So Excited I Could Pee

Light Painting

2011-12-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Did I tell you I love light painting now? I am having so much fun in the dark! I use flashlights and candles to draw in the night sky. Thanks, Tate, for this awesome new way to create!

Avo season

2011-09-09T15:34:00.000-06:00

I’ve said it before, but you should know that we are swimming in avocados! We have a wonderful tree that boarders (or hangs over into) our yard. She produces these amazing avocados that reach the size of a Nerf football. These mammas are huge- and delicious too! They are buttery in texture, a bright green and a very mild flavor.

Anyway this tree provides hours of entertainment for our family.

Brian put the swings up a few months ago, so the kids really enjoy swinging, climbing and resting in the shade the tree provides. The adults in the house have found great joy in watching the fruit grow and finding new ways to harvest it.

While my dad was here they thought it was a hoot to pick some of the mamma fruit. They went after the higher fruit with a rain gutter. This is a hilarious tool because it seems so ghetto, but it also adds a lot of excitement to finding the highest, fruit picking it and watching it roll down the gutter. It clangs and bangs it’s way down as the girls squeal with excitement.

Now in case you are wondering, everyone has a plethora of avocados and they will try to pawn them on you at any given moment. It is like the zucchini of the mainland, with less options for using the bounty. I have used the avo's for your basic guacamole, quinoa avo salad, just sliced and eaten, on sandwiches and burgers, I’ve even made chocolate avo pudding. I mean I am really stretching here. I was finally to the point where I look at an avocado I feel sick.

Then it happened. My dad and the family decided to hang out with the neighbors while they were here. Jon and Polly LOVE my dad. They brought him gifts of aloha, and they tried really hard to make our goodbye difficult by not picking up on social cues and leaving us alone while we were trying to hug it out. So now, they have really taken us under their wings. And mostly, it is great. And then…. Polly busted out the Jell-O dish.

Now being from Utah, I am no stranger to Jell-O. "Vote Jell-O, Utah State Food!" I think the stuff is just awful, but plenty of people enjoy it. I remember hearing stories of people coming up with the nastiest Jell-o dishes, like tuna jello (YUCK) just to see if silly Utah peeps will eat it.

Anyway, it seems Polly had picked up on my roots and presented us with a Jell-O dish.

Have you guessed the "special" ingredient?

Nope?

How about a clue, it starts with an A and ends with an O.

You've got it! It was an Avocado Jell-O mold!

I was peeing my pants, so excited to blog about such a thing. It was truly special! I even went to her house to get the recipe! Turns out, Polly didn’t make it! Ha! Someone else gave it to her and she pawned it off on me. Crap. She quickly got on the phone to jot it down for me. Everyone was so excited that I had liked the Jell-O. Double crap! The whole point of me saying anything was so I could use it as a blog! I am the worst! Anyway, here is the recipe, dear reader. I hope you enjoy!

AVOCADO JELLO

3 C boiling water

2 small boxes of Lime Jell-O

2 pkg of Knox gelatin

3/4 C white sugar

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 C ripe avocado

1/2 C canned milk

Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Pour in baking pan or mold sprayed with Pam. Refrigerate.

♥ me

Just a day in red

2011-08-13T14:43:00.001-06:00

Lolly

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Let's Go Fly a Kite

2011-07-03T16:38:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we went to a birthday party where they flew kites. The girls were so impressed! Livie was in awe as the older kids let those kites soar into the clouds. She kept holding her head and screaming! Too funny!
Anyway, on our way home we stopped at a yard sale and picked up our own Barbie kite for $0.50! Woot! So we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun, the sky and our big backyard. I am so lucky!

It took Lola a while to be convinced to stay still... she was pretty sure that she needed to run with the kite to keep it in the air.

In awe of the whole thing... If Barbie's boobs are that big, how does she stay in the air?

Liv seems to be wondering the very same thing!

SWOOSH!

Shall we call her Goldie Locks?

She was laughing the entire afternoon

Livie getting in on the kite flying

Oak, the goat, is enjoying this too!

Oops! I guess this is what happens when you are trying to fly a kite and take pictures!

The boat trailer has fallen victim to my photo shoot

Ha! If I stomp me feet it makes a loud noise AND shakes the trailer! I love it!

"Gog is coming!"

"Gog" or "Oak Max" or "Oak the Goat"

Just being kids

"GOG!"

The light was starting to look nice, so I put the girls in the tomato patch for the rest of this shoot.

My Hunter/gatherer girls

Lola grew Lima beans!

I wonder what Liv is thinking...

This is Liv's new favorite place to hang out. Right on my feet!

And so, that is where big sister wants to hang out too!

Modeling my stained shirt makeover

My favorite hour of the day

Sunset

I have been enjoying the 6 o'clock hour these days. The light is fantastic, and I can't get enough of this place! Everything is so beautiful... the colors are so vibrant, the birds sing so sweetly, and my girls love with their whole hearts. ♥ Sometimes it is hard to take it all in. I guess there are worse things ;)

March 12X12

2011-05-16T00:46:00.001-06:00

This was an AMAZING day! AMAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, LOOK at these PICTURES! My friends, and former employers, invited us to their son’s 5th birthday. The best birthday party ever! It was a beautiful day filled with lots of fun, bubbles, d’lish food, new friends, FROSTING and sun!

This was our March 12th of 2011.

1 Hapuna Beach. AMAZING! 2 Partial family shot. Maui in the background. 3 Self Photo. I am all eyes. 4 Liv and the Birthday Boy discovered a HUGE pit on the beach! They were in heaven, playing with the little animals and shovels that they found. Ha! 5 This is my 1 year old talking this fine young man into giving her his football. Ha! 6 Liv enjoyed hanging out in the plastic tote. Loved it! 7 Lola meeting a girl she really liked. Perfect match for her; Same age, same spunk, same love of frosting- can you say CHOCOLATE SUGAR SLAM! I really need to call them so we can be friends! 8 The family even has a match for that babe! Brilliant! 9 This is what she proceeded to do when she got the ball! She thought it was hilarious… she sat there saying "Neigh, neigh!” while riding the ball. LOL! 10 The view from the picnic table- not too bad. The guy sitting there is so great! His business card has a rainbow peace sign and says, Anything-Anytime-Anywhere-Usually. ♥ 11 They had a cool friend/dad for Brian! WTF? We may have just met our twin family!!! CRAZY! 12 The Birthday Boy LOVED his gift! I really know how to manifest dinosaur gifts!

Told you it was Amazing!

April 12X12

2011-05-15T23:33:00.002-06:00

April was all about the Tuesday Farmer’s Market!

1 Maui Rising… Doesn’t it look beautiful! This was taken on my way to the dump (There is no trash service in Hawaii) 2 Liv on her way to the Banyon tree 3 Peter the strawberry farmer. Dani wrote an article for our monthly town newspaper, about Peter. This, my reader, is how I became a famous photographer!GASP! 4 Dani works for Peter selling his wonderful fruits and veggies. 5 Mmmm...local strawberries 6 My first cutie eating some soda crackers 7 Sunset 8 The sunset boogie (from behind) 9 Another sunset shot 10 The cutest dad around. Liv is eying his nummy. 11 The market goodies
12 First strawberry of the year face. I am not sure if she liked it or not.

There you have it, April 12th!

May 12X12

2011-05-15T20:31:00.002-06:00

Every month on the 12th day I take a bunch of photos of my daily activities. This is May.

1 Beautiful horse on the side of the road. 2 The Dump Store aka, The Boutique (look for a blog post about this) 3 Happy cows 4 Gecko visitor. ♥ 5 The Fig’s sign. This is hat I stare at while I use the phone. Sucks to not have cell service at the house! 6 Nursing time (judge if you will) 7 Clean diapers 8 Lola cheesing it up at snack time 9 Jodi, my co-worker and friend 10 Driving 11 The HUGE Centipede Lola and I found while on a bike ride! Yikes! Glad he was already dead! 12 The road to my office… kind of makes it hard to go to work!

My Slice of Heaven?

2011-03-30T15:27:00.001-06:00

We are back!

taken from the car on the Kohala Coast

Back in paradise!

The ocean the morning after the Tsunami. Taken from the Hilton Waikoloa.

Back on the Big Island!

Honl Beach, Kailua-Kona, HI

I am so happy I could sing. I would sing right in your ear. It might not sound great, but you will know I have joy.

Then you would listen more closely and you would start to hear it. The horrible sound of whining. The sound of someone who is having a hard time adjusting to paradise. Poor thing. Boohoo! I feel so sorry for you. NOT!

