Party time with the girls

I am so excited. Tonight I get to have dinner with Becky and Sheila from school. Becky recently got promoted and is going to be traveling for the next year, so we wanted to get together before she took off. It is going to be so fun. I really miss seeing the two of them each week (but I DON'T miss the homework!!!) We are going to the Portland Steak and Chop House, which is conveniently right by my work.

On to other subjects
Zan's soccer game went great last night. He is getting better at being aggresive with the ball and getting his foot on the ball a bit more. He has been doing very well and all the exercise is definitely doing him some good. He wants to do baseball in the spring. I guess he wants to try everything out.

I talked to Dusty yesterday and supposedly he is picking up the boys this weekend. We will see, but it would be nice if he did. Most importantly the boys miss him. But I would also love a weekend alone with Joe to relax. Next weekend we are going to Pullman to watch a Cougar game. It should be a lot of fun, plus I will get to see Eliza (Joe's sister), John, and the girls. It should be a fun weekend. I am leaving early Friday so we can get a head start. We are leaving as soon as Zan gets out of school for the day.

Happy Birthday Tanya!

Yep...it is Miss Tanya's birthday today. We celebrated it with her yesterday because today she is spending the day with her hubby.

I hope you have a great one Tanya!!

Been so bad lately...

I know...I haven't been very good at updating everyone on my life lately. Work has been really busy and with Zan's soccer schedule my nights at home have been busy too.

Last weekend I went to a great retreat through my church. There were 38 ladies there and we had a great time. The theme was "getting to know you" and everything was decorated like a coffee shop. I had a wonderful time meeting all the ladies plus we did a lot of great activities that brought us all closer to God and to each other. We had some great worship times and spent time huddled around a campfire. It was so wonderful...

Speaking of wonderful... My great husband spent the weekend with my little guys since Dusty (SURPRISE) didn't pick them up. They went to the zoo and Zan's soccer game. I think they really had a great time. Joe's sister came over too, so I know they all had fun with Aunt Eliza.

Last night I went grocery shopping and got some great deals. I got a ton of stuff and saved over $50, plus my total was only $134. Such great deals. I love coupons:) Now my house is filled with lots of tasty food. Happy Teresa:)
I also got one of those new "oil candles" that melts into scented oil. It smells great! I got dewberry, which is a light fruity smell. It was great:)

This morning I had a great morning. Since today was my late day I decided to spend my morning at the social security office and get my name changed. I got to the office about half an hour before they opened and was the second in line. I was out of there in 12 minutes! Last time I spent nearly two hours! Since I had extra time (but not enough time to head back home) I decided to go to DMV and I was out of there in 15 minutes. I couldn't believe it! Even after two stops, I was still early so I did a bit of shopping at Lloyd Center (new bras, socks, and a cute shirt) and then spent a few minutes at the bank changing my name there too. I was amazed at how much I got done.

Work is flying by today, which is good. Plus I have a bunch of stuff to do tonight so the rest of the evening will fly by too:) Yeah! Plus tonight one of my shows in on TV and we are having lasagna...yummy

No surprise

After 4 phone calls...four messages...Dusty hasn't called me back. But finally he answered this morning and said, Yeah? (Like...what do you want?) I asked. Are you going to pick up the boys tonight and he said. No (like...duh Teresa). Boy he drives me crazy. I guess I shouldn't expect anything different...but a call would be nice. Just a LITTLE responsibility would be GREATLY appreciated.

Okay...Okay...

I have been slacking I know...but here we go:)

So, the B-day party went great!














Isn't everyone cute???

The boys got lots of army stuff, which made them VERY happy. Even today they were both still happy they had army stuff to wear (the 4th army clothes day of the week!!)

Tonight I get to finally get my massage that my buds at work got for my birthday. I can't wait. It is at Portland Center Spa and they are wonderful there. I get to start out with a hot whirlpool bath to loosen my tense muscles and then one hour of heaven.... aahhh... I am feeling relaxed already. Then tonight I get to head home for the premier of CSI. I can't wait. I watched the seaon finale from last year last night...quite a good one. It had me on the edge my seat (okay...my bed)...

Then tomorrow night I get to head to Camp Yamhill...by Yamhill of all places...ha ha...
I am headed to a women's retreat. I can't wait. It is going to be a blast. I went to one YEARS ago...back before William...so at least 5 years ago. I had a wonderful time. This one is geared around making connetions with other women in church to help build a support system of other Godly women.

