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Dear George

Glad to know our disappointment in the current administration is shared by many... though I doubt the current administration bothers reading the views of my fellow citizens.

waiting for the bug man

We rushed home from Costco because I suddenly remembered the bug man was coming this afternoon. I said Yippee when we got home and saw he hadn't been yet, so I ran around the yard picking up Megan toys and dog chews and water bowls. Then I put away all the costco goodies. and now we wait. I know the dogs will go crazy when he arrives so starting the nap process is silly, but its already 2:30 if we don't get it going soon it's pointless. So we wait....

and How we need the bug man - the darn mosquitos are starting to invade. Megan is playing out back, waiting for the bug man so she can start her pooh and then take a nap.

:)

Crash tested

Last night Jack and I met Mel and stood in line for 2 hours, to see the preview of the movie Crash It was awesome. Really one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. Its a thought provoking look at race relations in America. I think everyone would benefit by watching it.

One

Read, watch, and if you agree sign.

From our awesome babysitter! Jeanetta or as Megan calls her Netta!

Counting down...

When you own a senior dog with a multitude of medical issues, like Sadie, you know its only a matter of time before you have to say goodbye. Each new change in behavior is like a trumpet signaling the end. Sadie is around 14 years old, she has pancreatic enzyme deficiency and is diabetic, she is almost completely blind. She has been fairly healthy otherwise, full of energy and life.

Last week Sadie didn't eat for 2 days - probably just a result of something she ate in the yard, but still it scared me. Her appetite is back now. We got her groomed on Saturday and she seemed to bounce back, but last night she again seemed slower, less excitable.

We're giving her lots of love & cuddles, And I know some of you are saying - she's just a dog... but she has been such a good friend and protector. She guarded Megan when she was a baby - would come and get me when she cried. She has since we got her, watched the house at night, checking on each of us and spending time in the front and out back. (this I figured out when I was pregnant and couldn't sleep). She really is a wonderful dog, who the following quote was written for:
"I hope to be the person, my dog thinks I am"

A little less stress in my life

Big most of my life, my size has been an issue for me off and on in the past, but I've been comfortable in my own skin for the last 10 years or so. Sure I'd love to continue to get healthy, but I really stopped beating myself up for being fat and have just worked on enjoying life. This after years of feeling awful for my weight and being so down on myself. From being a closet eater in highschool and then an overeater in college, I finally found peace with it all while we were living overseas. (ok this is alot more simplistic than the actual story but you get the idea.) But when the CDC comes out and says Obesity is the number 2 killer yada yada yada, suddenly i'm thinking about it again - more than I'd like but I can't seem to stop...

well....The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated today that packing on too many pounds accounts for 25,814 deaths a year in the United States. As recently as January, the CDC came up with an estimate 14 times higher: 365,000 deaths. 14 TIMES HIGHER THAN REALITY, Instead of being just behind cigarettes as the number 2 killer of us, its in reality number 7 behind car accidents and guns.

So much for progress in the War on Terror!

The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.

ignorance and hatred

Texas's new law preventing gay and lesbians from fostering is so full of ignorance and hate. Kids in the system, who've never known a home are told that they can't be loved but this group of people, even if they are willing and able. There are way to many kids in the system who age outm never living in a home and feeling the love of a family.

Most child sexual assault is perpetrated by men who are heterosexual and do not find sex with other men at all attractive. Many child molesters abuse both boys and girls.
Source: Hunter, "Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse," 1990.

I am unfortunately not shocked because this ignorance is becoming the norm in our society and this hatred toward people for their sexual preference has become acceptable. This is just plan wrong.

Rosie says it better than I.

On a slighly side note - Bill Maher had a great line last friday on his show... something to the effect of ... if your against gay marriage than don't go - they don't want you there anyway. How true... If people aren't accepting of me for who I am than I don't really want them in my life... and certainly not at any of life's great events - like my wedding!

