Sleep-Overs

My neice Miranda has had a few sleep overs at her favorite aunties house, me of course! Miranda is very helpful around the house which is great becuase I am useless around the house!!!

Even though she is small and only three she can carry Jesse's huge shoes and mine in her arms and even figures out how to get them and her up the stairs right behind me. I will have to have her over more often so I can keep my house clean and organized!

One More Thing

I love finding new jobs, for some strange reason. In assisting Jesse in finding a job I came across a part-time position for House Parents in the Crisis Nursery at a local non-profit organization called The Family Support & Treatment Center. So of course I applied and got Jesse and I in for an interview!! We got through the first round of interviews and was called back for a second interview with one of the counselors at the facility and guess what....yes we got the job. Even though I was a bit apprehensive after some of Jesse's amazingly detailed answers!!! Man do we have different interviewing styles!! So after an interesting job shadow causing Jesse to have second thoughts, and getting recertified in CPR & First Aid and Food Prep Certified we took on our first 24-hour shift in the Nursery. At first it was a little strange being in charge of little lives and trying to remember all the training but then it just became natural and a lot of fun. What a better way to be at a job that enables you to make someone else's day a little happier and easier to get through. Getting the first smile and seeing walls come down just a little was worth the lack of sleep and nervousness of the day!!

I am really glad that we have this opportunity to work here and get to spend some time with some of these amazing and fun little kids. Jesse and I both came away from our first shift with mixed emotions but were glad that we could be there for these little guys.

The Family Support & Treatment Center is always looking for donations either monetary, in-kind or volunteer hours and I would definitely recommend doing one of the three to help out the children in our community that need our help!!

Oh and that day I was extended the call as Nursery Leader in our Branch!! How funny is that!!

Fourth of July

Yes I know this is late but I have been very laxadasical about everything so I am just getting around to posting.

My mom's decorating skills


My dad decided that we were going to do an early morning picnic with the fam hoping to get everyone together. Since that rarely works it was not any different this time and it ended up being my parents, myself and my sister playing cards, eating and playing with the dogs. It was a lot of fun just a bit early for my taste when I may have a chance to catch up on my sleep!!
Isn't this cute fabric!!

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to me trying to get my skirt pattern cut out which has been a HUGE struggle and has taken about 2 months so far!!! I think instead I watched a film festival movie and took a nap, then started a new project, an apron, instead but hey what else is new? This year we actually went and watched the fireworks from the grass area below the temple with my family. My mom and I staked out our spot early in the afternoon carefully aligning ourselves to be in direct sight to the fireworks. A lot of work went into thinking this through, an exact science to be exact!!
This is why I have very few cute pictures of Jesse and I

The fireworks were a lot of fun, I love fireworks!! The best part though was the cotton candy guys selling 4 different flavors of cotton candy, yes you read that correct 4 flavors. I think they were bubble gum, apple, grape and .....okay so I can't remember the fourth but it was good!!! I ate almost all four bags on my own and Natalie helped me out some.
I LOVE Cotton Candy!!

Great New Place to Eat

Today my mom, Miranda and I hit up this great little Asian restaurant called Rooster Dumpling & Noodle House that is delicious!!! It has a great dumpling menu to choose from and fun noodles and rice dishes. The desserts are out of this world good, besides that it is an Asian restaurant!! We ate practically half the menu and it was all delicious and very light!! Go give it a try the owner is really nice and friendly and she will give you tips on what you might like.

My Sisters Keeper

Tonight I saw My Sisters Keeper and thought the producer did a decent job of following the book. It of course was sad and depressing but so is the book so you I expected that one!! I think I almost always like the books better than the movies since there is just a lot more detail and background but overall this was pretty decent. So if you have read the book you should go see it or just want to be sad!!

Business Trip

My dad injured his knee so he had me come along with him on this past business trip to California. I was less than excited about going becuase we were doing three days of due dilligence sessions which equals hours of document reading which can put the most awake person fast asleep!! Luckily being in central California the food can redeem any boring meeting that I may have to endure! In Reedley we swung into a drive thru mexican restaurant called El Mexicano, let me just say this was the most divine Mexican food I have had in a very, very long time. That was great but the best part was they also had Sno Cones which is probably one of my most favorite things of summer!!! I can eat at least 2 a day and these snow cones were amazing!!! The ice was a perfect cut, the syrup was rich but not too sugary and it actually stayed icee and didn't ever in the 45 min it took to eat it get melty!! Pretty amazing!! Then we went to the Vineyard in Madera which is a great place that I guess has been around for at least 50 years. The bread and dip is out of this world and I would just want to eat that daily. Then we hit up one of the many fruit stands along 99 and had the most amazing raisins. they were the size of a small prune and were the juiciest raisins I have ever had!! Oh how I miss all the yummy fresh veggies and fruit that are dirt cheap on the sides of the road!!! Oh and lets not forget the Thai place that we ate at in Banning that had amazing Sum Tum and this Watermelon shake that reminded me of my trip to Thailand!!
Yes, I do love food and my thoughts do wander constantly to the topic!! Thank you California for making my tummy happy!!

I Hate Needles

I loathe being poked by needles!!! I have always hated shots for as long as I can remember and have always tried to avoid getting poked by those dang needles. I have had several unpleasant instances with needles that have reinforced my hatred. Well I have to have my blood drawn every so often and have been very blessed in that the two guys that have been drawing my blood for the past two years are pretty much amazing and I rarely even feel a thing. These two wonders have sadly moved on from the doctor's office and have been replaced by incompetents!!! I will give them that my veins aren't the easiest to find but if you can't find them get someone else that is better at it!! I have one lady try twice and she met the 2 poke limit and she went in search of someone new. The second lady checked out my arms and decided she wasn't going to do any better and went off to find another lady. Then the third one comes and thinks she has found a vein and pokes me to no avail. But no she doesn't just pull it out she stabs it further into my arm moving it all around trying to hit a vein!!! Then she moves to my other arm with no luck as well. At this point I am ready to run out of there screaming and am about to suggest I come back another time becuase I am not sure I can handle anymore. Then she says well lets try on your wrist. She pokes her needle in and of course gets nothing!! Yeah and then continues poking it around, at last she got something and I filled two lovely vials before she pulled that little bugger out!! Now I have needle marks all over my arms that are going to bruise very nicely! I am seriously contemplating changing doctors so I can get my blood drawn elsewhere!!!