It still remains to be seen whether Dusty will pick up the boys this weekend, but I have a great husband who is going to hang out with the boys the whole weekend if he doesn't. What a sweetie:)

Zan's soccer games have been going great. He is doing a much better job this year at following directions and having a good attitude at practice. I am very proud of his improvement. He loves being goalie (his favorite position) and he is pretty good at it. He wants to do baseball in the spring, so this is going to be a busy year! But it is good. I have cut him back on his video game playing since school began and soccer keeps his busy and active. He seems to be doing good with it. Hopefully it will continue to do well. His teacher is great this year and sends homework that is actually fun and varied. From alphabitizing words or making collages of leaves or throwing a ball and catching it. She is really great. She truly recognizes the different learning styles. She even called yesterday while I was at work just to see if I had any concerns or questions (apparently she was calling ALL of her students!) What a commitment to her students.

What a relief!

You Are 30% Boyish and 70% Girlish

Even if you're not a girl, you're very feminine. You're in touch with your feelings, and your heart rules you. A bit of a emotional roller coaster, one moment you're up and the next you're down. But no matter what, you try to be as cute and perky as possible.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

I am sure glad I am mostly a girl. Relief!!!!

Now that is progress!!!

BEIJING (Reuters) - No more than two flies or two pieces of discarded trash or waste are allowed in Beijing's public toilets at any given time.

That is the order authorities in the city's Xicheng District have given 400 new environmental workers charged with enforcing what local officials call "the first public toilet management standard in Beijing's history."

The Chinese capital's toilets are notoriously foul, many containing no running water, flushing mechanisms or toilet paper. But since winning the bid to host the 2008 Olympics, Beijing has been working hard to improve toilet cleanliness.

"This is a move to change the image of Beijing's toilets and make a better impression," a Xicheng sanitation official surnamed Li told Reuters by telephone.
In July, the city vowed to launch "the largest toilet revolution in its history." By September 6, nearly 1,100 public toilets across the city had been upgraded, the Beijing Times reported Tuesday.

Some new public toilets in popular tourist spots are even ranked by a star system, with the cleanest and most comfortable getting a coveted four stars.

I want to visit a four star toilet...lol!

Yummy!!!!!

A GIANT OF A FRUIT...
Giant raspberries - twice the normal size - are to go on sale in the UK this week.
They each weigh around a quarter of an ounce and have been grown in Britain this year for the first time, according to Marks and Spencer.

King raspberries - also known as Madonna raspberries - were bred by crossing two other varieties of the fruit.

I love raspberries, I can't wait to try some giant raspberries:) I hope they taste just as yummy.

Whew....

Busy day....


Busy day....


Busy day...



That is all I have time for today!!!

What a small (and tasty) world

After our Friday morning meeting I was hungry (I know...surprise, surprise). Apparently my bowl of "honey bunches of oats" only had staying power for about 2 hours....

So, I decided to try out the new bakery down the street from work. It is Romeo Bakery and little did I know...But a teacher from our ESL (English as a second language) program gave up teaching and now owns this cute little bakery. The set-up was great (looks like a regular, "homey" kitchen with wooden cabinets and everything. I had a hard time choosing my tasty treat. There were so many to choose from and they all looked delicious. One that I was seriously considering was a fruit tart with custard and a bunch of delicious fruit like strawberries and kiwi. Yummy! But I chose a butterscotch roll. It was a roll of sweet bread and hidden in the middle were some miniature butterscotch chips. It was great and not as sweet as it sounds...More like a hint of sweetness. Plus I got a cheese puff, which was a small roll with mozzarella melted in the middle and cheddar cheese melted on top. Yummy again! PLUS I got a 10% discount because I work at Western. What a deal! Plus knowing the owner is fun and I want to support him in his new endeavor so I will try to visit again sometime soon.

BABY IS HERE

Amber came in to visit with baby Ava today. What a cutie! She is just perfect and her little cry was adorable. I got a good dose of baby time. She has A LOT of hair... Cute as a little button.

Happy Birthday William

Yep...my baby turns 5 today. I can hardly believe it. It seems like it has only been a few years since he was born, but reality is 5 years. Wow....

Zan and I sang happy birthday to him this morning on our way to Roxanne's and Roxanne has a party planned for him today. He is very excited to be 5. Such a big boy. Next year he will be taking off for Kindergarten.

I'm old....

You Are 34 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Okay, i am not really old...but this survey says I am 34...

So, onto other subjects...

This weekend was great. Zan had soccer pictures Saturday morning and he was a cutie in his uniform. After pictures we went shopping for a bunch of things (including supplies for the boy's birthday party next weekend). Sunday after church we spent time at our church's block party which was a BLAST!! We took the boys around and went to some of the events. There was a bunch of inflatable things (the slide, the jumping castle, the bungee relay) and a climbing wall, pedal-powered four-wheeler race, and typical "carnival" games. Plus tons of food booths: popcorn, snow cones, dotton candy, hot dogs...the list goes on. Joe and I volunteered for the cotton candy booth. It was fun and MESSY. My arms were covered in cotton candy and I even got it in my hair...but it was a blast, plus we were one of the most popular booths. After church I was pooped! I settled in to watch my Packers get slaughtered :( It was sad...plus our best receiver is out for the season due to a knee injury from that very sad game. Whoa is me....

