We can add one to the blogging family....

Hello all!!! I have some very exciting news to share with you....Raylynne and Kasey have officially became "BLOGGERS" much to Kasey's dismay...(but he will soon love to appreciate it) anyway I wasn't sure how anyone would find her blog so I decided to do a post and share it with all the family... www.kaseyandraylynne.blogspot.com

I hope you all enjoy.

Holiday Cheer

So I will make this my final post for the day and possibly for a while. I feel like I have updated everyone and then some. My Grandma sent me an email of this, so I thought instead of sending out emails, because I am not a big fan of forwarding things, I thought I would post it and this way anyonne who wants to do it can copy and paste it on their blogs.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love wrapping paper, but if I happen to find the perfect gift bag that works too.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, I am terribly scared of spiders and I think they will infest my home if I bring in a real tree...{although when I was sharing this tid-bit of info with Manuel, I think he may have thought I was crazy}
3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving if possible.
4. When do you take the tree down? mmm...usually right after Christmas, this year it will probably be after New Years weekend.
5. Do you like eggnog? Not a big fan, I hear its like drinking a pureed cheeseburger.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably my Teddy Rubxin bear...I saw one at Costco in Twin a month ago and was shocked he came out again..it's been a long time
7. Hardest person to buy for? I have too many to list.
8. Easiest person to buy for? This year, probably my nephew, Aidan.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it's brand-new :)
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, definately
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I honestly don't think I have received a bad gift, but one year I guess I was really emphasizing I wanted a Winny the Pooh bear and all my christmas presents that year turned out to be Winny the pooh somehow. I received the bear, a sweatshirt and some overalls with him on there as well. I think I was definitely over him real fast and now I don't even think he's anybit of a funny/cute thing at all.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? All of them.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? mmm...I usually start in November, early December.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not so much on this one
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? my Fathers oh so delicious YAMS...can't wait!
16. Lights on the tree? White ones
17. Favorite Christmas song? I think I pretty much love them all and start listening right after Halloween
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to good Ol' Burley
9. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes, dasher, dancer, prancer,vixen, comet, cupid, donner, blitzen, and of course, Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Rustic Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Before marrying my family would open gifts on Christmas Eve at Grandma Asher's house then open our on Christmas with the Bench Side. Now that I am married, I try to fit it all in, but last year we opened the gifts my mother and father in-law gave us on Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds, traffic and the rudeness of people. 23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have pine cone strands, red bead strands, little red bells, a rustic star, and a few ornaments collected over the year
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Dad's Yams would do, but I would probably be rolling home if that's all I ate. Ham, Yams, Salad, Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Corn/beans, Pie
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Hopefully Santa got my letter or Ques: I would like a Cuisinart Kitchen Mixer, Black please. Maybe a new pair of shoes, my favorite ones are ripping from the sole...I noticed yesterday.
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? .Anyone feeling the holiday cheer.
27. Who is most likely NOT to respond to this? The Grinch

I almost forgot...

This is the Nativity Scene set that my parents bought us. It's so cute. I really want the entire Willow Tree Nativity Scene set..but as I was checking prices yesterday....it was like $317...yeah I think my little one will satisfy me. It's a southwestern style...it's fun and definitely fits our household

Saturday 11/22/2008

(Us at Fremont Street)

(Vanessa and Gordo-Gambling their little hearts away)

(Frank-trying his lucky hand at the machines)

Friday Night 11/21/2008

(Manuel and I at the Excalibur)

(Vanessa and Gordo at the Excalibur)

(Vanessa and I at the Salsa Cantina)

Girls out for the Evening

(B-Shannon, Anna(bride) Vanessa

F-Me, Adriana, Liset(?), Trish)

Happy Holidays!

