Merry Christmas

Mike on Christmas, heck make that Mike all Christmas break. William on Christmas morning.

Mike and Pat in a dessert competition.
William deciding the winner.

We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at Chilis (don't ask, no one knows how these "traditions" start) and then drove around looking at Christmas lights. Christmas day was pretty quiet, filled with presents, Christmas Story nonstop on the TV, and relaxing. We had a "traditional" ham dinner. The menu was planned by William and executed by me. For dessert there was a competition between Pat's famous Bananas Foster and Mike's not-so-famous Brownie Batter. The Judge was William and while he had a hard time picking a winner, he eventually went with the bananas foster as that was the dessert on his dinner menu.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Chihuly at the Garden

A cloudy Sunday morning was spent at the Desert Botanical Gardens enjoying their newest exhibit - Chihuly: The Nature of Glass. We first saw his work at Garfield Park Conservatory in 2001 and I was totally amazed by his talent, so when I saw there would be an exhibit here I quickly renewed our membership to the Gardens so we would not miss out on seeing it. It is truly something that cannot be described and has to be experienced firsthand. I am sure that before it leaves here the end of May, I for one will be visiting the Gardens a few more times. I will definitely be doing a night tour, as the pieces will be illuminated and I can only imagine how cool that will be. Each of the pieces are designed to blend in with the landscaping and look almost a part of it. The Desert Botanical Gardens is such a peaceful place to begin with, the glass exhibit has enhanced the natural beauty and makes it somewhere you just want to sit and reflect. If you are coming out west to visit us this winter you can be assured that a trip to the Garden will be on my list of things you must do.

Just for Fun - I am a Marilyn!

You Are a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be direct and clear
• * Listen to me carefully
• * Don't judge me for my anxiety
• * Work things through with me
• * Reassure me that everything is OK between us
• * Laugh and make jokes with me
• * Gently push me toward new experiences
• * Try not to overreact to my overreacting.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends
• * being responsible and hardworking
• * being compassionate toward others
• * having intellect and wit
• * being a nonconformist
• * confronting danger bravely
• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger
• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right
• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often

• * are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn
• * are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger
• * form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent
• * look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel
• * are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent

Marilyns as Parents

• * are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty
• * are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence
• * worry more than most that their children will get hurt
• * sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at

Day of the Dead

Pat, William and I attended the Dia de los Muertos Festival in Mesa on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Wikipedia explains the holiday better than I ever could:

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

There were public altars for local people to bring in candles and other remembrances of their friends and relatives, then there were altars inside the Arts Center that were done for a contest of famous and not-so-famous people. There were quite a few different performances going on during the day, a market where you could buy Day of the Dead figurines and other arts and crafts, William made his own sugar skull and then there were the four performers who had on masks and carried poles and scattered amongst the crowd creeping up on people and scaring them, much to my amusement. All in all it was a very interesting and fun day.

Halloween 2008

Football Player by Day, Rich Man by Night. So went Halloween 2008. Enough said.

The Art of Moving Teeth

I am amazed at how the teeth can be moved around to reach a desired effect. Mike's right front tooth use to turn and was overlapping his left front tooth. It only took two weeks with a palate expander in his mouth to achieve the gap that is shown in the first picture. Maybe I am easily impressed, but when we left the office after the palate expander had been put in place and I was told that he would probably have a space when we came back two weeks later, I was very skeptical. But sure enough two weeks later the huge gap between his teeth emerged. Mike got his braces on four weeks later and it has been two weeks and his teeth already seem to be moving. The gap does not appear as big. I can't wait to see the end results, which will take about two years, a lot of discomfort for Mike and monthly payments from me. It will all be worth in in the end I am sure, when his smile is even more dazzling that it is now.

Basketball Season Begins

Basketball season has started for William. I am pretty sure that this child was born dribbling a basketball. He loves the game and loves to play, so we are all very excited that basketball time has begun again. When he is playing, he is totally into the game, his concentration is intense and he plays his absolute best at all times. I love watching how much he loves playing. So far there have been two games and his team has won both of them. There is some stiff competition out there, but I am confident that he will hold his own on the court.

Note: I apologize for the not so great photos, however, I am working on my lighting and trying to capture a moving object, so be patient with me, by the end of the season I hope to have some pretty fantastic photos.

