We Are The Nelsons

Mark - The Bird Whisper

2009-07-31T13:16:00.005-05:00

One morning Mark got up early so he could put some water on the lawn before it reached 107 degrees. I was still in the house when Mark came in and said you have to come see this bird. He told me that he was "The Bird Whisper". I had to take my camera out for this one! I sat on the front porch in amazement. This bird was sitting on the wiring above our lawn and would fly down to take a bath and get refreshed. It was quite entertaining. He didn't care that Mark was only a few feet from him.

He sure seemed grateful to have a bath. He would fly back on the wire, flap his wings a little and come back down. One of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Mark - The Bird Whisper.

I can see the light

2009-07-26T19:01:00.002-05:00

As many of you know (yes, the 2 or 3 of you that actually read my blog) I have been taking college classes to obtain my Bachelor's degree in Management. I feel like I have been going to college for the past 10 years. My family has to deal with many, many, many nights of me being cranky and I thank them for putting up with me. I can finally see the light at the end of the road. I have 2 semesters and I can graduate. I am taking 2 classes in the fall semester and 2 classes in the spring semester. I told Mark the other day that next summer I won't know what to do with myself. I won't have to rush home from work and go straight into doing homework.

We were at the movies the other night watching Orphan (wicked movie). The mother was playing the piano and I leaned over to Mark and said "When I get done with school, I want to learn how to play the piano." Not learning to play the piano has always been one of my biggest regrets. I have no idea why I want to learn, but I have always wanted to do it. I figure I have Trey that help me if I have trouble since he is musically gifted. Now, lets see if I actually go through with it. I am in my mid 30s, how easily will it be for me to pick something like that up?

In the meantime, be watching for my next episode, "Mark - the bird whisper".

Oh and speaking of movies, we saw The Ugly Truth tonight, funny movie, definitely NOT for kids!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T13:15:00.002-05:00

Photography

2009-07-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

Photography is one of my favorite hobbies. I love capturing different things, different people and of course my family (which they get tired of).

As I was reading my good friend's blog (I'm a faithful follower since she moved away and made me sad), I noticed she had a post about a blog give away for a camera lens. OH how I love a camera lens, it's all in the lens you know! So I went here to check it out. Hopefully I can win and expand my lens collection! Hey, JD, if I win, I will share with you!

The Sparkler Bombers

2009-07-08T21:38:00.007-05:00

The boys discovered "sparkler bombs" this year for the 4th of July.

Mark made one and took it to a friends to make sure everything was safe before showing Trey. He came home and made another one without telling Trey what this thing would do. He told Trey to come outside because he made a flame thrower. Outside we go, I am standing far enough away because I know this thing is about to blow up. Trey doesn't understand why Mark is telling him to stand so far away.

Yes, that is a blow torch in Mark's hand.

So he lights the bomb and runs away. At first it looks like nothing is going to happen, just a sparkler. Sorry the picture is a little blurry, I was trying to take the picture and cover my ears at the same time.

Then BOOM, it blows up and makes a LOUD noise! I was trying to catch a picture of Trey's reaction.

Of course Mark had to show him how it was done and Trey made his own. Run, Trey, Run! (This time I had ear plugs in)

Forget about fireworks, they played with sparklers this year.

Quick Pictures

2009-07-06T22:28:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have been away, but I will return.

For now, here are some pictures, and stories to follow soon.

Spring Concert

2009-05-13T16:09:00.002-05:00

Trey had his last band concert for 7th grade last night. I can't believe he will be in 8th grade next year! Time sure flies.

We were getting loaded up to go to Trey's concert last night and had a mishap. Trey was getting into the back seat of my car and Mark was in the front passenger seat. Mark was already in but Trey has to arrange his feet in a certain way to get them in my back seat. (It's not that I have a little car, he just has big feet!) Mark shut his door and Trey starts screaming. Mark's first instinct was to open the door and Trey pulls back his hand very quickly. I look at Trey's hand and his fingers have been shut in the door, the damage was the middle and ring finger. Mark went inside and got an ice pack to put on Trey's hand. Mark was in a panic, he thought he had just broken the fingers of one of the star trumpet players. I don't know who I had to calm down more, Trey or Mark.

After surveying the damage we realized Trey had gotten lucky and nothing was broken. The door shut between his finger tip and his 2nd knuckle. Trey said at first he didn't know that his hand was shut in the door. I told him it was because his arm is so long it took the pain a minute to travel to his brain. He got a laugh out of that.

A few months ago he came out of his room from practicing and said if he ever broke his right hand he could still play the trumpet. He showed us that he could play with his left hand if he ever needed. Last night he thought was going to be one of those nights but by the time we got to the school he was better.

This morning I think he was back to normal, well as normal as can be for Trey. Mark felt really bad about the situation and I think Trey has forgiven him. It wasn't funny last night but to retell the story to my co-workers became funny.

Finally

2009-05-06T08:09:00.002-05:00

I didn't think this semester was ever going to be done. As of yesterday the Spring 2009 semester is over! I have never been more happy to finish a class in all my life. Now I am done for a few weeks, then it's time for Summer semester.

Why oh why

2009-04-22T12:58:00.002-05:00

I have a friend that posted about walking up and having a song in her head. How does this happen?? I woke up this morning with a song in my head and wondered why. It's "Oh Happy Day", you know the song from Sister Act 2. So it got me to thinking, why did I have this song on my mind, was it because I was happy to finally have my paper and presentation over, was it because I was going to hear some exciting news today, was it because I have a loving, wonderful husband, wonderful kid and a family and friends to be grateful for? I think it is all of the above!

OH HAPPY DAY!

Boys

2009-03-17T17:08:00.003-05:00

Trey had casual pictures a few weeks ago. He is a t-shirt kind of guy and really doesn't have anything else but t-shirts. I was trying to find him something nice to wear for pictures. He decided that it didn't matter what he wore, it was just pictures. So, he picked out his pink Altus Motorsports shirt.

