I'm Bored. Sue Me.

First of all, there really isn't a whole lot of updating that needs to happen. Since my last post, the only significant thing worthy of writing about is the fact that Taylor has mastered 2 levels in Tang Soo Do. There are three levels of requirements for the white belt, and he has managed to master the first two all within a month and a half's time. Go Taylor!! Aside from that, just the normal day to day things going on around here. Nothing terribly exciting going on.




This is what I am spending my Friday night listening to:
The very active mind of a 5 year old while watching Star Wars(within about 5 minutes):
-Mom, can u make us some popcorn? in a minute.
-Mom, Ryleigh won't move her afro hair. Ry, please sit down, Austyn can't see past your hair.
-Mom, how many legs do dogs have? four, watch the movie.
-Mom where was I born? in California, watch the movie.
-Mom, can u make us some popcorn? yes, I said in a minute.
-Mom can you make us some popcorn?(yes again) watch the movie for pete's sake. i'll get your popcorn in a second.
-Mom I scraped my elbow(hours ago). I'm sorry. Are you okay? Good. Now watch the movie!
-Mom I need a bandaid. Okay, so get one. You know where they are.
-Mom I went to Richmond's house (hours ago). Yes, Austyn. I know. Are you going to watch the movie?
-Mom, can we please have popcorn? I already told you YES!
-Mom I smell farts. That's nasty.
-Mom can I play Wii? NO! We are watching a movie!!
-Mom is this how you write a 'T'? (draws in air with his index finger) Yes. it is. Can you please be quiet now?
-Mom I made a snowflake at school. (last month) Yes Austyn. I know. I saw it. Remember?


I'd ask I wonder where he gets such a scatterbrain from, but I'm pretty sure I know. :) Oh man. Like I always say, he's my pea! 

I Did It!!

This last weekend, I ran my very first 15K. For those of you that aren't unit of measurement savvy, a 15K is equal to 9.3 miles. If you all recall, I ran a 5K back in November. This is my new kick that I'm on. Its healthy, and I'm sticking with it. I've always loved running, but stopped doing it after high school. I have found my love for running once again. For me, running is a release. I do it alone, with or without music, and it gives me time to ponder the thoughts floating around in my brain; time to figure out how to conquer the world. Okay, maybe not so much conquering of the world, but definitely a lot of pondering going on. I joined a running club back in November as well. Unfortunately, I just haven't found the time to keep up with running with them every Tuesday night. Anyhow, back to the task at hand. I get distracted a little too easily these days. I ran my first 15K. My time was garbage, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered most was crossing the finish line and not being the last person to do so. I managed to do that. There were about 30 or more people that finished behind me. Goal accomplished. :) I finished running in 1 hour and 47 minutes. I took my iPod with me, which is a rare occurrence. I don't often run with music, but I'm so glad I did this time. I woke up at 4AM to get to the parking lot, find a good parking spot, and catch a bus back to the start line. There were about 80 school buses there, and I sort of felt like I was back in high school for a split second. I managed to get on the first bus, and it just so happened to have the race director's wife who was doubling as a photographer for the event. She snapped a few pictures of everyone, and she kept insisting that we were on the party bus, except no one was feeling her caffeinated pep quite like she was. The trip back to the start line was uneventful. I popped my headphones on and turned up the volume as loud as possible without hurting my ears. Once we got to the start line, we still had an hour to wait until the race actually started. Luckily, I planned ahead and was wearing sweats as well as a sweater over my running shorts and shirt. I stayed bundled up plastered against a wall, praying for a tall person to stand in front of me to block the wind. I still had my headphones in and was still head bobbing to all kinds of rock music. I only took them out when someone would talk to me. They usually wanted to know what time it was, or to state the obvious, "It's freezing out here!" Anyhow, the race eventually started, and when it did, my body went into complete shock. There was just no way to properly warm up before the race. I did what I could. When I first started to run, I thought I was going to collapse because my legs felt numb. Then I realized I wouldn't collapse from numbness, but might collapse because my muscles were tingling. They were frozen, and were just waking up. And of course, being the over-dramatic, but in a hilarious, oh my gosh, you are so stupid kind of way, I thought, oh no, what if I have a blood clot in my leg and its blocking my veins! That thought left my mind just as quickly as it entered, and I laughed. By about a mile and a half in I decided I had enough. I was ready to quit, but a great Lenny Kravitz song came on and it got me pumped. Anyone who knows me, knows that Lenny is pretty much my dude. By that point I had decided to at least keep running until I got to the first bridge. I made it, and I felt great, so I decided to keep running until I got to the end of the first bridge. Made it there too, without a problem. The inclines were hell, but I made it. Then came running through Gulf Breeze. That was a cake walk. The entire time we were running, there were school buses loaded with military personnel. They of course were yelling out the windows at us. I just stuck my hand up and extended my index  and pinkie fingers. haha. Not what you were expecting I'm sure, but that's what I did. Rock on. :) Okay, so then I made it to the second bridge and at that point, I had made it to the 6th mile marker. I was feeling like dookie, but a great Van Halen song came on, and the lyrics "finish what you started" got me amped. My left knee was in so much pain that I really wanted to give up. I stopped only to stretch my knee out. That was a big mistake. I regretted stopping, because when I did, I immediately felt the pain generate a million times more sensitivity than before. At that point, I had to do something to keep my mind off of the excruciating pain. I started singing. Yes. Singing. I'm sure the people around me were thinking, what the hell is this chick doing running up this bridge singing "Mudshovel"? I'm sure it was quite comical for anyone within earshot, but I didn't care. I was focused on the lyrics of the songs, and kept running and singing...horribly, I might add. By the time I reached the finish line, I was half limping, half jogging, but hell, I made it, and that's all that mattered to me! I am so proud of myself for accomplishing this goal that I thought was going to be so difficult. I rewarded myself with walking up 2 flights of stairs for some free post race food. The menu was quite amazing, sarcastically of course. We had rice, beans and more rice. Oh, and don't forget that one piece of baby shrimp that was in there, oh and the bread roll. LOL. It was actually good, and I didn't eat it all anyway, so what the hell am I complaining about? I then sat on the beach for about 2 hours, just relaxing. It was a cold day out and the wind was brisk, but I didn't care. Anyone that knows me, knows how in love with the beach I am. Its my most favorite place on earth, it relaxes me, calms me, and makes all of my worries fade away. I laid there listening to the waves crash in to the shore. The pesky seagulls kept hovering around waiting for me to toss them some food, but I refused. You give them an inch and they want a mile. The smell of the ocean is so relaxing to me. I love it. So, I took it all in for a couple of hours until I couldn't bear the cold a second longer and headed home. I could hardly walk by the time I got home. My knees felt like someone shoved metal rods right behind my kneecaps. It was awesome. I iced them until they were numb. The pain actually wasn't so bad once I got up and moving. The problem was sitting down relaxing and then deciding an hour later I was really thirsty. A set of crutches, a walker, a wheelchair, a cane, anything to assist with walking would have been ideal, but I toughed it out. Here, 2 days later, the pain isn't so much in my knees as it is in my quads, but there is still pain. It will subside, and when it does, I'll be getting ready for the next event. I'm very much looking forward to spending several Saturdays this year running. Call me crazy, but I can't wait. This run was a challenge for me, but I love a good challenge. It was also one of the best runs I've ever had. Running over at least 4 miles of water was not only gorgeous, but priceless as well. I will definitely be out there next year when they hold the race again! Go Me! I'd also like to give a special shout to my mom, my awesome sister, and my amazing friends who supported me and gave me words of encouragement for the race. I appreciate you all, and every single one of you is pretty freaking awesome in my book!!!