Happy Birthday, Pat

We headed to the Grand Canyon for Pat's Birthday. It was a hot day in the Valley, so it was a nice change to go north and enjoy a little cooler weather. It was Pat, Mike and William's first trip to the Grand Canyon and they found it just as spectacular as I did. We had beautiful weather, it was sunny and the temperature probably only made it to the low 70s. We did quite a bit of walking and enjoying the view. We walked over to the Village area and had lunch at one of the Lodges there. There are quite a few different options for lodging right on the Canyon and is definitely something we would like to explore when we have more time to spend there. You can stay within feet of the Southern Rim and there are many different hikes to take in the Canyon. The 4 hour trip each way was well worth it. We were pretty exhausted by the time we got home, but managed to stop for a Birthday Dinner at Bucca diBeppo and then home for presents and some sleep. It was a long day, but fun, we had great weather, spectacular views and good food, what more could you want.

William turns 11

Happy Birthday to William!!! William celebrated his 11th Birthday with a party at Laser Quest. Seven of his friends were able to attend and they had a fabulous time playing laser tag. Pizza from Dominos and cupcakes in the shape of a football, decorated like a cake were served. The kids had a great time and William is very lucky to have such a nice group of friends to celebrate with him.

For his birthday dinner, William chose Seafood. We went to a local restaurant that had great crab legs and even though he was stuffed, he managed to eat a slice of chocolate cake.

Good friends and loving family to celebrate with, favorite games and food, thoughtful presents, what more could a boy want? HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM

Mismatch Day

You can't get more mismatched than this, can you? Friday was Mismatch Day at school and because William is the Student Council Rep for his class, he has to stay on top of these things and not forget to participate. I think he did a great job dressing for Mismatch Day and he had a lot of fun doing it.

PSA No. 11 - Moldy Cheese Day

Today is Moldy Cheese Day (don't ask how I know, I just do). I have been very absent in my blogging lately so I thought the best way to get back in to things would be with Moldy Cheese Day. Those that know me well, know that mold, especially on bread, is enough to send me running and screaming. So I find it somewhat odd that my favorite cheese is - well, dare I say it - mold. I love Bleu Cheese and the fact that I know that bleu stuff is mold seems to slip my mind, because let me find a block of cheddar with mold and I am once again running and screaming. Celebrate the day with a block of cheese and your favorite crackers. I know I will.

PSA No. 10 - National Ice Cream Day

Today is National Ice Cream Day (don't ask me how I know I just do). In 1984 President Reagan declared July National Ice Cream month and the third Sunday in July to be National Ice Cream Day. Well since I am the Ice Cream Queen, I couldn't let the day go by without acknowledging it. I love ice cream, always have. One of my favorite things would be a hot fudge sundae, perfect, rich vanilla ice cream with the thickest fudge heated and poured on top, whip cream and a cherry. Or how about a thick, creamy chocolate malt. These creations must be made just right, I have yet to find a place quite like Oberweis out here in the Valley of the Sun, but much like my quest for a great margarita continues so does my quest for a great ice cream parlor.

The HAIR CUT

Mike's hair went to the middle of his back.
His new look, much shorter.

Mike decided to get his hair cut. He has been growing his hair pretty much since that fateful haircut in the winter of 6th grade. We all remember how he wore a hooded sweatshirt for weeks after that. He has had it trimmed over the past three and a half years but never another drastic short cut. Mike's hair was really long, longer than my hair ever was back in my long hair days. I think he originally started to grow his hair out because of how annoyed I was about it. After it grew past the stage where it hung straight down in his face and danced in his food, I began to like the long hair. Even I must admit that he had hair to be envied. It is a gorgeous brown color (the pictures don't do it justice), it is straight (never giving in to the humidity) and it is thick. Hair to be envied. Mike is very happy with his new look and I am very much relieved that he likes it. It was a huge change and for someone that does not deal well with change the whole experience could have been a nightmare (something reminiscent of the nightmare in 6th grade). I think he lost a few pounds by getting it cut off and I am sure he will feel a lot better in this heat without all that hair on his head.

Rant No. 13 - The "TIP" jar

I am sorry but I do not understand the tip jar. I see them everywhere from Starbucks to the ice cream store to just about anywhere you walk in to that has counter service. Now we are talking about counter service here. You go up to the counter, you place your order, you wait for it. No one comes to your table to take your order, no one comes to your table to give you your order and no one cleans up after you. So why a TIP? Somewhere along the line someone got the brainy idea of putting out a jar for tips and people throw in their loose change. Heck why don't you go sit on the curb with your jar and people can throw you loose change. At least I haven't seen one at a McDonald's or Burger King yet, that would totally be the last straw. (end of rant)

Rant No. 12 - Motorcycles

As the cost of gas just keeps going up, more and more people are turning to motorcycles in an effort to cut costs. Prior to this big surge in motorcycle sales, I found them to be quite hazardous on the expressways. Now they seem to have multiplied overnight and more than ever before are going 70 mph, cutting in and out of cars, and basically driving like they are riding their bikes in a world of their own. They are not and it is my opinion that they are just an accident waiting to happen. HELLO even someone with the smallest amount of common sense should be able to figure out that they have absolutely no protection if an accident should occur. Would wearing a helmet be too much to ask? Apparently so, but for the sake of the person you cut off in your never-ending attempt to get somewhere first, try putting one on. (end of rant)

