Guess I'm a Southern Girl Now

Way to go Bennie!!!

2011-10-19T14:59:00.000-04:00

Yeah, he ROCKS!! 3 Blue Ribbons and 1 Best in Show!!

It seems simple enough......

2010-11-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

I realize I have nothing interesting to say....

2010-11-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

p.s. I love Radiolab's podcast.

I can never move back to Utah......

2010-01-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

Just sayin.

Pay It Forward

2009-03-02T10:29:00.000-05:00

"The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!"

Thanksgiving

2008-12-17T16:19:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was so much fun this year!! It was great to have family and friends that I haven't seen in a long time and those I see a lot too. Enjoy the pics!

Hobo Dinners with the Richards Family

2008-12-17T16:09:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to have my cousin Monique and her family come to my house for Thanksgiving. The drove in on Wednesday so we treated them to a Morgan Family Hobo Dinner. I think a good time was had by all. If not, they were all great liars. :)

For Funsies

2008-11-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

You are Ghost White

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy.

Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.
the spacefem.com html color quiz

Airport Security

2008-10-18T10:39:00.001-04:00

I fly fairly regularly and know about all of the security changes at the airport. They boys and I were heading to Utah for the weekend and were in a little bit of a rush (as usual, I'm not the most punctual) so we checked our bags and got our boarding passes and ran to the gate. I didn't check the boarding passes. Why would I?? She saw my ID and checked it. At security we reach checkpoint two: check ID and boarding passes. They sent us on our way. We then walked through the metal detector. Checkpoint three: again, check ID and boarding passes. We got to the gate and sat down for a minute to get our stuff organized and I pulled out the boarding passes so we could board and the above is what I saw. I had a mini panic attack but was able to get our actual boarding passes printed. I gave the gate agent the wrong passes we were given and she just couldn't believe that that could happen. Well, it did. I should have kept them. They had better seats than us. :)

Babysitting

2008-10-05T20:09:00.000-04:00

Ashley asked me if I could watch her "baby" for her and of course I said yes. What kind auntie would I be if I said no? She is a great mama and came with a list of things for me to do. It's always nice when a parent comes prepared.

Thy expomin led hardships for Native Americans. HUH??

2008-10-04T10:12:00.000-04:00

I love a good word puzzle but this was beyond me. The other night Ben asked me to help him study for a test. He hands me his notes and asks me to read them and ask him questions about the information. Little did I know I was going to have to have experience in hieroglyphics. See the following example:

We ended up having a good time studying anyway. I read what it looked like and he translated. I hope he did okay on the test. :)

Nerd Day and Hickory Hill Field Trip

2008-10-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

My Super Nerd

This belt is the best part. In my opinion. LOL!

Random pics from the field trip to Hickory Hill

100th Post

2008-09-27T11:23:00.001-04:00

Here it is. What a daunting task it was. Holy cow!!! 100 things about me?? I didn't know I had that many. A big THANK YOU to Kelsey for pointing some things out to me. Love you girlie!! These aren't in any particular order. Just the way I typed em up!

