Loved this post!
Go here and read this post by Joe McKeever about love and marriage. It is thought provoking and insightful.

Stay Cool!

Lake Bums!
Just returned home from Lake Tenkiller, one of my favorite places. You can see from the picture that we had a really rough weekend. That's me and Cole in the front and Chase further back. In the background are our friends and their boat. In the far background, you can see where they are digging out by the dam to make the new spillway. I don't really understand the whole thing, but it is to generate power and they are rerouting the bridge.

Crocs!
Jan found a picture of the croc shoes I mentioned in my post yesterday. No actual crocodiles were used to make the shoes. LOL!
I know they are ugly, but they are so darn comfortable! I bought this khaki color and a pair of red ones.
Thank you, Jan!
You can see more crocs here.

This and That

• I'm finally well! I can wear contacts again. I can breathe. I can eat. Yes!
• I'm going to a swim party this afternoon with my friends that I used to teach school with. I haven't seen some of them in a couple of years. I'm looking forward to it.
• I play Bunco tonight. I wonder if I can roll 5 buncos again???
• Yes, I do plan to goof off the rest of today but I am working this morning.
• I started my morning walking routine again. It feels good! I'm 2 for 2 mornings so far this week.
  
• Will it be the Sidekick or the Nokia? I'm going to get the Nokia. I've convinced myself the other is too expensive. But, stay posted. I've been known to change my mind.
• I bought myself some of those ugly Croc shoes that everyone is wearing. They are the most comfortable things I've ever put on. Now I know why people wear them. (Maybe Jan can find a picture of them. She is the shoe queen!)
  
• The hurricane is headed for my sister's house is McAllen. Well, at least part of the storm. I talked to her this morning and I believe she said they are going to be north of the eye. People are boarding up their windows and everything. She said she is going to tape hers. She already moved all her stuff on her patio inside. Scary! I know all about tornadoes, but nothing about hurricanes.
  

New Phone
I've been shopping for a new cell phone the past several days. Decisions, decisions! If only I didn't like gadgets quite so much. I know I should just get a regular cell phone (if there is such a thing) and be done with it and then I see things like the Blackberry, Sidekick or the Treo. I saw the T-Mobile Sidekick for real yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it. You have instant access to email and the web from anywhere. It has this cool color screen that flips out and there is a keyboard underneath. Sweet! What do I need this for? I have no idea...but it is awesome! Oh and somewhere on this Sidekick there is a phone. Actually, the salesperson at T-Mobile called me on the Sidekick so I could see how the phone works and sounds because this thing does not look like a phone. Go take a look at it here. I have been repeating to myself, "Must get the Nokia not the Sidekick." My sister swears I will come out of there next time with a Sidekick. I'll keep you posted.

Still Sick
Yep, you read that right. I am still sick. I now have pink eye in both eyes. My head is so clogged I wonder if I will ever breathe again. My voice has disappeared and my throat still hurts. On the bright side, I have figured out that if I take advil every 4 hours, the temperature stays down and the headache stays gone. I feel better today than yesterday and I feel like eating today so I think I'm on the road to recovery. I have not watched a Lifetime movie in 3 days and I feel like blogging. I think I'm getting better! ;)

Hats off to Dove
I saw on the Today show that Dove is doing a campaign using "real" women instead of ultra thin models in an effort to boost women's self esteem and promote positive body image. Go Dove!

Comment for the Day:
(Heard in the car) Chase Age 4: "Hey Mom when can we go see Elvis' stone?" (Translation: When can we go see where Elvis is buried?)
Great, not only are my kids fascinated with Elvis, now they are fascinated with cemeteries. So, I guess this summer I'm going to have to make a trip to a local cemetery to satisfy their curiosity. I don't think I'll be driving all the way to Graceland, though. ;) While I'm typing this, the 4-year old has Jailhouse Rock cranked up in his room so loud that I had to ask him to turn it down. I hope this is not a sign of what is coming in the teenage years.
The picture was taken by my 10 year old niece at Sid's Diner in Yukon of Elvis Impersonater, Elvis Thrasher. This is what started the whole Elvis kick at our house.

Sick!
I have been sick since Sunday and have just emerged from my bed. I feel somewhat better today, but not tiptop. What is it with this summer? My family has been sicker this summer than they ever were all winter. If you would like to commiserate with me, I will detail my symptoms. I've had an awful case of the pink eye in my right eye. It does not want to go away. It is horrible...painful, uncomfortable, sensitive to light, goopy and nasty. On top of all this is the fact that it just looks bad and I have to wear my glasses. I do not like to wear glasses. They are always sliding down my nose. I prefer contacts. On the bright side, at least I have a new pair of glasses to wear. I got a new pair about 6 months ago so at least I have a pair with the proper prescription. I also have an upper respiratory infection. I went to a clinic on Sunday where they gave me antibiotic drops for my eyes and regular antibiotics for the sinus infection. I thought I'd be well in no time, but this stuff is hanging on. I think I may have also caught youngest son's illness that he had for about 6 days where he ran a fever, had a headache and sorethroat because for the past 2 days I have also felt like I have the flu. My back has been killing me, my head aches and my throat hurts. Double blah! Even sicker is the fact that while I have been laying around, I have taken to watching Lifetime movies. On Sunday, I watched three movies. The general theme of these movies is that there is some kind of love story gone wacko. Someone comes in between them so they decide to kill that person. (generally it is the parents) The girl is usually standing in the background whispering in her boyfriend's ear while he holds the gun, "Do it. We have to do it. They'll never let us be together." The worst part is that these movies are based on real life events. They always give the short blurb at the end that tells if they were convicted of the crime or not. Last night's movie, Murder in the Hamptons, was a little more original because you were never sure if the wife and her boyfriend did it or not. I mean you are pretty sure they did it, but there wasn't any hard evidence. I have watched more tv the past two days than I've watched in about a year. Today, I'm turning off the tv and reading a book. Now what did I do with that Danielle Steele novel? Just kidding!! LOL!!!