Anyway... enjoy my sob story.

Welcome to my beautiful new home.

This is the back of the house.
The little building on the left is the outside bathroom, laundry room and storage area.

I love my yard.

The girls love the freedom of all the unfenced space!

See what I mean by LOVE!

I love the carport aka the living room.

Notice my sweet hubby. He never wears a shirt. I love that about him!

I love the free bananas.

The first harvest of Apple Bananas. They are sweet and delicious! We usually get 40 to a bunch!

mmmm!

What!!! I grow effing nanas in my yard? SWEET!

You know what I don't love?
Brown walls.

This is the yucky color of the walls in most of my house.
This sweet gecko is a welcome guest. He eats b-52's (but that is a whole other story).

So, you may think, "Gosh, I thought Ashtin loved the color brown." Well, yes, I do, but I don't like poop brown on my walls or furniture. Plus, this brown matches cane spiders perfectly. (If you are squeemish, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!) I HATE spiders and anything else that feels like it needs 8 legs to scurry around. Why people would eat a crab is beyond me. Spiders of the sea. SICK!
Anyway, if you clicked on the link you know what the following means: SERIOUS! EFF THAT! NOPE! NOT HAVING THAT! WHAT THE... I CAN'T.... AHH... AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

But I did.
I did have that.
IN.MY.HOUSE.
Insert my horrified face, or look at these cute ones.

I sure love this face!

I love her too!
Is there a more perfect setting for an outside bath? I think not!

See, it almost worked. I almost fooled you. Sadly, once you have seen the 8 legged spawn of satan in your house you will never be the same. You will:

*Stare at walls for hours on end just in case there is another one around, all the while hoping you NEVER have to see another one. And if you do, praying it doesn't move because that makes the whole ordeal 100 times more scary.

*Duck around the halls.

*Sleep in a tent...

I even have a full size mattress in there!

In your living room...

fyi, my sweet husband came up with the idea. Actually, we bought his huge tent for $15 dollars at a yard sale and we had set it up for a "fun" surprise for the girls... little did we know it was going to become the master bedroom!

For SEVERAL weeks...

Like 4!

Okay, I know you are thinking... is she crazy? Maybe. I guess you could say that this fear has taken over my life. Maybe what I am doing is unhealthy. I don't care. I am sleeping, and I am not afraid. Ha!
Tell me what you think. What would you do?

2011-01-13T14:43:00.001-07:00

12of12 Challenge 2011

January

1. 30 years and 7days: someone should have told me about all my sun spots! 2. packing a snack for Liv 3. what to wear? The joys of girls! 4. Sweet girls eating breakfast (Cheerios) 5. Mirror on the wall. 6. Dancing 7. Twirling... she just loves to dance! 8. Animal, Vegatable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. What did you expect me to be reading? 9. Our brief plane ride in the January air. 10. Fishing poles on the Jetta. You never know when you will see a good fishing hole... 11. I made the mask for Christmas. It is a snow fox and she took it for her Share Day at school. Gold star for me! 12. Computer time. I was trying to pick a movie on Netflix.

Here it is, friends, the first day of my 12of12 Challenge: 12 pictures of the 12th day for 12 months. This sounds so fun!
It is another way for me to remember that I am living a life less ordinary.

2010-11-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

Ridiculous! Do you know that I started this blog in 2006 and only have 113 posts, this being 113. I am so LAME! Okay, now you know.

So.... My Auntie Ploppy gave me an awesome bike.
She is a CUTE robin egg color cruiser that is called a Pacific. Perfect name. I ♥ the Pacific. Pacific NW, Pacific Ocean, Pacific rim, Pacific Islands, Hawaii. Wait. That doesn't have a title with the word Pacific in it! Ah! I make everything about Hawaii! I love that place... I love that mental escape. Am I romancing the idea of Hawaii? Maybe. Do I care? No. Is it the most wonderful place on earth? Yes. Anyway, back to the bike. Even with the PERFECT name I felt the need to re-name her Electra. Weird.

Why do I have so much anxiety around naming things? Livie turned 1 on Saturday and while chatting with Becky tonight, I asked if it was too late to change Livie's name to Juno (that was her name when we first found out we were having baby #2. My friend , Suzanne, suggested that her middle name begin with an A so her initials would be JAH- fitting.

Anyway, I was just kidding (again!), but really? End the joke. End the uncertainty. We named her Livie Sunshine! That is who she IS. She was born smiling and hasn't stoped for 368 days. She LIVES SUNSHINE.

Well, back to the original point. I took the girls on a ride today. Livie was on the back and Lola was riding her own bike. We rode to the park about a mile from our house. Lola and I just rode along talking about the color of the leaves, counting magleeshes while Livie rode on the back trying to put her hands down my crack and poking my back dimples saying bell-ba (belly button). Needless to say, it was awesome.

On the way home I had a flat and had to walk the bike home. My first instinct was to be annoyed. It was just the lazy in me. Turns out walking was so magical. I got to walk right next to Livie and I was able to have wonderful conversation with both my girls. I was able to really point things out to Livie. Usually I am pushing her in the stroller, and although we are still together, there is something so sweet about walking side by side.

Although I like to spend time in my fantasy land of Hawaii

I love spending time in Boise.

My here and now is pretty amazing. I love my life. I love my family. I love being a mom.

It is good to be me

2010-10-13T21:47:00.001-06:00

I have had my doubts as a parent.

I feel like I am lazy or too grumpy, or neglectful.
I think that is part of being a mom.

And although having other people tell you that you are doing a good job, you don't really believe them because they don't know the everyday person that you are.

The only ones that can tell you, the only people who can truly recognise your ability are your family.

Okay, your kids.

Tonight Lola looked at Brian and I and said,

"you

guys

are

sensitive

and

have

peaceful

hearts."

If that is what our five year old sees... I guess we are doing alright ;)

High Hopes

2010-03-31T17:13:00.002-06:00

*****Please excuse the photos. God was not nice when he gave me a potato head, and Brian would like you to know that the moustache was a joke. *****

The other night I had a dream/nightmare where I find out that I am pregnant. I go into the The Baby Place (by the way, look at the new arrivals under October!!!) insisting to speak with Colleen all the while feeling SO embarrassed that I am pregnant already. Holly asks what is wrong and I hold up a pregnancy test stick all dramatic like.

I woke up feeling scared, embarrassed, surprised, stupid, excited.... too many things for 5:30 am.
So I tell my friend who, in return, reveals that she really is pregnant (with one of those "we didn't even have intercourse" stories that freak you out). So we start talking about birth control namely the Femcap. She tells me that I can just go get one from the midwives, it will last for a year and it works great when you use it.

I have decided I want to go the Famcap route and start telling Brian all about it. The following is how the conversation went:

A: "It is like $75.00 and it lasts for a year!"
B: "How does it work?"
A: "Well you have to put it in every time."
B "Eww."
A: >: (
B: "Well how do they know how many to send you?"
A: "What do you mean?"
B: "I mean, how do they know how much sex you are going to have. You said it lasts for a year."
A: "Yeah. Well, I guess they figure the product needs to be replaced every year. Maybe they get old."
B: "But how many do they send you? What like 60 a month?"
A: "No, you get 1. Wait... you thought... HA! HAHA! HAHAHAAAAA!"

I love that guy!

Lola The Furnace and The Fat Kid Inside Me

2010-03-30T09:46:00.000-06:00

Look at this face! Have you seen a cuter girl... I think not (actually, Livie is pretty dang cute too!), but you know what I mean. She has been fighting a bug for the past 13 days now with a fever of 102-104.3 for about 11 of those days. For the most part she is her happy smiling self, but since she has pneumonia I have been keeping her down. She is going crazy! She just wants to run, play, joke and be loud. She just wants to be better!

When she first got sick the boys were in town. She wanted so bad to play basketball, ski and go to the Y with them. Aside from one walk in the park, she spent her time drinking tea and being snuggled. Look how cute she is!

She hasn't had much of an appetite, eating just a few bites (if that) at every meal. So last night after looking in the fridge and finding nothing, I decided to make breakfast for dinner. By saying "I decided to make, " I really mean Brian made. When everyone got so excited about the idea (keep in mind that I hate this meal) I decided to do whatever i could to make Lola eat it. This is where my inner fat girl comes in. I pulled out the whipped topping (Cool Whip to you rich folks), and chocolate syrup! She made her waffle look so good that I decided I should try said toppings on my waffle too. Now I realize that I am not sick, but does it count that I have been cooped up here too? No? Okay, I am just a sugar hound and wanted to indulge. Yummy! So, don't judge me or my parenting skills, I just wanted her to get something in her tummy... Oh guess who ate almost half of her dinner!