Clouds

Most of you might not find my fascination with clouds all that interesting, however, after living here where the sun shines 350+ days a year, clouds are an oddity. Rarely are there clouds in the sky and if there are they are gone by the end of the day. So when we had three days in a row of complete cloud coverage, I needed photos. And just to prove how odd the weather was I took a picture of the temperature at 11:30ish on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. It was three days of low temperatures and clouds, it was also a welcome relief as we had already hit the triple digits in the weeks prior. Finally on Sunday the sun was back, the temperatures are back to "normal" and things will be rather hot here for some time, it's kind of nice to have a cloudy day once in a while.

Mike's Birthday

Dinner at New York Pizza Department

Happy Birthday wishes from William.

A chocolate chip cookie cake.

Blowing out the candles.

A great present from his brother.

A stack of Wrestling Videos from Mom and Dad.

Mike's Birthday was filled with all his favorite things: pizza, chocolate chip cookie and of course presents. Mike choose NYPD as he does whenever he gets to choose dinner. He has become quite the fan of New York Style pizza and they make a pretty good lasagna there so we were all happy. The cookie (made at Paradise Bakery) weighed about 10 pounds. I never felt a cookie so heavy, and Mike true to form still cannot blow out a candle to save his life or maybe he is just making sure no one wants any of the cookie near the candle. Happy Birthday, Mike.

Happy Birthday,Mike!!!

From zero to fifteen in the blink of an eye. From a crying baby up all night to a teenager up all night. From a tiny being dependent on someone for his every need to a young man who needs no one (or so he thinks). I went from someone who gave him life to someone who is ruining his life (or so I am told). A typical teenager, I guess. Mike is a very complex person, he is intelligent, curious, persistent, challenging, loving, witty, demanding, introspective and very precious. Mike continues to excel at school, especially in the courses he likes the most which are Computers and Math. He spends his free time on his computer, playing video games, and pestering his brother.

Mike my wish for you has always been the same, for you to be happy, enjoy your life, and live your dreams. One of my favorite songs My Wish by Rascall Flatts pretty much sums it up:

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more then you can hold,

and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Happy 15th Birthday, Mike, I love you.

Bring your Favorite Cookie to Work Day

Tomorrow is bring your favorite cookie to work day. I haven't found where that is an actual day in my listing of odd holidays, but whatever. You can bake or buy your cookies doesn't matter just bring some. We all know that I would never bring store bought cookies, so I had to bake some. Now these are not my favorite cookies, but they are quick and easy and good. They are called Loving Cups and they are merely prepackaged sugar cookie dough and Reese's Peanut Butter cups. I took the easy way out here mainly because I don't like to commit to any major heat the kitchen up activities when it is already in the triple digits outside.

Lucky 7s

There are two things that have never changed as long as I can remember, one is that my favorite color is purple and the other is that my favorite number is 7. So imagine my delight when I saw that my odometer was going to be turning to 77,777. It happened on our drive to Gameworks and if you will note I was going 70 mph at the time. Coincidence? I think not.

Do I Look Like a Grandmother???

I want the truth whether it's what I want to hear or not. If you saw us sitting outside a cafe, in oh say Tombstone, would you ask me if that was my grandchild? Now I know most of you are thinking well actually given your age you could be his grandmother, but that is not the question here. Really I think it is a little close to call, I would have had to have been a young mother and then my child would have had to have him at a young age for him to be my grandchild. Yet that is exactly what this rather elderly man asked me when Mike and Debbie got up to get bottles of water in the store across the street. Is that your grandson, what did he think Debbie was my daughter? Guess it's time to visit Ms. Clairol and maybe Mr. Botox.

Tombstone, AZ

Sunday we went to Tombstone, AZ. I didn't think Debbie's visit would be complete without a trip to an Old West Town. I believe there is a lot of history there in Tombstone, wasn't quite listening when the stagecoach driver was talking. It has something to do with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and lots of gun fight kind of stuff. William and Pat went to the shootout at the O.K. Corral, the rest of us took a pass on that one. Mike, Debbie and I did go on the Stagecoach tour of the town, which is my way to see things. I guess for a dusty old town turned tourist attraction it was okay. We had a great BBQ pulled pig sandwich at the local saloon, the day wouldn't have been complete if William didn't have something chocolate to top off his dinner. And no they do not make Tombstone pizzas there.