. They just had their kids and pawn them off on others or ignore them completely. Which, when a person makes a decision to not have kids (like one of my friends at work), I think that others should mind their own business. If a person is mature enough to realize that they are too selfish a person or that they do not want to be responsible for another human being in that way, kudos to them. At least they figured it out before they started making babies. Instead of later.

My decision to be in it for the long haul with my sweetie. It's hard to explain, because technically Trey and I aren't married. It's not that we don't want to be married, but we don't have the money to have the wedding we (I) want, so we are holding off. Regardless of the legal documentation, we are both in this relationship for the long haul. We've been together four years now, and our relationship is still as great as ever. We have made our vows to each other, and I am glad that I have someone to spend the rest of my life with. Not only that, but I have a great someone. He is a good father, a moral and ethical guy, smart, kind, sweet, gentle, loving, funny, a good cook, and he cleans house. Seriously I am a spoiled baby, lol.

I think those are most of the more important decisions I have made thus far.

I Am A Banana Split!

2009-04-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am a Banana Split!

Fruity, flavorful, and diverse.
Who can beat a true superstar?

I think this is definitely me. I am clearly fruity and diverse. I'm probably too flavorful, lol!

A-Zs of Margy

2009-04-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Part of our Blogging challenge @ sb.com

A - Army
B - beverage server, bright, brash, baby
C - crafty, cheerful, chubby, clumsy, crabby, crazy
D - daughter, dramatic, dysfunctional
E - energetic, educated, erratic
F - funny, fabulous, forgetful, fortunate, friendly
G - girl, good, goofy, grumpy, gullible
H - home, honest, happy, honorable, hysterical
I - interesting, internet addict, intelligent, imperfect, industrious
J - jokester, joyous,
K - kind-hearted, knowledgeable,
L - loving, loyal, lazy, likeable, literate, lively
M - mommy; money, spender of; macabre; materialistic; mature
N - naive, nostalgic, noisy
O - odd, optimistic, obscene, observant, obsolete, outgoing
P - poet, photographer, peaceful, petite, phobic, political, pretty
Q - quarrelsome, quixotic, quick
R -reader, rebel, romantic, rural
S - southerner, sister, scrapbooker, student, shy, sassy, strange, sincere, spicy
T - tomboy, tree hugger, Twilight fanatic, tacky, talented, testy, tough
U - unique, unusual, upbeat
V - volatile, vulgar, vivacious
W - wife, wierd, warm, wacky, wise, wasteful
X - x-rated
Y - youthful
Z - zany, zealous

Books, Books, and Books.

2009-04-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

So, this will probably be a long post, because I have not posted anything real in a while. I have been on a big reading kick these past few weeks, and I haven't been able to tear myself away from books long enough to do anything else. It started on Spring Break last week, I was exceptionally bored and I saw Twilight at Walmart. I picked it up. I had put off reading it, mostly because I hate mainstream, and I was tired of hearing about it at work.

It was shocking, lol. I loved it. I read the first one in one day, and then I called my sister in law and asked to borrow the others. Between Sunday and Tuesday during Spring Break I read all four books, and then I read them again. It really was an obsession and Trey was kind enough to put up with me during it. I also watched the movie, but honestly I didn't enjoy it that much. There was too much missing from the books, but it did grow on me, and I do like it now.

So that is where my life has been for the last couple of weeks. Obsessed with Twilight. I finally gave the books back to my sister in law, because it was quite literally ruining my life. I could accomplish nothing.

A couple days ago I started reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have had the book for many years, but every time I started it, I put it back down. I really just couldn't get into it. Possibly because it was such a different time, and some of the women in that book were just so idiotic, I literally wanted to punch them in the face. So I forced myself to read it. I really enjoyed it. I started getting into it about halfway through the book, and I was pleasantly surprised. It also had a great ending. Some of the parts were long and annoying, but I think that is because historical books can be hard to relate to.

So if ya'll have any other reading suggestions let me know!

My Quiz!

2009-04-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people.
Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love.

You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love.
And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's" Your Word?

Yay! I am so happy that I took this quiz. (Thanks Tali). I really feel that the word and the definition really do fit me. I know that I am a combination of many words that I have seen from this quiz, fearless, and think, included. But I really do live for the ones that I love!!!!!

Things That I Am Good At.

2009-03-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

Our Weekly Blog Challenge: Things That I am Good At

So most people don't like talking about themselves. Not me, lol. I am as insecure as most people, but I am also confident in my abilities. It also helps that I like to talk about anything and everything including myself. So here goes my list of things that I am good at.

1. I think that I am a pretty decent photographer. I like the pictures I take, and I think that others like them as well.

2. I am an incredible mother. I know that there are so many great mothers out there, and kudos to you chicas! But, I am a much better mother then I ever thought I would be. I am patient (mostly), and I do what is best for my child. Granted he is only one right now, so things are a bit easier then dealing with a teenager!

3. I am good at math. I love math, especially algebra. Math problems are just fun problems to solve.

4. I am good at being a friend. I really think that my friends are as lucky to have me as I am to have them.

5. I am really good at shopping. Seriously, I can buy scrapping supplies like no other, lol.

6. I am really good at writing poetry. Trey (my hubby) is a writer, and he is amazing at poetry. Sometimes I read his stuff, and I really doubt my abilities. But if all else fails, I could definitely get a job at Hallmark.

7. I am really good at being a leader. I organize myself and others well.

8. I am really good at scrapbooking! I mean I know there are amazing scrapbookers out there, but art is subjective. So I may never be published or famous, but my family really enjoys the photo art that I create.

9. I am really good at making people laugh! I have the best sense of humor. Seriously, I feel like I'm bragging here, but sometimes I am so funny that I can't breathe from laughing so hard. Okay, so maybe everyone else is staring at me like I'm crazy, but it's funny stuff! They just don't get it..... lol.

10. I am really good at arguing with people. I am so passionate about the things that I believe in, that it is hard for me to let sleeping dogs lie. I will argue until I am blue in the face, hoping that maybe someone might change their mind and their views. So I guess that makes me really good at being stubborn. On another note, I am also really good at listening to other people's point-of-views.

It's 3 a.m., and I am pretty tired. I think that I have bragged on myself enough for one night, lol.

Here's a LO I completed last week, I think it fit really well into today's blog considering the topic.

We've been taking Liam to Lake Junaluska every chance we get. Here are some photos from our recent lake trip, last Sunday.

Liam's doing pretty well. He still has a seriously stopped up nose, and a lot of phlem, but it's getting better. I think he is so close to talking he cannot stand it. He recognizes both of us when asked, "where's mommy/daddy?"

He started temper tantrums this week. When he doesn't get his way, he falls to the ground and kicks his feet and cries. We try very hard to ignore him (and hope that's what we're supposed to do), so that he knows we won't let him have his way. He also started hitting last night. When I tried to get him to lie down, he got angry and started hitting me on the head! When I put him in a mini time out, by himself, he started hitting the pillow in anger.

On a good note, he's as loving as ever. He likes to stick his tongue out, and give us kisses (open mouth, kind of gross, lol), and he loves wrapping his arms around our necks and saying "aaaaaaaaaaa" like he's consoling us.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me?

2009-03-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm gonna start this out by saying that the following passage was not wrote by me. It was posted by a fellow student, and I had to share it (I'm sure it's probably plagiarism), because it is unbelievable...... It is offensive, rude, and ignorant....

"I think that the africans were better off as slaves. Yes they were mistreated and yes it was hard on them but look at what they ame from. They were living in aweful living conditions with who knows how many diseases and were going to sold off by their OWN people to other countries if we didnt take them. Now im not condonig slavery but it was the way of life then and it wasnt a big deal, kind of like having kids when your 12. For slaves, although they were mistreated, at least they had a roof over their head and ha a slim chance of being free, where in Africa they would be sold off anyway. And in the end they gotnthe best deal. They got to become citizens and live in the best country there is." - student in my American History class

Can you believe that? I am so fuming mad right now! Are you kiddin me? Is this the 1940's? Maybe I just got zapped into the past.

First off, I did post a response to this student's posting. I cannot believe that we live in the land of the free, and some people still think that people were better of as slaves. I know this kid has obviously quite a few misconceptions. I really don't care about the other parts of this paragraph. The first line just burns me up. No one should ever be forced to be a slave to someone else. No one should ever be denied the rights that we Americans have today. Every single person in this world should have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They should be able to practice any religion they want without fear of persecution of others. They should be able to speak out against their government or anyone doing them wrong, without fear of retribution. They should not have to live chained like dogs. They should be able to get up in the morning without having to worry about their house getting bombed, or their children dying from terrorist attacks or roadside bombs.

I know that I am an idealist. I know that I am one of those people who wish for world peace. I know that humans by nature are too greedy, too power hungry to ever make those dreams a reality. I just keep thinking all it takes is one person to break that viscious cycle. It just takes the right "idealist" in each and every family to break that constant cycle of prejudice and hate.

In the Army, I met so many people who were prejudiced against African Americans. They came from small towns, and they did what their daddy or mommy did. They hated who they were taught to hate, because hatred is something that is taught. It is not instilled into people. Anger, maybe. Hatred, no. This small town guys broke that cycle. They finally understood that there is no mold to define a set of people. That regardless of religion, race, and even sexual orientation, they were dependent on that other person for their life. It is a humbling experience. That's why I think everyone should have to do military service for at least 2 years after high school. Everyone should be taught discipline, duty, loyalty, and compassion. Because, unfortunately some people are not taught those things at home (take that person ^ for example).

Do you know that I have noticed that as a country we define ourselves by our race? Think about it, people always say, "I'm African-American, Hispanic-American, or Asian-American." No one ever just says, "I'm American." People don't do that overseas. You don't go to Europe and hear people say, "I'm African-English, I'm Asian-French, or I'm Caucasian-Spanish." They say, "I''m English, I'm French, and I'm Spanish." They have broken the cycle.

But we haven't. Whether it's race, religion, sexual orientation, body weight, height, etc.... We always find a way to judge others. Hatred causes wars. No one likes wars, but no one is ready to give up their prejudices. They just do the things they do, and think that saying, "it's just the times, everyone is doing it" makes it okay. Being rude to an Arab-American after 9-11 was perfectly okay. Telling your kids that the Jewish people killed Christ is okay, because that is what Mel Gibson thinks is cool. Blaming illegal immigrants for our economy is okay. Even telling racial jokes in a tight group of friends is okay, I mean, who are you hurting?

It's not okay. It's never okay. You may think you're joking, or that because you don't really mean it that it is now okay. People we are teaching our children to hate! We are showing our kids through our actions that it is okay to judge someone based on their religion, race, or sexual orientation.

So I completely went into a tangent. I was in total shock that someone would post this, and even more so, because this 17,18,19 year old kid believes this. Someone taught him this.

Please, I'm begging you. Break the cycle. Nothing good will ever come of hatred. Absolutely nothing.

Liam's First Birthday!

2009-03-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

So last Sunday we celebrated Liam's first birthday. I wanted to go ahead and record all the events, just in case I forget before I get the chance to scrap them. His birthday was on Sunday the 22nd, but I took off all weekend, so we could spend some time together as a family.

On Friday, we went to Walmart and picked out a birthday cake for Liam. We rented a couple movies, and spent most of our time at home hanging out.

On Saturday, we went searching for party decorations. We decided on a dinosaur theme (based on the cake, lol) and found a home and party store in Waynesville with some dinosaur stuff. Since I waited til the last moment, we kind of had to get what we could get. We then went to Sagebrush for lunch.

Sunday was the day of Liam's party. We got up early and drove to Ryan's for breakfast (they serve the best breakfast). Well we got to Ryan's and realized that they no longer served breakfast (apparently due to the economy). So we were a bit disappointed, but we headed down to the Huddle House. At the Huddle House, Liam got an order of biscuits and gravy for breakfast (I'm trying to fatten him up).

After that we went home and got ready for the party. Here's Liam's Birthday cake, Trey picked it out and he was so proud of himself.

The party started at about 2:30 p.m. Here's Liam in his highchair with all of the fun decorations that his uncle Mack and aunt Stephanie picked up for him.

Here is a picture of the gifts that Liam recieved. He got a ball popper, cell phone, toy cars, and clothes from us. His mimi brought him eeyore and winnie the pooh stuffed animals, and a ton of clothes. Aunt Stephie and Uncle Mack got him some GI Joes. Erin brought him some tub crayons. Jessica got him some clothes. His godfather Alan, got him a vacuum cleaner and some diapers. He got quite a bit of money from some other people, like his other godfather, Pop, and April. He really racked up!

Liam thoroughly enjoyed his birthday cake. He was very timid and particular at tasting it slowly. Kind of like a wine connossieur (sp?) tries wine, but he soon got into it.

He's always willing to share his food, so when Trey and I leaned in for a shot with our birthday boy....

This was the closest thing we got to a family shot. After cake and presents, Liam had a great day playing with all of his new toys and all of the children. Jessica brought her kids, Ansley and Elliot. His cousins, Tyler, Faith, and Cruz were there. Erin brought her baby, Logan. Angela brought her son Aiden.

