Bad Movie/Good Movie

I've watched two movies this weekend.

The first one was HORRIBLE.

It was called "Never Talk To Strangers". It starred Rebecca de Mornay and Antonio Banderas and Dennis Miller.



Usually, these actors are pretty good. But this movie did not showcase their talent one bit.

You know when you laugh at a movie that is suppose to be a thriller, something is wrong.

So, if you are ever tempted to rent this movie, spend your money on something different.

Today, I had a better movie experience.

I watched "P.S. I Love You" with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.


A very interesting love story, that is sad at times, but is good.

It is about a woman whose husband dies, and he sends her letters after he is gone.

I would recommend this movie to rent.

New Haircut Caused By Twelve Angry Men

For at least a year and a half, my husband's hair has been pretty long. He had grown it out because of different parts he played on the stage, such as Harpagon in "The Miser", and his character for "Godspell" last fall.

Well, in his upcoming Kellogg High School production of "Twelve Angry Men", PKR needs to step in and take over as Juror Number 11. This juror is an Eastern European, and PKR felt like this character would probably have short hair.

So, here is the new look:

If you are interested in seeing the upcoming Kellogg High School play, it will be performed next week.
The KHS Drama Department will soon be performing the classic jury room drama “Twelve Angry Men”, but with two separate casts. February 6^th and 9^th (Friday and Monday) our all male cast will take the stage. The 7^th and 10^th (Saturday and Tuesday) the ladies take on the challenge of staging “Twelve Angry Women.” Audiences are encouraged to attend both performances and see how the dynamics of the play may change when performed by a female cast. All performances begin at 7:00 pm on the KHS stage. Cost is $5.00. Keep your ticket and come back another night for half price.

Here are some pictures of the two casts practicing.

Here is the all male cast on the KHS stage during practice this week, preparing for the opening of "Twelve Angry Men".
Here is the all female cast practicing for "Twelve Angry Women". Z2 is Juror Number Five. She is second from the left in this picture.

I have been assisting PKR in this production, and it has been fun to see the students work on their character development. I look forward to next weekend, and opening night for both casts.

Special Olympics Torch Run

What a wonderful opportunity we had today at Kellogg Middle School.

The Special Olympics World Games Torch Run came to KMS for an assembly this afternoon, and it was wonderful.

As our principal Cal Ketchum introduced the assembly, about 30 Special Olympics athletes and Law Enforcement officers from around the world came into the gym, with two members carrying the torch at the front of the group.

Choir Director Joy Persoon, and her "Joybells" started off the assembly singing a beautiful rendition of "The National Anthem. That was the first time I got a bit teary.

AJ Fry, one of the Special Olympics athletes, spoke about becoming an athlete five years ago, and how it changed his life. In the last five years, he has earned over 30 gold medals, 20 or so silver medals, and 4 bronze medals.


Prior to attending the Special Olympics International World Games in Shanghai, China, AJ had this to say:

“I have made many friends, won many gold medals and traveled all over Southern California as a Special Olympics athlete. I get to represent the United States and California in the World Games. What an honor.”

Dave Wuolle, the Kellogg Chief of Police, along with Police Commissioner Merv Hill also spoke and greeted the torch run participants.

We sang along as Joy and her "Joybells" sang "Lean on Me", a very appropriate song for these athletes.

At the end, the members of the torch run spread out through the crowd of students, and their photographer took a big group picture.

Could someone hand me a Kleenix please?

Here you can find out a little more about the Special Olympics Torch Run, and the World Games, being held in Boise, Idaho February 7-13, 2009.

Here Comes The Bride

PKR and I are entering another phase of our life.

I can tell by the wedding invitations that arrive in the mail.

They are all from children.

Or at least, that is what they seem to me.

When girls my oldest daughters age are getting married, I think of them as children.

The Princess was a bridesmaid in a wedding in December. She is in another wedding in May. We just received an invitation today from the daughter of some dear friends who live in Montana. The last time I saw this bride to be, she was jumping on the trampoline with my girls, and taking them to Vacation Bible School.

My how time flies.

Thank goodness I haven't had to start humming "Sunrise, Sunset" with my daughters quite yet.

The Frozen Man

With the temperature at 3 degrees, this song seems appropriate.

Worship

Worship: reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.

Almost every Sunday morning, my husband and I have the wonderful privilege to lead worship at our church.

People attending church worship in many different ways.

The style at our church is very contemporary, singing contemporary Christian music.