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Once again I have fallen victim to life itself and have completely avoided any blogging attempts. I just can't seem to pull things together these days. I think I'm going through a rough patch in life. Yeah. That's it. Its a rough patch, yet everywhere I turn is rough. Thus technically its more like a rough pasture and not a patch. Eventually, I will find a way onto a smooth paved road, but not with the help of a GPS. I'm lost enough, I don't need a faulty computer generated GPS to get me stranded in the middle of nowhere. (haha) Anyhow, back to the point of this blog. Breathe in, breathe out. These are the words I speak to myself every few hours. Yes, I'm talking to myself now, but not answering so there isn't much to be worried about. After having moved into this new enormous home that we purchased we've been pretty busy as one could imagine. This isn't a fixer upper by any means. Its a brand new house. But there are things that have to be done to make the house a home, and make it comfy, cozy, and welcoming. Therefore, a lot of painting has been going on. The kids' bedrooms, laundry room, office and garage have all been painted. The garage has a pretty new epoxy floor. Its actually quite nice, and Mark did an amazing job on it. Furniture has been moved in, boxes have been unpacked and so on and so forth. The backyard has been demolished and is now pretty much a blank slate; with the exception of the 3 trees left back there. Now the yard needs to be cleared of all the debris. That's going to be fun. A fence needs to be built. Shrubs have been uprooted in the front of the house leaving the flower beds stark. Enough talk about the house. Christmas as well as the New Year has come and gone. Christmas was uneventful and by far the smallest Christmas we have ever had, however the kids didn't utter a single word of disappointment. They each received a single gift from Santa in addition to 2 gifts from us. Collectively they got a Wii. Yes, a Wii. We aren't big gamers, but we finally broke down when the offer was too good to pass up. They love that thing. I on the other hand, well, I will be playing games while the boys are at school. I totally got owned by Taylor on every single game we played together, with the exception of pool. I didn't hustle the kid. I can barely play pool in real life. Now, when I was a kid and we had a pool table in the dining room, I could hustle anyone that came in the house. I'm a lot out of practice these days, but I won that game. It was so bad when we were playing baseball that I lost the game because Taylor's team mercy-ruled my team. Now that is pathetic. I got mercy-ruled by an 8 year old on Wii. Bonnie got the kids a gift that the entire neighborhood loves. A trampoline. I have to say, I was pretty stoked about getting the trampoline myself. Memories of my teen years drifted into my head, but I'm not posting those here. I've gotten on it and jumped a few times with the kids. They love it. I love it. Mark loves it. The neighborhood loves it, so thanks Gammie for the awesome gift! Mark and Rick actually put it together in the pouring rain on Christmas Eve. They had on rain coats, but no rain pants. They came in completely soaked from the waist down. It was funny, and I'm sure that is a memory the two of them will share for a long time. So, back to Christmas Eve, my grandfather passed away early that morning. I was very upset, and it wasn't the best of Christmases for me, however, I was expecting it. He wasn't doing well, and I already had my suitcase packed with funeral appropriate clothing. I was in Texas by myself for 5 days. My absolutely, wonderful, God-send of a sister took care of the kids for a couple of days while Mark worked. It was nice to be able to go to the funeral and grieve on my own. The kids didn't know my grandfather, other than very vague memories of a man in a wheelchair who couldn't speak. Explaining death to them was not on my agenda any time soon, so I opted to leave them behind. My grandfather will be so missed by us all. We all loved him dearly, as he loved us dearly. Quick anecdote: When I was about 4 years old, my grandfather had a black, mustang hatchback. Oh how I loved that car. I still love mustangs to this day, and definitely favor the older body styles much more than the newer ones. I've always wanted a mustang, and perhaps one day I'll have one. Anyhow, I loved that car. He knew I loved it, and he would take me along for rides whenever he could. I always asked if I could sit in the back up by the window and he always told me no because he could get into trouble for it. Forget about it being dangerous! LOL. I guess I pestered, begged and groveled enough because he finally gave in one day. After basking in the glory of my success for a little bit, he was pulled over. Yep. I helped my grandpa earn a ticket at the young age of 4. I will always remember that day, and I can't help but to laugh when I think about it.
Okay, enough of that. I enjoyed the time with my family, and it was great to see them all. I spent my last night there with my older cousins. We had a few too many drinks, but it was a fun time. The next day I journeyed back home. For New Year's we didn't do anything at all. We watched Up with the kids and fell asleep before midnight. haha Fast forward a few days to today. Mark is gone, again. He is back in California for 3 months. I am still looking for work, and trying to get school situated. Like I said before, breathe in, breathe out.

5K!

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and sister came to visit. Liz, nonchalantly asked if I wanted to run a 5K, and I said, sure what the hell, why not!
Anyone who knows me knows that I actually enjoy running. It clears my head, helps relieve stress and is something I consider fun. I haven't been running in so long. My treadmill has been back in California for the last four months, and its finally here in Florida with me. This means I can actually run more often, which is good.
Being that I hadn't ran in so long, I actually "joined" a running club. Okay, so I'm not an official member of the club just yet, as I have to run with them 9 more times to be a real member, but whatever. I joined their silly little club, none the less. Don't laugh, and no comments, but its with an Irish Pub down by the beach. After I run with them 10 times, I am privy to their 'world famous' shirt. With the shirt, comes a sense of pride, belonging, and a discount on beer and food at the pub. Now, you probably won't find me sitting inside drinking beer with people I don't know, and you definitely won't find me drinking and then driving home. I'm sure it will be some time before I make any friends that are already a part of the group. The run with them was fun, and it felt so good to get back out there. They run every Tuesday night at 6 PM. The route they run along is by the water, which of course is a big bonus for me. The route is 3.19 miles long, so its just slightly longer than a 5K. I hope to run with them more often and on a regular basis.
Okay, so back to the 5K. Liz totally bailed on me and didn't do it. I was really bummed because I was looking forward to doing something fun with her. We woke up before the crack of dawn, 5 AM, and we drove the hour to Orange Beach, AL. We were one of the first to arrive to the event, which made things a little less chaotic. I signed in, and picked up my t-shirt, racing packet, and timing chip. I was a little nervous, but also excited to do this. This was my first race, and surely wouldn't be the last!
The race started at 8 AM for people that were running the half marathon (13.5 miles) yikes!! Maybe next year I will have built up enough endurance to brave the run. The 5K (3.1 miles) race started at 8:10 AM. It took me 35 minutes and 27 seconds to run 3.1 miles. The track had way more hills than I was anticipating. As one lady put it, "Who knew the beach was so hilly!" I averaged each mile at about 11 miles per minute which to me is beyond awful. My focus now is to bring my time down, and work on endurance and stamina. Overall, I finished 5th out of 29 women in my age division between the ages of 25-29. And out of all of the women in the race, I finished 55th out of 241.
I am proud of my accomplishment, and I am very much looking forward to the next event. I'm not too sure what the next event is, but I am currently preparing for the Double Bridge Run in February of next year. I am going to try to complete the entire run, which is a 15K (9.3 miles). The course for this run crosses two bridges (hence the double bridge name), that lead to Pensacola Beach. These two bridges are pretty steep, and I'm not looking forward to that, but I am prepared to train for it. Wish me luck!!!!
Here are the pics from my first race!