Wild Eyes

2009-12-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

I am now that mom. I have the wild look in my eye. The look you recognize in someone else and hope you never wear- I have it. I remember hearing mothers talk about doing the grocery shopping in the middle of the night. I would think, you are crazy... just go to the store in the daytime like a normal person. Well, I have done it. In fact, it was just the other night. I left the house at 11:20 pm to go grocery shopping. I was wearing sweats (remember the days when I thought people wearing sweats out of the house had given up on life?) a tank top with vomit, Uggs and a parka. I was looking hot! Anyway, I did my shopping and ENJOYED myself! I was alone! I could look at (or not look at) whatever I wanted. I didn't have to hurry! I didn't have to explain everything from colors, to products, to my reasons why! It was GLORIOUS! The feeling wore off when I got the register with 4 WIC checks, but for 20 whole minutes, I was just me.

Dreams

2009-10-05T10:09:00.000-06:00

I have been having crazy dreams this past few weeks. I think it is being pregnant and not really sleeping, but who really knows.
The other night I had a dream that I was taking a class in a nuclear plant. We were about to take a test and our teacher was giving us instructions. She then said when we were finished she was going to the hospital (also in the plant) to see Jonathan. Well, I figured out that this was my cousin, and asked that i go with her. As I walked down the stairs I see my aunt standing there. She was all frantic ans said my other cousin April would be really happy if I went and sat with them. So, I did.
I get into the room and April is so happy to see me. She says, "Do you want to hold him?" Now keep in mind that Jonathan and April are adults. I say, "okay," and they hand me a white potato bug with foil on his head. Inside the foil is a raw chicken breast (obviously his brain). Weird. He then says, "I want to be with my kind." WTF? I turn my head to look at April and he runs away.
I spent the rest of the night searching shagg carpet looking for a freaking potato bug. I wish I could just get some sleep!

It looks like 2 pigs fighting under a blanket

2009-08-29T12:53:00.000-06:00

Why do women feel the need to comment on how a pregnant woman looks? I wouldn't tell my best friend that she looks like she is having twins, much less a stranger. Do you just walk up to any woman and tell her how giant she looks? I don't. Today I was at a yard sale walked by a lady and said, "you look miserable." Then I got to tell her that I still have 2 months to go. While I write this Brian asks why it is such a shot to my ego? I might scratch his eyes out. It really isn't a shot, I just think it is weird that pregnancy gives women license to say whatever they want to the prego woman. I don't do it, and I hope you don't either.

Undecided topic

2009-08-26T17:43:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that my blog is really ugly. Just like me, it needs a makeover. So, as you may have already noticed, I have changed the name from ...So Excited I Could Pee to my favorite quote from Lola, "Boise is Beautiful and Hideous."
Okay, on to bigger and better or equally boring things.
1. I think I may be a terrible mother. I just made grilled cheeses for dinner. One got a little burned and the other was the most glorious looking sandwich I have ever seen. It was all golden and bubbly inside... yum! Anyway, i decided that i would give Lola the delish one, but I cut it into 4ths, and traded the most burned part of mine with her. What is wrong with me? That is not motherly at all! Moms are supposed to eat the crap and like it.
2. My cousin died this past weekend. Possible overdose, possible homicide, the findings are inconclusive at this point. I should have cried. I am sad, but can't actually feel the emotion. One may think I am in shock, but I am not sure that would be true. I have had 3 family members die since last Thanksgiving. WTF? Can this year just be over already! Anyway, it has me thinking about my pregnancy with Lola. I was the typical hormonal basket case. I cried over the most ridiculous things! Gosh, I felt like such a girl! Then she was born and I had zero emotion for about 1.5 years. I was a lot like a vampire. I knew there was supposed to be emotion, but tears were a thing of the past. So, am I there again? Hmmm.
3. My belly feels HUGE! I am 32 weeks and have 8 to go. Where is this baby going to grow? I waddle and feel like I am sitting on her head. I hope she isn't all squishy when I deliver. Oh, and what am I going name her??? The nameless baby! Lola was picked out by 3 months... I guess it is true that the second child doesn't get the same kind of attention as the first. I just thought I would at least name her.
4.I have decided to take up blogging again even though it isn't popular anymore.
5.Brian has a new job. Do you know what he is doing tonight? He is at the State Fair with a client. Lucky duck! I want to go to the fair! I mean, who doesn't like to see the giant horse dong? Really? Why do they have things like that? Sick!
Anyway, this is what I've got. peace

Dreams

2009-08-13T08:45:00.000-06:00

I dreamed of you last night...
Funny how a dream can be so real. I could smell the salty air, feel the powder sand under my feet, and hear that song in the palms. It.Was.Wonderful.
It wasn't exactly the same as I remember, but it was still true. The streets were gone and the pathways wove in and out of little shacks. The crystal ocean licked the beach so gently I wanted to cry.
You are part of me now, and I will be back. I won't forget.

Reason 876

2008-12-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Another freebie! That is right, Lola got to meet Santa this year, and we even got the picture to take home. That is right , the photo was free, put on a disk, and they told me to go to Costco to print it out (they have great deals!)! AWESOME!

Joy 2 Da World!

I am popular

2008-12-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Maybe this should be my new mantra. Maybe not.
I am not popular.
I am the furthest thing from popular.
I seem to be the anti-friend.

Up until recently, this was okay with me. I have my family, a few close friends and that was enough. Up until I discovered Facebook and the profile counter on my blog I was almost unaware of my status. I am a social 'tard. As funny (and equally lame) as it may sound, I am crying a little on the inside. Maybe I should care less about the numbers. Maybe most of those numbers are empty.

The thing is, I feel like I am in a horrible version of my former life. I am in middle school (or high school) trying to make friends. Not because I need them (although, I know I do), but because Lola needs friends. If I don't put myself out there with other moms, I am hurting her social growth. How Effed UP!

I really hate making small talk. I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns! I wish there was a way to skip that part. I know I don't want to know what you made your kid for lunch, so why would someone else want to hear that about my life. I am a simpleton. I am a housewife. I am a mother. Big effing deal. I shouldn't waste time talking about the ordinary and mundane. Truthfully, aside from occasional loneliness, I would make a great hermit.

Anyway, this is not a good way to live, and I want better for my daughter. I need to make mom friends. I need friends who live locally and have children of the same age. I need to fit in, and I don't know how. The other day at the beach there was the little girl Lola was playing in the water with. So, being the good mother that I am, I was in the water watching her and trying to talk to the other mother. Her friends showed up and there was a small group of us girls. I thought I was doing well, but Later that evening my mom said that I looked like I was 5. Like I was on the outside of the circle looking in. Great! Not only do I feel this way, but people can see it with their eyes.

Lola is in the HIPPY group and that has been great for her. Another mom told me about another playgroup that is closer to my house. I said I was interested and she says, "well, we already have 18 or so people. I will have to ask if it is okay." So... I don't know how I should feel about that. The next week she said that she talked to the group, and a few of them would like to just meet Lola and I at the beach to see if we would work with the group. I have to go to an awkward "social Interview" to see if I am chill enough for these moms to let their kids hang out with my kid.

Nobody told me this was going to happen. I think this is the hardest thing I will have to learn as a mother. I wish I could crawl in a hole and die.

ps this is not a "POOR ME" post. This is the "I AM SCARED TO DEATH OF PEOPLE, BUT MY DAUGHTER'S GROWTH DEPENDS ON ME TALKING TO PEOPLE" post. What an effing pickle!

Rubber Arms

2008-11-24T11:25:00.001-07:00

Hula Girl

2008-11-24T11:22:00.001-07:00

Fresh food= Happy Girl

2008-11-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

On the menu at the Hart House~

Grilled Chicken with fresh Papaya Salsa
Spinach salad with garden fresh tomatoes, feta and chopped almonds
Rice
Peas in butter sauce

So Delicious!

I am so very serious when I tell you I felt high after eating this meal. It was AMAZING! A food "O" if you will.

lazy days

2008-11-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Saturday..............

This morning when I woke up I was so cold that I put on my late spring in Seattle outfits. Dress, leggings and a hoodie. I even put my hair in two messy piggy-buns. After feeling cold for a few hours, I realize that I don't ever want to come back. I don't like to be cold. Serious.