We got the pictures the other day. They aren't the best pictures he has taken, but I do have to say that he is handsome in whatever he wears.

Office Birthdays

2009-03-13T10:37:00.009-05:00

I love it when people in our office have BIG birthdays! We have one turning 60 and one that is 40. I am the office prankster so you know I can't let them get off without something. I have been planning for a few months.

Jennifer knew that I had been planning Vicki's 60th birthday. She was hoping that I would forget all about her turning 40. Her birthday wasn't until Sunday so she thought she would get out of everyone making a big deal of her birthday.

I hope these women have a wonderful birthday, they both deserve it!

These are the victims, Jennifer and Vicki

Here are a few pictures of their offices:

School

2009-03-10T09:04:00.003-05:00

The way my Strategic Management class is making me feel this semester:

I am enrolled in Strategic Management and Ethics & Organizations this semester. For some reason I am having a really hard time getting involved in Strategic Management. We have a midterm today (yes I should be studying instead of blogging) and I'm freaking out. I studied this weekend, studied last night and still don't feel that I'm prepared. The test is covering 7 chapters and is all essay questions. I am hoping it will be something I can half way remember and then I can BS the rest.

Wish me luck!

Hula Hoop

2009-03-08T20:58:00.003-05:00

One of the girls at work bought a weighted hula hoop. A bunch of us tried it and though what the heck we would order too. We got our order together for Custom Hoops. Our hoops arrived Friday afternoon. It says you can hoop for 10 minutes a day and lose inches off your waist, it can't hurt to try, right?

I hooped a bit on Friday evening and then for a while on Saturday. I started getting pretty sore on Saturday evening. As I was getting ready for bed, I noticed I had bruises around my waist and on my legs where the hoop had fallen.

It's Sunday evening and boy am I really sore and bruised up. I am suppose to workout with the trainer tomorrow and it's going to be rough!

Memories.......

2009-03-02T20:06:00.004-06:00

It's funny when you run across things from long ago. My sister found this newspaper article from when I was a child. There was 4 of us from that picture that graduated together.

One of those girls moved away around the 5th grade. She had been my best friend since Kindergarten. We wrote each other off and on throughout school and still keep in touch through email. I saw her and her family a year ago while on a trip with my parents. It's great to be able to keep in touch with friends from long ago.

Almost time.........

2009-02-27T14:30:00.002-06:00

It's almost time to bring out Scar. For those of you that don't know Scar, she is our lovely scooter. Mark bought her last year when the price of gas was so expensive. Trey and I would fight over who got to go on rides after school/work. It was a lot of fun to go zipping around town. It's time for Mark to get her out of hiding and lets go ride!

Here is a picture of Mark and Trey after one of their rides.

I know Mark looks a little stoned, but I swear he wasn't! Trey looks so small, I will have to take a picture of them riding this year, I'm sure that will make a funny post!

Ashamed

2009-02-25T09:48:00.003-06:00

I am so ashamed to even make this post. I have always kept my toes painted and feet in good condition. I have even harped on a co-worker (Yes, Radonna I'm talking about you) to paint her toenails. It's just not right to wear open toed shoes and not have your toenails painted. She has finally started painting hers and I let mine go downhill.

I had to take my socks off the other day to step on the scales and was ashamed of the way my toenails looked. I am in desperate need of a pedicure. Why have I let me toes get so bad? Maybe because it was winter and they weren't exposed? Yes, that's it, that's my excuse, it was wintertime and they were covered up.

The weather is getting warmer so it's time to get them under control. That is my plan for this weekend, get a pedicure. Then I won't be ashamed to start wearing open toed shoes or taking my socks off. Who wants to see toenails like this anyway???? Yes, you all know I have to post a picture, it just wouldn't be a blog without a picture!

First Trumpet Solo Contest

2009-02-23T10:21:00.002-06:00

Trey had his first trumpet solo contest this weekend. During this solo it's just him, the piano player and the judge. The contest was at a college about 100 miles away so that meant getting up early. He had to be at the school here at 6:15 am to get loaded on the bus. UGH, it's Saturday morning, you are suppose to sleep late on Saturday mornings! Last time he had to be there early Mark got up and took him which meant it was my turn (secretly crying).

He sent me a text around 9:30 am to let me know he was done with his solo. I asked if he knew the results and he said no. He sent me another text around 10:30 am to let me know that the results were up. Okay so the results are up but you couldn't tell me in the same text what your results were? Little (okay well maybe not little) turd! He was keeping me on the edge, I wanted to know! I finally get a text back saying he got a 1. Woo Hoo! In band contest you are scored by a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. When being scored, 1 is the highest and 5 is the lowest.

We are very proud of him. He has a natural talent on the trumpet. We encourage him all the time he needs to stick with it and he will be able to go places. He is excited about getting into high school and going on trips.

Next week he has District group contest. It's that busy time of year!

Love Thursday

2009-02-19T09:54:00.009-06:00

Today is suppose to be "Love Thursday". The pictures I am about to post are of my son which I do love very much. Sometimes he does things that I'm not so sure about.

The first few pictures are of him hula hooping. I had to get some pictures because the face he made was too funny. You can tell he was trying to concentrate.

Next we have a few other pictures that I'm not really sure what was going on here. He was trying to "dance". Why he has that thing on his head I will never know.

Here is a "watch what I can do" move:

The next picture is something that Trey does, why he does it we will never know. He knows it freaks people out sometimes and loves to get reactions, so if you have a queezy stomach you might not want to look any further.

See, I told you not to look!

All-Region Honor Band

2009-02-09T15:04:00.008-06:00

Trey had his All-Region Honor band concert February 7. They had to wear their concert attire which is a dress shirt, tie, dress pants and dress shoes. This isn't normal for him, he is a jeans and t-shirt kind of kid. I can't even get him to wear a polo shirt. If it has a collar, he doesn't want to wear it. I think that all changed on Saturday.

