I know her through PETA, she's like the only celebrity that I actually know beyond just running into or something.  I don't live a glamorous life in Hollywood.  But then I digress, I already have a blog entry where I complain and whine about that topic.

Anyways I wanted to make a point this morning before my day gets busy to wish Emily Dechanel (Bones) a happy 32nd birthday.

She's a real inspiration, a wonderful person, and just one of the happiest people to be around that I've ever known. 

So Emily I hope you have a wonderful birthday.  Have your cake and eat it too babe, that's what I say!!   ha ha lol 

And have a piece for me because I'm a diet so I can't have any.   :(

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Emily's fellow PETA person (you'll notice I don't do any blog entries about Steak or Chicken)Samantha

This little furball was all curled up in the dark. I hope someone brought him or her home. :) I should start picking up stray cats and bring them home since there's so much space anyway. Always empty.

Our Batam or was it Bintan trip would be tons better than this.

I'll be expecting this scene of me and my kid (golden retriever or maltese) walking along the park really soon.

Unlike in Wisconsin, we don't have autumn leaves to bid farewell to summer. We have..dead crunchy leaves. Haha.

When I look up into the sky, I always think of this line in Sheryl Crow's Always on Your Side. Is there some place far away, some place where all is clear, easy to start over, with the ones you hold so dear?

When I was in primary school there was already clique-iness stirring, even though our class, school and town were all so small that we'd grown up with each other. I was well aware of my social standing - amongst the 'smart', middle-classy kids - so when a 'cool', rebel girl, from well outside that group, made friends with me, I was pretty stoked (well, I wouldn't have used the term 'stoked', being only 8 or 9, which would have made it about 25 years ago, and 'stoked' wasn't so big then, but you get the emotion). Let's call her Kelly.

So, when Kelly invited me to her birthday party I understood that she'd gone outside the 'norm' to do so, and I felt like my whole social status was on the cusp of morphing into something more interesting.

The day of the party I spent time getting ready, wrapped a carefully-chosen present, and made certain that my mum drove me to the caravan park where Kelly lived, right on time. After Mum parked, she and I walked to Kelly's caravan and tentatively knocked on the zip-up awning. There didn't seem to be a lot of activity, which was a bit worrisome, but I figured that maybe I was just the first to arrive.

After a couple of knocks, Kelly's mum came out to see us, with a question in her voice and a quizzical eyebrow raise. I, haltingly, stumbled out that I was here for Kelly's birthday, had I got the time wrong?, was I too early?

There was a little laugh from her mum, 'It's not till next Saturday.'

'Oh. I'm sure the invitation had today's date, I'm sorry to bother you. See you next week.' And then I hurried my mum back to the car, shamefaced, red-faced, and having lost face. I was hugely relieved that Kelly hadn't been there - apparently she was at the pool - but also aware that there was no way that her mum would keep to herself what had transpired.

I can still feel the burning, roiling humiliation in my stomach as we drove home, knowing I would have to go to school on Monday and hear about it. I looked at the invitation when I got home and realised that I must have just been excited about going, and not checked too closely, because the date, very clearly, said next Saturday's date.

When Monday rolled around there wasn't a lot of joking at my expense, just a bit of teasing, but it was obvious to me that any burgeoning social status change had been shelved, probably due to my clear (to fellow primary-schoolers) display of dorkiness. I don't recall a lot about the actual party the next Saturday, just a vague feeling of awkwardness, as the reality of spending a few hours with a party's-worth of 'cool' acquaintances manifested itself.

Kelly and I were polite, even occasionally friendly, with each other through the rest of our concurrent schooling, but we never really got past the awkwardness.

For the birthday festivities, Andrew premiered the new video 'I Ain't Even On Yet' from Chicago's own, GLC: 

The one I've always been wanting to go. Stayed there for about...I dunno... couple hours. MY brother failed at drinking =P I wanted to just drink it for him! But the whole underaged thing..blah. Though when I turn 18... -smiles- hehe.