It rained, no it poured last night. Just in time too, our plants were looking sad and I wasn't about to waste my water on plants. This is the first time I have lived with anything other than city water, and this whole water catchment thing is tricky. We catch rain from our roof, and it fills the 10,000 gallon tank. Sounds simple- like you could possibly be drinking lots of bird turds- but simple. Well, it is not. We are supposed to put bleach in to purify the water and keep the mosquito population down.

Does that freak you out?

It freaks me out a bit, but I am pushing through.

Anyway, we went to check the tank yesterday just to find that in the 14 days we have been living here we have used 6 inches worth of water. That is a lot of water! I wasn't aware for this particular character flaw until now, but I am a Water Waster! I suck! Oh, and the PH is WAY too high.

So, until further notice, don't drink our water. Yeah. We should be good to go in a few days, but...

Back to the rain. Lola and I were dancing around while Brian was hooting and hollering about living off the land and the way things should be. It may as well have been the full moon too. It was a wonderful night.
Do you know what a tropical storm sounds like on a metal roof?

No?

Music, Peace. Rain. Heaven.

Bri checked the tank this morning, and it was over flowing! Do you know what that means? We collected well over 12 inches of water!

Moving on. We decided we should hit the beach today, along with YARD SALES! The best thing about the island. People price things to sale. I got 2 skirts and 2 shirts for $1.00. The big bonus... the free boxes. We got a avocados, liliko'i aka passion
fruit, guava and a papaya. These are literally YARD sales- okay Giveaways!

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

2008-11-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is actually a moving announcement. I have put some lengthy captions on here, so click the picture to get the goods. Okay. Bye.

Kona Paradise

Be a Follower

2008-11-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

I know you are. I know that you do. Just follow me. Please!

Halloween

2008-11-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Lola was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I made her costume, and was quite pleased with myself. She liked the dress, but was most pleased with her ruby slippers. She asked her dog, Sandy, if she would be Toto, and of course Sandy agreed.
She wore the costume a few times before Halloween. Her HIPPY group had a parade, we went to a cookie frosting party at the LC, and then did the trick-ot-treat thing at the Old Airport where they set up Candy Land- it was awesome. People on the street took her picture, actually lots of strangers take her picture... I guess she is just that cute. Anyway, her are a few pictures of the girl- I never managed to get a posed picture of Lola and Sandy, but they were fetching adorable.

Sitting on the steps doing the Molly.

Wandering on the Hawaiian version of the Yellow Brick Road.

And excited about the treat bag from the Popo, aka police man.

Jessica is great

2008-09-15T23:44:00.000-06:00

She is doing a lot of really wonderful things in her life. I want do do some of the same thing. She educates me and gets me excited aboutways to make my life more meaningful. It is nice to have someone so positive and kind in my life. So, beyond that here are the other things that I admire you for (some of these things are super superficial... oh well).
*You are thin and curvy. who has a body like that? After 2 kids!!! I don't really think it is fair.
*You had the desire and balls to dread your hair. It could have looked weird, but you didn't care! You dreaded your hair, and it suits you!!! That is just plain awesome! (Arwen, you are there too!)
*You are strong! You have the diet discipline of a robot. Simply amazing!
*You have garden space, and you are doing good things with it! How I miss that. I am excited to find some land we can garden on. I CAN'T WAIT.
*You will be raising chickens. In the middle of the city. Nice.
*There are more things, but I am tired. So, I might tell you some other time.

The Day B93.7 got up in my face

2008-09-11T12:14:00.000-06:00

I have always listened to Classic Rock. I love it. I believe in listening to music of our past. Just because the music is old, doesn't mean it should be forgotten. Sometimes the music is MUCH better than the music currently being produced.

So, here I am, just living the dream in sunny Kona, on my way to pick up Brian. I was feeling cute, had the sunroof and the windows down, stereo blasting, my ponytail was flipping in the wind. I am thinking I freaking LOVE this song! This is the best day EVER! Go ahead and enjoy this moment with me.

I am remembering the first time I heard the song. I was sitting in the hall next to the Drama room when Andy West walks up wearing his headphones.

Andy: "This is the best song I have ever heard."

Ashtin: "Who are you listening to?"

Andy: "Green Day."

Ashtin: "I LOVE Green Day."

Andy: "You have to listen to this, I cried the first time I heard it."

I remember this like it was yesterday.

**Back to the car**

So as the song ends the radio station commercial breaks in and says (i wish I knew how to insert musical notes) "we'll be right back with more Classic Rock on B93.7."

Wait, What?!? Seriously, WTF? When did Gren Day become Classic Rock? When did the music of my time become classic? I am an old bag. I usually don't feel old, just semi-responsible, but this... I don't really have words to express what I am feeling.

Hey Ashes!

2008-09-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

I was looking on the Louise Hay website in hopes of finding the meaning of bowels because I realized I use literal "potty" language. I decided to check the Daily Affirmation and this is what it said:

MY THOUGHTS ARE CREATIVE

I have been holding out on good blog ideas because I am scared people may actually read this. So, Starting today, I begin

My Thoughts Are Creative... My Thoughts Are Creative... My Thoughts Are Creative.

Get me out of this F*@#ing mom shell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have made a decision. I am going to post what I want, when I want to.
I will quit using this stupid blog for an update/vent page.
I will journal.
I will let you in. Not because I am great, but because I should.
I...I...I... This is my blog, and I am going to use it!

Maybe this is step 1 in a 12 step program for hermits.

Poop

2008-08-18T11:34:00.000-06:00

When do parents get the luxury of not dealing with poop anymore? Why did Lola have a poop accident (that she apparently didn't know about), rub it all over her belly and the toilet seat? Why did I find a "chocolate chip" on my side of the bed? Why did fecal matter try to ruin my sleep? At least I have a good sense of humor. hahaha! poop the bed!

Sabotage

2008-08-09T23:42:00.000-06:00

I was supposed to work today. Only, it wasn't the type of work where you keep your mind on the specific task. I was going to help the girls at FL re-arrange the office. This is my favorite thing to do! Plus, I would be setting up "my" office, that is if I decide to apply. Plus, I would be able to chat up the girls and make friends!!! I was excited! I was ready! I was going to make money and friends!

Enter silly husband

Brian was going to take Lola on a bike ride to the beach. He wanted to go to Magic Sands, but I suggested he go to the Keiki ponds. He says how about Kahalou. I say whatever.

Anyway, to make a long story short, he took both sets of keys. WTF? HOw am I supposed to get to work? I could run after him and find him at the beach. Wait, he didn't tell me where he was going. Crap! Oh, I will call him... but look, here is his phone. Double crap!! Anyway, I was hooting mad today. No job, no money, and no friends. :(

The Time I Held a Sea Dong

2008-08-04T00:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Brian found a delightful suprise at the Keiki ponds. He didn't want to handle the object, so a stranger did the dirty work. So there I am floating in the water when he holds out a sea cucumber. I wasn't too embarassed while the boys laughed at it squirting. Then he washed the sand off and put it in my hand. OHHH! Let me just say, a sea cumber is freakishly firm and bumpy. I am a married woman, and I felt like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to. What was God thinking on the day he decided this was a good creation? Anyway... I am still a bit red in the cheeks! Lucky mermaid.

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

2008-07-04T18:45:00.001-06:00

Can it be true??? Can Ashtin REALLY be happy? Folks, I a writing to tell you that my life has never been better. I am loving Kailua Town! As you have seen in the previous post, we live in an amazing place. The only thing to make it better is the town itself.

We are close to everything! Lola and I have been walking everywhere. Gas is $4.69 per gallon, so we are very careful as to when and where we take our car. We also got bikes and a trailer to aid in our transportation. I had no idea riding a bike was exercise. Do you remember when you just rode your bike because it was cool and really fun? Well, that isn't the case anymore. My leggs hurt like pigs! Oh, the bus is free. It is a little unreliable, but free!

Lola has been loving the waves and likes to "surf" on her boogie board. If she wears her snorkel mask she is brave as can be. I have spotted dolphins a few times, but I am pretty trying to keep Lola from drowning. We see sea turtles almost every day.

We are feeling really lucky. Life is good.

Our Condo

2008-07-04T18:44:00.001-06:00

WOW! When I sent Brian to Hawaii to find a proper home for our family I had no idea he would find something like this. I had an idea of humble surroundings. Perhaps a coffee shack, an old farm house, some sort of bamboo struture. What he found was quite different.

