April 28, 2008 by samantha.

For a few weeks now I have been getting up at 5 am to walk Val. I decided to do this to avoid the summer heat and to get the daily walk out of the way. At 5 am, it is usually between 50-60 degrees and I have no worry about the heat. I thought I would struggle getting up that early, but I am beginning to like it. I have learned about getting up so early.

- One of my neighbors, about four houses down from me, is always out smoking a cigarette at 5 am.
- Around 5:30, the birds wake up.
- I do not have to breathe in car exhaust.
- Every morning I see the sun rise and I get to smell the start of a new day.
- There is a gray cat that sits on the porch rail every morning, waiting patiently to be let in.
- A lot of people are up- some are exercising, some are watching TV, and some are getting ready to face the day.
- Val loves getting up early and a walk to start the day really makes her happy.
- I go to bed a lot earlier than before. I think it is the earliest I have ever gone to bed!
- My “tan” will fade, but I have no worry of getting a sun burn!

Posted in Val, Rants | 3 Comments »

April 27, 2008 by samantha.

I always hear that weekends are supposed to be relaxing, but I am too busy cramming all I can into two days. On Friday on got my hair done. I am in a constant battle with my hair. I love the color, but I cannot find a style that I like. Every time I go in, I say I want something different and then I get tired of it a few weeks later. My hair stylist, Terri, is hilarious. She does what she wants to and she always makes me look good. She even talked me into bangs. Anyway, Terri always makes sure that I am the last client of the day so we can go out to dinner after my hair is done. We have a good time being silly. Terri is so busy that we have a hard time getting together. I think that is why I look forward to getting my hair done!

This was the weekend that a few girls and I were supposed to go to Los Angeles. As with most plans, they got rearranged a million times. The final plans were to do a movie and junk food day. It was exactly what we needed. We watched The Kite Runner (not as good as the book), Juno (even better the second time), and Sixteen Candles (never a disappointment). We sat around and had ridiculous conversations. It reminded me of sleepovers that I went to when I was a kid. In fact, we had such a good time that we are planning another movie and junk food day. Eventually we had to clean up and go home. I was still overflowing with energy and I was looking for something to do. So on the spur of the moment, I decided that I was going to buy myself a new mattress. I have needed a new mattress for a while and I decided yesterday was the day to get one. I think I was in and out of the store in twenty minutes!

Today, my new mattress was delivered. And I cannot wait to go to bed! I washed everything so it is all clean when I make my bed. I bought a new bed skirt. Other than that, my Sunday has been boring. I did laundry and went grocery shopping. I need a quiet day after a busy week. Hopefully this week will be quieter than last. I think I was home one day last week! And it is hot. Yesterday it reached 100. I think today will be a little cooler… a cool 97!!

Posted in House, Friends, California, Weekends, Movies, Rants | No Comments »

April 20, 2008 by samantha.

This weekend I went to San Diego to see my grandmother. She has had a problem with her sciatic and I wanted to see if I could be of any help. Turns out, I was not able to do much. I made sure she took her Advil, iced her back, and rested as much as possible. Unfortunately, all of the remedies she has tried up until this point have not helped much. The next course of action is a shot of cortisone. It will not cure the problem, but it will help with the pain.

During my quiet weekend, I discovered Scrubs. I have watched the show off and on over the years, but I never really got into it. Anyway, I was having trouble falling asleep and I was too lazy too walk out to the living room. I started to play on my computer and somehow came across Scrubs. I was able to watch it free right from my computer. I am sure that I stayed up longer than I should have, but I was really enjoying watching the show. Cheap thrills are usually the best!

Before I began my Scrubs marathon, I finished reading my book. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult was a not a disappointment.

It is the story of Delia and how her learns that her father kidnapped her twenty-eight years ago. As the reader, you have to decide if what Delia’s father, Andrew, did was just. I have learned from reading many Jodi Picoult books, that I do not always like the characters that are the correct ones to like. The author has a way of making you feel like you are each of the characters. You can relate to each one in some way. What I especially liked about Vanishing Acts is that each chapter is from the perspective of a different character.

