Early Lizard catches the worm????

HaHa! It's 2:50 and as I wait for my Monster to kick in, I thought I'd say Good Morning to all you sleepyheads!!!

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!!

Have a Wonderful Day... :)

Our Magic Kingdom...

This is the view facing away from our house... Matthew's room and the Guest room are the lucky ones to be able to look out and see this dreamy sight... Dan calls it "Our Magic Kingdom..." I say it's "Fairyland" whatever you call it, it's so cool and mystic when the clouds creep over the foothills like this...

Because I am a little under the weather today, I spent most of the day reading in the guest room with the shutters open, revealing this special place.... I told myself that pretty soon the Hot Summers will bring in the smog and cover our special view, so I wanted to soak it all in for one last weekend.... ;) Isn't it like a dream????

Strength in Numbers...

I know my uncle could not have done it without you Curt, thank you for being the Rock he needed and will always need....

Taking a trip down Memory Lane...

I just finished looking through an old backpack of mine that had old pictures like this one Dan took while on vacation in Alaska... It also had tons and tons of letters, cards, receipts, newspaper clippings, and brochures from the first couple of years of Dan and I together... I had to call him to read him a few of the letters and walk him down memory lane with me... He always tells me "I loved you so much, it hurt my heart..." there was a song out by Sting around the time we first met, and because we were both trying to be careful with our lives and hearts that we tried very hard to keep our distance as much as possible and take things slow, (which turned out to be impossible) we knew we had a long road ahead of us but we both were willing to go through the rain together... Here are the words to the song, which still "Hurts my heart..."

I dream of rain

I dream of gardens in the desert sand

I wake in pain

I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of fire

Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire

And in the flames

Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

This desert rose

Each of her veils, a secret promise

This desert flower

No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And as she turns

This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams

This fire burns

I realize that nothing's as it seems

I dream of rain

I lift my gaze to empty skies above

I close my eyes, this rare perfume

Is the sweet intoxication of her love

Sweet desert rose

This memory of Eden haunts us all

This desert flower, this rare perfume

Is the sweet intoxication of the fall...

Good Pool News...

E-mail from GREG the Pool Contractor:

Just got back from Pool Engineering & the city of Fontana. They approved the new engineering & will not require us to tear down the grotto. There are structural details I have to change, but not as severe as yesterday. I really don’t want to hassle this anymore. The schedule will be as follows.

Tuesday – Demo gunite wall under grotto,
Wednesday – Frank to tie required steel
Thursday – Inspection ( Preplaster & Grotto )
Friday – Gunite Pool & Seat
Monday – Paint grotto
Tuesday – Pebble

No need to meet tomorrow – I have confirmed this schedule with all concerned

I will keep you all posted, Funny that I posted Dan's fight picture before this!! HaHa He's a big Chicken, Dan would not hurt a flea!! :)

Ummm, is that MY husband????

Not Empty Anymore!!

For the past 2 1/2 years, we have not had any furniture in our front room....

Anyone that walked in our front door was greeted to an empty hollow shell of a front room.

I swear it echoed as we greeted family and friends... (Hello, hello, hello.....) =)

We were blessed this past weekend to be able to find a few new pieces to begin to furnish the front room, so I let my "designer" hubby go to work! While I have to admit, it would not be my first choice of decor' as I am a bit "girly" in my taste, I have allowed him to take the lead as he has a great eye for decorating. It's weird to walk into the room, I am so used to it being empty... Just wanted to share our new scenery!

Chicken Noodle Soup and the Rain...

It's Raining outside.... Memorial Weekend, who would have thought???
One of my best childhood memories was coming home from the 2nd grade and my Dad had re-arranged the living room to a theatre for us to watch the rain... The couch was facing the front window, the curtains wide open... He had warm blankets and cool pillows all ready for my brother and I to sit and watch the rain pour down. I can remember this rain was really heavy and the trash cans from the neighbors periodically passed the window, and the gutter could barely hold all the water that came pouring in. The BEST part was as we sat there he brought two bowls of Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup with Saltine crackers!! Yummy!
So today as I opened the shutters to watch the rain fall, I thought of that special memory... Thanks Dad!




P.S. Looked for some Chicken Noodle in my pantry.. =( We are out!

Growing up in the Mid-West...

Dan tells so many vivid tales of him growing up in Iowa... He paints a fantastic, fun picture of a good wholesome upbringing. Anyone that listens to his stories of Iowa walk away not only with a clear picture of him running around all hours of the day with nothing but a pair of shorts, but also with a longing to have been there or at least visit all the old stomping grounds. .....

Mom sent some pictures of the house Dan grew up in in Alton, I think it's so cool that there are pictures of all the years...
Matthew would give away his most prized possesion to be able to do the things Dan has told him about!!
Dan misses Alton and the Good ol' Days, I'm so glad none of those Alton girls were able to steal his heart before me!!! :)

Pool Update:

Well... EVERYONE, (including us) has the same question:
When is the Pool gonna be done? And while I wish I had some good news, I don't. The whole delay boils down to our contractor DID NOT have a clear picture of what Dan envisioned for the pool. He wanted a ledge out over the spa that created a waterfall with a place underneath for the kids to sit or stand under to have the water cascade over them. Well, the spa ledge was built too close to the water level so instead of having to raise the spa after all the plumbing had been set, THEY chose to build us a Grotto. A Grotto that was never in the plans and the city did not approve. So for weeks Greg has promised that it was all going to be resolved and that he had it "under control" and apparently he did not. After many attempts to "politely" request any update possible, it has come down to this conversation below:

P.S. Being that Greg told Dan "You scare me" I have been doing most of the communicating in order to not intimidate this grown man... A lot of good that has done right?

