Great time in Vegas!

Chelsea and I had a great time in Las Vegas. The drive down was uneventful, just as we like it. We stayed in a Super 8 Motel the first night, clean but nothing fancy. We stayed there because everywhere else was over $200 for Saturday night, probably because it was Mem. Day weekend. Even the Super 8 was $100. On Saturday Chelsea met her Aunt Dionne, Uncle William, and cousin's Jasmine, Jonathan, and Tariq. They are a very nice family. We all hit it off right away. The kids were very well behaved and very easy to get along with. Jasmine is 19, Jon is 13 and Tariq is 8. Tariq was born at 23 weeks gestation and was only 1 lb. 8 oz. when he was born. Needless to say he has some developmental problems, but he is so cute and just a really nice kid.

We went to Fremont Street on Saturday, after eating at the buffet at the Luxor on the Strip. Chelsea got a spray on tattoo and plans to keep it all summer with the help of a Sharpie!

On Sunday we went to stay at the South Pointe, our hotel on Las Vegas Blvd. This is a relatively new hotel and very nice. We ate breakfast at the buffet and then hit the pool. Later Chelsea's relatives wanted to relax so we went to see where I used to live when I was stationed in LV from 1985-88. Boy things sure have changed! I did find the apartment complex, which was still in very good condition and Chelsea was impressed.

Later, we went back to get her cousins. Her aunt and uncle had a wedding and reception to attend. We went to the Coca-cola store and the kids enjoyed trying out the "Taste of the World" soft drinks. There were 12 different kinds and some were good and some were horrible. We all agreed that the "Beverly" from Italy was the worst. It tasted like cough syrup. We checked out a few other places and eventually headed back to the hotel. Chelsea spent the rest of the night with her cousins while I relaxed in our room.

On Monday Dionne and family had to head back to San Diego. Chelsea and I slept in and then went to the Fashion Show mall and did a little shopping, then we went to the Stratosphere and went to the top. We saw the amusement rides but neither of us were stupid enough to get on them. Then we found the nearest In-n-Out burger and got lunch and set off for home. Again, another uneventful ride home.

As we were approaching our neighborhood Chelsea said she had a great time but was glad to be home. Isn't that the way it always is? You have fun on vacation, but there's no place like home.

I'm a slacker!

I just realized I haven't blogged much this week! I can't honestly say I've been that busy. I did have some guys come by and give me an estimate on completely remodeling my basement, including putting in a shower in the bathroom. It will cost $10410! That is more than I thought it would cost, since the whole basement is only 985 sq. feet. But they will have to take up the concrete floor in the bathroom and re-plumb and rewire the whole bathroom. We'll see. I'm not sure if I can find that kind of money, although my mutual funds have done well so far this year. I just hate to dig into them for anything. The good news though, was I had my friend Natalie did a comparison market analysis and my house is already worth about $10000 more than I thought it would be. That means it is half paid for!

Chelsea got a "B" in physics and is on the honor roll again for the 4th quarter. She's been on the honor roll every quarter this year. She is sad that school is over but is looking forward to high school.

We are heading out to Las Vegas tomorrow to meet Chelsea's aunt, uncle and 3 cousins. It should be a fun trip.

Oh, and I made the honor roll again this semester with a 4.0 GPA. That's all for now!

Rainy Monday

It has really cooled down today and is even a little rainy. Actually I love days like today, especially after it has been so hot!

On Saturday Chelsea played her last AYSO game for this season, but with summer tournaments coming up she will still be playing plenty of soccer!

I drove to Burley, ID to go scrapbooking with my IdahoScrapper friends and had a blast. Those ladies are such a kick, and I actually got two layouts done! I'll try to get them scanned and posted later today.

Since it's raining today I can't get anything done outside so I'm going to see if I can get Scruffy (my dog) into the groomers, get Chelsea's truck registered and get some strength training done. Chelsea has guitar lessons and a scrimmage soccer game this afternoon so I hope I have time to get everything done.