My parents along with my Grandma and Earl attended the concert. Everyone kept telling him how handsome he was and how well he cleaned up. I will have to admit, my baby boy was handsome!

I wanted to get a few pictures of him dressed in his concert attire. I don't usually see him dressed up so I needed a photo for memory. Of course taking a picture of Trey and getting him smile is a big issue. He thinks when you have your picture made you just stand there.

This is the first picture that was taken:

Mark told him "can't we see a smile" and we get this:

Finally thought it all we get this picture and it is perfect!

We are very proud of him in making All Region Honor Band.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T13:38:00.002-06:00

Okay so this one isn't going to be so "wordless". This picture if from our trip to Cozumel last summer. Right now I would love to be laying on that beach with my husband and a drink in my hand! I am ready for the warm weather.

25 Random Things about Me

2009-02-03T15:13:00.004-06:00

I had a friend that posted a blog of 25 random things about herself. I thought to myself, I can do that! When it came down to actually coming up with things, it was a lot harder than I thought. It took me days to come up with things. I hope you enjoy.

1. I have a pet peeve about toilet paper. It has to be torn off at the proper place. That made that little “dotted” line for a reason!

2. I have a collection of frog things. I just don’t like frog things as much as people think. It all started when someone bought me something with a frog. It got out of hand, finally had to tell people to quit buying me frog things.

3. I use to play house with my cousins when they would visit from Kentucky. I was the mom, my name was Kathy, my cousin Jacob was the dad, and his name was Jason. We had 2 kids, they were Susan and Irrigation. Myndall’s name was Susan and we were always mean to Jenny and made her name be Irrigation.

4. As a child I ate “coco and biscuits” for breakfast. It was nothing more than chocolate gravy over biscuits. I LOVED it!

5. I have a purse fetish; I love to buy purses as much as most women like to buy shoes.

6. I have 21 hours remaining and I will graduate with my Bachelors in Management!

7. I love to take pictures. My husband bought me an awesome camera for Christmas last year. It doesn’t matter what it is, I will take a picture of it.

8. I have a 13 year old son that is the light of my life. I don’t think I could have gotten through this life without him.

9. I am grateful for my parents even though I don’t tell them enough.

10. For the first years of my life I grew up traveling on a semi-truck. My parents along with my grandparents drove trucks when I was little. My mom would go with my dad so I went along also. I would ride with my grandparents from time to time. I rode in the truck with them even during summers up until I was about 12 years old. I got to see a lot of the US that way.

11. I have a funny nickname given to me by my grandparents. Since I was on the truck you had to have a CB name, all truckers do. My nickname was “Okie Dudedad”. Over the years it has been shortened to just Dude. Yes, my nickname is Dude.

12. Since I traveled on the truck as a child I have been to most of the 50 states, except Hawaii and Alaska.

13. I WILL NOT eat a hot dog, but I will eat bologna. How weird is that?

14. I have a routine and I have to have my bath at 9:00 pm or it messes up what’s left of the night.

15. I have a BIG problem about going into a hotel bathroom and hair being left on the floor or tub. I will call the front desk to either get a new room or have them to clean the floor.

16. I have a thing about the number 44. I don’t know what it is, but seems like it is my “lucky” number. It’s my son’s favorite dirt bike rider’s number so it has no meaning to me. But, it seems like every time I turn around there is something with that number on it.

17. I love to go fishing.

18. I am the office practical jokester. I just hope some of these people are gone by the time I turn 40 or I’m in big trouble!

19. I am addicted to The Pioneer Woman’s blog. For those of you that have not visited her site, here is the address: www.thepioneerwoman.com

20. I use to HATE the color purple. Mark would always joke about something being purple. I guess it grew on me because it’s one of my favorite colors next to green.

21. I have the most special friends in the world. I appreciate every day I have with them.

22. I watch the same TV channels every day. I watch Discovery Health, TLC, Food Network, Lifetime or Hallmark.

23. I am scared that I am going to die in a fire.

24. I’m really not as mean as everything thinks I am.

25. Last and definitely not least, I love my husband more and more every day. He has given me a life I could have only dreamed. I appreciate him for giving me the opportunity to be his wife and for his continuing love and support.

Monday Ride

2009-01-23T09:27:00.006-06:00

On Monday the boys wanted to go to a new riding area in Texas. So a bunch of us loaded up and headed out. Marianne and I stayed at camp and cooked lunch for the guys. Okay so Marianne did the majority of the cooking, but she rocks at the grill. But you can't go riding without having lots of food around. I'm not sure how many hamburgers and hot dogs were cooked, but it was a lot. I don't know what it is, but riding really makes you hungry!

The man that owns the property (grandpa) has a tractor that he was going to use to make some jumps for the boys. The boys decided they needed to go along and show grandpa where and how to make the jumps. He told them he would give them a ride to where they were building the jumps. How about this for a "lift"?

Love Thursday

2009-01-22T11:25:00.004-06:00

One day I walked outside the front door and this is what I saw. Mark had been using the power washer and "wrote" me a note on the sidewalk. If you can't make out what it says "I ♥ ADN"

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T16:44:00.002-06:00

My most favorite picture ever of Mark and Trey.

Love Thursday

2009-01-08T21:31:00.003-06:00

I love these boys even if they are a little goofy.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-07T13:10:00.003-06:00

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-23T21:03:00.006-06:00

Here is a picture of our lovely Christmas tree this year:

We decided this would be out last year using this tree. It isn't too pretty, it's kind of homely looking. We did about everything we could think of to spice it up. We even bought the silver "icicles" that people put on their tree long ago. We found out that if there is a lot of static in your house they don't want to stay on the tree. They get stuck to the wall and anything that passes by.

This is one of my favorite ornaments. I bought this ornament our the bookstore when I work. The lady that runs the bookstore can always find some of the neatest items.

