Tag Archives: Sisters

Women of Faith! Finally!

Good evening!

Well, after much drama this morning (my drama, of course), and getting supremely lost, again of course (I ended up crossing the freaking bridge something like 3 times before we figured the freeway out!! SHEESH!!)!! We FINALLY made it to Women of Faith!! We have only gotten through the Friday morning sessions, and we are now back at the hotel waiting for the evening sessions to start.

The morning sessions, as always were so much fun! The main speakers of this morning were Patsy Clairmont, who just happens to be my FAVORITE speaker! She is so down to earth, easily relatable, and seriously funny! She calls herself a cracked-pot, which you HAVE TO KNOW, I LOVE!!! I can really relate to her story, having dealt with living in fear a lot in my adult life!

The second morning speaker was Andy Andrew – isn’t that the BEST CELEBRITY name??? Anyway, he is New York Times #1 author, a down home boy from Alabama, and probably one of the most interesting speakers to watch!! SERIOUSLY!! You see, he has SOOOOO MUCH ENERGY, is a little ADD, and was not only all over the stage, but all of the arena floor as well!! It was so comical, but he is truly such a GREAT story teller!!! I hope that we get to hear from him again this weekend!! 😉

I had my doubts about coming to Women of Faith this year, as I was worried that because my sis, Nette wasn’t coming this year (I had never gone to Women of Faith without her before). Even though it is different coming without her, I am still so thankful that we have come. We are having a lot of fun laughing, and pointing at each other whenever one of the speaker that says something that describes one of the other of us to a T!!! 😉

Well, I don’t really know what else to say right now, but we are anxiously awaiting this evening’s program, I am sure it will be GREAT!!! I will keep you posted!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Waiting! Waiting! Waiting!

Good evening!

I am very impatiently waiting for my sisters to get here this evening. Patience has never really been one of my virtues, and this is proof positive that it still isn’t!

You see, my sisters and I are all traveling up to Portland, first thing in the morning, so that we can all attend Women of Faith together. I have gone to Women of Faith, I think about 5 years in a row, my sister Jennifer has gone three years, and I think this is Trina’s second year – I think! I may be off one year for all of us!!

Anyway, we are all very excited about it, and have been talking about it for months!! For me the scariest thing is that I will be the one responsible for driving us there. Driving is fine, but we have to leave while it is still dark, and THAT is not so fine!! So, us girls will be saying an extra prayer before we leave for Portland so we will get there and back quickly and safely, all while having a blast and learning a lot during all of the shows!! 🙂

Every year Women of Faith have different speakers and entertainers, and this year the lineup is pretty impressive:

Mandisa
Selah
Marilyn Meberg
Patsy Clairmont
Sandi Patty
Lisa Welchel
Brenda Warner
and Deborah Joy Winans

Hands down my favorite speaker is, and probably always will be Patsy Clairmont. There is somthing about her that just resonates with me. Here is her story:

The theme this year is OVER THE TOP!! and this is what the Women of Faith website says about the theme: God loves us more than we know. He gives us more than we can ask or dream. He’s unrestrained… excessive… outrageous… Over the Top.

I hope to be able to share a ton of pics with you, not only of us girls, but also of the weekend! We always come away feeling freshed, and rejuvenated, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us this year!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Sister-Time!

Good evening!

I got to spend the past few days with my sisters and I got to spend a little more time with my sister, Alice, than I normally do, which was a very nice change!  Alice is my third sister (3 of 5 sisters). She made us my favorite dinner at her place, pork chops with mashed potatoes and corn – just like mom used to make!! YUM!! 😉

The sisters, me (in red glasses), Jennifer (below me), Trina (to Jennifer’s right), and Alice (above Trina)!

We also all are big craft/art supply junkies, and not only did we go do some serious shopping at Michael’s Craft store, but we did it two days in a row!! WHOO! HOO!! 😉

Here is Alice with her hubby, Paul.

Alice also took some time out of one of the afternoons to show me how to crochet a granny square, again!! She made sure to point out that this was the third time that she has shown me!! Maybe this time it will stick!! 😉

My granny square, I love this variegated green!

We also spent a good portion of one of the mornings antique shopping, searching for hidden treasures! The place we ended up at was HUGE, and we had fun running around it trying to see who can find the BEST stuff!!

