quote for the day

Life is Too Short!
Break the Rules, Forgive Quickly.
Kiss Slowly, Love Truly.
Laugh Uncontrollably.
And NEVER Regret Anything
That Made You Smile.
Life May Not Be the Party
We Hoped For,
But While We're Here
We Should Dance.....

my new side kick...

have you ever had someone come into your life (uninvited, of course) and kind of shimmy right into your happenings, whether you wanted them to or not? you really don't want to take them anywhere with you, but you've been "SENTENCED", and told that it would be for your best, if you drag them with you everywhere you go. so you give in and take them with you (even to alaska). and then they whine, because they always have to have a certain "specific" something. so, you go to, and scan a store (you've never stepped foot in before and know where NOTHING is), and can't find it, but you can't leave without it. WHAT A PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE! whine! whine! whine! then when you finally find it, and buy it for them, they keep you awake all night singing and annoying you any and every way they can! but the best is, that they then turn around and tattle on you if you don't do everything just right!
well... let me introduce you to "WILMA".
after i had the PFO closure, i was told i had 'sleep apnea'. i had a couple of sleep studies done, then was 'kindly' introduce to the annoying "WHINING WILMA"! she's NOT that cute (not to mention, she does absolutely NOTHING to enhance MY appearance {just ask don})! she is a royal pain! and... i even had to drag her all the way to alalska with us. (don was a good sport to have a threesome along, and also to have had to haul her all over in the airports). she HAS to have distilled water and we had to look forever before finally finding it in the store in ak.
that first night in ak., i took an ambien, before we went to bed, because we had to get up way early the next morning (and... to be honest, i have a really hard time sharing my pillow with her)! after about an hour of sleep, i woke up to her annoying singing and whistling. there was sooo much moisture in the air, that i had to turn her humidifier waaay down. but it was too late, there was already a river of water in her hose, and she was seriously, drowning me! and... she just wouldn't stop the singing (let me tell you... she does not have that great of voice! especially at that time of the morning!) finally... about 2:15 a.m., i was so, so sick of her! i took off the mask, and literally threw her on the floor! (nice friend, huh!?)
now the killer is ~ she is a little tattle tale! and every time i go back into the doctor, he takes the little computer card out of her back side to download it into my chart, and she TELLS him EVERY single time i misused (or didn't use) her! BUMMER!
i am honestly trying to accept her as part of my life, but i still, reaaally , reaaally, just DON'T like her much at all. (i'd post a picture, but then none of you would like her either!)

HORRORMONE SCREAM !!!

any one that knows me, knows that i LOVE to be warm! I love it when it's 95 to 100 outside. i love to go set out on the patio and just let the sun beat on me. but lately.... one minute i'm freezing to death (yes! even in the middle of the summer ~ if you have ever been in our house you know what i'm talking about), and the next minute, i think my skin is going to melt off! don doesn't know what to do with me. it all started when we were in alaska. we were driving down to 'homer', and we were having this little heated "discussion" about having the air conditioner turned up so high. so he nicely turned it down. i swear, that within five minutes, i was turning it back up on high and opening the windows. i thought i was going to suffocate! and he thought i was loosing it! (not the first time and probably not the last). ever since then, i can be perfectly comfortable (as long as i am warm), then all of the sudden ~ in a blast, the heat turns on and i feel like my skin is melting right off my body (only if it would!). it takes me a little while to cool my thermostat down, then i can be comfortable again.
now i know what women are talking about when they mention HOT FLASHES!!! (i think i would just assume NOT know).
soooo... if you run into some nice old lady who is having HOT FLASHES,
please be nice to her and get out of her way!!!:)

lions and tigers and bears...

okay... maybe NOT lions and tigers, but the bears were for real!

this past weekend, we took a little "family" jaunt to 'island park', just out of yellowstone. instead of staying in a motel, we opted to rent a cabin that we could all stay in together... {you know... the family that plays together, stays together??? (anyway, that's the hope of the mom and dad)}.

this is the cabin we rented

(moose creek lodge)

gramma, siona and kendyl, putting together a 'princess' puzzle.

isley... once again, being mauled.
(she'll be glad when haley has her baby!)

playing games until all hours of the night.

karaoke competition.


who can go to "yellowstone" without going to "old faithful"
gramma, isley and kendyl and tiff with ibert and kj.

elk

'ibert' with his trusy "noclers".

he even had to sleep with them. but he has them turned around, and no one could talk him into looking thru them the right way.

of course, we had to sit and look at this buck for quite sometime
(like we've NEVER seen a buck before!)

we stopped and had lunch in the park.
and let the kids run for a while.

kendyl, siona, and ibert
having fun being together.
(notice the 'noclers' around ibert's neck, and the death grip he has on them.)

i guess we saw some 'monkeys' too!
kamryn and siona thought it was fun doing back bends over the logs.

under this little warming shack, was a grundle of potguts.

the kids (and papa) had sunflower seeds that they were feeding them.
first just one came out. he went back in and then two came out. they went back in, and gathered up the whole crew to come out for lunch.
this was probably one of the biggest highlights of the park for the kids.
they could have stayed there all day, feeding these little fellers.

hunter, trying to make friends.

heyyyy... where did you go?!

buffalo, so close we could kiss them!

artist point
(isn't this a gorgeous picture!)


ibert and hunter playing "who's the quickest" with papa


highlight of our mornings! when the grandkids would come and climb in bed with us.
(you can't see donnie in this picture, because kendyl is sitting on top of him).

we saw this this mama bear, just about as close as we wanted to!
she had two cubs with her.

ibert was DONE! two long days in the car was about as much as the kids could take.
not counting the ride up and then having to drive home on sunday.

we spent two whole days driving thru the park. the kids were so good. in all, we saw 7 bear, deer, elk, wolves, a fox, an eagle, and buffalo. no moose this time. but the scenery was awesome!

we played games into the night and some even ventured out into the hot tub. it was cool and rainy, but beautiful! oh and how could i forget...TERIBITHIA?!!

kj, kamryn, siona and hunter

(kamryn couldn't wait to take them to see teribithia!)

here they are! at TERIBITHIA!???

we had a great time and hope to make this a tradition of a yearly family 'bonding' experience.