Blond joke

Eleven people were clinging precariously to a wildly swinging rope suspended from a crumbling outcropping on Mount Everest. Ten were blonde, one was a brunette.

As a group they decided that one of the party should let go. If that didn't happen the rope would break and everyone would perish. For an agonizing few moments no one volunteered.

Finally the brunette gave a truly touching speech saying she would sacrifice herself to save the lives of the others.The blondes applauded

ha ha ha...funny

It has been a while...

Well, I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I should get on the ball!

Well, Friday night I was surprised by Dusty. Last time I talked to him (two weeks ago) he said that he wouldn't be able to pick up the boys...

Well...he showed up Friday to pick up the boys. Sometimes I just get so frustrated. Why can't we at least have a "little" communication. It would make things so much easier.

So, Zan already had a friend over and was excited to go to the baseball game on Saturday, so Dusty just took William for the weekend. It was kind of strange to have Zan around and not William.

The baseball game was a blast and I got to teach the little ones at church on Sunday (with Joe's help) It was a lot of fun and Joe did a great job. We were learning about following God's leaders and how Aaron and Miriam (Moses' sister and brother) didn't follow Moses. It was a lot of fun to have someone to do things with like that.

Yesterday Zan and I went to Mt Scott Rec Center and played in their pool for a few hours. It had a lazy river (although it wasn't very lazy...pretty swift moving) and a slide. It was a lot of fun. Plus it was nice to do something with "just" Zan. Usually William is tagging along, so it was a nice treat for both of us.

Today is Tuesday already...I can hardly believe it. This week is going to fly by...woo hoo! Zan has soccer practice tomorrow night and pictures on Saturday morning. Life is getting very busy again! The school year is a double-edged sword. It keeps the kids busy with activities and schoolwork...but it keeps me extra busy too! At least this year I am not in school myself, which should make a huge difference in my not going crazy.

I love my company!

I can't believe what a great company I work for. We just got an email from corporate saying:

Hurricane Katrina, which tore through the Southern United States this week, has caused devastating damage in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Most of Bryman-New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi employees have lost their homes, and many have lost everything they own. We still have not been able to reach several employees, and the process of contacting our students has just begun. We have posted the following message on disaster relief messages boards:

To all Bryman College Employees:
Your company is concerned about your well being and we want to provide support to you during this difficult time.
Please contact us at 1-800-611-2101 extension 347, 417 or 671 to let us know: ·Where you are, ·How you can best be reached by phone, e-mail or text message,
·Special needs you may have,
We have set up temporary living quarters in Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia for you and your immediate family. We want to help each employee but have been unable to make contact with most of our employees. If you are an employee of Bryman please contact us so that we can assist you with your needs. We'll do our best to answer your questions and meet your immediate needs.
We are also running radio and television notification messages similar to the one above informing our employees and students that we are here to help.

Our Company has a history of helping those in need just as we did after events such as the Southern Asia tsunami, 9/11 and the Florida hurricanes. Corinthian Colleges has started a relief effort to assist our employees hardest hit by this disaster. The Company has committed $100,000 to this fund, and has secured temporary apartment housing for displaced employees and their families in Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. We are also asking our employees to contribute to this relief effort in any way they can, to aid and support fellow employees. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer Jack Massimino, and Chairman of the Board David Moore, will each contribute $5,000 to kick off this relief effort. If each employee of the Company contributed just $10, we would more than match the Company’s $100,000 contribution!

Not only are they caring about the well-being of their employees, they have set up housing and helping them with whatever they need. Plus, they are running ads (WHAT AN EXPENSE) to contact all of the employees so they can help them! WOW!

Wedding Pictures!!

What a great day! Gary did a great job of capturing everything!

Tragedy

I can't believe everything that has gone on the past few days. I watched Dateline last night and was reading the paper this morning all about the devastation that Katrina has brought. It is sad that through all the pain and loss many people are just trying to survive and a small minority is taking advantage of the situation and looting. I was reading about the dome where all the people were staying and originally I thought...it is a good place for all of them to be. Luckily they had somewhere to go...but after reading some articles I decided that is a horrible place for them to be. There are crack pipes everywhere, feces on the walls of the bathroom, no water, no A/C, and three people (including a child!!) have been raped in the middle of the night. Now people are bringing guns and shooting at the helicopters trying to help them! Human nature can sure suck sometimes....

sigh....