We are living in a turn-key 1 bedroom condo on the south end of Kailua-Kona. We have a king sized bed, a queen sized pull out in the living room, and 2 lanai's (one of which looks over a beautiful courtyard, and off to the ocean.) We have everything we nee here including a gecko living in our cupboard.

There is a pool where no fun is allowed (meaning no noodles, toys, flotation devices, or incontinant people), tennis courts and direct access to the lava shoreline. We spend lots of time looking in tide pools. Brian saw a huge manta rey, we have both caught fish, and just yesterday there was a turtle swimming in front of me. I would have to say this is pretty amazing.

Brian tells me not to sound too excited about our life, but come on! This is a dream come true!!! I can't wait to wake up EVERY SINGLE DAY! That is saying a lot!

Bri hacked my blog

2008-04-15T22:59:00.000-06:00

Hey,
Brian thought it would be a good idea to post about Hawaii. I am not sure what he is talking about regarding Christmas, but I am planning on being pretty poor... and tan this next Christmas!!! Oh, but I am not sure we will be coming home. I am so excited, and sad. I can't believe I will be away from Bri for a whole month! My poor little heart. :( I guess this takes us to the next thing, missing us. I know this is going to be hard, but I think this is an adventure we would regret passing up. We are going to miss home too! We would really love for you to call, email and visit now and again. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND.

Hawaii or bust!!!!

2008-04-14T16:37:00.000-06:00

Ok....so here we go. Another chapter in the lives of the Hart family. Yes...you heard it right we are moving to the big island of Hawaii!!!!! Brian accepted the program coordinator position with Full Life Hawaii. He will be the manager for one of the learning centers in Kealakekua, HI. This is found 12 miles south of Kona on the West side of the Island. Our dreams have finally come true. Lola is getting confused as we are selling and donating all of our earthly possessions to make this move a reality. Who needs the comfort of a TV or a computer? Ok, so we will have a computer but other than that, we are just taking the cloths on our backs. Our cars, most our cloths, toys, electronics, food, everything gone! I love the freedom this is providing! Brian leaves on May 6th and Ashtin will be following with Lola one month later. Ash is going home to say goodbye and farewell to family and friends. We are still planning on coming back for this Christmas, so we will see you all then. We will also be keeping this blog, so you will be updated as our adventure progresses. Thank you all for the prayers and support on Bri and Ash's excellent adventure!

Firsst Ski

2008-04-01T09:21:00.001-06:00

Snow Bunny

2008-04-01T09:20:00.001-06:00

Bend 2008

2008-04-01T09:19:00.001-06:00

2008-03-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

Early 2008

2008-03-16T20:55:00.001-06:00

Hart Look-alike Meter

2008-03-15T21:37:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Vintage photographs - Free genealogy

Split Personality

2008-02-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

While being a super stalker, I saw a post about The office. On the NBC website you can take on Office Personality Quiz. Turns out I have a split personality. I am most like Pam and Jim.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-03T17:11:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Poor Lola has lost her voice:(

BFF

2007-11-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tabitha Jane, I don't know you, but I love you for introducing me (through Arwen) to this wonderful website! Hours and hours of fun!

OOOMMMGGG!!!

2007-11-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN CHRIS ASKED ME OUT? THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lola's new trick

2007-11-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Lola found the camera and this is the little suprise I found...

Hi Ho To the Shower We Go

2007-09-28T11:08:00.000-06:00

Long ago my dear cousin was going to have a baby. Jessica lives in Vancouver, so Lola and I set out on a road trip (the first of many). We were so lucky because Ryan and jessica let us stay at their house. Lola and Jones got to play, take a bath and learn to be cousins. It was great fun. The day of the shower we got to see the whole family (well, all the girls) including Grandma! Lola was so happy to see her. The played in the rain with an umbrella. A bit dangerous, but it made for a great photo shoot. Jessica is the cutest prego lady in the world. It looked like she had a snap-on belly! OHHH just wait until you see Indi!

Finding True Love....

2007-08-15T22:29:00.001-06:00

I think this is a good example of communication between girls and boys. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

2007-08-14T21:03:00.000-06:00

Have you ever needed a vacation? Have you ever taken complete care of someone or something for 686 of 690 days/nights? Have you ever been a mother?

I will tell you what, I am tired. I am tired of cleaning up piss from the floor- not because she is potty training, but because she takes off her pull-up to piss on the floor or bed. I am tired of taking "vacations" so other people can see Lola. Going to visit people doesn't help me to unwind, it is just new things for Lola to explore and get into. I still have to look after her. I love my baby, but I need to get the *!&# out. I need some time to myself!

Brian feels like he needs a break. Remember those 690 days? He had her by himself for 2. Otherwise, when I go out of town on these so called vacations, and when he goes to visit his friends (which, by the way, isn't very often) he is on a break from the family. Off the top of my head I can think of at least 18 days since February. WOW! Wouldn't that be nice! I am being mean, I know he needs a break.

I am a mother. I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of Lola ALL of the time. I need to learn to let go. By looking at the guilt I carry, you would think I grew up Catholic.

I know that I am just in a really bad mood, and tired and in pain, but is this what it is like to be a parent. Are mothers everywhere on the brink of madness? There isn't a lot stopping me from jumping onto the next train I see and riding away.

2007-08-10T11:05:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to the most awesome show. Slightly Stoopid opened for G Love & Special Sauce. Normally Brian hates my music, but I talked him into going to this show. Slightly Stoopid was really good... the perfect set to get us into the G Love mood! Lola had a wonderful time at the show. There was plenty of space to run around, a great platform to dance on, and a hill to roll down. We were right up front when G Love started and Garrett was sexy as ever! It was a beautiful night. This was just the thing to prepare me for the next concerts on my list. Did I mention I am going to see DASHBOARD!!!!!!!!!!

G Love 1

2007-08-10T11:04:00.000-06:00

2007-08-10T09:36:00.000-06:00

I know you are curious about the big concert on Monday and I am here to tell you that it was just as I thought it would be. We had REALLY good seats, if you can say that about a Disney show, but we didn't feel like crawling over the 10 year old girls to get to them. Life House was good; they only played for 20 minutes. During the stage change, we realized how old we are. We were out of place...if only we had Lola with us! When Hillary came out it was madness. The scream from 2000 little girls is painful to say the least. It was like a Bratz episode! 5 teenagers stood on the stage striking ridiculous poses and strutting their stuff. The boys wore puffy white vests and did flips. The girls wore weird turquoise jumpsuit shorts. Hillary was in her own weird outfit looking like a skanky space woman. I would say the wardrobe was a little racy for the crowd. Although the music was not my style, the music was live and sounded pretty good. Oh, and we left after 3 songs.

Frasier

2007-08-04T07:55:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, when Bill was in town...

As you drive I-5 into Seattle, you are weaved directly into down town. The buildings shoot up on either side of the highway and at times you can't tell if the sides of the road are barriers or the base of these buildings.

We had been to see Bill's sister in Federal Way, and we were headed home on I-5. It was late and we were all a bit tired. As we approach Seattle, Bill says, "I wonder wich of these buildings Frasier lives in."

I thought I was going to pee my pants! We were laughing SO hard.

Lucky 21

2007-08-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

Brian loves to win things from the radio. Long, long ago, when we were young and living in Eugene, Brian was the 16th caller. He wasn't sure what the prize was, but he called in anyway. Brian "won" two entries into a half marathon. Awesome. We got the chance to RUN 13 miles. I can't think of anything I would like more! Oh wait, I could sleep. Race entry... what kind of prize is that?

Monday, July 30, 2007

Brian: "Guess What! I was caller 21 on the radio today!"
Ashtin: "Great. Did you win something?"
Brian: " Yeah, I won tickets to a concert on Monday night."
Ashtin: "Really? Who is it?"
Brian: "Let me show you a picture." (typing on keyboard...) "Here, look."

Ashtin: "Hillary Duff? Did you know those were the tickets you were calling in for?"
Brian: "Yes."

What can I say... my husband is a teenage girl trapped in a man body.

Are you happy Now?

2007-07-25T10:48:00.001-06:00

Something to satisfy

2007-07-25T10:41:00.000-06:00

Do you love me? Do you love me at all? This is the question I find myself asking the sky. Unlike my fellow Blog folk, I don't get comments telling me that it has been too long since my last post. I get fake phone calls. People (meaning friends and family) that just want to know when I am going to put something new on my Blog. Well folks, I have done it. Next time you should just comment.

