I got a new Camera!!!

~ Lil' Chris snuggling with mama~
So Chris and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary this upcoming Monday, and I received an early gift from him!! I really didn't expect anything super special to be quite honest; a quiet dinner at one of our favorite restaurants or something . . . but no, I came home this evening to find a brand new digital camera with video waiting for ME!!!!! (Thank you Chris!!) I have been wanting a new camera for sooo long, because of my love for blogging. We were watching the new season of American Idol while fooling around with my new camera, so here they are, pics from my super cool 7.2 mega pixels, sony cyber shot with video!!

~ Me lounging around watching American Idol!! ~
~Joshie just doin' what he does best!!~

To love, or not to love . . .

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable" . . . .

~C.S. Lewis

The stepping stones of purpose

As I was reading a beautiful excerpt about purpose in my bible, I found a picture tucked away on this page. It was a picture of a young man named Riley, that my husband and I spent countless hours counseling over the phone and in person, to be there as a friends and to encourage him in his great times of need, desperation and loneiness. He was broken - hearted young man on a constant search for someone to love and accept him. Riley was also curious and loved to experiment with new things. One evening about six months ago, he experimented with this new "epidemic" sweeping among our youth today, where they tie a noose or a rope around their neck, to temporarily cut off their air supply. The result is that the lack of oxygen to the brain creates a "natural high" or feelings of sexual arousement. (Don't ask me how, and PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!) Needless to say, Riley couldn't get the noose free from his neck and he was strangled to death. His parents found him early the next morning, the noose still around his neck.

Chris and I were devastated when we received the call early that morning to hear the news. You see, Riley had tried to call us the evening that he died. It was after midnight, and my husband was so exhausted from working tireless hours at work, that he decided to let the phone go . He thought he could just call Riley back in the morning. We felt like, if only we would have answered the call maybe Riley would still be alive today. But after the grieving process, we realized that God has a rhyme and reason for everything that happens on this earth, and someday, we will find out His reasoning for Riley's death. But let this be a lesson to all of us - that for as long as we have been given this precious gift of life, air in our lungs to breathe, and most importantly, if we know the Creator of this universe, and have a deep understanding of His love for us as His sons and daughters, than we have the beauty within our hearts to encourage, inspire and give life every moment of every day that we are here on this earth.

Let us not waste the precious time that has been granted to us . . .

~Riley we loved you deeply from our hearts ~

I AM grateful, God, that I have finally come to realize your purpose for me. Just when or how this came about I can't say. It wasn't sudden and dramatic, the way it happened to Paul on the road to Damascus, or Peter Marshall with his experience on the Scottish moors.

There have been no visions, no voices, no letters written in fire upon a wall saying: "Do this." "Do that." "This is your reason for being."

No my search for you and for the meaning you had for my life has been uncertain, groping, erratic, filled with accidents, false goals. Sometimes I seemed to sense that purpose, clearly see it; but it vanished like a mirage in the harried, often cruel business of everyday.

Yet somehow you keep track of your floundering creatures. Maybe because life is so filled with defeat and heartbreak, we find ourselves turning to you, yielding ourselves to your will, fighting less furiously for selfish, often empty goals. And when this happens we find that you have turned our sufferings and our failures into little stepping - stones.

Looking back, we see them. These rocks which gradually, all unknown to us, you have been shaping to lead us toward our purpose . . . And we have been following! However blindly, however zigzag the course, yet we have been moving toward it.
And looking about, we see that there are results. There are signals, heartening little affirmations, unexpected proofs. However humble our circumstances or undramatic our talents, our true purpose has been revealed. We were meant to be this person at this time and place. Not only for ourselves, but for you and other people - we were meant to make this particular contribution to the world.

And so we must do it well. Do it with faith and patience, with all our strength and passion. And in so doing discover who we really are.