For me, it is what works. It is the style of worship that gets my mind off of me, and gets my focus on God.

To me, that is what worshiping God is all about.

In the Book of Revelations, the fourth chapter paints a beautiful picture of worship, one I catch a glimpse of, just a little taste of what worshiping God in Heaven may be like. I can't comprehend it by any means, but I do seem to get a taste of it on Sunday mornings.

Read the words, and have it paint the picture for you:

Revelation 4

Worship in Heaven

1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit,^[a] and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit^[b] of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

We all need something bigger than ourselves to focus on and worship. Why not God, the creator of the Universe? We need to all believe in something bigger than ourselves.

Below if a video of one of the songs we sang this morning in church.

The song is called "Still", and it talks about in the midst of the storms in our life, we need to be still before God. This video shows the type of worship we have at our church, and this is the kind of worship that takes my mind off of myself, and draws me to focus and worship God.

Good Food, Good Conversation, Good Friends

Each month, one of the highlights I look forward to is gathering together with my Huckleberry Book Club to share about a book we have read, catch up on life, and share a wonderful meal together.

This month, our book was "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski.




I was the one who picked the book, but I couldn't get through it. If you read about the book on the book sleeve, you know the father dies at the first part of the book.

I didn't want to keep reading, because I didn't want the father to die.

But those who did read the book really thought it was good, and beautifully written. So I'm not giving up on Edgar Sawtelle. He just got shelved for a while.

Book club was special this month, because it was JR's birthday. We met at NP's house, and she had birthday napkins and little birthday party favors, and a birthday balloon. Birthday cake was served, and presents were shared with the birthday girl.

VA is always doing something new, and now she is volunteering at a Community TV station in Spokane, and learning how to make documentaries. She shared with us her first try with a documentary on the Saranac Hotel in Spokane. It was fun to watch her new creative endeavor, and look forward to seeing many more.

SD couldn't partake in all our wonderful feast today, because she is on a 21 cleansing detox, and is getting ready to go on a Mexican cruise with her parents next month. But she could eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

MP seems to be doing better. Her daughter passed away last summer after a brave fight with cancer, and it has been a hard season, with Thanksgiving and Christmas without her daughter. But MP is pressing on, and has the love and support of family and friends to help her through this time. I am so privileged to be one of those friends.



This month's read is a book by Norwegian author Per Petterson called "Out Stealing Horses." I'm looking forward to reading a book from a culture I am not familiar with, such as Norway.

I get to host the club next month, and look we are going to have a Norwegian smorgasbord as our menu for February. JR is half Norwegian, and is going to make homemade Lefse for us with her own Lefse iron. It should be a yummy feast!!

Happy Inauguration Day!!!

Happy Inauguration Day!!

Last Chance Harvey

Tonight PKR, The Princess and I went and saw the move "Last Chance Harvey", a delightful romantic comedy.

It was rather a special night, because it is the 19th of the month. On my Christmas presents this year, PKR kept writing 10 and 19 on each of the tags, and I wasn't quite sure why. Then he explained that one of his presents to me is on the 10th of every month we would take time to plan a date on the 19th of every month throughout the year.

The numbers 10 and 19 are significant, because PKR proposed to me on December 10, and we were married on July 19.

So our first date was going to Coeur d'Alene to watch "Last Chance Harvey". We let The Princess come along, too, because she needed some cheering up, and we didn't mind sharing our date with her.

We had a couple of choices, but I chose this movie. Partly because I wasn't in the mood for lots of swearing, violence or sex, so that nixed a couple of the choices.

This was a lovely suprise. The only thing I knew about this movie was it starred Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, and they had both been nominated for Golden Globe awards.

It was refreshing to watch a movie about two people falling in love, who are over 40. Also, I could count the swear words on maybe one hand, and these were pretty mild.

I enjoyed watching this relationship unfold throughout the movie, and, even though the script was predictable in some senses, it was such a delight to watch.

For anyone wanting a nice, feel good, clean romantic comedy, I give this film two thumbs up.

4 x 4 Photo Fun

I was tagged today by Kimberly's Scrappin' Momma in a photo meme.

Here is my photo:

Some of my zucchini harvest from my summer garden of 2008. And now, in the middle of winter, I long for those wonderful, fresh vegetables of last summer.

So here are the rules:

1. Go to the fourth folder where you keep your photos.

2. Post the fourth picture in that folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag four fellow bloggers to join in the fun.