All in all, it was a pretty good day!

Drama, Drama, Drama

2009-02-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

So my life has been extremely chaotic, although I am sure that most everyone has to deal with chaos, regularly. Me, I'm a little OCD about my time. I like things planned, and I try to always have some me time. I know, that probably sounds selfish, but I don't really care, lol.

Another thing about me, is that I absolutely hate drama. Well that's not really true, I like drama if it doesn't concern me. I like dramatic shows on tv, and I love gossip as much as the next person (although I try very hard to listen only and not spread it, lol). This last week has been filled with drama, because drama follows me. It really does. I could be seven states away, and somehow my name will be involved in it.

So here goes, I get a call from my older brother, Roger, he is extremely upset. Jessica, the mother of two of his kids (Faith & Cruz) has been put on some kind of - I really don't know what to call it -- but apparently someone called DSS (department of social services). I don't know who or why, but DSS makes both Jessica and her current boyfriend take a drug test. They both fail. DSS tells Jessica she has to move out of her bf's house and that she cannot have her kids unless she is under the supervision of someone else. Jessica moves in with her mom. Jessica's mom then takes Jessica's food stamps and goes and spends the money. Jessica pitches a fit, because the money was for necessities for the kids (food, diapers, etc...). They get in a huge fight, and Jessica's mom calls DSS and tells them to come get the kids the hell out of her house (great job grandma). DSS shows up and they say that there is absolute chaos in the house. Someone gets a hold of Roger (he works up in Indiana during the week) and tells him that his children are being taken. So, of course, my brother freaks, and calls me. So between Roger's current girlfriend (more on that biatch, later), myself, and my mom we have the children.

Right now those poor kids are being shuffled around like they are baggage. It's sad and very hard to watch. I hate my brother's current girlfriend, so I am not happy that the kids are staying with her, but I can't miss school on Tuesday and Thursdays. I've already missed a ton of days over this. Pretty much my brother, Jessica, and his current girlfriend are a bunch of irresponsible jackasses. None of them think of anyone, but themselves. It is such a frustrating situation.

So on to my next rant, my brother's current girlfriend, Crystal. This girl is crazy, I have never met a woman like her. You know those women, who want someone all to themselves, so they will do anything to make sure their significant other hates his family as much as she does. That's Crystal.

My mom recently moved in with us. She had to, because my brother was bleeding her dry, and she couldn't handle it. So we move her, and my brother doesn't even show up to move his stuff. He goes out and parties with a bunch of girls, and sends Crystal and her dad to move his stuff. Crystal spends the whole night complaining (not that I can blame her, but I wouldn't have been moving his shit, that's for sure), and then proceeds to call my brother and tell her that we were mean to her, and we told her how mean my brother was to be out with other girls. First, my mom and I have better manners than to be rude to someone. Second, if she lets my brother go out with other girls while she's moving his stuff, that's her problem.

After that, it was various other things. Anytime, Crystal would come around us, my brother would call us screaming over something we had or hadn't said to her. Basically, it boiled down to Crystal wanting to tell Roger something, and using us as her means to get a point across. It was so bad, we wouldn't even speak to her when she came around, and still my brother called, yelling.

So Crystal shows up for Liam's bday party, because she is bring my brother's kids (oh joy). The whole day she tells everyone how she taught Liam to walk (what????), and how she now has custody of Roger's kids. She spends the day badmouthing the kids' mother, and boasting about what a great mom she is. She even has the nerve to pick up crying babies out of the arms of their mothers!!!! Are you kidding me???? I said nothing all day, because it was Liam's birthday, and I wasn't going to have a fight over her. I also thought I might end up punching her in the face, and Trey told me we didn't have any bail money. Here's the real kicker, Crystal has kids. She has four children of her own. So while she's busy showing everyone how great of a mother she can be to all of Roger's kids, where are her kids? They live with their dad, because he has custody. In the entire time that Roger and her have been dating, I have seen her with her kids, twice.

I spent the whole day, biting my tongue! How dare someone like that try to pass judgement on everyone else??? She keeps telling people she's getting custody of my brother's kids, because she's the only one who loves them enough to take care of them, and yet she doesn't want anything to do with her own kids.....

The worst is how much crap Faith and Cruz are having to deal with. They have no stability, no discipline, and no sense of security. They absolutely scream when they have to leave my house. I am just so frustrated over the whole damn thing.

Who Do I Love And Why?

2009-02-09T12:05:00.001-08:00

So our new blog challenge is to blog about: Who Do I Love and Why? Well I recently did a LO on my top 40 and I felt that it fit it, so I'll blog about that! Here's my top 40 (not in order of importance).

1. Fresh Snow: There is nothing like fresh snow. It looks innocence, pure, and so beautiful. It also symbolizes NO SCHOOL!

2. My Camera. I never go anywhere without it. I never want to remember the perfect moment that I missed. It is an extension of myself.

3. My Planner. Again, something I never go anywhere without. I am so busy and it helps keep my life organized!

4. Filipino Food. I love filipino food. It reminds me of my childhood.

5. Vanilla Tootsie Rolls. I love these things, they are my fave! You can get them by the bag at Christmas time!

6. Twang Beer Salt. Okay so this is this super sour salt that my stepdad found in Texas. I think it's meant to be used with alcohol, but I just like to eat it. When I was in boot camp, my stepdad would smuggle me this stuck in between the pages of letters!

7. My Computer. Well since I spend a lot of time on it, I must love it. I use it for school, to connect with family, to edit photos, to write.... the possibilities are endless!

8. Algebra/Math. Seriously, I love it. There's nothing like a good math problem to figure out!

9. Hot and Spicy Soup. I eat this constantly!!! I use to hate it, because it was too spicy. Gradually I started eating it over rice, now I can just eat the heck out of it! It reminds me of when I was stationed in Korea.

10. Making A's. Good grades are important to me. I have no idea why, but I have to excel, even knowing that in 20 years it is not going to matter that I had a 4.0. It will matter to me.

11. Converse Shoes. I love converse shoes. I have owned so many pairs! They remind me of being a teenage rocker girl (sort of).

12. Desperate Housewives. I totally love this show! It's like a soap opera on at night. It's a total smut show full of gossip and drama. The only time I enjoy some good old fashion "DRAMA" is on TV.

13. Friends. That's a given. Where would I be without all of the strong women that make my life more fun!

14. Margaritas. Yummy!

15. Dr. Seuss. I have no idea, but there is something about his rhyming that is just too much fun!I also love all his fun characters!

16. Nature. As an amatuer photographer, I spend a lot of time outside just taking pictures of the beauty or ugliness of Mother Earth.

17. Electronics. I love cool, new electronics. I must have them all. I have wasted so much money on crap that I just had to have...

18. Poker. There is nothing like a fun game of Texas Hold 'Em Poker!

19. XM Radio. I just got this, and I can always find something to listen to!

20. Photography. It's how I expect to leave a mark on the world. I WAS HERE!

21. Family. Another given. They are the most important thing in my life. Good or bad, I love them. They are another extension of myself.

22. Icees. Seriously I'm addicted. They have to be real icees. No slushies for me!

23. The color yellow. It is such a happy color!

24. The country. I love living in the country. I want to raise my child/children in a safe environment that embodies some of the morals that I believe in.

25. Cheesecake. I don't even have to add anything here.

26. Blue Ridge Parkway. This stretch of highway is so breathtaking.

27. South 21 Trout. Oh I am so hungry. I drove to Charlotte right after giving birth, a four hour trip, just for some of this trout!

28. Japanese Steakhouse. Filet Mignon and Shrimp.

29. Grey's Anatomy: I love, love, love this show. Everyone is HOT!

30. School. I enjoy being in school (for the most part). I enjoy learning!

31. Scrapbooking. It is my creative outlet.

32. Sobe Adrenaline. There are days I wouldn't have made it without this stuff!

33. Shopping. I am a firm believer in retail therapy. It works!

34. Bling. Shiny, glittery things are so much fun!

35. Movies. There is nothing better then snuggling on the couch with my honey and some popcorn!

36. Pepsi. I am an addict.

37. Coffee. Can't start my day without it!

38. Caramel apples. With nuts! I love these. I can eat a dozen in one sitting!

39. Scrapbook magazines. They help me out so much when I have large breaks of time with nothing to do!

40. Applie pie. with vanilla ice cream.

I know these are really not about who I love. There are many people I love.

My mom - she's my best friend, and my biggest cheerleader.

My honey - he's a great guy and a great father.

My son - wow, I just never knew I could love someone this much.

My mother in law - without her I'd be lost.

My stepfather - he's always there to give me some perspective, and correct me (something I need occasionally).

I have so much love for so many things! I guess this is why I got this really cool award from my blogging friend Carmen! Thanks so much, I love it when someone thinks enough of me to drop me an award!

Here are a few people that I believe spread love!

Kim: http://kimberkv.blogspot.com/

Courtney: http://baronessvont.blogspot.com/

Tammylin: http://talig.blogspot.com/

Ashley: http://dna301theminorgroove.blogspot.com/

There are many more wonderful ladies who spread love through their blogs. Unfortunately, my child just woke up, so I have to cut this short!

The Craziest Week, Ever!

2009-02-09T10:24:00.001-08:00

So I am the world's biggest procrastinator. I realize that some people feel that procrastination is wrong, but I think I work best under pressure. I put something off until the very last minute, and then I work like a dog to get it finished. It's a lot of stress, but it really seems to work for me.

So last week I realized I only had until the 15th of Feb to apply for the Radiography program at SCC. It's a Health Science program, that once finished, will enable me to be an xray technician. I guess in a wierd kind of way, I will be doing photography, which I love.

I stop by SCC (Southwestern Community College) to put my application in and I realize there is a whole bunch of crap you have to complete before the deadline! I have to get 24 hours of observation at radiology departments in various hospitals. I also have to get a hold of all of my transcripts, and take the HOAE (Health Occupation Apptitude Exam).

Well so far I have completed 18 hours and on Wed I head to Haywood Regional for my last 8 hours. On Wednesday I crammed like a dog. Thursday morning I took my test, and hoped for the best. I have some of my transcripts, and an appointment to get another one this week. So I think that I am on track!

So I have been stressing over the HOAE. I have been hearing horror stories from other people. It's a 2 1/2 hour test that encompasses: spelling, arithmetic, reading comprehension, life science, and an aptitude to the career. So everyone that I have talked to has been telling me that they made scores of 4's or 2's. I got my test score on Saturday, and I scored a whopping 14 out of 15!!!!!!!! Yeah, I'm bragging, lol! I am soooo happy about this!

Now as long as I can ace my interview (if I get one, which I should) I think I should be able to get in this program!

So that has pretty much consumed my first two weeks of Feb, I am hoping that I will get back on the scrapping wagon soon!

Parenting.

2009-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

So our weekly prompt from last week (yeah, I'm a loser) is on parenting. I am officially a parent as of Feb. 22, 2008, and I love it. But this blog isn't really about me being a parent, it's about parenting in general.

I have issues with the blame game. I see a lot of people who like to blame their upbringing for how they turned out. To a certain extent, that's fine. When you're 9 years old and you hit other kids, because your parents hit, I can understand. Like I said, to a certain extent.

At some point in your life you can no longer blame your parents. In fact, at a certain point, you no longer get to blame anyone but yourself. Why? Because a person is responsible for his or her actions. Regardless of one's upbringing or one's past, at a certain age, every person knows right from wrong. For example, a person cannot blame their DUI on their parent's alcoholism. That person still knew that drinking and driving was wrong, and made a choice to get behind the wheel.

I get irritated when I hear someone blame their parents. I have to listen to it quite a bit. I have 3 brothers and one sister. I am the second oldest. There is Roger (30), myself (28), Kris (26), Gyrome (17), and Jezzelle (15). We are all wildly diverse. The youngest two are still not old enough, so I'm not sure how they will turn out as adults, although I really am not real worried about them. They are pretty cool kids.

The oldest 3, Roger, me, and Kris, all had pretty crappy childhoods. If it's happened, we went through it. Don't get me wrong, we're all alive and healthy, so I'm pretty grateful. But, we went through some really bad stuff as children. And it sucked, I am not trying to take away from our painful childhood, but it's over and done with.

I think I turned out the most normal, and I'm really not all that normal. I don't really like to socialize with people, I hate change in any form, I hate crowds and being in places that I don't know. I have wierd nightmares occasionally, and sometimes even panic attacks. I also think that if I let myself, I could go totally agoraphobic on this world....

My oldest brother is Roger. I love him, and he has a good heart, sometimes. He has 3 kids by two different women, and he acts like he's 12. He doesn't take responsibity of his kids, and I often have to do things like catch his power bill up, or pay his rent, or give him money to fix his car, or even pay out his child support. I know, I enable him, which is why I have cut him off this year. We don't have any money, and now that I have a family, they are my priority. Don't get me wrong, I will help his kids, but I will not help him anymore. Roger is also mean to his girlfriends. He belittles them, he yells at them, and he orders them around like slaves. He's never faithful, and they hang around. Roger is really my dad, incarnated. Well my dad, without the violence, although I see a potential for my brother to get violent. My brother loves to play the blame game when it comes to his problems. It is never his fault, it is always the world that is against him. It's really sad, and I am sad for him, but I don't know what I can do to help him. I am scared that he will never change.