- Marjorie Holmes

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
- John 15:13

Praying Blessings over my Allie

So I was at my friend's house the other evening, and as we sat on her bed in her room, we got into some pretty deep conversations about God. There was soft worship music playing in the background and the atmosphere was so serene. We started praying for different things and my daughter Allie kept running in and out of the room. She was just laying next to me on the bed as I prayed, and she at times seemed to be praying too. (I kept hearing her mumble words like "Dear Lord", "Oh Jesus", things like that, with her head buried in her hands!! How precious!) We didn't notice that our other friend, Kera, had come into the room while we were praying. She had her camera and started taking pictures of us while we prayed!! (How funny!)

At one point I started praying over my daughter, Allie, that the Lord would always keep her heart tender and pure before Him, that He would guide her footsteps all the days of her life, and that she would grow in beauty and grace to bring inspiration, and to reach out in love, compassion and comfort to the broken-hearted and poor in spirit in this world. (After all, she has quite a name to live up to, Alexandria Grace, means "Defender of man-kind, Gracious One"!) It was a beautiful time and I felt such a peace when we finished praying. I have been so caught up with the craziness of life that I haven't really had a "time - out" like this to just sit, meditate and pray. It was so refreshing and my daughter also sensed this; she wanted to sit with me the whole time and just "soak" it all in! It was also such a wonderful thing for my daughter to hear me praying and speaking blessings over her life. Though she may be young, her little spirit understands what I am saying, and she loved every minute of it!! After I was done praying for her, she looked up at me, grabbed my face and said, "Thank you mommy, I love you too!" Needless to say, I was cut to the heart by her words!!!


For those of you that have a child/children, I would greatly encourage and exhort you to make the time and sit with them for awhile - just start to encourage their little hearts by praying and pronouncing blessings over them; though they may not fully understand what you are doing, their spirit knows and when they are older, they will remember the intimate things that you so gently and dearly spoke into their hearts as a small child; these will be great treasures for your children and they will carry those words spoken over them in their hearts for the rest of their lives . . .

The people I miss, places I want to be . . .

Well, I really miss having my friend Corrien around, she's quite possibly the funniest person I know!!! (I learned all of the "tricks of the trade" from her!!) SO, here's to you Corrien, my little Irish friend, to our good times in Colorado, but thank heavens we don't live there anymore, eh?!?!?! I just wish you would move your tree huggin', Oregon butt closer to me, so I can force you to wear that ridiculous cowboy hat again!! (Secretly, I know you were in love with the hat though; you know you had dreams of wearing it to our beloved Nascar outings, so the "mullet people" could flock to you, comment on the way sexy hat, and get your number!!! (J/K!! EWWWW!! The thought of mullet heads hitting on you makes me squeamish!) Well, Cheers to you - go have a Guinness on me, sunday school queen!!!

I need a serious vacation and I saw this picture in my files and I wanted to jump into the picture and be there!! (Okay, so it sounds dumb, something my 5 year old would say, buy hey, don't act like you've never wanted to do that!! ) Anyways, Chris took me to Santa Cruz for the weekend last year for our anniversary . . . I was the first and only "vacation" that I've ever been on!! (I forgot that I had even been on a vacation!)

Oh, the good times at 99 Bottles!! I don't think I remember anything after leaving that fine establishment, so I guess it was a good time!! (This pic was taken AFTER we left, as you can tell!) Oh, how I want to go back!!

One more fun thing about that trip; I got to fly a plane!!! Yes this is me, blonde Nikki Caldon, and I flew this plane, and lived to tell about it!! It was pretty sweet, the flight instructor stalled the engine for me and we started diving towards the ground!! Fun stuff!!

"Hi, my name is Nikki Caldon and I will be your pilot today . . . we are headed for a place, ummmm . . not here, we're gonna go some other place . . . I'm just not sure where yet . . . Hawaii maybe, if we have enough gas, umm, yeah . . . so shut up, buckle up and hold on!!"

(The flight instructor was pretty cool; as you can see, he even let me stick my gum on the roof of the plane, so I wouldn't accidently swallow it doing cool tricks with the plane!!)