So, do I think that Andrew was just in kidnapping his daughter? I do. Is what Andrew did right? No, but I would like to think I would do the same thing!

Posted in Weekends, Family, Books, Rants | No Comments »

April 19, 2008 by samantha.

Early Thursday morning, 1:11 am to be exact, Emerson Nicole was born. She weighed 8.9 lbs and was 21 inches long. Kristi and baby are doing well. Emerson is absolutely beautiful. As with Baby Erielle, I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Having all these babies has been so much fun. My big question is who is going to be next??? One of my girlfriends from college is pregnant, but she lives in Ohio. I need some local babies! I have some people I am keeping my fingers crossed for. And I do have one candidate taking a pregnancy test next week. Babies make life so exciting!!!

Posted in Friends, Babies!, Rants | No Comments »

April 15, 2008 by samantha.

How many of you will be running to the Post Office tonight in hopes of getting your taxes post marked by midnight???? I sent my taxes in already, thank you very much. Because of the side business, I owed Uncle Sam. So much for having a tax return spending spree!

Last night, I watched The Memory Keeper’s Daughter on TV. I hated the book. I could not even finish it. But since I believe in giving everything another chance, I decided to watch the movie. It did not help. I think it made me dislike the book even more. I cannot understand why the book is so popular. What am I missing?

Posted in Movies, Books, Rants | No Comments »

April 13, 2008 by samantha.

First and foremost, I want to welcome Miss Erielle into the world! She was born April 12 at 6:12 am. She weighs 6.5 lbs and is 17.5 inches long and she is beautiful. I would even say that she is perfect! Mom and Erielle are doing well. As for Dad, I think he is still trying to recover. On the day that Erielle was born, her big brother’s birthday party was planned. Mom did a fantastic job of trying to make things easy for Dad, but he was sleep deprived. I, along with some friends and family, stepped in and did our best. Big Brother, Ethan, had a wonderful 3rd Birthday party. And I learned that I am never throwing a birthday party for a three-year old. It is exhausting!

That was the highlight of my weekend. I did see Leatherheads on Friday. It was mediocre at best. I would wait till it comes out on video or TV. Like I always say, I my expectations when it comes to movies is pretty low. As long as I can forget about the world for two hours, I am happy. I looked at my watch a few times during the movie. Hopefully, the next movie will be better!

Since I started on an extremely happy note, am going to end on not so happy one. It is hot here. It is about 92. Yucky!!! I should tough it out, but I am a wimp. I turned the AC on and I am happily sitting in my cool house. I know I have declared my love for the AC before, but I could not live without it. If people can marry a goat, can I marry my AC?

Posted in Babies!, Friends, Weekends, Movies, Family, Rants | No Comments »

April 6, 2008 by samantha.

I’m alive and home! I have just been busy and I keep forgetting to post. I think I am still in shock to be back at work. My vacation was a lot of fun and I was a little unhappy to come back. Now I have to make the best of it and have started planning another trip! Savannah was beautiful! As soon as I remember too, I will post pictures of my trip. I would love to go back and explore the city some more. A walking tour of the city would be a lot of fun.

As much as I complain, it is nice to be home and back into my daily routine. I am happy to say that I am one of the few teachers in California to have a job. Budget cuts have cost a lot of new teachers their jobs and people are in a panic. I do not blame them! I was a little worried, but I think I am pretty safe for now. I just have to remember to stay on my best behavior and not attract to much attention to myself!

I have a lot more to share, including a list of books I have read, complaints, mindless thoughts, and pictures. But right now I am too tired to do so. I will say that we have no babies yet… I will have news to report soon! And I came across this article the other day and I thought it was pretty funny. It is on useless body parts. Does this help to prove the Theory of Evolution a bit more? It reminds me of the books Why Do Men Have Nipples? and Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex? They are fun, easy reads and great conversation starters!

Posted in School, Travels, Books, Rants | No Comments »