Good Luck Craig and Karen!

We wish Craig and his wonderful girlfriend Karen luck as they start their new chapter in their lives! With joy and sadness do we say goodbye to them as Craig moves across country! Here's to a safe trip! Good Luck, Karen (he, he). No! We will miss "Uncle" Craig! All the best!!!!

Getting There

Wow, lots of things happening in our lives! The kids are busy with activities and their friends any given day of the week. And for the BIG news! My parents bought a house in our neighborhood and will be moving to Arizona permanently her soon! My sister and her family to follow also! So think sell quick with the houses!!!!

Will post more later...got to up load some pictures.....

Dancing (Machine) Girl!!!

Here is our cutest little girl! She wanted to try out a dance class so one night a week we go to tap, jazz, and ballet class!

I think she digs the outfit and shoes the best!

Caffiene

Today is Kellie's 40th birthday, so in the words of my good friend Frosty the Snowman, "Happy Birthday!" Make sure to wish her a happy birthday.

Okay, onto the good stuff. Okay, so diabetes runs in my family and since I now weigh the heaviest that I ever have in my life, I need to do something before I get diagnosed (with me, I am going with it is a matter of when and not if). Anyway, I am not doing anything drastic just yet, just cutting back, trying to eat a little healthier and less (focusing on the less). Anyway, I drink a lot of soda. Today, I had maybe half a can and was real lethargic at work. It will go away. After work, I went to AJ's for some tea. I think that will be my Starbucks. Mmmmm, tea. I now feel revitalized and ready for class tonight (3 1/2 hours on Environmental Management). I know what you are saying, but trust me, it really isn't that bad. I am going to drop my cultural class. I just can't manage 4 classes and working full time. Why can't I just pick the winning numbers and then I can take all the classes I want?

Another beagle to the family

For those that missed it, please check out azbeaglerescue.com. Once the AP picked up the story, a bunch of news channels did stories yesterday. I saw three of them and although I don't watch News Channel 3 very often, they did the best story (I may have to watch them more often). Make sure to watch the full 12 minutes of the story on the link. I am surprised about how few people know about puppy mills.

Oh, back to the headline. No, it is not us getting another beagle, yet. My sister has been volunteering daily over there and is bringing one of the beagles home with her tomorrow. Apparently, she is very skittish and it will take a while for her to come out of her shell (the dog, not my sister). She (again, the dog) would not do well at our house with our active beagles but is great for my sister and her "pack."

Kellie and I are talking about fostering. Two things get in the way. 1) I would like a little older dog (puppies are a lot of work) and Kellie wants a puppy (did I say puppies are a lot of work?) so we can't agree there and 2) once we take the beagle in, I don't think we can part with him/her. It will be interesting to see what happens with my sister and the new beagle (Hera - I think).

Homer Jay found a scorpion the other night. I say night but it was really 1 am. It was on the large side and on the fence. One thing that few people realize is that dogs don't see "things" really until they are moving. So, while I had the flashlight on him, Homer was sniffing everywhere but where he was, until it moved, then he would bark at it. After about 10 minutes, I gave up on the fun and drug Homer in by the collar (at least he came willingly). For those of you that don't know, scorpions are indigineous to this area. I have only found maybe 2 in the house in all the time that we have lived here and for the most part, we leave each other alone and everyone is happy. Except for Homer. Oh, I let the scorpion live. Since it wasn't in the house, I called it no harm, no foul.

Please don't let this discourage any of you from moving out here. It is absolutely beautiful. To prove it, log into http://www.arizonahighways.com/ and check out the photo contest. One of our friends have entered a picture and I will sometime this week, if they allow it. Yes, it is Arizona Scenery, no there is no nudity. I will let y'all know when I post.

And I will keep everyone posted on the beagle front.

"I demand a recount!'

Ryan was not successful in his bid for classroom representative and he demands a recount. I don't think that he got it but that is okay. He plans to try again next year.

I am sincerely hoping that this will be the last time that I hear the word "recount" this election season. Personally, the election process has gone on too long. A lot of people would like to have a box for "neither" on the ballot and to be honest, either candidate has got to be better than who is currently in office so either one would be an improvement.

