Monday ramblings...

Hey Everybody,

It's Monday... and no more Monday Night Football... oh dear... what will I do?
I love football, love football season, and its almost over... Waaaaaa... sniff, sniff, at least I can look forward to the college bowl games on Thursday and then NFL playoff weekend... GO CHARGERS!!!!

When I first met Sam and we started watching football together... Whenever a player would stick out his arm towards another player and make them go down I would call it a 'strong arm' it is actually called a 'stiff arm'... for months Sam didn't tell me it was a 'stiff arm'... One day someone told me "Kendra, its a stiff arm, a strong arm is a robbery"
I asked Sam why he didn't tell me that... he said he thought it was cute... so to this day... I call it a 'strong arm' and he always smiles...
I mean jeez you gotta have a pretty strong arm to do that right?

You know.... I am a very lucky woman after 25 years, I love him more today than I ever have... He knows everything about me, and loves me anyway... Like how I repeat myself constantly... with so many kids and their friends sometimes I don't know who I told what story to... when I tell one of my kids the same thing they always say "MOM, you already told me that!" but when I tell Sam the same thing he says "Judge Whoppner" which is a line from the movie Rainman "Gotta watch Judge Whoppner at 4 O'clock" Dustin Hoffman repeats that throughout the movie... that is Sam's way of saying "you already told me that" and it makes me laugh every time... Then he says lovingly "Your my little wee-tard"

Yesterday Sam and I went in the hot tub... the sun was shining, the snow is all gone... it felt good... well... when I go in the sun... my freckles come out...

I remember on our second date Sam and I went for a bike ride at the beach and later that day we were kissing... suddenly he looked at me and said "OMG you have freckles" I was horrified, I hated my freckles... but he thought they were cute...
So fast forward to yesterday he said "Hey freckle face" I groaned "Ohhh you KNOW I HATE my freckles!" he kissed all over my face and said "but you KNOW I love them!" I melted like butter...

25 years later and he can still melt me like butter...

Recently, Kameron's girlfriend had to write a paper on marriage for a college class she was attending... She had to interview someone who had been married for 20 years or more...
One of the questions was... What advice do you have for newlyweds...
I said two things...

Number 1 - Marriage is like a roller coaster ride, lots of high highs and lots of low, lows. The trick is to stay on the ride because if you get off all you will find is a different roller coaster ride with different high, highs and different low, lows. There is NO perfect merry go round marriage.

and my favorite...

Number 2 - When the grass starts looking greener on the other side of the fence... Honey, its time to start watering yours!

Happy Birthday Honey...

Merry Christmas Eve!
This is a quick note because I have to head to town and pick up my hubby's birthday cake... I guess we were meant to be together because my birthday is the day before Halloween and his is the day before Christmas LOL
The kids are coming up today to spend the night... We have a big storm rolling in too! Yikes... I can't figure out if its going to rain or snow tonight? The snow is almost gone from last weeks big storm... there is enough in patches to throw snow balls but that is about it...
Kieffer came up yesterday with 4 friends to play in the snow... they stopped here on the way to Big Bear [a skiing / snowboarding town 40 minutes away] and then stopped back by on the way home... I made them some cookies before they left...
Well I have to go to town... I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!

The kids

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Is there still snow in the yard DaD?

We are STILL snowed in... well sort of... Sam made it to the local market this morning but then got the car stuck in the snow down the street from the house when he came back!
Our neighbors were digging a car out of the snow too... so we talked to each other... [she is the one with the horses] She said the night of the storm, the horses started acting funny and they came out to see a mountain lion... we heard the mountain lion... Gigi was going crazy inside the house... I thought it was a coyote with a weird screech to its voice... anyway Sam said he'd get the shotgun loaded, just in case it somehow got in the yard... So I guess I am living in the wild wild west over here...

Sam called Kameron to bring up the 4 wheel drive truck and pick up chains on his way... Kameron said "Is there still snow in the yard Dad"

"Kameron the Excursion is stuck in the snow down the street! YES there is still snow in the yard!!!!"

I keep sending pictures and I guess the kids think we're joking that we are snowed in?

Snowed in pics....

