The Little Things

Sweet Molly

It's been over 2 months since I posted anything to this site. I guess I kept waiting for something big to happen so I would have something good to post. Here's the thing, I haven't had anything big, but I have had a lot of little things that make me feel blessed and it's time to share.


In the past couple of months I've celebrated a birthday of my own, celebrated birthdays with friends, went to Disneyland twice, attended Godchicks for the 3rd year in a row, saw several great movies, got a fancy new chair, worked a bunch of overtime, made a lot of money, spent a lot of money, got promoted, kept up with the stories of two of my friends who are going through the process to adopt a child, watched another friend's son graduate from highschool and am watching her emotional sendoff of him to college, and got some tough news about my sweet dog.

This year, I turned 31. Turning 31 wasn't all that great, especially if you have to do stuff you don't want to do, like work. It wasn't a great birthday, but I made up for it by celebrating with my sister and friends later in the week and buying myself some cowboy boots and a Wii and Wii Fit.

Work was really busy the last couple of months. We supported the Israelis as they tried to launch one of their missiles. Unfortunately, the launch didn't happen, but I'm sure they learned a lot and they'll try again soon. Fortunately for us, we all made a lot of money. Unfortunately for me, I've spent most of it on vet bills (more on that later). I also got a promotion, sorta. I'm now the "Section Head" at work. That means I'm the boss of all the guys at work - the only female and the youngest. I say sorta, because I had to take a paycut to do it, but it should be worth it in the end.

This past week, I had the pleasure of spending Krystal's Birthday with her and Nikki's Birthday with her, both at Disneyland! I got to go to Disneyland twice and spend time with 2 of my best friends!

Krystal and me

Nikki and me

I went to Godchicks this year for the 3rd year in a row. I took Nikki and her daughter Chloe and they enjoyed it. The highlight for me was a woman from the Prison Entrepreneur Program. She was my age and she was so inspirational with what she had done to make a difference in people's lives that have been forgotten and looked over.

I've seen several good movies this summer. The best by far was UP. What a sweet love story and what a great cartoon for kids and adults. If you haven't seen it, just go! I got to see it at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood too, which was very fun!

I got a new chair. I went bold and went with Red! It is a swivel/glider/rocker/recliner and I love it!

My red chair!

I have a couple friends who are going through the process to adopt children. One couple is staying local and one couple is on the waiting list for a child from South Korea. It is so exciting to hear their progress of enlarging their families! I think what they are doing is absolutely God's calling and I am so happy for them!

And as some friends begin their journey with children, one friend is saying goodbye to hers as he goes away to college. It's been an emotional time for her and her family, but it is a great opportunity and I'm sure the whole family will see it as a good thing eventually!

And last is some sad news. My beloved dog, Molly, is sick. Her kidneys are failing and I don't know how much longer I'll have her. She still seems happy and you really wouldn't know she is sick, but the doc says her numbers aren't good. I'm praying for peace and strength and that she won't suffer. I don't want to think of the day when I have to say goodbye. So for now, I'm not going to. I'm just going to love on her and know that God is in control!

So that's it. That's pretty much been my life for the summer. Like I said, nothing big, but it's my life and it's been a blessing!

Fun weekend!

I had a great weekend! My friend Nikki had another friend in town and she wanted to show her some sights so on Friday, we headed down to the Santa Monica Pier. It was cloudy and chilly, but it was fun anyway. We played on the ring-swings, got a funnel cake, got frozen yogurt, saw Gary Busey, saw the 3rd Street Promenade and walked and walked.

Chloe, Lori, Nikki, me, Melissa

Saturday, I woke up to a squirrel in my atrium, helping himself to some sunflower seeds from the birdseed that I put out. He was pretty cool. He had a big bushy tail and was a lot bigger than the ones I used to see in the desert growing up. Later that morning, I helped a friend with an estate sale. She did pretty good for not having it advertised in the paper (she tried, they messed up). Then, I went with my sister to "Bufest" at the Paramount Ranch because her company had a booth and she had to sit there for 3 hours and didn't want to sit by herself. It was supposed to be some "green" fair thing where different bands played. It was pretty much a bust, but we saw some interesting people and it kept us entertained. The Paramount Ranch was neat. I wonder how many movies I've seen with it as a backdrop???

My squirrel!

Sunday morning was church. Then it was off to Hollywood with my sister and friends, Nikki, her daughter Chloe, Shandra, her daughter Mary and Nikki's friend Lori. We saw lots more weirdos down there, but it was fun anyway. We walked the Walk of Fame and drove through Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive before coming home.

Last weekend, I went to my church's women's retreat. It was also called Daughters of the King, which seems to be the theme of my retreats this year so far. I'm headed to Godchicks at the end of the month, and I'm so excited for that!