It's been a while

2007-06-22T10:50:00.000-06:00

I know you are wondering about our anniversary/camping trip, so here goes. It rained. We woke up on Saturday morning to a wall of water falling from the sky! We decided that we would just go to Deception Pass, hike around and decide if we could really camp. I was being sooo brave.

So we packed up our Subaru and hit the road. For some reason we are awake at the crack of dawn on weekends, and we make it to the campsite 3 hours before check-in. Great! So we walked in the rain, we looked at the ocean, we watched people fishing on the dock. It continued to rain while we set up our camp.

Lola had her rain boots on and while trying to get up onto the picnic table, she slipped and hit her face. She cut the flap of skin that holds your lip to your gums. It was horrible. Her first injury and we are camping! I was way more upset than she was. She was off to eat dirt in no time.

Then it happened, the rain stopped and our trip was redeemed! I made spicy chicken, bananna royale dessert, we had s'mores... we ate until we were sick. When bedtime rolled around, Lola was ready to go. She stood by the car screaming, "DONE! Done! Hoooome!" She thought I was crazy when I told her we were sleeping in the tent. Thankfully, we had our DVD player. So, we snuggled by the fire and watched Charlotte's Web. Not only did Charlotte save Wilbur's life, she saved my sanity.
We were up at the crack and driving out of the park at 7:59 am. We were ready to go home. Good times. I can't wait until next year ;)

WOW!

2007-06-09T08:54:00.000-06:00

Brian loves to turn the Tyra Banks Show on because he is amazed at the stupid things they talk about. I tease him and say he really loves the show (I mean the guy loves COPS... anything is possible). Anyway, this clip went too far- even for Brian. Is this really what pretty girls talk about?

GO AWAY!

2007-06-07T20:01:00.000-06:00

Blahhhh! I am so sick of the RAIN! I am mad that the VERY moment I get outside to run it starts to rain! I am sad that my daughter can point out the moon, but doesn't really know what the sun is. In fact, she screams when it is out. If the sun is in her eye, you had better get some ear plugs. Pretty effing LAME! I just want summer. I am tired of being cold. I need the sun to melt this icy shell that has formed since we moved here.
Sorry about the grumpy words. It is just that we have had a peek of summer. Four whole days of sunshine! I wore a t-shirt outside! It was awesome! Then it began to rain.
So then, thinking that summer was here to stay, I reserved a camping spot for our anniversary adventure in Deception Pass. Stupid me. You may know that I am not a big camper, not because I don't like it, but because I am not sure I like it. Anyway, do you want to take a guess at the weather forcast??? Yup, temps of 56/47 with rain. stupid stupid me!
The End.

What the Hell?

2007-05-13T17:56:00.000-06:00

This is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you see the fecal matter that fell on his lip? Sick! I used to think this guy was cute, but after that... I don't know. Does he have a girlfriend? Do you think she also likes bodaggets?

Breakdown

2007-05-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

I had a breakdown. I feel like "the Devil" is taking over the world. I don't want to be a crappy mom. I am compromising my beliefs and values for health insurance. I cried, I pondered, I talked it out. You know what? Brian said I don't have to work there. So, Peace Out Devil! Thanks Brian. I love you.

Graduation

2007-05-02T18:50:00.001-06:00

BH is The BEST

2007-05-02T18:11:00.000-06:00

Don't be sick, BH stands for Brian Hart. The End!

So, my husband din't order announcements. Okay, lets just make our own. We made our wedding invitations, this will be easy. The sad part is, his graduation is way too early for grad stuff to be in stores. We looked, I promise, but Brian had his heart set on the pearlized wedding invites. I was soooo embarrased (and not just because I can't spell the word) that he was going to send them out. Mortified! So, I went back to the store, found some blank cards, stole the logo from Cascade, and spent 7 hours getting the flipping things right. Announcements...DONE!

We hop into the van and head down to Portland. Of course we are stuck in horrible traffic and make it 35 miles form home when our van dies in the fast lane. We make it over, and realize that our transmission took a dump on us. A hot carl you might say. We make arrangements for the van to be towed, and while we are waiting the van decides to work. so, we drive the piece of hud home.

Saturday morning, the day of graduation, we hop into the Jetta and head to P-Town. This is a day we have been waiting for. This makes all his hard work and sacrifice official. This is the end of a really long chapter in Brian's life. This Is The Day! Everyone was there. I could list the names, but I don't want to. The ceremony was forever long, so Lola and I ran around outsid for about an hour and a half. We were there for the most important part... the walk. He looked so proud! I loved seeing him in such an awesome moment! Go BH Go! You are the BEST!

After the ceremony there was a reception where people were supposed to mingle. I haven't been to a graduation before (I'm the kind of girl who doesn't do that thing) so I thought it was weird that the professors were also in robes. I have a photo for you.

Check out the guy in the red. Is it just me, or did he graduate from Hogwarts? I thought this was a Christian school. So the question remains... why is this dude dressed as a warlock?

After we went to Aunt Brenda and Uncle Kevins house for some family festivities. We ate spaghetti, and the best bread ever. It was good to see everyone. We miss family. We miss you guys a lot.

Becky and Seth

2007-05-02T17:44:00.001-06:00

On Thursday Lola and i headed back to the airport. Lola was so excited and was sure that we were there to pick up Suesue. You can imagine her dissappointment when we took Becky and Seth home. Of course Becky tried to bribe my sweet child with a necklace. It worked beautifully. She was in love, and not just with Becky. Lola has her first boy crush, and his name is Seth. I feel so bad because I didn't get any pictures of their trip. So... Oh well!
Did I tell you I got a job working for the Devil?

That is right, I got a job with Starbucks.

So, while my dear friends were here, I had to do 2.5 hours of boring training. The next day we went to meet Ashley, Seth's sister, and her sweet baby, Henry. They were so cute! Since we were headed to Portland later that evening, we were dropping Becky and Seth off. When we left and Lola realized she had to say goodbye, she had a melt down. She was sobbing, screaming, and throwing things. It was very sad. That night when we put Lola to bead we talked about her day. She named all of our visitors and after each one she held her hands up and said gone. Suesue... gone. Becky... gone. Wynntits... gone. It was so very sad.

And Then We Had Friends

2007-05-02T17:02:00.000-06:00

So, last Friday Tate and Jodi came up to visit. Lola stayed home with the girls, and we went out as adults! WOW...it was AWESOME! it is nice to have an adult conversation with Brian and our friends.
On Saturday, we went to see Jimi Hendrix's grave. Talk about weird. Fist off, he is burried in Renton, WA. The only thing Renton has going for it is the Ikea. Anyway, there is nobody around him. Well, his parents and grandmother are there, but that is it. And people leave weird crap there. There was some dirty baseball cap, flowers, baby socks, and a bunch of european people draped over his head stone.
I guess now is the time to tell you about our new car. We had wanted a minivan and bought one for that matter, but it had a really bad transmission. Luckily the guy took it back. Anyway, we got a 1993 VW Eurovan! Super cool with a seat that folds ito a table. Now if you knew me long ago you should know that I LOVE the VW Bus. However, the Bus isn't the most safe or reliable vehicle. The Eurovan is the perfect solution! Not quite a hippie van, but not a minivan! We are officially Yuppy scum. I love it.
Well, since we have had the van, I have been having crazy dreams. The most recent had something to do with Jimi as an elephant, Mr. Belding, the Van, the Garden of Eden and my family. I did my best to make it into the following movie.

On Sunday Tate and Jodi left. We were sad, but happy to have a moment to ourselves.

Let the Good Times Roll

2007-05-02T16:06:00.001-06:00

The Girls Are Here!

2007-05-02T14:56:00.002-06:00

The plan was to have Wynni's birthday celebration on the beach, but it was raining. So, we ate dinner and cake at the house. I was so happy to see my girls! This is the first time I have had any of them here in Seattle, but the very first time to have Wendy in any of my adult homes. Yeah!
Wynni wanted to do everything, but she wasn't too keen on waking up early. So, we rolled out of the house by 11:30 every day. We went to Pike's Place Market, Deception Pass, the Tulip Festival in La Conner, Lavender Wind Farms, the beach, the EMP, the Olympic Sculpture Park... and i am sure 10,000 other places. We had so much fun!
After a day of shopping, we were tired and starving. Brian called and said to meet him at the beach. We arrived to find a bucket of chicken and a fire. The sun was almost down, and the night was calm. It was beautiful! He is the best husband! Anyway, Wynnni was able to have her b-day beach celebration after all.
Lola follows mom around and got to spend lots of time with her aunties. Oh, I hated to see them go. :(

Bill

2007-05-02T14:56:00.001-06:00

Hi Bill!