Well Sam and I are snowed in for a few days... this much snow hasn't happened since 1979! We measured and we have 14 to 16 inches on the ground! We see snow as far the eye can see! The news keeps talking about Las Vegas getting 4 inches... oh brother...
We lost electricity for 9 hours yesterday too... I never realized how much I LOVE electricity till it came back on LOL
When it went out... Sam started putting batteries in the radio... I said laughing "Well, I guess we have to talk to each other now... so what are your thoughts, dreams, wishes" and he said "I wish you'd stop talking to me right now" I thought that was funny...

You all can have your snow back...
Im over it!

Pics from the weekend

Bolts in the snow yesterday morning!

BTW Its going to snow again on Wed!

Kameron and Bolts sleeping the night the kids came

Sam my hunk o hunk of burning love LOL or my hubby

Kieffer, Candice and sarah Kieff''s g/f

We played 2 board games too

Me and Bolts

Kieffer and Sarah putting the lights on the tree

Snow pictures in So. California

It snowed for 5 straight hours! It was the coolest thing! You don't even know how excited and happy I was all day! I mean it really snowed HARD!
Three hours into the snow storm our satellite T. V. and Wi Fi went out... so Sam and I decided to make cocktails, strip off our clothes and get in the hot tub! That was fun... sitting in a steaming hot tub, watching it snow... Maybe you guys get to do it all the time but I NEVER get a snow day LOL

Afterwards we came in and took a nap... it had pretty much stopped snowing by then... and we still had no TV or Wi Fi... when we woke up Sam called Direct TV and asked if there was a problem with our signal... The man said we had to get the snow off the satellite dish... Now how would we know you had to do that? Jeepers do you have to that every time it snows?

Snow outside my window by the Christmas Tree

The snow by Sam's workshop

What happens to palm trees when it snows LOL

My car

OMG Its snowing... its really snowing

This is so cool... big fat billowy white flakes falling every which way outside... I LOVE IT... It doesn't seem to be sticking to the ground much tho! In some spots... I took a couple of pics...
Ill upload later I just got so excited I had to share... I hope it snows all day! I hope it doesnt turn into rain...
I woke up at 7:15 to let the dogs out and ran inside "Honey! Its SNOWING" He woke up and threw some clothes on... then he said "Go get your camera!"

Anyway, its 40 minutes later and still snowing... Whoo Hoo

SNOW? Who is sending me snow?

Ok which one of you sent me snow for Monday? Hhhhhmmmm?

Well thanks cuz I think its cool! For a couple of days and then you can have the cold weather and snow back...

My weather report for tonight...

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with a mix of light rain and snow late. Low near 35F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precip 50%.

More on my weekend with the kids and the dog whisperer Monday... but we had a great time...

Dog Whisperer and kids coming... Whoo Hoo

Good Saturday morning,
I am sitting here waiting for that aggressive dog trainer to come and tell me what
I am doing wrong... This should be interesting... I just want normal dogs... is that too much to ask? I think not... so come back later and find out what I learned if ya want!

Today all my kids are coming up for dinner and putting up the tree... Kris is here helping Sam do some stuff already... Candice and Mike will be coming up after they attend Holly's 1st birthday party! Kameron will be up after he gets Sam's 57 Bel Air from the shop and hauls it up here on the trailer... and Kieffer will come after Sarah gets done with her volunteer work...

Its so nice to have all your kids home... you don't have to worry about them being out in the world yanno!

Well I better go... my own personal dog whisperer will be coming in 15 minutes


Stay tuned LOL

Bolts doesn't like my surfing Santa

We brought a bunch of Christmas decorations up here from the other house today... When I got Surfing Santa out Bolts didn't like him... We laughed so much... I turned him on and she went crazy barking at him! He gyrates to a Beach Boys Christmas song... its funny to watch...

Anyway, I guess no one was grossed out by my last entry?

Thursday stuff and old pics of Kieffer... Warning LOL

Thursday happenings...
We came home yesterday because we had to sign the property tax checks and get them in the mail... Ewww I hate being a grown up yanno? We had to go to the office and sign checks too... afterwards we came here to the house and Sam flipped out on the boys... His garage was a disaster... My hubby is anal about his garage workshop... It was pretty bad too... It was obvious the boys have been working on their bikes, motorcycles and stuff and putting nothing back where it goes... He was not a happy camper... I told him to make them clean it up... but as usual both boys were not at home at the same time... So Kieffer got the worst of it because he was here... Kameron got it too but by then the storm had lost its ummmph... if you know what I mean!

Anyway... I don't think they will let Dad find such a mess again!