TGIF!

I went to a friend's retirement today. Can't believe it's been over two years since I retired! It was nice to see so many people I used to work with. And it was really nice to have so many people tell me how good I look! I've put on a few pounds since I retired, but I've let my hair grow long and probably look a little more relaxed than I used to, especially considering I don't have 500 people to worry about any more! It was a nice ceremony and everything went well. I sure do not miss being on active duty!

I finished up Harry Potter #5 today (for the second time). I think I'll take a break from HP for a few weeks and then start #6 again. Then I'll definitely be up to date and ready for when HP #7 gets here in July, thanks to Chelsea!

Tonight I plan on getting stuff together for my trip to Burley tomorrow. Can't wait to see my IdahoScrapper friends again!

Lazy day

I was lazy today, with the exception of running 3.5 miles. I wore my ITB strap today which seemed to help.

When I got home I went out to my deck and read for about an hour. Then I spent about an hour just surfing the internet. I finally decided to do something and shampooed my stairs and family room. Now I'm done shampooing so will return the cleaner tomorrow.

Tomorrow I am taking Chelsea and a friend to Lagoon. They both were on the honor roll so the school lets them have the day off. They could take the bus but have decided to pay me for gas so I could drive them.

I plan on fixing some bare spots on my lawn and getting ready to go to Burley, ID on Saturday to scrapbook with my friends from IdahoScrappers. I've been scrapping up a storm since school got out, and I love it. To think I was considering packing up my stuff and giving it all up!

Busy day!

Yesterday was a busy day for me. First I went running. 3.04 miles before my IT band told me to stop. Then, after showering I went to Costco and got a burning bush for my front garden. It is the same size as the one I got last year so it will balance out nicely.

Then I started cleaning carpets. I borrowed a carpet cleaner from Tammy, basically it's a home edition of the rug doctor. Worked great. My living room carpet looks like new! Today I plan on getting the bedrooms done. Of course, in Chelsea's room I'll have to just do the part of the floor I can see!

I am going to plant my new burning bush, level out the bed, put down weed barrier and then mulch. I also got some edging to put down so hope that works out. I know I didn't get enough so will have to run to Lowes to get some more, but I should hopefully have most of the work done today.

I've finalized plans for Chelsea and I to go to Las Vegas on Memorial Day weekend to meet her aunt Dionne, on her father's side. This will be the first family member from her father's side that she's met. Dionne is very nice and searched us out several months ago. She's sent photos and calls on a regular basis. Her husband is in the Marine Corps and they are moving to Japan in July so this will be the only opportunity for Chelsea to meet them for several years. If all goes well we just might take a "hop" to Japan sometime to visit them.

Well, if I'm going to get anything done today I'd better get started!

My Grades

Okay, I'm bragging again. I worked hard this semester. Here are my final grades:

31398 CHF 1500 SS Human Development A
30023 CHF 2400 Family Relations A
30209 GERT 3600 SI Social Statistics A
34150 LIBS 1704 TD Information Navigator A
30116 SW 2100 Human Behavior & Social Enviro A

Mother's Day

So far I've had a nice Mother's Day. Chelsea gave me a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. I just love that because I love to read, but rarely buy myself a new book. Most of my books come from WSU library book sales or thrift shops, so it will be nice to get a NEW book. I plan on getting the new Harry Potter book coming out in July. I have read all the HP books through at least once and 1-4 at least twice. I am on #5 for the second time, and will read #6 before the new one comes out. That's the trouble of reading a series, you have to keep the older books fresh in your mind!

Chelsea got her Girl Scout Silver Award yesterday. I am so proud of her. She has stuck with GS since she was a Daisy in kindergarten. She will be moving up to Senior GS in the fall and will then work on her GS Gold Award, which is equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle Project. She will have 3 years to complete it.

I am going to go out and move some plants from my front garden to the back, spread some mulch and do some weeding. The wind is blowing so it's not too hot and I really want to get this done.

I just need to start taking public transportation!