1. I love, love, love double cheeseburgers.
2. I’m a sucker for just about any animal. (snakes not included)
3. I don’t like my smile.
4. I’m too fat to wear my wedding ring.
5. My kids drive me crazy but I’m lost without them.
6. I sing REALLY loud in the shower.
7. I’ve never been on a big roller coaster (yes, I am a BIG chicken)
8. I’d love to get Lasik.
9. I want to scuba dive somewhere cool. (not my pool)
10. I have to have the paper money in my wallet in order from smallest to largest denomination and all facing the same direction. (Yes, I’m psycho. Did you not know?)
11. I love pearl jewelry.
12. Rarely do I get a girly color when I get pedicures. It’s usually blue, black or something really dark like that.
13. I know far too much about serial killers
14. I love to play games with my friends and I’m a big cheater.
15. I’ve always wanted to learn Sign Language.
16. I’ve had 9 jobs since high school. (I’m a little ADD)
17. I love to work out but only when it is trainer induced. If not, I’m super lazy.
18. I love movies that scare the crap out of me. Not gory horror flicks.
19. I change my hair color almost as frequently as I used to change jobs.
20. I can belch better than most men.
21. I never wanted to have a daughter. (good thing I got boys!!)
22. I would love to go on a cruise. Preferably Alaska but I’d go anywhere.
23. I love getting henna tattoos (when they look good) but would never get a real one.
24. I have a nose piercing. (most of you already know that)
25. I feel that I am more masculine than feminine.
26. I am an expert time waster.
27. I am sooooo not crafty nor do I scrapbook. (I can’t move back to Utah, I’ll never live up to the "Super Mom" role)
28. When I sit I curl the toes on my left foot under and rest them on the floor. It’s hard to explain. Anyway, I’ve done it so much that my second toe has a callous because of it.
29. I’m very insecure and get social anxiety when I’m around a lot of people. Not shopping so much, like a party.
30. I am not a fan of shopping. I’d rather not altogether. Except online. I don’t mind that.
31. I would love to get a college degree.
32. I am totally in love with Paul Giamatti.
33. Also in love with Jack Johnson.
34. My favorite colors are purple and green.
35. I love daisies.
36. I love hearing obscure music artists. I’m not always a fan of the mainstream stuff.
37. I would love to see the Northern Lights.
38. I live quietly in my house in the woods and rarely see anyone.
39. I love the paranormal and ghosts!! If you think your house is haunted then invite me over.
40. My very favorite animal is a rat.
41. I have a preauricular tag on my left ear.
42. I’m a trained phlebotomist.
43. I can’t start a day with out a Rockstar and my med cocktail (Prozac & Wellbutrin).
44. I love cool nights when I can sit outside in a big sweatshirt and sweats and have a hot cup of chai tea.
45. I would love to move back to the Pacific Northwest. That is where I feel most at home.
46. I love to dress up on Halloween.
47. I always have a bra on. Not sure why but I do.
48. I don’t like my birthday. I’d rather have it be just like any other day.
49. I’ve never broken a bone.
50. Coming up with 100 things about me sucks!!
51. I got kicked out of choir my senior year in high school but was let back in. Good old Torg!!
52. I am addicted to lip balm.
53. My name is misspelled on my high school diploma.
54. When I was growing up and it was my turn to mow the lawn I would always start by mowing a big "B" in the lawn for Bobby Hansen.
55. I love to watch forensic shows. The real ones.
56. My first job was at the airport gift shop.
57. My last job (not the mom job) was working at Curves
58. When I was about 9 years old my oldest brother and my dad took me fishing out on a canoe. When they caught the first fish I totally freaked out and we almost capsized. They quickly took me back to shore and haven’t taken me fishing since.
59. The first album I ever owned was Depeche Mode’s "People are People".
60. In 7th grade I mailed secret admirer letters to my crush.
61. I was in the Days of ’47 pageant. I didn’t win.
62. I sang a solo of "God Bless America" at the capitol for some democratic thing. I can’t remember what it was.
63. I have sleep apnea.
64. I think my best physical feature is my lips.
65. I always wanted a redheaded kid. I got one!!!
66. My siblings and I have matching initials. Susan and I were both SDR and Stacey and Sherri were SLR. Matt and Mike are both MDR. My parents also match, CDR.
67. My oldest sister died when I was four. I wish I had more time with her.
68. I love to do word puzzles but I’m not very good at them.
69. I speak in Scrubs quotes. :)
70. I modeled for a hair magazine when I was 18.
71. I’ve never had stitches.
72. I played the flute in high school.
73. I was in the marching band.
74. I’ve lived in UT, WA and SC.
75. I don’t like my handwriting.
76. I am the youngest of 6 kids.
77. Sometimes I talk in my sleep. I laugh too. I’ve woken myself up laughing. :)
78. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip.
79. I love Mexican food.
80. The one feature on my body I would change is my legs. I’ve always hated my legs.
81. I have big feet. Size 10 or 11 depending on the shoe.
82. I love the movie What Lies Beneath.
83. I have no domestic skills.
84. I love laughing!!
85. I’ve never had braces.
86. I wish I lived closer to my friends and family.
87. I can figure out which celebrity someone looks like or sounds like and I do it a lot.
88. I don’t like french fries.
89. I laughed all the way through the movie The Ring 2, and not because it was funny. (Thank you Kelsey!! Hehehe)
90. I love Flight of the Concords and quote it a lot.
91. My favorite animal in high school was a holstein cow.
92. People close to me refer to me as Heph.
93. My first car was a Nissan Stanza. Oh how I loved that car!
94. When I try something new to eat I try to figure out what it tastes like to me. I’m pretty good at it too. :) Although, Ben reminded me that I said something tasted like a cherry lifesaver and earwax. I’m sure it did! BTW, Pepsi burps taste like kumquats.
95. I prefer white chocolate.
96. I love tropical fruit. Kiwi, mango, pineapple, etc…
97. I’ve never been trained to cut hair but I cut Eric’s. He looks presentable most of the time too.
98. When someone goes out and I’m around I always say, "Bring me a treat!!" just to see if they really will. It works sometimes.
99. I always cry in private. I’m not much of a crier.
100. I love my family and all of my friends!! I try to be there for them in times of need and also just because. Love you all!

This and That

2008-09-19T09:01:00.001-04:00

This post is truly just a bunch of this and that. The pics are in no particular order nor do they have anything to do with each other. Since I haven't posted in a while I figured I owed a big one to my few readers. (Again, thanks guys!!)

This is just scary.

A couple of weeks I made a quick trip to DC on Jetblue. On my flight from DC to NYC one of the flight attendants handed me some mascara. I said, "That's not mine." I figured someone had dropped it and he assumed it was mine. Nope. It was a freebie. Sweet!! I have two because I had two flights on my way home. Still cracks me up!

Oh boy! This glorious monstrosity is the henna tattoo I paid for at the Arts in the Heart in Augusta. Yeah, it's nasty. I took a clorox wipe to it and it's almost completely gone.

These are our tomato plants and our redhead. I had to post this pic because I still can't believe how huge they got. To give you an idea, Ben is 5'8''. Also, we planted them from seeds not starter plants.

This is from a night when I was having a sweet tooth and there was nothing sweet in the house. I went to the store to buy vanilla so we could have brownies but after seeing this I just had to buy it. Was yummy too!

This one breaks my heart. :( The last of our foster turtles died and this is the coffin we made for him. Poor guy! May he rest in peace. All of the others are happily residing at the pond.

Before and after pics. This happened the night I flew home from SLC. I've been taking a lot of trips lately. Sheesh! Anyway, I'm not sure what he got into or what got him but as you can see little Bruno broke out in the nastiest hives I think I've ever seen. After a big dose of Benadryl the swelling finally went down and he was back to his old cute self. Whew!!

Angela, Stephanie & Stacey

This is my very favorite pic from my trip to SF. Eric had a conference to go to so I invited myself to go with him. He was in meetings all day on Monday so my girls came to spend the day with me. We had sooo much fun!!! I miss my friends.

This is from the bay cruise Eric and I took. I so love my camera phone. I get some pretty decent pics with it.

I like this pic with the sun rays. Kinda cool. Good old Alcatraz. We didn't go there. Not my thing. I guess I just don't see what the big deal is about it. Eh, whatever. :)

I don't have anything really of interest to share about this one. I just like it. Eric and I were heading to the cable cars and I love the way the fog looked so I snapped a shot. That's all.

