Sorry Phoenix...NOT!!

The Spurs outscored and outlasted Phoenix in this Game 5 that felt like a Game 7 at the AT&T Center, coming through with enough plays down the stretch to secure a 4-1 series triumph and oust the Suns from the postseason FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN SIX SEASONS.

THATS Amy Winehouse!!!

Everytime I open up the web there's something negative about some actor, actress, moviestar, singer, model, athlete, etc. Brittany's shaving her head, losing her kids,...Mel's out making movies of Christ while getting a dui and speaking negatively about other races. Miley's showing off her bra, taking racy photos of herself. Jamie Lynn is pregnant, Tom and Katie are splitting up, Kirstie's fat, no she's skinny, wait!! She's fat again!! The list goes on and on!! First of all, it should be no news to any of us that any of the above mentioned people and their peers are doing the things their doing. I mean, I think it's a prerequisite to be a star...you must be willing to make a fool of yourself, sleep around, get drunk, get knocked up, lose the weight, gain it back, get married and divorced at least twice!!, show your naked body off to the world...even if you're a kid. The list goes on and on. Now, one thing I can say about most of the people named in this post is that they are good at what they do. Wheter they sing or act, they are all pretty darn good at it. So today I open up my aol and the first thing I see is something about Amy Winehouse. Since I've seen write ups on her recently (none of them pleasant), I thought, maybe I should educate myself on who this chic is. I mean, they talk about her as much as they do Brittany. I know she is a singer but if you asked me what she sang, I really couldn't tell you. So today I decided to google her and I listened to a few of her songs...they are horrible!! What a let down that was!! That girl honestly has the worst voice I've heard in a long time!! She can't sing to save her life!! And have you seen her? I mean, there is nothing attractive about that woman!! She looks like she's...well... a freak!! That woman needs some desperate help! How anyone can spend their $$$ supporting something that looks and sounds like that is beyond me!! Anyways, based on what I saw and heard today, this woman is in desperate need of all the time, ink and webspace being spent on her. In the meantime, I am making it my personal goal to get my cousin Rocky to quit supporting this freak!!

A few of my favorite things

~My kids feet...I know, I know, there are 2 missing.~Josh in his uniform ~My Justin..he makes me laugh...and from the looks of this picture, he makes himself laugh too.
~ Jarom...sweet and innocent!!
~ My baby girl...isn't she beautiful?
~ Jared...he is such a ham!!

Pinewood Derby 2008

Our stake had their annual Pinewood Derby. This is where the cub scouts get a block of wood and have to build their own car. They cut it out, paint it, and decorate it. The finished product can weigh no more than 5 ounces and then they all get together and race them to see who will be the next Dale Earnhart. This was Jareds very first Pinewood Derby and as always we waited until the last minute to work on his car. Thursday night him and dad went out to the garage, decided to cut out a truck and eagerly worked on it until they had their finished product. Here is Jared sanding away at his truck. Of course, we had to throw in some Bulldogs Plumbing Orange...Dad hepled him a bit with the painting.
He did paint his own stripes on though...and he chose the cool green color you see here. He also painted his own windows on. Steve outlined them and Jared painted them.
Here we've got the finished product!! Look how happy he is!! A boy with his Truck!! Pretty snazzy huh?
showing it off right before the race.

he was #12 in the lineup...below is the competition!

we had a cool 8 lane racetrack and it had sensors on it to tell who won each race. There were 19 cars in all and each boy raced every other car there...so they raced 18 times.
Not only did Jared win 3rd place in his troop but he also won for the best looking utility truck :)

And here he is getting his award!!

Is Granny Here??

