Baby, It's Cold Outside!

We have our first snowfall of the season. It's beautiful. A dusting of powdered sugar all over. (We'll see how we feel if this last all week as is being predicted.) The kids are sledding, the dog is trying to catch snowflakes in her mouth and I'm enjoying the peace that seems to come with the snow.

Snow on one of our plum trees.

The view from my kitchen window.

Part of the pond where the Fish Massacre occured.

I'm done, Done, DONE!!!!!

Finals are over! I have everything turned in and don't need to think about school until 1/5/2009.

I think this calls for a song and dance!



(I love Kristen Chenoweth!)

Just Say No!

Here we are, the night before my last 2 finals and what am I doing?

Making cupcakes.

Six dozen, homemade, hand decorated cupcakes.

Yes, I said six dozen.

What was I thinking?

I'm almost there...

I'm so close, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My last final for the term is on Thursday!! Bare with me a few more days and my life should return to "normal". Whatever normal happens to be. Hope you are enjoying your "normal".

Blogs. The internet. The world wide web. What amazing tools we have at our fingertips. I can write anything I want and send it out into cyberspace and someone from half way across the world can read it. How cool is that? When Beth was in Africa, I was able to follow her journey on her blog. It helped me to feel closer to her in some way. I have other blogs I check on a regular basis. Through this amazing tool, I have been able to watch some friends children grow up through stories and pictures. Money and time doesn't allow us the luxury of getting to visit on a regular basis. That's where the internet steps in.
When I first started blogging, it was just for me. It was just something I had wanted to do. I never really thought about other people reading my blog. On the day after Thanksgiving, I logged onto my blog to find a surprise. One of my cousins, Kate, had found my blog and left me a comment. It was kind of exciting. I haven't talked to her in a long time but just by reading my blog, she's all caught up with what is going on in my world now. So, if you have stopped by to read my random thoughts and rants, let me know who you are. Just drop me a comment and let me know who you are. I may have to start watching my language!

I think God is weeping in Heaven.

So Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season has begun. I can't say it's been a great start. If you haven't heard the horrifying news yet, a man was killed on "Black Friday". It occurred at a Wal-Mart in New York. Over 2,000 people rushed to get into the store to get their bargains and trampled a man to death. When the police announced they needed to close the store for a few hours due to the death, shoppers became irate. Can you picture that gift exchange? "Hope you like the vacuum I got for you. It only cost me $20 bucks and oh, yeah a man died for it." Come on people, what in the world are we thinking? Maybe that is the problem, we're thinking in this world. Do we not remember what Christmas is? It is the celebration of Christ's Birth. Remember?
Even before I heard this news, I was having a difficult time trying to balance the secular-commercial christmas with the truth of CHRISTMAS. So many people are having financial issues right now. We have several friends who are out of work right now. Chris has had his hours cut at work and several of his co-workers are barely working. There is the possibility of stores closing after the first of the year. Every time I turn around, I hear news of jobs being cut. The thing is every time I start to feel worried about our finances, I'm hit with how truly blessed we are. We have everything we need and then some. Honestly, we have so much stuff; I'm trying to get rid of it all. I just can't see spending money I don't have on stuff that we don't need.

My friend, Beth, had this video on her blog. When we watched it for the first time I was moved to tears.

Think about it; in some parts of the world people die from lack of water. Here in the U.S. people die for a bargain.

I go a little crazy when I'm feeling stressed.

I need to leaarn self-control. Every time I start to feel the pressure of stress, I end up doing something a little wild. Nothing major this time. (No piercings, no tattoos.) I cut my hair short, ( above my shoulders) and dyed it a dark red. It will take some getting used to. My reflection in the mirror has caught me by surprise a few times.
Stress... Why am I feeling stress you may ask. In one word: School. I'm trying to write my final paper for my Literature class. (1800 words)
I'm almost done with this term. Hopefully I will get through it without making anymore major changes to my appearance.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday. She is an amazing women. If you haven't had a chance too meet her yet, you're missing out on a lot of fun. I really can't share some of things she has done and said lately... she'll kill me! Let's just say my mom gets wilder with age! I LOVE it!! She's so much more fun now then I remember her being when I was a kid. (She's smarter, too.) Funny, how that happens, the older we get, the more we begin to realize just how wise our parents really are.
I love you Mom. You really are the best.

the duck says quack

I know, I know, it's been a long time. I have written a few blogs but decided against posting them. (Mama always said if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all.) It was cheap therapy!
I have been writing a lot lately. A Lot. A LOT. I'm a full time student right now. I know I shouldn't be surprised by the amount of work but it's taking some getting used to. I'm taking an Intro to Literature class, which means I write four essays every week. I'm also taking an Intro to Writing Poetry class, which means I have to write a poem every week. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to pull a poem out of my bu.. I mean thin air. I'm also taking ceramics and a class on medical careers. I'm enjoying it and keeping my head above water so far.
So besides school, we've had a lot of stuff happening. Lauren is now 16. No, she is not driving yet. Emilia is 11. She's not driving yet either. She is taller than Lauren though.
I will write more soon and post some photos.