Goes way too fast!!!

Why is it when Grandparents come to visit that the trip goes so fast! We enjoyed "memaw and Pappy's" visit this past week and before we knew it a week was up and they needed to head back to Indiana. :(

While they were here we went to the Science Museum (kids loved it and us Adults were exhausted after it!), Dippin' Dots and to top it off it was Grandma and Grandpa's 41st Wedding Anniversary! Wow!

Now if we can only get them to come out here for longer periods of time, or heck just move here!

Superpowers

If you could pick any superpower to be yours, what would it be? As a child, my first pick would be to fly. Eventually, as I grew older, it moved to invisibility (boy, wouldn’t that be fun to see what people are like when they don’t know that anyone is watching them), mental telepathy (obey my command!) and also reading peoples minds. I eventually grew out of those ideas and decided that having a superpower would be too much work and too much responsibility. I guess maybe if you could turn it off when you want but that is never how it works, does it?

It is funny how life works, constantly a mystery unfolding before us. I managed to read two books “for fun” recently (sadly, I am not reading anything but school books right now). The first one is by Stephanie Meyer called “The Host.” I strongly encourage everyone to read it. Not a lot of action but a very good read. I also just finished a book that I started last January, “Duma Key” by Stephen King. How are these books related, you ask? Both have an underlying aspect to it. In “The Host”, there is no more disease. Our bodies just die due to old age (or accidents). In “Duma Key,” the protagonist is able to cure a friend by drawing the friend as being healthy.

This leads me to my current superpower desire and that would be the ability to cure people. I haven’t completely thought it through to figure out the downsides to it but the positives would have to outweigh the negatives, wouldn’t it? We all have current ailments and we all know people that are currently having medical issues. How would it be to have the ability to take away their illness, especially those that we know are most serious. I don’t want the fame or the possible financial gain from it because that would take away from it, taint it. I would just like to do it to end the suffering that people go through, both the individual and the family and friends.

This has really come to mind since a co-worker was diagnosed this past Christmas with Esophageal Cancer and recently passed away. This was truly an individual that nobody had anything but good things to say about them (and we all know individuals that fit in that category and to be honest, when it is my time to go, should that be what people have to say about me, then I will consider my life as being a success). In addition, as we all are getting older, certain maladies (is that right?) are appearing in our family and friends and how good would it be to be able to take away that worry and suffering.

As frequently happens in my life, especially when most needed, church has had something relevant come out to me. This past week, the discussion came around to suffering and how suffering is needed for everyone else. Essentially, a direct correlation to Jesus suffering for us so we can be given eternal life in the everafter. That concept I can understand but us individuals as having to suffer for others, I am having trouble grasping. I haven’t decided whether I agree or disagree with it yet so I am praying on it. I actually look forward to further discussion on this particular topic.

Update on all that is going on here

Ryan is running for class representative for student council for his class. We had to do a speech for him to give tomorrow to his class (lots of things we could have put in there, ranging from free Pokemon cards for everyone to just about anything political in today's news - you pick).

Also, the kids have figured out that their grandparents are leaving tomorrow. Both are near hysterics. And now I have a headache and I have homework to do.

Just spoke to my sister (beagle lover, and the reason that I have 2 beagles). Apparently, Arizona Beagle Rescue (http://www.azbeaglerescue.com/) just got 28 beagles from a puppy mill that was in the process of being shut down in Missouri. None of them had been out of cages until now. They are now in Avondale receiving a lot of love and attention and the needed medical care that they so desperately need. Please check out the website and at least look at the pictures. If you can help (donate time, money or foster or possibly fill your house with the love of a beagle), it appears that they need whatever you could do.

Motivation makes the world go around!

These are the "motivational" items that our children can receive each day at school. Some a penguin bucks, bunny bucks or mickey bucks. Also there are Taylor Tickets that you can get and are used the same as bucks! The bucks are awarded for good behavior, homework being done, etc. Then you can "shop" in the classroom store and buy all kinds of good stuff!