A future bike rider?

This past year a co-worker of moms (who gave Logan a lot of his clothes and toys) gave Logan a bike.  And since the weather is getting better we decided to get it out for him. Mom (for Easter) gave him his helmet (a hot wheels one) and his gloves, elbow pads, knee pads and training wheels. I put it all on him while Herbie tightened the bolts on the training wheels.

Since I took a full shot of him in his gear he wanted me to take a photo of each piece of his gear :)

Then while waiting for Herbie to fix the bike Logan decided to do what he does best.....Golf.

And here he is riding his bike....although it lasted only about 10 minutes he had fun while he was trying to ride it. Unforunately the bearing on it went out and so we are going to have to find the part for it and so we think that is the reason he couldn't go so far with it.

30 years ago today.

30 years ago today at this exact time (9:56am pacific time) my mom gave birth to me. I don't know my weight or length but from what i'm told my birth took awhile as the doctor "couldn't find me" nor could they find the anesthesiologist. With going through labor myself and feeling that pain that can't be described until you go through it yourself, I am in awe of my mom who went through it without any pain medication.

On this day 30 years ago:

J.R. on the T.V. show Dallas was shot.

Bread: $0.51/loaf  (@ walmart the bread is close to $3 -- although at Grocery Outlet I can get Sara Lee bread for 99cents)
Milk: $1.60/gal (last time I bought milk it was 2.50)
Eggs: $1.33/doz (last time I bought eggs it was about $2)
Car: $7,574 (sad that after 3 years of having our car we finally have it BELOW this...)
Gas: $1.22/gal (it really hits home when I see this number....just got gas yesterday and it was 2.90)

House: $76,400 (aren't we back to this # for some homes??)

Stamp: $0.15/ea (42cents now right?)

Avg Income: $23,974/yr (isn't this now in the low income category?)

Min Wage: $3.10/hr  (I believe now its about $8 ?)

DOW Avg: 964 (its a lot higher then this now!)

This is me on my first birthday. The all important one. As you can see I liked cake back then too...and I wanted to offer it to anyone who was around. In the background is my big brother Chris.

This is me excited in my new room. This would be my room for the next 17 years (I was 3). Why did I put this picture here? Well this was a big day for us. We were moving into our own home. Mom and Dad didn't have to worry about rent anymore....just a mortgage. So many memories i've had and now Logan has claimed this room as his own (wait scratch that...we changed it without him having a say at all except for his pillowcase.)

From that picture in 1983 to this picture in 1998 so many things happened. I lost a grandmother, gained 4 more years of education, lost my heart, gained my heart back but mostly in pieces, and made some wonderful, life changing friends who, without them I wouldn't be who I am today. I learned that I needed to do what was right for me and not get walked on. At the age of 18 I thought of the age of 30 as so far off. I had YEARS before I would turn 30 and now as 30 is knocking on the door it seems like just yesterday I was posing for this picture.

Then 1999 came. I think this was the worst and absolute best year of my life. I gained the man of my dreams who took my heart that I had in pieces and put it together again. He held on tight because only a few months into our relationship it broke....again....with the sudden death of my dad. I couldn't function. I had to be strong for my mom but Herbie let me fall to pieces with him. A short time later I lost my other grandmother. This time it was nature taking its course.

After all this and we were finally on the mend or at least getting there Herbie proposed. I remember that night vividly. He walked around the truck to get my present and came back shaking nervously. He told me he wasn't cold but it shocked me because I didn't know what was going on and he was shaking bad. He handed me one flower ring and instantly told me to close my eyes. I felt the air shift around me and he told me to open my eyes and he was down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. oh how elated i was. I asked him right then. WHEN? I was ready.

We got married on August 12, 2000. It was a HOT day but I barely remember the heat...mostly jealous of all the people who got to change into comfortable clothes while I was still in my dress. BUT if I had changed I wouldn't have this picture to love:

After we got married we stayed in the house I grew up in....we just switched rooms with my mom until 2002 where we had a brief time of living in an apartment. We came back when rent got too high. I transfered from Yuba College and started attending Chico State. In December 2004 I graduated with a B.A. in Liberal Studies. I loved college but I just had one goal in mind. A teaching credential. In January of 2005 I started Chapman University and got my Pre-credential in January of 2006. I felt very accomplished. I subbed a lot and got a teaching position for the 2006/2007 school year as a temporary teacher.  I was on my way to get my FULL credential. I then found out on February 9th 2007 that I was pregnant. I was in complete and utter shock as we had been trying for 5 years with no success. I did not think the bloodwork was going to come out positive. Also in 2007 I lost the only grandfather I ever knew (my dad's dad died before Chris was born) And with the job I had until now I have tried with no success to get another job to get my last year done (you have to have 2 years of teaching and going through the BTSA program to get a clear (full) credential here in california). Now with this economy I don't see it happening. But I know teaching is what I am meant to do. I love it, I just want the chance to be able to do it.