Side note: when us sisters are out with each other, we are big fans of Marco/Polo to locate each other!! One of us hollars “MARCO!”, and if the other sisters can here they hollar back “POLO!!”. LOL! (Ok, yes I realize that kind of makes us “holla-back girls”! Hee! Hee!) We use this marco/polo technique to find each other so much that we even have our young nephews playing along when they want to find one of their aunties!!! TOO CUTE! 😉

Here is Alice’s sons, Aaron and Gavin intently watching Bob the Builder!! They love to sing his theme song, and they just seem so enthralled with everything that they are learning!! That is where Aaron seems to come up with all of his interesting and strange facts – he is a little like the kid from Jerry McGuire! I just LOVE these little guys!! 😉

Here is Gavin, Auntie Jennifer, Uncle Jay-Jay, and Auntie Trina!

As exhausting as visiting all of the girls are – we run around almost non-stop and stay up til all hours of the evening, it is one of my FAVORITE things to do!! I had so much fun hanging out with my sisters the past few days, I was a little sad to go home today! But, I take heart knowing that I will see two of them in just a couple of weeks when we get together again to go up to Portland for Women of Faith!! WHOO! HOO!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A Gorgeous Day!

Good evening!

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day here in Oregon. It was a bit on the toasty side today, but I just got back from  nice long swim in our chilly pool, which was absolutely refreshing, and we have air conditioning in our little place, so I think I should be able to nod off to sleep quite nicely this evening. It also probably helps that I am beyond tired, from having so much fun with my sister, Jennifer, while she is still in town.

Her and her husband, Austin, are only in town in until tomorrow, at which time they will return home! I have tried, for years to talk them into moving here, but Salem is just too big for them, which is ironic because it is just too small for us!! 😉 Anyway, we have squeezed in some quality time after work this evening, going to their favorite place in Salem to eat, and that is at Mongolian Grill. They make it a point to eat there at least once during every visit, and this time was no different. 😉

I must interject here, I have been part of a support group called Chunky Dunkers. This is basically a get healthy & fit support group that I started with the help of my sisters, Alex, Jennifer, oh, and I can’t forget my sweetie, Jason. Well, Alex has lost almost 60 pounds, and Jennifer has lost almost 40. I am soooo ABSOLUTELY PROUD OF BOTH OF THEM (and a little jealous, if truth be told), and it has caused me to have a feeling of a renewed sense of,

“Ok girl, you have got to get your butt into gear and make this happen for yourself!!”

So, I have eaten extra fruits and veggies today, avoided all calorie-laden drinks, and tracked all of my food that I have eaten, walked the stairs at work, and even got an extra half an hour of vigorous swimming in this evening! Whew!!! Only one day down, and possibly hundreds more to go, which is ok, seeing that it took me literally 16 years to get to the size that I am. I have never really been overly self-conscious of the weight, but I am noticing that the older I am getting the more aches and pains in my joints I am getting, and I am just TOO YOUNG to feel this DAMN OLD!! 😉 So, instead of just pissing and moaning about it, I am going to step up to the plate and take some action – little, by little – baby steps!!

If any of you reading have any hints/tips/ideas/yummy recipe ideas, or even just some motivational support for me and my get fit actions, I would be more than happy to hear from you. Please leave me a message in the comment section above!

Thank you SOOOO MUCH, in advance!!

With that said, I am going to head off to bed for the evening!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

P.S. These pictures were taken in my mom, Linda’s, garden. Aren’t they just lovely? Thanks, Mom!! 😉

SLUMBER PARTY!

Good evening!

I would LOVE to write this evening, but my sweetie, Jason, my youngest sister, Trina, and my niece, Megan, are all in the middle of a very happening slumber party, and I just can’t stop the party now!!

I have take a TON of pics today, and I am sure that I will have more tomorrow, but they will all have to wait until tomorrow!!

I am soooo blessed! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!

A Short Post!

Good evening!!

I am going to just touch base rather quickly before we all go to bed in our house this evening!! My little sister, Trina is up for a long weekend, and we have been having fun spending time together!!!

Even though it is very late, we are all planning on going to the Oregon coast tomorrow and having some more fun!! Used book store, salt water taffy store, large lunch, and playing on the beach! What could be better??

