College Update

I've been waiting patiently for the last few weeks for today to come. I got my letter from Chaffey College a few weeks ago telling me I could register for the winter semester anytime after Nov. 30th at 6:30am. So I was up and online around 7am trying so desperately to get the two piddly little classes I wanted. It's not much, but you sure don't want to have the class of your favorite interest filled up and get stuck having to study your brains out in Latin 101 or something. So it worked out great. I've enjoyed my Child Development teacher so much. She's close to retirement, every test is a take-home test and she's had so much experience over her lifetime in teaching---it's fun to listen to her stories. I got in to another Child Development class she teaches that fulfills another General Ed. requirement. It is about the developmental stages from birth to adolescence. (I'm no dummy---there's some wisdom in being 40 and taking classes you already know something about---don't want to make this experience any harder than it already is, you know...) Then I got into a class called the Science of Nutrition. It looks at nutritional choices and how they affect disease risk, stress, and the aging of the body as well as vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. It sounds like nutrition going under the microscope. I get almost a month off between semesters. My CD class ends 12/13 and my Psych class ends 12/21. Then no school until 1/16. That will be a nice break!

Now My Daughter Has Spotted Elvis!

Ressa drew this picture yesterday of she and a friend meeting Elvis. She pointed out to me that the "H's" are the girls saying, "Ahhhh." Notice the girl falling back, "fainting" on the right. I especially like the moustache and chest hair, myself. Hahahahaha... *Double-click on the drawing and you can see the details even better!

I Must Be Doing Something Right!

I realize that after posting this blog, my following will decrease and I will remain its only reader. That's all right though because it is simply my online journal.

I have been working very hard since signing up for 2 college courses in August. It has been fun work because I picked subjects that are required general education, but also topics I love! This project the teacher corrected at left, is the culmination of seventeen years of genealogical research. That is, research online, in person at the National Archives, in libraries, interviews with family members, picking up one of every single paper they offer copies of at family reunions, and my faith that I will meet them all in person in the life to come.

The biggest project we've been assigned was the Family Study Project which had many parts to it and involved preparing a "genogram." I learned things about my own family's culture that I never realized before. Putting it down on paper made it easy to see how the choices of others, even two or three generations back, impacted the behaviors, habits, and attitudes of my immediate family.

The teacher made an announcement this morning that took me right back to 3rd grade. She said she was holding in her hand the best family project she had ever received and that if anyone wanted to see how it should be done, to come ask to look at mine. I leaned over to her immediately and whispered that my teacher did that in 3rd grade and nobody liked me from then on. That's an exaggeration, but there's some truth to it. She quickly told the class what I said to her, and added that I was a good person, not to be avoided. I appreciated that, but explained to the kids around me that this was my hobby and not to compare what information they had with mine. I did suggest talking to their oldest sibling. Those oldest kids in the family usually "see it all." They know all the stories generally.

This blog is here to give me confidence when the classes get tougher and I want to quit or drop out. I know when Melody's in 1st grade and I go to 3 classes a semester it will be tougher, especially when it's biology, math, and English type stuff. This is proof to myself that I can do it, if I put in the effort!

What Ever Happened to Safety in Numbers?

I've been inundated lately with all these emails that warn me that the holidays are upon us and that it's time to beware. I've been warned about all kinds of dangerous situations I should expect to find, now that we're all out there shopping together in masses. Some emails warn about the idiot attacker lying under my car waiting to grab me by the ankles.

Then there's the macabre warnings about the dreaded car-jacker who sticks a paper to your back window, then gets in and takes off with your car the minute you get out to take it off. Let's just picture it for a moment. Who is going to put things in their trunk, close it and not notice a big sheet of paper taped to the back window?!? I'm thinking the people sending these mass emails are just using the holiday time as an excuse. Seriously, which parking lot would you rather be walking through while searching for your car? This one here during the holiday rush?

Or this one here, at some other time of year?

I feel safer than ever out with the crowds at Christmastime. There's no place I'd rather be. I love the excitement and anticipation---trying so hard to choose just the perfect gift for your loved one and looking forward to them opening it. I mean, really now, take a long hard look into these faces. Just how dangerous can these shoppers really be?