Aloha, My Friend

I have a dear friend that is going through some really hard times in life right now. Sooo, I wrote this song for you, to let you know I'm here for you - through thick and thin. I'm not a flake, I won't press you to return the favor, and I won't smother you with my own issues in life! I will be here for you as much or as little as you want me to be, and for as long as you want me to be . . . I'll be your friend . . . By the way, out of sheer curiosity, I looked up the meaning for "aloha" and I found out that it means much more than just a simple "hello" or "goodbye" . . . To me it seems like a way of life, something that you choose do to show that person you care. I should have wrote a song with an "aloha" theme!! Well, maybe next time!!
(P.S. - I stayed up REALLY late writing this for you so you can't say that I don't care!!
P.S.S. - I think another song is in the works called "Confessions of a raging psychotic" !!! Hee, hee!!! You know what I mean!! )

~ My Friend ~

When I saw you today

I could tell right away

That you hide behind your smile

I know the pain seems fierce

And it doesn't hold any sign of letting go

But I'm here to show you

That I'll be a friend that's true

And I will stand by your side, abide

And do you trust me? cause I trust you!

I won't give up when you think your through

trying, Dear one, your crying

Don't hide your heart, cause it is free

To seek shelter from the raging storm

I'll keep you warm

Safe from harm

In my arms

Some friends are made fast, too many are gone and past

But I will stay where I belong

I won't be moved

By the trials and tribulations that come our way

Come what may, I'll stay

Your friend, my dear one, to the end

My friend

Written by Nikki Caldon

1/19/06

Aloha is…

love,affection, compassion, mercy,

sympathy, pity,kindness,sentiment,

grace, and charity.


Aloha is a… greeting, salutation, regards, sweetheart, lover, and a loved one.

Aloha is being… beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, and lovable.

Aloha is to… love, be fond of, show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection, venerate, remember with affection, greet and hail.

"Aloha!" is… Greetings! Hello! Good-by! Farewell! Alas!

Here's something to "chew on"

My friend Ben recently wrote an excellent blog on Christianity being the new "F" bomb word of the century. This is Ben . . . He's a pretty mellow guy as you can see . . .

To check out ben's blog, CLICKHERE: badlydrawnben.blogspot.com



I'd like to share with you one really good paragraph of his that struck me the most . . .

What is Christianity anymore? Really? It certainly isn't what Christ intended for it to be. Christianity has become a religion unto itself, a club with required membership, life-long member benefits such as life, death and fire insurance that will never expire as long as you show up on Sunday morning looking spiffy with a grin and a "God-Bless". Because of the judgmentality, aloof attitudes, infighting and general inability of "Christians" to be IN this world without damning it to hell on a daily basis, rather than just being OF this world; Christians are now seen as Bible-wielding maniacs; and the savior who's virtues they espouse so vehemently has been turned into no more than a mythical patriarch who lords over a group of social pariahs that excel in contradicting themselves on a daily and public stage.It seems to me that over the course of time and due in large part to the actions and/or inactions of well-meaning-yet-not-too-bright "believers and followers", Christianity has become the new F-word; Socially Unacceptable. I've lost my faith in Christianity, maybe now I can finally get down to knowing God.

ONE LAST THOUGHT:

(AKA - Things that make ya go, hmmmmmm . . .)

WOULD JESUS BE A CHRISTIAN?!?!?!

Why I believe . . .

Some may ask why I have such a strong faith in God. While it all may just be a lie, some myth, a glimmer of something to hold on to, a coping mechanism of sorts, I ask, what do I have to lose by believing? For me, it is better to have believed than to not believe at all. For some, it is out of ritual or duty, paying penance for their wrongs, or just to make themselves feel better for the many bad things or "sins" that they have commited. I have honestly asked myself many questions as to why I believe that there is a loving God out there who loves me without condition and has paid the ultimate ransom for my life, for no other reason than that He created me, loves me and knew every deep and intimate thing about me even before I was a glimmer in my mothers' eye.