2007-05-02T14:40:00.000-06:00

So here comes Bill. He wasn't too good with the directions I gave him. He missed the giant white clock. He called and said all he could see was water. That isn't us, turn around! It was really good to see him. It was almost weird, I mean it wasn't often that we would hang together. It was nice though. We got to talk about life, and I got to show him how my life is here. It is funny being in my element, and it is a different one than my home. This is my home, do you know what I mean?
It was better visiting with him here. A new place, clean slate, adult relationship. Good times.
I asked Bill to teach me how to play guitar. I am home all day, and I think I could relly kick butt! So, he took me to the store and we got some new strings (the ones on my guitar were nearly 4 years old) and a basic guitar book. He showed me a few things and has left me to practice. Sorry Bill, but I haven't practiced much since you left. I have been really busy!
Bill and lola had some great bonding time. She has been scared of facila hair since she was a small nene, but she is getting over it. She loved Bill, and wanted to play music with him. He played the guitar, and she played her piano. However, her idea of playing is turning th casio on and off. Real nice.
Come back, Bill.

They are Coming

2007-05-02T14:23:00.000-06:00

Well... This has been a very busy few weeks. It started with a call from Becky saying she wanted to come and visit! Yeah! I was so excited to have her. So, she said she could come out April 26th. Plenty of time!!!
Then there was a Southwest Ding. Flights from SLC to Seattle were $29.00 each way. Plus the deal started on April 16th, Wynni's birthday! Awesome! So, I called mom, and she set things up. Mom Wynni, and Wendy were coming out from the 16th to the 21st. Great! Wait, Crap. Tate and jodi will be in town from the 20th to the 22nd. This was planned log before. CRAP! So I call Tate and Jodi and they are cool with sharing a night, plus we would have a sitter so we could go out!
The phone rings. It is Bill. Weird, he never calls. What do you say? You are going to be in town the 12th to the 14th? We would LOVE to have you!
In the meantime, my dear sweet hubby is talking to his dad about graduation. He thinks it will be in late May. So, he decides to check Cascade's website. Nope! Shoot, the graduation is in just 24 days away! Do we have announcements? Nope. Do we have time to figure things out? Yep.

Happy Easter

2007-04-09T12:43:00.001-06:00

Photobucket Album

Love and Marriage

2007-03-28T21:48:00.000-06:00

Las Vegas. Sin City. The Strip. Viva Lost Wages. Location of many nuptuals.

May we introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Hart!!! That is right, Kevin got married yesterday in Las Vegas. So, instead of letting the happy couple elope, the family followed them to the Garden of Love. She wore a beautiful dress, had the prettiest pink roses and was so happy to marry Kevin. The ceremony was sweet. They sealed the ring exchange with a kiss on the rings. I think that was my favorite part.

I've never been to a Vegas wedding before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The way it works... You change into your wedding atire, choose a chapel, tie the knot, pick a bouquet and a ring if you don't have one, pay and leave. Crazy! Okay, that is for people who are drunk. Kevin and Felicia had their wedding all planned out. I was the first person at the chapel and I was able to witness some love birds! There was a couple that was trying to decide which room to choose. Bride: " I don't care, it is just the two of us." Groom: "You go ahead and pick, Honey." Bride: (yelling) "Make a decision for once!" Groom: "We'll take that one."

When Brian flew into town the weather was really nice. We have had such rainy weather in WA he was really excited to feel the sun on his skin. Anyway, he is waiting for the shuttle and he sees a man who looks a little down on his luck. Brian says, "Gee Mister, You sure are lucky to live here." Man says, "I wish I was dead." Vegas is such a weird place, not my favorite city to visit. It is usually so stinking hot. You walk miles and miles in the scorching sun and have boob sweat stains. Yuck! Then you go into a casino and have an old person blow smoke in your face. Double yuck. I leave there with a distinct film on my body. YUCK! Well, this time it was quite cold. There was an arctic wind that could compete with Gold Beach. Just another example of me not packing for any type of weather.

We are really happy we were able to be at Kevin's wedding. We had a great vacation, and we didn't loose too much money. However, we won't miss Vegas. When we got home the first thing Lola did was put on her favorite boots and hat. It is good to be home!

To Grammy's House we go...

2007-03-28T20:47:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been 1 week since Lola and I set out on our adventure. Since Kevin was getting married in Las Vegas, I decided it would be the perfect excuse to spend a few days at my Dad's house. Lola is an experienced flyer (is this a word?), but our flight was PACKED and this was the 1st time she had to sit on my lap. I got in trouble because I let her stand up while we were taking off so I strapped her in with me. Then I got in trouble for having her strapped in. What is a mom to do? She is a lot stronger than she used to be, and the stiff baby on a plane is tough. With a lot of wiggling and kicking of the seat ahead of us, we made it!
When we got off the plane Suzy was there to greet us with bribes for Lola. She had gummy bears, crackers and a baby doll! Needless to say, Lola loved her! Dad on the other hand wasn't so lucky. Lola is not a huge fan of facial hair, so Dad had to work a bit harder to win her over. He was sad because kids flock to him. Dillon and Andy took Lola on walks, jumped with her on the tramp, played in the rocks and gave her tons of love. Grace took big bubble baths with her, read her stories, played babies and sang songs.
They are building a new house that is beautiful. We were hoping that we would be able to stay there, but a lot of work needed to be done. Lola and I helped out in Gracie's class and the kids got to introduce us. Andy told the class that I was his sister and this was Lola, his favorite niece because she was the only one.
Brian got into town late Saturday night and he was able to spend some time with my family too. We had an awesome time in St. George, and we can't wait to go back. Then we were off to Las Vegas..............
Here is the link to pictures of our trip http://picasaweb.google.com/ashespants/GrammyAndPappaSHouse

Flu, Poo and Hats

2007-03-16T11:19:00.000-06:00

Lola and I had the flu. It was terrible! We were sick, sad, and in need of lots of love. This was my first experience with Influenza, and I would rather have 6,000 babies at 1 time than EVER have the flu again. I have decided to share a picture that decribes how it feels to have the flu:

Having the flu makes you feel like poo. Actually, it feels like you are wearing poo on your head! Yikes! On a brighter note, Lola has started dressing herself! Sometimes she just points to the clothes she wants to wear (the picture on the left is a prime example) and other times she just wants to wear hats. She looks like a backwards smurf in this photo!

Yeah for Snow!!!

2007-02-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful delight! We have a 3-4 inch white blanket outside. It is quiet, bright, and not warm at all. I guess this is why my head has been screaming for the past 2 days. The snow was on it's way!!!!!!!!!!!

This and That

2007-02-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

A few things to say:

1- I did Lola's hair with the round brush yesterday. It was cute, but a bit Amish for my liking.

2- We really want a kitty, but I refuse to pay $400. The neighbor's cat will work just fine.

3- Lola has been up since 7am and has only had 1 accident! Potty training will soon be a success!

Miss Lola Jane

2007-01-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Lola hasn't been sleeping well since the move. She was such a great baby when it came to sleeping through the night. Theings were great, then we went to Hawaii and moved. Since we were in Hawaii she has been waking up at 1:30 and wanting to get into bed with us. For Brian's sanity, I have been sleeping in Lola's room with her. So last night I tried something new. I put her in the big bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Guess what? She slept the entire night!! It was awesome.

Now in case you didn't know, Lola is an artist. Each day she draws amazing things that I get to "find." It is a lot like finding figures in the clouds. She has drawn a surfing dog, snakes, a tree, etc. The drawings are abstract and I love each one. Then she drew something amazing today. I have included a photo of it.

It is very Tim Burton if you ask me- Corpse Bride, anyone? There is a woman's face (in the upper left) that appears to be looking at a blob like baby(lower right). I think it is very telling about her current sleep problem. So, I have named the piece "Seperation Anxiety."

What do you think of the picture? Tell me. What does it say to you? Can you believe this is the work of a 16 month old? I know... she is soooooooo advanced! ;)

Wade v. Barney

2007-01-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

So remember when Wade moved to Mexico and nobody really hears from him anymore. I mean occasional phone calls, but we don't really know what he is doing there. Is he making beautiful lamps? Is he running some weird Internet/ phone business? NO.