I think Christmastime-danger-at-the-mall is a big myth and a poor excuse to send everyone you know a thousand emails a day....

Actually there was one situation where the mall proved a bad place for this young woman to be. She was followed in by an acquaintance who proposed marriage right in front of everybody in the returns line. She succombed to the pressure and said yes, allowing him to place a ring on her finger, but she changed her mind and was trying to back-pedal from the minute she got outside the door.

Whether the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny....my kids say, "Stay Away!"

My little Melody lost her first tooth tonight. Much excitement for her. She couldn't look at that new smile long enough in the mirror tonight. When I mentioned getting something to put the tooth in for the tooth fairy to find, the smile faded. Then came the questions as she thought about this strange, unseen woman visiting her room tonight with money...."What does she look like?" "What color is her hair?" "How many teeth does she have?" Now years ago, my mom took the opportunity to expound on that last question detailing a hideous woman to us who stuck all the teeth into her cheeks and came into our room with a cackle. Now that story line came to mind, but I refrained. Melody went on to ask "How much money does she carry?" "I don't want her to wake me up!" I put the tooth into a little empty medicine bottle and went to stick it under her pillow. Melody, being the thinker that she is, was thinking way ahead and didn't leave it under the pillow for a minute. She reached under, pulled out the little bottle, jumped out of bed and set it way over on her dresser. "I'll help her and put over here and she can just get it over there." I have to wonder if Melody is picturing a tooth fairy along the lines of this character at right, possibly. This all takes me back to when Joey was turning 5 right around Easter back in '95. He was so excited about Easter and the Easter Bunny. We'd talked about it all day and he was so excited anticipating the bunny would be coming and maybe leave him a basket. But as the sun went down and bedtime was upon him, he seemed to be trying to get a mental picture of this character coming into the house that night and suddenly busted out in tears, terribly upset and sobbing, "I don't want the Easter Bunny to come!!! I don't want him coming in my room!!! I don't want him in our house!!!" I can only imagine he was envisioning an ominous white abominable bunny wandering aimlessly around the house at night with baskets.....FRIGHTENING! Poor kid. I had to tell him I'd put a note on the door for the bunny not to come in, but to leave the basket on the porch that year. I get a chuckle out of that every year at Easter just thinking about it.

For the Best Toys....Go "Back to Basics"

I happened on to this website last year and loved what I saw. All the toys we loved that entertained us for hours and hours can be found here. They have everything from pedal cars to whirly-wheels to rock 'em-sock 'm to stilts to moon shoes. They also have the original little pedal cars that look like real cool old fashioned cars, four-way teeter totters, archery sets, doll houses galore... I got my son a baseball from there last year that you throw to someone else and it has a digital window on it that reads the speed at which it was thrown. I also got a miniature Singer sewing machine that actually works for a 12 yr. old girl. I can picture my cousin who LOVES rollercoasters putting something like this apparatus together that you see below, with his son.

Try the Weight Watchers Monthly Pass!

I ran in to a WW center last Saturday to pick up some boxes of their little 2-point snacks to have on hand. I saw the itsy, bitsy lady in front of me who seemed to have a bit of an attitude....but hey, she earned it, right? I couldn't see the number on her tag and asked her just how much weight she lost. (She looked like one of those people who appear to have always been a size 5) She clarified for me, "I lost 50 lbs. seven years ago." So it is possible, huh? She said that it's very possible and told me that people who read success stories everyday lose even more weight. She highly recommended I sign on to WW tools online everyday I get the frequent support that way. So today I did! Normally the meetings are $14/week. But when you sign up for the monthly pass, it's only $39.99/month. You get a pass in the mail to go to as many meetings a month as you desire, and you are subscribed to all the WW tools that are on their site. The charges automatically appear on your credit card until you cancel. That's a big savings from weekly meetings and I'm glad to have found it!

Daughter had "Quiet Book" Composed & Published in Under an Hour!