The boys staying warm in the truck before the race.

Mark and Ryleigh staying warm in the truck before the race.

Me before the race, trying to stay warm!

Getting things started!

Starting the race off...

FINISHED!!!!!

My first bib from my first race!

I'm in Love with Another Man!!!

And his name is Tony Horton!! For those of you who have no clue who Tony Horton is, don't go getting all crazed on me! He's the guy that does the P90X workouts. :) I ordered my stuff for the workouts a couple of weeks ago, and was totally excited to get it all in the mail. I did my very first workout the day I got everything. It kicked my butt like you would not believe. It was an awesome workout, and I felt great when I was done with it. Unfortunately, I didn't keep up with it like I should have due to unforseen circumstances. . . like my evil dog ripping my toenail off, and not feeling well. I started back up with the program exactly a week ago. I actually look forward to working out. The workouts push me, work muscles I forgot I had, make me sweat and swear, but most of all, they are actually fun. I know most people don't think of the two words fun and workout in one sentence, but I'm a little crazy. lol. I have really enjoyed this last week and am super excited going into my second week. I've already done my workout for today. If you've heard of it, heard other people's stories or what have you, and you were really skeptical, I say, give it a shot! I've got another 82 days worth of workouts before I complete one round of the program. Anyway, I just wanted to rant and rave about the program. I love it, and its worth a try!!! Oh, and the kids like to stand behind me and workout too, if they are awake. :) Who knows maybe once I start toning up, I'll be brave enough to post pictures! Yeah, probably not, but whatever! lol.

No Clever Title Here

I couldn't think of anything to explain why I've been on hiatus yet again, and how my lack of blogging now leaves me in an update predicament. So here, goes, boring, generic blog, enjoy.

I don't even remember what my last blog was about, so I'll just start with "WE MOVED!" Yes, again. When are we not moving? Okay, but seriously, this time, I'm pretty sure we won't be moving again. I believe my words to Mark were, "Good luck getting me to leave this place. I'm in love and I'm having an affair . . . with the beach." I'm such a good wife, right? Honestly, this place is great. We have found our dream home, okay, maybe not we, just me. Mark is more of a Northwest guy, loves the mountains and the snow. How did we end up together again? Oh yeah, that's right, he found me at my favorite place on earth. haha. Mark has never stepped foot in this house. In fact, he has never even physically seen it, but I'm sure he'll love it. I love this house. Its in the country, and its not far from the city or the beach.

Taylor goes to a great school. Its one of the best in the county, which really doesn't say much considering the school district was ranked like number 50 out of 55 for the state of Florida. But, it is a great school, and he will excel no matter what. I don't think much is going to ever hinder him, except confidence. He needs more of it, but then again, don't we all. His teacher is sweet, and his class is small. He has a class of 16, how awesome is that. I love the smaller class size because it makes for a much better teaching environment. That, and the teacher doesn't have to run to her locked cabinet and take a swig from her flask throughout the day.

Austyn is doing great. He is loving living in the new house, mostly the fact that he gets to ride his bike in the road. Being that there aren't a whole lot of people on our street, all of the kids on the street ride their bikes into the culdesac and race and play. There are a lot of kids on our street for him to play with, and having friends makes him happy.


Ryleigh on the other hand, is still doing great. She is still having issues with her shyness. I really can't blame her considering we are in a new, strange place, surrounded by new, strange people. She does okay most of the time, and she is adjusting very well. She is absolutely in love with having her own bathroom with her pink toothpaste, pink shampoo, and pink body wash. I must admit that I love walking into her bathroom because it smells so girlish.


Roscoe is doing good. I think he loves Florida. He has become increasingly protective, and that makes me feel good. He is such a good boy, and he's adjusting well. Bailey on the other hand. *sigh* Bailey is going to be the death of me. She is such a puppy and it drives me crazy. I don't have the time, patience, or love to deal with her. Sad, but true.


Mark is doing well, I suppose. He and I don't talk much these days. He's been pretty busy working on a hard to get qualification. He's a hard worker, and he's amazing at what he does, so I'm confident that he'll knock their socks off. Everything is still as scheduled for his homecoming, or at least we think. He is still waiting on having those orders in his hands. Time is winding down and he will soon be back in the awesome town of Lemoore and then headed for us.


I am doing good, or as good as possible considering I'm living like a homeless person in an abandoned house. Okay it isn't that bad. We have an air mattress, two computers, internet access, toys, clothes, some dishes, things to cook with, a fridge, food, working water and electricity, so I'm a sophisticated not so homeless person. But at the same time, that's all we have, and I have three kids I have to entertain as well as two dogs. I'm still looking for work. I've applied everywhere and anywhere possible. I'm also in my third term of school, and I'm beyond over it. School is overrated, but I've managed to eek out a bunch of B's, so that's promising.


Well I suppose that's about all I have to talk about this time around. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, because I always am, but I don't have the patience to sit here and rack my brain over a blog.

Ehhh...I've Been on an Extended Sabbatical...Yeah, That's It!