So I'm going to have to tag

1. Inland Empire Girl at Gathering Around the Table

2. Raymond Pert at Kellogg Bloggin'

3. Nita Jo at Little Grey Gardens

4. Susie J at Sidekick

A Foggy Land of Enchantment

Our Sibling Assignment for this week is Fog, as posed to us by Raymond Pert.

IEG's poetry post is here, and RP's post will be here.

Last week, for a brief moment, I was transported to a foggy land of enchantment.

PKR and I were driving home from Coeur d'Alene along Interstate 90, and as we passed the Rose Lake junction, we could tell there was a full moon.

We kept catching glimpses of it as the road turned.

Then, as the road straightened out and we entered the Cataldo Slough area, our world transformed.

We were transported into a land of dense areas of fog near the ground, but clear sky above with the full moon casting a silvery glow on the fog below.

As the fog permeated our car, the damp, organic, moistness of the fog invaded my nostrils. It was almost like being in the fog at the ocean, but the smell was full of more earthy smells, like the slough had condensed and invaded the car for a brief moment.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a slough is like a bog or a swamp. It is a marshy, reedy pool of backwater full of grassy plants and covers either side of Interstate 90 from just past the Rose Lake junction to the sighting of the Cataldo Mission.

And the Old Mission also was a character in this enchanted world we entered. Perched high on her hill, a beacon of light for travelers heading into the Silver Valley from the west, her grassy slope was covered with a thick cloud of silvery white as we drove by.

Once past the mission, the moon left us, and we were enveloped in an ordinary fog once again, and continued on our way past Cataldo, and Kingston, Pinehurst and Smelterville, until we reached out destination of Kellogg and home.

But that brief moment of silvery enchantment there on the Cataldo flats will never leave me.

Knitting Fever

A Poem To Knit By

Under the fence
(Insert the tip of the right needle up into the center of the top loop on the left needle.)

Catch the sheep
(Wrap the yarn from back to front around the right (back) needle.)

Back we come
(Insert the tip of the rightneedle down into the center of the stitch on the left needle, then toward your body.)

Off we leap
(Pull the right needle up so that the stitch on the left needle slides off the tip of the left needle.)

I can to a lot of crafty things.

I just don't stay with one for very long.

I learned how to crochet and knit when I was in college.

Now, over the past 20 years or so, I occasionally pick up my knitting needles or my crochet hook and make something.

I was motivated yesterday to begin knitting again, because Z2 needed some lessons. She is rehearsing for Kellogg High School's upcoming drama production "Twelve Angry Women", and her character is knitting throughout the play. So she asked me to teach her how.

So I decided to get out my knitting needles and start on a project as well.

I started this scarf last night, and it is coming along nicely.


It kind of looks patriotic in this picture, but the third color is actually purple, not blue.

To refresh my memory, I always go back to using the information in this book:




It has nice, simple instructions on how to cast on, knit, purl and cast off. That is where I found the cute little knitting poem, too.

So, while I'm motivated, I'm taking advantage of the "knitting fever" that has come over me, and I hope to keep it going for some time.

Facebook--Discovering a Whole New World

I joined Facebook over a year ago, but wasn't really active on it. I didn't really understand it that much. I had two or three friends, one who would occasionally post things that I would read, but other than that, I was pretty inactive.

Then my brother, Raymond Pert, joined right before Christmas, and that got me active. And it has literally opened up a whole new world for me.

I enjoy being able to chat with The Princess while she is at college. It is cheaper than a phone call.

Some of my "friends" are my kids, my brother, my sister-in-law, and friends from here in Kellogg.

But the fun part of this whole new world has been finding people I haven't seen or even thought about for over 20 years.

Some are people I went to college with at the University of Idaho.

I've found a couple people that were on my summer project when I worked as an intern at the International Headquarters for Campus Crusade for Christ in Arrowhead Spring, California. There were 20 college students there that summer in 1984, and I've found two of them, and hope to find more.

It is fun to find one friend, then go through their list and connect with more people.

At first I was a little overwhelmed by all the comments that come up on the page that have to do with all your different friends, but now I've figured it out, and it is fun to read them, and see what people are doing or saying or thinking about.

You can also post photographs, and share them with your friends.

It is amazing what is on this site. Yes, granted, it can be a bit of a time waster, but I try not to spend too much time looking for people I know to be my friend.

But it does feel good once your request is accepted.

Wanna be my "friend"?