Greg (Pool contractor) said:

I will be tearing the grotto down ASAP. It wont fly. Just very disappointed as to what went on in the field. Guess I just did not get what you wanted at the contract table. That is a rare situation. Whatever it takes at this point will be done. I am totally burnt out with this. Thanks Greg
Dan responded:
We are also disappointed in what has taken place. The grotto will be torn down and rebuilt? Is that the plan? We were very happy with the look and design of the grotto, just not the color as of yet. What are we looking at as far as a time table?
Greg responds:
We need to meet. That’s all I will say at this point. Thanks Greg
I say:
Greg,

To say that I am disappointed would be a HUGE understatement... And while telling you isn't going to make the situation any better, I felt I had to at least share my feelings as a consumer. If you are burnt out by it all can you imagine us??? We, or at least I feel completely powerless. Regardless of the misunderstanding, it is what it is and what needs to be done now is to get on this like you said, ASAP. With that said, I am requesting we meet tomorrow, and not put this off any longer than we already have. Whatever else is scheduled is not important, as we should have the priority now since it has been so long. Please don't let this week slip away and nothing get done, all it does is delay the project even longer and fuel the frustration fire. I know Dan e-mailed you already, but I just feel that we have not got the service we deserve for the amount of money we've have paid. Please Greg, I've been as patient as I can, tolerating the non-returned calls, and the no-shows, and all I ask is that we get this back on track with the drive and attention it received at the start. Please respond with a time for tomorrow.
Suzie

So... I am so sad. =( The excitement and anticipation has been so intense I can't explain it! It is my childhood dream to have a pool of my own and this just breaks my heart... I know things could be much worse, but for this moment I am engulfed in self pity. =( Poor me. Anyway, just wanted to share my afternoon... Someday we will have our swimming pool...someday.

Missing the Family...

It's almost creeping up on our One Year Anniversary and this time of year brings back so many floods of emotions... I can remember planning all the festivities for the wedding and being so excited about having all the family down to be a part of it all! It was a great feeling to know everyone would be together and planning everything we would do was the best part!! Now that the time has come and gone, we are missing the family... It meant so much to us to have you all so close, living so far away from each other is hard!! The kids all growing so fast... :( So, we just wanted to say that we think of everyone often and miss you so, so much!!

Baby Alex!

I love babies, and Baby Alex melts my heart... He is soooo sweet! I think he belongs to me but really he is my good friend Julie's first little boy! She is such a good Mommy and you can tell.. He is a darling little boy!! He NEVER cries and always has a smile or grin on his face. I love to stop by for lunch and a visit...He makes me want to give him a friend... SOMETIMES!! Anyway... Baby Alex ~ you are a sweetheart!!! Great Job Luis and Julie! (When you gonna have another???) :)

My Friend Heidi

Heidi and I have been friends since I can remember. I grew up with her and her family and have so many fun, enriching memories! I can't tell you how many times I have counted on Heidi's support through life, she is the good angel on my shoulder. She inspires me with her devotion to her family, her faith, and her friends. Her soul is such a special one! I am so lucky to be able to experience life with her. How she does all the things she does in a 24 hour period, I'll never know!? Always managing to take the time to put others needs ahead of her own, and making a difference whether she knows it or not. She is so kind and gentle, her fragile spirit keeps you calm. However the roaring laughter we burst into at times, is hysterical in of itself! I cherish those times over and over!
Today I wanted to say Thanks for the memories, my dear, dear friend and there will be many more to be made!! I am thinking about you today and everyday a prayer is in my heart for you and yours... You are a wonderful friend... LYLAS 4ever!

My Greatest Love of All...

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. Being Matthew's mom has filled every expectation I ever had for motherhood. He is a remarkable little boy filled with so much love, I wonder what I ever did to deserve such a great kid. I am so overjoyed to be able to be his Mom and looking back at all these pictures reminds me of how much fun I have had raising Matthew through the years. He makes me laugh and cry all in the same scene! Thank you Matthew for being you... I Love you, Mom.

I miss you...

My husband is everything to me... He is my rock, my best friend, my hero, my dreams come true, my sunshine, my warmth, and he is the person I had been looking for all my life. I don't see much of him lately, his training calls for long hours away from us. I miss him every second he's away, and wait vigilantly with my phone for the "BEEP" that always has a loving message from him. Whether it be a "Good Night" or an "I Love you" my heart skips a beat and I smile "He never forgets."
Tonight as I rest my head in our bed, I will fall asleep thinking of another silly story of us, or maybe a quiet memory of a night in Cambria, or it's always fun to recall our long talks up on the parking structure at work (what did we talk about till 2am!?!?!) Everything! It was in those nights that I fell deeper and deeper in love with you. I will never forget the way it felt to walk down the aisle to be your wife. You still give me butterflies that remind me how much I am in love with you...
Before you know it I will drift off to sleep until that welcomed "BEEP" that warms my heart and sends me back into dreamland...
He is the city's hero in the night, always looking to make it a safer place to be, even just for 10 hours (sometime 20!!). I can't put into words what I feel for Dan, I just know that I am the luckiest girl in the world. Matthew and I are so thankful everyday just to be his son and wife... We love you Daddy.