Hello out there to anyone who hasn't completely deserted me and my blogging efforts; I'm hoping someone still has faith in me. The last time I blogged, the boys had just finished up their baseball season, and we just found out that Mark was selected for the Blue Angels. Wow! That seems like it was so long ago. Since then I have been as busy as possible. We decided to pack up and move to Florida early; a decision that didn't come lightly. Taylor finished up the school year as a second grader, and is now a third grader. Mark left on deployment at the end of July. We were lucky enough to get the chance to venture up North to Washington and spend a week with family. Boy it sure was a great week. We hadn't seen most of them in more than a few years. We were able to see everyone, with the exception of John, David, and Cindy. The kids thoroughly enjoyed visiting with family as well. We were even able to take some time to visit the Portland Zoo with Rick and Lisa. It was a beautiful zoo, and much more realistic to natural habitats than any zoo I'd ever been too. The kids favorite part of the trip was Bonnie's house. I tell you, that lady has the ultimate Grandma's house! I'm surprised the kids agreed to even come home with us. haha. She has a Wii (we do not), a trampoline (we do not), a pool (we do not), a playground (we do not), a llama (definitely don't have one of those), two goats (none of those either), the quad we had no use for, and plenty of space to run and play without worrying about cars speeding through. We ended the trip and drove all the way back to the valley.
Once we were home, we had just under a week to pull everything together for Mark's surprise going away/congrats party. Unfortunately, this was the only time that we could do something like this, and not many people were able to attend. But those that did attend had a great time, and made it a memorable time for Mark. Adam and the girls were able to come up, so that was the icing on the cake. Hiding things from Mark isn't something I had an easy time doing. I don't think I will ever plan another surprise party again! lol. We celebrated the 4th of July with Adam and the girls. We even ended the night with glow stick wars. Don't ask. It was hilarious, and definitely a memory I won't soon forget. Once Adam and the girls were on the road back home, we started back up with the packing. Over the next few weeks, we packed up our entire house, put everything in storage, cleaned the empty house, and passed a housing inspection. Once all of that chaos was over, we were officially homeless; words I never thought I'd speak. We spent a day and night with Laura and the gang. We even got together for one last dinner with everyone. That was nice. The next day we headed further south to drop Mark off at the ship. He was only going to be gone for a week, so we drove back to Laura's house and spent that week with her and the kids. We wanted to get in some last minute visiting time with everyone before we left. After that week, Mark came "home" for a few days, and then it was off on deployment. We stayed with our friends in San Diego for a little while longer, and then we took off for Tejas. We didn't intend on driving straight through, but we did. We fully intended on stopping in Fort Stockton, but by the time we got there, the kids were zonked, and I figured it would be easier to just drive straight through. We arrived in Fresno a little after 8:30 in the morning. Our time in Texas was drastically shorter than we ever anticipated or planned, but I won't go into details about that. There we were able to visit with even more family. I didn't get to see everyone that I wanted to in our short visit there, but we don't live as far away as we once did. I was most excited about meeting my niece for the first time ever! She was chunky little six month old adorable little girl. I was also able to see my grandfather. That wasn't easy for me, and I really had to choke back my tears. It was good to see that his sense of humor hadn't diminished yet; when I went to leave, I touched his hand to say goodbye and he quickly jerked his hand up saying , "AAAAAAAAAH". It scared the living daylights out of me, but he was being silly, and was trying to scare me. That made me smile to know that he wasn't completely lost in that body of his. We quickly found in Fl to live in. We are so thankful that Lisa's mom and her sisters opened up their mother's furnished home for us to stay in. The stay here is temporary, and always has been. Being able to live so close to Pensacola has afforded us the opportunity to seek out a home to buy, and take advantage of the home buyer's tax credit. After being in town for a very short time (1.5-2 weeks), we had already found our home. It is definitely a dream home. It sits on about 3/4 of an acre, has plenty of space, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms. The 3 bathrooms was on the wish list, but not a priority. As a woman, sister, and daughter, I know what its like to have to share a bathroom with boys, and it is NOT a pretty picture by any means. I really wanted for Ryleigh to have her own bathroom, and that's exactly what we got. I can't even believe that we found this house on our first trip with our realtor. We are very lucky, but mostly thankful. The house is not "ours" yet, but there is a sold sign in front of it now! We are scheduled to close on the 30th of the month. None of this would be possible without our wonderful brother Adam. He has been great throughout this whole process. He isn't always the easiest person to get into contact with, but when it comes to business, he's all ears. He has helped us in many ways than just one, and it we can't thank him enough for all of his help and efforts! We also can't say thank you enough to Hazel for 'loaning' us this home in the meantime. Taylor is doing well in school. He had a rough first week or so. He had been insistent on riding the bus to school, however the school bus was coming at 6:30AM every morning to pick him up. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not a morning person, and sleep is like gold to me...very valuable. After his rough week of early mornings, we decided it was best if he only rode the bus home. From there, everything has been wonderful, and for the most part I have my wonderful little boy back. His teacher is amazing, and I really like her. She is extremely organized, and she sends home a classroom related newsletter every single Monday. I always know what's going on at school, and with Taylor. She is a great communicator, and I really appreciate her. I've talked to his teacher here more than I've talked to all of his teachers put together. I hope that his teacher at his new school is similar to her. Oh yes, that's the only downfall, Taylor will have to change schools after we move. Hopefully, it will be an easy transition for him. He would also like to join the cub scouts, so that is in the works for him. I think it would be an excellent opportunity to make new friends, gain some confidence, and help him 'find' himself. I'm looking forward to that. Austyn, you know, hell on wheels. Well, he learned how to ride his bike without training wheels about 2 weeks ago. He just jumped on, and took off after seeing a girl smaller than him riding her bike on her own. Since then, he has given me a heart attack almost every time he gets on his bike. Not to worry, we insist on bike safety so he always has a helmet on. He has learned to ride with only one hand, he tries to pop wheelies, hops off curbs, sits on one foot while riding, puts one foot up in the air while riding, and sometimes both. And you wonder why I call him hell on wheels. The kid is crazy, determined, and curious. Who knows, maybe he's a future X-Games BMX-er in the works. Ryleigh has also made progress on her bike. When we were living in California she would insist on sitting on her bike, and then she would get angry when she wouldn't go anywhere. After seeing Austyn ride her bike, and then his own, she quickly learned how to navigate her way on her little second hand bike. She's now a pro and tries to keep up with the big boys, although she isn't daring like them! Oh yeah, we also have a puppy named Bailey. She is about 5 months old. She is a gorgeous yellow lab that we got from a (I know, tsk, tsk) breeder. She has been great so far, aside from her scares that she has given me. Vomiting, bloody stools, and blood on her side. Who knows what was wrong with her, but she's as normal as a dog can get now. I think she may have eaten some mushrooms in the yard. She does have a pesky habit of barking early in the mornings before my alarm turns on, and that makes me really grumpy. She's getting better at not barking as much though, as she has very quickly learned that barking just buys her more time in the kennel. She now knows that if she wants out or wants attention she has to be calm. Did I mention how much I hate puppies! They are so much work, but you don't realize it until you have one. While this blog is obnoxiously long, I can't say that I've covered all the ground in between June 2, and today, but this will have to do. Pictures will follow soon, most likely tomorrow as I have a headache the size of the earth, and I don't plan from moving from the sofa unless I'm absolutely required to. ;o)

What an Honor & Baseball is Over For the Year!

First, let me start out my saying that (hallelujah) baseball season is over! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love baseball and I love watching the boys play. It amazes me at how much talent they have. But, after spending FIVE days a week at the baseball fields for the last 7 weeks; I've had more than my fill. We always seem to get stuck with horrible coaches. This year Austyn's coach showed real promise, but he struggled and lost focus between the two teams he was coaching, his own six kids, his full time job and his wife's job. Needless to say, the guy had way too much on his plate. He ended up being the most horrible coach in the history of baseball! I think that pretty much every parent on the team filed at least one complaint against the guy. Yeah it was that bad. I won't even get into the details of what a schmuck the guy is. So, then we have Taylor's coach. He's a little dweeb of a guy who doesn't really seem to know a whole lot about the game. I will say that he did end up being a pretty good coach. Thank goodness! Last Saturday was Austyn's last game and we had a party here at our house. The kids enjoyed pizza, fruit, veggies and cupcakes in between slipping and sliding down the skim board slider and playing in the pool. Everyone had a blast! Taylor's last game was tonight. He had a great game. It was my turn for snack, so naturally I was over prepared and went above and beyond. Hey...it was the last game! Each kid got a red goody bag with baseballs all over it. Inside were some baseball goodies, fresh fruit and a bottle of water. I had also made a pennant flag for each kid at the beginning of the season, so they also were able to take those home today. The coach and his wife kept the big banner I made for the team. I have no use for it! Taylor's last day of school is on Thursday! Where has the time gone? Wow. I can't believe that I...me...Stacie....is going to have a 3rd grader on my hands! Scary!
Anyhow, today was also a very special day. I received a special phone call from the love of my life. He informed me that I should pack my bags! I cried tears of joy. Doubt had begun to settle in, but I still had hope. I was very confident in him that he had been selected. I know that he is a hard worker and is awesome at what he does. But for the Blue Angels to actually recognize that is mind boggling. He was selected from many applicants. He stood out in the crowd. I am so excited, happy and proud of him. He has the honor and prestige of saying that he works for the Blue Angels. What an honor! I am still trying to wrap my brain around it. lol. With this wonderful news comes sad news. Our really good friends and old neighbors didn't make it. I am so bummed about this. We were really hoping that they would make it and we could take this journey together. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards. We are surely going to miss them like crazy and wish them the best of luck in their next set of orders. But back to the excitement...I will be just over ONE hour away from my sister and those two gorgeous little boys that are my nephews. We can't wait. Austyn ran all around the house shouting, "WE ARE MOVING TO FLORIDA!!! WOOHOO!! BLUE ANGELS!! WOOOO!!" He is hilarious. He has no idea where Florida is, much less what Florida IS. lol. Taylor is so calm and quiet. I busted into his room and yelled, "TAYLOR!! THE BLUE ANGELS PICKED DAD!!!" He obviously wasn't as over the top as I was. He very calmly said, "Yeah....I know....you were crying. I know." That's it. That's all he had for me! lol. But, he did later say that he is very excited to move to Florida, so that is good news. So, the packing and house hunting begins. We won't be moving until the fall, but hey, one can never be too prepared for a cross country move! Floridian beaches...here we come!