The aggressive dog trainer is coming on Saturday morning to tell me what I am doing wrong... but so far the dogs have been behaving... We took Gigi's stitches out of her ear the other night while Kieffer was at the house... Sam said "Hhhhmmm I wonder why her ear still has some ooze coming out of it, its been a long time"
[It was only where the stitch was... trust me it was nothing... remember I am an M.D.... LOL]
Kieffer started laughing... "Its been 2 weeks Dad, that is Nothing, I had ooze coming out of my arm for 4 years!"
We had to laugh at that too!
For those of you new readers who don't understand what we are talking about... Kieffer broke his arm [where the upper arm connects to the shoulder] it snapped completely and almost came out the back of his arm...
They reconnected it with pins but for 4 years a small area oozed... we did everything... nuclear medicine to find the infection... 6 weeks IV antibiotics [which I gave him through a port in his arm everyday for 2 hours] he did 40 sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber too... it just went on and on... they said he had a bone infection... they said he might just have to learn to live with it...
Anyway a year ago, they opened his arm back up and found out he had bone fragments in a pocket of tissue that just kept it festered and angry... they took the bone fragments out and he has been fine ever since...

I hope I didn't gross you out... If I did I am sorry...

If I have to go through it... you have to go through it with me... that is what friends are for right? RIGHT!

Anyway, I gotta go get in the shower... then pack up the Christmas decorations to take to the Hi D house... all the kids are coming up Saturday night for dinner... whoo hoo...

Christmas will be at the Hi D house this year for the first time...




Warning: photos below are graphic...


Kieffer's moto

Kieffer in the hospital after his broken leg from football plus they tried cleaning up his arm again...

Below is Kieffer's broken leg from football... snapped the tibia and fibia...

His arm after his last surgery a year ago

If you dont leave a comment after that... you must be an MD. Mom like me LOL

Tuesday morning Grits and Elvis Hhhhmnmm!

Good morning,

I just fed Sam and Kieffer grits with sausage for breakfast... How I became the expert grit maker in the family, I do not know... My Mom was from South Carolina but I don't remember her eating grits... boiled peanuts by the bushel, or shucking oysters from a boat yes... grits no... I use to make them for Grampa all the time when he would visit but now I make them 4 days a week for Sam... Weird... I don't even LIKE grits... Although Gram Pam said I would love Cracker Barrel yellow grits but I have never been there...

So anyway, we are sitting here having breakfast and I say to Kieffer
"So Dad and are thinking of going to Vegas with you kids for our 25th and getting married again... at the 'little white chapel' with an Elvis impersonator. What do you think?"
Kieffer groans "Ewwwww no"
Sam said "What do you mean, it would be fun"
"Oh I get the whole Vegas thing... just not the Elvis impersonator"
I said "Oh... so who do you think would be better?"
[I was thinking he would say Frank Sinatra impersonator or Marilyn Monroe impersonator]
Kieffer says "Oh I don't know... how about a stripper... Vegas - stripper that goes together]

OH BROTHER!!!

Note to self: Don't let Kieffer plan my 25th anniversary

Bah Humbug hangover on Sunday LOL

Ok... so Sam and I are here at the Hi D with our pack of 3 dogs... which are getting along great however I did try to get a hold of the aggressive dog trainer because I am not stupid enough to think it won't happen again! We are hoping he will call and come by Monday...
I talked to my daughter the other day for over an hour "Mom! Is Dad upset with me? no one told me the bar HAD to be moved by Friday"
"No he is not upset with you, he just doesn't understand why you wanted that huge thing" she sighs "because Grampa made it and I didn't want to see it get thrown away!" [She is right... it came damn close to getting thrown away] Only because we have a bigger, nicer bar of Grampa's in storage... When he was the pilot for the U.S. Ambassador to India for 4 years he had 'man servants' and they made him this really cool Teak Bar...
[what was up with Grampa and bars for crying out loud?]
Ok... I am one to talk... I have a wicked hangover today... Let's just say Captain Morgan kicked my ass last night... I am not hanging out with pirates anymore! I am sticking with my Amaretto and Orange Juice from now on! What the hell was I thinking? I wasn't thinking, I just wanted a couple of cocktails with my hubby by the fire last night... Ok it was more like 4 cocktails but who's counting! I was out of Orange Juice and someone brought Captain Morgan up here for Thanksgiving...
I guess I was just going through my Christmas Bah Humbug mood...
I don't know if its because I don't have any small kids at home to make Christmas magical or what but for the past few years I have dreaded Christmas... I am so tired of the 'Christmas is about presents thing'... I was telling my daughter this the other day... She was saying funds are kind of tight this year for them... and I told her "Candice I wish all you kids would go out in the world and do something for others... like feeding the homeless or donating blankets to a shelter or helping a senior citizen... then come on Christmas for dinner and tell me the stories... I would LOVE that kind of present for Christmas! I really would... its better than some present you give me that I can't remember the next year yanno?"

