Sneaky Snake

When I was a young child my dad was a radio DJ. I think all 5 of us kids thought it was the coolest thing that our dad was on the radio and it made us a little more special that our dad was 'famous'. Our birthdays were especially fun; he would announce to all his listeners that it was our birthday and then play "Sneaky Snake". I loved it!

Dad, looking back, 'sneaky snake' is just one of many things you did for me (sitting for hours so I could plaster your hair with barrettes and ponytails, giving me a day off from school every once in a while so I could fill my bucket, letting me stand on your feet so you could dance me across the kitchen, buying me the biggest granny smith apple you could find because you knew I loved them...) that helped me learn some of life's most important truths, some of which are:

~I am loved.

~Laughter is the best medicine.

~Don't take yourself so seriously.

~Work hard, it pays off.

~Don't let anything get in the way of your dreams.

~Honor your Mother.

~You are a daughter of God.

~When the world beats you down, you can always come home.

I love you Dad, have a wonderful Birthday. Thank you for all the love!

Let's just call it "Lake Powell Preparation"

It is starting to warm up here in Arizona and for our family this is exciting because it means...BOATING SEASON! We just have one little problem this year...no boat! How do you prepare for Lake Powell, practice your switchstance start or perfect your wakeboarding skills without a boat? You have to get creative and of course, recruit your children. This is what it looks like...

I love my husbands enthusiasm!

Update...Late Breaking News.....Weed offender found Innocent..Charges revoked!

A very nice Man, who did not look the slightest bit uptight or self loathing, stopped by the house and told Amber to tell me we have been cleared of all illegal weed charges. We did not catch his name but we affectionately call him W C Fields. Chalk one up for the little guy!

The sweetest words...

When you have a toddler everything they say is cute~which means that they get alot of positive reinforcement for saying things that your other children might get soap for saying (not that we use soap to discipline...O.K. we use soap and it is really quite effective, especially bath & body works - foaming hand soap, but I digress). Chloe can pretty much say everything now, some of her favorites include "NO", 'You mean mom' & 'I wan CJ' (her first love). Today I told her that I loved her as she walked out of the office and she turned around and said "I luv yoo too mom", ahhhhh, the sweetest words!

***PROPS***

It is hard for Brooklyn to try new things; she likes the comfort of things 'known' and unless she is sure she can succeed at something she would rather not try. With some coaxing, Brooklyn started soccer a couple weeks ago (it helps that her cousin, Sydney, is on her team). She had her first soccer game this last Saturday and not only did she play very well, she had alot of fun. Props to you, Brook!

Busted for Growing Weed!

On a recent warm spring afternoon I took the short walk to the bank of mailboxes on our street to retrieve the daily clutch of bills and ads the mail carrier delivers so faithfully. In a T-shirt, shorts and flops, and being serenaded by a mocking bird, I pondered all that is good about living in the Southwest this time of year. With a skip in my step and a smile on my face not even the mail could change my mood on this gem of a day! Or at least I thought.

When I was young I was under the misconception that mail was good. This was the means by which we received letters from friends and family. You know, the hand written kind that showed they really cared and sometimes even birthday cards with cash tucked inside. As I got older the entrepreneur in me dreamed of bundles of checks being stuffed in that box like sardines to reward that ingenious and successful business I would some day start. Sure there would be an occasional advertisement, but sifting through those was a small price to pay in return for all the goodies that would come each day.

The grown-up me has learned the USPS in reality is a government run organization, that for the most part, just delivers “bills and adds” six days a week, rain or shine, except for every holiday known to man save it be Groundhogs day. (I’m sure they get paid over time for working Groundhogs day)

For whatever reason, I still enjoy getting the mail. I guess its the hope of getting that surprise parcel that breaks the norm. You know a post card, a late Christmas card, a refund check or even a glossy catalog trying to sell underwear to my wife, anything but bills and ads.

No such luck on this day. Instead the letter that broke the postal monotony was the dreaded HOA letter. Yes, apparently the weed counter in my community determined the weeds in my yard exceeded the limit (whatever that may be) and felt it necessary to warn me. I make it a point to try and stay on top of these things so as I strolled back home, now with less of a skip in my step, I scanned my yard only to find a minuscule amount of newly sprouted weeds common this time of year, and, in my opinion, hardly enough to prompt a letter. I swallowed my pride and cleaned my yard spotless right then and there and thought it was a done deal.

That was until last week when a second letter came, this time, threatening me with “legal remedies” and “fines”. Again I checked out the yard and with some effort found even fewer "evil do'ers" poking through the landscape rock. It is now obvious to me the weed counter hates him or herself and for only reasons Dr Phil could explain, crawls around on hands and knees with a magnifying glass looking for weeds in my yard so as to harass me!.

At this point I snapped! Not like a postal worker snaps, but I was not going to let this pinhead ruin a second spring day with out at least trying to ruin one of his/hers in return. I am all for obeying laws and rules but this was too much. I promptly wrote a letter to the HOA board. Oh it was scathing and sarcastic! I accused the weed counter of being uptight, of just trying to make money for the HOA by being picky (probably not true but at the time sounded good) and challenged them to knock on my door next time they find me in violation and we can walk my yard together so they can point out which weed put me over the limit! I went on to complain about the common area and even put in a jab about my renting neighbors who have like 50 cars parked in front of my house every day that seem to go unnoticed by the HOA! The whole letter was probably overkill and I am sure I sounded crazy but boy did it make me feel better.

After sending the letter away I had to pause and ask myself,"really, is this what your life has come to"? Angry letters to the Home Owners Association?" I guess as I've gotten older I am more tolerant of most things. As far as noisy kids, bad drivers, and alternative music goes, I've come a long way. At the same time I have become sensitive to "governing bodies" in any form overstepping their bounds. In a day and age when so much is weighing on the minds of Americans weed notices just seem petty. Right or wrong it was my way of standing up to “big government”.

I think I will let Amber get the mail for a while:)