Leaving for a Vacation :)

I think I may see the sun coming out!!

That would be a relief not to have to pack up

the van in the pouring rain for sure.

 

The kids are all ready to boogie and here sits

mom on the computer, lol, I just can't leave!!

This poor thing isn't going to know what happened,

I hope it doesn't forget me while

I'm gone, heehee

Leaving Tomorrow

  Well, try as I might I just cannot stay awake any longer.

I was up for work extra early this morning so I could go catch up on the laundry, as we have a dryer down. After work I was home long enough to do a quick change and then back to town to stock up and loads of food for our vacation. Did an little bit of packing tonite too and as I look at it all, the food takes up most of the room in the van for sure, lol! But with no hydro or facilities we need to bring lots of water and juices.

 

I think I will set my alarm for early in the morning to get a start again before it gets to hot out again. Today was a scorcher, way too humid!

We will be leaving by noon tomorrow so I'm not sure how much time I will get to pop in here.

We are lucky to have a house to 'camp' out in. It's the same house that my mom grew up in and it's wonderful to hear stories from my aunts and uncles while we are there about their days in the house. Most of my mom's siblings still live in the area there so we get lots of visitors and our familiy reunion in tomorrow. There are 11 in their family still so counting kids and grandkids, we have lots of relatives who will be coming for the day.

 

I know how neat it is to watch my own children do the same things back there, like playing in the creek, that I used to do when I went there as a child, so I can only imagine how sweet it is for my mom to watch her grandchildren doing the same thing she did.

 

I love that there are no phones(even cell phones don't work there, lol), no t.v's and we can just enjoy each other's company for awhile and the peace and quiet. The kids love it too.

Tour De Lance, lol!

 Was anyone following the Tour de France? I was hoping that Lance would take it again to make it six in a row so I was following it on the radio updates. Amazing that this man has overcome so much and is still breaking records. What an inspiration he is!

 

PARIS (AP) - Lance Armstrong made history Sunday by winning the Tour de France for a record sixth time, an achievement that confirmed him as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.

His sixth crown in six dominant years elevated Armstrong above four champions who won five times.

And never in its 101-year-old history has the Tour had a winner like Armstrong - a Texan who just eight years ago was given less than a 50 percent chance of overcoming testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.

Armstrong's unbeaten streak since 1999 has helped reinvigorate the greatest race in cycling, steering it into the 21st century. And the Tour, as much a part of French summers as languid meals over chilled rose, molded Armstrong into a sporting superstar.

No. 6. The record. The achievement was almost too much even for Armstrong to comprehend.

``It might take years. I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet. But six, standing on the top step on the podium on the Champs-Elysees is really special,'' he said.

For him, Sunday's final ride into Paris and its famous tree-lined boulevard was a lap of honor he savored with a glass of champagne in the saddle.

Even Jan Ullrich, his main adversary in previous years who had his worst finish this Tour, gulped down a glass offered by Armstrong's team manager through his car window.

Belgian rider Tom Boonen won the final sprint on the Champs-Elysees, with Armstrong cruising safely behind with the trailing pack to claim his crown. Armstrong's winning margin over second-placed Andreas Kloden was 6 minutes, 19 seconds, with Italian Ivan Basso in third at 6:40. Ullrich finished fourth.

Armstrong opened a new page for the Tour in 1999 just one year after the race faced its worst doping scandal, ejecting the Festina team after police caught one of its employees with a stash of drugs.

Armstrong's victories and his inspiring comeback from cancer have drawn new fans to the race. His professionalism, attention to detail, grueling training methods and tactics have raised the bar for other riders hoping to win the three-week cycling marathon.

Eye-catching in the bright yellow race leader's jersey he works so hard for, Armstrong donned a golden cycling helmet for Sunday's relaxed roll past sun-baked fields of wheat and applauding spectators into Paris from Montereau in the southeast.

He joked and chatted with teammates who wore special blue jerseys with yellow stripes. They stretched in a line across the road with their leader for motorcycle-riding photographers to record the moment. The team was the muscle behind Armstrong's win, leading him up grueling mountain climbs, shielding him from crashes and wind, and keeping him stoked with drinks and food.

With five solo stage wins and a team time-trial victory with his U.S. Postal Service squad, this was Armstrong's best Tour. He built his lead from Day 1, placing second in the third-fastest debut time trial in Tour history.

That performance silenced doubts that Armstrong, at 32, was past his prime. Even more so than in other Tours that he dominated, Armstrong finished off rivals in the mountains - with three victories in the Alps, including a time trial on the legendary climb to L'Alpe d'Huez, and another in the Pyrenees.

He also took the final time trial on Saturday, even though he his overall lead was so big he didn't need the win.

``We never had a sense of crisis, only the stress of the rain and the crashes in the first week,'' Armstrong said. ``I was surprised that some of the rivals were not better. Some of them just completely disappeared.''

Basque rider Iban Mayo peaked too early when he beat Armstrong in the warm-up Dauphine Libere race three weeks before the Tour. Mayo crashed in the Tour's rain-soaked, nervous first week, racing toward a treacherous stretch of cobblestones that Armstrong crossed safely.