{Warning: Long post ahead without any pictures. I thought I would update, but the camera is in Manuel's truck and he is at work. I will post the pictures later}

Well Thanksgiving break is over and I am just now starting to tell you all about it. I am sad that it went by so fast, but I was pretty busy and well..only a few more weeks of this nonsense called School for a while. I must say that starting in January, I am officially a Senior at BSU...whoop whoop..that makes me happy.

So Thanksgiving break started off with a bang...a long drive to Vegas to see a really good friend of Manuel's get Married. It was great fun. The Vega brother minus one clan plus two wives were on the road at 4 a.m. Friday November 21. I was so excited to get out of Boise and to be able to spend time with Manuel without the interruption of homework, I couldn't sleep before we left, I was busy packing, checking my list to make sure I didn't forget anything, packing more, and doing little odd ended things, 3 A.m arrived rather quick and we left to go get the other travelers. I thought sleeping in the car was a good idea, I could hardly sleep though, it just wasn't as comfy as a bed would have been. The drive to Las Vegas, was rather boring, it's such a long drive and not very exciting. The talks between us all were rather entertaining. We arrived in Vegas around 12 p.m I think on Friday and tried to take a nap before the evenings festivities but instead we got ready and went to some casino's, walked around and then the girls and guys split for the evening. The girls went and saw Thunder from Down Under, and that was an experience in itself. It was rather comical seeing all the crazy single women going well crazy and some of the brides to be were rather touchy with the Aussies and our group, we were just calm...seeing that we had probably never seen anything like that before, it was fun. It didn't start off so well, Vanessa and I got put at the end of the table and well everyone else sat in front of us and we were having a hard time seeing, but that didn't stop the laughter, we got lots of laughing in at the old brides to be and some of the rather un-shy ones as well. People amaze me, honestly. After the show, Vanessa, Ana (the bride to be) and my self went dancing. IT was fun, although there were some creepy men at the club and wouldn't leave us alone. there was one guy who was watching us, so we moved, he moved as well. we then decided to step off the dance floor and check our phones, well lo-n-behold, the man made his way to the bar, perfect eye contact to where we were standing. FREAK- honestly. We decided to meet up with the other girls and we went to Salsa Cantina, the girls danced, and Vanessa and I decided to head to the hotel, we were exhausted. Good thing we left then, because the other girls stayed out till 5, crazy dancers! So back to us leaving...we decided we needed to get some snacks for our hotel, so we walked to Walgreen's for some water and pop. WE then decided we would just take a cab from there to our hotel. Well the guy was obviously in a hurry to get back because he was driving all crazy and freaking me out, he was honestly the first cab ride I took with out Manuel and he was also the scariest. So Vanessa and I weren't quite sure on how to get back to our hotel, but we knew that some of the streets, would just result in us having to turn around. He was rather a rude man too, we would tell him where to go and he thought he knew the way, turns out we knew better than him. so when we finally got to the hotel, it was $8.10, I gave him a 20 and I told him I wanted $11 back...when I said that he repeated $11, $11..Me- the oh so nice person at times, said yes 11. He was the worst and most rude cab driver ever, he deserved his .90 cent tip, Jack-...I didn't count the change, thinking he would give me 11 back,...come to find out he didn't think .90 cents was good enough, so he took $2 and gave me $9 back, but I didn't realize until the morning. He was like a cab driver in a scary movie that would take the ladies down some dead end road and attack them and leave them there in the dark...that type of guy, scary right?

Saturday, we laid around, ordered pizza, then got ready for the wedding. We went, after which went and sat at a bar to watch BSU win yet another game then we met up with the newlyweds for dinner at a delicious buffet with my favorite, Crab legs and Shrimp. DELISH! We split after that and the Vega's found themselves on Fremont Street. I can't believe Manuel and I never made it over there when we were there last year for our honeymoon. We were in Vegas for a week and the strip was all we saw. IT was so awesome the light show above us was pretty cool, the music and the entertainment. We finally got a call from some of the other wedding guests and they were dancing so we decided to go meet up with them. There was a little miscommunication between Manuel and Franky, we took a $20 cab ride to the Palms hotel to meet up with them when in-fact, they were at the Las Palmas, which was right by Fremont street. So Franky came and picked us up and then we went back to our hotel and hung out, we never did go dancing which was sad because Vanessa and I really wanted to. That weekend went by way to fast and wish we had longer time to spend in Vegas, there were things we wanted to do, but no time to do it in. It was fun while it lasted.