ok I am getting off track. I am nervous about turning 30 but as a wise woman told me this week (thank you Heather): You're joining the 30 club - it's not bad. You'll get wiser. I like my 30's much more than my 20's. 20's, you think you know it all, but 30's you realize you didn't and still don't - AND it's ok.  I like knowing that I don't have to have it all figured out, that it is in God's time for things to happen and not mine, and that its ok.

 

I think I am going to enjoy my 30's. I have a wonderful husband, a cute and always suprising 2 1/2 year old, a loving family and a great support system of friends, why wouldn't I enjoy my 30's?

 

My Favorite Time of Year!

This time of year is my favorite. It's not too cold and it's not to hot. It's absolutely perfect. There are days with rain and days with the warm sun. I love how everything is green and so fresh and new. I couldn't be happier. This is also the time of year that I look forward to. You see 10 years ago my mom planted these beautiful daisies in our yard for our wedding. We had the reception next door at my Aunt and Uncle's house but since people would be seeing our front yard too she wanted it to be nice. Since daisies are my favorite flower we planted them. These daisies have come back every year and we have even transplanted them in different places in the yard.

In the past 3 or 4 years I have also planted Tulips. They are my second favorite. We crossed our fingers the second year to see if they would come back and they did. I then got some more bulbs and planted them in the corner of our yard and they have come back like wildfire. They are absolutely beautiful in all different colors but purple seems to be dominiating it right now. Here is a picture of the most recent tulip to bloom and to really open up.

Isn't it gorgeous??

It is also the time of year that Logan and I can come outside and get some fresh air and Vitamin D. He loves being outside and would play there all the time if we let him. In this picture he is digging with his new shovels. He is definitely enjoying himself completely. :)  This boy will golf, play basketball, dig, play in the water, and draw with chalk and that's in the first 10 minutes of being outside. I love having a child that loves the outdoors as much as I do. I hope this continues as he grows.

Circle of Life.

As many of you know we live with my mom in the house I grew up in. It is wonderful having the land so that Logan can grow up knowing what its like to have animals. The only problem is that we have to talk somewhat about the Circle of Life. Also as many of you know my mom grew up on a Dairy farm. She loves cows. Well since cows are pretty much expensive she settled with having Goats. About 13 years ago (or more) my parents were given the opportunity by my cousin to come down and get two of their goats. This became a love affair between my mom and Blackie (he's the one on the right). He was there for her when she just needed to cry after my dad died, he was there to talk to her (yes he grunted and told her off many times), and was basically there to be our garbage disposal. Granted everything I knew about goats was that they would eat anything. Nope, come to find out (well at least blackie) we got the picky goat. He would not eat clothes, metal etc. He did love any fruit, veggie, tree leaves, etc that we brought out. The one thing that cracked me up (and still shocks people when I tell them) was that he loved cardboard, but most of all he loved the tape that came on the box. What an odd goat huh?

We had another goat Matilda but she was killed by our neighbors dog. We then got two more goats from the same cousin and they since have passed also from dibilitating diseases. We never thought that Blackie would outlive them but he did.

About two years ago a lady at mom's work (who raises goats) had brought these two twins to work with her so that she could bottle feed them and guess who fell deep in love with them? yup you guessed it my mom. For about 6 months they were the babies, AND then the lady brought another baby who she thought wasn't going to make it to work to bottle feed too. He was a red colored goat (more of a rust color) and mom again fell in love. She was given him too.

They have been apart of our lives for a long time. Logan doesn't know any different. Then last week when my mom went out to feed the goats Blackie wasn't doing well. He wasn't doing well at all. We thought in the next couple of days he maybe gone. A couple of days went by and mom went out to feed the goats again and found Penelope (the one on the left in the picture) gone. We still don't know what happened to her. It was heartbreaking.

Today mom went out to check on Blackie again and he was gone. Even though he was an animal he was still apart of our family. I am glad that he's not suffering anymore. He is up there with my dad looking down...this I know. :)