I look forward to having lots of new pictures to show you tomorrow!!

Until then…

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Great Ending!

Good evening!

This is going to be, yes you guessed it another short post! I just wanted to let you know that I have had a GREAT ending to kind of a not so hot day!!! I got to spend some time catching up with my soul-sistah from Arizona, Alex!!! Alex reminds me to live, laugh, and love life to the fullest!!! She is probably one of the bravest people I know, always marching to the beat of her own drummer! Something that I strive to learn how to be brave enough to do on my own!! She inspires me more than she may ever know. Thank you, Sissy!! 😉 You have made my night!!!

To all the rest of you…

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Putting My House on a Diet!

Good evening!!

Before I start my rant this evening, I wanted to give a shout out to my sister, Alexa, in Arizona! I am just SO PROUD OF HER!! She bit the bullet, and has started a blog! I look forward to reading about her hopes, dreams, and desires! I love you, Sissy! You mean the world to me!!! CHECK HER OUT HERE!!! 😉

On to my nightly rant 😉

Tonight is one of those rare evenings when I am home by myself, and I noticed something as I walked through my front door, that for some reason I haven’t noticed lately:

MY HOUSE IS A BIG OL’ PIG-STYE!!!

SERIOUSLY!?!?!?! So not only have I made a HUGE dent on chores since I have gotten home from work, but I have decided to put my house on a SERIOUS DIET!!! I already have a box packed and ready to go to Goodwill! I think I will take that over there before I get my dinner ready!!

Where does this need to pack as much CRAP into your life as humanly possible come from?? Is this the American dream? Is this what I work so long and hard at a job that literally drains me of all energy and motivation to do anything??? OH HELL NO!!! I am not sure how my husband is going to feel about it, but SOMEONE has got to stop the insanity and HONEY, THAT SOMEONE LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO BE ME!!!

The first thing I am going to do is turn on my happy music, and gather 3 bins/bags/receptacles:

  1. Stuff to  put away!
  2. Trash to throw away!
  3. Stuff to give away!

Then I am going to pick one room to go through every other day – that way I don’t overwhelm myself and just decide what to do with each item I come across!! Do I really need 6 years worth of magazines??? Well…NO! I DON’T! I am taking my home back!!

When I think of all the time and money I have invested into all of this STUFF & not even IMPORTANT STUFF, and how much time and money I STILL invest in all of this STUFF, it just makes me green with sickness!! UGH! I am sure I could have gone to Paris 3 times over already!! WHAAA!

Ok, so I am putting my big girl panties on, getting with the program, and taking responsibility for the mess (LITERALLY) that I have gotten myself in, and I my house is now OFFICIALLY on a diet!!

Wish me luck!! I hope my house doesn’t end up going through withdrawals, or going through the DTS, I am not sure I will be able to handle that. But I am mentally prepared to deal with a house that will be, at times very snarky, and I will have to deal with all of it’s cravings for a new tcha0ki, or magazine, or dust ruffle – who knows what kind of tail spin a diet of this magnitude could do to my house!!! LOL! I will keep you posted!! 😉

As I get my booty busy cleaning house…

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: How is everything going, did you think I had forgotten about you?? NO WAY! I am still in the thick (and thin) of trying to take care of my body, and get fit and healthy!! Hang in there, if you fall of the wagon, just get yourself up, and hop back on. One step at a time, one minute at a time, one bite at a time! WE CAN DO THIS!!!

A Night of Worship with Family!

Good evening!

I have just gotten back from a Sunday night worship service at The Salvation Army in Albany, Oregon tonight!! I don’t know if you know this about me, but I grew up in the  Salvation Army church. My dad called us earlier in the week and asked me if we would come out this Sunday evening because they happened to have a combined service only about a 15 minute drive from our place – so of course Jason and I were in!!!

Jason and Trina

Myself and my Dad

Not only that, but my dad sang a solo this evening, and I was lucky enough to record him singing. My dad, and most of my family have been singers for as long as I can remember. But, my dad has, for the most part been the soloist of the family, and I haven’t had the chance to hear him sing for quite a while – so tonight has been a treat!!!