The wonderful Christmas card photo

2008-12-16T18:10:00.004-06:00

Every year we try to think of something to do for our Christmas card photo. Do people really want a picture of us? What do they do with those pictures after Christmas? I usually just use a picture of Trey since everyone wants to see him anyway. Well this year we decided to be "different". It was actually my husband's idea, he saw the idea in a magazine and it fits us perfect! For those of you that don't know, we, well my husband and son anyway, are dirt bike riders. So for our 2008 Christmas card.....................

May you find happy trails!
Mark, April & Trey

Little Boys

2008-12-07T10:07:00.006-06:00

I found this poem and fell in love:

Little Boys

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,
Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,
With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,
Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.
They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while
Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.
And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy
Than a curious, active and lovable boy!

I have to admit that when I found out I was pregnant I wanted a little girl. What mother wouldn't love to have a little girl to dress up? I found out I was having a little boy and was okay with that even though I really wanted that little girl.

Now that I have my little boy I wouldn't trade him for the world. He has given me more joy and love than I could have imagined. But I have one question.........why do they have to grow up so fast? I have added a few pictures from over the years.

The wonderful missing teeth picture:

Learning the hard way that walking with your arms inside your coat isn't a good idea. When you trip and fall on the sidewalk the only thing to stop you is your face:

Crazy hair after bath time picture:

So sweet when he is sleeping:

All dressed up and look how little he was standing next to Mark.

Growing up and going to band camp:

Now look at him, he keeps growing, I don't know what I am going to do! I am about 5 ft 6 in and had on heels in this picture. I have started taking food donations. I don't know where he puts it but the boy is about to eat us out of house and home! Of course I wouldn't trade any of it for the world!

Where Granny Go?

2008-12-03T21:16:00.004-06:00

This is Ashton, he is my precious 20 month old nephew.

On Thanksgiving my mom (Granny) took some food to her friend that was home alone. It didn't take Ashton long to realize that Granny was missing. He would walk from the front door to the back door saying "Where did Granny go"? He said it over and over, it was so cute. When Granny finally returned Ashton was happy to see her. I don't think my mom minded getting the lovin that she did either.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T20:16:00.006-06:00

Our Thanksgiving break didn't start off so well. Some low life scum decided to break into our barn, while we were sleeping, and steal my husband and son's dirt bikes. They didn't take anything else but the bikes and some straps to hold the bikes down. It makes me sick to think someone was that close to my house while we were at home and we didn't even hear them. It breaks my heart to know that they took my 13 year old son's bike and he doesn't understand why.

On Thanksgiving day Mark and I went to my parents house. Trey spent Thanksgiving with his dad. We had a good time with family and of course lots of good food. My mother makes the best stuffing ever! I didn't even eat much dessert so I could save room for stuffing. I tell you it's the best!

Mark knew that he needed to be ready for my nephew Koltin. For some reason Koltin loves his Uncle Mark. When Mark is around no one else matters to Koltin, it is very hard to tear them apart. I don't think Koltin left Mark's side the whole day. While the other kids were outside playing Koltin was sitting in Mark's lap having a grand ole time. Mark got a hold of my mom's camera and started taking pictures of them.

This next picture isn't as funny because you can't hear him laughing. This little boy has had a rough 5 years and to hear him laugh is music to my ears. His laugh always makes me smile.

I am thankful for my family and friends. I don't know what I would do without them.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2008-12-01T13:17:00.002-06:00

My family and I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the city. What? You don't know what Trans-Siberian Orchestra is?? You can go here to read about them or listen to some of their music.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a rockin Christmas show. They have lights, lights and more lights, oh and throw in a little bit of fire and snow. It was an awesome show! I can't wait until next year for another show. I wish I could post some pictures but no cameras were allowed.

Keeping Up With the Joneses

2008-11-23T08:29:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I was scheduled to take pictures of the Jones girls. This has been rescheduled a few times because of weather issues. We decided no matter what the weather holds, this was going to take place! It was cold and windy but the show must go on. The poor girls were freezing and the wind was blowing their hair. Here are a few of the pictures:

All-Region Band

2008-11-20T13:26:00.002-06:00

Trey auditioned for All-Region band a few weeks ago. There were around 40 schools from our region that came to audition. He plays trumpet in the 7th grade band. We are happy to announce that he made 2nd chair All-Region! He was beat out of 1st chair by a girl, I'm not too sure he is happy with that! He will have a concert in February. This is the first time that he had to audition for something with the trumpet. We are very proud of him!

Big Foot

2008-11-07T12:01:00.003-06:00

I have Big Foot living in my house. Trey told me that he needed a new pair of shoes. We drove into town and went on our search. I didn't know that a size 14 shoe is not that common in our part of the state.

This is the conversation I had with the Hibbits salesman:

Salesman (SM): "Can I help you find anything?"

Me: "It will be easier to tell me what you have in a size 14"

SM: "Let me go in the back to look what we have" (comes out with 2 shoes in a 14) "We only have these 2 styles in a 14"

Trey tries on each shoe, one being an Under Armour shoe (I didn't even know they made shoes) and a Nike that looked like an old mans shoe.

SM: "At least his foot should stop growing soon"

Me: "What age do kids feet usually stop growing?"

SM: "It's normally around age 16 or 17"

Me: "Well I still have a while because he just turned 13"

SM: Loss of words and look on his face was priceless

Unfortunately we did not walk out of there with a pair of shoes. The Under Armour shoes fit the best, but they were also white mesh and $100. My kid is too rough on shoes for me to pay that kind of money for shoes!

I guess we better find a shoe that fits, stick with it and just keep ordering bigger sizes.

What am I going to do with him??

Altus Gang

2008-11-04T20:37:00.004-06:00

The racing season for OCCRA is over. The "Altus Gang" got together for a picture. These are the people, besides Jon and I, that raced from Altus. Thanks for the help from Altus Motorsports!