The 3rd oldest is Kris. Now I've posted a blog about my brother Kris, before. He's not mean, and I don't think he's that irresponsible. But he's very distant. He pretty much just hates the whole family, and he still talks to me, but it's only on occassion. He's a very bitter, angry person. When we talk, he likes to bring up all of the bad things that happened, all the time. So I know he thinks about the past a lot. Maybe that's why he doesn't like to talk to us, because he associates us with a part of his life that wasn't good. I'm sad for him, because I want him to be present in family life, and I miss him, so I'm sad for me, too.

When I think about the topic "parenting," I think about the three oldest. We are all so very different, and we were all raised in the same environment. We are all a little shattered by our past, but my two brothers prefer to use it as a crutch, while I just prefer to forget. I guess, as parents, we can only do what we think is best for our children. I think that better parents make for better kids, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, a person can have the best parents, and still grow up to be a lousy adult. I just believe that at a certain point, you have to stop blaming your parents, and take responsibility for yourself and your life. Your past may have shaped you, but it by no means makes you who you are. You choose to be the person you are. You live the life you want to live, and you choose whether you will be happy or miserable.

2009-01-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

So Ashley over at http://dna301theminorgroove.blogspot.com/ said that she felt that my blog embodied the spirit of honesty! First off, thanks Ashley for the award. Now I have to post 10 honest things about myself, so here goes:

1. I am lazy. I make myself get up, and be a part of life, but in reality I just wanna schmooze.
2. I have a hard time telling people no, but I get really resentful towards them when they take advantage of me.
3. I gossip too much. I am trying to be better, but sometimes I just wanna hear some juicy gossip.
4. I have the worst self esteem because I gained all this baby weight, and I still haven't lost it.
5. I care too much about what others think.
6. I hate that I smoke, but it is just so hard every time I try to quit.
7. I once got a B, and I cried for a long time over it.
8. I shop way too much, and I buy so many scrapbooking supplies. I am out of control.
9. I am addicted to Pepsi.
10. I would rather hang out by myself, then with a group of people.

New Year's Recap/ Winter Post.

2009-01-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have been busy. Seriously, crazy busy. I have no idea where to begin, so I am just gonna sum this up as quickly as possible, so I can get to my winter post!

Let's see Christmas day wasn't that bad. Trey and I cooked breakfast for a ton of people. There were a lot of kids, and we were easily overwhelmed, but it was a success. Well except for the crazy woman that my Pop brought as his girlfriend. Apparently she's trying to be a photographer, and felt the need to give me tips. While I am not above tips, I do dislike people talking down to me. Grrrr, but I gritted my teeth and I bore it!

Liam got a ton of presents (I am slowly getting snapshots of all of them). He also took his very first steps on Christmas day! It was really exciting. Right now, he will take steps a few at a time, but he still really likes to crawl.

He's also started sucking his thumb, which I think is really wierd. I was led to believe that he would suck his thumb from birth or not at all. Now he's at 10 months old, and he is loving that bad boy. He also loves to shake his head no. (with me as his mom, I'm not surprised). He loves to bite, and I have no idea how to stop that (any advice would be appreciated). He can also say, "ma ma."

I have entered a ton of cool challenges on scrapbook.com. I am really excited about the Project 365 Challenge. Basically, we'll take a photo a day, and at the end of every week we'll create a layout with those seven photos. I am keeping up, but it is only the 4th day!

I am also part of the blogging challenge (hoping to blog at least once a week), and our weekly prompt was winter, so here goes.

When someone mentions the word winter, I immediately think of snow. We don't get a lot of snow in Western North Carolina, but we do get some. Every now and then we'll get a ton, and I will get to go out and do something completely redneck. In Feb of '06, we had a huge snow. I woke up in the morning to a ton of snow, and knew that I would not be driving into work that day!

A friend of mine came over to pick me up, and we heading to Soco Mountain to see what we could get into!

The snow was everywhere, and it was breathtaking. I took a ton of pictures, and we drove around sliding along the road, and finding places large enough to do doughnuts in. We finally decided to head up this one road and see what kind of trouble we could get into up there.

The road was too hilly and curvy to try things, so we decided to turn around and we got stuck! We sat in the snow for a little while, just hanging out.

A snow plow finally showed up, and this poor guy tried his best to unstick us from the ditch or whatever we were stuck in. He finally had to leave, because I'm sure he had a job to do! Nice guy! Finally after messing around for a long time, we finally got the truck unstuck (I'm sure some of the snow had finally melted), and we headed home for some hot cocoa!

It was a really, really good snow day! I love winter!

Just A Quick Update

2008-12-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

First let me start with a blog update. On December 02, 2008, we took Liam for his 9 month check up. He is 17 lbs. 8 ozs., and 27 inches long (I think, I'll double check with Trey in the morning). At the start of this week, approximately 14th of December, he has started nodding his head, no. It is so funny, and he thinks that he is so cool doing it. I've also noticed that he starts hamming it up when I pull a camera out. He makes this adorable squishy face that I can only assume is a great, big smile for his mommy.

So this is his squishy face. He made it every time I pointed the camera at him. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet learned how to sit completely still until the picture is took. Oh well, the squishy face is still adorable.

Mom is officially moved in. We packed and unpacked all day Thursday and Friday. Fortunately it seemed to go quick. Now we are slowly unpacking boxes, and shifting things around so that everything fits just right! Things are going well, but I had no doubts about it. Besides, mom knows I will lay the smack down on her. Just kidding,.... or am I?

Here's a picture from the move:

I hope your Christmas preparation are going well for you. I hope to post another couple blogs before the New Year!

Here's a link for a Cosmo Cricket give-a-way!

http://lifeaslou.blogsome.com/2008/12/20/christmas-mini-album-pages-6-7-plus-150-give-a-way/

School Is Almost Over

2008-12-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

YAY! December 17th is my last day of class. I am so excited. Normally I am bummed out, because I really do like school, but for some reason I am so ready for it to be over for the semester. I finished my Public Speaking final last night, I have to get a project ready for Digital Photography, and I have a test and discussion board to do in World Religions, and then I will be done!!!!! Yay for Christmas vacation! I am going to scrap, scrap, and scrap.

Oh yeah, I also have to get my mom moved in. I don't know if I told you that she would be moving in with us. Exciting huh? Okay, maybe not, but it will be mutually beneficial to both of us. My mom is not financially stable right now, so it's a little tough on her right now. To be honest, we're not in much better shape. So I am hoping (fingers are crossed) that my mom will be able to buckle down and get herself out of debt. That way, if this isn't working out in a year (the trial period) she will be able to live on her own. Also since they have cut me down to one day a week at work, it will help us out as well. This way I won't have to get another job (mom's financial contributions will make up for the hours I'm losing), and I can hold on to this one until it picks back up this coming summer. As much as I hate my job, I am grateful, because I make good money. While it definitely doesn't seem like a lot to the people out there who make 6 figures, it's a lot for WNC.

So Liam went to the pediatrician on the 2nd of December. His iron was a little low, so we started giving him so Enfamil Vitamin stuff. He weighs 17lbs 8 oz, and is 28 1/2 inches long. My 9 month old child is officially 30 inches shorter than me! I also asked the doctor about giving him beef jerky. I had mentioned to some of my girlfriends that Liam was teething, and every last one of them told me to give him beef jerky. I told them that I thought it would be a little too salty for him, and they responded that they had given it to their babies when they were teething. So I ask Dr. Wall (the coolest pediatrician ever) about giving him beef jerky. His response was pretty clear, he said to "never, ever give my child beef jerky to teeth on." The nitrites in processed beef jerky will give him chronic migraines. I am so glad I waited to ask the doctor. Now he did say that homemade beef jerky was fine, but store bought was a definite no-no. Just another instance where "mommy advice" can be harmful, and not helpful to your child.

So last Friday when I got off work at 2 am, we drove to Virginia Beach to visit my family. I did have a good time, but there were definite sour notes. My step mom drove me nuts, and just when I thought we were getting to a place where we were finally getting along. I tried to bite my tongue, and I did a really good job of it. But, I am now back to having bitter feelings towards her. Sadly, we have spent a lot of time talking on the phone, and getting along, so I was a little disappointed that all of my childhood ill feelings resurfaced. I was more disappointed that she just couldn't seem to make an effort for anyone. She has cancer. I know that it is mean to talk about someone with cancer, but cancer did not make her mean spirited. She has always been that way. So I really wanted to have a good weekend, spending time and talking with my parents. Trey and I ended up spending the weekend trying to avoid her, and her sharp tongue.

I really love talking to my dad, he is too funny. He is old-school Asian, and always wants to tell me what to do. So, Trey packed the car as we were getting ready to leave. Dad came out and told him he was doing it all wrong. Dad then proceeded to make Trey upack and pack it again. I was rolling, while Trey gave me dirty looks. I think we got thirty minutes down the road, before the pile of crap went everywhere! Now everytime we go to the grocery store, Trey tells me to load the groceries up, because apparently he can't pack a car. Too funny!

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Here is the outfit that my sister wore for Family Portraits! I love that she dresses 80's Style. I think it is totally cute, and she reminds me of Madonna or Cyndi Lauper, back in the day. Of course, she had no idea who Cyndi Lauper is. I had a great time with her, and she was so good with Liam. She just wanted to hold him, and love all over him.

Here's Gyrome snuggling with Liam. Both of the kids (even though they are almost grown) had a great weekend bonding with Liam. I cannot believe that Gyrome is almost 18. He proudly showed me his current report card, and had made almost all A's this semester! He is such a responsible child. Absolutely nothing like me at 17. I was more like little miss rebel, Jezzelle.

This is my favorite picture from this weekend. My dad is so cool. He, literally, was a single parent until I turned 11, and he married my step mom. I can't imagine being a single dad to 3 kids while serving in the US Navy. It had to have been a really hard job. I love watching him with Liam. He adores my son. They just cuddle each other, and it's so heartwarming.

And here is my new computer! It is so cool. My dad bought it for me at the Navy Exchange. They were having a huge sale (although the shopping crowd scared me), and he got a really good deal on it. I love it, it is soooo cool. It has a touch screen, so I am now addicted to mahjong, and love to play it for hours!

Those were the definite highlights from my weekend!

Family.

2008-11-25T21:52:00.001-08:00

So I've neglected my blogging for a few days. That's nothing new, it seems like blogging is the first thing to go (along with my previously firm thighs). Anyways, guess what?

My dad is buying me a laptop! YAY for me. Mine is so old, and I have used up all of the hard drive space on it. I'm a little shocked that my dad is going to buy me one, because while my dad is an extremely generous man, he sees me as the "responsible" child. Therefore, all of his generosity goes to my other four siblings.

So for Thanksgiving, me and the family are going to the in-laws house on Thursday. Trey's sister likes to cook (thank God), and we can always go over there if we need a decent meal. Then after that I have to work from 6 pm til 2 am. Hopefully, it will be busy at the casino, and people will be thankful for all the money that they have (and I don't), and tip me big (hey a girl can dream). On Friday we're packing for our trip, then I have to work again 6 pm til 2 am. When I get home we are going to take off for Va. Beach.

I love Va Beach. I go every chance I can get. The shopping, the food (at my dad's house), the family, and of course the beach. I also go to the beach every time we go up there. I don't care how cold it is, I need a proper amount of beach time, to balance out all the mountain time I get. Last December, I took a quick road trip up there to see my sister play a solo on the piano, and we ended up on the beach. I got some really great photos of her in winter clothes, playing in the sand. I don't know how much beach time I'll get this year, because I do have a 9 month old with me. Man, I love my child, but when you become a parent you have to think about something other than yourself. Being a spoiled brat, this was a hard concept to grasp (not really). So the beach trip may be a quick park, and stare. I was hoping to get some family pics on it, but if it's too cold my lil munchkin is not going anywhere!

So my Filipino family is crazy. Seriously and literally. My dad spends all of his time telling me what is wrong with my life, and how to fix it. This is the same guy who told me I didn't need glasses, and if I would just go out and stare at the sun for x amount of time each day, my eyesight would be restored. That's just my dad... "old and set in his ways." It is hilarious to listen to the crap he comes up with, but if you laugh he gives you "that look."

Ya'll know the look, the one that scares you even at the age of 28. The one that shuts you up almost instantly. So tonight, my public speaking teacher gave me that look. I hate when teachers give you "the look." I want to stand up and proclaim, "I am an adult!" So, here's how I got the look. We have a persuasion speech due.... She asked us what kind of emotions we would like to illicit during this speech, I responded with, "boredom." That was just the beginning. She then asked us, "Where do you want the audience to be at the end of your speech?" I then responded, "asleep." That is when I got "the look." But seriously, what kind of questions are those. I am just hoping the audience will still be in the room when I get through with my speech. Anyways, what kind of question is that?!?

