I'm Back!!!!

The Carnival Conquest

Jamaica Mon @ Sunset Beach

Whitley the world traveler dazzles in front of the camera!

John & Jamie in the ship's library

The day before the cruise on Galveston Beach

Well, it was mid March when I last posted in happenings! My last blogg stated that I hoped to post again within the week, but alas, 3 months have sped by at warp speed! zzzooOOOOMMMM!

I had a nice visit with my Uncle Larry, my Dad and family in AZ for 4 days. I am forever thankful for this time as my uncle passed away while we were on vacation, May 31,2009. May he rest is peace!

School was quite a push and very stressful. I have been out for almost a month now and I don't miss it in the least! I hope this attitude passes by August. I finished strong and kept my GPA on track! I have once again applied for a full academic scholarship and should know by the end of July if I have another full ride for my last year at Red Rocks.

Whitley finished strond and we had her continuation ceremony from her primary school to where she will attend for 7th & 8th grade years.

John got his new specks and he loves them. It took a couple of days to adjust..him to wearing them..and me getting used to seeing him wear them. He looks very smart & handsome indeed!

We just got back from a wonderful vacation. We drove thru Texas to the Port of Galveston and took a 7 day cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman. We had perfect weather and had a fabulous time. We concluded the trip by taking two more days to return home to CO.

We have come home to a very, very wet and green state..the most rain we have seen in over 30 years! We are greatful for the water, the forests' thirst quenched and a cool summer. In between the showers I have been trying to catch up on yard work and planting annuals, mulching, etc. I felt really good about my efforts, but tonight we have had 4 heavy downpours and pea sized hail that it looked like snowfall. I cringe to see the damage tomorrow morning to my flowers.

Whitley cleaned out the playhouse..also known as the neighborhood clubhouse today. Her friend Izzy is coming up for a sleepover tomorrow afternoon and her friend Anja is coming for the summer in one more week! We average about 7 kids a day here at the house and it is a blessing for Whit since she has been an only child for so many years.

Whit had some more great news today; she was selected to volunteer at the Genesee Veterinary Clinic & Animall Hospital. A bonus is that it is only 2 miles from the house; her Mom loooves this part! It will give her the required two years of volunteer work to then apply for the Zoo Crew College Prep. Program at the Denver Zoo. The Denver zoo will allow her to care for the animals' habitats, help with sick animals, work with children at the Zoo's summer camps, dress up in costume as zoo animals for promotional events, etc. This has been a lifelong dream for her...since Kindergarten..and perhaps before. YAY WHITLEY!!!

I am excited for my 20th High School Reunion coming up on August 8th. A classmate & I have been working on this since January and it feels like things are coming together. It is in IL so it will also be wonderful to see my Mom & Marv, Dad & Val, my sisters, niece & nephew and so many others! Whitley & I will be driving out with the Jeep, as my Uncle has given John a dirtbike and my Dad is looking for one for Whitley. John will fly in around the 12th or 13th and then we will all drive back the following Monday. Can't wait!!!

Until then, I hope to have some lazy days-eeeze in the hammock reading at liesure, playing some tennis, playing withe kids, etc. I feel like it is going to be a restful, enjoyable summer that is going to breeze by!

I hope all of you are well and having a great start to your summer as well. It's hard to believe the 4th of July is in two more weeks; YIKES!

I guess after my last post in March, I won't make any promises about posting anytime soon. I certainly will do my best and as often as I can!

What We Did Over Spring Break

It was neither felt like Spring or a Break. We were plain busy!

The first two days I finished my business/school portion of taxes so that John could plug the numbers in to the computer program. The result was nice; a return that was 4xs more than last year!

Whitley did a fantastic job helping with Spring Cleaning, ya know, the deep stuff that involves cleaning out closets and drawers and filing and all that good stuff. I also got caught up on laundry and all the bedding switched to Spring comforters.

John got his eyes dilated and tested and we FINALLY ordered him some really nice bifocals with all the bells and whistles on them: transition, no line, non-scratch,etc.

We saw a few friends that we do not normally get to see over the course of the school year and although our time was short, it was sweet indeed!

We have getting storm after storm and some much needed snowfall, which ultimately translates to water!! Surprisingly, I do not mind it as we have had a very mild winter and I know that summer will soon be here..and with a lower threat of forest fires!

I still had 6 jobs I had to run for my cleaning business over break so I'm never really on a vacation until I get out of town all together; I am so thankful to have a job tho!