The Latest....

I realize that I haven't posted in about a week, and the reason for that is that I have been busy. I finally decided that I would no longer put my education on hold. Its far to important to keep procrastinating and wasting the days away when I could be working towards a degree. My very first day 'back to school' was last Wednesday. I was a bundle of nerves, but I was also really excited. I've always liked school and learning new things. I am trying to get a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. I haven't exactly figured out what I want to do with it, but obviously it will have something to do with the health field. I am going to school 100% online with a great university. I needed an online school because....well, because I have 3 kids. Do I really need another reason? lol. Between taking Taylor to school; spending 5 out of 7 days a week at the baseball fields; cleaning house; spending quality time with the kids; cooking; grocery shopping and taking a shower everyday; I don't exactly have the time of day to spend going to a traditional school. I can't imagine sending my kids off to a sitter or missing a game because I had to go to a physical school. Therefore, online is best for me, especially since we are possibly moving to Florida. Keep your fingers crossed. So, anyhow, I am going to a great university, and so far it has been great. The professors have been awesome and they have so many additional resources to help you out in pretty much every subject imaginable. One of my first two courses that I am taking are Academic strategies for the health care profession. This is basically a class that will get me accustomed to attending school online and it will teach me what is expected from me. It also goes over ethics and things like that. My second course that I am taking is Chemistry. Yikes! It isn't that bad. My book is confusing as all heck, but all of the videos I watched pulled it all together. Tonight was our first seminar, in which I have to sit at my desk for one full hour and participate in class. Since I had done my 'homework', I knew what the professor was talking about. About half the class didn't watch any of the videos or read anything, so naturally they were all lost. I at least knew what the teacher was talking about. Now, the equations, well that's something else. lol. I'm not good at math. I stink. Taylor is probably better at math than I am. I know that's sad, but hey, I'm being honest. After figuring out the problems, it really wasn't so bad. I received a 70% on my first self assessment that I took. Not bad considering I still feel pretty confused. I can take the assessment numerous times to better my skills, and I plan on doing that. So, that was my spiel on school. Yay me! I'm very proud of myself for finally taking the plunge!
The boys are still doing baseball. They don't have any practice for the rest of the week. They both had practice today. Taylor's coach took my suggestion I gave him last week and turned it into reality. He said that he wanted to have a fun practice where everyone could just goof around and have fun. I suggested he bring water balloons and tell them to catch...thinking they would be catching a baseball and then just smack them with the balloon. He liked it and okayed it with the other parents. The kids had fun. I had fun watching, until one kid tried to throw a balloon at his dad, missed and hit me in the neck, therefore soaking my entire right shoulder and torso area. Yeah, and of all days, I wore a white t-shirt. HAHA, laugh it up. You couldn't see anything; obviously since I am not a trashy woman who goes around bra-less. lol. Austyn is still having fun with baseball. He definitely needs to move up to the next level. He hits about 7 out of 10 balls that you pitch to him. The kid has an arm from hell. Not only does he throw hard, he throws fast and accurate! Watch out! lol. And then there's Ryeigh. That girl has more attitude than a high school cheer squad. haha. She cracks me up though. She is getting so much better about being around strangers. She actually will approach a stranger and say hi. She doesn't run away screaming when they look at her either. She has come a very very long way from her stranger induced anxiety days. I'm happy for her.
Mark is out on the ship...again! He'll be home in a couple of weeks before its bon voyage for deployment. We still don't know anything about the Blue Angels, but we are keeping our hopes and spirits high. He is very confident with the way his interview went, and I'm very confident in him as well. As one of our acquaintances said, "Pfft! Mark's going to get it. That guy can charm the pants off of anyone!" Well, that's definitely one way that he has never been described. lol. He is very charming, personable, friendly and likeable, so I get what the guy was saying. Other than that, not much else is going on over here.

It went too fast!

This was one crazy weekend. Friday night Taylor had a game. They played the Astros, with whom they were tied for the #1 spot thus far in the season. He played an amazing game. I swear, each time I watch him play, he improves. He's getting a lot better at hitting, and his fielding skills are immaculate. The game went really good until there was a mix-up in the batting order and the other team caught it. Our coach's wife should have caught it since she was the one keeping score. No big deal, right? Oops, we screwed up, that's a 3rd out, you guys are up, lets keep playing....right? No! Next thing you know, she rips her (Yankees) hat off of her head and throws it onto the field. (Where's the respect for the team lady?!) Then she storms off, grabs her stuff and walks away...pissed. Someone asked her what happened and her reply was, "I got fired....because I quit!" I'm not really too sure how that makes sense, but whatever. So, then the game is going to continue on but she comes back and screeches her son's name. She wanted to take him with her. Her husband (the coach) says to just leave it, and go home and instead of just doing what he suggested she yells, "No, this is bullshit and you know it!" So then our coach calls the game....because of her! I was a upset. Not only did she show poor sportsmanship, but she also showed poor judgement and poor leadership, while breaking the parent code of conduct. No one offered any explanation as to what happened or why the game was canceled, much less an apology. Today is Monday, and we have yet to get an apology from anyone. The kids were robbed! All they wanted to do was play baseball, and that was taken away from them for something that wasn't their fault. I hope that today they offer an apology, and she should not be at the next game (per the code of conduct.)
Saturday morning, Austyn had a game at 8:30. I love those early games. haha He played awesome, as he always does! It just sucks that Mark wasn't there to have seen him play. This is the 2nd year in a row that Mark will have missed every single one of his games. Its such a shame too, because I think he would really appreciate and love the way Austyn plays the game, and to see how much he loves the game! After the game we hit concrete heaven for about 6 hours. Mark was on his way from Pensacola to San Diego. This was our last chance to see him for the next month. He had a friend pick him up at the airport and we arrived shortly after he did. We pretty much all just hung out and recovered from our traveling adventures that night. I also got my Mother's Day gift from him that night. He gave me some bath stuff, ie. shower gel, body butter, lotion and stuff like that from a place called the Body Shop. The stuff was made witth Florida Oranges. It smells amazing and it left my skin feeling like a baby's behind. lol. It was a very sweet gift, and I'm sure that everywhere I went, people were wondering who smelled like oranges. =) I loved it. He had to do his own shopping in FL, since he didn't have any other chance to do it.The next morning, we woke up and Taylor brought me his gift that he made at school. This was the sweetest, most hilarious, most awesome best gift ever! I've never laughed so hard in my life. I will keep this book forever and I will show it to him when he is grown. I'm sure he will get a kick out of it too. Mark also gave me a card that morning that was pretty sweet. We had planned on going to breakfast at Denny's that morning, but the Denny's we found was packed full of people that looked like they possibly ran across the border. There wasn't even space to wait for a table. So, we opted for the next best thing....McDonald's take out. It was actually my first suggestion for breakfast, so I didn't mind at all. We were lazy and hung out all day until Mark needed to head to the ship. We took him to the ship and then had dinner with Elvis and his family. After that we headed home. We didn't get in until after midnight, but we made it safely!
All in all it was a good weekend, but it didn't last long enough. We always seem to be longing for more time with Mark. He won't be back until June, and then he'll be home for a little over a month before its sayonara for deployment. Oh, the life of a Navy wife. Anyhow, I thought I would share Taylor's book with you all. I really enjoyed it and I think that you guys will get in some good laughs as well. So, here goes: His answers are in bold and my feedback is in italics.