Just to Make You Smile
I was going through a bunch of my pictures last night and ran across this one from our vacation in June. I started cracking up! This is Chase with his cousin, Kathryn. We are at Port Isabel, Texas at a restaurant called Pirate's Landing. They had to pose before we left the restaurant. I think my nephew, Josh, lifted Chase up so he could be the pirate. (One bad thing about going digital is that I hardly ever get my pictures printed anymore. They are just in a big pile on my computer instead of in a big pile in a shoebox. One nice thing about the Mac is my photos are actually semi-organized thanks to the iPhoto software. It is very easy to import your photos, edit phots and organize photos. My mom taught me how to print using my new printer so now I've got actual copies in hand. I must say it is nice to have the actual print in hand!)

Hello Dolly
I went to see Lyric Theatre's production of Hello Dolly last night. Sally Struther starred as Dolly. She was fantastic! I was laughing throughout the musical. All in all, a fun way to spend the evening. Cool costumes, good music, and excellent seats...ahh! Life is good.

To the Guy Taking Pictures During the Movie Last Night
I do NOT appreciate you taking pictures or taping the movie or whatever you were doing during Mr. and Mrs. Smith last night. That is ridiculous! Stealing pictures from a movie right there in a movie theater where all of us behind you can see exactly what you are doing. 1) Get a life. Don't you have anything better to do than look at pictures of Angelina Jolie? 2) Stealing is wrong. What is this world coming to? My sister and I were enjoying the movie when she pointed out the guy down below us with his cell phone out taking pictures of the movie. Unbelievable! OK, my rant is over. Back to the movie. I found it highly entertaining and funny. It was a quirky sort of movie so maybe that's why I've heard a lot people say they didn't like it. As for me, I liked it!

Podcasts
Apple released its new version of iTunes last week that features podcasts built right in. Podcasts are radio shows. Some are done by individuals and some are done by commerical broadcasters like ESPN. The whole world of podcasting is new to me, but I'm having a blast checking it all out. If you are interested, you can give it a try here. Just download the iTunes Software Version 4.9 and start listening. If you really get into it, you can have the shows synced to your iPod so you can take the shows along with you. Have fun! (By the way, some people do their blogs as a podcast.)

Happy 4th of July!

Graphic Novels/Comic Books
I've always been a fan of comic books. When I was a kid I kept a huge stack of comics under my chair in the kitchen so I could read while I ate my cereal in the morning. I mostly read Archie, Looney Tunes and Disney Comics. I wasn't really into the superheroes. However, now that I have 2 boys, I can see that the superheroes may become a big thing around here. (Actually I guess they already are, the boys just can't read yet.) Lately, I've been noticing more and more of the graphic novels at the bookstore and the library, although I haven't read any yet. I just read an interesting post over at Bookmoot about graphic novels and how it is a good way to get kids to read, especially kids who can't really get the pictures of the story in their head when they read. Bookmoot then pointed me to an excellent website (Sidekicks) with recommendations of graphic novels for elementary aged readers. I've already been to my local library's website to reserve a few. I can't wait to get started! I'm for any kind of books that will get kids hooked on reading.

Team Mascot (Not!)

This rooster showed up at most of our T-Ball Games. He lives at one of the houses across the street from the fields. Isn't that hilarious? The rooster is so tame you can pet him. But, if you have painted toenails, look out! He might give them a little peck. Chase enjoyed the games much more when the rooster showed up. One Saturday morning at practice the rooster showed up with a bunch of guineas and they had to run them off the field with a 4-wheeler. It was a riot! And in case you are wondering, this is not out in the country. This is in Bethany, Oklahoma!!!

WooHoo!
Just figured out that using Firefox as my browser I can get all the buttons, etc that I used to get when I used Windows. I also can now post pictures directly from blogger. Woohoo! Go blogger! Maybe I can get back to posting more regularly now. It was getting to be such a pain that I wasn't posting at all...well that plus I was having blogger's block.

T-Ball Season Officially Over

I can't believe that Cole's first season of T-Ball is already over. He had a blast. I still can't say enough good things about the league that he played in. He had excellent coaches that taught him skills as well as good sportsmanship. That parents were nice and good sports, as well. I loved the fact that the teams prayed together before each game. All in all, a wonderful experience. After the game, the kids could hardly wait to get their trophies. Since this was Cole's first sports experience, he could barely wait to get his hands on that trophy. I'm not sure he knew exactly what a trophy was. On the way to the game, he began questioning us about the trophy and what it looked like. Chase's main concern was whether or not a trophy came with a cookie! The trophy was served up with some ice cream and cupcakes so I think both the boys were happy.