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Remind me again not to go through Chicago anymore!
I'm home now....unpacking and I seriously need a nap.
CKU San Jose was fantastic! Those people really know how to host an event.
A big thanks to my assistant Sherry and all of my new friends and a huge thanks to Emily Adams for introducing me to so many wonderful new friends and really making me feel welcome! Mwah!
I'll update again after I catch a little sleep!
Posted on June 26, 2006 at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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....was not good. Remind me anytime I foolishly think about flying through Chicago again! Bad news. I was scheduled to arrive her in San Jose at noon and actually got into my room around 4pm California time. That is NOT GOOD. We sat on the plane in Chicago, unable to go anywhere for nearly 3 hours before taking off. O'Hare was total gridlock.
Anyhow, I'm here now. There's not much to report because I totally missed the entire make and take demos. My fellow design teamer, Sherry Laffoon and I just got back from a totally rad Mexican meal. We're stuffed. Tonight I'm going out on the town with some of the other profs ~ looking forward to THAT!
Will post some pics tomorrow!
Posted on June 22, 2006 at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Who doesn't love a good Brawny Lad?
Let's sign all of our men right up!
On a totally unrelated note, our brand new bed was delivered yesterday. Andy's been wanting a king sized bed for 15 years and we finally made it happen. It's great! I swear it was like sleeping in a five star resort last night.
**** news flash *****
The very first issue of the new Imagination Project newsletter, Illuminations, was issued today. If you didn't get a copy and want one, please email me at here and I'll make sure you get a copy and get put on the mailing list!
Posted on June 21, 2006 at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Where oh where do the weekends go? I swear that you blink and they're gone.
On Friday night, a bunch of us from work....Ginger, Laura, Karin, Jamie, and Karin's friend Fran all hung out at one of the local scrap stores because the fabulous Miss T was working in the evening. The food sucked and the manager was less than pleasant, but we always manage to have a good time and we did! I hadn't been on a paper buying spree for a while and it was fun to stock up. New inspiration is always good!
On Saturday Shannon and I were at the TKD school for our normal five-hour-Saturday of classes and coaching, then we hit the pool. I'm not much of a pool person, but it was the perfect day...hot with a cool breeze. I swear I could have been there for three more hours. Alas, I have fair skin and I rarely tan so I really have to be careful with the sunscreen and I always end up sunburned.
Yesterday we moved a bunch of furniture upstairs because my new bedroom furniture and bed arrive tomorrow ~ yay! I can't wait. Andy's wanted a king sized bed forEVAH, so he's finally getting his wish. I hope it all fits up the stairs and the tight turn into our bedroom. Yikes. Anyhow, we got ready for that yesterday.
We also got Shannon off to Camp Ernst yesterday. Last year's first camp experience was HORRIBLE, so she was a bit nervous to be trying it again. But I'm convinced that you get what you pay for and this camp is supposed to be GREAT. I really give her a lot of credit for being willing to try again after last years' Girl Scout Camp From Hell experience. All was good when we got to Camp Ernst, however, and she was thrilled about her cabin assignments and the camp in general, so I think everything will be great! I sure hope so, of this will be the LAST year for summer camp, I'm afraid. I hope that's not the case.
Since Shannon was off to camp, Andy and I decided to grill some really great steaks, break open a bottle of really great wine and watch the US Open golf. Now I love Phil Mickelson, but I can't stand it when he self destructs, which he did in FINE fashion yesterday. It was bad. He had it in the bag and blew it on the last hole. Phil! Dude!
Anyhow, busy week this week....CKU later in the week, new furniture tomorrow!
Update....be sure to check out the Imagination Project blog and leave a comment. We'll be drawing names of those who comment for some free stuff this week!
Posted on June 19, 2006 at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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This time next week (never mind the three hour time change.....) I'll be at CKU-A teaching for the first time! I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous.
Thanks to all of my students who have emailed me in advance, make sure you check in with me. Also, if you have ANY questions, be sure to drop me a line at [email protected]. I'll also be in the Imagination Project office on Monday, so you can reach me there by phone at 888-477-6532. It's toll free, so don't hesitate to call!