Yesterday my five year old daughter was getting noisy and restless while in church. Thanks to my 7 year old daughter, who takes after her Grandma Stoddart, she knew just what to do. She asked her dad for some notebook paper and began fast and furiously writing up a book for her sister to look at. I was just amazed by it. Isn't that cute? She even took time to "Dedicate" it to her sister also. I'm so proud of both of them.

My Mormon Pioneer Heritage

I had to write a story about my ancestors for one of my college classes. I know more specific details from my dad's side due to the amount of journals and records they kept, so I chose to write about them. Nothing humorous here......more where that came from tomorrow!

Back in the 1800s, many of my ancestors on my father’s side joined the Mormon church. They were taught by Mormon missionaries and some joined in England, some in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and other places. They had all been active Protestants in some denomination or another, but had believed that the church of Jesus Christ had left the earth with Him. They recognized that all the religions argued and contradicted each other strongly on main points of doctrine.

When they heard that Joseph Smith said God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, in answer to a prayer and told him none of the churches were correct, these relative were receptive to this message and felt it was correct. They travelled from their various places of residence to come join the “saints.” For a time, they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois.

One grandfather wrote in a journal that mobs came in and burned his crops just before harvest time for two years in a row. On the third year they were coming to actually kill THEM, and he had only two hours notice to take his family and what they could grab and leave. Once again their harvest was unable to be reaped. He didn’t leave though until he had stopped at the temple they had worked so hard to build and let his children see inside the beautiful structure. The women (many who brought fine things from England) had their dishes crushed up into the cement, as a personal sacrifice, so this temple they were building to the Lord would be as special as they could make it, with walls that shined and sparkled because of those dishes. (This temple in St. George, Utah also had the women's dishes crushed into it to give it an added shine.)

They were chased out by the mobs who set fire to the temple after the people had fled.

A Governor Boggs, I believe, was the one who issued the Extermination Order in Missouri that gave citizens legal permission to kill a “Mormon.” These ancestors were very hard-working people and had to walk away from everything they built, repeatedly, because of their beliefs. They knew they had to travel much farther to ever again live in peace and joined the wagon trains that were headed west. One grandfather, named Edward Steele was a young man about twenty who witnessed the persecution which killed off many Mormon men and left many women and children without husbands and fathers. He traveled the plains from Winter Quarters, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah then went back two more times to make a total of three trips crossing the plains to Utah. He did this because he was young, unmarried and brave. He knew his help was needed to carry the women and children across rivers and streams and make it all the way to the Utah valley. On many other occasions he helped by digging graves to bury the dead children and adults who died from disease or exposure. Those graves had to be dug deep enough as to not be found almost immediately by wild animals and dug up, which did happen sometimes.

I believe these ancestors had a strength of character I have seen pass from one generation to another in my family. It a stong desire to serve one’s country, family, and community, giving them whatsoever help or assistance they stand in need of. And in so doing, we are ultimately serving God. It’s a powerful drive sparked with integrity-- a desire deep within to do what one knows is right, no matter what discomfort or consequence may follow. My ancestors had it and it is the fire at the core of my being, as well.

Ressa's Thanksgiving Picture

The Santa I Know Would Never Deliver THIS to a Child!

I was looking through a special toy catalog in the mall tonight and couldn't believe what I saw. With ads like these for "fabulous Christmas gifts for children" from a popular department store toy catalog, it's no wonder kids are as messed up as they are these days. Without naming the department store where I saw this ad, I'll just say that it has a coin in its name. Who wants their small child aspiring to be a tatoo artist? I suppose the answer to that is: a parent who loves tatoos and hopes to get a discount when their kid grows up! I find this ad thoroughly disgusting. When I was a girl, we played with toys that enabled us to re-enact things our mothers, aunts, and grandmas typically did, and expected to do ourselves when we grew up. For example, girls asked for Easy Bake Ovens to pretend to cook. Boys asked for trucks to pretend to haul all sorts of things. Girls wanted dolls to play "mommy." Boys wanted police uniform stuff to play protector, or stethoscopes to be a doctor. Girls asked for play kitchens and toy baths and strollers....and we LOVED all that stuff. My friends & sisters and I had a blast with all that girl stuff. But this....it's despicable. What kind of low-life parent is going to surprise their sweet son or daughter on Christmas morning with a device that pretends to permanently distort their body, cause pain, and leave them with a load of regrets when they're older. A tatoo artist? What a disgusting thing for a child to aspire to, in my opinion. It's a big step down for this great land and the people in it to be advertising this stuff to little kids. What have we come to? Have even the toymakers forgotten what kids like to play with? Somebody needs to go back to the drawing board if THIS is one of the best toys they can come up with for ages 6 and up.