A quote from the book Captivating, written by John Eldridge states it so beautifully:

"sometime between the dreams of your youth and yesterday, something precious has been lost. And that treasure is your heart, your priceless feminine heart. God has set within you a femininity that is powerful and tender, fierce and alluring. No doubt it has been misunderstood. Surely it has been assulted. But it is there, your true heart, and it it worth recovering. You are captivating. "

See I have found freedom in God to know who I really am, as opposed to the standards that the world, via the media, magazines and other sources, try to squeeze me into. The inward beauty in myself that stirs and awakens others to find the God-given beauty in their own hearts. Yes, there are still the constant "whisperings in my ears" to try and decieve me into believing that I am no one special, and that I don't have anything beautiful inside to offer; sometimes I give into these whispering lies and they knock me off of my feet for awhile. But ultimately I must not forget who I am, and what I have to offer from my heart that God has placed there. The world cries out for something more than just the mystery and seductiveness of a beautiful, well-endowed woman. It is crying out for more; even the most beautiful people in the world are still unhappy. Nothing can fill the deep void that lay in their heart, except to know the one who knows them best . . . their Creator. God does not intend to dominate and demean, as some religions portray, (christians by the way are very notorious and hypocritical for judging people and distorting God's view of mankind - it makes me very hesitant to call myself one) rather, if we allow Him to, God inspires us to bring forth life in knowing who we are and what we were made for! So insane and crazy, I may be, but what harm am I doing by encouraging and inspiring others to live deeply from their hearts, to reveal God's beauty and to show them the beauty that He has placed within them, and to live as God created them to live; fully alive?! And at the end of this long and exciting journey, if it was all truly just a bunch of nonsense, then I can truly say that I lived and gave everything, rather than trying to survive in this life, holding back everything, and dying, with nothing . . .

- Nikki Caldon

The "KING MULLET"

So many of you know that secretly I have this fetish with mullets; secretly I HATE them, I think that they are so ugly, that I find them truly fascinating!! I'm always on the look out for a really "good" mullet and the other day my friend Jarrod introduced me to the mother of mullets, THE KING MULLET!!! (hats off to my pal, Jarrod, who does not currently sport a mullet) I was truly and utterly speechless; at a loss for words - this IS the best mullet I have seen to date! I would challenge anyone to top this one, so feast your eyes, here it is:

THE KING MULLET!!!!!

This mullet is definitely in the category of "The show-low". You see, the different styles of mullets have different categories, and in mullet language "The show-low" means that the mullet is short on the top and the rest is long. Might I just add that the cell phone on this guy looks somewhat new, which would lead me to believe that this pic is pretty new in and of itself!!! Might I also add that the shorts and rolled sleeve T-shirt go fabulously with the bag he's carrying. In the early nineties I know that mullets were quite the rage, but I think some of the world's population missed the memo that we're not in the NINETIES anymore!!! But hey, if ya want to have a mullet, fine by me, whatever "floats your boat", "toots" your horn", "gets your panties in a twist" !!! To all of you mullet wearers out there, I have just one last word;

WOW . . .

Take Me Away

I have been in a songwriting mood lately, so here is one of the songs that I wrote.

~ Take Me Away~

I cannot bear to gaze at your stare

For more than a moment, I won't dare

Spellbound my eyes, they hit the floor

Captured and ravished to the core

Burning with passion, laden with love

My heart cries, take me away

If just for a moment

If just for awhile

To taste of your beauty

touched by your love

Surrounded, protected, take me away

Make me your own and take me away

Masquerade that you hide behind

You think you've got it figured out

But I know the wiser, I see right thru

To the depths of your being, if you were true

Your wanting, your waiting for this journey

So never say never, let this begin and

take me away . . .

Okay, so I never said I was a great songwriter or anything, but who cares!! It's fun, it's a hobby - enough justifiying myself for writing cheesy songs, enough said . . .

Santa came to KOA!!

WHAAAT? Santa chopped his beard, got a haircut and wears hideous yellow T-shirts?!?! Nope, it's my uncle Darol, and I've told him many times that he should get a job as Santa at the mall; Uhh, he would get the job for sure!! And yes, it's true, people actually stay at your local KOA for Christmas, heck I did!!! Oh, but that's because my parents actually own one. And I didn't have the wonderful pleasure of staying in an RV, a cabin or a tent . . . I stayed in my parents' house on the property. Let's back up to the pre KOA experience; before I left to go visit my parents, I got horribly sick!! I had awful body aches, headache, congestion in my head and chest and pretty much just felt like trash!! So I took some good ole' Robistussin to soothe the aches, but no, instead I get HIVES!!