Here are some sneak previews of your class projects....A Perfect Match and Doodlelicious. I hope you are as excited as I am.
California Here I Come!
Posted on June 16, 2006 at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Wow, time flies! Sorry for the lack of update.....
Today I'd just like to mention some of the really fine people who have touched our lives recently.....
Jim Hogan - a kind and generous man, a world traveller, a great dad and grandfather, a funny guy. Happy Birthday Uncle Jim (that's him in the photo). You throw a rockin' party!
Deb Perry, Sharon R, and Terri Hogan who graciously gave me photos for my recent Memory Makers assignments. It's hard to scrap teenagers and their school experiences when you don't have teenagers. I'd give you all a sneak peak here, but I'm not allowed!
Laura, Karin, and Gingy....who worked their butts off at work getting my CKU San Jose class kits put together this week. Thank you for your time and effort and taking the stress away. And speaking of busting her butt, Laura came to taekwondo with me last night and volunteered for even more butt whooping! Go Laura! She did great and has a natural crescent kick!
Karen at the Original Mattress Factory, who said she'll have my new bedding delivered any day I want it and at the time I want it, and that they'll haul the old hold-in-the-bed mattress and box spring away so that I don't have to drag it to the curb.
Rainbow Car Wash...they rock. My car hasn't looked this good since the day I got it. I still don't like it, but at least it's clean inside and out.
CKU San Jose students - thanks so much for the email! I can't wait to meet you all. I hope I can live up to your expectations.
Melissa Inman, Katie Nugent, Poly Maly, and the BHG staff who actually mentioned my layout in the July issue in their blog last week. I was excited because it's my first pub in BHG Scrapbooks, Etc.! Here's the link.
To all of you who had to sign up twice for the Imagination Project newsletter...thanks for understanding. Computer problems are the worst. If you didn't hear, my computer had a brain dump last Friday and I lost all of my mailing lists, including the one for the newsletter. If you're reading and want to sign up, drop me an email at [email protected].
My next door neighbors...who let us use their pool whenever we want!
To my parents....who sent us flowers on Thursday and rescued me with unexpected childcare on Monday.
To the person who invented ibuprofin and Aleve...nuff said!
and finally, to my husband who surprised me on Thursday night with something really pretty in a BLUE BOX tied with a white ribbon! Love ya!
Posted on June 14, 2006 at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Fifteen years ago today I woke up in a suite at what used to be the Clarion hotel after getting about 1 hour of sleep the night before. The dark circles were BAD.
Fifteen years ago today, my parents treated me to a great breakfast buffet and I couldn't force myself to eat anything. You know if I can't eat, it's not a normal day.
Fifteen years ago today, I ran into the downtown Walgreens to buy some lipstick and the cashier said "Nice day today... do you have anything fun planned for today?". I said I DO!
Fifteen years ago today, I did my own hair and prayed for a good hair day. What was I thinking? I think the amount of hairspray in the room could have been considered toxic to small animals.
Fifteen years ago today I got into an elevator in the hotel, wearing yards and yards of silk and was joined by about five dirty and stinky softball-tournament-playing-plumbers who kept teasing me and saying things like "don't do it!" and "run away with me Sweetheart!"
Fifteen years ago today I took my first limo ride, along with my best friend PK and when pulling up to the church and seeing the wedding party getting their photos taken, it felt like I was watching a movie. In the yard across the street from the church, there were two young women sunbathing topless. Showoffs!
Fifteen years ago as I stood at the back of the church with my dad, holding the heaviest bouquet of flowers ever created, he asked me if I was ready to go. I said "Dad, I really gotta pee!" He said "too late now!" and off we went.
Fifteen years ago, a priest asked me if I'd take the kindest guy in the world to be my husband, and as I told the Walgreen's cashier a few hours earlier, I said I DO!
That entire day was a blur, but I remember a lot of funny things that were said throughout the day. I could write a book about the reception, but I don't want to bore you. Hmmm, I wonder where we'll be in fifteen more years!
Posted on June 08, 2006 at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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A few of us online friends were recently challenged to complete the following, either on our blogs or on our online forum if we didn't have a blog. Here's mine!