When The Teen Takes the Gas Pedal for the Brake....I THROW UP MY HANDS!

What can I say....the pictures speak for themselves. To his credit though, he may be a little careless, but he's honest. Actually he didn't go into any detail until after I asked about it. He claimed he wasn't trying to hide it. I mean he DID mention that he slightly bumped the garage that one day backing out the van to pull out some trash barrels. Oh joy! Just when I expected his dad to lay into him pretty good about accidentally hitting the gas instead of the brake.... he didn't. Where is the outrage? the anger that will make him think twice next time? Apparently, my husband recalled a similar stunt when he was about that age and was far more understanding than I was feeling at that moment! My good friend said she wouldn't wait around for the guys to figure out how to fix it----for me to just go on down to Home Depot and inquire about some serious epoxy/cement compound of some kind to fill that big crack in, put a boot on to try and kick the wall back into place a bit. In doing so, I'd block any termites, and match up the paint. With the right amount of shading, nobody would know, right? Anybody have a problem with that??? I'll have to admit I saw an image in my head of an "I love lucy" episode involving cement, the moment she mentioned it. Help! What do I do?

Colorado Cousin Sets This Landlubber Straight....and Puts Us ALL in a Panic!!!

Now this was definitely one of the most well-thought out, scientifically-based comments I've ever had. It certainly deserved a spot on the front page! This dear cousin knows his stuff....no doubt about it. I'm gonna have to check out this flashy retreat he speaks of called: "Downtown Deliverance, USA." Maybe "Calgon" can take me there while the kids are yelling some afternoon. Anyway, he makes some great points that deserve our full attention. I don't know....I'm just glad my husband isn't riding the Metrolink to LA every morning anymore. I've taken the liberty to insert an underline here and there (to keep this site family-friendly) : ) and add an illustration or two to help him make his point. AS IF! ......Hang on for a "wild ride!"

OK cousin---TAKE IT AWAY!

Please allow me to destroy all other modes of transportation you thought you were safe on, too!! LMAO!!! Did you know that the most common used fastener in aircraft construction is NOT screws, bolts or rivets? Noooooo baby, try GLUE!!

Thats right, good old fashioned industrial adhesive! Think about that when youre on that nice safe airplane sitting in the window seat looking out over the wings at 38000 feet! Thats 38000 'Oh sh_ _ _' above the hard ground you love to see so much!

Now lets talk about buses. Did you know that the drivers of buses work the same type of schedule I do? Thats right baby!! On call 24/7!

So, next time youre on that nice safe bus riding along on wheels in constant contact with the ground (the same hard ground mentioned above.......oh yeah), and its getting late and you pull into a terminal in downtown deliverance usa and they change drivers, you better be wondering whether or not he's been up all day and hasn't had a wink of snooze at all, does he have a drinking problem?(especially on a friday night), is this character an associate of Osama or what?

It happened to me. I'll tell ya my story of the bus ride later. How about your own car? Think your safe with your own self?

I DONT THINK SO!!!!!

Next time youre cruising your favorite lane on the asphalt drag strip, take a look around.

How many potential mental cases do you count all around you (getting claustrophobic yet, sweating or feeling panicky?) YOU SHOULD BE!!!! You don't know any of those idiots! Every clown you see out there on the road could be anybody you saw on Americas Most Wanted last night!! Or, yet another assciate of Osama!! Ok, moving right along, let's get into my end of the business....

TRAINS!!! How about Amtrak? Think your ok hangin out on that rocket sled on rails??? TRY AGAIN!!!!! First, you're back at the whim of the motoring brain dead that go completely out of service at the first sign of red lights flashing and gates in their way when theyre in a hurry to see their girlfriend before lunch is over!!!