Lola was watching Barney yesterday and Barney's voice is soooooooo familiar! Then it hit me... it is Wade! I am so serious. I think he moved to Mexico to become Barney, the big purple dinosaur? What, you don't believe me? Watch it and tell me I am wrong.

BARNEY... I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Girls Love Arnold

2007-01-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I was watching Saved By The Bell while folding the whites when I noticed Lola wasn't in the room. I called her name and looked in both her room and the bathroom- not there either! So I head down the stairs when I hear a man's voice coming from the living room. Yikes, I am scared! Don't worry, it was just Arnold! Lola decided to go to the living room to watch the Terminator- a GREAT movie for a 16 month old!

Then I got thinking about Winnie and how she loved Arnold when she was a kid. She called him Ort-snot-snake-snagger. Hahaha!

So, the question is, What do young girls see in him?

Our REAL Home

2007-01-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, remember when I said that the crazy lady told us to leave our apartment with the blue cupboards... well, I have really nice oak ones now! Nice and plenty of them!!!!!!!!
Remember when we had to sell our dining table because we didn't have room... well, we have room now! Does anyone know where we can get a free one up here?
Remember when we were going to use our coffee table as our dining table in the crappy house... well, now it is being used in our formal sitting area. Pretty sweet :)
Remember when Lola had to live in a room with a supermarket floor... well, now she has carpet in her room. She loves it. We even have the spare bed in her room. This place is HUUUUUUUUUUUGE!
So to the mean old lady that thought my baby was to loud... our house is better than your house. More expensive, but much better. Peace Out Sucka!

The longest month EVER

2007-01-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 1 month since we have had the internet in our house and I have been going crazy! I am so glad to be back! Things have been up and down, but we are back on the up. We are in our new home and we LOVE it. The apartment with the blue kitchen didn't work out. The lady was crazy and hated Lola. We were there for 2 days and she told us that we would have to find a new place because the baby was too loud. Then she stood there and looked at Lola and told me how cute she was... I wanted to poke her eyes out! We figured it out and we moved our things 7 times just for this move! Yuck! Anyway, our new place is awesome. Lola loves it, we have tons of space, and it is in the cutest little town (Mukilteo) that has shingled homes and a ferry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, start planning a trip up here because there is lots to do and we want visitors.

ALOHA!

2006-12-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Hello from Hawaii!!! I just wanted everyone to know that things are so good here! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness, but we made it through.

We packed our little hearts out and finally got rid of all the things we no longer wanted. I can't believe how much stuff we have! We are so lucky. Of course, I married a dumpster diver! As part of our manager position, we took care of the garbage areas. We had to have things hauled, etc. Well, turns out, Brian thought we could use everything that he "hauled" away. There were things like a cd shelf, coolers, junky playground equipment... the list goes on! So, he had to haul it all back to the garbage.

I worked really hard to make sure that Farmington Oaks will survive the little while without a manager. They hadn't done any interviews as of Tuesday of last week. So, I made sure that things were in order and there was a list of things that needed attention. The list was long, and I felt like I hadn't done the the job well. In my heart I know that I did things the best I could... there is just a lot to do all the time.

The best thing that has happened... Brian is a college GRADUATE! He finished classes on Tuesday of last week. He kicked butt taking 21 hours to graduate, and he showed everyone his true colors! He has grown so much this semester. He has created such a great example for our family.

Then we hopped on a plane on Thursday morning and came here to paradise! The temp has been in the low 80s, and felt oh so goooooood!

Lola is a water baby and really loves the beach. I mean, she eats sand like it is candy! She runs away from us, bends down and takes a bite out of the beach. Too bad her turds come out like almond roca. I will get it on video...

Birthday Boy

2006-12-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

On December 1, 1981 magic happened... my sweet husband was born! Brian Hart is the sweetest, funniest, and sexiest Count Dracula look-a-like in the entire world. He has grown so much since I have known him. He brings joy to my life. He brings hope to our future. He brings love to our world. Today, on his 25th birthday, I want him to know how great he really is. I want him to know that he deserves whatever he wants, he can do whatever he puts his mind to, and that he has the most beautiful soul I have ever seen. I sure do love him!

Gobble... Gobble... Gobble

2006-11-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was awesome!!! We ate until we were fat! We munched until we were sick! We were disgusting! Lola put on her reserved act and fooled the Hart family into thinking that she never cries or screams. What a sly girl! We took a hike and found Chantrelle mushrooms. Brian packed Lo on his back. She loves being outside! Lola started saying Grandma, and Grandma rewarded her with the Thanksgiving dishes. We played games, Lola dug in the gravel (Looks like she will be a rock hound too!), and enjoyed the company of family! I guess that is what Thanksgiving is about! I am most thankful for my little family. The make my life complete. Love is powerful. I missed my family in Utah, but I shall see you one day soon.

A Place To Call Home

2006-11-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

So, Brian found a home for us in Edmonds, WA. We are about 15 miles North of Seatttle. He will be about 5 minutes from work, and Lola will have a 3 year old friend upstairs. Lola and I haven't seen our new home in person, but it can't be all bad... it has blue cabinets! Anyway, I hope we love it!

It's Been A Long Time Coming

2006-11-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

I pretended not to hear the comments when people would say Lola had a comb-over, I laughed with them when they would say she looked like Donald Trump, and all the while I was throwing mental fireballs at your hair. Lola is beautiful, and so is her hair, but it was getting too long! It had to be done! Her hair was in her eyes! I was constantly having to brush it to the side. Lola needed a trim.

I remember the days of getting my hair cut while mom was away. I thought Grandma did a fine job, but mom was always so mad! I guess it wasn't as cute as I thought. If you will remember, I haven't had the best of luck with professionals either. There was the duckling hair in Greece, the the spotted hideousness that was my hair in Gold Beach, and the most recent Kari Bain hair this past winter.

I had scheduled an appointment for tomorrow, but Cynthia said I was crazy. She said, "I cut Devan's hair for the first two years of his life. I would cut it while he was sleeping." I figured I could do it too! I could take Cynthia's advice and trim my sweet child's bangs. How hard could it be? HARDER THAN I THOUGHT!

My friend Heather once told me that little gIrls are so much fun. The bad part is that they seem to have a chullet ~aka~ child mullet for the first few years. I refused to believe her... UNTIL NOW :(

2006-11-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

We went to Devan's birthday party at Pump-It-Up yesterday. It is one of those places where you can jump on all the blow up stuff. There was a huge slide, a basketball court, a jumping dome, etc. Lola had a great time once she got her sea legs.

Lola vs. Ocean

2006-11-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

2006-11-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

Lola's 2nd Halloween was awesome! We went to a costume party with about 25 little kids. She was pretty cute, but really wanted to hang out in the kitchen... lots of adults and food! The group photo was a bit overwhelming, but we made it through. Then Jones and Jessica came over to trick-or-treat. It was butt lovin' cold, so Brian took the kids out. Jones was a bit nervous, so they came back after visiting a few houses. Lola was like, I don't know what is wrong with him, but I want to charge this candy thing. So, off they went collecting the loot. Jones and Lola had a fun time together, they got into their jammies and danced to the One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple Eater... very cute! Thank you Jess, and Jones. You made our night!

2006-11-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

Lola's Life of Luxury!!!

FROG Prince, not PUMPKIN Prince

2006-10-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

2006-10-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

We are now ready for HALLOWEEN! We carved our pumpkins, Bri and Lola dug for seeds, we roasted them, and we lit the pumpkins. Check it out in all it's glory.

2006-10-28T21:48:00.000-06:00

We went to find the Greatest Pumpkin in the world. Lola had a wonderful time eating dirt clods, playing with frogs, and climbing hay pyramids. The weather was perfect. I wish everyday was like today. We had some really good apple cider, and we paid like $5.00 for all 3 of our pumpkins. That is why you shop around folks. The farm we went to was really small, but they had everything we needed for our hunt. Lola and I had been there before... we picked blueberries this summer. Good times.

2006-10-25T00:25:00.000-06:00

This is just a few of the photos that show you how wonderful our life is. We are so luck to have the time we spend together.

2006-10-24T10:53:00.000-06:00

Where is the Paparazzi?
Why do moms have to take their own pictures? They always turn out like this one. I guess that is one good thing about the paparazzi... famous moms get to have pictures or proof that they spent time with their kids when they were babies. I just have to rely on my long arms to do the trick.

2006-10-24T10:26:00.000-06:00