Now I'm not one to brag or boast about myself too much (wink, wink) and I don't even think I am bragging or boasting now when I say that I am not a bad cook. I can honestly say that there is not anything I have EVER made that has been absolutely horrible. I occasionally get compliments about my cooking. For the most part I dont make anything out of this world or extraordinary. I mean, I make what everyone else makes for dinner...chicken, porkchops, spaghetti, meatloaf, etc...and it always tastes just fine. What I am trying to say here is that I am not a bad cook...not the best...but not bad. I think I got this natural ability to cook from my mother. Now THAT is someone who can cook!! That woman can make water taste good!! And she makes the good stuff...MEXICAN FOOD!! I'm not exaggerating when I say that when she comes to town we all gain weight. I don't make mexican food. So when she comes to town we all get spoiled. My mother can turn a bean into a delicassy!! She is well known with my hubbies family for her Mexican cooking and all of my friends (in the neighborhood or at church) seem to come by a little more often when she is here. And they all seem to stop by at around dinner time when they know she'll be rolling out the tortillas....they think I don't catch on but I do!! The house always smells good when she is here. I would say that 4 or 5 times a year I try to dig deep and find my Mexican roots. On those days my family gets carne guisada, enchiladas, or tacos(and they think they've hit the jackpot!!) Don't ask me to make anything else because the mexicana in me stops there. Wait...I can make a pot of beans and spanish rice. I think I've made each like 6 or 7 times since we've been married. I actually made a pot of beans tonight...and they were dang good!! Anyways, even though, the mexican in me has yet to be seen, I cook for my family almost every night and the house always smells good around the 5 or 6 o'clock hour. So tell me why tonight my child walked in, smelled the aroma from the beans and said "Is Granny Here?" I said, "What do you mean is Granny here?". He says "Well, it smells good in here...it only smells like that when granny comes to visit".

See what I get for trying...Kids these days!!

Eighteen years ago

Eighteen years ago today I gave birth for the first time. Little did I know that would be the first of many babies I would give birth to. Josh was 8 pounds 6.5 ounces and 21.5 inches long. He was beautiful!! Never in a million years did I think I could fall in love with someone in an instant!! Never did I think something smaller than a Thanksgiving turkey could rule my world! How wrong I was!! This beautiful little creature would be the center of almost every decision I would make for the rest of my life. And he has been. It's amazing...this thing they call motherhood. A few hours worth of pain and a lifetime of beautiful memories and blessings. Happy Birthday Josh!! We love and miss you very much!! Keep making us proud.

pooka shells and dreadlocks

Anyone who knows me, even just a little, knows that I have to know everything about you. I ask lots of questions (none too personal) and love to hear the stories behind the questions I ask. I am curious. I only know what has happened to me in the few places that I have lived. I need to know what else has gone on in the world and who has experienced these things!! Call me nosy if you must but I call it being interested, being fascinated, being intrigued, all by the personal histories of my friends, family and everyone else that comes into my life...even if only for a brief moment. With that being said...I went to the Verizon store today to have my phone software updated (Verizon-a whole other blog entry in itself). Well, anyone who has Verizon knows that when you first walk into their store a greeter is there to meet you and figure out where they are going to best suit your needs and then you sit there for a while waiting for your turn. So while waiting, ever so patiently, I was watching the greeter who happened to have dreadlocks. He was a really nice black guy...young and very friendly. Every time he turned around I would get a glimpse of something white at the ends of his dreads...but not all of the dreads...just some of them. They looked like white balls about the size of a marble...maybe a tad bigger. And they were oval, not round. There was no pattern to this variety of white dots in his hair. As I sat there trying to figure out what they were I figured if anyone was watching me they probably thought I was checkin his backside out so I thought I should just kill my curiousity and ask him what they were...so I did. Am I glad that I did...I learned something today that I probably never would have learned otherwise. He informed me that they were Pooka shells. He said that back in ancient times, African men would get pooka shells stuck in their dreads when out fishing. He said that as they would bend over to stab a fish and look for fish at the bottom of the ocean their hair would brush against the sea floor and dirt and shells would get stuck in their dreads. If and when these men were sold as slaves people would pay more for the men with more shells in their hair as this was a sign of a hard worker and a strong man. Obviously, nowadays, it is just a trend but this is what started that trend. He also informed me that some people have dreads for religious purposes (which I did find on the internet as well). While researching this, I did find that pooka shells, at least the ones I saw in his hair, are more commonly known as Cowry Shells. So, as they say, you learn something new everyday!! You see, if you never ask, you never learn...