Mayo finally abandoned the race after the Pyrenees, his morale shot after two disappointing rides in the mountains where he'd hoped to win in front of Basque fans.

Former Armstrong teammates Roberto Heras, left trailing in the mountains, and American Tyler Hamilton, badly bruised in a crash, also went home.

``The little guys, the pure climbers - Mayo, Tyler - the first week is very hard on them, always fighting for position, the wind. A lot of acceleration through villages at the finish. This becomes a problem for them after 10 days,'' Armstrong said. ``That's the beauty of the Tour. If the race was 10 or 12 days long, they'd be much better. You have to do it all.''

Ullrich, the 1997 champion and a five-time runner-up, never recovered from seeing Armstrong zoom into the distance for two straight days in the Pyrenees.

The only rider to stay with Armstrong there was Basso, a 26-year-old with the makings of a future winner. He came out of the Alps, where
Armstrong for the first time in his career won three consecutive stages, in second place overall.

But Kloden, the German champion and Ullrich's teammate, outdid the soft-spoken Basso in the final time trial, placing third behind Armstrong and Ullrich. That ride propelled Kloden, who did not complete last year's Tour, into second spot on the podium, pushing Basso back to third.

``I never would have predicted Kloden before the Tour. But you could see he was really strong and skinny in the first week,'' Armstrong said.

07/25/04 12:14 EDT

Family Reunions

 Hello!!

 

How has your weekend gone?

 

I just got home from work and I've put a load of laundry in (the boys

play soccer tonite and their clothes aren't washed yet, lol). So I'm

popping in for a minute before I need to go and hang them on the line.

I hope they dry before their game tonite. It's another of the make-up

games from a rain date. Work was good today, well as good as work

can be, lol, but I did find out that our summer girl quit. Not too sure

what is going to happen when we all start going on holidays that

she was scheduled to fill in

 

We had a family reunion yesterday for my dad's side of the family

and next weekend we are going on vacation where we will attend

a reunion for my mom's side of the family. I can't wait, only I will

be away from the computer for 5 days!!

 

I hope you are all having a good day!

Tired

  Well time for me to turn in, my eyes are getting a little

sore straining to see my computer screen, lol!

I had a really rough nite last nite with lots of nightmares

which is very unusualy for me.

We have a family reunion tomorrow at my dad's which I'm looking forward to. I will make up my goodies to take in the morning when I'm a little fresher

I watched the movie 'Mystic River' today with Sean Penn in it and it was

a real good one. A tragedy brings 3 childhood friends (boys) together again after many years apart. I would recommend it for sure.

Other than the laundry, a little gardening, a little grocery shopping,

cleaning up the living room and mopping there, about all I got done

here on the computer was to screw up my file options again!! It

all started when I saved my first PSP file and it screwed up how my other pictures were classified and opened. I know seems strange doesn't it, lol, but I'll figure it out sooner or later!

Sweet Dreams my Friends

Make-up Games

 We are just finished supper and I wanted to pop in and say hi

before we got to soccer. We have two make-up games tonite, one for

Hannah and one for Cody, from a week when all the games were

rained out. When she heard that it was a make-up game, Hannah asked

if she was allowed to use my make-up to go to the game, lol!!

 

We were supposed to get thunder-storms here too Erin but

they didn't develop. Gotta hate those storms though eh, when you've

gotta turn off your computer, or risk gettin' blown up, lol!

 

It was pretty hot at work today. It's so muggy you

can't move without sweating!!

 

Have a great evening everyone. I should be around tomorrow,

it's my day off unless the new girl calls in sick again!!

Make-Up

 We are just finished supper and I wanted to pop in and say hi

before we got to soccer. We have two make-up games tonite, one for

Hannah and one for Cody, from a week when all the games were

rained out. When she heard that it was a make-up game, Hannah asked

if she was allowed to use my make-up to go to the game, lol!!

 

We were supposed to get thunder-storms here too Erin but

they didn't develop. Gotta hate those storms though eh, when you've

gotta turn off your computer, or risk gettin' blown up, lol!

 

It was pretty hot at work today. It's so muggy you

can't move without sweating!!

 

Have a great evening everyone. I should be around tomorrow,

it's my day off unless the new girl calls in sick again!!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

 How hot is it where you are????lol

It's another scorching day here, hot and very humid.

While sweeping the floors this morning, the broom kept

bouncing along, lol, the floors are so damp along with everything

else!! I've managed to get a couple loads of wash done and

the dishes too but that's about it!! Phewww...too hot to

do housework, lol...and any excuse will do

 

We were off to town to get some gas for the lawnmower

after lunch on the patio. The boys say it's too hot to mow right

now, but I say they are lucky they have a riding one now, lol!

They will mow it later when it gets a little cooler and then

we are off to another soccer game tonite. The kids had great fun

at Cody's game last nite. The other team was a few players short

so we loaned them some of ours and it was fun to watch them

play against their teammates!

 

The boys bought a blow up boat today to use when we go

on vacation in a few weeks and then we came back home

and had ice cream cones under the shade tree

 

 I work tomorrow so I may not be back

till then. Mike's brother and nephew are coming for a visit

tonite before the soccer game so time may be limited

 

Have a great evening and a wonderful tomorrow!