Then come and explore this brave new world and sign up for Facebook

Listening to American Idol

I'm sitting here in the dining room as the girls are watching last night's American Idol premiere on tape in the living room.

As I listen, it is very painful.

I wonder if it is as painful to watch.

I'm also hearing lots of laughter from the other room.

Sorry, I'm not a big reality TV fan. If you are, good for you. It just isn't my thing.

But I do have to admit Carrie Underwood does have an amazing voice, and if it weren't for AI, I probably wouldn't be able to enjoy her voice.

Oooooh, but I have to go to bed now. It is still too painful to listen to.

And I don't like to watch it either, because I don't like it when the people are bad, and the judges have to tell them.

Maybe I'll go watch some more feel good Mamma Mia.

A Perfect Day

When I was gone for a week, and got out of the rhythm of blogging, I kind of forgot our last sibling assignment, which was given to us by Inland Empire Girl.

The assignment was: "describe a perfect day". IEG's perfect day is found here, and RP's perfect day is found here.

A perfect day for me would go something like this:

A Perfect Day

Ding Dong.

Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark.

Ding Dong.

Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark.

I woke up on a Saturday morning to the sound of the doorbell ringing, and the dogs barking, signaling that someone was at the door. I looked at the clock. It was 7 a.m.

"Maybe they will go away if I just lay here and ignore them," I said to myself. After all, I was home alone this weekend, no one to cook for, no schedule...I wanted to sleep.

But it was obvious with the continued ding donging and bark barking that the guest at the front door was going to be persistent.

I crawled out of bed, threw on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, ran my fingers through my hair, and headed for the door.

When I opened it up, I looked down, and there were three very short people standing on my front porch. They were dressed in work clothes, each a different color. One had blue clothes, one had red clothes, and one had green clothes. Upon closer inspection, they each also had very pointed ears.

"May I help you?" I asked, after a long awkward silence.

Blue guy stepped forward.

"Good morning. We are here to help you," he said.

"Help me?"

"Yes. We are the cleaning elves. We travel around the world searching for people in need of a good house cleaning and some organization help," he said.

The red guy stepped up next.

"The cleaning elf express, at your service."

"But, why me?"

Now it was the green guys turn to step up.

"Every time you made a wish and blew out your candles, every time you threw a coin in a fountain, and every time you saw the first star in the sky, you made the same wish....to have your house clean and organized. So, it is your time to let us make your wish come true," he said.

"Yeah, we are kind of like the Make A Wish Foundation for Desperate Housewives," said the red guy.

The other two elves groaned.

"So, what exactly are you going to do?" I asked.

"We come in with our magical cleaning supplies, and go through your house, cleaning every corner, crevice and stain," said the green guy.

"Then we go through every box and tote and bag and either display it, shelve it, box it or throw it," said the blue guy.

"By the time we are done, you wish will be fulfilled. You will live in a state of peace and harmony, with a place for everything, and everything in its place," red guy added.

At this point, all I could think of was to invite them in, and let them get started. We sat in my living room, and they explained things a bit more thoroughly. Then I gave them a tour of the house, so they could take notes on what needed to be done.

"Now, you just sit back, get your book, grab your computer, do whatever it is you want to do, but just relax. Leave the work to us. If we have any questions about anything, we'll let you know," said blue.

So I grabbed the book I'd been reading, plugged in my laptop, and relaxed as I watched in amazement as the elves became a flurry of magical activity.

Before I knew it, the walls were wiped down, cob webs gone, windows washed, and floors swept and mopped. Shelves were dusted, furniture vacuumed, and the once dingy, stained white carpet now looked like brand new.

The fireplace was swept out, the stainless steel in the kitchen gleamed, and the laundry piles were gone in the laundry room.

Then they headed to the basement. Again, dusting, sweeping, mopping, disinfecting. It was all getting done.

"Now it is time to organize," I heard one of them say.

So they went into the various storage rooms in the basement. I could hear quite a flurry of activity.

As this was going on, I just sat leisurely by drank tea, read my book, and occasionally got on my computer.

Before I knew it, it was 5 p.m., and the three elves were standing in front of me.

"All done," said green guy.

"Come and see, come and see," said red guy.

"I think you will be quite pleased," said blue guy.

So the three little men escorted me to the basement, and took me into my storage closets. Shelves were stacked with totes with labels of what was in side. Bookshelves were labeled and the titles were in alphabetical order. Bags of trash were already thrown in the garbage in the garage.