I AM: Happy, Tired, Married, a Parent, Employed, a Dog Lover, Creative, Impulsive, Loud, Caring, Opinionated, too busy, a perfectionist, always on time
I WANT: more time in a day, a new bed, a remodeled bathroom, a Mini Cooper convertible, to raise a great kid and be a good parent, a cleaning lady
I HAVE: Too many blessings to list, good friends, a great family, a cool job, a black belt, a great dog
I WISH: I could be a castaway on Survivor
I HATE: High humidity, my Jeep, folding laundry, traffic tie-ups, Muzak, olives, mangos, people who are habitualy late, indecisiveness, dog gas, telemarketers, politicians
I MISS: PK and Diane, my London friends, London life, having a cleaning lady
I HEAR: music, laughter, talk radio
I WONDER: What kind of young lady my daughter will turn out to be, what the world will be like when I'm 80, how far I'll get in taekwondo
I REGRET: not starting taekwondo several years ago, firing my cleaning lady
I AM NOT: self diciplined, good at gardening, good at golf, good at managing money
I DANCE: when I feel like it
I SING: in the car, at home, in the SJF choir
I CRY: when I'm frustrated, when I'm feeling rejected, when I watch a movie like Love Actually, when my child is hurting
I AM NOT ALWAYS: happy, motivated, organized, a good mom, a good wife
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: scrapbook pages, photos, dinner, piano music, the bed, mistakes
I WRITE: this blog, of course!
I CONFUSE: everything lately....I'm over 40!
I NEED: a good night's sleep, alone time, Motrin, a little praise now and then, high speed internet, a boob lift (see above)
I SHOULD: lose more weight, keep my house cleaner, be better about keeping track of birthdays, drive slower, paint the trim on the outside of my house
I START: lots of projects
I FINISH: 80% of what I start. I never finish the laundry.
So, what about you?
Posted on June 05, 2006 at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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My daughter is such a tender hearted kid. That's a really good thing, but as they get older it's heartbreaking at times.
Flippy is a good example. Shannon found this ailing bird early last week. The bird's beak was crooked and didn't close properly and obviously it couldn't fly. I don't know if it was ill or just left on the wrong side of a confrontation with a neighborhood cat who finally got bored and left it to die. Either way, this bird was in a bad way and Shannon found it. The future vet in her was determined to nurse it back to health and truly believed that love and a lot of tender loving care would do the trick.
Unfortunately, after three days of TLC, she woke one morning to find that Flippy hadn't made it through the night. Sobs and crocodile tears followed of course. I could hardly get her off to school on time and had to promise an aftershool funeral with all the trimmings for later in the afternoon.
Ah, the circle of life at it's worst again. We go through this a lot. Shannon has such a tender heart and a really soft spot for animals and creepy crawlies of every kind. She'd love to keep them all as pets, but doesn't get how sometimes an animal's natural habitat just might be better than living in a jar in her bedroom.
Can we talk about the toad that she adopted this past weekend? We went to Indy to visit friends and they have a large pond. They have gobs of funny critters, including about a bazillion toads, frogs, tadpoles (huge ones!) and bullfrogs. The toad that she caught on Saturday mysteriously appeared in her bedroom on Sunday night. Poor guy...I'm sure he needed some water and food, but she was reluctant to let him loose. Finally, we convinced her that he really did to live outside and the tears fell like rain once again.
As of last night, we're the (once again!) proud owners of yet another family of goldfish...Bengal, Red Wing, and Taekwondo. We don't have a great track record with fish. They usually manage to live about the same amount of time as a houseplant does here at my house. That's not good. I fear the next fish funeral.
She is really determined to go to vet school, but has a hard time with the realities that even the best vet can't save them all, and that sometimes you have to help people put down their pets (Grey's Anatomy, anybody?). Ah Finn. I bet he was tender towards all of the earth's creatures at age nine as well. As Mom, it's tough for me to see her heart break like this, but on the other hand my heart will break when hers no longer does.....
Bye bye Flippy, may you always soar high.
(**** camera update ~ camera and flash are SOLD! Thank you for your interest! ****)
Posted on June 01, 2006 at 06:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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