The first "Big Bike" race.........

2008-10-01T10:35:00.009-05:00

We had our first race back from summer break last weekend. Well, Trey grew so much over summer that he had to retire his KX100 motorcycle and move to the YZ250. What is the different you ask? The YZ250 has more power and is a bigger bike. He also had to switch the class in which he races. He was racing a class that is called Long Course Mini. It is for kids up to age 16. The class that he moved it is called Sportsman and is made up of the majority of adults. It's also a bigger class which is scary. Here is a picture of him sitting on the line waiting to race:

The start of the race I was a nervous wreck! Starting with all those bikes can be dangerous! The green flag is up and away he goes. A wreck in the first turn and I can't see Trey because of all the dust. I am hoping that he made it without getting caught up with the other bikes. Then through the dust comes by baby, he made it around everyone. Whew, that was close!

The rows ahead of Trey are coming around for their first lap. I know Trey should be coming around soon. He has always loved jumping but has never been really good at it. Well he comes around for his first lap and this is what I see flying through the air:

and then I see this:

He use to tell me "did you see me rampin". (Rampin to him meant jumping)

After a few fall overs, I don't like calling them crashes, he finished 10th out of 29 in his class. He did an awesome job!

We are very proud of you Trey! We are now sitting awaiting patiently to see if his lap times beat Marks!

My "Pioneer Woman" Day

2008-08-31T20:40:00.015-05:00

Today my friend Laila asked me if I wanted to come out and spend time with her family. Her uncle had given her a filly so she was coming to pick her up.

We started out at her Uncle's house for a BBQ lunch. After lunch we all headed out to the farm but not before grabbing a bag of M & M's. Melts in your mouth and not in your hands.

We got to the farm and had to go out into the field to look for the horses. Robert and his wife went out on the four wheeler to gather the horses.

I was riding in the back of the truck taking pictures feeling like I was Pioneer Woman. If you have never read her blog, I highly advise it!

We had to get the horses to the front of the field to the corral so we could get them separated. This was not an easy task.

Aren't the beautiful?

They are finally in one part of the gate, hurry Rusty and Laila, get the gate closed!

Rusty is thinking, yes, I am cowboy, hear me roar.

Did you notice the black spot under his chin, it's a large mosquito.

Got the horses to the corral, now try to get this wild filly into the trailer. Robert and Jane are doing a great job!

Laila was in charge of getting the door closed once the filly got in the trailer. She was cheezin knowing this filly was hers!

Poor horse was scared to death.

They finally got her loaded, she wasn't happy about it at all! She wanted to be back in the pasture with her friends and not in this crazy trailer.

It's finally over and we had a great boss giving instructions.

Thanks friends for letting me come out and be a part of your day, I had great time!

Love for racing is back........

2008-08-15T22:04:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, Trey has been racing dirt bikes since he was 6 years old. This year is his 7th year of racing. He has gone from a Honda Z50, Lem 50, KTM 65, YZ 85 to a KX 100. Last year when Mark bought the KX 100, Trey decided that this year would be his last year of racing for a while. Well, that has all changed! He has grown ALOT over the past few years. He is too big for the "little" bikes. Trey has realized he can ride one of Mark's old bikes. It is a YZ 250 that is taller and has more power. He rides it out in the yard and a few weeks ago Mark too him riding. They went to Rush Springs and they took the YZ 250 for Trey to practice on. Ever since that day Trey's loving for riding has come back. He has asked to ride the bike in the yard. He even asked me the other day what his number was going to be for next year. I told him I didn't know that he was going to race and he told me that he was going to race again.

Here are a few pictures of Trey on the YZ 250. He loves to show off that he can do wheelies!

My favorite picture.

A Mother's Love

2008-07-30T22:14:00.004-05:00

A mother's love is a funny thing sometimes. I mean, how can a mother NOT love her child when he looks like this??

Wonderful Oklahoma Weather

2008-06-03T16:05:00.002-05:00

For some reason I decided to look at what the temperature was at the moment. Why would I want to do that, I know that it is HOT! I opened my favorite weather site (www.weather.gov) and this is what it tells me:

Fair
106°F

Why does it say Fair at 106 degrees? It's not Fair, it's Freakin Hot!

OOPS!

2008-05-26T22:37:00.003-05:00

Mark, Trey and I decided to load up and go to the lake today. We got there, found a nice spot to put our stuff and proceeded to put our sunblock on. I put some on Trey first because he was ready to jump in the water. I bet he never trust me to put sunblock on him again! This is what happens when you aren't careful on how you apply sunblock:

Trey now has splotches of red all over his back where his mother (me) wasn't paying attention on how carefully she applied. He has let me know SEVERAL times tonight that I did a VERY bad job. He keeps pointing out that he has circles on his back.

Of course Mark had to check his back too since I am the one that put it on him too. Mark's back isn't as bad, but still a very, very poor job of spraying! I will try to do better next time, that is if either one of them trust me! I bet I will be seeing them off in a corner applying it to each other that way I don't have to do it!

I'm sorry boys, I swear I wasn't trying to design patterns on your back!

Graicyn

2008-05-25T16:25:00.009-05:00

Can you believe how fast time flies? My friend Jennifer's baby, Graicyn, just turned 1 year old. Just the other day she was a tiny baby now she is walking.

Jennifer and Graicyn came over this weekend and I got some pictures of them.

I also took some of Graicyn.

And of course of her eating cake!

This means WAR!!!!!

2008-05-07T16:08:00.002-05:00

I have always been the office prankster. I have decorated my co-workers offices when they turned 40 and when one turned 50. I have also put sticky notes on one girls office when she got married and went on her honeymoon. I have decorated for a girl that got a new office, but I had help on that one, yes you know who you are! I have used double stick tape and taped the mouse down.

