This I Pledge

What Sam will learn from her Aunt Mimi:

1: how to wear a tutu proudly. 

2: how to harmonize to the radio.

3: how to write the perfect essay.

4: how to parallel park.....a bus....in downtown san francisco.  

5: how to tie the perfect bow, and french braid her own hair.  

6: that adventure and life wait for no convenience.

7: how to make lists, weigh pros and cons. 

8: that accessories make an outfit. 

9: to love musical theatre......and Gonzaga Basketball.

10: how to use a power drill.  

11:  that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. 

12: to choose a career based on the kind of life you desire.  

13: how to run home to the family and friends whom have loved her before they knew her.  

I start tomorrow.  

On This Day.

1825 - The U.S. House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president.

1895 - The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.

1895 - Volley Ball was invented by W.G. Morgan.

1953 - The movie "Superman" premiered.

1960 - The first star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1969 - The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight. 

1971 - The Apollo 14 spacecraft returned to Earth after mankind's third landing on the moon.

2009 - My life changed forever. She's here.  Samantha Louise Becker.  7lbs, 1 oz.  Nineteen perfect inches of little girl.  

Hollywood's Into You.

This book is just so poignant.  It resonated with me like the Bible does.  He really, just wasn't that into me.  None of them were.  We went and saw the movie when Andrea was here.  For those of you whom are planning to see it, stop reading and come back.  I have no regard for the sanctity of manners when it comes to not ruining movies.  

The book is a somewhat bitter diatribe of a male/female duo who are sick and tired of hearing their friends, daughters, nieces, cousins, coworkers, etc make lame and pathetic excuses for the men they are seeing (ahem, stalking?) as to why they aren't ensconced in relational bliss yet.  They realized that these men are not scared, busy, or not ready.  They're just not that into these women.  So they compiled guidelines, added real stories from their friends, and wrote a book.  A lame-guy excuse debunk-er, if you will.  If he wants to call, HE WILL CALL.  I see it everyday.  Perfectly lovely and deserving girls who are just baffled by the brush off, or forgive when they really should just forget.  

The following conversation actually happened to me.  My friend was left at the altar.  This man/monstrocity, after a few months decided he wanted her back.  I was appalled at her mere consideration of this scenario:

 her: "well, he really wants to be a good person, but he has a hard time doing it."  

WHAT?! 

 As I told my friend, "I may want to be a turtle, but I'm not.  No male turtle cares that I want to be a turtle, no matter how hard of a time I'm having with it."

I love this book.  Must read for anyone who breathes.  

I was disappointed, at first, to see that the movie brought a softer interpretation.  The painfully overeager girl, turned out to be the exception of the brush off, not the rule.  The book teaches to not expect to be the exception, because you're likely not.  Harsh, but oh so true.  The woman who can't get her seven year boyfriend to marry her ends up with a doorknob on her finger.  I was a little annoyed.  Once again, Hollyweird skews the story to be ideal.  the eternal fairytale. Urgh.  

However, upon further reflection, I let go of my unforgiving review and realized that it was just fine.   Because the thing about guidelines is that they're just that, they can't be the final say.  The writers of the book can't account for gut feelings, relationship ties, and the complications of life.  So fine, sell the fairytale.  Some girl has read the book and is still waiting by the phone anyway.  As long as that girl ain't me, I can indulge in the smush.     

The Other is Gold.

This is my friend Andrea.  She and I have known each other since the fall of fourth grade.  We were basically forced upon each other by our fathers, who both worked for the same company and became buds.  We didn't really like each other at first.  I thought she was too quiet and kind of a nerd; she thought I was wild and crazy.  We hated each other's outfits.  By the first week of being in school together, we were inseparable.  She is my oldest friend.  We have known each other through shared crushes, the one big awkward that is puberty, high school boyfriends, unfair parents, driver's licenses, sneaking out of the house, and our first real love: dr pepper lipsmackers.  She came for the weekend to recall what sun feels like, as she has been deprived of it in dreary Seattle since September.  I dragged her ass up Squaw Peak, we layed in the sun, danced on the platform at one of Scottsdale's many pretentious nightclubs, rummaged PHX's retail offerings, and admired the local foliage.  What I love about old friends is the lack of explanation required.  She knows it all.  Whenever we get to see each other, we momentarily revert back to the 12 year olds at Greenacres Jr High.  The only difference is before, we were gasping and laughing about zits, our love "fire", and whether she was old enough to shave her legs.  Now, we laugh and gasp about careers, marriage, and the impending doom of adulthood.  As long as we are gasping and laughing, I find joy in it all.  