I went to find a pic of hives on google, and who knew?! There is actually a group called THE HIVES!!! Ummm, there are no words to convey about this one . . . uhh, I'm sure someone somewhere in the world likes them . . .


And no, I didn't get these hives - I got the itchy, red kind all over my body and my face!! As if being sick wasn't enough!!

So I was up all night coughing and itching until I couldn't take it anymore, yes, I Nikki Caldon broke down and went to see the doctor!! I know, I know, for as much as I hate to see the Kaiser doctor's who pretty much just don't give a flyin' flapjack about your condition, I gave in. My doctor took one look at me and said, Oh, dear - I think your pretty sick!! (Ya think?!?!!?! No Sh*t Sherlock!) And I pay this guy?!?! Anywho he gave me some pretty strong antibiotics (which I only take if absolutely necessary) and he told me to stay away from the Robitussin. (double no-brainer doc) He did give me Vicodin for all of the horrible pain that I was in. I was very appreciative of the Vicodin however; it did curb the pain and made me feel REEAAALL goood!!!! Happy times!!! So I was drugged up for christmas and feelin' real special. So we arrived at my mom and dad's house at around 7pm on Saturday night. We had a pretty easy going evening just talking and watching our new dog, Colby, chase after my mom's little dog, booger, oops, I mean buster!! (He looks like a booger though) Actually he looks like a hotdog- he's a dachsund. I'm thinking that my dog is either gay or obsessed with other doggie's weiners, because my dog was literally trying to go after my mom's dog's winkie the whole time!!! And when my uncle's dog came over to play, my dog did the same thing to him!!! Great, I have a horny dog!! Fun stuff. Well, if that's the only problem he has than good deal. My dog is awesome; he obeys commands, he's housebroken and he is just plain cool. So anyway, we got up at a decent hour on christmas day and the kids went nuts over all of the super cool presents that my parents lavished upon them. I wish I had pictures, but I forgot my camera and I'm waiting for my mom to email hers. I'll post them when I get the chance. Needless to say, christmas was awesome!! That evening, I brought out some super cool foot scrub that I concocted and gave everyone a foot bath, salt scrub and massage. It was much appreciated by all - they were all happy smiles and in a good mood after I got done with them; I on the other hand, got a foot bath full of grimy toe-jam water to clean up!! Oh well, the things I do for people . . .

Karate kicks, bruises and "Bad Sifu"

So I started taking karate a little over a month ago, and it has been a wonderful "outlet" for me, being a busy full - time mother of three wonderful, yet busy children! I love learning all of the new moves and the way I feel all bruised and sore after every practice!! ( haha) I am currently trying to "achieve" my first stripe on my white belt; yes, yes, I know, I'm pretty special -
eh- hem . . . Anyways, I was able to make it to my first Saturday class, (a miracle in and of itself) and I had the best time!! The weather was perfect for the occasion; rainy and cold. (My idea of a wonderful day spent inside!!) I learned a Karate technique called "Sparring". It is a form of training common to martial arts, and although it's precise form varies, it is relatively free-form fighting. It has enough rules, customs or agreements to make injury unlikely. Okay, so enough of the technical jibber jabber about it . . . it's basically, just pretty much - alot of fun!! I got to put on all sorts of "cool" gear consisting of a big, bulky (sexy, I might add; J/K!! ) chest protector, sparring gloves and shoes. I looked like serious business folks. Think Bruce Lee meets Rocky. . . I felt pretty clumsy, but it worked out okay. So I got to practice kicking and throwing punches with my super awesome instructor, uh, I mean, Sifu, AKA - "Bad Sifu" . . . (I will protect the identity of his real name for his privacy) Oh and no, "Bad Sifu" not a cheesy pun on bad seafood; I got the whole "411" on the name - it's a whole Yin - Yang thing, don't ask . . . After we practiced kicks and punches, we brought the mats out to practice Sparring. We learned a move called "Arm Bars"? (I think that is what it is called) I had a very interesting and fun time learning these . . . I don't think I got enough practice time though; I had to leave early, so I probably need to be taught all over again and just practice them over and over again until I get it just right. The only drawback to all of this great fun is that I aquired quite a lovely looking bruise on my shin from kicking "bad Sifu" in the forearm - ouch!! I should be looking wonderfully "marked up" in just a few weeks time- afterall, who needs tattoos when they can have a nice collection of never-ending bruises all over their body?!?! (they make for great little "conversations pieces") Good times, good times . . . Well, as a friend of mine recently commented, not every day can be filled with
"rainbows and roses" . . .