And last, but certainly not least, Molly is feeling great lately. She had a pretty good report from the doctor about her kidneys (which he thought were having problems). She is really enjoying her yard and she has rediscovered toys. Her latest favorite is her moose! Who says an old blind dog can't learn new tricks?

Geez, has it been almost a month already???

Sorry for not keeping up with this blog much lately. I guess I've been too busy posting stuff to Facebook. Well, here goes...

I finished my NTSB class and really enjoyed it all. The last week was as interesting as the first, and we even had a mock investigation to do. I hope I can take more classes like this in the future and I'm even keeping working for the NTSB as an option for later in life.

Two weekends ago, my friend Nikki decided to have a Rock Band party at her house. We had an awesome time and we got some hilarious pictures and videos. Then last weekend, we did it again. Only this time, it was a party for our friend Shandra, who is leaving soon, and we dressed in 80's garb. Hilarious! That's all I have to say! You wouldn't even recognize me...thank goodness.

The 80's Party! That's me on the right in the pink!

The same weekend was Mother's Day and Grandpa's 95th Birthday on May 7th. My parents flew down from Idaho and my aunt and grandpa drove in from Vegas. We had a wonderful time! The ladies got pedicures, the men napped, we all ate and it was so fun to see my parent's new puppy, Barnaby. He looks like a muppet, but an adorable one! It was a great visit!

Mother's Day dinner at my house!

Pedicures!

Barnaby!

One week down, One to go!

I just finished my first week of Aviation Accident Investigation with the NTSB. It has been a really interesting class with fascinating instructors and some intense scenes of what happens in an aircraft accident. Our instructors are all people who are the best at what they do. They're the ones who are part of the "Go Team" that deploys to major accidents. The are specialists in their fields and I would want them around if something bad happened.

There are a lot of interesting people in my class too. There are about 50 people from all over the world - some work for the government, some fly for corporate companies, some are instructors, some are military. It's pretty diverse, but we're all getting to know each other well since we're all trapped in an auditorium together for 2 weeks. I have been having lunch with fighter pilots, flight school instructors and a lady from Slovenia. What an experience.

There have been several "difficult" things we have seen or heard. We've heard air traffic control tapes, listening to pilots as they crashed. We've seen pictures of debris from fires, in-flight break-ups and "smoking holes" on the ground with not much left that resembles an aircraft. We've studied survival factors, cockpit voice recorders, and probably the eeriest thing we got to see was the wreckage/reconstruction of TWA 800. And that's just the first week. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity.

TWA 800 Reconstruction

This weekend, I get to see my good friend, Liz. I haven't seen her in years we're going to hang out in DC. Fun stuff!

Easter Blessings!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I went to my church's services last night and what a blessing! At the end, they did this thing where people gave their testimony on a piece of cardboard. On one side, it said what they were before, and on the other, it said what they are now because of Christ.

Some of them said things like -
"Drug Dealer" - "God is my provider."
"Self Centered" - "Christ Centered"
"Marriage Divided" - "Marriage saved by God's grace."
"Foster Child and My Birth Parents Didn't want me." - "Christ is my Father and Adopted and Loved."

That last one made us all cry. We were given a little brown piece of paper that looked like cardboard and one side said "Before," the other side said "After." I have been thinking about the things I would write on the before side - so many to chose from. But on the after, one word really says it all - Forgiven. Thank you Jesus! I love you!

NTSB Training

For the next two weeks, I get to take a course in Washington D.C. on Aircraft Accident Investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board Training Center. I have been interested in accident investigation since college (and even my senior year of highschool when I managed to get myself on the NTSB website) and when the chance to take this class came up, I jumped at the opportunity. I'll get to learn all kinds of stuff, like how to conduct an investigation, interview survivors, talk to the media and even look at case studies from real plane crashes. I'm also looking forward to spending 2 weeks in the DC area, sightseeing and seeing my friend Liz, who I haven't seen in a couple years. It should be a great trip! Please pray that it's a safe one for me since I'm going by myself. I'll have a report when I get back!

All Kinds of Good Stuff!

After a difficult week, I feel like I have a lot of good stuff to write about. First of all, I got a new camera, and so all of the following pictures were taken with my itty-bitty fancy-schmancy camera. I thought it was about time for a new one after 6 years. Woohoo Costco for having good deals! Anyway, that's just the start of the good stuff, and really, it's just a camera...in general, I'm doing well, taking care of myself and doing what I need to do to be healthy and have joy. Best of all, I'm letting God take control of my life and it feels good to let Him have it all.

On to the really good stuff - I had a really amazing weekend! I spent Saturday with two wonderful girlfriends, Heather and Kim. Heather and I met because she was my little sister, Erin's little sister, Michelle's Big Sister (got all that?). Anyway, she is a wonderful, amazing Sister in Christ and I hope to continue to get to know her and grow our friendship for a long time to come. Kim and I used to go to the same church and we've been growing our friendship for a while now. The 3 of us went to a Daughters of the King Conference. Sheri Rose Shepherd was the speaker, with a concert from Lisa Houston. What a blessing to experience what these women do best. Sheri Rose wowed us all with her story and her inspiration and her ability to help us let go of the lies about ourselves that we hang onto. Lisa wowed us with her voice and her ability to make the house party down! It was such a great day!