I knew my day was coming, but I didn't know when or where. One of my co-workers has been scheming for a long time. She has been saving the hole punch papers in a little cup for a rainy day and today happened to be that day. It was raining so I had my umbrella in my office. Sometime between the time I came in and the time I left for lunch, some sneaky person put those little hole punch papers in my umbrella. I opened the door to outside and it was raining so I opened the umbrella and poof a bunch of white specks came falling down. Great, now not only am I getting wet trying to figure out where these white specks came from, now I have them all over me. I hurry up and get to the car and call the suspect. She is dying laughing since we have caller id and she knew it was me. I go about my business and run my errands. I went to buy a last minute mothers day present and noticed people looking at me. I didn't think much of it until I get home, walk in the bathroom and see myself in the mirror. I have these white specks in my hair!

I think the suspect laughed the rest of the day. Her day is coming again!!!!!! The war has begun!

Too Cold.....

2008-04-26T12:25:00.008-05:00

The beginning band had their spring concert Friday. They did a great job! They have come a long away since the Christmas concert.

After the concert they went to the fun park and rode go karts, bumper cars and a few rides. I think the kids were having a great time!

Trey on bumper cars:

Trey rockin on the go karts:

Jesse on the go karts:

Cathy (Jesse's mom) got talked into riding a ride too!

Then it was on to the water slide! It was in the low 70's with high wind, not a great day for the water slide! We haven't had enough warm days to even help warm the water. It didn't seem to bother the kids until the end. They were real troopers! Cathy and I sat in the car by the water slide and watched, we were in the warm spot and not moving!

Jesse and Trey going down the slide:

Trey

Jesse

Thankful Thursday

2008-04-24T11:56:00.004-05:00

My uncle came up to visit and to get one of my grandma's pug puppies. On his way home he had a wreck and rolled his truck 5 times.

He was VERY, VERY lucky! He only sustained cuts, scrapes and bruises. How you ask can someone walk away from a wreck such as this one? The only answer I have is by the grace of God! There was a couple behind him that saw the wreck and was able to call emergency personnel. The puppy was thrown from the vehicle and unharmed. The couple picked up the puppy and took it with them while my uncle was taken by helicopter to the hospital.

After something like this I am very thankful for everything I have as it could be taken from me in an instant. We don't say it enough so for all of my friends out there, "I'm thankful for each one of you!!!!"

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-23T13:03:00.003-05:00

Haiku Friday

2008-04-18T09:15:00.003-05:00

Day Begins with Joy
by Bonnie Best

Sunshine and warm air
Bird song, hear the happiness
Day begins with Joy

Spring Break!

2008-03-18T10:34:00.002-05:00

I love my job! I get a week off during Spring Break, so far the first part hasn't been too good. It has rained for 2 days and I am ready for it to stop. I wanted to do all these wonderful things and since it has been raining I don't even want to leave the house.

Trey went to his dad's for the week and Mark is working. So, I decided it was a good time to go through Trey's stuff and start throwing away! He always comes up with some excuse on why he should keep a certain toy. Well, now that he is gone, it's time to get rid of things. I am taking all his toys down to goodwill. There is some boy or girl that would love to have them. Now if I can stay in this gear I might get the rest of my house in spring cleaning mode.

Paint

2008-03-08T21:50:00.002-06:00

We finally got the hallway painted!!!!! I don't know how many coats of paint we have put on in the last 12 months. I hope we don't paint again for a long time!

Weekend Pictures

2008-03-04T14:08:00.003-06:00

I was taking pictures at the races this weekend when I came up on this strange thing growing off the tree.

Of course I got a really good one of Trey.

He doesn't like to have his picture taken anymore. So I asked him to look at me and tell me if the flash was working. Sneaky huh??

It has started!

2008-03-03T12:13:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, March 2nd, kicked off the first race of the 2008 OCCRA season! Boy was it a crazy, wild weekend! We got to Stillwater around 2:00 pm and the Quads were still racing. We pulled into the track and couldn't find a place to park. The place was PACKED! I have never seen this many people at the track before. It was crazy! We drove around until we finally found a place we could squeeze in. Mark and Trey got ready to go do a practice lap as soon as the track opened. I try to time them so we will know how long it will take them on race day. After they had been gone for almost an hour I figured they must have taken a 2nd lap. It never takes them that long to do a practice lap. They finally show up and Mark said they had gotten lost, along with a bunch of other people. But they made it back!

I decided I would try to do a lap on the short course riding Trey's bike. I don't have much experience on a motorcycle, but Mark and Trey assured me that the track was easy and I could do it. Well, I did it, I made it all the way around without crashing! Of course I went SLOW, but I did it!

Sunday morning we got out to the track and got ready for the racing. Everything went well, no one got hurt, which is always a good thing! Mark is racing in the Intermediate class this year. That class is made up of mostly young guys. There were about 19 guys in the class and after a few good crashes, Mark finished 7th. Trey is racing the Long Course Mini this year. There was 17 kids in his class and he ended up 11th. The main thing is that no one got hurt, well except for a few cuts and bruises.

The weather had been crazy that day. We were expecting some rain but wasn't sure when it would hit us. We finished the race without any rain and thought we might get lucky and not get any at all. Boy was I wrong! We decided to stop and get a bite to eat before heading home. We had just stopped to eat when I get a phone call from my mom. She wanted to know where we were since the weather was turning bad. She said there were tornadoes, high wind, heavy rain and hail with the storms. We were doing good until we were about 1 1/2 hours from home and the fury hit. It was raining so hard Mark couldn't see the road. We were pulling a 16 foot enclosed trailer and it was getting blown all over the place. Then came the hail. Luckily it wasn't too bad, hopefully the truck made it without any damage. We stopped at a gas station for a while so it could pass before we made it the rest of the way home. A trip that should have taken us about 3 1/2 hours took us almost 5 hours.

We made it home safely. Both boys woke up very sore this morning. You can tell the racing season has started! I will post pictures of the boys later on.