(Oh, uh, what is that?!?! Rainbows and Roses?! No way . . .)

Well I my response to that, my dear friend is that I try to make every day full of "rainbows and roses", even when the sky is gloomy and the people around you are poking you with their "cold pricklies" and creating a horrible stench with their personalities!! (Okay, so I went alittle "over the top" with that one, but then again, I'm alittle "over the top" anyways!!) Well, I am definitely looking forward to this Tuesday where I can "add to my fine collection" of bruises!! (It's not really that bad; I'm just a big baby!!) Well, *Set* * Salute* and *Bows* to all of you, and have a great week if I don't see you!! (you know who you are)

**Note to self: Okay, it appears to everyone that I am a complete dork for blogging about my karate experiences, but on the other hand, who the heck cares?!?!?!

P.S.S. - I still argue that a "silent KI" shouldn't be called that, because it's not really silent, I think they should rename it a "quiet KI", but that's just me . . .

Places of Acknowledgement and Healing

So the wheels have been turning in my head, (it's an amazing thing when this happens, hee hee!) and in the process I wrote a couple of songs. I'll share them with you, but I don't think that you can feel the full impact of them without hearing them. I dunno, maybe sometime soon I'll make the time to go record them in my friend's studio. (Not that I think that they are going to be #1 hits any time soon!!)

I wrote the first one out of my past life experiences. The song reveals how God took my heart - something that had been so damaged and broken, mostly from my own poor choices in life, and the beautiful way He carefully "knit" together something that I thought was completely beyond repair.

The second song that I wrote is taken from the book of Job in the bible. It is his cry for help to the Lord in his time of great despair and distress. Now I don't think that I have "arrived" with this healing process; rather, I have come to a place of peace in my own heart, and a knowledge that the God of this universe wants to know who I am. God wants me to be able to understand the story of my life, to know where I have come from, and to know where I am going . . .

~ Needle and Thread ~

(Verse 1)
Flesh wounds, open bleeding
The cuts are deep, seething
Self-inflicted from my past hurts and pride
Collapsing I fall from the fast and the furious ride

Bitter Tears flow down, from all that I 've thought and believed
Paying the ransom for all, I've sought and I've seeked
Capture me

(Chorus)
Like a needle and thread
You did what you said
You took my heart and you lead
The path of forgiveness
Sewing mercies of healing and love
Reviving breath of God come in restore
Restore again

(verse 2)
Truth and mercy remain
To remind of this gain
No longer a slave to my hurt and pain
Father you've come to remove this sadness and shame

Healing words flood in
To knit and to mend
This appendaged and broken
With your grace I'm found
Now mercy abounds
Love abounds

(Bridge)

Come and enter

this wound with Your life

won’t You heal me

from pain and from strife

open up, open up and enter in

open up, open up and heal within

~Righteous One~

(Verse 1)
My face is red with weeping
Deep shadows they ring my eyes
Yet my hands have been free from violence
And my prayers are pure and true

(Chorus)
Answer me when I call to you
Oh God my Righteous One
And Give me relief from my distress
Be to me and hear my prayer

O God, my Righteous One
O God, my Righteous One

(verse 2)
Hear my prayer O God
Listen to the words of my mouth
Surely God is my help
And the Lord is the One
Who sustains me and hears my voice

A great quote . . . unfortunately not mine!!

As many of you know, I love a good quote when I hear or read of it. This one is out of a book that I just finished called Captivating. Naturally it is written by none other than John Eldredge - my favorite author of all time.