BOOM BABY!!!! Fresh meat with a side of schrapnel!!! And let's not count out dear old mother nature. Thats right. God's gift to all, only He forgot to adjust her d _ _ _ attitude!!!! You wanna see what happens to Amtrak when muthah nature gets in the way??? Its called getting derailed baby and it aint pretty. It only takes one rock. So, with all my love I present to you my case, your a_ _ aint safe anywhere so stay on your toes, but dont live life in fear. Get your butts out and live it!! Thats why God put you here, so dont waste His or your time. By the way, there is no such thing as a "rogue wave". Do the science and see for yourself. Cruising is fun and when you see all the other things the Man upstairs put out on the buffet for you to see and do and enjoy, you'll forget all your fears. Cheers!

SIDE NOTE: So, there you have it folks...nobody is safe! After giving it a lot of thought though....I think there is only one form of transportation we haven't singled-out, criticized, or proven dangerous, crowded, or unreliable.....

...something tells me this last picture might be just the thing to set my cousin off once again...hahaha.....

Has the Movie Industry Hurt the Cruise Lines?

Well, in my mind it has. Just looking at this cruiser at left, gives me a creepy feeling. I swear I see mean, dark eyes behind those shades. Movies have taught me....that ship isn't coming back. I had a cousin recently return from a cruise and suggest that I do the same. Oh no.... Once again, the thought of a cruise has brought back memories of my vast experience aboard these oceanliners.....all right, I wasn't actually on the ship, but I was at the movies. The movies and their special effects are so terrific that I blame the studios. Because as far as I'm concerned, they've made me feel like I was ON that ship, from having seen the movie. One thing I've learned as an avid moviegoer is MOVIE LAW #1 says: "No cruise ship ever returns from a successful voyage." The last one that did was the Love Boat. But that was so long ago, I've nearly forgotten it. Take the Titanic for instance. That story is drilled into MY mind pretty good. Lots of people having a wonderful time---

then what?

Disaster sets in. I can't even sit through church singing, "Nearer My God to Thee" without seeing the fate of the Titanic played over and over in my head. Half-way through the hymn it's all I can do to keep from standing up, waving a white flag and shouting, "OK! Enough! Stop! I can't take it anymore!" Imagine how the poor church folks feel who actually have the ship printed onto their hymn page......

Even the first cruise in history was wrought with danger, stench, and uncertainty to say the least! Here's a picture of these poor folks just below:

Take the worst April fool's joke of all time, entitled "The Perfect Storm." The cast and crew went through one close call after another. The movie abounded with near-misses and rescues. Just when you think all suspense has come to an end, you guessed it!

That's right! The ship goes down and the credits roll up! Every single character of significance in that movie died right at the end. I refused to get up from my theater seat. I was sure there must be more. Why it's one of those tricks where the movie continues a little AFTER the credits. I was the last to leave that theater and nearly vowed to never come back! Me take a cruise......I don't think so!

Now let's look at your favorite and mine, "Poseidon." Just watching the trailer for that movie while waiting for another one--put my heart into palpations for a week. I don't know about you, but when thoughts of a glorious, relaxing, exotic cruise try to take up space in my brain next to an image like this one--- the cruise aint happen'.

I'll be busy! These guys were promised a lovely time at a faraway island. Haven't been heard from since. They either docked and stayed or docked and sank!

You know, these folks on cruises are promised time to explore and swim....but the dang ship took off before this poor gal could make it back. There's so darn many people aboard those things. Nobody took a head count and this gal has been swimming in search of her cruise every since. The cruise line even had the nerve to feature her in a recent travel brochure under the heading, "Missed the boat and hasn't been better."

Oh no, it's not for me. Now here's a ship heading off into the Devil's Triangle.....I mean...Carribean. I blame the photographer. He's got to be under some obligation to warn these poor naive fools: "That's not a sunset they're cruising into----that's DANGER with a capital D!"

Well, I just found out about a cruise line that might hold some promise in my book. These guys promise "you'll be back to develop your film." It's not just enough to get back in one piece, you know. Check out: Redneck Cruises! These guys know how to play it safe, just cruising along the rivers and streams of the "lower 48."