Lets try this again......

2008-02-19T14:29:00.003-06:00

I swore to myself that I would keep this blogging thing up. Well as you can tell it didn't really happen. I will try really hard again this year to make it happen.

We will start our racing season March 2nd. I'm not sure if I am ready for it. Trey will be racing only the long course mini this year. That means he will be out on the track for 1 hour and 30 minutes with a bunch of other maniacs. He growing by the minute. I swear I don't know what I am going to do with that kid, his feet are growing as fast as his body. He let us know that he now has the biggest feet in the house! He is playing the trumpet this year in beginning band and LOVES it! Can you believe he will be in junior high next year? Where has the time gone?

This is a picture of Trey playing for the family at Christmas.

Trey has been riding Mark's old YZ250 around the yard. I got a picture of them riding. Trey was riding the 250 while Mark was on Trey's KX100. Trey looks so big on that bike.

There is so much I could go on about, but I will leave that for later. At least this is a start! Hope all is well with everyone!

2007 OCCRA Season

2007-10-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

The 2007 OCCRA racing season is coming to an end.

Although, there are other organizations that do winter series. This year has been a fun and exciting one. Mark will win the Over 30 Intermediate Championship!!!! Way to go Mark! Trey will get 4th place in the Mini 85 B.

Next year will bring some new and exciting challenges for both of them. Mark will move into a faster class. He hasn't decided if he wants to run with the guys his age that have to get up and go to work on Monday morning just like him or if he wants to run with the young guns. Trey is also moving to a different class, he will be racing the long course. He has raced a few of them this year and has really enjoyed it. In the Mini 85 class he races for 30 minutes on a "short" course. The long course, he will race for 1 1/2 hours and will race with a lot more people than the minis. In his Mini 85 class there is usually around 30 - 40 kids that race at one time. With the long course, there has been over 100 at times and most of them are adults. I sure hope they watch out for my baby! The long course offers a more technical and difficult track. He is ready for the challenge, but I'm not so sure I am!

I've been slacking!

2007-09-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

It's been a little crazy around here lately so I've been slacking on the blog. School is back in session for Trey and I. I am taking Business Finance and Administrative Theory this semester. I'm not sure I made a good decision to take 2 classes this time. I will do what I would tell either of my sisters.......suck it up!

Trey is in 6th grade this year and playing the trumpet in the band. On top of me trying to get my homework done, he is practicing his trumpet every night. Do you know how hard it is to write a case study for my Admin Theory class when a squeaky trumpet in the background? But they say practice makes perfect.

Trey raced another long course mini race at Ada a few weekends ago. He is really digging this long course mini thing. I wish I had his energy! We have 2 more races and this year's season is over. Someone is starting a winter series that we are talking about racing some if the weather will cooperate. Although, I'm sure would ride even if the ground was frozen and covered in snow!

Well, I guess I better started getting for another day of work. Until next time.............

Race at Cooperland

2007-08-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

We had a race at Cooperland in Stillwater this weekend (August 25/26). Mark and Trey practiced together on Saturday. Trey decided that he wanted to race the "long course" at this race. He usually races the Mini 85 class and that is a "short course" race. They don't race the whole course, just sections of it and it is 30 minutes long. He enjoyed riding the long course with Mark so he wanted to race it. Mark was impressed because when they were practicing Trey wasn't ever too far behind him. At one point I think Trey might have been on his back tire! We knew this day was coming just didn't know when.

We thought he would have a 1 1/2 hour break in between races so he could rest. Nope, wrong! He didn't realize it until the riders started lining up while Trey was still racing the short course. Mark was running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get things ready. We were going to let Trey make the decision on whether he wanted to race the long course since it would be a back to back race. He decided to go for it. Mark got everything ready, had to change the scoring card in his helmet, put gas in the bike and Trey had to pee. We made him drink while we were waiting on the race to start. As time was getting closer Trey had a funny look on his face. He looked at me and said "I should have never drank that much water, now my stomach hurts". Mark and I knew it was nerves and it would pass once he got going. There were people coming up to him and telling him to just take it easy and ride his own race. By this time, not only was Trey getting nervous, but I was as well. My little boy has never been out there with another 100 riders before. Not only was it 100 other riders, but they were adults on big bikes. Trey said "I don't want those guys behind me running me over", then I really got nervous!

Mark was telling Trey that we would stop him on the 2nd lap to gas him up and let him take a little break. Trey said "Can I stop after the 1st lap". At that moment, neither Mark or I figured Trey would last the whole race.

Well the first lap goes by so Mark gets ready for Trey to stop and this is what happened:

Yep, he kept going! Mark said well I guess he didn't want to stop!

The 2nd lap comes and Mark said this time we have to MAKE him stop so he can get gas. We pulled Trey off the track and put him in the shade long enough to gas him up. We made him take his helmet off so he could get a little breeze. Mark asked him if he was tired yet and Trey said "No, I'm having fun". Trey went 2 more laps for a total of 4 laps. On the last lap Trey came by and I shot this picture of him:

He was pretty worn out even though he won't admit it. He pulled over and I told him his race was over he just had to finish that lap.

I ran back to the trailer where I knew he would go so I could tell him how proud I was of him, of course Mark beat me to it. We were so proud that he finished his first long course race! He says he wants to finish out the year (3 more races) doing the long course. We will have to see how that goes!

Here is the final result after the race, he was one worn out boy but of course he won't tell you that!

Our little boy is growing up!

The Bet

2007-08-15T22:08:00.000-05:00

We were sitting at the table eating supper tonight when Mark and Trey started talking about running. Trey said I bet I can run around our yard 3 times without stopping. For those of you that don't know my house, we have about 7 acres. Mark said so you are saying that you can run around 3 times from post to post (we have metal post that marks our property). Trey said yes, I can do it. So they made a bet for $20 that Trey would run 3 times around our property. Then Trey said if I can't make it you don't have to pay me the $20 for mowing. Then Trey got the bright idea that it would be a double or nothing bet. So they shook on it and the bet was on. That little brat not only made 3 laps around but went on for a 4th lap! There went $40 from Mark's pocket!

