Friday, August 31, 2007

First Week of School

This week the kids started school.
Ana is a 9th grader at Coronado High School. She started high shool on her 14th birthday.
Sam is a 5th grader at Coral Academy of Science. It's a brand new charter school specializing in Science, Math and Technology.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The View from Sam's School

Sam is the only kid I know who has a view of the
Las Vegas Strip from his 5th grade classroom.

Poor Brendan

When calling a health insurance company with regards to a misfiled claim on a Pap Smear, it would be advisable to throw a little prayer up to heaven that a mature, adult WOMAN answers your call. Having to explain to a very young man why you can't just walk into a lab and get a Pap smear was nothing short of amusing.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Mmmm....

Today I taught my children about
Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Fluff
Sandwiches. Yum.



Monday, August 20, 2007

The Beach

Ana and I spent Saturday at Balboa Beach


The view wasn't bad



These women prove size doesn't matter
Everyone enjoys the beach


This mom took great care to keep her little
one out of the sun

These folks looked entirely TOO HOT.

I can't believe they were enjoying this.

Swim suits not required


This man spent hours digging this hole


I hope it wasn't for this man



I really wanted one of these...but they were

only advertising...not dropping from the sky.


Isn't she beautiful?

NOT HER!!

My daughter! Walking toward me in the bikini!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Mike's Family

Front Row: Aaron, Mike, Dean, Scarlett
On the couch: Savannah, Ana, Karen, Sam, Dominick
Behind the couch: Patty, Shawn, Louise
* Picture used WITHOUT permission from Life in Oregon

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Thr3e

TEAR - UH - BULL!!!
No other words descibe this movie.
Thr3e was possibly the WORST movie I have ever seen.
I'm only grateful it was a Netflix choice and
didn't actually cost me any more money to watch it.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

California Dreamin'

In 10 days Ana and I will embark on our
Mother/Daughter trip.
The Hyatt Regency Irvine where we'll be staying
Fashion Island - a huge shopping mall
I'm sure I'll be the first one voted off the island.

This beach area comes highly recommended.


I'll try to talk her into Mission San Juan Capistrano since we've never been. That will be a hard sell with shopping and the beach to occupy her time and attention.

Italy looks nice

This one made me laugh out loud
so I share it with all my female readers.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Who's that girl?

If this weren't a stolen picture,
it would be bigger.
My larger copies are in the mail to me.

note to self

I should probably check the strength of the
massage therapist before I utter the words,
"Yeah, I like a lot of pressure."
Charlie (female) has very strong hands.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The Oregon Vacation

Strap on your seatbelts, folks. This is a long post!!
Just back from nearly a week in Oregon visiting Mike's family. The weather was warm for there (85 degrees) but the mornings seemed really cold to us (65 degrees) since the overnight LOW in Southern Nevada usually drops into the 80's. We packed our winter clothes (just kidding) and were just fine.
Day One
Where we stayedKaren by the Koi pondThe back yardThe side yardLunch in Salem @ Thompson's Brew PubAna on a carousel horse
(It's so hard to be cool on a carousel when you're 13 years old!)Sam on a carousel horse
(Not as hard to be cool when you're 10!)
On the dock at the Willamette RiverThe Oregon State Capitol
We had a view of this from our house in Salem
The four beavers
The one in the black shirt graduated from OSU
Ana and the Hydrangeas at the Municipal
Rose Garden @ Bush Park
HydrangeasRosesMore rosesAfter dinner at Morton's Bistro with our good
friends, Dave & Melodie
Day Two
Sam & Ana in a wheat field
Look! He's touching her
Sam outstanding in his field
Lunch at the Fox & FirkinMore lunch at the Fox & FirkinReading the historical information near the waterfront
Apparently, 70 degrees is warm enough to play
in a fountain in Oregon
They also have very large dust devils
Day Three
Doesn't everyone have a balance beam in their backyard?
Ana did alrightSam was a mess!I guess this is why they have one. My niece is
quite the gymnast.
They also have a trampoline. More wasted money
if it were in my backyard!
The four cousins on this side of the family
Day Four
Went to the Bite of Salem (disappointing) and
the carnival next to it
Since our family members were the only ones
playing, Ana won the big prize: a gigantic
PENGUIN
Day Five

The viewpoint was better when the plants were smaller