This is a nice room. Not $239 nice but nice. Luckily, we didn't have to pay for it. This is the place where I realized what a simple girl I am. I think I drove Eric crazy.

Check out the view. Breathtaking really. Okay, not really.

This is where it all began for me. I'm used to the low end hotels that have an empty fridge for me too fill up with my own stuff. Oh, not here. I forgot that we're with the high end lodging. Thanks for the pre-stocked fridge but no thanks!

The above pics represent "The Financial Raping of a High End Hotel" to me. Everything they offer is a "convenience" but it also comes with a cost. A high cost. I'll stick with a Holiday Inn where the room is comparable and I get a free continental breakfast, free high speed internet, a fridge and microwave usually for around $70 a night. The one thing I didn't get a pic of was the cost of a burger. I wish I had. $21 You've got to be censored me!!!!

I'm Still Alive, Just Mental

2008-09-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

I am still around. I've been putting off posting because of post 100 drawing near and my lack of motivation to make a clever list. I do have things I can post and I will. A trip to SF and all the fun little things that go along with the hotel. Nothing really has been going on. School for the kids, work for Eric and working out for me. Very boring. I am a little mental too, but, those of you that know me know that's nothing new.

Oh Yeah! I Love Dress Codes!

2008-08-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

The boys go to a private school and they don't wear uniforms but there is a strict dress code. I love it!! Chris wanted to grow his hair out this summer and I let him but with school starting it had to go!!! He won't cooperate when the camera comes out so this is what you get. Sorry. He really is a cute kid and does know how to smile. :)

Any Ideas????

2008-07-28T09:46:00.000-04:00

Won't be long and I'll be to post 100. Everyone has done something clever for theirs and I don't know what to do. Any suggestions???

My Very Favorite Picture of Dad

2008-07-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Looking for a Great Place to Stay?

2008-07-26T17:18:00.001-04:00

Oh Ben and all of his cleverness. When he gets bored he either cooks or messes around on the computer. I love that he made this brochure for our downstairs. I'll tell you a little secret: It's not as exciting as it sounds! :)

WARNING!!

2008-07-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

If an 11 year old girl offers to apply your makeup, this is what happens:

Don't worry, I've made a full recovery. :)

It Was Bound To Happen.....

2008-07-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Yep, took it out with the mirror of my car.

Language Barrier

2008-07-13T11:03:00.001-04:00

I love to get pedicures. Mostly because I have man feet and I need all the help I can to be a little more feminine. I also like the fact that someone else paints my toenails. My belly is too big for me to get all the way down there but working on getting rid of it is a whole other story. Anyhoo, I finally went the other night to get my toes done and debated about getting a design. Sometimes the designs are really cute and other times (like this one) they aren't so much. The guy that did my nails asked if I'd like a design and I specifically said "Sure, but something simple." I repeated myself to get the point across. I'm a less is more kinda gal. Needless to say, he didn't get what I meant. I was going to have him fix them but I decided that this will be my ugly reminder to not get designs anymore. Oh yeah, there was another time in WA when I asked the girl for either a skull or a ghost. It was October and I got black nail polish so I thought that would be appropriate. I would have loved to have a skull with red jewel eyes. Cool!! She proceeded to paint on a pumpkin. A pumpkin???? That doesn't even sound like ghost or skull. She took the paint off and started to paint again and guess what I got? Another damn pumpkin! You'd think I'd learn my lesson but apparently I'm pretty dense. :)

Stacey's New Baby

2008-07-13T10:34:00.001-04:00

Charlotte a.k.a. Chuck

Congratulations Stace!! Can't wait to see her in person. She's adorable!!

Sleepy Chuck

Chuck and Ned

Awwwww! Sweet kisses!

Chuck and Ned

Movie Night

2008-07-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

Since it was Matt's last night here we decided to watch a movie by the pool. Some of us were in the pool until we got too cold and others just watched on the patio. It was a lot of fun!

July 4th

2008-07-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

This pretty much sums up our 4th. We spent the day swimming and swimming some more and then headed to the pond to shoot off fireworks. It was a relaxing and fun day!

Chiggers! Hate em!!!

2008-07-01T14:00:00.001-04:00

The thing called a chigger,

is really no bigger,

than the smaller end of a pin,

but the bump that it raises,

just itches like blazes,

and that's where the rub sets in.

H.B. Hungerford

Entomologist

I think these little guys are all over my hammock!! Last night I was out there enjoying a nice cool breeze (yes, a cool breeze in the south!) and my SONOS and when I came in my legs were covered in bites!! Damn chiggers!

View From The Hammock

2008-06-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

I got a hammock for my birthday last year and I love, love, love it. I took some pics today while lounging. The first one is the view I had straight ahead and the second was to my right. I really love my yard. :)

Flowers!!

2008-06-26T17:22:00.001-04:00

Ashley and I picked some flowers from the yard and she arranged them in the vase for me. Beautiful!!

Nose Ring Hazards

2008-06-24T22:12:00.000-04:00

First of all, for those of you who didn't know I have a nose piercing, I do. If you have any questions refer to this post. :) Thank you.

There are a few different types of nose rings. I have used the following:

Nose Bone

Nose Screw

I'm currently wearing a nose screw like the ones shown above. This type comes in two pieces. The peg with the gem and then rubber "screw". See below:

This information is necessary so you can get a nice visual to go with my story. It was just a few days ago that I was sitting at the computer enjoying a bowl of oatmeal and my morning Rockstar and felt my nose ring was a little loose. I touched the gem and it fell onto the desk so I stuck my finger up my nose to get the rubber screw out. Gross, but, necessary. :) It wasn't there so I started to look around on the desk and on my shirt and in my shirt and around the floor around me. It was nowhere to be found. Then swallowing all of a sudden felt weird. I tried to swallow and then tried again. I figured I'd try to cough up whatever it was that was in there. After a forceful "ACK!!" the rubber screw was in my mouth. I had somehow snorted it up without even knowing. What a fun adventure for that little nose screw! There is no moral to this story. I just thought it was gross and funny all in one so I thought I'd share.