Now we should live when the pulse of life is strong. Life is a tenuous thing . . . fragile, fleeting. Don't wait for tomorrow.

Be here now! Be here now! Be Here now!

Be here now . . .

- Anonymous

Christmas time, Karate and other stuff . . .

So it is nearing that wonderful time again, Christmas time. I am really never prepared for it; it kinda sneaks up on me . . . and yes I am one of those people who usually has great intentions to get Christmas cards out on time but if you ever get one from me, it's usually there somewhere around New Years Day!!! Yes, I Nikki Caldon, am a procrastinator!! Not because I want to be, but it just sorta happens! Anyway, it's that and the fact that I have a hard time getting Chris to make the time to take a nice family pic to send along with my Christmas cards. Moving on, we are spending Christmas Day in Eygpt!!

Well, okay, it's not really Eygpt but I think that it looks like Eygpt!! Yes, as many of you know my parents moved to Visalia, California earlier this year to semi - retire and run a business, a KOA campground - fun stuff. Anyways, we are going to visit Chris' grandparents in San Jose on Christmas Eve, and then drive on over to Eyg . . . ehherrr, ehem, I mean Visalia! It's pretty "unchristmas-like" at my house this year; we didn't even get a tree due to the fact that we are moving next month. So instead of the wonderful smell of pine, the fun ornaments collected thru the years, the great little white lights, the super cool "christmas train" that we received last year from Chris' grandparents, I get to stare at the endless boxes that I've packed . . . that really bites!!

So as many of you know I've started doing Karate. It is soo much fun and I am discovering new muscles that I forgot I had!! Oooh, the pain . . . I look like a big goof in my white karate Gi and an even bigger goof trying to practice all of the moves - but before you know it I'll be kicking some serious "Karate ass", so watch out world, (writer pauses, thinks about it for a split second, and then let's out a big fat belly laugh, Hahahahahaaaaa!!! shakes her head and says, WHATEEEVER!!) Anywhoo, it's pretty fun and it's a great workout too!!

So the "other stuff" . . . hmmm, well, I guess there's not much "other stuff" to tell, Oh! I did make Christmas cookies yesterday with the kids; while they had tons of fun making and decorating them, I think they tasted like garbage!!! Are they always like that?!?! I forget, it's been awhile since I've made them. Well, to all of you have a verry merry Christmas, a safe and sober New Years, (but if you must drink, drink well, and DON'T drive!!) and I'm sure we'll visit most of you during the Holiday season!! Take care for now, Feliz' Navidad, and Merry Christmas!!

Finally!!!

Well folks, it's official . . . I am going to have a new sister-n-law!!! Yep, yep, my brother finally did the deed, he proposed to Jenna - FINALLY!!!! After about 3 1/2 years of ups. downs and all arounds in their relationship, they have decided that they can't live without eachother. So next summer sometime in August, Brett and Jenna will "tie the knot".

My kids will be in the wedding of course, Christopher and Joshua will be ring bearers and Alexandria will be the pretty little flower girl. I am in the wedding too as a bridesmaid. Fun stuff . . . So we went out to dinner to a new restaurant in Santa Rosa last night called Flavour or something like that - it was awesome food!!! Brett and Jenna met us there for dinner, it was a good time. They just made googley eye contact and gave mushy gushy kisses all night - I think I threw up in my mouth alittle bit at one point; or maybe it was just the richness of the port wine I had along with chocolate torte for dessert. I dunno . . .

So our moving date is getting closer . . . FINALLY!! I am so "unthrilled" with Christmas this year that I'm not even getting a tree. I feel like it's too much work to drag all of the Christmas decorations out when most of my house is already packed up. Yes, yes I got an early start on packing, but as you should all know, I have this packing thing down to a science being that this will be the SEVENTH, count, SEVENTH time we've moved in six-in-a half years!!!!!!Good Lord!!! HAVE MERCY!!! If I move just one more time . . . . AAGGGHHHHHH!!!!! Well, that's all I have to say about that . . . venting done, enough said.