Sleeping In

 How is everyone's day going??

I slept in late again, boy, I could get used to this, lol!

So when I got up at 9:30 (hehe) the boys and Hannah

were all watchingLord of the Rings 3,

so I took my coffee and my cinnamon bagel and went

out on the patio to read a bit of my new book.

It's called "Through Angel's Eyes"

by W. Hopper.

It's a glimpse into to life of an angel and the

people he encounters along the way.

It's beautiful and just as I thought it would, it brings

tears to my eyes. It's insightful and inspiring and I

would recommend it to anyone who loves a feel good read.

Not too sure what we're up to around here today.

I see the grass needs to be cut though, lol!

And my sheets are about ready to hang on the line.

Have a great day everyone!

Why do People Still do This?

 BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - A three-year-old boy died when his dentist father left him inside a sport utility vehicle for three hours, officials said.

Dr. Dennis F. Sierra took his son Andres to work with him Thursday and left the boy in the car, intending to be in the office for only a short time, Palm Beach County sheriff's spokeswoman Diane Carhart said.

A relative called Sierra about three hours later to ask about the boy, and the father and office employees rushed to the car to find Andres was not breathing.

The boy died about an hour later at West Boca Medical Center.

It was not immediately known if any charges would be filed. Sierra was not arrested Thursday, said his lawyer, Michael Salnick.

``This is an absolute tragedy, a nightmare,'' Salnick said. ``Total devastation is the only way to describe how Dr. Sierra feels.''

An autopsy was planned.

07/16/04 08:52 EDT

Why oh why do people still do this???? It makes me sooooooo sad to hear of such a senseless tragedy and makes me sooooo mad that people just don't think!! Hasn't there been enough of these incidents now that the whole world must be aware of the danger!!? This man was well educated to say the least and yet still appeared not to have common sense.

The other day at work I had my windows up in the van because they had been calling for rain. It was a cloudy day off and on and when the sun did come through it was only for brief moments, yet when I went out to go home at 2:00, the thermometer read 114 degress F, that's 43 or 44 degrees C!!! It literally was an oven in there.

My heart goes out to this boys family and especially the father, even though it was a careless act, I can't imagine trying to live with that for the rest of my life

My Birthday

 Well, I'm having a wonderful day so far!

The kids treated me to breakfast in bed this morning and even if it was a little early (7:15) it was delicious! I had been given strict orders to stay in bed (not to hard to follow those orders, lol) so that they could do this! I was only expecting cereal and coffee though and up they come with strawberry/blueberry pancakes, great big thick ones at that!! Oh lovely and oh so good!

Thing is Hannah was not awake yet and she had wanted to partake in the fixin', lol, so when she woke up just as I was finishing, downstairs they went to make me more breakfast! I shared my toast with peanut butter and brown sugar with her, it's her favourite anyway, lol!

And then I got to go back to bed until 10:30!! Imagine that! Oh man, I am feeling so spoiled And even now as I type, Colin is outside BBQing weiners for lunch!

I'll be back later girls!

I hope you all have as great a day as I'm having so far!

Update....2:18 am.....

Hehe, Mike was gone to work already but he did come home at lunch time and had hotdogs with us on the patio Then he brought home a birthday cake with him after work and an I.O.U. for a crabapple tree that we are going to pick out this weekend. I got one for my birthday last year and it didn't make it through the winter

 

We all went to Cody's soccer game after supper, and then had our cake and ice cream when we got home later.

 

All in all it was a wonderful day!

Officially 39 and Holding, lol

 Well, I'm having a wonderful day so far! The kids treated me to breakfast in bed this morning and even if it was a little early (7:15) it was delicious! I had been given strict orders to stay in bed (not to hard to follow those orders, lol) so that they could do this! I was only expecting cereal and coffee though and up they come with strawberry/blueberry pancakes, great big thick ones at that!! Oh lovely and oh so good! Thing is Hannah was not awake yet and she had wanted to partake in the fixin', lol, so when she woke up just as I was finishing, downstairs they went to make me more breakfast! I shared my toast with peanut butter and brown sugar with her, it's her favourite anyway, lol! And then I got to go back to bed until 10:30!! Imagine that! Oh man, I am feeling so spoiled And even now as I type, Colin is outside BBQing weiners for lunch!This is my first day off work in 11 and a birthday to boot, lol!!I hope you all have as great a day as I'm having so far!

Working Late

 I worked late today because we had 3 people call in sick. If you ask me I'm thinking maybe they were sick of working and wanted a little of that sunshine, lol!! It really does suck when you have to work and the weather is as gorgeous as it is here.

 

Anyway, I got home from work and we ate on the patio to enjoy a little of that sunshine, then I was off to town to pick up a couple groceries, some gas and two kids who were at friends houses. I just got done enjoying some of those berries I picked last nite with some sweetened cream cheese, ooooh la la!! lol! Then I had to kick my youngest son off the computer where he's been playing games since we got home, just so I could get at least a wee bit of time in before I hit the sack

 

So how is everyone's weekend going?? How's the weather where you're at??

 

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!