I was in Heaven.

"What can I ever do to repay you?" I asked.

"Just that smile on your face was payment enough, ma'am," said blue guy.

"Now everything is clean, organized, and in its place," said red guy.

"And now you know what it is like to have a perfect day," said green guy.

Yes I did.

Wintersong.....or some fun on iTunes

I saw this on The Wayward Episcopalian's blog, and thought it looked fun.

Here are two games to pass the time with your iTunes (or other music player) shuffle. One thing you can do with this is tag other people so they'll do it on their blogs or Facebook notes too, making it a meme. I'll tag five people on Facebook, and another five here (untagged folks are also welcome to play!). I tag IEG, Idaho Dad, Raymond Pert, Some Guy Who Blogs, and Nita Jo.

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG TITLE DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

Questions:
1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
32 Down on the Robert McKenzie Paul Gross and David Keely
2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Away in a Manger
3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Sing the Changes The Firemen
4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Caldonia Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis
5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
After the War Paul Gross and David Keely
6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
I Believe R. Kelly
7) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Silent Night Sarah Brightman
8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
I'll Be Home for Christmas Sarah McLachlan
9) WHAT IS 2+2?
Man on a Bicycle Paul Gross and David Keely
10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Morning Has Broken Aaron Neville
11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
O Come All Ye Faithful Karaoke
12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Dance Til We're High The Firemen
13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
I Saw The Light Aaron Neville
14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
1 2 3 4 Feist
15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
While Shepherds Watched Their Flock By Night Karaoke
16) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Bright Lights, Big City Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis
17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Touch the Hand of Love Yo Yo Ma
18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
You Go To My Head Tony Bennett
19) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
A Change Is Gonna Come Aaron Neville
20) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
If Everyone Believed David Phelps
21) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Wintersong Sarah McLachlan

“Put your iPod/iTunes on shuffle. Write down the first lines of the first twenty songs to form a poem. Exclude instrumental pieces as needed. Like so:

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Clouds part just to give us a little sun
It must have been moonglow
Oh the weather outside is frightful
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning
O Bless The Lord the My Soul
Alas alas for you lawyers and pharisees
Ave Maria
Go tell, tell it on the mountain
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be, you're gonna give your love to me,
Some people go to school tryin' to learn how to teach
And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?
When the evenin' sun goes down you're gonna find me hangin' 'round...
What child is this who lay to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Sing. Sing a Song. Sing out loud. Sing out strong.
When you're down and troubled and you need some loving care
Day by day, day be day, oh dear Lord three things I pray
You may be the ambassador to the King of England or France
I stood on the banks of Jordan one day.

Happy Birthday Inland Empire Girl!!

Inland Empire Girl and Silver Valley Girl building a snowman the winter of 1968-1969.

Today is my sister Inland Empire Girl's Birthday. I send all my love across the miles up to her little piece of heaven up in Northeastern Washington state.

For being eight years apart, we have a lot in common, and many of the same interests.

We even sound alike. Our voices are very similar, and we talk alike when we speak. We have many of the same mannerisms as well.

Many of the choices I made in life were because I followed in my big sister's footsteps.

IEG played the flute, and so did I.

IEG was in Rainbow Girls, and so was I.

IEG acted in plays in high school, and so did I.

IEG attended the University of Idaho, and so did I.

IEG pledged the Tri Delta Sorority, and so did I.

IEG loves to write, and so do I. In fact, she has taught me an incredible amount about the craft of writing.

IEG loves to read, and so do I. She is always passing on books to me to read, and we had a wonderful used book hunt this summer.

IEG love to cook and bake, and so do I. We both have our own styles that we have adapted from our mother, but we both have lots of fun in the kitchen.

IEG loves to garden, and so do I. Her ever changing landscape up on Lake Roosevelt is a wonder to behold every time I visit. But I'm glad neither of us are afraid to get our hands dirty, as far as gardening goes.

IEG loves her animals, and so do I. Between the two of us, we have four dogs and nine cats. Pets have been a part of each of our lives for almost 30 years now.

IEG loves music, and so do I. She greatly influenced my taste in music. I spent hours when I was younger listening to her albums, such as The Carpenters, Carole King, Boz Scaggs and Elton John, to name a few.