The Great Fish Massacre of 2008

Well, We finally made it to California. Eighteen hours - straight through. We are safe and relatively sane. Getting ready to go was a real test of patience though. While this in no way compares with the "Skunk Attack of 2005", the "Great Fish Massacre of 2008" does deserve it's own page in the Maki family history book.

Our original plans were to leave around midnight on Wednesday night after Chris got off work. Once he got home we realized we were just to beat to start driving and that a good nights sleep was needed. Flash forward to Thursday 10:30, we are packed and just about ready to leave, when Chris starts yelling at me from upstairs "Suzanne, get the pump, unplug the pump, it's going to explode!". To which I responded with, "What the heck are you screaming about? What pump?". Chris yells back "The pond!! Get the pump!!". I'm thinking "oh yeahhhh, that pump". So the kids and I run out to find that our beautiful pond has spontaneously emptied its self. We have a rock formation waterfall that the water cycles through with the help of a tube and somehow the top rocks had fallen into the pond, the tube had come loose and with the help of the pump drained all of the water out of the pond and under our deck. Not good! I unplugged the pump and then proceeded to view the damage. Ever year we purchase goldfish for the pond and wait to see who survives the raccoons, hawks and even a blue heron. We had three large fish left that have been with us about 4 years now. Last week Lauren and I purchased 40 new fish. As I'm peering into the pond, I see one big goldfish who is half out of water and no one else. I start looking for the other 42 fish and find next to the pump a pile of what looks like chopped salad. Yup, you guessed it, my missing fish. The pump had sucked up the fish, chopped them up and spit them back out. Really gross and sad. With the help of the kids I filled the pond back up and started working on the waterfall. Chris came down and we hoisted the rocks back up (these are not little rocks) and got the tube secured and the water flowing. Just when we thought we were done, Chris touched the top rock and it all went down again, sending the tube flying into the air and spraying us with a mixture of pond water and yes, chopped up fish! We finally got everything put back together with no more mishaps, got cleaned up, everyone in the van and pulled out of the driveway at 3:45. Only 15 hours after our original departure time. We arrived in Tustin at 9:30 Friday morning, ready to start a new chapter in this adaventure we call "life".

The adventure begins...

We're on our way to California! I'll keep you posted to just what we do once we are there. Goal #1 is to get out of the house and on the road. So much easier said then done.

Overheard at the Maki House...

Chris: Emilia, Do you know the best way to eat an elephant?
Emmy: No, How?
Chris: One bite at a time.
Emmy: Oh. (giggles)
Chris: So, what do you think is the best way to clean up your room?
Emmy: Ummmmm, One piece of crap at a time?

I'm a baaaaaadddd blogger...

So it's been a long time since my last post. I think of stuff to post everyday but somehow just haven't made to the computer to actually get it done.

Here are some of the things that have happened in our world...

Isaac got the green cast off and had a smaller red cast put on, got the red one off and is now in a brace for 2 weeks. He's back on the skateboard and loving it!

Emilia has also decided to take up skateboarding and, as usual, has caught on to it really fast. Isaac is not loving that.

Chris got a promotion to Assistant Produce Manager and transferred to the Hillsboro store.

R2D2, the rat, got loose. I found her. In the laundry basket.

Isaac helped me by washing dishes and somehow flooded the kitchen. I cleaned it. After I slipped and fell.

Finn, the cat, knocked a glass off the counter and broke it. I cleaned it. After I pulled glass out of my left foot.

Emilia dropped 3 plates, broke 1. I cleaned that too. After I cut my right foot.

My best bud, Beth, is in Africa and I miss her. A lot. I actually called her cell phone today just to hear her voice. (It was the computer lady instead.) Did I tell you I miss her? If I'm ever arrested, it will be with Beth.

Lauren is studying to get her drivers permit. Yikes!

Chris is taking vicodin and antibiotics. A wisdom tooth broke through, split another tooth and knocked a filling loose. He's going Monday morning to have them pulled.