This is the front cover of the book!This is all about ME:
Her Name is Stacie
She lives at Viking Street
She is 26 years old.
Her Birthday is September 25. (he says he forgot when my birthday was, so he just picked a day instead. Gotta love it.)
Here are five words that tell about her
1. Crazy (I can see that) 2. Shopping Freak (I am not!) 3. Oprah fan (It looks like it says Oprah fart, but he insists that it says fan!) 4. Fancy (that's cute) 5. Math (I HATE MATH!)
My Moms Favorite:
Color she looks best in purple. (I don't think I have anything that is purple!)
Animal she likes crab. (does anyone even like crabs? My favorite animal is a turtle!)
Ice Cream Flavor vanilla. (That's sort of right)
Sport she likes to play baseball. (I think I'd be ousted from the family if it were anything different!)
Day of the week Saturday
Things to wear earrings. (I'd say flip flops)
Food to eat salad. (Really? Do I eat salad that much?)
Place to visit Las Vegas (I've only been once!)
Song she likes to sing Boom Boom, got to get that. (I don't even want to know what his teacher's response was when she read that! It's the song by the Black Eye Peas..Boom, Boom, Pow.)
Love
There are many ways my mom makes me feel loved. Here are some ways....
She calls me bling bling boy. (I don't think I have EVER called him that!) She buys me video games. (I thought it said she bugs me!)She helps me cook. (He loves cooking in the kitchen!)Things to remember
The nicest thing I ever did for my mom was....Gave her breakfast in bed. I cook for her. (He's so sweet!)
The nicest thing my mom ever did for me... Let me play video games. (something tells me, I've done more than just let him play video games! What am I....evil?!)


Three Wishes
If I could give my mom three wishes, I would wish her:
1. I hope you get colored gold. (apparently I want to be gold and didn't know it!)
2. I hope you get one million gold bricks. (That would be something!)
3. I hope you give me a smarter brother. (WHAT?? Austyn isn't smart enough? This one cracked me up beyond belief!)
And last but not least, a Picture of my Mom. The jet flying over my head is carrying a sign that says I "heart" MEN! I am shown wearing a blue Yankees hat with my hair sticking straight out, and my shirt matches the sign!! I asked him why on Earth he would put that on a sign and a shirt and he said because he couldn't remember what any of my shirts said. For the record...I don't own ANY shirts that say I "heart" anything! I have a bag that says I "heart" recycling!! LOL. Anyway, this was by far the best gift ever! It was hilarious, and I cried from laughing so hard. I'm going to keep this and show it to him when he is grown!

My Boys Have More Than JUST Heart....They Have Talent!

Okay, so this is obviously all about the boys! =) Opening Day was on Saturday for Taylor and he and Austyn both played their first games. The ceremony were great and I think it really made the kids feel special. They definitely out did last year's ceremony! After their pancake breakfast, they marched in a parade with police, ambulance and a firetruck escort complete with sirens and lights. I will say that we skipped out on the breakfast because last year's pancakes weren't very tasty. lol. We stopped at McDonald's and grabbed some hotcakes. Much better. Once the ceremony was over with, we headed over to the neighboring field for Austyn's game. I didn't think we were going to make it to his game, but they were running behind. Anyhow, Austyn did awesome! He always does. He shows so much promise and talent and best of all, he loves the game. One of the dads said he was going to start calling him Barry Bonds. He is only in t-ball and he hits the ball into the outfield on a little league field! I told Mark this, and he said, well, without the steroids of course. I jokingly said, well actually, he did have some steroids before he was born, so maybe that's it! Anyway, I crack myself up. So, the kid is seriously talented, and everyone that has seen him play has told me, so I know that its not just me being a proud mom. =) He throws so hard and has amazing accuracy. Oh, and did I mention that he is a lefty? I know, Mark's practically peeing in his pants at the thought of an MLB player for a son. haha. He hits both right and left as does Taylor. Mark insists that they learn to hit both ways. Taylor also helped out with Austyn's team, as he always does. He is such a great encourager! He was first base coach and cheered for the kids and guided them. He also made sure he gave everyone a high five! What a great big brother he is! Later that afternoon, Taylor had his game. His team won 4-0. He struck out twice out of four at bats. He was bummed, and blamed it on a lack of batting practice. He's probably right, so I think we'll head to the batting cages this weekend. He played 'pitcher', short stop and first base. He's a pretty good infielder. Oh, and I say 'pitcher' because he doesn't actually pitch. For now, its machine pitch, but half way through the season they will have the kids start pitching.

That brings us all the way up to today. He had a game at 5 this afternoon. It was a fun and intense game to watch. They played the Astros. I don't think he struck out once. He played pitcher the entire game and made some pretty awesome plays too! He caught a pop fly, tagged a runner out at home and made countless plays first! Amidst all of his baseball greatness, he took a line drive to the forehead. He hit the ground, and laid there. It took a while for the coach to get to him and see if he was okay. I did his hardest not to cry and sat in the dugout for the remainder of the inning. The dad inside the dugout said, well the good thing is that you are okay, but the awesome part is that you have the seam of the baseball imprinted on your forehead! I totally thought that he was kidding, but yeah, he wasn't!! I took a picture once we got home since I forgot the camera. Oops. But, all in all, it was an awesome game (even though they lost) and I think that is the best he has ever played!! Enjoy the pictures!

Can you tell that it was super hot out today?

Closer look without the hat.

And an even closer look.

HaPpY eAsTeR!