Make Up & The Gym

2008-06-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, so at the gym this morning I see a girl with full on make up. I don't get that. I shouldn't be judgemental but why would you wear make up to the gym???? You're just going to sweat it off. I suppose some women see the gym as a singles bar. I don't. Most likely because I'm not single and also because I'm practically sporting a whole other woman with my excess weight. :) Does that mean I could pick up two guys if I was looking? Doubtful. Anyway, I just don't get it. That being said, I do something that some people find unusual, I shower before I work out. I always do. The reason is because I always work out with a trainer. Think about it, no one is fresh down there in the morning. I equate it to morning breath. When my trainer tells me to spread my legs and give him 15 squats I think he'd prefer to not be knocked out by whatever my be emanating from below. So, showering before makes sense to me.

Also, it seems that every time I go to the gym the hottest girl in there ends up working out next to me. What the hell?!?!?! Today I was on the treadmill and I chose one in the very back under the fan. Hot chick comes in and has at least 21 other treadmills to choose from and where does she go??? Two down from me. Are we going for a before and after shot or something? Is she my after or am I hers when she gets married and has a few kids and faces depression and mounds of chocolate? I'm not really sure. Anyway, all hot girls should just stay away from me at the gym because baby I got back. Unless, of course, you're one of my hot friends and we went there together. That would be okay. :)

A Frog With A Dream

2008-06-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Ben created this and sent it to my phone.

It makes me laugh every time I watch it. :)

Just For Fun

2008-06-20T15:38:00.001-04:00

You Are Megara!

Charming and witty. You are always the first person to come up with a wisecrack. Sure, you have an attitude, but that's why people love you. You keep them on their toes. Sometimes you can be misleading, but always end up doing the right thing for the people you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I'm Not As Young As I Think I Am

2008-06-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Recently I had some friends visit me from SLC. You'd think we were all 16 again. Swimming all day and then playing Rock Band until 2am. What were we thinking? I'm old. I've been sleeping for days to recover from my lack of sleep and mounds of fun. I'll have you know that I do a mean cannonball in the pool and our band made legendary status so it was all worth it!! :)

My Newest Nephew

2008-06-18T20:05:00.001-04:00

Ned

Congratulations Stace!

Not Much Going On

2008-06-18T12:21:00.001-04:00

School got out on May 23rd and the kids and I have been taking advantage of being as lazy as possible. Ahhhh! It's so nice.

This is all Ben can talk about, dream about, think about, etc. He is in total fish world and now has 3 of his own to take care of. None are salt water (so, far). He's making plans to build a big one and get a stingray.

This is the life of Chris. If he's not on his Xbox360 then he's either eating or in the pool. :)

Eric is still reading films 16 hrs. a day. Thanks for keeping the money rolling in honey!!! Love you!!!

I work out 5 days a week. Or try to at least. Thanks to Joey and Ivan. :)

I also soak up as much sun as I can. Love that vitamin D!!!

And last but not least I am so LOVING my Sonos. Happy Birthday to me!

The Ultimate Man Shop

2008-05-31T20:43:00.000-04:00

A few people have asked to see pics of Eric's shop. Here they are. Interesting to some, boring to most. ;)

Old Pics

2008-05-31T18:26:00.000-04:00

I was talking to my mom the other day and she said she had a bunch of pics I'd sent to her when the pool was under construction. I'd totally forgotten that I'd taken them. They're kind of fun. Thought I'd share.

Sexy!

2008-05-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T09:41:00.000-04:00

I must say that this year was my best Mother's Day ever. I realized that I don't need an extravagant gift to make me happy. I went to church and when I got home Ben had cleaned up the house and made lunch. Love it!! I didn't take a pic of the lunch because I was too hungry to take the time. How bad is that? What a terrible mama. It was excellent though. Ben knew I was hungry because I didn't even change first and everyone in this house knows how much I hate to be dressed up.

Then I got a nap. I love naps!!!

Chris, on the other hand, gave me a card that he said he was "forced to make". See below:

Still, all in all it was a fabulous day and I love my family!!!

Spring Formal for Social

2008-05-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

Ben was asked by his friend Mackenzie if he'd like to be her Social partner. We'd never heard of it mostly because we're not from the South but also because we're (well, me) are from the ghetto. It's basically a class to teach manners and learn dances like the foxtrot, waltz, etc. He ended up really liking it. These are pics from the end of the year formal. It's a huge event down here. I had no idea. The pictures aren't great because I didn't have the best seat in the house. As you can see there were a lot of people there.

Holy crap!! This march lasted 30 minutes. Snooze..... Just get everyone in and let's see some dancing.

p.s. This video quality really sucks but I'm leaving it on here anyway so you can at least see his blurry body dance. :)

Cooties

2008-04-29T09:42:00.000-04:00

LOL!!! I love this!!

What the.....?!?!?!?!?!?

2008-04-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm at the boy's school waiting in the lobby and see this cookbook for sale. I decide that it's something I could use and why not give the school $10. I get home and start flipping throught it and this is what I find:

Need I say more? I don't think so.

Baptism

2008-04-23T13:47:00.001-04:00

On April 20th Chris was baptized!! YAY!! I'm so grateful that some of my friends and family could be here for it. It was an excellent service and we have a great ward. Quite a few of the members were there to support our little family. Here are some pics from it.

GA Aquarium

2008-04-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

We went to the GA Aquarium the same day as the Coke Factory. Keep in mind that fish will not sit still for pics so some of these aren't that great. I did try to tell them to pose but no one would cooperate. :)

Coke Factory

2008-04-14T09:24:00.000-04:00

Turns out I'm not a complete slacker as a mom. :) We did go to the Coke Factory and here are some pics to prove it.

