Music

http://www.playlist.com/user/19287780

I have the best memories of my childhood! I had two of the best uncles, they were young and fun, exciting, protective and made sure that we were always doing the right thing at the right time or ELSE! It didn't matter to us though we thought they were really great guys. My mom although stern would always lighten up when a great song came on the radio.

I remember bell bottoms, platform shoes, pretty girls, and really cool friends, my uncles getting ready for dates, proms, pinball machines and I just couldn't wait for my uncles to get home from school.

I remember laughter, tears, smiles for no reason and family gatherings that weren't even planned we just all ended up at the same place and we always had a fun time together. I knew we were strong and secure in who we were and I was always so proud of where I came from.

In the background of my most amazing life was MUSIC, always music! At our family get together (planned or not), out w/my uncles, and even Saturday morning cleanings with mom in her anjemima bandanna. There was unlimited music, dancing, and even singing (bad or good).

This play list is just a few of the songs that hearing them put a smile on my face, or make me laugh and sometimes cry because I miss the strength, and the love and the forgiveness, the loyalty to one another and the endurance of my family.

Super-Heros

Alena has been getting homework assignments on people that are considered real life super heros, people like Lance Armstrong a cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Chris Reeve after getting injured he established a research lab for spine injuries. So yesterday she had to pick a real life hero that she knew or knew of and at first she said me, can't lie I was thrilled and happy that my daughter considers me her hero, but I wanted her to take the time to think just a little more about others that she has heard of or read about.
So she finished her other page of homework and then without a comment walked over to a shelf that I keep a picture of a Navy Seal from Colorado his name is Danny Dietz he was killed the year we got here. His services were held the day I official arrived, and every year since then my command has been involved with his memorial and I have been extremely honored to be a part of that.
Okay so back to her homework she picked up Danny's picture and said I choose him, I want to write about him. At the end of her story she wrote "he was a brave, and very strong and he died so that others could be free".

Tobyn and the Toothfairy

Alena comes home from school and plays with her puppy Tobyn, today she stopped and after a quick game of fetch saw something in his favorite ball. After looking a little closer she realized it was a tooth at first she was a little shocked and concerned but I told her that puppies lose their teeth just like people do. She ran over picked him up and said oh boy Tobyn let's go put your tooth under your pillow so the toothfairy will come for you!

week 1

First week of school is officially over today whoohoo oh yeah!!! I got a 98 on my first quiz, it was open book but I only had to use the book for 2 of the fifteen questions!
Heading into week 2

count down

8 June 2008
23 days and a wake up man time is cruizin by!!!!

Going through stufff

So i've been trying to go through closets and rooms I live in an apartment so not like i've got a tone but boy it's shocking how much stuff I can fit.

So I find a picture that Alena had drawn for me the first few weeks we moved here. She was 6 when we moved and it was a simple stick figure picture, but Alena was/is always very colorful so even her stick figures were bright and tended to have all different color parts and pieces. This picture was nothing but a pencil drawing, no one smiling, no trees, grass no nothing! On the back was a note that said mommy i want to go back to kanzes. She would ask all the time when 3rd grade is over right mommy we get to go back?

Now shockingly now she says it'd be okay if we stay.

Danny Dietz

We were at Target and we were looking at books one book caught my eye because I saw that it was about the Navy and most specifically Navy Seals. So I picked it up and started reading and realized this was the story of an incredible man and his team and the sole survivor. I got a little choked up for a few reasons one I realized that in a few weeks it would be three years since his death June 28,and it made me think of his family, as a mom of a young man my heart broke for her, two it marked my arrival here in Colorado and it was a sad time for me and Alena as well and the day that I officially arrived at the command was his funeral. Alena came over and saw what I was looking at and her littl eyes got so big and said mommy that's him! that's the man in our apartment! I had to laugh cuz she almost made it sound like we were keeping him hostage and said yes that's the man in the Picture in our apartment. She was so proud she kept saying this is so cool I know who he is.