So, while my dad is giving me the look, he will be cooking up the most awesome food ever. All of my childhood faves will be cooking, and he will have stuff wrapped and canned so I can have it at home. I grew up on Filipino food (my dad had custody of me til I was 14), and I have no idea how to cook it. Well to be honest, I don't cook anything, but I really don't know how to cook Filipino food.

So, on to my step-mom. I love this woman, but it took me a long time to realize that we were two very different people, and to just get on with it. You cannot change people. So, I will grit my teeth and manage. She will spend the weekend, asking me why I haven't lost my baby weight yet. She will talk about my ass, or any other number of ways to make me feel bad about myself. That is just her thing, it's something I have learned to deal with. Although, in the back of my mind I do realize she can't be that happy. What kind of person acts like that, and is truely happy with themselves. She will then proceed to ask me why Liam isn't wearing clothes from Baby Gap, or why I'm not wearing name-brand crap. After that she will bring out her collection of Coach, Guess, Dooney & Burke crap, and show it off to us. Sadly, she still hasn't realized that neither me or the man I love care about labels.

Mom and Dad in 2006

Now on to the two coolest people on the face of the earth: Gyrome and Jezzelle. They are the reason that I have managed to maintain such good terms with my step mom. I grit my teeth, so their lives won't be any harder.

Gyrome is 17, and the coolest, sweetest teenager you will ever meet. We'll stay up and talk about everything! He is like all other teenagers, but he is also responsible, respectful, and very loving. He was/is the best part of my childhood. We'll probably go to the mall Saturday night, and check out new video games and all that.

Jezzelle is 15, and a little hellion. She is all gothic and emo (although I have no idea what any of that crap means), so she walks around being "apathetic" to everything. I have such a good time with her, because she is so mean like me. She is also so creative. She plays so many different instruments, and does so many different things. This year she was a flag girl in marching band, and because no one told me in time, I didn't get to see any of her performances. She is also extremely smart. She lets me take hundreds of pics of her, and she poses without complaining. What an incredible little sister.

Gyrome and Jezzelle 2006

Well that's my Filipino family!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Just Another Round Of Venting.

2008-11-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

So it seems like I am the queen of whining. Really, sometimes I whine so much, I have to take a step back and look in the mirror, and give myself a serious reality check. Why? Because I just don't feel like I should be whiny. I have such a great life. Really, I do. Most people are unhappy, or sad, or just blah, but me, I'm happy. I've got a wonderful family. Most of you know me and my 26 yo brother don't talk, but he is slowly starting to call me more. I do have a 17 year old brother and a 15 year old sister, and they talk to me about everything. I love that. I worry so much about them growing up in Virginia Beach. It is so much bigger, and more violent than the little area of WNC. But they talk to me, and they are honest with me. My little bro told me when he tried pot, and when he started having sex (although I did cry myself to sleep that night). While I wish they would wait just a little bit longer to grow up, I am glad that they are open with me. All in all they are both good kids. My little bro, Gyrome, called me a few weeks ago and told me he made the A,B Honor Roll. He made my stepmom swear to not tell me herself, because he wanted to tell me, hisself. I do admit, I am a little harsh about school, but the nerd in me just can't help herself.

My little sister, well, uh, she's a teenage girl. Moody as hell, but still so very awesome. She gets amazing grades, and my family really wants her to graduate early. Both her and I, both agree, we want her to stay in highschool for the entire 4 years. She's not ready to grow up, and I don't blame her. You get to spend your whole life being a grown up, and only a small part of it being a kid. I told you, she was smart.

So I've got a great family. I've also got a healthy, happy son. A man who tells me he loves me everyday. A guy who puts up with my whining, and lets me buy whatever I want. Although, I am on a spending freeze, in the off chance that I get laid off, I really don't want to have thought about all the money I've wasted. I have yet to spend any money this month on scrapbooking supplies. And ya know..... I actually scrap more, now that I'm not so busy shopping.

So back to the great life and no whining. I just can't help myself. I have to whine.

Okay, I don't know if ya'll have heard about the Grey's Anatomy drama. Well, here it goes, this season they started getting into the lesbian stuff, and people pitched a fit. Angry people were writing in about how sinful and wrong it was, and guess what.... They put a stop to it. Does anybody see how wrong this is? First off, Grey's Anatomy is one of my favorite shows.... I love it, watch it all the time. It has been on for a few seasons now, and people are pitching a fit NOW? They waited until it had something to do with a lesbian. So in this show, up until this season, let's see, they've had adultery, stealing, lying, cheating, gossipping, etc.... So if homosexuality bothers you, because it's a sin, then why are you watching the show at all. It is full of sin.

BTW, I looked up the Grey's Anatomy drama, and the show people said it had nothing to do with the lesbian aspect.

I guess that is what irritates me the most about people who hold up signs saying rude things about gay people. What happened to the other rules in the Bible that you are suppose to follow? Do you only pick the ones you care about and forget the rest? What about sex before marriage? What about lying? What about judging other people? I know that this sounds like I am bashing someone's religion and really I'm not. Mostly I'm bashing people who feel the need to persecute in the name of that religion. Especially when they aren't following the other rules/laws of that religion. It's called a hypocrite. As far as I'm concerned, you're not a real Christian if the only thing you base your religion on is holding up a sign against homosexuality. You don't get to pick and choose the rules/laws you want to follow. You don't get to have sex before marriage, or lie to your mother, or cheat on a final exam, and brush it off with a, "well I'll just ask for forgiveness later on."

So, the people who are angry about the homosexual aspects of Grey's Anatomy, you all are crazy. If you can watch a show that has violated almost all of the rules in the Bible, then you can watch the show when it has a lesbian scene in it. A sin, is a sin, is a sin. You are not allowed to decide which rules can be broken, and which rules can't be broken.

I said this before, and I'll say this again. Jesus Christ (and yes I do believe that He existed), did not come to this earth so people (Christians, or not) could act the way we do now. He came to die for US, all of our sins. And for those people who want to "blame Jewish people" for His death. You are crazy, too. It's just as much your fault as anyone else's. If we weren't sinners, He never would have had to die. Think about that, you prick, Mel Gibson. He wanted us to be loving, faithful, ethical, and moral people. So if you are a Christian, but cheat on your taxes, you are doing something wrong. You are no better than the people you point a finger at.

Proverbs 6:16-19.
These six things does the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

It states it right there! So why am I not seeing people with picket signs saying, "Liars, you are all going to Hell," or "Gossipers, into the eternal fire for you!" Although, I kind of wish there were. Maybe then, more people would worry about the sins that they are committing instead of what everyone else is up to.

Bottom line: If more people loved in Christ's name, instead of judging in it, the world would be a much better place.

It's 6 A.M......

2008-11-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

So it's 6 am. I cannot believe that people actually get up at this time. You see, I am a night owl. I like to sleep late (preferable 12 or 1 pm), and I like to stay up late (usually till 3 or 4 or 5 am). So why am I up, when I should be sleeping next to my sweet baby, you ask? Well, I have a wonderful photography teacher, really he is just the greatest.... (If you could hear me say these words, you would realize that I am being sarcastic). He gave us an assignment. The assignment is to take 60 photos of our houses. Five, at different exposures, will be taken on each hour from 7 am til 7 pm. He says that this assignment is going to teach us the difference in photographs taken at different hours of the day. That is what he says. I, on the other hand, have another theory. I think that he is a sadist, and this is his form of Chinese water torture. By the end of a semester at school, students have gotten lazy. We are all ready for break, tired of homework, and ready for some stress-free living. He knows this (I'm sure of it), and this is his way of sticking it to the man (or in this case, the students). I also think that he severely dislikes me. It could be my big mouth. Or my loud opinions. Or it could be my smart-ass demeanor. Anyways, this is his way of getting me to fail at an assignment (which I haven't, yet). But, NO, I will not fail! In the words of President Obama, "YES I CAN." My teacher knows that I dislike the morning. The morning and I, we're not friends. The early bird can have the worm, I prefer the actual tequila. So, he is trying to bring me down. But I SHALL PREVAIL, so instead of getting up early I just decided to pull an all-nighter. This will probably not be my first all-nighter of the week... I have a seven page research paper due on Friday, so we all know what I'll be doing Thursday night, at 6 in the morning. I can't help it, I work best under pressure....

I really can't complain. Digital photography is my favorite class this semester, and I really do like my teacher. I've learned so much more than I could have learned reading a book about photography. I love taking pictures. Just not at 7 a.m. I'll miss the semester, once Spring begins, because I am taking some serious classes.

I've signed up for Anatomy & Physiology II, I will probably like it, because I do well with memorization. I also got my Biology II in this semester, which I love Biology... I am also taking two online classes, one is American History I, and another one, which I can't remember. The online classes shouldn't be a big deal. I am sad that I am not going to take any Math classes this year. I've pretty much exhausted my math options at HCC. Next year when I'm in radiography, I won't get any math classes either.... I wonder if there is a club somewhere for people who just like doing math problems. Like, for entertainment. I'm also not going to get to take Chemistry II, which is another big disappointment. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to fit into my schedule, and I'm trying to cut my gas usage down during the Spring. Oh well, technically I don't need Chemistry II, or any more Math classes for my field, but they were going to be my funsie classes. Every student should take at least one class a semester for funsies. Digital Photography was my class this semester. You see, I have taken too many classes for my degree. Half of the classes that I have taken aren't going to transfer, because other colleges only accept so many credits. I don't really care though, because I took a lot of my classes, because I wanted to take them. So far, my favorite classes have been Digital Photography, Chemistry I, Biology I, Pre-Calculus Algebra, and the two Literature courses that I have taken.

I really love literature. Not English. On a side note, don't check my grammar, because it is 6 a.m., and I cannot be held responsible. Literature courses are so much fun. Normally, I am a Science and Math geek, but once I realized that there were puzzles inside stories, waiting to be found, I was hooked. I love the symbolism. I love researching something I read, like the time period it was penned in. That tells you a lot about a story. Except for Nathaniel Hawthorne. I dislike him. I realize that he is probably in every literature book in the history of the world, but he is just so damn wordy. Unlike me. I am to the point. Joe Biden and I, we're the same. Anyways, I get bored reading Hawthorne's short stories, and a person should never get bored reading a short story. Seriously, how many pages do you need to describe a tree.

I also dislike James Joyce. My hubby loves James Joyce. But, James Joyce and I, do not get along. I tried to read Ulyssess (spelling?) once. I got about 10 pages in, and I asked Trey, why they were talking about Dublin, Ireland when this was a novel about the Civil War. Yeah, he laughed. I felt like a jackass. That's okay though, even though some people pretend they can read James Joyce, they can't. Well maybe if they were on acid. I'm sure James Joyce took acid, or some form of drug. His stories just do not flow for me, but I don't think they are supposed to. I'm just not intellectual enough, or high enough, for James Joyce. I wonder if they have a book on tape of Ulysses... I still wouldn't understand it.

Okay, now that I have demonstrated my true geekiness, on to more important things. I know, you want me to shut up, but I still have 34 mins before I can go take a picture.

Liam stands on his own for a few seconds at a time. He can now fake cough. I think it is hilarious. I was choking on Ramen (who doesn't love Ramen), and Liam starts coughing and laughing at me. I didn't think it was nice, but Trey thought it was hilarious. He also likes to throw things on my head (while I am sleeping at 12 p.m., go figure). The other day he threw the remote on my head. It hurt.

Here are some pictures that I took at work last night. This is me and my best work friend, Jenna. We are in our Super Hero poses (sorry for the bad lighting). See her last name is Lackey, and my nickname from the Army is Khaki. We decided that we would become the SuperHero Team for Beverage Servers. Yes, that is a man standing behind us. His name is Slim, and he is so very tall. He is also African American. So when guests come up to the Bar to get a drink, I introduce him as my brother, Slim. You should see the looks we get.

SuperHeroes: Khaki and Lackey

My super hero ability is eating (go figure). Her super hero ability is her booty shake. (We have too much time on our hands).

This is our mysterious, Men In Black, pose.

Sorry this was such a long blog, but thank you for putting up with it!!!! I am off to set up my tripod, and figure out how to get my whole trailer in the picture without falling down my steep hill. If you don't hear for me, send a search party.

Liam's Christmas Present

2008-11-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

So this is what I want to get Liam for Christmas... It is absolutely adorable, and I am thinking about all the great pictures I can get of him in it.... But, Trey says it's a waste of money, and my mom thinks it will be too small for him. The website says it is for babies 5 months and up, and Liam will be 10 months come Christmas..... What do you mommies think? I know it is probably too small for him, and it's a little expensive at $80, but think of the photos! Think of the scrapbook pages.... Maybe I can buy it, snap some pictures, and return it?!?!?!?

Btw, Liam can now officially stand on his own. He is getting really good at climbing on to things, and he acts like he wants to walk...... He is growing way too fast! Oh yeah, he loves to pull his diaper off! Which is cute, until I turn around and realize it's off and there's POOP everywhere!!!!!