My Kids are Crazy!!!!

2008-04-10T21:25:00.000-04:00

The boys thought that since the pool is 70 degrees it's a great time to swim. Crazy!!! The air temperature was only 76 degrees but they got in anyway. It was about 8:30pm too. They're nuts!!!

16 Years Today!!

2008-04-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

Neither of us can believe we made it another year!! :) I love you Eric!!

Our Trip to the Columbia Zoo

2008-04-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

Lotsa pics on this post. I posted a bunch mostly for Ben. He so loves animals!!

Lawrence, Ashley and Ben

This snake was not in an exhibit. It was in the plants in front of the bird cage. Yikes!

Snake in the Yard

2008-04-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

First live snake I've seen this year. Yes, it's on my pool cover!!! Ben came in to tell me that there was a snake out there. I don't usually believe either of the boys when it comes to snake because they know how afraid of them I am. But, sure enough it was real. It was actually kind of cute. We think it was a baby rat snake. Lawrence took it out to the woods to set it free. He killed a few when he first got here and Ben wouldn't speak to him so he stopped the killings. :)

For Joe

2008-04-07T14:45:00.001-04:00

2008-04-07T08:36:00.000-04:00

Normally, I would take advantage of this week and get out of Dodge but this year the federal government took my plane fare money in the form of income taxes. Thanks IRS!!! So, this week we're going to steer clear of all of the Masters hooha and do some things in Atlanta and Columbia. Here's what's on the agenda:

Coke Factory
Riverbanks Zoo
Georgia Aquarium

Hopefully it'll all work out and I'll remember my camera so I can post some pics. :)

p.s. We found another turtle so we're up to 11 now!

Kooking Brains

2008-04-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

This is a cooking show created in 2006 by my clever boys. We had just moved here and the adults were unpacking. We had no clue they were filming in the kitchen. It's about 30 minutes. Watch it if you have the time. I think it's pretty funny. :)

A Little Turtle Update

2008-04-05T22:27:00.001-04:00

First of all, I found another turtle on the pool cover so now we're up to 10!! You know I'm a sucker for any animal. So, after we rescued the little buggers I had to get a better habitat for them. Off to the pet store we went (Ben and me!). I won't tell you how much money I spent. :) But they seem so much happier having more room so swim around. This is way fun!!

This is Why I Call it the Morgan Zoo

2008-04-05T12:19:00.000-04:00

Lawrence was out looking at the plants and found what he thought was a cool rock but, lo and behold, it was a baby turtle!! He brought it in the house and then went out to put the pump on the pool cover and found 8 more. Crazy!! We brought them all in and put them in a tank. I'm not sure what we'll do with them. Probably take care of them a little and then set them free. We think they're river cooters but we're not sure. Love em!

My Necessity

2008-04-03T10:07:00.000-04:00

My Weakness

2008-04-03T09:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Bruno!

2008-04-02T11:55:00.000-04:00

Bruno is 1 year old today. Happy birthday buddy!

I Know That Summer is Just Around the Corner

2008-04-02T11:34:00.000-04:00

First of all, yes, I do live on a dirt road and second, no, that isn't my actual road with a snake on it. I did see a snake in the road today. It was dead but the fact that it was out tells me that the reptiles are thawing out and Summer will soon be upon us. Last night was hot and muggy and noisy with bugs too. It's definitely close!

I'm a Blue Girl

2008-04-01T10:44:00.001-04:00

I found this on one of the blogs I was lurking. Yes, I'm a total lurker. It was kinda fun. Click on the link below and you can see what kind of girl you are too.

You Are A Blue Girl

Relationships and feelings are the most important things to you.

You are empathetic and accepting - and good at avoiding conflict.

If someone close to you is in pain, it makes you hurt as well.

You try to heal the ones you love with your kind and open heart.

What Color Girl Are You?

The Curls I'm Embracing

2008-03-31T12:04:00.000-04:00

Who knew I had natural curl in my hair? I sure didn't. I'm trying to embrace it and tame it and make it look less like a rat's nest. :) This isn't the best pic but when you're alone and you only have a camera phone and a mirror this is the best you get.

This is today. (April 2nd) Much better curls!! Yay!! I think I'm finally getting the hang of how to do my hair. WOO HOO!!!

The front is not as good but not too bad either.

ABC Tagged

2008-03-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

If you read this, and have a blog, copy this and fill in your answers. Consider yourself TAGGED!

A- Attached or single: Attached for 16 years!
B- Best Friend: Do I have to narrow it down? I only have a few friends and they're all the best!!
C-Cake or Pie: Both!!
D- Day of Choice: Saturdays
E- Essential Item: Rockstar, Prozac and Wellbutrin
F- Favorite Color: Green & Purple
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Don't like the gummy stuff.
H- Hometown: Salt Lake is where I was born but I consider DuPont, WA home too.
I- Indulgence(s): Hmmmm.... Rockstar, Prozac and Wellbutrin?
J- January or July: July
K-Kids: 2-Ben and Chris
L-Life is incomplete without: laughing, sleeping, food & friends (also, Rockstar, Prozac and Wellbutrin :) )
M- Marriage Date: April 10, 1992
N- Number of Siblings: 5 - 3 sisters and 2 brothers
O-Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P-Phobias or Fears: snakes and heights
Q-Quote(s): "I don't give a freakin' freak what your mom says!" ~ S.D. Morgan
R- Reason To Smile: Kids getting along, puppy snugs, time with my husband when he's not working, time with friends
S-Something new: embracing the natural curl in my hair
T-Tag: Kelsey, Sara, Stacey, Hiroko, anyone else who chances by to read this blog!
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I've never been on a full size roller coaster. Scares me to death!! (Tash, I did know. :) )
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Carnivore
W- Worst Habit: Being a total slacker in every way.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Either one. Eric gets paid for both. :)
Y- Your Favorite Food: It's true, Wendy's double cheeseburger. I could eat 'em all day and night.
Z-Zodiac: Gemini

Quality Time With My Husband

2008-03-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

This is how Eric and I spend quality time together. He works and I sit on the bed and wait to hear him say those three little words (okay, four.) "end dictation, thank you" so I can talk to him. :) At least he's at home, right?