Every year Sam and I have this same conversation... Sam says "Honey what do you want for Christmas" and I always say "Oh... Ummm I don't know, I don't NEED anything... let me think about it" and he says "Ok"
This year I changed things up on him though... We were laying in bed the other night watching T.V. and he says "Honey, what do you want for Christmas this year?" and I said "Oh... ummm... I have a list" he cracked up "Oh, you have a list this year huh?" "Ya..." "Oh really, what is the first thing on that list?" "I want you to wash my hair and blow dry it one night" he laughed then groaned "Awww, can't I just buy you something" "Nope... wanna know the next item on the list?"
"No not really but what is it?" "A nice foot massage" Sam groaned "Well you got me there... I thought you were going to make me pay mega bucks for your list for Christmas" I smiled "Oh Honey... I would NEVER do that for Christmas... that comes in Feb for our 25th anniversary..."

Its a small world after all

Hello from sunny California... Today will be in the 80's... perfect Christmas weather LOL I don't care I am still gonna wear my UGGS and jeans... LOL

Yesterday Sam and I drove the Excursion with a trailer to Los Angeles to pick up the remaining items at Grampa's house. Escrow closes this week. We just happened to run into the new owner. She was really nice and so perfect to buy Dad's house! Sam's sister Tina came over to see us and talked about how wonderful Thanksgiving was again! She said "I know you and Gram Pam worked really hard to make everything seem so effortless and easy Thank you!" that was nice to hear!
We also took Bolts with us to Grampa's... I was NOT leaving all 3 dogs in the house to get into it... They have been being really good however I am beginning to see the problem is with Gigi not Bolts... the trainer said even tho I had both Bolts and Gigi fixed last month, the hormones are still in their bodies for at least 3 months... I am thinking the girls are being hormonal... Hell I don't know... I do know I just can't leave Bolts in exile... Kameron is gone riding this weekend and then he goes to school 4 days a week... He is gone most of the day! I just can't leave Bolts here to chew up the house yanno? So she is going back to the Hi D with us in a couple of hours...
Say a prayer for my dogs please!
Ok so where was I in my story about Grampa's house? Hhhhhhmmm Oh ya...
Kris came over to Grampa's house to help Sam load up the trailer... 3 motorcycles, a small trailer, a LARGE bar with bar stools my daughter wanted but never picked up...
[Hi Candice... your father was not happy with you yesterday... that bar is 7 feet long and heavy... it will be at the Hi D house when you want to pick it up... outside...]

I asked "Do you want to go to Candice's and drop it off Sam?"
Kris started laughing "Ya right, where is she going to put it?"
Sam said "Can I throw it towards her apartment at 55 miles per hour?"
We all laughed...

Anyway, we have it all loaded up and ready to take to the Hi D house...

While we were driving we were listening to the OJ verdict on the radio... I am pretty sure I have told you guys the story about meeting OJ in 1990?
Long story short... My friend and I had been shopping in Palm Springs all day and she wanted to go have a drink at a place called Cecil's on Sunrise... Well I had never been there and didn't know if we were dressed up enough... A Rolls Royce pulls up and 2 guys in sports coats get out... we thought uh oh we are NOT dressed up enough [we were in Bermuda shorts] suddenly this guy comes up to us "Ladies, Ladies, where are you going?" "We are not dressed up enough!" "You look fine!" "Hey I know you... your OJ Simpson" "Yes, I am"
So we started walking up to the door... there was a cover charge to get in and he paid ours... I could tell his friends were not happy with the way he was acting but I didn't know why till months later... My friend and I were both married so we didnt want to hang out with him getting picked up yanno? So we blew him off and went our own way... Later my friend said "Im going to go get his autograph" I said "Ok" She came back PISSED... I guess he was already trying to pick up on some other blonde at the bar and he got ALL shitty with my friend [I guess because we blew him off] My friend said "I just wanted an autograph but forget it" then OJ said "I'm sorry, here I'll sign an autograph"
Fast forward 3 months and we hear the infamous 911 call Nicole made about OJ on New Years Day... My friend called me and said "OMG he was married!" Now I understand why his friends didnt seem happy with his behavior... Anyway... all I remember was his HUGE HEAD... the man has the biggest head I have ever seen! Plus I always thought he would be taller! He is only about 5'11...