Waiting...and waiting...and waiting

So Jared plays baseball and is in the Rookie division. In this division, the kids pitch to eachother until they have pitched 4 balls then the coach takes over. No batter will ever walk...they either hit the ball or strike out. Well Jared has been able to pitch the last couple of games and let me tell you ...it was hilarious!! He is actually a really good little pitcher but it's before the pitch that cracks us up...not only Steve and I, but everyone watching. So, you know how in baseball, the pitcher stands sideways and concentrates on the glove then he kicks that leg up and pitches the ball. Well, it is when he is concentrating on the glove..most people take anywhere from 3 - 5 seconds. NOT JARED!! He was getting ready to throw his first pitch and we waited, and waited, and waited until finally, he threw it. We brushed it off thinking he was a little nervous since it was his first time pitching this year. So the next pitch comes and the same thing...I swear he honestly takes about 15-20 seconds concentrating on that glove which is a long time when the whole place is waiting on you for some action. He did this between every pitch...his coach and I cracked up...of course, the 2nd game we did ask him to speed things up a bit and he did...but that only lasted a few pitches and then we were back to waiting. And he always makes sure to have a wad of gum in his mouth big enough for all to see that he is chewing. So we all just sit there and watch him....all the while wondering what flavor he is smackin on. He is quite the little pitcher though...at least in my eyes!!

Better Late than Never

I recently met a neighbor across the street who used to have a store in Mexico. She only speaks spanish and I, for the most part, only speak English so we have a little bit of a language barrier but I am sure she told me she still has a few pinatas left and she is selling them until they are gone. This got me thinking of when I was a kid and how we always had pinatas. I think only one of my kids has had one and I thought it would be nice to get one and let all of the nieces and nephews hit it. This is also a great excuse to have that 2nd birthday party that I have had trouble throwing due to different factors. So I did. We had Jaroms birthday party yesterday and although it was 2 weeks late it was lots of fun!!

Jarom loved hitting the pinata. He wasn't afraid or shy at all. The only issue he had was holding the bat. It was a little heavy for him.
After, multiple beatings, the pinata finally broke. I don't know who was more excited to get more candy...the kids or Uncle Toma.
Afterward, everyone grabbed a broken cone off of the pinata and wore them as hats...leave it to Steve to set this example for all of the kids.
Jarom got a cute little cake and we sang Happy Birthday.He chose NOT blow out the candles. So Steph had to help...
And to top off his night, he got to sit on the motorcycle!! This is all it took to make his night. Happy Birthday Jarom...we love you.

I'm officially old

Everyone has their own opinions about age and what is considered "old". I remember when my mom started going thru menopause and having hot flashes...this was old to her. My Dad felt like he was getting old when he could no longer keep up with his marines...so he retired. He said if a Sgt Major can't PT with his troops anymore then he shouldn't be their Sgt Major...he should just retire...so he did. My grandma Campos told me about 2 years ago that her Doctor wanted her to eat healthier...more fruits, veges, and juice...not so much meat and definitely not so much soda..."Grandma's getting old Mija" she said. My friend Diane thinks it's osteoporosis...Once you get that, you're old. Then there's my Grandma Krauss who finally admitted she was getting old when she had to move in with my parents. She said "I'm getting old Mija...I have to live with your mommy and daddy now". I think by that time she was already 92...Okay, so it took her a little longer than most to realize she was getting old!!
Well, my day came yesterday...I have always compared getting old to intolerance to milk. I don't know why. I guess I always noticed that most old people can't drink milk...it gives em the runs so I've been told. Well, not that I drink much milk anyways but lately when I do drink it, I get the worst stomach cramps ever!! This has been happening for the past couple of months. So I came to grips with it yesterday that I am lactose intolerant...or in other words...just getting old. How sad is that? Here I thought this wasn't something I would have to worry about it for a while. And to top it off...I found about 20 grey hairs on my head...I'm falling apart!!, going to heck in a handbasket!!, what's a girl to do??