Evolution or Adam's Rib with a Shot of Testosterone?

2008-03-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

Boobie hair. There it is. That is what this post is all about. Every day when I go to get in the shower, there they are. Staring at me. Nasty, gnarly boobie hairs. Why? Maybe we did evolve from apes and the boob hair stayed. It's not cool. I know I'm not the only one out there with this issue. I've talked to other women about it. Not at a dinner party like, "Ah dahling, tell me about your gnarly nipple hair." As if I go to dinner parties!! HA!!! I don't know about the others but I suppose it's daily plucking for me.

Perhaps some of us got an extra dose of testosterone from Adam's rib. Personally, I'd like to give my testosterone back. I am grateful for the great head of hair I have but, dang it, the rest can go. My sister only shaves her legs twice a year and I get five o'clock shadow on mine. What's up with that? She got boobs too. Probably non-hairy ones. I guess it's just the luck of the gene draw. I got the "lots of hair" gene and "enormous heinie" gene. Lucky me. :)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T08:43:00.000-04:00

My kids aren't in cute Easter clothes because, well, we're heathens. Ashley did get a beautiful new dress and she did go to church too. What a sweetie! It was a great Easter!!

Spring

2008-03-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

The weather is warmer and the trees and flowers are starting to bloom. It should be a happy time but, dang it!!!! My nose is soooo stuffy and my eyes won't stop watering. What the hell?!? I don't usually get hayfever but this year is terrible. I just needed to complain. That's all. Thanks!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

2008-03-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

It's my Chloe's first birthday today!! I can't believe she's a year old already. We love you Chloe!

Summer is almost here!!

2008-03-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

The pool cover was covered in pollen and being cleaned which involved opening up the pool. This crazy little girlie decided to jump on in and get wet. The water was only 63 degrees!! Yikes! Hopefully by next month it'll be warm enough for all of us to get in. For now I'm staying away. Brrrrrr!

Vanity

2008-03-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

van·i·ty
n. pl. van·i·ties

1. The quality or condition of being vain.

2. Excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments; conceit. See Synonyms at conceit.

3. Lack of usefulness, worth, or effect; worthlessness.

4. a. Something that is vain, futile, or worthless. - b. Something about which one is vain or conceited.

5. A vanity case.

6. See dressing table.

7. A bathroom cabinet that encloses a basin and its water lines and drain, usually furnished with shelves and drawers underneath for storage of toiletries.

I've been called vain a few times (See definition #2) and I think about it a lot. The words fester inside my head. Am I vain? I don't know. All I see is an insecure girl trying to feel a little better about herself. But when I read definition #3 I thought that I might agree with the accusation.

Yes, I dye my hair. I'm 35 and almost 50% gray. I'm not ready to be gray. Is that conceit? Maybe.

I have a desperate need to feel more feminine. I never expected to have to pluck gnarly chin hair or buy men's sandals because I have "Flintstone feet". I'm sporting 100 extra pounds since my young, thin days and feel as though I have "man hands". This is why I like to have my nails done. Anything to soften the manly features. I suppose that is vanity.

I'm 100 lbs. overweight. Where is the vanity in that? I suppose me going out in public to flaunt my fatness is vain. People do look. Hmmmmm

I don't feel like I have any "accomplishments" to be prideful about. (see #2 again). I rely mostly on my humor because I have no college education nor the eloquence that others do. Big groups make me feel uncomfortable and insecure (more than 3 people). Heaven forbid I should actually have to participate in an adult conversation about something of real value. Do I have the ability to do that or will I just look like a fool? I opt for sitting back and listening rather than putting myself out there to be embarrassed. I suppose that is some sort of vanity. Pretending to be something I'm not. It's interesting to hear how people perceive you and what you really are. Most of us are just a show. Why is it not okay to show that we're all vulnerable? Maybe we're all vain to some degree.

I don't do these superficial things to "impress" anyone. It's all for me to feel a little more confident. Is that wrong? Maybe.

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

2008-03-18T08:56:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big fan of corned beef so our little family went for an all green dinner. My boys thought I was nuts but the rest of us liked it. Here are some pics from the feast. Yes, even the rice is green. :) That's my favorite little leprechaun in the first pic. She's so stinkin' cute!!

Why the nose ring?

2008-03-17T12:27:00.001-04:00

I'm asked frequently why I have a nose ring. Here is a list of reasons why.

10. To detract from my crooked smile and yellow teeth

9. I’m too fat for my wedding ring so my nose ring fills in until I can wear it again

8. The wild oat I needed to sow

7. I need some sparkle in my life

6. Do I really need a reason?

5. So I can pick my nose in public and say “I’m just adjusting my nose ring.” ;)

4. To make it easier to tell left from right

3. I’m cool and hip (Okay, maybe not!) ;)

2. I do, infact, need another hole in my head

1. I wanted to

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2008-03-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

Tornado Excitement

2008-03-15T22:27:00.001-04:00

Our first real tornado threat happened today. Well, since we moved down here. We were fortunate enough to not be in the path. We did experience the high winds and lots of rain and thunder and lightning. Luckily, we didn't have any damage to our property. Some branches fell but we can use them for future hobo dinners. :) The power went out and we had dinner by candlelight and the food was on the cool side but it was all good.