Fun with Oso

Oso comes in this morning after some very active squirrel chasing. I say to him "did you get the squirrel?" He bolts for the door and is gone another 10 mins. He comes back in tired and in need of a few zzz's and I say "did you get the squirrel?" He again bolts for the door and is gone. Back and forth we went for at least 2 hours of my entertainment. I finally made him come in so the poor Squirrel can come out of the tree and Oso will have something to actually chase.

Gas Prices

I just paid 2.529 for gas at Costco, not great but better than most places around here. I was amazed to pay over 2 a gallon in Texas, and Florida both.

Still in Australia we were paying close to 3.50 a gallon, but then we drove very little and relied heavily on the tram system.

Hey Heather - what are you guys paying for Gas in Hawaii? I think I'll add a side to my blog and update it each time I get gas with what I'm paying - it'll be down toward the bottom - as my side bar is getting very full.

WE'RE HOME!

HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME!

It really is sweet to be home!

A little blood and alot of fun...

Megan and I celebrated Justin's birthday with Justin and his family and friends at the zoo yesterday. We had a really wonderful time running around and seeing the Lions, Rhinos and Fish... There was the funny looking Okapi, and the collection of very large and very scary cockroaches. It was all a hoot, but as we were leaving the zoo, Megan fell and cut the back of her head. We spent about 10 mins in the guest relations while a paramedic checked her out, but it was soon obvious that while head wounds bleed alot this was really just a scrape. Megan was a trooper through out, letting them clean it.

We headed out then to Freebirds for some delicious lunch and icecream cake. Then it was a quiet afternoon playing with Megan's cousins and her cousins cousins, before dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. Megan was delighted with all the animals there and we made several trips around the restaurant to watch them all . Back to the hotel for a bath and to finally get all the blood off the back of her head and thanks to some peroxide out of her clothes. and then we both slept ... me 9 hour and Megan - who's still asleep is working on 12+ hours.

ok now i've seen it all

commercials for ringtones - come on - its a ringtone, spell check doesn't even know it.

Howdy from the lone star state.

Megan and I arrived in Houston yesterday evening. We had a lovely day, setting off early from grandpa's after giving him hugs and the dogs some love. We drove into Tampa and made it to the Aquarium with little trouble. We had a great time running around and looking at all the fish, turtles, alligators, and all the other swimming creatures they have on display. We played briefly in the water play area, and then headed over to Channelside for some Tapas. unfortunately it wasn't open for lunch, so we ended up at Bennigans.

After lunch we headed to the aiport which took all of 15 mins dispite my planning an hour for the journey. A sky cab helped me get my bags to check in. So we had tons of time to run around the airport. We settled on the toystore - Mindworks which had ample stuffs on display for us to play with. A quick trip through security and we ended up waiting at the gate for an hour, which Megan used to check to see if she was the appropriate size to carry on. They are putting in a neat playground in the now extinct smokers louge, but it wasn't yet open so we'll save that adventure for next time.

the flight was fairly easy and uneventful. I sat next to a nice grandfather who enjoyed Megan's company as it had been several weeks since he'd seen his grandson. Megan fell asleep as soon as I started her DVD when we were in the air, and slept until we started our disent and the changes in pressure woke her. Needless to say she was alittle cranky when we landed since she saw the DVD player but never actually watched anything on it. We made it to baggage claim though and She happily got into the big push cart while I loaded all our bags.