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Today/Yesterday (it's like 12:01 a.m.) I'm going to post some military pictures. I thought they would be cool to share. Bear in mind these are old"er" and I didn't have quite the skill I now have. I wish I could go back in time, and retake these bad boys!

This is me at Fort Jackson, SC, where I went for Basic Training! That is called Victory Tower, and we have to rappell (I have no idea how to spell this) down this bad boy. Okay, so I am deathly afraid of heights. Now at this point in my Basic Training I have been gassed, I have been screamed at for hours on end, and I have been pushed to my breaking point physically, and I still haven't cried. This was my day! I balled like a baby while climbing up the ladder on the right, and I balled all the way down that bad boy. It was humiliating. The actual experience wasn't that bad, I was just scared out of my mind!

This is me in Korea! I am carrying a M16 with a M203 Grenade Launcher attachment. I love this gun. Especially the grenade attachment, you only needed an area within 5 meters, which makes it great for people like me, who are horrible shots! Although, it did make this gun weigh a ton!

This is me at Fort Bragg. I'm sure you've noticed me on top of the antennaes. By the time my military career ended, my fear of heights had abated just a little bit. I didn't mind climbing things like antennaes, although I still won't ride a roller coaster!

These are my boys at Fort Bragg, NC. They were some of the coolest guys you ever could meet.

Unfortunately, a few Christmases ago, my mom's house was robbed, and I lost many of my Army pictures. They took my computer, and I hadn't yet realized the importance of backing up files to another source. Fortunately, I still have a few photos left. (If the people who robbed me are reading this, one day, I'm gonna kick your asses. Oh who am I kidding, crack heads don't know how to read.)

So, I hope you enjoyed checking out my Army pictures! Happy Veteran's Day to all!

Blog Challenge: 10 Thing I Can't Live Without.

2008-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

1. My beautiful son, and my family.
2. My camera.
3. Coffee first thing in the morning.
4. Rice!
5. My best girlfriends.

6. Scrapbooking!

7. Shopping.

8. Scrapbook.com!

9. Books!

10. My televisions shows: Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Las Vegas, House....

President Barak Obama!

2008-11-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

So, I am glad that the election is finally over. The President of the United States has been elected, and it is finally done with. Personally, I am happy that Obama won. My candidate made it this year, but unfortunately somebody else's candidate lost. So, I have tried very hard to be quiet. I have listened to the complaints, the griping, and the whining, and I have bitten my tongue. Why? Because I know that if the situation had been reversed I would feel the exact same way. I know exactly how upset I would be if Palin managed to become Vice President of the United States. I figure I will let people spend their emotions, get them under control, and than we all can move forward! By the way, I am so happy that I got to witness an African American become President of the United States. How historic!

Unfortunately, I can't keep quiet for very long. I don't mind that people are upset that their candidate lost, really I don't. I understand their feelings completely. Along that note, a big kudos to Senator McCain for giving a touching speech, and attempting to bring the nation together under President Obama. Unfortunately, people (on both sides) are just crazy. Really, they are. I've had people post videos on U-tube about how ridiculous Obama supporters are, and I've seen videos on U-tube about McCain supporters. Stupidity is not only reserved to one party. There are always those bad apples that just make everyone look bad. Really, they are nothing but a waste of space.

Today and for the past few months I have heard it all. Obama is a terrorist, Obama is a Muslim, Obama likes to kill live babies. Seriously, people have opened their mouths and said things without bothering to check the facts. Then they just end up looking stupid to the rest of the world. I get irritated when people just open their mouth and say, "I heard from a friend, of a cousin, of an aunt..." The sentence never ends well. And during this election, I myself have been corrected, and I deserved to be, because people shouldn't state things without having the full story and all the facts to back it up.

First off, the people who keep threatening to move to Canada are nuts. They don't want Obama, he's too liberal, he's a socialist.... Uhhh really? And Canada is where you want to go, because their government is conservative, right? No offense to my darling Canadian friends, because I think Canada is the absolute bomb! Canada is not the place you want to live if you are a conservative, because they are not a conservative country. They have same sex marriage and universal health care. That is because they are awesome! Seriously, I don't feel that it is the government's job to legislate morality. I don't think it's the school's job to legislate morality. If I as a parent, can't teach my kids ethics and morals that pertain to my beliefs, I shouldn't expect other places to do the job for me.

Another crazy, this woman stated that she wished there was another terrorist attack that was even bigger than 9-11, and even more people died... All to prove to the United States that we had made the wrong choice in our President. Are you absolutely nuts? What kind of person are you? People keep saying Obama has "Muslim tendencies," and must be in bed with terrorists.... But this white Christian woman just sanctioned a terrorist attack in the United States. Where is the Patriot Act now? Take her dumbass to Guantanamo Bay, and take away that dumbass's rights. She doesn't deserve them. Thank God, that she is not the majority of Americans.

Another thing (I'll make this short, because I typed it up last night, but I can't get it to load on here). Christianity is not totally reserved for one party. I am not a "Godless American" (you dumbass, Elizabeth Dole), because I voted for a Democrat. I have never, ever seen a verse in the Bible that states, "God only supports members of the Republican party." Hell I've seen Christians that are members of both parties, and athiests that are members of both parties. While we're on the topic of God's endorsements, contrary to what Palin thinks, there is no verse in the Bible that says God supports a war for oil. While Palin may think that she has a direct line with God, I can't imagine a true Christian stating, "There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women." Contrary to what she says, that woman is not even close to being what a good Christian should strive to be.

I digress. Yesterday, people went to vote for the person they wanted to run the United States. Unfortunately, for McCain fans, the majority of America wanted Barak Obama as President. See that's what makes our country so great... If a party (look at the Bush administration) screws up, then we can step up, and say get the hell out of the White House. You are not helping us, you are hurting us. This keeps all political parties in check. It shows the evil, corrupt politicians that we will stand up to them. That we are tired of their crap. Maybe now, they will be less likely to do whatever they want, because they know that we are THEIR bosses. So while you may not have wanted Obama to be President, the majority did. Now that there has been enough time for people to lick their wounds, complain, and tell me how ashamed of me they are, it's my turn. Put your big girl or big boy panties on, and suck it up. I sucked it up for 8 years, while that idiot ran this country. You can suck it up, too.

I end this blog with a picture of my son, Liam. Should this beautiful gift from God, grow up and want to become the President, maybe he will be elected. Maybe by that time, we will have progressed much further than we are right now. I hope that I never have to worry about my son getting assassinated, because he is not the same race, religion, or sexual orientation. Hopefully people will have really learned to love in Christ's name, instead of just judging in it.

Landscape Photos!

2008-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am a little behind on blogging about my photography class. As usual I'm always behind when it comes to blogging. Anyways I love, love, love, love this class. It is by far the best class I have taken in college. My teacher is great, and I am learning so much about both my new camera and adobe photoshop. Our first assignment was random photos, which I posted on a previous blog, and our next assignment was landscapes. So here are a few landscape shots that I took....

An old store by my house.

A view from my mom's front steps.

The view off from my mom's yard.

A set of office building (or something) across the street from my hairdresser's shop.

Out of the hundreds of shots that I took, these are some of my favorites. Feel free to critique me on any of my shots, because that's how I am going to become a better photographer. All of these shots were shot back in August.

Other Stuff: This week I have to do documentary photography on the election.... I don't have much time to do it, and I don't have a car, so I'm not sure how much I am going to get done!

Liam has 4 teeth now, and for the first time ever, he slept through the night last night!!!!!!

I am doing a "group project" for my Public Speaking Class. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate group projects? They are the suckiest of the sucky. See, I am an overachiever. I like A's. Some might find that strange, BUT I've always been a little geeky like that. When I get stuck in group projects, I end up doing all the work. Why? Because people don't want to put the effort into getting anything done. I end up doing all the work, so that I can ensure that I get an A. So if there are any teachers reading this, quit with the group projects already. If a project is important to you, make it a choice between a group or an individual. That way I don't have to work twice as hard being the "responsible" one.

Okay, I think that's all for now!

Scrap Paper Give Away

2008-10-14T01:44:00.001-07:00

And the winner is...... Sarah! Thanks to all of you for playing, and I hope to have some more stuff cleared out soon!!!

Well last night I realized that I could no longer shut my filing cabinet door. Not only could I not shut the drawer, but I could no longer get file folders back into it. Why, you might ask, because I have a ton of scrap paper that I am never going to use. I dislike throwing away things that are still usable, because at the heart of it all I am a tree-hugging mo-fo. So... the solution... I am hosting a give away!!! Since I keep hearing that one person's trash is another person's treasure, I would like to send my "trash" to your house, so that you can "treasure" it. LOL!

Here are some pictures of the scrap pile. Here are some pictures of my scrap pile. If you would like to be entered just post a comment to this blog (please leave me your email address or some way of getting in contact with you, if you win!), On Oct. 22, I will have hubby draw a name from the hat, and voila! Bear in mind a couple of things. I can't afford to ship internationally, so I am sorry for that. BUT, if you live in Canada feel free to leave a comment, and play. I am going to the Post Office on Wednesday, and I will check what Shipping charges are for Canada. If they are not to high, I will gladly send this off! Another thing, I will draw on the 22nd, but depending on the status of our financial situation, it could take me a full week before I get it mailed off (gotta wait on that payday!) Good luck to everyone, and somebody please, please, take this paper off of my hands!!!!

I am slowly cleaning out my scrapbooking stash, so check back to see if I am having any more give aways!

Most paper scraps are apprx. 4x6 or 8x8!

Palin = Hitler

2008-10-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

Palin = Hitler
Well I had a long angry blog about why I believe that Palin is the devil, but unfortunately I lost it. Here's my shortened version.

1. She abuses her power. She has been found guilty for using her position as governor to try and get her brother-in-law fired. There is no speculation or rumors. She has been found guilty. I love that! Every good, moral Christain should strive to be like her. So instead of being punished for her abuse of power, we should elect her Vice President. Actions speak louder than words. Heaven forbid, she should read my blog. I mean it's only freedom of speech, but it is against Palin. She would be absolutely perfect for Cuba.

2. Palin sees no gray. Abortion is wrong, even in rape and incest cases. Killing is wrong. I mean, she is Christain, the bible says, "thou shalt not kill" right. Every 12 year old girl who was raped by a family member and ends up pregnant shouldn't have a choice. Palin should make that choice for her. This coming from the woman who proudly shows a picture of her "field stripping" a moose. This coming from a woman who has stated that we should go to war with Russia. I guess, Palin is the one who gets to decide whose life is precious, huh? Sounds a lot like Hitler to me.

3. Palin used tax payer money to visit churches. While I realize that most people are cool with this, it is wrong. This woman has her own damn money. If Palin were Muslim, and using tax payer dollars to visit mosques, the American people would be up in arms. Why should she get to use our hard earned money to visit church? Do you know how many people work Sundays, so that their families can make it? Shouldn't they be able to go to church? Nope, they should just pay so Palin can go.

4. Palin thinks that creationism should be taught in public schools. Again, I realize that I am in the minority here, but this is EXTREMELY WRONG. There is a reason that our founding fathers wanted separation between church and state. They had been persecuted, because of their religion. How fair is it to people who don't believe in creationism? Why should it be taught? She wants to take away freedom of religion from people. What if she were Hindu? Would you want public schools teaching your child how the world was created according to the Hindu religion? What about the kids in public schools that are Hindu, Islamic, or Jewish? Does their freedom of religion not matter? Next, she'll want to take away freedom of speech....

5. Do you know that Palin has a child with special needs? Really, you didn't??? Well, she mentions it every time she opens her mouth. I am not downing any mother who has a child with special needs, I can't even imagine what it is like, because I haven't been there. I am sick of Palin exploiting her child to win sympathy votes. Don't let that woman empathize with you. She
has no idea what everyday Americans struggle with. While we are struggling to pay our power bill, to save up money for retirement (hell do you know where your 401K money is?), to support our families, Palin is using tax payer dollars to go to church. This woman has the money to make sure her children have the best medical care, the best education, and the best lives. She doesn't know what it is like for us everyday Americans, and she doesn't care as long as she has enough of our money to support her life style.

In conclusion, Palin is the most hypocritical person I have ever seen. Life is only sacred when she deems it. Religion is only okay, if it is her religion. A person's quality of life is only important as long as that person agrees with the things that she believes in. If McCain dies, this tyrant who only sees things "her way" will be President of the United States. I feel for any American who doesn't agree with Palin, on any issue. There are going to be a lot of Americans getting fired, or worse.

Hitler felt the same way as Palin. He felt that a certain people were "superior" to everyone else. He felt that a different religion was wrong. He felt that he had the power to decide whose life was important and whose life wasn't. They're really not that different, those two.

Palin = Hitler

Wow, Time Flies!

2008-10-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a month since I last posted? I cannot believe that. Things have been hectic, and I have been using much of my spare time to take part in challenges at scrapbook.com. Challenges like the Flylady Challenge are helping me to keep my house clean. The October Photohunt Challenge are helping me with my photography. I've been having a great time with all of it, so I can't complain!