The most excitement was that we couldn't find our sweet Sadie. The above picture is obviously old since Ben was just a little patoot. I don't have any current pictures of her because she's afraid of the camera now. I'm not sure why but she bolts whenever she sees it. Anyway, she's old (14 yrs.) and likes to hang out outside and lay around in the garden. When the storm kicked up we all went to look for her and she was not on the property or in the house. Yeah, we should stay in the house and yadda yadda but anyone who really knows me knows how much I love my animals. So, Lawrence hopped in the car to look for her. She had wandered about a mile from our house and was walking around in the middle of the road. Lawrence called to tell me she was okay and the boys and I headed over there to help get her back. She wasn't very cooperative but now she's home. She's warm and dry and getting lots of loves. She's mostly deaf but can hear loud noises and high pitched noises. I'm sure it was the thunder that got her. Poor thing!!! I'm just so grateful she was okay and that we found her.

Fireflies

2008-03-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

My uncle and I were discussing fireflies when I was in Utah. I found this article about them and told him I'd post to let him know a little more about them. Love you Uncle Leon!!

Happy Birthday Ben!!

2008-03-13T09:37:00.000-04:00

My cutie Ben is 13 today!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

The Importance of Family

2008-03-13T08:53:00.000-04:00

I'm grateful for my family. Yes, they drive me crazy but that's how it's supposed to be, right? I just spent a quick few days with my family because a beautiful woman in my family passed away. Unfortunately the circumstances for my visit were sad but seeing everyone was wonderful. I saw cousins I haven't seen in years. We were able to hang out and laugh and reminisce about old times. Here are some pics from my trip.

Aunt Alice, Uncle Dick and Mom

Uncle Leon, Aunt Shirley and Dad

Me, Matt, Mike, Susan and Stacey

Mom, can we stop?

2008-02-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

I wish I had a great story to go with this pic but I don't. I was heading home from dropping the boys off at school and saw this pose so I took a pic. Thank heaven for camera phones!!

When Pools Attack!!

2008-02-29T12:32:00.000-05:00

The pool seems innocent and harmless but if you don't look it might get you. That is what happened to Ben last summer. I can't believe I haven't posted this already. Well, I guess I can. :) I just recently got back in to the blogging groove. Anyway, I was sitting on the steps of the pool sunning myself and Ben went underwater (like he always does) and swam straight into the wall and when he jumped up in pain caught his nose on the edge of the pool and scraped it up pretty good. He came right over to me and just like in the cartoons the bump on his head started to grow. I'd never actually seen it happen so prominent like that. I'm a terrible mother and started to giggle while asking if he was okay. He was. Here are some pics of the injury.

I guess I didn't realize how hard he hit. This pic was taken four days later. Two black eyes!! YOWZA!!!

I miss my little ones

2008-02-27T17:51:00.001-05:00

I love this song. I miss my "little" boys. Comforting them when they're sad or afraid. Having them think I'm the coolest person ever. Rocking them to sleep. Singing songs and reading books. Etc. They grow up too fast.

Seriously, is this a dog?

2008-02-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

This is my Chloe. She sounds much more like a bird than a dog. What do you think?

Hobo Dinners

2008-02-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

One really cool thing about where I live is that we can have a campfire in our front yard. It's awesome!! My brother and his son are in town visiting so we made hobo dinners last night. When the weather is nice we try to do it once a week just because it's so fun! Here are some pics.

This is where it all begins.

What a spread!! Time to build your own.

Uncle Flat Tire

YUM!!

Chris' masterpiece. He's a real meat and potatoes kind of guy.

All wrapped up and ready for the fire.

Done!! Time to eat!

It's nice and relaxing to just sit by the fire.

The cousins. They're getting along. AMAZING!

Fun by the fire.

Silly boys!!

Time for dessert.

My Weekend in Savannah

2008-02-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

Eric and I went on a quick weekend trip to Savannah and had a great time. We never, ever do stuff like this. He's always way too busy. I'm glad he had a few days for us to get away and spend some time together.

We stayed at the "haunted" 17 Hundred 90 B&B in the "haunted" room 204. Unfortunately, the ghost, Anna, didn't come to visit us. I was hoping for a scare that didn't ever happen. Here is the story of Anna from the B&B's website:

"Anna Powers fell in love with a married seaman sometime in the early 1800's. She is said to have thrown herself to her own death from the third floor balcony onto the brick courtyard below just as the sails of his ship left her sight down the Savannah river toward sea. Since then her ghost is still believed to be haunting the inn, and primarily room 204. Many of our guests as well as employees have told of strange events occurring which have been attributed to the lonely heart of Anna Powers still waiting for her lover to return."

In the room there are two small spiral bound notebooks filled with comments from other guests who have stayed in the room. I read through most them the first night and finished up the next day. A lot of them mentioned that scaring the ghost tours as they came by was fun, so, since I had a wicked bad headache most of Saturday we decided to stay in the room that night and I ended up spending 2 hours at the window waiting for groups to come by so I could stand in the window and freak them out. HILARIOUS!!! Eric thought I was very juvenile but I had a wonderful time. The first group just kept screaming and others would point and I could hear them say "Look, it's her!" or "There she is!" I got my picture taken a lot. Yeah, I'm dumb, but I had a fabulous time.

This is the only pic I took in the room. It was a cool little room. Kinda felt like staying in my Grandma's really old house. FUN!!

We also took a very short boat trip on the Savannah River. It was fun but short plus my head was killing me.

We walked along river street and checked out the shops.

We ate lunch at the Moon River Brewing Company . YUM!! Great food and Eric liked the beer. I'd seen this place on Ghost Hunters and wanted to check it out. I'd definitely go back. I didn't take any pics there. Again, my headache. :(

Sunday we drove to Tybee Island and had breakfast and then walked out to the pier on the ocean.

