Alex's Fishing Derby

Over Memorial Day Weekend, they put on a fishing derby for the military. Alex caught 3 halibut, the largest being 29 pounds. He was really excited about meeting Sarah Palin. She was there and he got to shake her hand. He said that "she was hotter than Miss Alaska." He also said that she was very nice.

One Sick Puppy

I was visiting with Jake last night. He was telling me about this Marine that he knows who had some powder out. This guy stuck his finger in it and put it in his mouth. He invited Jake to do the same, which he did. Jake asked what it was, and the guy said that it was the ashes of his deceased mother. Ewwwww! I asked Jake if he got sick. He said no, but that he should have figured things out when he saw bone shards. Apparently, this guy has some of his mom's hair in a baggie as well. I asked Jake what was up with this guy. He replied that he is just one weird dude. He has that right. Meredith, what about a psych consult here? Brings back memories of the stories of "Finger-toe Joe." I want you to all know that I did warn my sons against taking things from strangers.

The Move

No, this isn't the vehicle we used to move. We rented a big truck. Sami had several friends there to help us out. We got alot of the stuff out, but we have a long way to go. Old house was about 2500 sq ft. New one is about 1400 sq ft. I can't wait to put my pictures on the wall. We did get the dish tv, and I am reunited with all my old friends, Vern Yip, Emeril LaGasse, etc.

Happy Memorial Day!

This past Saturday, we went to a Memorial Day program for the Veterans in Taylor. They have a memorial wall that they etch the names on to commemorate Vets from the area. Alex and Jake were added to this wall and were inducted this past Saturday. I am so proud of them and the service that they provide.

I am thankful to be a mother, daughter, granddaughter, gggrandaughter of Veterans. I am thankful to these people who put their lives on hold to protect us and our way of life. I pray for these brave men and women and invite those who read this to do the same. God Bless the USA and our Troops!

Speedometer

Last week, I was on my way to work. I was keeping up with the traffic, or so I thought. I looked at my speedometer and it read 110 mph. People were passing me by as I slowed down to the speedlimit. It didn't feel that I was going that fast. Yes, I know that I have a lead foot, but this was ridiculous. Then I noticed that it was being measured in miles per kilometer! I had just had my oil changed, and the Jiffy Lube people must have accidently monkeyed with it. I had to call Dad (Mark) to fix this. Then I was back to normal. That was funny.

Samarah's Dented Head

We were moving stuff yesterday. Samarah kept having weird things happen to her head. First she had the boys' spear from Scout Camp fall on her head. Then she hit her head on the moving dolly. I think that there was a dent in her head. She says that it was there all along. Now there is a small bump on her head. This is probably what her head would look like if she were bald.

Happy Birthday, Mr. T!

There have been a lot of changes at work, some that upset us, making us cranky. So, yesterday being Mr. T's birthday, I decided to have a "Mr. T night." I got a birthday cake from Walmart that said, "Happy Birthday, Mr. T - I pity the foo' who doesn't want cake." We all laughed and told Mr T stories, which lightened the atmosphere considerably. The house supervisor used to work in Chicago, and had his own tales to tell, having met our birthday boy. Yes, this was totally random, but we had fun. Thanks to Savannah for alerting us to the date.

Mafia Wars

I have been playing "Mafia Wars" on Facebook with some of my friends. It kind of brings back memories from when I was a girl in Wisconsin. We lived between Chicago and Milwaukee. We had a good customer that "adopted" my brother and myself. He didn't have any kids and did not think that my parents were fit parents. (Like teaching kids the best way to off someone qualifies for parent of the year.) I always heard that he was from the mob, but I just laughed it off. Apparently, he was a "Self-Made Man." He served time for one of the big guys in Chicago, and they had a limo waiting for him when he got out of prison. No one could touch him, and he could say anything he wanted. He offered to "talk" to my first husband when things went south. I blew him off, but when I told him (ex), he got really scared and paranoid. He kept looking for bombs under his car. Anyway, I got divorced and decided to move to Milwaukee. "Big Al" had "friends" there, and set me up with a job there. I had a job and an apartment waiting for me. I was scheduled to work for the "family." I blew this guy off thinking that he was drunk and ignored him. I found my own job, place to live, etc. I found out many years later that "Big Al" wasn't kidding, that all of this was for real. Wow! The last time I saw "Big Al" was after I joined the Church, and right before I moved to Arizona. He said to me, "So now you're a Mormon, huh Kid?" When I acknowledged this he said, "Good for you!" Whenever I go to Wisconsin, people ask me, "Do you remember Big Al?" Like I am an expert on him or something.

A few years ago, we were joking with one of the members of our Bishopric. We were teasing him about tell the Teachers Quorum not to spoil their dates. He asked if Mark harrassed me. I told him no, that I was a protected species. Then the above story came out. He started calling me the "Mafia Princess" after that. He is a podiatrist, and I am a patient of his. He was doing an exam and asked if my legs were bigger when I was a Mafia Princess. LOL! (They shrunk due to paralysis.)