I did try and record it, but apparently my camera has a mind of it’s own and ate my video, and won’t spit it out!! DANG!! I know my Dad’s wife, Trudi recorded a copy of her own, so I will have to share it once I get a copy of that!!

Which is really a shame, because not only does my dad have a strong, rich voice, he plays guitar BEAUTIFULLY!! You see, my family is Hawaiian, and so my dad plays in a style that really incorporates the sound of slack-key. I can listen to my dad play guitar all day – it is Heaven in my ears!!

I have it on my life list to create a music CD with my dad in a recording studio. Tonight reminded me of that, and it also has inspired me to get on the ball and figure out how to make that happen! Hmmmm….

Here are some more pics I was able to capture this evening:

Trudi and Dad chatting up their peeps!

Faye, Lila, and my Dad

Jessica and Trina (they were so giggly, it was hard to get a clear picture!!!)

Jason and Trina being giggly!

Trina, Lila, and Myself

My dad waving his Salvation Army flag during a traditional upbeat hymn, a Salvation Army tradition!

Me “mothering” Trina, of course! 😉

Trina and I

and this guy is the guy I got to bring home with me – what a CUTIE!!! 😉

As I was posting pics this evening, I realize that I don’t really have hardly any pictures of Trudi, she is always so busy running around, setting things up, chatting with people!! I am going to have to be more stealthy and try capturing her next time I see her!! 😉

Tonight was a lot of fun, and I am so thankful that I was able to spend some time with some of my family! I can’t wait until next time!! OH, I will definitely post that video of my dad singing as soon as I can get my hands on a copy!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Dinner at the Manse!

Good evening!

Ok, so it wasn’t exactly at the manse, it was a condo, but it was dinner, and it was dinner with FAMILY!!! Family means so much to me, I hope that anyone who has ever read my blog knows that about me!! SO WHEN ARE YOU ALL MOVING TO SALEM ALREADY????? Anyway, I digress. Jason made his KILLER barbecue chicken legs, which are simply DELECTABLE!!! I can’t believe he braved this freezing weather to stand outside and cook over the grill!!! HE IS SUCH A GOOD MAN!!!

He is also a SICK man! Him, and most of the rest of my family have a NASTY bug that is causing them to cough, and hack, and snarf, and snot, and sneeze! It is a SYMPHONY of DISGUSTINGNESS!!! I think the only reason I haven’t caught the bug is that I have just been TOO DAMN BUSY to hold still long enough to catch the little bugger!! THANK GOODNESS!!! Anyway, even though he is feeling a little under the weather, he did a FABULOUS job cooking all of us dinner!! You always know that he has done a good job whenever our nephew, Christopher – AKA the word’s pickiest eater – eats 2nds – I think tonight, he might have had 3rds!! THAT HUBBY-O-MINE MAY DESERVE A TROPHY!!! 😉

Tonight I also got to do something that was A LOT of fun, and that was help my sissy, build her blog!!! I do have her address, but it is not finished being built yet! When it done, and she gives me the thumbs up – I am going to share it with all of you!!! 😉 She is such an amazing and joyful person!! She is one of those people that you can just stand in her presence and  she makes you feel, just by being there, one of the most important people in the world!! What a blessing she has been to me and my husband!!! She moves to Arizona in two days, and I wish and her kiddos ALL THE VERY BEST!!! I can’t wait until we have out first girls’ weekend get together in California!! I can guarantee you right now, it is not going to be SOON ENOUGH!!! I love sissy!!!! 😉

As I am blogging this evening, Jason is busy cleaning up the kitchen, and I am loudly serenading him with one of my many, self-composed creations!!! A talent that I am pretty sure that most of you never even knew that I had!! Well, ok “talent” might be a bit of a stretch, but singing silly little ditties that I make up on the spot in the style of a lounge singer is one of my many past times! Great timeless songs such as “The lady in the Turban On the Toilet In Tinsel Town”, or “I’m Tired”. Tonight I composed a new little number called “I Get No Love From You”, which basically means – “HEY, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!! I AM NEEDY!!! LOOK AT ME!!” Ok, so my “talent” may actually mean I need to see a psychotherapist, but it makes my hubby smile, and isn’t that all that matters!?!?!?! LOL!!!! 😉

Ok, with that silliness out of the way, I am off to go get ready for bed!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