We hope that everyone had a great Easter holiday. We had a fabulous one! Mark was able to make it home this weekend to celebrate with us. We were so happy and excited to see him, as well as thankful that he made it home safely. He got in around 10, Friday night and the next day we dyed our boiled eggs with the kids. We did it in the driveway because we knew they were bound to make a mess of it all. Ryleigh was probably the messiest of all. She opted to drop her eggs into the cups rather than dip them gently into the water. After that we, had lunch, took naps and headed out to the mall. I was in dire need of a haircut so I got one. We also needed to buy Taylor some baseball pants, socks and a belt for the baseball season. For whatever reason, his coach decided that it would be best for everyone to just buy their own things. Last year our coaches ordered from the catalog supplied by the little league and it came out to $16/player. This year it cost us $45 for the same amount of items. Not to mention the coach must not have any fashion sense at all because the uniforms are going to look ridiculous. The shirts are navy blue, the hats are navy blue, the pants are grey, the belts are navy blue and the socks are white. WHITE. White socks. It just throws the entire uniform off. Oh well. We bought Taylor long pants so you probably won't even see his socks. Okay, anyway, so after the kids went to bed, Mark and I got to work setting up all of their Easter goodies. They all had their own basket with their own personal things in it and then there was a bunch of stuff on the coffee table that was for everyone. They got Bedtime Stories (Mark and I really liked this movie!), The Secrets of the Furious Five, and The Tale of Despereaux, along with new play-doh, a dart board that the boys have been asking for, and some little toy guns that came along with the dart board. They also got 45 feet of drawing paper (each). Its basically like a 45 foot roll of a coloring book. They loved those. They each got new markers to go along with it. They also got new birdhouses to paint. I don't know why, but they really love painting birdhouses! Taylor got a set of practical jokes that he thought were hilarious. He got me with a fly on the toilet paper roll. I will say that he got me good on that one. Austyn got a miniature version of the "Gone Fishing" game where you have little magnetic fishing poles to catch the fish with. The boys also had these sling-shot airplane things that were a pretty big hit. Ryleigh got dress up jewelry and a cute bag. And then there were the hidden eggs. They each found a golden egg with a ribbon around it and they all had a $5 bill and a ring pop in it. The contents of the filled plastic eggs varied. Some had coins, while others had jelly beans or Reese's pieces in them. Overall the kids had a blast and really enjoyed themselves. Mark and I really enjoyed seeing them so excited over such little things. It was a great day and we were lucky to have him home with us. He did have to leave soon after. It won't be much longer before he'll be home again for a short week. Then he heads out to interview with the Blue Angels for a week, and then its off to the ship again. Wish him luck with the Blues!!! He's looking forward to it and I think he'll do a great job. He's pretty amazing at what he does anyhow, so I doubt that he won't do well! Enjoy the pictures. They are also posted on our Facebook.

Anger is Unhealthy, & I Can't Help But to be Angry!

So, there I was in our truck with Taylor, Austyn, Ryleigh, a huge suitcase, a bag loaded with Easter goodies, Mark's bike, blankets, games and snacks. We were driving to Fallon to visit with Mark. They are doing work-ups and I hate them. Basically it means that we get to see him 2 weeks at a time with runs months in between where we don't see him at all. Sometimes we aren't able to talk and have to settle for emails to communicate. Well, he's been gone for about 2 weeks now and we wanted to visit with him since Easter is coming up. We were to drive about 6 1/2 hours northeast to see our favorite man in the world. We traveled along the 99N until we hit the 80E. We already hit traffic twice before, so I was a little thankful that traffic was at a minimum. We were just trucking along (no pun intended), when we literally just hit a traffic jam. It was bumper to bumper and there were no signs of budging. We didn't move for at least an hour! We at least had a good time and cranked up the tunes and goofed around until my migraine would no longer allow me to listen to music at a deafening volume. I read somewhere that banana peels help to relieve headaches, and it just so happened that I had bananas in the car! I peeled one and stuck a piece of peel to my forehead. Taylor was embarrassed and amused and Austyn and Ryleigh thought I had finally lost it. I don't know how long you are supposed to leave the peel on your forehead, but it didn't help at all. During that time, a swat truck, about 10 or 15 highway patrol cars and sheriff cars and an ambulance all drove by. At first I thought maybe it was a very bad accident, but then realized; that many police cars and a swat truck don't exactly spell out fatal accident. One of the digital output signs was flashing saying "Turning all traffic 1 mile ahead." This wasn't good news for me. We only knew of a single way to get from point a to point b. We finally started moving along and were quickly detoured onto a road which led nowhere. Actually, it lead us back onto the 80...WEST. The complete wrong direction that we needed to go. After finding an AM traffic radio station, I finally figured out what all the hub-bub was about. Some lunatic con decided to hold his entire family hostage. I posted the article I found about it below. So, thanks to this "Jason" guy, I would be lost and forced to head the opposite direction of my destination. Mark didn't have the slightest clue as to where to go, nor did any of his friends. His suggestion was to find a gas station and ask someone for directions. That didn't sound like a plan or even a good idea at that point. It was cold and raining, the only gas station was a hole in the wall that had port a potties for restrooms and it seemed like everyone was in the same predicament as I was. Oh yeah, not to mention that I would have to drag my 3 kids around with me while I tried to rely on a complete stranger for sound traveling advice. I don't think so. So, I decided to utilize our OnStar services and called them for directions. I clearly stated that we were heading to Nevada and not California. They quickly had me back on the road with turn by turn navigation. What a life saver, right? That's what I thought. Well, the genius who helped me out must have accidentally set my directions to our account address instead of to NAS Fallon. I was heading south and didn't think much of it, because I knew I'd have to head south a ways in order to cut over to a sufficient route. Well, a couple of hours later, I am instructed to turn onto the 99S....this road takes me HOME! So, then I thought, okay, well maybe they are like really taking me a roundabout way. I called Mark and told him I was half tempted to just go home. He said he wouldn't blame me if I did at that point. Then I called my good friend Jessica and asked her how far Lodi was from Lemoore. Yes, I was a mere 2 hours from home. Are you kidding me? At this point, the kids were all sound asleep, I was irritated, aggravated, stressed, angry; anything negative, you name it. This was not turning out to be my day. The OnStar navigation told me that I had left my route and said it would come back on when I neared my route. Low and behold, it tells me to take the 41S, which again is straight towards home, and then it tells me to take the 198W, which heads straight for the base. Once on base, it tells me that I have now arrived at my destination. Are you serious?!?!?! Oh I was livid. That genius man who set up my directions deserves to be fired for sending me home instead of to my husband. I was beyond angry. So, I slept on it for the night and tried to recover from my migraine. Which, by the way was so horrible that I had to pull over to vomit. Appetizing, huh. When it rains it pours. So, this morning I called OnStar and their quick band aid fix is to give me two months free of service. Honestly I feel like I deserve a hell of a lot more than just two months of free service. A trip to Fallon, NV which should have taken me 6 hours took me 10 1/2 hours and the only place I went was home. So, do you see why I can't help but to be angry? All I wanted was to spend some time with my husband, but apparently the universe didn't want that to happen yesterday, so hopefully he can make it home to us for the weekend and for Easter. We miss him terribly.

I-80 Standoff Suspect Surrenders to Authorities

FOX40 News

April 9, 2009

NORDEN, Calif. (AP) - A man who had been holding his wife and three children hostage on a freeway near the Sierra summit has released them to safety before eventually surrendering himself, officials said Wednesday night.

The tense standoff with an armed man with a shotgun lasted with about eight hours and shut down the main northern artery linking California and Nevada near the summit.

Andrew Jason Rosas, 32, of Sacramento, released his family members first before finally surrendering peacefully to authorities, said Stan Perez, chief of the California Highway Patrol Valley Division.

"There were several heroes tonight," Perez said. "The SWAT team negotiators saved five lives, including the bad guy's. I've been doing this job for 32 years and to see the baby coming out in a blanket in the arms of a highway patrol man is what this job is all about."