Boys and their toys

I don't know who likes motorcycles more...Jarom or Steve. Jarom has been obsessed with motorcycles since before he could walk or talk. Every time we hear one he can't sit still until he can actually see it. He still cannot say motorcycle so his word or shall I say sound for it is Vrooooommm, Vrooooommmmm. And this is what I hear for about 15 minutes after every motorcyle he sees. He has been doing this since before he could walk or talk. Although he has his own motorcycle, he gets very excited when Steve goes for a ride. He thinks he is going too and gets all ready. Yesterday Steve went to Bike Week at WestWorld and as soon as he heard Steve say he was going for a bike ride he started getting dressed. Poor guy doesn't have boots so he put on the next best thing...flip flops. Steve put his doo rag on and Jarom just had to have one too. So here are a couple of pics from yesterday. We just loved the pic on top...it just shows his love and obsession he has for motorcycles...like he can't wait another 16 years to own one of his own.
Look how he just stares at it...like he is in awe and like he has never before seen one in real life...cracks me up...this is true love!!

Notice he took dads doo rag in the picture above...so we put his own on below. And the wife beater just tops the cake huh? We're teaching him young how to dress the part.

so different now

Being a military brat, I was subject to move at the most inopportune moments. I went to 2 different high schools. I spent 8th thru 11 grade in a very small town in Texas. At that time, there was only 1 high school, 1 McDonalds, 1 Kmart, 1 Wal-Mart, etc.. Then, the summer before my senior year, my dad was transferred back to San Diego. None of us minded this move at all because that is where we had lived my whole life until I was in 8th grade so to us this was like going back home. Do you know how hard it is to move in your senior year though? It Sucks!! I adjusted though and then went to college with all of the people I graduated with. Grew up and got married, etc. Well, needless to say, I have kept in touch with some of the people from Harlingen, TX and with some from San Diego. It seems that over the past few months I have reconnected with lots of people from both places and it just amazes me how different everyone is. My group of friends in California was very similar to the group in Texas. We were all pretty mellow kids. I mean, none of us sat around doing drugs, none of us were in gangs, we were just pretty normal. Now I look at where some of them are now and wonder how our lives are all so different. It seems that my best friend from Tx and my best friend from Ca are still pretty normal but the rest of them are just freaks!! So here is the breakdown of what some have been up to...one is a recovering drug addict, one is in the Army (never would have thought she would do that), one has decided she is gay and is now married to another woman, another one lost custody of her kids for who knows what, then there's us (my best friends and I...just normal, everyday, gals...married w/ children, PTO, Little League, etc...who knows, maybe we aren't the normal ones...in either case, It is just funny to see how so many people that were so similar in their teens are all so different now. Funny how that works.

I've been Tagged!!

Okay, I was tagged a while back but just never replied (thanks Jodi). I didn't really have anything that just had to be in my blog tonight though so I thought I would fulfill my tagging duties...So here it goes...
1. Milk really grosses me out...it is so thick it just grosses me out. I do like it with anything sweet though...so when I choose to drink it I have to have it with ice...no ice = no milk.
2. regardless of how the rest of my house may look...my pantry has to be organized...All cans are organized into groups (ie..soups, fruits, tomato based products, etc..label facing the front), on the next shelf you have all of your boxes (grouped the same way), next shelf, bagged products (ie..sugar, pasta, flour, rice, etc...)
3. I love the smell of vitamins!!
4. I cannot stand dirty feet...black feet gross me out...and this includes my own (like when I wear black flip flops and they turn my feet black)...I am constantly cleaning my feet with baby wipes when I wear things that turn my feet black.
5. I tend to smell babies heads...Babies must smell clean at all times...by clean I mean they must smell like baby lotion or shampoo...if they do not smell clean, I feel the urge to bathe the child, whether the child be mine or not...just ask my sister in law!!
6. I am not afraid of many things but I am deathly afraid of bugs!! Any bug!! I don't know why...sometimes I think I need therapy for this fear...I need to overcome it. But until I do, please forgive me if I may freak out at your house when I see a bug. And Please, Please, Please!!...do not play a joke on me with bugs...I really am scared of them...they make me cry!!
7. On the flip side, I am not afraid of people. And if they tick me off I tend to say exactly how I feel and get myself into trouble...however, I have never gotten myself into anything I can't handle. My mouth is a weakness I am working on...some may call it a strength, but for me it is a weakness as I know I need to learn how to control my anger for my childrens sake...after all, I am their example.
DON'T WORRY!! I AM NOT TAGGING ANYONE AS MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO READ THIS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAGGED ANYWAYS!!