Then the nightmare began. I pushed Megan, 2 large bags weighing together (and I know this from Check in) 120 lbs, the pack and play, Megan's car seat, the stroller and the our carry on diaper bags, and dvd player (in case). I get out the door marked to RENTAL cars, and ask the first person in uniform I see where I go.. she pointed to a bus across the roadway at a island in the middle of taxi hell. I pushed Megan over and as I approached I notices or rather didn't see any means of pushing the cart upto the bus. I pushed the cart all the way around the island all the while the bus driver stared at me. i pointed to him to let him know I was coming and (to hopefully get his help) which he nodded at and proceeded to stare at me. I then parked Megan in a lane of traffic, infront of a shuttle bus and threw all our bags on to the island in front of the open door of the bus I needed to get on. THE BUS DRIVER STILL JUST WATCHED ME. I then maneuvered Megan and the roll cart up and onto the island, and when I turned to repeat the maneuver onto the bus - THE BASTARD ACTUALLY CLOSED THE DOORS AND DROVE AWAY! I screamed very loadly and very profanely. It was a moment that couldn't be helped. Did I mention the temp was in the upper 80's so by this time I was sweaty. Megan thankfully was back to her usual happy self and also thankfully, didn't decide to copy my use of four letter words. It was a brief wait for the next bus, at which time a few people offered me words of encouragement, and a very nice very ancient chinese man actually helped me get all the bags on the bus, and the bus driver actually put them all away (without knowing what a better job she was doing than her predecessor.

The ride to the rental terminal was short and then the whole procedure was repeated unloading everything and putting it all back on a roll cart only this time the cart had no leg holes in the basket for Megan so I had to let her walk and try to control her direction and speed with only my voice. Down an elevator and to the rental desk we went.

The rental car agent was a dimwit who repeatedly asked me the same questions over and over, but it was over quickly and then we headed out a another door and up another elevator to the parking garage. Our car was parked in C13. So it could have been worse, but the elite customer parking was the first 2 rows in front of the elevator and the regular shleps like me was all the way at the end of there rows - then we had to goto row c - passed the much closer a and b both of which had models of the exact same car we ended up with... then it was down 13 spots - all the while I'm steering Megan and the cart in the heat.

Once there i managed to get the car started and thanks to my friend Heather's blog story about the trip to the zoo, a window rolled down, I got Megan in the back seat with her car seat which was easily installed (thanks to Latch) She happily climbed into her seat while I set up the DVD player for her, got it started and loaded up the rest of our stuff. We headed out of the garage and to Katy and the hotel which took us alittle over an hour to drive. Doodlebug and crew met us at the hotel, and we headed out for a quick dinner at Jason's Deli before heading back to the hotel, where Doodle (OH THANK YOU MY DOODLEBUG) unloaded all our bags on to the hotels roll cart and pushed it all the way to our room. Then he unloaded all our bags and left them up on the suitcase table so that I didn't have to lift them again full. Megan had a quick bath, I unpacked, had a shower myself and then I read her a story, gave her an Eeyore doll for being the best daughter in the world, and we sang ourselves to sleep.

Today should be a quiet day with nothing in the world to do. We are going to use the pool and nap.

packing up...

After a month at grandpa's I started packing up today for our trip tomorrow to Houston. We're going to head out early in the morning and hit the Florida Aquarium in Tampa on our way to the airport. Should be fun, though last time we went with Jack too. So todays agenda is simple, pack up, get rental car, eat some of grandpa's freshly baked bread, watch Pooh Bear, take the dogs on one last walk up to the geese. A couple of the geese mom's have had their babies so its a fun sight. We also have one last dinner with dad and his gang of friends. And I sorely need to give grandpa's car a once over with the shop vac.

Then there is the West Wing season Finale!.

Her memory is better than mine...

Tonight Megan and I were reading books, a large variety of pooh books and one Elmo book. In the Elmo book was a scene with several other characters, I said "Look Megan ... Oscar and whose this" pointing to big bird the only other character I recognized... She identified him and said "look mommy, Telly.." It was that first moment of ... oh my kid knows more than i do.

Links are to those character related pages... in case you don't know who they are.

WATER FOund on Mars!

Check it out for your self - undeniable proof that water is on mars!

Day at the Farm

I took Megan today to Uncle Donald's Farm down in Lady Lake. Its a really well organized entertainment farm, considering we were with 3 school buses full of kids. We had a hay ride, fed cows, fed, chickens, a baby goat, and got to pet rabbits, pigs and chickens. It was really alot of fun. Megan refused the pony ride but we pet the pony and she liked that. They also have lots of wild animals that are being rehabilitated.

Here's our album of pictures