I registered for the fall term at school. I'm taking 14 credits. Making up for lost time!

So that's about it...

for now.

Casts, Funerals and Do-Overs

It's been a little while since my last post. It's not because I didn't have things to report but that I haven't had the time to sit. Picking up from the last post... I did not have to call the librarian to apologize and everyone made it home in one piece and still (sort of) speaking to each other. What I didn't tell you was that while the kids were at the library, I was waiting for the Dr.'s office to call me. On his birthday, 6/11, Isaac fell while skateboarding. He kept saying his wrist hurt but he could move it pretty well. His arm was a little swollen but every time I asked if his arm hurt he would say no, just my wrist. He even played "Rock Band" all day on Thursday. Every once in a while he would say "my wrist hurts when I do this" (while twisting his wrist in a circle) so we would say "just don't do that". So Thursday night he reached out with his palm facing down and turn his arm palm facing up, when he did this he grabbed his forearm and SCREAMED! Which caused me to say, that's not his wrist and I decided to call the Dr. in the morning. Once the Dr. called back they sent us straight to X-ray and sure enough, Isaac broke his arm. Arm, not his wrist. They put it in a splint and said we would have to go to the "fracture clinic". Which basically means go home and wait for another call to get an appt. We were planning on having Isaac's party on Saturday but cancelled it since he was in so much pain. It was really odd, but his arm seemed to bother him more once it was in the splint in the proper position. Saturday afternoon, our beloved bearded dragon, Sparky, died. It was truly a sad day at our house. I never thought I would learn to love a reptile so much. We had a funeral in the front yard. Sparky was laid to rest in the rose garden. As we were getting started, the shovel that Chris had leaned up against the fence fell over and hit Isaac on the head! This was one of those things that I watched happen but couldn't tell you how it happened. The shovel should of hit Chris in the arm, it looked like the shovel bent around Chris's back and whacked Isaac on the head. It was so weird. Poor Isaac was sitting in the dirt, with his arm in a splint, dead dragon on his lap , holding his head in his good hand saying this is the worst summer ever and we're only 3 days into it. After we finished saying our good-byes to Sparky, Chris and I declared a summer do-over. We told Isaac we were starting fresh and would take him where ever he wanted to go. After a dinner of sushi at "I love Sushi", dessert at Papa Hayden's, and listening to 2 slightly drunk guys singing on their patio, he was smiling and laughing again. On Wednesday, a full week after he broke his arm, he got his cast put on. It's bright green fiberglass with a gore-tex liner. The liner makes it completely waterproof! This means he can shower, swim, play in the sprinklers and all that fun summer water stuff. In a cruel twist of fate, the Dr. said NO bicycles and NO skateboards and our friends, Anthony and Katie, bought Isaac his dream skateboard. Since he can't ride it, he has been sleeping with it. OK, he says he's not sleeping with it because it's not in the bed with him, it's just on the floor right next to his bed. Minor details.

Sad skater boy.

In Loving Memory

of

Sparky

Sparky taking a bath.

The memorial in the rose garden.

Chaos Reigns!

In case you haven't noticed all the postings regarding birthdays, an anniversary and promotion, this has been a busy couple of weeks. The kids were finishing up the school year with all sorts of final projects and I for the first time in many years had to do my own projects! We actually had to schedule computer time!
Yesterday was the first day of "summer" vacation. (I use the term summer lightly since it's only 55 degrees! Welcome to Juneuary in OR.) We did absolutely nothing, I think we all just needed a break.
Which brings us to today... the kids walked up to the library for a little bit. All 3of them. No one over the age of 15. Lauren in charge. Emilia trying to be in charge. Ohhhh, it makes my head hurt just thinking about. I wonder if I I'll have to call and apologize to the librarian?

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

It's so hard to believe that our little boy is 12 today. He also had his promotion today. He'll be going to middle school! How fast time flys by! Here's a picture from today.

Isaac - 12 years old

June 11, 2008

and now for your viewing pleasure, a short movie dedicated to the birthday boy...

It's Burt Ziggernaut's Birthday!

Burt Ziggernaut is 11 years old. He always has been and always will be 11. He has a best friend named Mary Croquet, she is 9.

I first met Burt and Mary when my daughter, Lauren was 3 years old. She would run through my parents house calling "Burt, Burt, Where are you?". A voice would answer her from my dad's recliner, "Here I am Mary!". They would bow and curtsy to each and go off on a wonderful adventure.