How about this for a small world... Christopher Dardin the attorney in the OJ murder trial lived across the street from Grampa... [he moved a couple years after the trial] but how strange we would hear OJ's sentence while driving to Grampa's years later...

Hhhhmmm Karma finally caught up to the man...

And that is all I have to say about that...

My horrific week before Thanksgiving

Rider

Oooowweeee

This was 15 minutes before the fight! Bolts sleeping on Gigi

OK so now that I have shown you how GREAT Thanksgiving was... I must tell you about my doggie problem...
As you know we have 3 dogs...

Rider [8 yr old Weim] , Gigi [4 yr old Weim] and the infamous Bolts [11 months old] and no she was not named after the new Disney movie, she was named after the Charger's football team... but if Disney wants to make her into an action hero who am I to object... LOL

Anyway... long story shorter... the week before Thanksgiving... Bolts and Gigi got into a horrific fight and Bolts caused Gigi to get 8 stitches in her ear! Right after it happened I drove Bolts down the hill to my son Kameron... she was placed in exile...

[Its his dog anyway, I knew I was gonna end up with her when he brought her home... but that is besides the point]
Never in my wildest dreams would I have EVER thought those two would get into it... Bolts adores Gigi... Rider and Bolts getting into it... yes... but Gigi and Bolts NEVER!

Ask Nurse Pam, she ADORES Bolts!!

Well, after taking her for surgery, my vet gave me the name of an aggressive dog trainer... He will be coming to the house next week to observe and comment on what 'we' are doing wrong...

[WHERE is the Dog Whisperer when you need him? He seems to get owners and dogs fixed in minutes]

The trainer basically said "Bolts is challenging Gigi for pack leader because she is hitting puberty"

[GD teenagers] This wouldn't be a problem, except as you all know... Bolts is a Pitbull... Bolts LOVES people, hates other dogs... but so do my Weim's... so WTH?

Am I putting off a Michael Vick vibe in my house... WTH?

I don't know what is going on... but it better stop...

My vet bills lately are no laughing matter! Sheesh...

We love Bolts [she is my grand-dog-der] We miss her up at the house but we have to DO something...

BTW Jeanne: I saw a dog show with 4 Weims and one of them was snuzzling LOL Like my Gigi and your Vizla... he he

For those of you who don't know what snuzzling is...

My Gigi [4 yr old blue weim] will take a pillow and suck on the corner of it while kneading it with her paws... It looks like she is nursing or something... she never chews the corner, it just gets wet! Jeanne's Vizla does it too... Weim's and Visla's are in the same dog family... bird hunting dogs

More Thanksgiving pics

My sister in law Tina and her dog boccie [or baby chubacca I'm not sure]

Below is Kameron

To the left is Collin and below is Gram Pam's oldest grandson Corey

Sam's sister Tina's family


Below is Kieffer and his favorite cousin Michelle... they have been best friends since they were in diapers

Below is Collin and his girlfriend

To the left is Jelly Bean [Aka JuJu Bee aka Shaniqua *see story below for explanation LOL]

And these are the Newlyweds again... and yes I was bugging them for a Grandchild... Here was the response "Sure Mom, here is the deal... you buy us a house and we will get right on the grandchild thing"

Ya dream on Candice...

Candice would say "Ya dream on about those grand kids then..."

Thanksgiving pics #3

The volleyball teams Saturday afternoon... Only in Southern California!


This is breakfast with half of us!


Isiah [Sam's sister's hubby's daughter's son]


Spagetti sauce

Spagetti!

Kieffer working in the tractor Thanksgiving weekend

My son Kris, My SIL Mike, and Sam

The flag flying over the house so everyone could find us

Feeding the horses carrots [My SIL Lisa and her husband's daughter's son] Could you follow that?

Kieffer and Isiah feeding horses down the road