The roads just are NOT safe for me. Yep, another accident, but not my fault. I know that's what everyone says, but in this case it's true. I was rear ended by a 16 year old girl. She thought it was funny, but like I told her, her parents won't think it's too funny when they get their next insurance bill! I was pissed at the cop who was about 26. He said he wasn't going to give her a ticket because he didn't see the accident, although I don't know how you can rear end someone without following too close, especially in the summer. I didn't hit the car in front of me, and the car behind her didn't hit her. I asked Chelsea if she knew why the girl didn't get a ticket and she said, "It was because she was hot, huh?" The mini skirt probably didn't hurt, either. When she filled out the paperwork she said she didn't have any other occupants, so I asked her what she'd call the other teenage girl in her car. She actually said, "Oh, I didn't know what occupant meant." Then the cop offered to help her fill out the paperwork. Hmm.

Oh well, her insurance company wanted me to use one of their body shops, but I've never heard of any of them so told them I want to go to Ken Garff. The local Toyota dealers don't do body work but send all their clients to Ken Garff. If they don't do it I at least want it to go to a body shop I've actually heard of.

No one was hurt and there was only minor damage to my bumper but I will be getting it fixed. Man, my car only has 7,000 miles on it! Bummer!

I forgot the most important thing!

I forgot to mention that Chelsea got an award yesterday for being on High Honor Roll every semester this year! This is really a great accomplishment considering all the trouble she had with Physics! I am glad this school year is almost over for her! I am very proud of my (not so) little girl!

DUT--And the Beck Diet Solution

I think there should be an addition to the Utah Penal Code. This morning I was out running and was almost hit by a car because the girl, who was about 18, was texting while driving. This is at least as dangerous as many other moving violations. I think we should have DUT's in Utah and the punishment should be no access to any electronic device for 30 days, and also some sort of rehab for the offender!

Okay, enough of that. I did go running this morning and had my best day yet since my return to physical activity. I do have to say that my side pain has all but disappeared, with only minor twinges the past few days. I mostly ran today, again with my ITB strap, and accomplished 3.25 miles. I was very slow, but that is just how I run. I've accepted that I will never win any type of award for running, but I enjoy it and that's all that counts.

My friend, Carol, told me about the book called "The Beck Diet Solution" so I ordered it off of Amazon and it came yesterday. It's not a "diet book" but rather a book on how to think like a thin person. Now if you think this is just another gimmick book, as I did when I first heard about it, check out her credentials. She has a PhD. in psychology. She wrote a university level textbook on Cognitive Therapy, she runs the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania. So she does know what she's talking about in the area of cognitive therapy. Carol has had good success using this book, so I'm giving it a try. I've spent $$$ on Weight Watchers (which actually works as long as you attend meetings) and other diet books, so a few bucks isn't too much to spend on this book. As a social work major I like this kind of approach anyway, and who knows, I may learn something to use in my practice when I finally get my master's in 3 years.

One of Mike's friends is coming over to give me an estimate on remodeling the bathroom in my basement. It definitely needs work and I am seriously considering selling and moving to a slightly bigger house so that would be a good selling point.

Wednesday is my scrapbooking/laundry day so I need to hop in the shower so I can get started.

It's Monday

About 10 minutes before she was supposed to leave for school, Chelsea announced that her ride wasn't able to take her this morning. If her school wasn't 7 miles away I'd have made her walk! So needless to say I got dressed in record time (because the only time I'd wear my PJs out of the house is if it were on fire!). She got there just as the last bus had pulled up so I suppose she wasn't too late.

I went for a run/walk again today and did great. No pain! I wore my ITB strap on my left leg and did fine. I don't know if it was the strap or just resting that took care of the IT pain but either way I felt good. I'll wear it a few more times and then try without it to see how I'm doing. I just read that the Standard-Examiner 10K is now Sept. 22nd so that is my goal. I ran it in 2004, which is when I hurt my IT band and couldn't run for 8 months. This time I will practice downhill running so I'll be better prepared.

