My civil duties

Today was the first time in my life that I have ever been called to Jury duty. Everyone else seems to dread it but I was looking forward to it. Jeff talks about court all the time and I wanted to at least experience it one time for myself.

I go, get squeezed into a room not near enough to fit all of us, and sit for over an hour. One group of names called, not mine, and they get dismissed. Another hour goes by and we get escorted to another building like a group of cattle and we listen for our juror number. I'm excited because I have never been in a courtroom, let alone see the judge and defendant (who by the way is in jail clothes, handcuffs, and shakled). As time goes by, I realize that I needed to be careful what I wished for. The defendant kept being escorted out of the courtroom for having outbursts about his need for another attorney and four doctors declaring him competent. OH BOY!!!! I listen for my number and right before lunch I am called. I AM SITTING IN THE JURY BOX...pretty exciting for me but now I'M SCARED.

The trial is for a sexual offender who refused to register for the last 2 years and was being accused of molesting a child. HELLO....COUNT ME OUT!!! I made it this far and I can't go any further. My sole purpose in life is to protect my children and being the owner and operator of a preschool/daycare, I protect other people's children as well. SORRY...can't be partial on this one.

There is always hope for another trial next year. Glad I witnessed it though.

The first official day..

Today was the first day of preschool for the kids. Nicholas is entering his third year and Isabella is entering her first. Both went out the door with kisses and "love you's" and never looked back. Hope they have a GREAT day!!!!

Two out of three

One...Everyone is sitting in the same place at the same time. :-)
Two...Everyone is happy and smiling. :-)
Three...No one wanted to get dressed!!! :-(
It made for a cute picture anyway!!! :-)

My Samantha

Here is my Sammy Girl just relaxing and being herself. She was the runt of a flea-infested litter from a stray that wandered into Marnie's parent's house, my roommate from college. I took her from her mother early, what seems like forever ago, but only 1993. We drove 6 hours to Baltimore in my VW beetle and 7 years later, we drove for three days to CA in my VW jetta. Quite the traveler for a feline....Ohio, PA, MD, VA, DC, TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, and finally CA. For the last 3 years she has been living with her best friend, Abagail, at Jeff's parents.
Well, after 13 years together, we all had to say goodbye to Sammy Wednesday night. We all loved her dearly and we know she loved us back. July 17, Sammy's birthday, has been declared "Samantha's Day' and we'll all have a tuna sandwich in her honor. We'll miss you, Samantha!!!!

OK....You're about to discover a little known fact about me that you may or may not know. Tim McGraw is my most favorite Male performer of ALL TIME!!! I go crazy when I see that man and it is an impulse that I have ALSOLUTELY no control over. My husband indulges me and apologizes, in advance, to everyone around us for whatever behavior may come over me during Tim's performance. YES, it's that bad!!!
Well, last night, with some friends, I got to see "My Tim" for the 6th time and the craziness is still there. It lives deep inside and apparently shows no signs of going away. It will lay dormant for a couple years or so but it still exists. A friend had to remind Jeffrey that my children's step-father was about to take the stage. I know...pathetic.
But...WHAT A NIGHT!!! Great show, great company, great night, and most of all, Tim looked great. I take nothing away from Faith Hill's performance...she was phenomenal...but here is what I know. Without her, I would have gotten 90 more minutes of Tim. It's tough being the girlfriend!!! :-)

Murphy's Law??? Anyone??? Bueller??? For a cliff note explanation, here you go.
Jeff threw his back out last Wednesday afternoon and things around here have not been the same. After visiting the Doctor, he started to feel a little better but it took 4 days. In the meantime, I finally got Gabriella to sleep through the night. :-) (I decided not to even try while we were switching time zones and having company.) Well, it finally happened and for three nights in a row!!!!!!! YIPEEEE!!! THANK THE LORD!!!! Well, before you get excited for me, here is where Mr. Murphy comes in. Jeff woke up in the middle of the night...EVERY NIGHT...because his back was sore and/or stiff. Can I buy a good night sleep anywhere?? I'll pay good money at this point! Last night I informed Jeff that it has been a week and he needs to sleep all night. Well, little girl decided that she was hungry at 2:00 am and 4:00 am. I'm sensing a conspiracy theory! I'm left with the IDEA of what a full night's sleep is all about. I can't wait until Mr. Murphy moves out!!!

There is something about the last couple days of summer. The children are sleeping in, going to bed late, swimming, and hanging out. On our street, we hold an annual block party where everyone can get together for one last time before school starts up again. We spend all year driving by and waving to neighbors and not really getting a chance to chat. The week before school starts, everyone brings a dish, the kids ride bikes, we hang a big white sheet on our garage and play a children's movie on a projector, put the kids to bed and then play an adult movie. The entire night lasts about 6 hours and it is a great chance for all of us to catch up on each other's lives. All of us moved in here 3 years ago and the original group still stands. Three years ago, however, Nicholas was the only child playing outside. This year he is the oldest of 14 and 1 more on the way. Where does the time go???
Here is to one more week of lazy days, late nights, BBQ'S, the smell of sunscreen, and nights at the park before schedules, bed time, and arguing about being late for school starts.

WE'RE BACK!!!! We have finally settled back in to the West Coast and are currently back on West Coast time. After 3 weeks of travel beginning with Ohio to see my family and friends and ending with a trip to Sacramento for a family reunion on Jeff's side, we are slowly getting back in the swing of things. Lots of fun was had by all!! I will be slow at first but I'll document our trip asap. STAY TUNED!!!!