So Trey comes in and was getting ready to take a shower and it hit him! He was already sore! His legs were cramping up and he could barely stand. Tomorrow is the first day of school so it's going to be a fun one for him! I hope he makes it through the day without his legs bothering him too much.

I gave him some Motrin before bed hoping that it would help. He also went to bed with an ice pack on his legs!

Mark told him he was really proud of him and amazed that he could do it!

You go Trey!

Vet Visit

2007-08-14T19:24:00.000-05:00

Our cat, Jackson, has been acting funny lately. He has been drinking A LOT water. Mark told me that I needed to get him to the vet just to make sure nothing was wrong. That's easy for him to say, he didn't have to lug this 20 lbs cat in the vet! But I started reading on cats that drink a lot and most of the things talked about diabetes. A cat being diabetic you say? Well here is my story......

Now you really have to know our cat, he is scared of EVERYTHING! He is a BIG cat, but very scared. So I have to shove him into the pet porter because I knew there was no way I was going to get him to the vet by myself if I didn't. So we get into the car of course he was making awful noise like he was dying. I get him to the vet and have to then get him out of the pet porter. I think that was worse than getting him in. Oh no, I don't know this place, I am NOT getting out! I finally get him out and the girl says we need to weigh him, 19 lbs!! So then I have to lug him back up on the counter and wait for the Doctor to come in to see us.

The Doctor opens the door and Jackson freaks out, starts hissing at him like he is big and bad and this whole time he is backing up trying to get as close to me as he can. The doc said well the first thing is we need to get a blood sample to do a test. It takes 3 of us to hold this giant baby down to get a little blood. I had his hind end, a bad place to be since he still has back claws! One lady was practically laying on top of him and holding his head while the doc was going down his front paws while also trying to stick the needle in his neck. He does pretty well with the blood sample, but he wanted back in that cage again! We had to then wait for the results to come back, which took forever! The doc walks in and says yep, looks like you have a diabetic cat. His whatevers are very high and then tells me that his count was 516. Well that didn't mean anything to me so I ask, "what is it suppose to be?". He then informs me that a normal level is around 100! OH MY!

So he is telling me that we have to put Jackson on a diet, yeah good luck with that one! He also tells me that we have to give him insulin shots every day. He give him a shot and tells us to give him another one the next morning and bring him back the following day for another blood test. UGH! So I get him back in the car and of course he is making those noises again and we get home. I let him out and Mark notices that he is wet, I guess he was so scared he peed on himself on the drive home. So into the sink we go for a bath. Have you ever tried to bath a cat, or a cat that is already traumatized? It was NOT fun! We got it over with though pretty painless.

Today we did it all over again! His levels were down a little bit today but not enough so they raised the insulin level. I have to take him back on Friday for some more blood test. I am not looking forward to that! The cat is going to end up hating me!

Our "Fast" weekend

2007-08-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

I bought Mark a Texas Driving Experience gift certificate for Christmas. This gift certificate consist of a 10 laps "extreme" drive in a Z06 Corvette. So we drove to Texas Speedway on Saturday when it was 105 degrees. The asphalt was so hot that it was burning my feet even through my shoes.

We got there at 1:30 and weren't suppose to be there until 2:30 but they had an opening in the 1:30 slot so they whisked us away on a golf cart to another building. We sat in there for a while and listened while they talked about the importance of how to drive the car safely. When it was over the guy asked if there was any questions, of course Mark had to raise his hand. He always has a question for everything, I am thinking what is he going to ask now. This was his question.................."where is the bathroom".

Then they loaded up the drivers and took them around the course in a 15 passenger van. The first time they went around they were going pretty slow, so I thought they were taking them around so they could see what the track was like. Well here comes the van again and it is going pretty fast by now and then another time going a little faster. I didn't know those vans to go that fast!

Mark got ready for his ride in his sexy driving suit, he had sandals on and I think that's what made it so sexy! He got in the car and away he went.

Momma, I'm going fast.............

Of course when he was done with his 10 laps they gave him an option to buy "extra" laps. Now, why did they have to do that, what kind of man can turn that kind of excitement down? Of course he was yelling at me out the window..."do you still have my credit card, sign me up for 10 more laps".

At least he had a lot of fun going fast. After that was a different story, I didn't realize going that fast could wear you out.....

Friends

2007-07-31T22:28:00.000-05:00

Where would we be in this world if we didn't have friends? I am very fortunate to have the kind of friends I have. I will always have my old friends and even found some new! I would like to say "Thank You for being a friend" (in the Golden Girls theme song voice)

I found this poem that I would like to send out to all my friends:

A Friend Is Like A Flower...

A friend is like a flower -- a rose to be exact,
Or maybe like a brand new gate --that never comes unlatched
A friend is like an owl, both beautiful and wise
Or perhaps a friend is like a ghost, whose spirit never dies.
A friend is like those blades of grass -- you can never mow,
standing straight, tall, and proud -- in a perfect little row
A friend is like a heart that goes --strong until the end.
Where would we be in this world -- if we didn't have a friend.

Author Unknown

My Photos

2007-07-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Here we go......

2007-07-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

Well, as the title says, here we go...... I am going to try this blogging thing and see if I can keep up with it on a regular basis. Most of my blogs will be about my family and friends, Mark and Trey's racing career with OCCRA (Oklahoma Cross Country Racing Association) and photographs I have taken, sounds kind of boring huh!

To start off, here is a little bit about my family: I am a 32 year old happily married mother of a 11 year old boy. I work at the local community college and my husband works on the air force base. Trey will be in 6th grade this year, man time sure flies!

Keep checking back to see if there are any new post.