Yea...that was loads of fun. Really. I like....can't wait till I get to drink xP

So I'm glad my two cousins came over ^-^ They're awsome <3 So its planned that I go up there for Thanksgiving to see the Irvine Campus! And maybe to have that dinner they were tlakinga bout... something like a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey? I dunno! But anyways~

Its almost midnight. My brother is offically 21 cause we sang Happy Birthday and ate cake ^-^
(So Hopeing I could see my bro and cuzzie drunk... XDDD)

--Kimiko--

1. She ordered something new.
2. She ordered something more expensive than me.

She went for the Roasted Garlic Eye of Prime.  Yikes!  I got the Renegade, though Flo's FIlet w/the peppered bacon was tempting.  But, if I went for that the hopes of having the gift card covering dessert would be hasta la vista.  We enjoyed not being interrupted by CavGirl.  I finished my meal (and plenty of bread), while she was true to form and had enough left over for another meal.  But she wanted to bring dessert home.  She wanted the Chocolate Stampede.  Apparently she didn't realize it came with ice cream, and was very worried it would melt before we got home.

So, instead of taking advantage of the free babysitting and enjoying a stroll, or something, we went to pick up the kids.  They had not had dessert yet, so I got our dessert out of the car and discovered just how humongus this thing is.  Between the 2 of us and 3 kids there was only a little left for our friends.

Today I did most of the cooking.  She didn't even want to think about what we were having.  For lunch I made some quesadillas w/mushrooms.  She loves those- especially when I toss in some fajita seasoning and chili powder.  CavGirl and I baked a chocolate fudge cake which I later frosted (chocolate cream cheese frosting- homemade).  It was a bit of a break in her traumatic morning.  She was being very selfish and had to be disciplined repeatedly- tainting her mother's birthday.

For dinner I made one of my concoctions.  I cut up some chicken breasts, dipped the pieces in bread crumbs with pepper, paprika and garlic powder and then fried them in a skillet.  In another skillet I sauteed zucchini, mushrooms and spinach in olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper.  I served that with angel hair pasta.  CavGirl 'helped' me- during which time we talked about how we need God's forgivness, and his help to love one another.  During dinner I did a few renditions of "Happy Birthday".  The kids really didn't enjoy my opera version.  But they liked my hip-hop "Stop" and my rendition of the beginning of "Space Trucking."  My one redeeming quality- I make them all laugh.

After dinner, we forgot to enjoy the cake.  The kids had some for their snack ... but during dinner made a huge mess.  Lost in the shuffle.  She'd tasted some earlier- so she really did like it.  And our neighbors did too. 

I think she had a good birthday........

When I got to the check out line, armed with my gift card, there was a tiny little old lady in line in front of me.  Her spine was so curled that she looked at the floor.  She was having a hard time getting her groceries on the check out counter.  I asked her if I could help her.  She was so grateful.  Watching her, I wondered how she would get home, and once there, how would she put her groceries away.  I asked her if she would like some help getting her groceries in the car.  She said she was going to call a cab.  I said, nonsense, I'm driving you home.

When I got there, most things were on the floor where she could see them.  I put her groceries away.  She asked me if she could give me a few dollars for helping.  I said, "no".  She offered again and again I said "no".  Then she said, "Well, can I at least get a hug?"  I said "Of course!".  I won again!

Then I got home, picked up my mail and unloaded my groceries.  Now with a song in my heart and a big smile on my face.  After putting the groceries away I was thumbing through the mail, tossing most of it into the recycling.  Then I came across a handwritten envelope.  It was from my father, who moved to Pennsylvania with my youngest sister earlier this year, to spend time with his grandchildren before he goes to heaven.

Inside, the card said:

"You have a way of making every minute count, by finding adventure in the little things.  Some people just wake up, go to work, go home--then repeat the same pattern the next day.  But you give even the smallest moments meaning.  Happy Birthday.  I love you very much.  Love, Dad"

I won again!

I am now officially feeling festive and birthday-ish.

