New Cars to us

Eeeeek!!! Sooo nervous. We pick them up on Friday. I can't believe we're actually getting RID of our cars (and a hefty car payment!) I have this weird emotional attachment to cars. Brando doesn't. He grew up with his Dad owning three dealerships. They had a new car every month. Literally. My parents had two until I was sixteen then I bought two of my own. We've had a few good choices and a few dissappointments since we've been married. It's been the trusty van for the last five years for me though.

The windstar. We'll just call it an MV and leave it at that.


The new sedan - it's a Nissan Altima

Fall Weather

It's pumpkin carving, picture taking, sweater wearing time. Brando and the boys carved a trick or treat pumpkin yesterday and a bat/lizard/dragon pumpkin today and lit candles in them. I love the soft glow of the orange.

Yesterday I went scrapbooking for the second time!! My scrapbook is SO pretty, I'll have to post pictures of it soon. My 'muse' showed me her beginning scrapbooks to boost my confidence on how good mine are. It worked, hehe. Of course I have her to model after!!

My neighbor has broken up with her fiancee which is a really good thing. Her sister is in College Station all weekend so I've been hanging out over there keeping her and smiley K company as much as I can. Watched too many movies, it's been nice to have sit back and relax time at the same time.

We went to dinner last night with friends and went over to their house afterwards to eat pazookies that we made, two warm chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream in the middle and hot fudge sauce poured over. Yum!

PS Sorry about the green and orange. No time to switch it out now, I'll have to do it later!

Make a Change

I've been hearing this song recently and I always think of choosing to come out here. The lyrics apply to so much more than making a change. Since my birthday and this new computer every time I click on "Last 12 months" in iphoto it starts with the first month of the last twelve months. So that would've started July of last year when we were in Cali. I've gone through many fun memories each time I click on it and now I am down to our last month in Cali. The goodbyes. The quickly snapped last chance scenery pictures. The boxes. The tears, though I can't seem them in the pictures. God has us here for a reason, but the beauty is so compelling back there. The happy memories. Like a childhood, the bad fades away when I look back at the pictures.



Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I'd pray
I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jetplane
Far away
And break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging with revolving doors
Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me
Gotta keep movin on movin on
Fly away
Break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
Take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away
Breakaway
Break away



Santa Cruz Harbor


Greyhound Rock


Monterey Bay


Westside Santa Cruz


Santa Cruz County Fair

Satisfaction

in a family day.









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Exercise, Foreman Grill, and Costco

How's that for a title?

Today I exercised. After sitting around the house depressed and headachey all day I finally caved to the boys wanting to go to the pool. Silly me goes up with NO makeup, NO coordination of outfit (okay, a little), and running shoes expecting NO one to be there, but of course there is. So I spend the whole time slightly embarrased but so proud of my little Shawny swimming back and forth while the other four and a half year old there says, "That guy's littler than me but he has no floaties and he's swimming."

I wanted to work out afterwards but the boys were wet and the gym has a powerful AC so I decided I'd just run home. You would crack up if you saw me running with the kids. I run a ways then turn around and run back until I get back to them. Then I walk with them for a bit and run again. It works. They're happy. I pace myself. And I get my heart rate up. I LOOOVE the cold shower when I get home. Mostly because it doesn't feel cold, just SOOO refreshing.

Tonight I'm making Costco individually wrapped chicken so it's soooo easy to defrost in whatever portion I want on my foreman grill with a little wine (right, the CHICKEN's getting the wine) and brown sugar, along with sauteed garlic broccoli rabe. Oh yum!

Lives are like Events

People only want to be part of them if they are exciting or mean something and they have to be marketed : ) .

Thank God It's Friday

I've been taking Fridays for my down days. I get so tired of running around all week that by the time Friday rolls around I'm in for it. Brando has been working Saturdays so if I take a break Friday I'm up for Saturday. Only it doesn't work so well when he does end up taking Saturday off. Maybe if I prepare on Thursdays for Friday I won't feel like I need to kick back so much.

Did I mention I have a car again? Yay!!

List of the cars we've had for rentals in the last two months:

Dodge Stratus
Dodge Ram 4door Truck
Dodge Neon
Chevy Trailblazer
and our current blue bubble that the kids LOVE... Chevy Aveo

Who else has had an opportunity to try out such brand spankin' new cars in the span of less than two months? Ah see, there IS a blessing in disguise : ) . Hopefully pretty soon it will be goodbye GMC Vandura and VW Passat (and countless rental cars) and hello Chrysler Town & Country or Ford Windstar and perhaps a Dodge Stratus (that WAS a nice car) or another VW Passat.