Alena's Day on the Town

It was a gorgeous day for Alena's field trip schedule for the day
8:00 leave the school to walk to the bus stop
8:15 catch the bus to the lightrail
8:30 lightrail to downtown Denver
9:20 arrive downtown walk to capital building
9:35 start climbing to the dome
10:05 leave capital building walk across Larimar Square to the Byers-Evans Home Museum
10:15 arrive museum begin "afternoon in the past"
11:30 leave for lunch
noon lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory
1:00 head to the lightrail go back to the school
2:30 back to school and end of the day

so the schedule looks great and easy enough to follow YEAH right!!!

went a little more like this
8:07 left the school and RAN to the bus stop about 3 city blocks away with 26 children and 8 adults. 1/2 a block away we see the bus crossing the intersection....speed it up just a bit!
hold up the bus while we validate 34 bus vouchers oh the people just loved us
8:40 arrive at lightrail station and again RUN across a busy terminal and up two flights of stairs onto the lightrail platform where thank goodness sits the lightrail WHEW
9:35 arrive downtown and miss the free shuttle bus that will take us about two blocks closer to the capital building but now add those two blocks to yet another lovely run
9:45 get to the capital and cram our party through the metal detectors oh yeah the security guards loved us
begin our climb up to the dome and remember what is denver? oh yes the mile high city and please do not think that this bit of fact was left out of building the capital building.
So the climb to the base of the dome is approximately and I say approximate because I didn't count but the children in our group did and the approximate total was 145 stairs. We get to the base of the dome and meet our guide that gives us not only a needed breather but also a little information on the building we are in. Then off we go again to the mid section of the dome adding another 66 stairs.
We quickly ooh and aah out the windows and take pictures to save this moment in about 10 minutes give or take a minute or two.
Then we crammed back down narrow, windowless stairwell so we can leave the building and start across Larimar Square to our next destination
10:30 we are now 1/2 hr late but arrive at the museum and boogey to get the the skit and tour started
11:45 leave the museum and start the cross town walk to lunch the kids are all thirsty, tired and hungry this is a great combination!
12:05 YEAH food and liquid we are happy to see that our tables are set and there is a salad and drinks waiting for us.
We eat and everyone is happy
1:15 leave the restaurant and head to the lightrail and wouldn't you know it we see it pulling away sooooooo it's another 10-15 minutes for next one and we now have 26 rejuvinated children and 8 exhausted adults sitting in front of the downtown courthouse. The children are all over the place and screaming like indians.
1:40 onto the lightrail and back to the school and whoohoo we get to the terminal and the bus is waiting
2:15 onto the bus
2:35 back to school WHEW our day is done and we have made it back with all 26 children and 8 adults

the count down has begun

1 Jun 2008
30 days and a wake up

And the movers are coming

I made the call the call I didn't think i'd have to make again, they will be here the 27th. As i'm on the phone I start a list of good and bad. Here's the clean version of my lists

Bad thing I have to move back to Kansas
Bad thing I haven't gotten a job
Bad thing I still have my house in Kansas
Bad thing nothing to do in Kansas but watch for tornadoes and the grass die
Bad thing I will be close to my family, which for most i'm sure this should be a happy thing BUT for me i'm sick of watching my family tear themselves apart. There are those in my family that feel they do no wrong and refuse to apologize when in fact they do. Then there are those again admit it or not feel that others in the family have done more wrong then they have and hold unhealthy, extreme grudges. Oh and then there's favoritism, judgemental that's a huge one, sarcasm, rudeness, and selfishness. Here's what's so funny(that is written with complete sarcasm), if they were to read this there would be those that would definitely point the finger at everyone else when in truth i'm talking about them.
PLEASE don't get me wrong I do love my family I really do it's just they are so exhausting! I would so love to be around all of them
Bad thing the friends that I really do love so much are moving to CA don't get me wrong i'm so happy for them but geez they were my sanity

Good thing the military is moving me back to Kansas
Good thing Ill be closer to my granddaughter and son
Good thing i'm gonna try to put some closer to my life as I knew

the balance between good and bad is a little off but i'm staying positive that I will make something fantastic come out of it

Am I extraordinary

today I so do not feel like it

Only one month left

So Alena and I came to Colorado not quit knowing what was in store for us. Alena was counting the days down until the end of the 3rd grade because that's when my orders were due to be up and we were moving back to KS. Now it's almost that time and she's not counting the days anymore, she's actually questioning whether she wants to go back or not.