My department arranged a breakfast to celebrate my birthday yesterday. The secretary kept trying to take credit for everything even though all she did was buy some tacos from some unknown place. She can have the credit for my being bloated yesterday. It was a nice breakfast with tacos, assorted fruit, juice, and cake. It was a nice morning.

Then around noon everyone started going to lunch. The girls weren't scheduled to come in until 1pm. They came back loaded with pizza. Awesome, right? Yeah, except everyone forgot they were bringing pizza. So everyone was out to lunch and the three of us ate pizza without them. When two of the others returned, they had some pizza anyway and everyone laughed about the mix up. The trouble started when the secretary came back from lunch. She sat there for an hour before she said anything. I'm not sure exactly how it started, but one moment the room was quiet and the next she was nearly shouting at my supervisor about the injustice she'd been dealt. What injustice is that, you say? The girls didn't offer her any pizza. Yep, that's it. Nothing for her to get hysterical about. Now here's the thing...we were having a party. There were 3 pizzas on the table we use for these things right next to the leftover fruit and juice from the morning. One would assume that this was for the party, right? It's a little ridiculous to assume that my students were eating 3 pizzas for lunch. Well, she watches them snacking and us helping ourselves for about an hour before her outburst. I wasn't about to sit there and let her continue because it looked like my supervisor was going to say something she'd regret, so I emailed the boss and he popped out of his office and took over. As soon as he did, I got up to go to the bathroom (I'd been holding it) and I saw her give me a dirty look out of the corner of my eye. When I returned to my desk, he'd taken her to his office because she gets rowdy. She came back looking quite defeated and didn't make eye contact with me for the rest of the day.

This morning I vowed not to let her ruin my day. I tuned in to ChroniX radio and put on my big headphones, my personal DO NOT DISTURB sign. Even if I weren't listening to anything I could get away with ignoring people, but I just didn't want to hear the sound of her voice. She kept trying to suck people in but they were deflecting pretty well. She didn't bother with me. In fact, she didn't even make eye contact the whole four hours she was here. I breathed a sigh of relief when she left. My day would not be ruined.

And then my phone signaled me. Text message. I won't get into the details, but it annoyed the hell out of me. To the point where I'm thinking about just staying in tonight. Sometimes my anger gets the better of me...we'll see.

Originally uploaded by M e l o d y

I breathe therefore I Am
(August 25, 2008)

Am I comfortably settled or am I stuck?
When was the last time I dreamt in full color?
Of things long forgotten – pulse pounding, scary, risky dreams;
Am I fully awake? I used to love,
the smells, sights, and sounds of 'different.'

I am here. Of that I am certain.
But am I sure that this life, right in front of me
is the one
I was meant to carry out.
Am I simply blown by forces stronger than myself?
Carried, on, into a future I do not see, or smell, or hear?

I woke up and the dream, today
is so g o o d.
I am frantic with desire to see, record and divine
the world
o u t t h e r e.
But what if it becomes too unsettling, upsetting, disjointed
for a family to endure?
What if it is selfish and ignores
the good places in my life I have forged.
My past -- sometimes settled, sometimes stuck,
But known.

Am I fully alive, if I can not
manage to live my d r e a m s
alongside the steady pulse of love that fills my life today?
It surrounds me.
Protects and covers me.

I breathe, so I must be alive
but I feel stifled by the collision of dreams and every day reality.
I am alive, but I feel cautious, even afraid of the dream.

Dreaming is dangerous.
Am I more afraid to fly or fail?
Am I settled or am I stuck?
Am I fully alive?

I breathe therefore I Am.

by M e l o d y.

A poem about being 41, having left a career for seven years to be a mother, wanting and dreaming of things that I can only imagine. Fearing my dreams and yet hoping, wishing, wanting to have it all.

There has been lots going on here at The School Down the Lane so I'll spare you the excuses and get started!

First of all K had a birthday and is now 15!  8^O  How did this happen?  Not sure, but she had a great birthday.  She had some friends over for cake, tie-dying and mad libs.