After enjoying the ocean air and checking out The Tybee Island Marine Science Center we headed over to the Tybee Lighthouse.

The view from the top

We at at The Crab Shack on the way home and then our weekend was over. Great fun!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T14:08:00.001-05:00

I'm not a big fan of this holiday but I'd like to wish a happy one to all of you. (All 2 of you that read my blog, thank you!) :)

Jenny

2008-02-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

I had to post another one. This one is kind of long but I think it's worth it. :)

Another FOTC Video

2008-02-08T09:27:00.001-05:00

I just love em! I love what Jemaine says at the end!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Business Time

2008-02-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine turned me on to these guys. They're called Flight of the Conchords. I love em. This is the first song I heard and it just cracked me up. It's not for kids FYI. I ordered it the first season of their HBO show on DVD (the only season, so far) and loved every single episode. Hilarious!! Enjoy!

My Clever Ben!

2008-02-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

We've been in sugar cookie world at our house. I love em and can't seem to get enough of em. Ben came up with this clever idea to make pizza cookies. I thought they turned out great.

Our Big Snow Storm

2008-01-31T12:29:00.001-05:00

How exciting to see snow in the South. I didn't think I'd ever see it down here. I was sooooo happy!! It only stuck for a minute and then it turned to rain but we got to see it.

This one is a little dark. It was late and I was standing up on our porch where there isn't much light.

Ah, the beasty van!

Can I please have some space?

2008-01-31T12:23:00.000-05:00

With 3 little dogs in the house with me I'm NEVER alone. Every single time I sit down this is what happens:

(These pics weren't taken on the same day.)

Even if they were sitting on someone else they come right to me. It's nice sometimes but there are times I'd like to just be by myself!!

There are times that it's okay. I love this pic because it shows how sweet Chloe can be. She's not a beast all the time. And yeah, I'm scary with no make up. Sorry!

Mr. Loud

2008-01-31T12:19:00.000-05:00

I had to post this pic because I think it's so cute. This is Mr. Loudmouth. We were on a field trip at a local quarry. It was December 10th and 85 degrees out. What is up with that? It was terrible. If only we had a pool heater. I would have opened the pool and we all would have swam.

The Joys of Having Boys

2008-01-31T12:10:00.001-05:00

Those of you who know Christopher know that he is a VERY loud child. I try and try to get him to not yell and scream (especially when we're just sitting and talking) but it never works. He's known for just running around and screaming so when I hear it I just kind of block it out. To me it's white noise. Anyhoo, I hear his screams the other day and they just didn't stop so I decided to see what was up. I know, mother of the year. :) This is what I found:

The Wall

The Culprit

There he was next to the wall screaming and apologizing at the same time. After he had calmed down and was taken care of we got a good laugh out of the whole thing. He was running to the hall and tripped on a cord and went right into the wall. Whoops!!

Life with Puppies

2008-01-31T11:46:00.001-05:00

Oh the fun of having puppies. They're cute and cuddly but they are sneaky and naughty too. Yes, there is pee and poop but it's the fun surprises that I love. :)

Here are the two young ones asleep and spooning. How sweet. Seems like a good time to hop in the shower. During my shower things are nice and quiet and then I get out to find this:

Needless to say I wasn't happy. They've done much worse but I've learned to make sure all toilet paper is up before I leave them alone. This is the face they got to see:

The Latest Addition to the Zoo

2008-01-31T11:30:00.001-05:00

This is Oscar. He was running around on the side of the road near our house. We took him in an bathed him and fed him and took him to the vet and now he's ours. He does not like men. We're assuming a man abused him. Poor little guy. I don't know how anyone can be cruel to animals. Especially this cutie!!

Backyard Before and After

2007-11-04T11:13:00.001-05:00

RAD Doctor

2006-06-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true, I'm now married to a Board Certified Radiologist!! How "RAD" is that!! hehehehe Congratulations Eric, we love you!

House sold in WA & House bought in SC

2006-05-02T15:43:00.001-04:00

It's official, the house in WA is sold and we've bought a house in SC. I wasn't sure what I'd think of the South since I've never really been there before but I am in LOVE!!! We got a beautiful house with 9 acres of land. Crazy, huh? It's going to be a fun place for the boys to explore. Here are some pics.

Front of Home

This is the front yard looking toward the driveway

This is the front yard looking from the driveway

Creek that runs through property in front yard

3 Acre Pond

Clearing across the road from the pond

Back Yard

Super Shake

2006-04-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

We went to IHOP and Chris ordered a shake and was really surprised to see how big it was when he got it. He was even more amazed when the server came over and topped it off after he drank some of it. Needless to say, he didn't finish the whole thing.

Wacky Tacky Day

2006-04-10T16:22:00.000-04:00

Ben dressed up for "Wacky Tacky Day" at school. I think the outfit he put together was both wacky and tacky. Sadly, his outfit wasn't the winner but he sure had a great time. He was happy to come home and take of his shoes that were on the wrong feet. hehehe!!

Sugar Gliders

2006-04-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

Sugar gliders will most likely be the next addition to the Morgan Zoo. The boys are in love with them and I think they're pretty dang cute too. If we end up living in SC we can get them but if we move to GA they're illegal. So, that will determine whether or not we actually get them. Here are some pics of the boys with their Grandma Karen's sugar glider, Precious. She is precious!

Ben and Precious

Precious and Chris

(and Ben too!)

For more info on the little guys you can look here www.sugargliderinfo.com.

Hmmmmm....

2006-02-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Are you a sock, shoe, sock, shoe person or a sock, sock, shoe, shoe person?

From WA to GA

2006-02-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's unofficially official. We're going to Fort Gordon in Augusta, GA. Peachy, huh?