My digital photography teacher gave us a really tough assignment last week. We were to do "street photography," and take pictures of people in public places. To some this might seem easy, unfortunately, I have a slight case of anxiety, and a intense fear of confrontations. The thought of taking random pictures of stranger, who might get upset, almost brought on a panic attack. I was so stressed out about it that my teacher set up a scenario in which I was photographing a girl in the class, while she came at me angrily. It didn't work. I just wanted to run! So the quality of my work this week will most likely be horrible. I am going to spend tomorrow editing them and then add them on to this blog.

Liam has cut his 3rd tooth as of two days ago (top, left, front tooth). He seemed to take it pretty well, I didn't even know that he was teething until I started seeing the white. He is also getting very vocal. He has been able to say syllables like ma, da, and ba for a while, but just recently he's really getting to where he can carry on a conversation. He is full of energy and smiles, while we are at home. Whenever we take him anywhere he either has a meltdown, or is really quiet. Not that I can blame him. It is overwhelming to babies when a million women (took him to a baby shower at my job today) come toward you at a time. Even to a baby who is a male! Most people are understanding, but sometimes I think it hurts their feelings. We took him to my S-I-L's house the other night (she's pregnant, so she's a little hormonal anyways), and he didn't want to play with anybody. He cried if daddy or mommy didn't have him. I think she got a little upset, but she didn't say anything. Fortunately, if someone comes to our house, he is extremely happy and cuddly. I just think he feels out of his element sometimes. Right now he is in love with a HUGE tickle-me-elmo, it is great! I think he wants Elmo to be his girlfriend. Either that or he just wants to eat that red fur. I keep finding it in his mouth!

On to other things on my mind. So I know we have all been aware of the crazy politics going on this year. It's in the news, on billboards, in our face all the time. I am ready for the election to be over!!! I hate campaign time. I hate the slurs, lies, and utter bullshit, all for a vote. Don't get me wrong I plan to vote, and I am neither Democrat or Republican, because both are extreme ideals. I am very middle of the road in my politics. (For the record, I am voting for Obama this year.)

Bottom line is I am sick of all politicians. They come on tv and make promises to the American people. "If you vote, I will... buy you a house, fix your car, make your life better, bring your dead cat back to life, change the world..." And once they are in office they do absolutely nothing unless it benefits themselves (George W. Bush, for example (a little bitter about this guy)). All of the senators and congressmen will vote on raises for themselves, and a retirement plan that guaruntees that they will make what they are making now when they retire. They vote to give money to companies that need it (didn't realize a spa week was a necessity, but then I do know what it feels like to be really poor). I am just so damn bitter toward the whole process.

Here's my idea, eliminate all of the congressmen and senators (have 2 people from each state to represent the state, if need be) these two people will not get an extravagant amount of money. Turn America into a true democracy (we are currently a republic, because we use representatives), and enable all of the American people to vote. Everyone. So anytime a bill shows up for approval, someone has to explain it to the American people, show the pitfalls and benefits, and then we all log into http://www.unitedstates.org/ (or something) and say "yay" or "nay."
This will take money away from all the corrupt politicians (who don't even bother to show up and vote half the time), and it will give us the power to make our own educated decisions. That way when something goes wrong, we can blame ourselves.

Another idea. Legalize marijuana. Use the money from growing marijuana (after costs and such) to fund healthcare. Take the profits that cigarette companies are making, and make them pay for quitting aids for the American public (everyone wants everyone to quit smoking, but insurance won't cover it (no idea why), and the quitting aids are expensive.

Another idea. We should have the ability to vote (each and every American) to kick somebody out of office at a moment's notice. i.e. Palin tries to use her power to get someone she doesn't like fired, well, guess who's fired now. or.... a mayor decides to take a month long vacation to Europe on our dime, take your ass back home, cause you're fired. Politicians work for us. WE PAY THEIR SALARY. Sadly enough, they have forgotten that. So if they are supposed to have our best interests and they don't, not only are they fired, they should have to serve jail time. I, say, throw the damn book at them. I am tired of their promises. I am tired of their lies. Why in the hell can a politician do what they want with no recourse. And I'm not talking we'll take it to the courts and blah, blah, blah. We will see their income, we will scrutinize their morals, and WE will fire them if we have to. We put them in office, why the hell can't we kick them out?

Okay, I'm sorry for ranting, but I have had to get this off of my chest for some time now. I have had it with our corrupt government!

Curious George!

2008-09-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

My child is so very curious, or maybe a better term would be nosy! He is into everything! I am shocked at the difference in him that 6 months can make. He can now officially crawl, he's up on his knees and hands (no more low-crawling for this boy). He can pull himself up to standing position, and he loves to hold on to the edge of the couch and then let go! I've tried to explain to him that he didn't get much in the brain department from his mommy or daddy, so he needs to stop bumping his head and killing them brain cells. He doesn't listen. I look like a runner sliding for home plate as I spend my days trying to catch him before he hits the ground. Do they make crash helmets for babies?

I am not breastfeeding him as much, and I am sure that he is slowly getting weaned off the boob. I wanted desperately to bf til he was a year old, but now that he has teeth it is a painful process! Last Friday, I had my first mental breakdown as a mommy, and I felt like a terrible person because of it. I was overwhelmed from a three day lack of sleep (he was sick), and he was overwhelmed cause he felt yucky. Friday we just laid on the ground together and cried. I felt like a total failure to him. By Saturday we were both feeling much better!

We have put him on baby food and he is so much fun to watch! He is very stubborn in what he likes and doesn't like. He absolutely hates butternut squash and green beans. He loves sweet potatos, carrots, peaches, and bananas. We've also given him small pieces of watermelon, rice and mashed potatoes (he loves all of that). I even gave him a taste of my fudgesicle (well before Trey realized what I was doing, and stopped me!).

School is going well. My public speaking (a class I have put off taking) teacher is really cool, and I enjoy talking to her (not talking in front of the class). I am also loving my digital photography class. I am learning so much, and I am enjoying my Canon Rebel xti. I only wish I had Adobe Photoshop CS3 here at home. I have learned a ton of things to do on it, but I only have Photoshop Elements at the house. I looked on their website and I can get it for $300 with a student discount, but that is still a big chunk of money!!!!

Here are a few photos that I took for my first assignment in class. They are just random shots.

A picture of the Chinese Restaurant that we love to visit!

A picture of the courthouse.

A great shot I got of my son!

Another shot of my child!

A picture taken at the sawmill near my house. It breaks my heart to see these trees, and I don't do enough to help the environment.

Our next assignment was landscapes, and I should have those edited and finised by the end of this week!

Catching Up

2008-08-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying to catch up on my blogging! I have read a few posts and caught back up (I hope). It's amazing how much time I lose in a day just being a mom. Prior to mommy hood I was all about the internet, the scrapping, and blogging. Now I spend hours lying on a blanket on the ground letting my child eat my face (I have no idea why he loves this, but he only does it to me). He is babbling away... So far I've heard him say "ma and ba," but he says them really well. He also does real well at pulling himself up on to his knees, while holding something. He then proceeds to, for lack of a better term, "hump" the air. It is so funny to watch. I blame his dad for that one.

He is officially six months old, and he is so sick today. It's been miserable for us all. At about 5 this morning I woke up and he was feeling warm, next to me. I woke Trey up and he told me he was probably just hot from my body heat, so we all just went back to sleep. At about 9 a.m. I woke up to get him out of his crib, and feed him, and this time he was burning up. I took his temperature and it was 101.9. So I freaked, I called Trey and told him to come home so we could go to the emergency room. I then called my doctor who told me I could come in at 10:15. After we hung up I started crying, because I knew I should have gotten up when he felt warm, and taken him to the ER. I started thinking about meningitis, and all kinds of things of that nature. I'm a little neurotic, if you haven't guessed by now.

We get to the doctor, and my child is not deathly ill. He has a slight cold, sore throat, and a fever. He's also teething. He has already gotten his 2 bottom teeth, and it wasn't as traumatic as I heard, but this time was different. We have pretty much spent all day rocking him, holding him, and trying to get him to sleep (he's so tired). He is finally asleep, and I am typing this as fast as I can (just in case he wakes up)!

Well that was the first time I had to deal with a sick kid as a mommy, and it sucked! Thanks to all you mommies out there!

(Sorry for all the grammatical errors, in a rush!)

My ScrapRoom Is Finished (well until I decide to change it around some more).

2008-08-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

My goal for the two week vacation I have between classes was to organize my scraproom. I am one of those people who love to organize and re-organize, and never quite seem to get anything done! I think that I have my scraproom exactly the way I want it, at least til I get rich, and can make everything matching and pretty like in the magazines!

Here is the view of my scraproom as you walk in the room. Underneath the desk I have drawers organized by color, and then a set of drawers with the tools I use the most.

To my left there is a white shelf which I put these blue and green fabric thingies that I found at Walmart. In here I've got big things that won't fit in a drawer... my punches, my acrylic stamps, and my 8 X 8 paper. On the top of the shelf I have a box for large photos, some flowers, and my sewing machine (that I never used, because I don't know what the hell I'm doing!) When I get the money I want to replace this with a Baker's rack, that I can do my stand up cutting with my making memories trimmer and my sizzix. To my right there is a big gorgeous window that has a little ledge. It is not organized as nicely as I would like it to be, but it will do for now. On it I have this really cool wooden thing that displays my ridiculous collection of flowers. Next to that are my boxes of photos organized by date. Beside them are some scrapbooking books and the Creating Keepsakes Fun With Photos Memories and More Binders. I think I want to get rid of those, but I have no idea. Below the window are 3 white sterilite tubs that I got at walmart, these are full of my cardstock, patterned paper, and kits. I like to be able to thumb through my supply so this worked best for me!

To the right of my desk is a file cabinet with my HP printer/scanner on top. To the right of that is another set of 12 X 12 Sterilite drawers that house tools I don't use often, felt, foam, rubber stamps, and little things like that.

Next to the window I have a panel of black pegboard (found at Walmart), on this pegboard I have all of my stickers and packaged things. Trey calls this the wall of shame. LOL.

This is the right side of my desk. I use the pegboard to hold some tools, and the items for my current project. I just got the making memories carousel (did not realize how big that bad boy is), but I love it. I keep a basket on my desk for all my pens, my zig writers, and there's a glass cutting mat. There is also a place for me to set my laptop, so I can hook it to the printer or the pazzles.

The left side of my desk holds this shelf thingie I got at AC Moore for like $30. It's kind of like the one Making Memories has, only cheaper LOL. In front of it, most of the left side of the desk is taken by my Pazzles Inspiration! I love this little piece of machinery, even if I don't plug it up and use it as much as I should!

There you have it! It is all nice and neat, and probably will never look like this again. Thank you for reading my blog, and checking out the scraproom I worked so hard on!

School's Out For Summer!

2008-08-01T01:14:00.001-07:00

This has been the craziest week ever. I think I say that every week!!! So it's 4 in the morning. I really wanted to get a post in, because tomorrow I help mom move, and Sat I work, and by Sunday I will have forgotten everything.

I took 2 finals today. I am really praying that I did well on my Pre-Calc. final, because I need a A! See we took 3 regular tests, and a final. If we averaged an A on the regular tests, we didn't have to take the final. Unfortunately, I got my worst grade ever on the 2nd test. I made..... a 66! I actually am going to keep this grade and scrapbook about it. It'll be therapeutic for me! I was proud of myself, I didn't cry, I didn't yell, I just took it calmly from my teacher, and said, "well if I turn it upside down it's a 99!" I actually knew I wasn't going to do well on this test, I missed a class (didn't have a babysitter), and that really screws me up when it comes to math. Because it's summer session our classes only go for 8 weeks, so our instructor has to cram a full semester into a short session. It's doable, but if you miss one class, you miss like a full week of classes. I did make A's on both of my other tests. If I make an A on the final, I will make an A for the course.

I think being a mother is changing me. Six months ago I would have cried all night over that grade. I've been known to cry over B's, I know it's a little neurotic, but school is the only thing I've ever been really good at. Now that I have a child, I would rather play with him than do my homework. It's bad I know, but having a 4.0 GPA isn't the most important thing in this world. I am finally learning that.

We're moving mom tomorrow, wait no we're moving mom in 3 hours. She's doing okay. There are good days and bad days. I am just happy that we are getting her out of that house, and on with her life. It can only get better!

I just got my car out of the shop. It cost $1000 bucks to fix... grrrr. With my fall tuition due, I honestly have no idea what I am going to do. We'll figure it out, we always manage to get by, somehow! Thank goodness for Ramen! We've been borrowing a car that belongs to a friend of mine at work. It's like a 80-something Mercedes station wagon. It's got 190,000 miles on it, and I think we are going to buy it from her. She wants $1600 for it, and it's a really good deal. It's a little on the old side, but it's a big car (we have a 2-door sporty little car), and we really need a 2nd car. We've mostly been borrowing my MIL's car when we need two, but I am really tired of being dependent on everyone, and I really hate having to borrow everybody else's cars.