Sacramento County Sheriff's Capt. Scott Jones said Rosas fled as deputies tried to arrest him on a warrant after his $70,000 bond was revoked. Rosas was scheduled for sentencing Thursday and faced more than 15 years in prison, Jones said.

After deputies spotted the man in his vehicle at a fast food restaurant, he led them and CHP officers on a chase that reached speeds of 80 mph, said Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. R.L. Davis.

A spike strip stopped his sedan on Interstate 80 near Norden, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Officers brought a relative from Sacramento to help in negotiations and Rosas released his wife and children, ages 14, 9, and 11 months, into the hands of CHP officers. Rosas surrendered about two hours later and the freeway reopened shortly after.

"They were feet away from a man with in shotgun and willing to risk their lives to save the children," Perez said. "It was a great day for the highway patrol."

The weekend

This last weekend was great, busy and fun! It started out on Friday night with Taylor's basketball game, which they won. We then headed out to San Diego at 8PM. We didn't get in until 1AM and had to be up by 4AM in order to get ready and get to the ship by 5:45 for Mark to muster. I guess it wouldn't have mattered if we were there in time or not because there was a long line that we had to wait in. The day on the ship was long, but fun and exciting. Taylor had a blast and I'm glad that we were able to experience it together. I definitely have a new found respect for what Mark does in the Navy. Don't get me wrong, I've always respected his work, but now I respect it differently. It was amazing to witness things first hand and is nothing like seeing pictures or videos. Pictures don't do it justice. For Mark, its just another day at the 'office' but for me, its mind blowing. We were able to sit on the flight deck during air ops, where a jet did a touch and go, landed (caught the wire) and launched off the ship. We watched them drop bombs in the water, shoot a .50 cal gun and watched the helos do the same thing. Powerful is an underestimate of the ship and jets' capabilities. We explored the ship with Mark and were able to go down the elevators. That was pretty cool, and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. We were also able to go into the sea combat room, which was really cool, and kind of eerie. The whole room was dark, not to mention empty! There was only one guy in there working when we went in. That room has so much vital, secret and important information that Mark advised me NOT to take any pictures. I really really wanted to, but wasn't able to. We visited Vulture's Row for a bit and tried to go up to the foc'sle, but every time we went up it was secured. All we were able to see were the giant chains that pull anchor. It was still cool, none the less. We visited the ready room, Mark's shop, and a few other places. Its hard to remember all of it. Taylor had a wonderful time, and was blown away by the air show. From what Mark says, it wasn't much and they didn't do as much as they normally do, but we didn't care. It was heartwarming to see the giant smile on his face all day long. He had such a great time there. He wanted to spend most of his time on the flight deck. There were also sea cadets on board. Some of them looked like they were Taylor's age. He said he would want to be one. =) Our day started at 4AM and didn't end until nearly 7:30 (the time we got back to our friend's house.)

The next day we attended the World Baseball Classic in LA at Dodger Stadium. We took our friend's daughter, Natalie. We have been friends with them for about 8 years now (since Taylor and Natalie were babies.) It was special in the sense that the very first baseball game either of them had ever been to was the Tide's game in Norfolk! This was their second game together, in about 7 years! Everyone had a great time even though the US lost! Austyn really loved the cheering and yelling and would jump up and pump his fists in the air while yelling, "USA, USA, USA, USA!" He was hilarious to watch. Taylor pretty much only cared about watching Jeter play since the Yankees are his favorite team. I think he was pretty amazed to be there. Elvis, one of our friends tagged along since Adam couldn't find a sitter for the night.

We ended our weekend by driving up to Laura's house for lunch. We visited for a couple of hours with her, Jack, Kenzie, Haylee, Jenn and Bonnie. It was fun and good to see everyone, but definitely time to head home!

Last Week...

Was pretty busy. Taylor had his cup-stacking tournament on Wednesday. This time it was at a different school. Austyn, Ryleigh and myself all tagged along to show Taylor our support for him. It was such a long, drawn out tournament that could have been over in about an hour, but instead took 3. Taylor had a blast and was able to miss school. He competed on his own with a time of 8.51 seconds. He wasn't the fastest, but heck that's pretty quick. I have to admit that it would most likely take me 3 times that to get it done. He also competed in a table relay race. His team didn't do that great on that one, as some kids toppled their cups over and were disqualified. His finally event was the floor relay race and his team won first place! He was really excited about that, and we were too! Enjoy the slide show of pictures from that.
Later that evening, his basketball team competed in the semi-final tournament and won their game. That meant they were to compete in the finals on Friday.
Friday night, the game was intense and a nail biter. I sure love watching basketball! The other team was really good and the score was getting tossed around. The wizards ended up winning the game by ONE meager point! But, hey a win is a win! The coach's son was crying in excitement and everyone was hopping around, clapping and yelling. It was so great to be able to have that excitement, sense of accomplishment and pride for our son and his team! I'm so glad that Taylor was able to experience that. The only picture I have is one that I took on Mark's phone. I hadn't been taking the camera because I would get so side-tracked and into the game that I would forget to take pictures.
After the game, we came home and packed up the truck and headed to San Diego for the weekend!

It's Been a (busy) While

Let's see...wow! I can't believe I haven't blogged since mid-February. A lot has been going on since then. Mark's been gone for the last 3 weeks, and I've been a single mom again. So to speak. We have been keeping pretty busy around here. Taylor has school, obviously. He has been going to Cup-Stacking Practice after school once a week for the last month or so. For those of you who have no clue as to what Cup-Stacking is, I'll give you my very brief knowledge of the sport. And YES, it is a sport. =) There are 9 cups (or at least I am thinking). And the object of the game is to stack them in "cycles" and take them down as fast as you can. I first heard about it last year on the news. They were talking about kids participating in the sport and how fast it was becoming popular. There is even a McDonald's commercial about it. I'm sure you can find it on You Tube. Anyway, so yeah, he is really into that, so that's one afternoon a week. They have a tournament on Friday. We'll see how that goes. He also has basketball practice twice a week and a game once a week. His team is awesome! Did I say awesome? They are unbelievably awesome! They have only lost two games thus far. They lost their first game by one point, and they lost their third game by like 4. Their last game is this Saturday and they have a tournament all next week. I'm thinking they will do pretty darn well! He really enjoys it. Baseball season is also coming up and he just had tryouts on Saturday for those. Austyn is still being himself. Loud and rambunctious! Ryleigh is doing well too. She just had a rash on her back yesterday and we went to the Dr. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for the Dr. so in the meantime the boys were coloring and playing. They colored animals with different colored spots to make them look like they had diseases. Lovely, huh. Then Austyn was pretending to be the Dr. and he told her to take her shirt off so he could see her disease she had. It was really quite hilarious to listen to them. I'm sure if anyone had been listening in, they would have had a good chuckle. Her rash is completely gone, less than 24 hours later, so something we did was right. lol. Anyhow, Mark comes home on Saturday. Thank goodness. We definitely have missed having him around! He will be home for a measly couple of weeks. The following weekend we will be attending the Friends and Family Day Cruise with him which will be a lot of fun. Taylor and I are the only ones going along with him. We will get to set sail on the ship with Mark and get to experience a day at sea. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also double checking my stash of Dramamine just in case I get sick!! Anyhow, that's pretty much the last few weeks of our life in a nutshell. We hope everyone is well.