Heather, me, and Kim

Sunday, I got to teach the kids at church, which is always a blessing. Then I spent some time with my sister, helping her weed her rose garden and plant some plants in her flower beds. After we were sore and tired, we went to my friend Nikki's for some chicken enchiladas and Rock Band! It was only my second time playing, but what a hoot! Nikki showed us her singing skills, while her daughter, Chloe, rocked on the drums. Our friend Sheryl brought her game as well, singing and playing. Her little one, Amira, is such a sweet baby too and it was fun to see her new do!

Amira with her new do!

Molly has been on some new arthritis medicine and also some new natural pills. She has been feeling so good lately, that she's been getting into trouble (see several posts ago for her first bit of trouble). She has an automatic feeder, that gives her 3 meals a day. Well, apparently, she decided to make it a manual feeder and she helped herself to a lot, and I mean A LOT of food on Wednesday. She didn't feel very good after that. So Thursday, I taped her feeder shut. She was ok that day, but when I left that evening, she got into the dish again! And ate the rest of the food! So again, the next day, more tape destroyed, but she didn't get to the food because I caught her in time. Tape stuck in her feet, all over the floor...I thought she learned her lesson, but no. Then today, I did a trial run with the dish with just one meal in it for her lunch. I came home to an overturned dish, the batteries out of the dish, and a pretty chewed up dish. So much for that. She just won't get lunch anymore...oh well. I have to laugh at this whole thing, and actually, I'm just happy that she is feeling so good lately. It's nice to have a dog who feels good, even if she's like having a two year old around.

Molly's chewed up dish.

My parents are experiencing what it's like to have a puppy around lately too. Barnaby has lots of energy and he likes to chew everything, including them. Ha!

Anyway, time to go watch Big Bang Theory - one of the funniest shows ever! Oh and speaking of funny dog stories, Marley and Me comes out on DVD tomorrow!

Playing with the new camera, taking dog pictures! I love this one of Molly! Mulder and Scully are looking cute too!

All in all, good stuff!

Visit with Aunt Joyce and Grandpa

This weekend, my Aunt Joyce and Grandpa came to stay with me in my new house. They thought it was nice and really enjoyed themselves. They were able to each have a room, with Joyce staying in the office and Grandpa in the guest room. The train didn't even bother them. We went to the farmer's market in Camarillo, drove through Ojai, ate good food, went to church and were able to relax. We also kept checking in with my parents on their new addition to the family, Barnaby. We had a lovely visit! They left this morning and are back home in Vegas!

Barnaby News

No, I didn't spell that wrong...Barnaby with an "a" is the right spelling for this blog post. Here's the story.

Last Thursday, my parents lost their beloved dog, Elwood. He was about 14 years old and for those that knew him, knew he was one of a kind. He was such a fun puppy and quite the charmer. He also had my parents trained to do just about anything for him. He was a bit of a loner, but loved to be loved on when you would give him some attention. He liked to play and do his best pirate impression, "arrrr" -ing as you played with him. He chased the cat (who weighed more than him) and liked to go for rides into town with my parents. He was such a sweet dog.

When he died, it left a huge hole in the family. My parents said long ago that they wouldn't get another dog when Elwood died, but they just couldn't stand to not have a dog around. Their whole routine was messed up by not having a dog. My parents have had a dog with them since just after they got married back in 1972!

By Friday evening, they were looking at rescue dogs online and searching for someone to fill the void. They came across a rescue website out of Idaho called www.therightcarefordogs.com. There was Barnaby staring at them. He was a 6 month old English Sheepdog/Border Collie mix who had been treated poorly, but had thankfully been rescued. My parents thought the name was more than a coincidence and they decided to drive 2 hours on Saturday to Boise to look at him. They brought him home that day. Barnaby Barneby has instantly become part of my parents' lives. They say he is very mellow with one blue eye, one black eye, one white ear, one black ear and a very pink speckled nose. He already weighs 30 lbs and will most likely be a pretty big dog. He likes squeaky toys, rawhide chews, going for walks and they say he is very good boy so far...he is a 6 month old puppy you know....

Welcome Barnaby!

Looking very regal!
Already found the basket of toys!

Goodbye Woody (Elwood, Mr. Wood)! We miss you!

Who me?

This is what I came home to today. While I am glad Molly is feeling so well, I hope this doesn't become a habit! She is my own personal shredder, tearing up the stuff in the recycle bag! Of course, I'd rather a dog that is feeling well, than a dog who limps around, but still!

She just looks up and says, "Who me???? I'm too cute for that!"