I spent the rest of the morning pulling weeds in my front garden. UGGHH! There are so many morning glories and I don't think I got them all. Even though I was digging prior to pulling I am sure I didn't get all the roots so that will probably be a big battle.

Mike and one of his friends is coming over this evening to fix my sprinkler system. Guess I was supposed to close some valve prior to the winter, and since I didn't I broke two valves. I've never actually done anything to winterize my sprinkler system before and since I've lived in this house for 8 out of the 13 years I've owned it, and this is the first problem I've had, I guess I'm lucky.

Well, I need to get in the shower since I need to pick Chelsea up in about 1/2 hour to go to guitar lessons. Later

It is cold!!

Today was the Grace Race, and although it was very cold, it sure seemed like a great success to me! Everyone seemed to have fun, but I just have one complaint! Neither Chelsea nor I won an prize!!! Not even a loaf of bread!! Oh well, better luck next year! I know Bob and Carol are glad it's over, but they did a great job. I've never seen such an organized event!

Chelsea had a soccer game right after the race so we ran home, she changed and I made a cup of hot tea, and we were off again! I ended up getting a parking space on the front row, right up to the field so I stayed in my car the whole time. It was just too windy and cold for my old bones. Fortunately the rain stayed away until just as the game was ending.

Last night Tammy and I watched "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". I think I saw it once before when it came out in the late 70's or early 80's. It was rated "R" and rightly so! Good think Chelsea was downstairs with her friends when it was on. I ended up staying up until almost midnight and then getting up at 5:45 this morning. Needless to say I took a nap this afternoon and will probably go to bed early tonight. You'd think I'd learn by now!

Organ donation

Now I know that is a strange title. But I have a reason. Today I went and saw a woman who I used to work with in my previous life. Her husband received a heart transplant on Saturday. There were some complications with the surgery so he is in a medically induced coma for now, although he seems to respond to his wife's voice.

Just before he went into the operating room he told everyone not to worry about praying for him, but to pray for the family of the donor, who passed away in order for my friend's husband to get a heart. What a thoughtful man.

So, if you haven't yet checked the box (organ donor) please seriously think about doing it, and then communicate your wishes to your family members, especially if you have one designated on your durable power of attorney, to make your medical decisions for you if you are unable. Even if you have checked the box, if your family refuses they cannot harvest your organs for transplant, so it is very important to let people know. Rest assured the medical community will do everything in their power to save your life and not make you a donor, however if you are going to die anyway (and hopefully go to a better place) your organs, including your skin and eyes, can be used to save someone else's life. In fact you could save many peoples lives. What better way for your family to heal their grief than to know that your death had some positive aspect.

What are you waiting for????

Gardening day

Got lots of weeds pulled today, and even planted some petunias in my flower boxes. I have more petunias and lobelia to plant this evening.

I went running again this morning however my knee hurt even with the band, so I'm taking tomorrow off. I am also doing some strength training when it gets a bit cooler. I am going to do that while watching Dr. Phil. I have several TIVO'd so need to get some watched.

I am declaring Wed. as Mary's scrapbooking day. After a work out I will spend at least two hours scrapbooking. I have thousands of photos to get put into albums, but my first priority is an album for my friend Candy's daughter Megan. She got to see Shaun White in Park City for some sort of snowboarding competition and asked me to create a scrapbook for her. I have soon really cool paper and some great ideas for this. I just hope she likes it.

Oh, I do have to say that today at Costco I saw something that just really pisses me off! There was a young woman with two kids. The oldest was about 4 and he was kneeling on the front seat with his hands on the dash right where the passenger air bag is, and of course he wasn't even buckled in (should've been in a car seat in the back!) The little one was about 2 and in a car seat but the straps were really loose so it served no real purpose. I felt like running after the car and asking the mother why she was using her kids as crash dummies! I think I need a bumper sticker that says: Kids who aren't properly restrained are just expensive crash dummies!

Okay, I feel better!