GTO.

this little bunny has ruined me for all men.  i will never find a man whom i like more than he. 

LOOK.

This is my goddaughter, Samantha Louise.  She is 37.5 weeks cooked in the belly.  We got this little treasure via 3D ultrasound last weekend.  I am in love.  

Encouraging venous return

starting jan 16th and ending jan 27th, i'll have worked ten 12 hr shifts in 12 days.  yikes.  i'm hoping i don't come out with cankles.  think that's how hillary got em?  there are 52 little bunnies admitted into the 60 bed unit at MIHS.  sheeeeesh.  i've been running my tail off and having multiple hot flashes an hour at the overcrowded nurses station.  we are running out of supplies and completely out of furniture.  i caught a poor dad today feeding his baby while sitting on a commode because there weren't any chairs left.  bless his heart.  so begins the marathon that this the next three weeks!  lots of work and lots of play.  candie and gunner are goin to yuma, andrea's coming to play in the sun, and i'm going to the 'kane for a week over the St Val's weekend.  SAMMY IS SO CLOSE.  hang in there baby girl. 

love love love.

This Day.

I'm happy that this day has come

No one man can be the change alone.  

All hands in, right?

Ugliness aside, let's focus on the task at hand.

God is the bigger than the boogeyman. Obama or Nobama.

Underneath it all, we still share the same ideals for this place.  

Reform health care, build the middle class, protect our citizens.

Americans need to learn some hard lessons about money, relationships, and integrity. 

This nation will not be turned in one or two terms.  

It took a long time for America to get here, sit tight.  

One nation, under God.

New beginnings.  

addendum: I must know where that adorable Malia got that cerulean blue coat.  

PeePants (hecho en mexico)

*This is only really a pile of rocks.  But we were at the the top nonetheless.  

Another six days in Yumer for me.  Bonus: this trip included one epic Gma, one Reba and one new nickname from Uncle Hank (I didn't even have to pee my pants to earn it).  We had a blast.  We headed north into the desert for a few days and had some fun acting up and tearing up the terrain in four wheelers.  I decided I really don't think cactus are pretty.  They look like earth tumors.  

We also went to Mexico for some flippin awesome fish tacos, pharmaceuticals, and useless paraphenalia that was likely made by starving children in dark huts.  I bought a slingshot.  I like all of these

 people. 

Embarrassingly enough, I admit to wearing this outfit a lot.  You can't tell, but this line was literally, literally over half a mile long.  We stood in it for two hours waiting to get back into the US.  Phew.  Ever the faithful tourists, we deemed it sacrilegious to go to Mexico without having a large Marg.  Uncle Hank really likes them:)Sittin around in shorts, playing cards and shielding ourselves from the sun.  Makes it hard to squawk about much in my life.  This pic should be in a girl power magazine.  Little did we know that in a few days Aunt Terry, Tammy and I would be referred to as 'charlie's angels' by the street vendors in Mexico.  That one was funny.  The others were annoying.   She's about to holler in my ear: "hang on, i totally wanna throw some sand around." My reply? "Get it, girl".

Grandpa thinks that when we get together, our brains fall out.  Do we really look like that much trouble?  We're a bucket of fun.  

PS-4 weeks to SAMMY's inauguration.  Everything should be fine, but Terry Lynn's having some high blood pressure.  Pray for resilience and a chance to relax a little before my goddaughter shows up.  If I have any kind of influence, she likely to do some throwing around of sand herself once she gets here:)

King of the Mountain....

i recently got some new gear

so i went up the mountain, no fear. 

but on the way down,

while clowning around,

i ended up flat on my rear.

My friend Megan was in town this weekend for a wedding, so i capitalized on a willing volunteer and we trekked the 1.3 miles up Camelback Mountain.  It's the highest point in Phoenix, and provides stellar views.  

The hike was pretty great, my stubby little body had fun crawling all over the red rocks.  It gets kind of intense at some points, though and requires finesse to get up over the big ones.  I was really looking forward to a particular section on the way down where you have the chance to rappel backwards using a guardrail.  ugh, i didnt get the chance.  On our way down, we were about 100 feet from the summit when I got silly.  I started getting overexcited and leaping from rock to rock.  I landed on some slippery pebbles and twisted my ankle.  DANG IT.  We had such a long way to go.  I ended up taking just as long to descend as to climb, and had to gingerly step.....all the way down the mountain.  

Was still worth it, i'm already planning my next trip up there.  

Moral of the story: she who jumps rocks rides on her butt the rest of the way down (howling internally!).