On to Liam. Man this boy is growing like crazy! He is so funny. He'll cry, and when one of us goes to pick him up, he'll get this smirk on his face. What a spoiled little monkey! He is also greedy! I will pick up his pacifier, or one of his toys and start playing with it or biting on it, and he'll grab it away from me. Sometimes he'll play with it, sometimes he'll just throw it down beside him. I don't know what this child is going to do when he has siblings. He's also moving like crazy, at first he was just rolling to get where he wanted to go. Now, he's almost crawling. He pushes off with his little feet, and scoots all over the place on his stomach. It is crazy to watch him move across the floor!!!! He's only 5 months old, and he just seems to be growing way too fast for me. Pretty soon, girls will be yucky, and he won't want to have anything to do with his mama. *sigh* He's a really happy baby, he just laughs and smiles when you look at him. He does love his attention though. In the mornings he is great, and I can pick up or do something and he is content to lay on the ground while I talk to him. Later during the day though, he wants me or his dad to lay beside him and play. We don't mind.

Okay, I really need to go sleep for a couple hours, or should I just stay up, and catch up on reading blogs. I have two weeks off before school begins, so I will catch up on my blogging, and I want to scrap like crazy! Oh yeah, after finals week for both of us, my house really needs to be cleaned.

Almost 5 Months Old!

2008-07-21T07:20:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Liam is almost 5 months old! Really? Seriously? Let's see the doctor okayed me giving Liam cereal, so I started giving him rice cereal a couple weeks ago. He was still waking up every two hours, so doc said it was okay if I got a little sleep. LOL. He seems to like it, and there hasn't been any wierd rashes or anything so he's probably not allergic. (Thank goodness, can you imagine an Asian being allergic to rice?) Brutal. It really does seem like he's sleeping better, he has been going almost 4 hour stretches for the most part. I am enjoying that!

He is also really starting to like his toys (we call them chew toys). At first I was a little scared, because he never really seemed interested in anything. As of the past few weeks, he is now reaching for stuff (even stuff he shouldn't like power cords), and he really likes to hold his toys, and his mommy's hair. He also love to suck on the label on the side of his boppy pillow, it is so funny to watch him try to get it in his mouth. He is also rolling like crazy. I turn my back for a second, and he's all the way across the living room floor. We moved the coffee table out of the living room, and spread a big comforter on the floor so he just rolls around like a little jelly bean. He was getting to big for his bassinette, and he started to grab the sides of it and pull himself up, so I was a little worried that he would pull himself over.... so, last night was the first night in his big crib. We moved it into our bedroom, and he didn't seem to have a problem with being in it. Pretty cool....

On to the mom situation! Mom found a place in Franklin, which is not so bad, but it is a little bit of a drive for her. I think as soon as everything is moved and settled, she will be able to start the healing process.

It's Been A Rough Week.

2008-07-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been particularly dramatic for me. First let me post a little on Liam. I noticed on the 6th (want to remember the date), that my sweet little boy can now roll onto his tummy, and can then roll on to his back! I have no idea where he is compared to other babies, but I don't really want to know. I know too many mommies who stress as to whether their child is ahead or behind of everybody else. My child will spend the rest of his life having to deal with how he measures up to other people, but he is perfect to me. He could be rolling before other babies, or later than other babies, I couldn't care less!

This same night I get a call from my brother telling me to leave work and go to my mom's and check on her. Since no one ever calls me to leave work, I know it is an emergency. My stepdad has walked out on my mom. She's hysterical. She found a bunch of text messages on his phone to another woman. These messages said things like, "I love you, I miss you, I can't wait to see you again." My stepfather said they were a joke, but come on....

Basically, I know that I am supposed to take the high road. I know that I am supposed to love everyone, and forgive. I know that I will be a better person than that. I guess that I am not that great of a person. I hate them both.

I feel so bad for my mom, and I don't know what to do for her. She is so depressed, and she is so hurt, and I can't fix her heart. She told me, "Margy I'm 50 years old, and I don't want to die alone." Do you know how heartbreaking that is to hear? She even said that she would take him back, if he would just come back. My mom thinks so little of herself, that she would stay with a man that treated her like shit. She doesn't think she deserves better than that? Now she's struggling to figure out how she's going to make it on her paycheck, and she's trying to save money to find a place to live. She won't come stay with me, and I don't have any money to help her. I feel so helpless.

I also feel so bad for our family. He didn't just leave my mom, he left us. He is a sorry asshole, and my mom could take him back a hundred times, but I will never forgive him. He was there when my son was born. He helped me move a million times. We went out to dinner a million times, and had so much fun together. My nephews, and niece call him Pappy. He even left a voice mail on my phone TWO fucking days before he walked out, telling me how much he loved me, and happy birthday. Thanks, it was the best birthday ever!

Actually I do owe him a big thank you. He just affirmed my faith in humanity. Nobody can ever figure out why I don't want to get married, and it is because of people like him. No one ever stays together anymore. No one seems to know how to be faithful, and loyal, and how to maintain their wedding vows. No matter what, people always leave.

I am sorry this is such an angry post. I am having such a hard time dealing with this, and I am trying not to show it to anyone here. I am trying to be strong and uplifting for my mom, but I am just so sad. I thought that maybe if I wrote about it, I would feel better.

Envy = BAD

2008-07-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.scrapbook.com/blogs/108621/view/121821.html

I read a great blog today at scrapbook.com (link is up there). This blog was about envy, and it made me stop and realize that I am far too envious of other people. I know that I am not that bad of a person, and that I am grateful for what I have, but I can't help but get a little envious of other people when they have things that I don't have.

I am envious of people who have more financial security than we do, and I look at our debt and bills, and I wonder if we will ever be able to pull ourselves out of this hole we have dug. I want to be able to go out to dinner every night, and not have to worry if we have enough in the checking account to cover the groceries. BUT I don't often think of the good things. I should be more grateful that I am able to work only part-time (who cares about going out to dinner), so that I can spend as much time as possible with our new child.
I am envious of all the new and cool scrapbooking products. I should be thinking about all of the great scrapbooking stuff that I still have yet to use.
I am envious of the girls who lose their pregnancy weight fast. I should be grateful for my healthy pregnancy, and for the beautiful, healthy baby boy that calls me "mom."
I am envious of the people who are my age (28) that are already in their careers, while I am still trying to get through college, because I chose to join the US Army when I graduated highschool. I should be grateful for the experience, the friends, and the travelling I got to do while I was in the Army. Many will never have the opportunity to visit Korea, or shoot a grenade launcher, drive a humvee, and work with the best bunch of army guys in the world.
I am envious of the girls who are always made up, and their hair is always stunning. I should be grateful for the fact that my fiancee thinks I am more beautiful without makeup (he really does, which is wierd), and could care less if my hair is constantly in a pony tail. Plus I am never "forced" to wear high-heel shoes!
I am envious of the students who never have to work hard in school, and I get angry that I have to study so much to stay ahead. I should be grateful that I will have a greater appreciation for all of my good grades, especially knowing how hard I worked for them.
I am envious of people who drive nice cars. I should be grateful for the fact that I can still afford to put gas in mine.

The fact of the matter is that I am more envious of others than I care to admit. When I should be dwelling on the things that matter, sometimes I dwell on the things that don't. My middle of the year resolution is to be grateful for the love that fills my life, the roof over my head, and the food that I have, when I know many people in the world don't. The things that are the most important: family, friends, health, and love are all prevalent in my world, and I should remember that. Whenever I start to get envious I will come back and read this blog, and hopefully it will put things in perspective. I do not want to be as materialistic as I am, and I am hoping that I can change that!

Goodbye June BBC Challenge!

2008-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

So, this is the end of June's BBC Challenge. I had a blast, although I wish I could have blogged and read more blogs than I did. That's okay, I'll just start using this blog for it's original intention... LIAM!

Okay, so, I'm feelig like a bad mom... Everyone keeps asking me how old Liam is... and I can never remember. I can give an approximation... like I know he's around 4 months old, but I don't know how many weeks.... Is that horrible? Have all of you other moms experienced this? Or should I call Social Services on myself? I put one of those counters on my scrapbook.com profile, so I can look and he is exactly 4 months, 1 week, and 2 days old, but I would never know if it hadn't been for that! It's not just his age either.... I can never remember anything. I can't remember birthdays, someone actually had to tell me my birthday is coming up this week. I forget everyone else's birthdays! Last year we were almost through Thanksgiving, before Trey and I realized it was our anniversary! I'm a total wreck. See my days are categorized by school, work, or home. I never actually can remember what day it is. Oh well, at least Trey doesn't get upset, when I forget his birthday, he understands... (I hope!)

So last week we took Liam to his 4 month check up. He is 14 lbs. 12 1/2 ozs. (just in case I forget), and.... crap how long is he? Oh yeah, 25" Long. That's pretty darn long to me! I mean I'm only 48 3/4" long (4'10"), so hopefully my child will be taller than I am! What other great milestones... Oh yeah, the other night he was fussing in the bassinet, and then he got real quiet! When I went to look, he had put himself back to sleep... I was shocked. He is also sleeping longer... He goes about 3-4 hours before he needs a feeding!!! He still doesn't take many day naps, and he still won't go to bed before 1 a.m., but since we're all night owls, it fits our schedule! He can also grab stuff with his hands, especially my hair. I think I need a short haircut, but my face is too fat, I just can't pull one off. He also started rolling at 14 weeks, which kind of sucks for him, because whenever he finds himself on his tummy he gets mad!

At night, I've started letting him sleep on his tummy if he rolls on it, because we got one of those motion sensors to put under his bassinett pad. If it doesn't detect motion in 20 seconds it sets of an alarm! What else! Oh he loves to laugh, and he is starting to like toys, especially if he can put them in his mouth. If he can't put them in his mouth, he gets angry! He still hates pacifiers, but he takes the bottle when I am at work, thank goodness. He also likes to be "flown" in the air (airplane game). I am not sure if I should be doing that, because I am scared I am going to shake his brain too much. He just laughs, and laughs when I do it, and I am not rough with him, so I hope it's okay (mommies feel free to give me advice)!

When I get to the grocery store this week I am going to get some rice cereal, and start giving him some at night, the doc gave me the okay last week.

Well on to my life (like there was a life before I became a mommy). Work sucked really, really badly last weekend, and I only made $40 on Friday, so I was really upset. I ended up doing really well on Sat, so I'm not stressing so badly. The beginning of the month is always so tight for us, although I think it is probably tight on everybody! This weekend I am working 3 twelve hour shifts, so I am hoping I can make good money, unless I just keel over from exhaustion. Ladies, carrying a tray full of drinks is noooo joke! Especially when it's busy and you're practically running all night to get your sections done! I can't complain too much, I would rather it be busy, than it be slow!

My birthday is Wednesday, and I have to take a huge exam in Pre-Calc. I asked my teacher if he would just go ahead and give me an "A" since we both know I was going to make one. He just rolled his eyes at me, and said he couldn't wait for the day I made a B; he can't wait to see the world end! LOL, I better quit bragging, or I will jinx myself and end up with a B! Although I am trying very hard not to take my grades too seriously. It's only school, and there are more important things in life then making straight A's. I realize that now, more than ever, with my son. I would rather be playing with him, then studying.... Unfortunately, that is why I have become such a slacker in school this summer! I will probably be up til 4 in the morning tomorrow studying!

I think I have wrote (or is it written? I can never remember)... enough for one night!

My Top 25!

2008-06-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Big Blog Challenge for today is 25 of my favorite things, so here goes....

My child.
My love, Trey.
My family.
Scrapbooking.
Snuggling in bed with my family.
My camera!
A Great Song.
Grey's Anatomy.
My friend, Kat.
Ramen Noodles - Oriental Flavor.
Pepsi.
The color red.
Money!
The movie, Rent.
The movie, Juno. (which I never thought I would like!)
A clean house (that is very rare around here!).
An organzied scraproom (another rarity).
Blogging.
My blogger friends, who always leave me great comments!
My hair right after I've been to Lori, the most amazing hair person, ever!
Shopping for scrapbooking supplies!
Math homework!
My Pazzles Inspiration.
Going to the Japanese Steakhouse.
Lego Star Wars on the Wii!

Get To Know Me!

2008-06-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

I saw a forum topic on scrapbook.com posted by *julie*, and I decided to use it as a blog prompt. Julie if you ever see this, thanks for the prompt! Feel free to answer these questions in your own blog, and then send me a link so I can read it!

1) What inspires you to scrap? (Feel free to list more than one thing!)
2) What's your ideal scrapping environment?
3) If you had to describe your creations in three words, what would they be?
4) What's your best scrapping quality or technique? (Such as Journaling? Color coordinating? Photography?)
5) When did you start scrapping and why?
6) If you could only work with FIVE scrapbook tools/supplies, what would they be and why?
7) What's the best compliment you've ever received about your scrapbooking?