Speaking of the cake, K and I made it ourselves! We made a lemon cake (using cake mix *cough-cop out-cough*) and then covered it with candy clay that we had colored in different colors and cut out with cookies cutters as well as shaping some of it ourselves. Here is a picture of our masterpiece:

During my break we also hosted a flat traveler. Our traveler was named *Krabby* and was visiting from Ohio. We took Krabby all over our little corner of Maine; to the lake, to the beach, to the library and to the dance studio.

K has also started a writing class with our homeschooling group as well as entering the writing contest The Book Arts Bash and started three (count them, three) dance classes.

Speaking of dance classes, my cheer team is shaping up nicely. They are the challenge that a bunch of girls that age always are, but not as much so as some I have dealt with in the past. They approve of my uniform and hair ribbon choices so that's half the battle LOL! I have 8, which is two stunt groups so I'm happy! I have the most amazing cheer mix for our routine as well which I am also very happy about!

B has started his small group reading, math and now writing group at the local PS. He is enjoying them much more this year and is doing well. W and I are keeping a close eye on his progress there as bringing him is, frankly, a PITA and if it's not going to do any good (last year he made little progress if any) then I will pull him and get some help privately. He is also loving his hip hop and breaking classes. He even tried cheer, but decided he didn't want to continue. 

Some other projects here were making corn starch clay, capturing spiders and snails for observation, knitting with the alpaca wool, making Halloween cut out cookies, visiting the organic apple orchard and decorating the yard for Halloween. I'll be back with more on those subjects once I find my camera and my brain :^P

Whatever the reasons for a momentary smile, here's the link to the images from the festival. Seeing the two teenagers with the guns brought it all back to me. Maybe I'll have to watch it again. If you ever do, brace yourself. And would it be wrong to see the Changeling for the costumes? Maybe it would. But I do tend to love the emotional pull of Eastwood and it has Jolie who hasn't been really bad before and usually is quite good.

Oh, and someone has a birthday this weekend. Hmm, who could it be? I'm getting an image. 40-ish, warm brown eyes, strange accent, pats his belly, bushy eyebrows . . . oh, right --- Luigi! Happy Birthday love. Hope you find a mountain, some wine, good company and great food. Umm, hmm.

 It's a milestone in HIS life, and I need to remember that. As difficult as it is to see them grow up, it's equally important to LET them grow up. Sigh. I wish the time didn't fly by so fast, it seems to be racing by. In 8 short years the eldest will be 19, and the youngest 18, if I think back 8 years (now I know this isn't wise, but I torture myself anyway) they were 2 and 3 years old respectively. OUCH!!! Mere babies. I was mommy to 2 little boys, now I'm just mom, and I miss being mommy terribly much!! I have to watch as they leave me slowly to go out into the big world to find their feet, and I am so proud of them, and I also know that it is a huge part of parenting, letting go. It's very difficult, but I will survive this. I am also excited to see what type of adults they'll grow into. After the scary teenage years are over offcourse!!

So now my journey takes on a very different dimention, I need to get a paradigm shift if I'm to survive, so onwards I soldier on!!!

"You were, And you are, And you'll be My soul and the air that I breathe, My heart and the love that I need, And you are my destiny"  Destiny-Malaika

It's not an easy feeling inside, that feeling inside your gut or those butterfly feelings. When you leave this world you can never take the material things with you but your memories are always there in your heart and that is something special that can never be taken away from you. I have found an easy way to preserve my memories of my love ones who are now in a better place that I can see them everyday. I started making DVD Memories by taking pictures and place them in a movie DVD format that can be viewed on your laptop, desktop or on your TV screen with added music to go with your DVD Memory. It's a great way to start the healing process for that love one that you were so close to.

Contact Diana if interested in having one of your own DVD Memory made.

Prices includes shipping and handling:

Funeral/Memorial: $100

All other Occasions: $200

Additional Copies: $10

All projects are handled with care and pictures are sent back to you with your order if scanning needs to be done on my end. Also will except pictures through email as well.

NO PORN or ILLEGAL PICTURES WILL NOT BE EXCEPTED AND WILL BE REPORTED!!!!