When my Dad died, we got a floral arrangement from the local "family." I was certain to send the first "thank you" card to them. My family has a long history of these "affiliations." They were on the sidelines. However, my family did help out with hiding John Dillinger. My grandma even danced with him and was friends with his girlfriend, Evelyn "Billie" Freshette. My greataunts and grandma said that he was very well dressed, had wonderful manners, and was a smoooooth dancer.
My Grandpa Brunner was buried next to Bonnie Parker of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame. Funny how those things work out.

This is John Dillinger:


This is Billie Freshette:

Thank you for letting me share some memories with all of you.

This is Frank Balistrieri:


This is from Wikipedia:
Frank P. Balistrieri also known as "Mr. Big", "Frankie Bal", "Mr. Slick", and "Mad Bomber" (May 27, 1918-February 7, 1993) was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mafia boss who was a central figure in casino skimming during the 1980s.Balistrieri was college educated and attended law school for six months. Short in stature, Balistrieri took great pride in his appearance. As a young man, he started working for the Milwaukee crime family, which owed allegiance to the powerful Chicago Outfit criminal organization in Chicago. Balistrieri soon built a reputation for arrogance, cruelty and ruthlessness. Balistrieri allegedly received the "Mad Bomber" nickname because he frequently used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attached to cars as weapons against his enemies. His father-in-law and Milwaukee boss, John Alioto, was soon grooming Balistrieri as his successor.

In 1961, Alioto retired and Balistrieri took control of the Milwaukee family. Balistrieri eventually referred to himself as, “....the most powerful man in Milwaukee.” After the "hit" on acutance, August "Augie" Palmisano, Balistrieri was quoted as saying, "He called me a name - to my face - and now they can't find his skin!" Balistrieri conducted his business at a table at Snug's restaurant in Milwaukee's Shorecrest Hotel, giving orders over a red telephone. In March 1967, Balistrieri was convicted of income tax evasion and was sent to prison for two years. In June 1971, he was released.

Samarah's State Track Meet

Samarah went to the State Track Meet in Mesa at Mesa High. She did very well. I am especially impressed with the good sportsmanship between the schools.

I was laughing so hard. My brother-in-law, David Smith, likes to have his picture taken with people he doesn't know. He sneaks into the picture when strangers are having their photo shoot. It got to the point that when my niece got married, my sister gave him strict instructions not to get into any pictures he is not supposed be in. So, my daughter follows her beloved Uncle David's example and gets her picture in with all the other team pictures. What a funny experience. She sure love her Aunt Debbie & Uncle Dave.

Alex's Bike Gang

Alex got a bike this week. He wants his buddies to all get bicycles. I guess he is trying to start a "bicycle gang." They want something to do to keep in shape. The only requirement, other than a bike, is to wear a fake mustache. This should be good. Maybe I should start a subblog and call it "The Adventures of Alex." This son of mine never ceases to entertain me. A couple of the doctors at the hospital know Alex, and always ask about how he is doing. They love the "Alex Stories" as well. Dr. Plowman wants Alex to stay away from the bears to which he replies, "Not listening, not listening." Alex has also discovered that he loves sushi. Like mother, like son.

Nurses Week 2009

This is me and our CEO, Kevin Hawk. I tied with another nurse for the hospital wide nurse leadership person for 2009. I was very shocked to say the least. The other nurse is a very good leader and leads people correctly. I lead people into open rebellion, mischief, and mayhem. As Savannah said, "I didn't know they gave awards for that kind of leadership." All in all, it was nice to be recognized. I even ditched the award ceremony, and they had to call me to come down ASAP. At least I didn't get fired this week for my big mouth. LOL!

Army and the Bears

I guess that there are a lot of bears out and about in Anchorage, AK. Alex and his buddies (battles)see them. They saw a baby bear and thought it would be fun to pick it up. Mama was there, and they decided against it. Good choice. I told him that I get really angry when people mess with my kids. That mama bear feels it even more so. There are no PC laws to protect them, nor are there bear police that they can call. LOL! I hope that they don't keep messing with the bears.

My Samarah

 

I love this picture. She looks so beautiful! She looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine. However, looks are deceiving... She'll scare them ALL at State. She has qualified for 4 out of 4 of her events. She is a force to be reckoned with. Dad and I are very proud of her, our Warrior Princess.

Pitching Fits

Pantera has been pitching quite a few fits lately. I tell Savannah that it is hereditary. One time, Tera was throwing one at my house. It was not up to Ste-Michel standards. I told her to stop, then got on the floor and demonstrated what a fit should look like. Savannah was not pleased.

I have looked for pictures of Savannah having temper tantrums, but to no avail as of this writing. However, I do have some good pics of what appears to be Savannah picking on Meredith.