IEG loves to watch movies, and so do I. She is quite the movie trivia buff, especially the older movies. I think one of my favorite memories of going to a movie with IEG was going to see "Dante's Peak" in Boise. This movie is a comedy by no means, but when a movie is filmed in the Silver Valley, and they change things up, put a volcano in Wallace, and cover it in ash, there tends to be a little humor in that, at least we thought so. The people in front of us, however, did not see the humor.

IEG has a strong faith in God, and so do I. It is always comforting to know that she and JEJ are always there to say a prayer for whatever is going on in our lives.

I'm glad I have such a wonderful sister, and wonderful friend.

Happy Birthday, Sissy. I hope you have a very blessed day and wonderful year ahead, because you deserve it!!

All my love....Silver Valley Girl

The Best Love Song Ever

I listened to Tony Bennett's CD at work today, and on the CD is the song "The Way You Look Tonight".

To me, this is the ultimate love song. Especially with Tony Bennett singing it.

Sigh.

Back To The Grind

Getting up and back to work today wasn't as bad as I imagined. Work was actually very productive, and it wasn't hard waking up early, either. I thought I'd feel a bit more like Garfield in the morning, but it wasn't that bad.

Having two weeks off at Christmas is nice, but it sure does mess with the schedule. It is nice to be back to a normal schedule. I talked to NR, my walking buddy, and we are going to finally go walking tomorrow. We are going to see what walking at the high school is like. I got on the treadmill this afternoon, and boy did my legs enjoy the movement. It felt GOOD!!!

I am at the beginning of the Daniel Fast. This is the third year PKR and I have started off the new year with this kind of fast. Our church takes the first 21 days of the year to fast and pray, and get focused on our relationship with God. It is a type of spiritual discipline that really is a good way to get headed in the right direction for the new year. It is a partial fast, focusing on eating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and some dairy. No meat, preservatives, caffeine or sugars. I always feel so good when I eat this way.

The snow continues to fall here in the Silver Valley. But we aren't as bad as the Coeur d'Alene to Spokane area. It sounds like some of those schools are closed tomorrow just so the roofs can be evaluated on snow loads. Yikes!! Yesterday Spokane had 61 inches of snow on the ground, and probably got more today.

We have snow, but so far it seems managable.

Well, time to get to bed so I won't turn into Garfield in the morning.

Ta-ta for now.

Happy New Year!!

I've been gone for a week, and am kind of out of blogging rhythm, so that is why I haven't written. But I'll be back to work tomorrow, and back to a somewhat normal schedule.

We had a nice visit with family last week down in the Meridian/Boise/Nampa area.

Here are the girls with their cousins..KR, The Princess, Z2, TR and Kiki Aru.
Here is PKR and his siblings, Kent, PKR, Laurie, Kevin and David.We met our grand nephew Trace for the first time. Here he is enjoying time with Grandpa Kent.
One of the highlights for me was visiting my Uncle Harry who lives in Boise. Here is Kiki Aru, Uncle Harry, me and Z2.

Harry lives in an assisted living residence, and we met some of the people who also live there. One man, Vic, was particularly memorable. He had just turned 100 about a week before. While a younger man, Vic worked for the J.C. Penney Company, and his job was to open new stores around the country. He actually knew J.C. Penney. He was a delightful man, and you would have never known he was 100 years old. Uncle Harry said there are actually three residents at his home that are 100 over older. Amazing!!!

We were glad to safely arrive home on Friday afternoon. The wind was really strong between Nampa and Pendleton, and the roads were really snowy on I-90 between Ritzville and Spokane. We probably saw over a dozen cars off the road, and two of them were turned over. And people weren't even going that fast.

Then we had a late Christmas with Inland Empire Girl and JEJ on Friday night, then off to Post Falls on Saturday for Kiki Aru's basketball game. It was a great game, and they won by one point. Kiki Aru made the free throw that ended the tie, and helped them win the game. They have one more game next Saturday, then 7th grade school basketball begins.

Today we are enjoying some peace and quiet before going back to school tomorrow. It is beautiful outside with the sky blue and sunny. It must be warmer, because the icicles are melting. The Princess had a visit from Boyfriend. She was glad to see him.

I'm really looking forward to this new year. A lot to anticipate, and I hope to see some permanent life changes that will make life better as well. (After a visit to the doctor a few weeks ago, I found out my cholesterol and triglycerides are really high, so some definite life changes are in order. I feel like I am a ticking time bomb, and it is finally time to wise up and do something about it.)

Thanks to all of you who read and comment and email me about my blog. Feedback is always appreciated, and I look forward to writing more in the year ahead.

God Bless!!