Can go more into detail of what you like for your order on the music that you want on it, any special graphics on your pictures and the beginning and end credits.

I except post office money orders, cash, personal checks from BOA, Wells Fargo, WAMU and local Southern California Bank branches and PayPal. All personal checks must CLEAR before your order will be processed.

Diana House

760-709-7495

760-686-3009 (cell)

EMAIL: housedvdmemories@yahoo.com

Birthday. When I think of that word, I think of celebration. I think of parties, birthday cakes, wishes, loved ones, streamers, themes and games. Not presents of insults, curses, loneliness, a night of tears and a morning of swollen eyes. But to find myself in that situation was, surprisingly, not as dreadful as I thought it would be.

You start to reevaluate, reconsider, and refocus. I don't think I would really know how blessed I am having such true friends and family if the night went by differently. And more importantly, I don't think I would have experienced how sweet and refreshing it was to filled with the comfort and peace of Him.

Yes, it may have been an unhappy celebration to the 1st day of my 22nd year here, but I'm gonna make sure that I'll more than make up for it for the rest of the year! =)

And after all the drama that has happened, I think, I can still smile and say to myself, "A very HAPPY birthday, to me"

Much much love to all of YOU
for being the awesomest,
you know who you are.
xo

One turned 21 XD another 17!

This is actually a really really big wine bottle.. >.<

Birthday's are nice... my birthday is always over Spring Break... so like... either people are away or no one really cares >.< That or they just forget! So I'm waiting till college where I hope my birthsays will be more fun... Not saying they arn't in the past. Just I suppose it will be better with money and a car XD

Hey 18th birthday... anyone wanna get me a car? =P hehe~
(phsst, Miku car!!)

--Kimiko--

Mrs. J is like a surrogate great-grandmother to me. She was there when I was a child living in the house on the other side of her, and she's been here ever since I moved back to the neighborhood. She loves me like I am one of her family, and never hesitates to express those sentiments to those that actually share her DNA. She even gets a kick out of thinking it makes them a little jealous.

She feeds me homemade fried chicken, sweet potatoes, and chocolate pie. She joins in my complaining about everything from the price of gasoline to how long it's been since we've had rain. She never backs down on something she believes in, no matter how archaic or irrelevant it might seem decades later.

She thinks people show too much skin on television and talk to dirty, but she never misses her favorite soap opera (she calls them "stories"). She met and immediately liked my female pastor, but told me that women shouldn't be preachers. She doesn't believe in interracial relationships, but she's going to vote for a biracial presidential candidate. She tells me that she doesn't care about "how I am," while complaining about the declining values of other Americans.

She loves to watch movies, even though it's easy to tell that she has no idea how a DVD works. She seems somewhat fascinated by computers, although it's clear that she doesn't understand how the internet works. She laughs at me for constantly swapping cell phones as she pushes the buttons on her clunky handset that doesn't have caller ID. She didn't even get touch tone on her phone service until a few years ago because it was going to add $1 to her monthly bill.

She worries that tree roots are attacking the foundation of her house and that moles are destroying the foundation of her detached garage. She worries that her copper pipes are leaking and frequently has one of us to check the water meter for unexplained dial movement.

She never ever stops working in the yard, even though her doctors, nurses, and physical therapists have all joined in chorus to tell her to stay in the house and use her walker at all times. She can work a hoe better than most people 50 years her junior and she has the arm muscle to prove it. She cleans house like the Queen's coming over, with particular chores assigned to particular days.

She keeps leftover vegetables in the freezer and combines them when she has enough to make soup. She makes fabulous fried green tomatoes and a mean pan of cornbread. She keeps soft drinks in the refrigerator just because she knows we like them.

So tonight we celebrated this incredible lady; her quirks, her contradictions, her passion, and her compassion. We expressed our affection with song and brightly-colored helium balloons, with strawberry cake and cards and presents - all a feeble attempt to make her feel as special as she makes any one of us feel on a daily basis.

If her smiles were any indication, we did.