1) What inspires you to scrap? (Feel free to list more than one thing!)
I am inspired to scrap by many things. In highschool and until I became a mom, I wanted to tell my story. Now that I am a mom, I want to tell the story of my son, and of my family. I am especially inspired by old heritage photos that I come across. I love to listen to stories of the good ole days. I wish I had known this a couple years ago. My grandfather (a hero in my eyes) passed a couple years ago, and I never took enough time to hear his story. How I wish, I had taken the time to ask questions, and to listen. So I guess I am inspired by the stories of the world.

2) What's your ideal scrapping environment?
I like to be in my scrap room, alone. I like my supplies organized (that happens rarely), and I love to have a DVD going for some background music. I have to have my computer turned on (need it to scraplift those awesome sb.com los).

3) If you had to describe your creations in three words, what would they be?
timid (a little scared to try new things)
simple
colorful

4) What's your best scrapping quality or technique? (Such as Journaling? Color coordinating? Photography?)
I believe that my photography skills are really starting to shape up! I get so excited when I get that ONE really great photo!

5) When did you start scrapping and why?
I started scrapping in middle school. I had just left Spain after 4 years, and I wanted a way to celebrate those 4 years of childhood. They were a great 4 years.

6) If you could only work with FIVE scrapbook tools/supplies, what would they be and why?
My computer - endless possibilities
My Pazzles - again endless possibilities
Basic Grey Patterned Paper
Flowers
circle cutter

7) What's the best compliment you've ever received about your scrapbooking?
my mom teared up @ her mother's day card

My Chunky Monkey

2008-06-19T01:58:00.000-07:00

Our Blog Challenge today was to "Animal Time." Since I started my blog to keep myself updated on Liam's progress as a baby, I figured now is as good a time as any to talk about my lil chunky monkey.

First off, everybody lied when they said "newborns sleep most of the day." My child does not believe in sleep, not since day one. The doctor said he would sleep 16-18 hours a day. Not my little man, he thinks he is missing all the fun! In fact, the only time he will sleep for long periods is if the me and daddy lay down with him. If we're in bed with him, he knows he is not missing out on anything! Even now my child hates sleep. If we're lucky he'll take one nap of about an hour during the day. At night, he goes to bed anywhere between 1 and 3 am. On the plus side, he sleeps late in the morning. Sometimes he will even sleep til noon!

The second lie... they told me breast fed babies are smaller than formula fed babies. My darling child is not the chubbiest baby alive, but he has his very own set of fat rolls, and "man boobs" as we like to call them.

Another thing I have learned since being a mom is that I would get very irritated and very annoyed by everyone around me. It started with the pregnancy, "Are you carrying twins, you're huge!" Or the million questions people liked to ask me. I never thought I would get irritated by, "what are you having, when are you due, oh my gosh you're huge." But I did. And the advice! Oh my goodness everyone has something to say, even people who don't have kids. Both of our parents love to tell us we're spoiling this child. Honestly, how do you spoil a baby? Is it wrong to hold your child when he wants to be held? Is it wrong to attend to his needs in a timely manner? P.S. I checked with doctor and he says it's impossible to spoil a baby this young.

Everything from breastfeeding to immunizations everybody has something to say. Especially the breastfeeding... I didn't know this was such a controversial issue. I, personally, do not care whether a mother formula feeds, or breast feeds it is her choice. Unfortunately, no one else agrees with this. A supervisor at work told em breastfeeding would make my boobs sag (seriously, I'm an A cup, they couldn't sag if I stretched them out everyday). An in-law said I was enjoying it too much.... You can tell who has never breastfed before.... there is nothing enjoyable about the intial bleeding nipples and soreness. (I do enjoy the bonding now, but I'm not "enjoying" it in the way she thought). Although, I do hear women can experience the big "O" while bfing, unfortunately I am not one of those women (dude, my kid would be HUGE). I chose to breastfeed for many reasons.... 1. the doc said it was best for the baby 2. have you seen the cost of formula (I would be the woman on the news stealing formula from wal-mart) 3. it is so convenient!

BTW, here's a big thank you to all of the mothers out there. I never fully appreciated the job you do, until I had a child.

Okay back to the little man (the point of this post). I am slowly trying to get my child to sleep in his bassinet (mostly cause I am tired of sleeping above the covers). I am extremely paranoid of SIDS so I bought this sensor that goes under the mattress and sets off an alarm if there is no movement in 20 seconds. It really seems to work, the only time it has gone off is if I forget to turn it off before I get him out of the bassinet. Initially, he hated his bassinet and would scream when I put him in. So, after a couple of hours of a continous repetition of a. nurse him to sleep b. sneak him in the bassinet c. hear him cry and get him out, he would usually win and I would fall asleep bfing and he would be where he wanted to be. Lately, he has been sleeping in his bassinet for a couple of hours at a time, and I don't have to put him in our bed until the early morning (around 7 or so). That has been really nice! Last night I put him in the bassinet, and I heard him fussing after about an hour or so.... I went to the bathroom... I was going to pick him up and nurse him to sleep, and "woot, woot" he had found his thumb (something else he found this week), and fell asleep on his own (very unusual).

At another point I went to check on him, and my lil boy was asleep on his tummy! He hates being on his tummy, so I was in shock! With the sensor under the bassinet, I don't mind if he sleeps on his tummy so I just let him be.

Okay, okay I am sooo sorry for this unbearably long post. Feel free to skim! Also feel free to post "good" advice on what I should or shouldn't be doing. I will read it all, but I may or may not use it! Thanks all you great ladies!

BTW, all of you mothers out there that feel

My Unaccomplishments.

2008-06-17T23:34:00.001-07:00

This was the only New Year's Resolution that I had. I probably chose only one, because I knew this would be extremely hard for me.

My goal for 2008 was to become a non-smoker. I have smoked since I was 18, and I hate the expense, the smell, and the effects that it has on my health. Unfortunately, I never realized just how hard it would be to quit. I never realized just how addicting this nasty habit could be. I crave it, I yearn for it, nicotine is a drug, and it's the only drug that has had a hold over me.

I didn't do so bad during the pregnancy. I stayed away from cigarettes, although I can't honestly say that I was completely good, I slipped a couple times. I figured if I went for the duration of the pregnancy I could conquer this addiction. I haven't. As soon as I started back to work I was back to smoking. It's so hard to work at a casino, and not smoke. Honestly, you're smoking just by walking around inside. So, I am a smoker again. Cigarettes are expensive, and the cost sucks, but I am more scared that I will do irreparable damage to my body. It was never that important (I mean 27 is still young), but now that I have a child things are different. I don't want him to grow up and see his parents smoke. I don't want him to have this habit. I don't want to die from a bad habit I couldn't give up. I want to watch him grow up, and I want to watch my grandchildren grow as well.

I have all these great aspirations, and all of the best reasons to quit smoking.... Why can't I? How can this thing be that much stronger than me? Why am I so weak?

Dogwood Tree

2008-06-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

So I know it's not a picture of a sunset, but I really like this picture. It was taken from my front porch! I love that we rent a place in a semi-secluded area with lost of greenery surrounding us! This is a picture of our dogwood trees, last year the frost killed them, so this was the first year we actually got to see them! Thank you for looking!

Father's Day

2008-06-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

LOL as usual I am always late! This has been an extremely long weekend with school projects being due Sunday, and two 12 hour shifts....

I am going to blog about my sweetie's first Father's Day, because I am sure it is something he wants to remember and because I may forget the details by the time I get to sbing the event. We met up with Trey's family that came in from Oklahoma. Trey spent the whole day catching up with cousins, and hanging out with his kinfolk. I got to spend the day visiting with his HUGE family, and we both had a great time. I am very lucky, Trey's family has always welcomed me with open arms, although I think they love me more now, because of the baby LOL. The baby got passed from family member to family member, and he was pretty cool with it. He especially liked all the young pretty ladies who oohed and aahed over him.

I spent the day hanging with the women, and I even got to discuss scrapbooking with one of the cousins. That's pretty exciting since no one that lives near me scrapbooks.

Trey spent the day hanging with the guys and drinking.

All in all it was a really good father's day. I enjoyed meeting all of his family that I hadn't had the chance to meet before.

Sorry this post is late, and my grammar is probably horrible in it. It's like 5 am and I wanted to get it down before I went to sleep!

Grateful Letter

2008-06-12T01:55:00.000-07:00

I am putting a twist on this letter. This letter is to my little brother Kris, a brother that I am grateful for, but also to my little brother who is not grateful enough.

Dear Kris,

This is a very hard letter for me to write, but I hope that maybe one day you will read it. I hope that maybe one day you will get past your anger, and want to become an active part of our family again.

I am your big sister, and as your big sister it is my job to protect you. I know that I did a lousy job of it. I know that our childhood was not a normal, happy one, and I am sorry. In my defense, I was only a kid myself. While that provides me a little comfort, it doesn't not comfort me enough, knowing how angry you are at the world. I know that our childhood was full of anger and abuse. I know that each of us three older siblings carry the scars from that abuse, but I believe that the scars you carry are the most dangerous. Every one of us deserved a childhood full of good memories. We should have memories of opening presents at Christmas, of trick-or-treating, of telling scary stories to each other, but we don't.

You dislike Roger, and I am so saddened by that. I know that Roger has made his mistakes, and that he is very much a kid himself at times, but he is our older brother, and he loves us so much. He has a very kind heart, and he would do anything that you asked him to. Like you, he is angry. He is not very nice to the women he dates, and I pray that one day he will realize that he is too much like our father. While he is disrespectful to his girlfriends, he has so many good qualities that you are missing out on. He is such a wonderful father. He loves his children, and he would do anything for their happiness. He is a good brother, he helps me out whenever I need him. He is a good son, he runs around like crazy making sure mom has everything she needs. He is a good friend, we spend a lot of time hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

You dislike mom, and sadly you don't speak to her very often. It makes her sad, and I am sad that she has to ask me how you are doing. I know you don't agree with the choices that she has made in life, but everyone makes mistakes. I know that you feel like she abandoned you, and you have every right to feel that way. It hurts to look at my new son, and think that one day he, too, could possibly hate me. Forgive mom, you have made your mistakes and she still loves you.

Even me, you don't even like me. That hurts the most. You barely tolerate my phone calls. You call me only when you are mad at the current people in your life, because you know I will listen. You call me and tell me that you would be happy if you just didn't exist, and it breaks my heart. I would be upset if you didn't exist. Many people would care.

There is a point to this letter. I wish you weren't so bitter and angry about the past. I wish you didn't have so much baggage. I wish you could remember the good times as much as you remember the bad. There are a few good times, but they are still there. Remember when we would all sleep in the bed together and tickle each others' feet? Remember when we would hang out, play cards, and watch movies? Remember when we sang kaoroke at a party in the Phillippines, and we won like 50 cents? There are some good times, but there could be many more. I am your family, and no matter how long we go without talking I will be there for you. I also wish that you could be more grateful for what you have. No matter what has happened to us, it could be worse. We are all alive, and we have much in life to look forward too.

I am grateful for you little brother. I wish you could find it in your heart to be more grateful for the good things that you do have....

All my love,
Margy

2008-06-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnfigQ43EjE

I am not sure if I did this right, but I couldn't figure out how to put it in my blog LOL. Okay my summer song is "Hey Jealousy" by Gin Blossoms. I absolutely think this is the best driving song in the world. I can roll my window down, put the song on repeat, and sing my lungs out.... Yes, I am that weird driver that does that! This song just makes me so happy with its "upbeatness."

What I Love!

2008-06-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Things That I Love

Scrapbooking

My Darling Son

My darling fiance.....

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=129898132&MyToken=6255f7da-72fb-45e5-9c30-0ae2f311d0e8

LOL these are not in order of importance! Sorry it's mostly pictures!

My Darling Son

HOT STUFF!

2008-06-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

June 02 Challenge: Write about "HOT."

Okay, okay I had no idea what to write about, and then there was an epiphany! I have never, ever liked hot food until about 9 (it's been 9 years!) ago. I was in the US Army, and stationed in Wonju, Korea for a year and a half. Now Korea is a great place to go to (shopping is fabulous), but the Korean food was an interesting experience. I am up to try anything, so I decided to try this food called kimchi. It is cabbage that has been pickled (I think) in this hot, hot, hot juice stuff. For some strange reason I really started to like the stuff, especially after I added a little bit of salt. I was amazed that I could enjoy something so very HOT. So I decided to try other hot stuff and see what I liked.

In Korea there are these little restaurants that serve soup (like in the picture), which is basically Ramen (who doesn't like Ramen @ 10 cents a pack). This soup is extremely hot and spicy, but is just like the Ramen soup. I would order this soup, which you can get with chicken, beef, or cheese on top, and rice (I'm Asian and always have to have rice), and I fell in love. I was extremely happy when I discovered this soup back in the States; I also found some kimchi at a local Asian store. To all of you readers you should definitely try this stuff out! Beware it is very hot. Also try some kimchi, if you like sauerkraut this is like a spicy version. Also beware kimchi stinks to high heaven. My bf has to leave the house when I eat it!

Thanks for stopping by!