Meredith hated sailor dresses. It looks like she is ready to throw a fit at the school presentation.

Meredith in scratchy baptismal dress. Savannah looks like she is laughing at her. I believe a fit ensued.

Savannah with juicy cup on carpet. Dad would have thrown the fit if he had seen this.


Savannah did her own hair this day. She would have had a fit had I redone it.


Me getting ready to pitch a fit because I didn't want to get out of the car. Drove poor Mom crazy up to the very end.


I didn't want my picture taken with Mom. Building up to throw a major fit.

When Savannah would have a tantrum, Meredith would dutifully report to us, "Mom, Dad, Savannah is taking one of her fits." So now you all see that Tera comes by it honestly.

Meredith and Zeke

Savannah is doing some photo ops for a new painting she is going to do. This particular one is of her older sister, Meredith, holding Savannah and Jess' baby, Zeke. It looks like Mary and Jesus to me. When Meredith was expecting one of her boys, she happened to be in the Celestial Room in the Temple. Someone told her that she looked like what they envisioned Mary to look like. I really thought that this picture was sweet, and I thought I'd share this.

Samarah's Track Meet

So, there we are at Chili's after Samarah's track meet. She wants chicken wings and orders them. She tells the waitress that she wants the kind with the bone in it so that she can feel like Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty when she eats it. The waitress didn't make a comment, just looked at Samarah in a weird way. Maybe she secretly has "chicken legs" herself and was insulted.

Today Samarah qualified for state in all four of her events. We are very proud of her.

Jake

I love this picture of Jake, and I had to share it. His phone is broken, so he says he is going to use Facebook more often. He got updated weaponry that is really sweet.



This is a picture of what grown men do with their G.I. Joe action figures. I loved this! LOL!


I somehow wrangled a call off for tonight. I hope that I don't have to go in. If they call me in it is time-and-a-half. Last night was really slow. I don't like nights when I am hammered, yet I like to keep busy. Otherwise, I get bored. I did bring my book, "Stiff: The Secret Life of Human Cadavers." I bought Jake the same book, and he is reading it. I tell people that we are reading it together as a mother-son sharing experience. They get this look of repulsion on their faces and turn away. It is great. I love it!

Happy Cinco de Maio

I celebrated the holiday by going in to the dentist and having a temporary crown put in. I broke a weak tooth before we went back east while eating caramel corn. Never hurt though. Now the side of my mouth is numb.

I go back to work tonight and also work tomorrow night.

Hasta la vista!

Pantera & Zeke

Pantera helping "Pizza Grandma" put on makeup.



Zeke with "Papa w/ba dogs."

I really liked these pictures. Tera is such a character. She always comes up with something new. We call them "Tera Tales." Zeke is such a happy little guy. I am so happy that they are sealed into the family.

Kyle, Coco, and Talmage's Visit

For any of you that don't know them, the first picture is of my FN (Fave Niece)Coco and her son, the ever adorable Talmage.



This is my other FN (Fave Nephew) Kyle (Coco's hubby):


These are pix of Talmage with my cat, Suzu.




Kyle, Coco, and Talmage came over for dinner today. I am always so happy to see them. Talmage loves my cat, Suzu. I am shocked that she doesn't try to scratch him. She doesn't even try to run away. He tries to be gentle with her. If Mark or Alex come into the room she runs and hides. However, I think that Suzu likes Talmage in her own wierd Siamese way.

I always laugh so hard when they come over. I truly love them and enjoy their visits.

Primary

Today, I was asked to substitute in Primary at the last minute. One teacher didn't show, and they had too many rowdy kids in one class. I had 4-5 year olds. I made them do "criss-cross applesauce" on the floor. We then had a lesson on obedience. I am happy to report that they were all living when they left.

When they asked me, Samarah was in shock and said, "You're asking MY mom?" Like I'd frighten the children. My only regret is that I didn't have any Chinese finger prisons with me.

Why Marijuana?????

I enjoy using the website "Stumble." It has random sites that they think one would be interested in. As a nurse, I am always interested in various medications. However, I keep having these websites for marijuana show up. What do I care about cannibis? NOTHING! If Alex were here, I'd blame him. LOL!

Jess and Savannah's Most Excellent Adventure

Forget Bill and Ted. Jess and Savannah had even a better adventure. On 4/24/09, we all met at the Washington, DC Temple (which is really in Maryland), and were with them when they took out their Endowments. The next day, we went in to see them get sealed as a family. The look on Pantera's face was amazing. She was beaming from ear to ear, and was such a little angel in the sealing room. The sealer told us that we were in the "Prophet's Room." Apparently, whenever the Prophet seals someone in that Temple, he uses that room. I am so proud of Jess and Savannah and their little family. I am especially happy that Jess and the kids are now part of the eternal link.