So she gets out of school in one month and one week after that we'll be making that drive back to KS and it will for the first time in 3 years be a one way trip.

Sir Tobyn Maximus

got a new puppy today he's a mini dachshund red dapple, he was born 2 Jan 2008 and is 3 months old.

Alena has wanted one of these dogs since she was about 4 yrs old. Trina helped me find one it was kind of an accident but anyway we went and looked at him and well we have a new puppy.

Almost the end

Okay so 13February2008 I will be discharged from the Navy. I can't exactly say what i'm feeling cuz I have about 130 feelings going on inside of me if that's possible and it's nuts.
I will get to retire but it will only be a reserve retirement but compared to what some people are getting this is really good. I do get some financial assistance so that's great and in 2 short years yep count'm 2 I can submit for retirement.

Happy Birthday Paityn

So my little granddaughter 1 year old. She's such a wonderful part of my life I didn't think i'd be okay with being a grandma and everything that was going with my son and me and me and trina. In the end it doesn't matter because she's beautiful and it absolutely makes my day to see her picture, hear her little voice and spend every moment that I can with her.

A Whole Rainbow

Alena and I watch Dog the Bounty Hunter and if you don't know they originated from Denver Colorado but film majority of their show in Hawaii and live there as well. So we are watching the show and they are in Hawaii and they show a picture of a rainbow and clear, huge beautiful rainbow and Alena says that's really pretty mommy. We go to bed and I don't even really remember and she looks at me and says mommy I wish I could see a whole rainbow. I didn't really understand at first and almost like she knew she said when we get rainbows we can't always see the whole thing we only see a small part of it or it's kinda faded and I said yeah that is true. She said maybe God will let me see a whole rainbow someday.Today we come home it's a little cloudy but a nice evening and Alena comes yelling up the stairs mommy mommy get the camera! I go flying out of the apartment thinking something is wrong and there she is on the stairs saying there's my rainbow it's BIG and I can see all the colors.With tears in my eyes and shock in my heart I run inside, get the camera and go downstairs. There it is the biggest clearest rainbow I think i've ever seen! She's so excited she's just running around saying isn't it pretty and telling all her little friends look look at my rainbow and really none of them seem to see the wonderment, they just see a rainbow.

The pictures I took do absolutely no justice to this beautiful gift from God to my daughter.

3rd grade

Miss Alena started 3rd grade and OMG the time has just flown and she's grown so much it's unbelievable. She's such a joy I wake up in the morning and just look at her face it's still so soft and round she still looks like a little girl, not like some of the other girls she goes to school with they not only try to act grown up but they dress and look grown.
She unfortunately has the same teacher as last year i'm not so thrilled and neither is she but she's so positive about things she just says "mommy it'll be a good year, everything will be alright"
So off we go keep fingers crossed she's right!

Vegitranerian

My daughter had the following conversation while laying in bed
Alena: mommy I know what i'm going to be when I grow up
Me: oh yeah tell me
Alena: a vegitranerian
Me: (giggle) what would that be? (smiling)
Alena: well i'm going to help animals
Me: I said a vetrinarian?
Alena: no mommy a vegitranerian
Me: Oh
Alena: if i'm going to help animals I can't eat them
so for those of you that don't speak Alenese that would be vegetarian and vetrinarian all rolled into one littlee girl.
all I could do was give a great big hug and kiss she has such a big heart

wow i'm a grandma

my granddaughter was born 2October2006 she's a tiny little thing but seems to be a fighter!
Paityn Rae Whillock 3lbs 15"
wow i'm a grandma I just don't think I can say it enough

One Year Ago

I just can't believe it I was telling my mom that yesterday Jul14 me, Alena and my mom were here getting our new apartment. On Jul15 last year we spent the day at this beautiful park filled with all kinds of fun and wonderful new things to do. The city sponsors this festival every year and Alena had so much fun!
A year has past and so much has happened, it's unreal. I guess surreal would be the correct word to use?.