Our trip to S.Dakota was cancelled due to weather as we had planned to drive it; perhaps another time. I purchased a ticket to see my U. Larry as he has an aggressive form of brain cancer and his time on earth is short. I hope I make it in time to see him. I will be in AZ from the 14-17th.

Other than that, there is 35 calendar days left of my semester, 16 class days and 6 exams to go!!! Whitley has had a fantastic semester and we had a wonderful teacher's conference. The teacher is referring her for the Honor's Program at the Middle School next year so Whit was very pleased with herself...as were we! PHEW!

Right now, my family is waiting on me ot head out the door to eat and to run to Target for a few items. I hope to post next week!

Ta ta for now!

SNOW DAY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Poor John was stuck blowing out the driveway.

Meanwhile, Jamie studied......

Goosebumps and Whitley played.....

...and some overdue filing even got done!!!!!

What do you do when the snow is falling and blowing at a rate of 3 inches per hour?

Hopefully, we all answered, "STAY AT HOME!" However, what we did at home today varied vastly between each of our family members.

Whitley did a little of everything: Played in the snow, read her book and played the computer. Her school was called off very early this morning.

Jamie: For the first time in 30 years classes were cancelled at her school as well. So, she studied for her lab practical that she will be taking tomorrow, filed over a years worth of paperwork and cancelled old credit cards as she carefully reviewed her credit report.

Poor John was left the blowing out the driveway. It was his regularly scheduled day off so in between keeping the drive open, he also squeezed a couple of NETFLIX movies in as well!

WOW! I never knew how productive a snow day could be. It's no wonder we were behind on all these tasks as we have not had a drop of water in three months! Even though, I am ready for Spring, I know that the moisture is greatly needed for our well and forests.

Day at the Spa

( : ( : GIRLY NAILS : ) : )

Whitley and I enjoyed a wonderful day pampering ourselves, enjoying each others company and going out to lunch. I was blessed to spend this time with my daughter as I had no homework over the weekend and the weather was great! We had a great time and are exicted for Spring Break to arrive in a two and half more weeks that should afford us a few more outings together. Before we know, summer will be here and we'll have tons of fun in the sun!!

SUUNY D

SUNNY D is gross in my opinion...nuttin but sugar water.

But Sunny D, as in , the-sun-is- shining- in-Denver....... is FABULOUS!

Today we reached 74 degrees and tomorrow 75. Days like this are killing me because I have so much homework this week and I would love to go for a long run! I tried to run today after class but only went for 20 minutes as I had not eaten the whole day and had forgotten my purse at home; no purse, no moolah, no food! It was like trying to push a car that was out of gas....simply impossible!

Tomorrow, I am gonna be caloried up and hopefully squeeze a run in..even if I am swamped with work!

I'm Baaaackkk!!!

Jamie with Mom's scope

This is Jen. We are the same age and were inducted to Phi Theta Kappa at the same time!

This is Danielle. She doesn't live too far from me, and this semester we have started working out at the gym together. We have to put all this information about our body to good use!

As you can see, we have a great time together. We behaved and didn't make any goofy poses with the anatomical models! Aren't you glad?

Okay, this blog is for Valerie T. and Karen G......

I know you think I dropped off the face of the planet but life just seems to get busier all the time with school. We just finished a unit on the heart, blood, blood vessels and the endocrine system. I learned how to read and an EKG and EEG and examine the waves for the various chambers of the heart. It was a special unit as I got to use my stethoscope, given to me by my late mother-in-law, Odelia.

When John was back in Pennsylvania, he asked me if there was anything I wanted of Mom's and at the time, I could only think of a rosary. The rosary is special to me because Mom figured out a way to pray for each one of her children and even her married grandchild's family, using each Hail Mary. I loved how she personalized this prayer and how I knew she thought of us each and every day. Not only was I blessed to have a rosary, John also gave me her scope, blood pressure cuff and a couple of pins that she received while working at the Leader Nursing home. I was touched by John's thoughtfulness and am honored to use these intruments that aid in providing life sustaining information!

I thought I would show you a picture of how I proudly donned her stethescope and a few of my friends who see me more often than my old friends do. Please know you are in my heart and I think of you all often! Someday, we are going to celebrate and take a girls trip when this is all over with! Have a great weekend!

On a Roll for the Honor Roll

For the second trimester Whitley once again made the Honor Roll with a 3.49 GPA. Congratualtions Whitley.  We know that school does not come easy for you and that YOU worked very hard for this.  We are very proud of you!  Love-Mom & Dad