Having children has helped me to see a new and wonderful side to my Dad. He played with me when I was a kid but to view it from the outside looking in has been a gift. I love watching him with my kids. He and Isaac have their own sign language and love to tease my mom with it! Emilia is his special helper and has become really good at setting mole traps! (Yuck!)

It's been a fun journey for me to see my Dad as a person and not just my "Dad". He's a great person, a great dad , and a wonderful Papa. I love him very much.

Happy 76th birthday, Daddy!

Once upon a time...

there was a beautiful princess named Dolores. When she was still a child, she met a boy,named Gerald, who became her friend. They went to school together and played in a band together. She played the accordion and he played the trumpet. They made beautiful music together. When they were grown up, Princess Dee realized her friend was really her Prince Jerry and he loved her. So they got married on June 7th, 1958

and have lived happily together for 50 years!




Happy 50th Anniversary, Dee & Jerry!
We love you!

Old friends always make me smile

I was blessed by a phone call from our dear friend tonight. I haven't talked to her in a while but we just picked up right where we left off. We've know her for 13 years. Lauren was only two and still an only child. How times have changed. Old friends are the best. They know you in ways you don't always know yourself. The name of my blog actually comes from a series of conversations I had with her. Anytime I was going to say something that I was unsure of how it would be received, I would start by saying "I know this sounds weird but...". The joke was when I wrote my first book that's what I should call it. No book - baby steps. Blog first. Maybe a real journal with pages of paper. Ohhh, scary.

Since it has been a while since I have talked to this dear friend, we talked a lot about the kids and how much they have changed. So for Emilia's Godmother - Here are some photos of the kids.




Three goofy kids at the beach.


Emilia with her grandma Dee.




Finally the image and words that strikes fear in a father's heart - Lauren - 15 - PROM!

Ice Man & The Gong Show

While this is hard for me to believe, Isaac is graduating from elementary school. He will be 12 in June and will start middle school in the fall. Where does the time go? Today his class went to YMCA during school and swam. Tonight they had a party at the school which included a Gong Show. He had planned a skit with a friend but the friend was unable to come, so Isaac got creative. He did a "speech" called "Lessons in Literature". He took famous quotes and did them his way. Here are a few examples:

Juliet said "Romeo, Romeo where fore art thou Romeo?"
Mrs. Evonuk(his teacher) says "Isaac, Isaac where fore art thou homework?

Robert Frost wrote: "Two woods diverged in a yellow wood and I took the rode less traveled."
I say, "3 elementary schools diverging into 1 middle school.. Are you kidding me?"

He did about 7 different jokes/quotes. Anyway, he got 2nd place!! I can't tell you how happy he is, he was positive he would get gonged!

Here he is, in all his glory...

(Yes, he's wearing a "Ramones" shirt. Yes, he knows who they are and sings their songs. Yes, he's wearing a fedora. No, it's not a costume, he wears it all the time.)

You say it's your birthday, It's my birthday, too, Yeah!

So, yesterday was my 40'th birthday. A lot of people asked me if I was having a hard time with it. The truth is... No, I feel incredibly blessed. I have a wonderful family, amazing friends, so many special memories. To be able to spend another year on this earth with all the special people in my life is a gift. To all of you who love me and have shared in my life - Thank you to you all, you mean more to me then words can express.

One of the special people in my life is my friend, Beth. She is the best in so many ways. She is the type of friend who is really more like a sister, the one you would choose if you had a choice. She and her kids, Josiah and Gabrielle, have become a very important part of our family. I know I will write more about all of them but right now it's all about Josiah.

Today is Josiah's birthday. He's 24 today. Josiah is one of the wonderful gifts in my life. My kids adore him and he loves them back. He lets them climb on him, he plays "Guitar Hero" with them, video tapes them at 5th grade graduations and when they are putting on a show he lets them dress him up. He is incredibly gifted, both at music and writing. He is a young man who can go so far in life. So today on his 24th birthday and I ask you all to raise a glass and/or send a prayer for Josiah.

Josiah, May you be as blessed as we have been to know you. May you realize, while you are still young, how gifted you are and how much strength you have in so many ways. You will always be a part of our family and we will always love you!

Chris, Suzanne, Lauren, Isaac & Emilia

You will always be our Josie Pie!

I have a blog!

For years people have encouraged me to keep a journal and I have always balked at the idea. It always seemed to me that if I wrote my feelings and experiences on paper, I was exposing too much of myself. I guess I was afraid someone could use my own feelings against me. So, here I am putting it all on the web! Where everyone (anyone!) can view it! You know what? It feels good.