Now on to Thanksgiving. My in-laws came up to Boise on Thursday morning so we had Thanksgiving Dinner at Manuel's brother Frank's house. It was a great day. It started on Wednesday when I needed to make 3 pies and then I needed to take stuffing and the rolls on Thursday. Being the Martha Stuart I am, I decided I would make the pie crusts, (the time I made them with Vanessa, the first batch I made, well it just didn't turn out at all), I made the dough, followed the directions to put it in the fridge for at least an hour. When I returned to roll it out, it was hard as a rock. I let it sit out for a while, rolled them and one of the pie crusts turned out and the other just kept crumbling as I was rolling. So I made another batch, in the meantime, I made the pumpkin filling, sliced the apples for the apple pie and made the chocolate filling for the chocolate pie. I must say for my first time making these pies, they turned out pretty well. With only one mishap with one pie crust. Anyway, besides that the food was amazing and the company was even better. I love being around family, especially this time of year. It makes me reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for. I am so thankful for my husband and the hard work he does for us, how he has an abundance of patience for me, I hear I can be a tough one to deal with at times ;) and the unconditional loves he shows me I Love him .I am also thankful for Family. They all make me smile and I love the time I get to spend with them.

Friday was my first experience with shopping on Black Friday, I have never been a fan of the crowds the day after Thanksgiving. I fell asleep on the couch, and Manuel woke me up around 4 asking if I still wanted to go, I first said no, but then realized I didn't want to be home alone, so I tagged along. It was rather crazy, I have never seen so many people at one store at one time. We went to Wal-Mart for a blu-ray player. WE found them and planted our feet. Manuel kept telling me to move aside because things go crazy when they let the items loose. So about 5 minutes before they opened the items I moved back and watched all the crazed sleep deprived shoppers. IT was rather comical. Manuel did get the player but after a few attempts of grabbing the same ones as some other shoppers, he decided to duck low and take from the bottom. he got and we were on our way. He wanted to get Iron man on Blu-ray so we searched the store but to no avail we couldn't find it. So we stood in line to make our purchase. We then headed over to Circuit city to see what they had, (only because Linens-n-things wasn't open yet) We headed over to Best Buy, went to Breakfast, went back to Linens-n-things, then we were going to go home but we made one last stop at Ross for an HDMI cable. The Dvd player didn't come with one and these cables run from $30-125 and Manuel remembers he saw on at Ross a couple weeks ago for around $10. So we waited for them to open hoping they would still have it so we wouldn't have to buy the more expensive cables. We couldn't find one but then Manuel moved a few items and one was hiding behind some ear phones or something. We got lucky! An awesome deal on a blu-ray dvd player and a cheap cable! Whoop whoop! WE were home around 8:15 and we landed ourselves on the couch to watch a new movie and nap. (Yes, Manuel hooked the player up as soon as we got home)

My parents and brothers stopped on Saturday on their way back to Burley. They went and spent Thanksgiving with Chanc, Randy, and Aidan. They had lots of fun up there and couldn't stop talking about the little guy, I can't wait until they come home for Christmas, so we can spend some quality time with him ( I mean Chanc and Randy too). After some delicious Sweet and Sour chicken, Mom needed to meet with my cousin Aaron to buy him some shirts for his mission, so we all tagged along, glad I did. We went to Desert Book and I bought a few Christmas presents and then I absolutely fell in love with this little nativity scene set, it was so adorable. I was set to go back next week to purchase it, I had already spent enough there in one night. Well to my surprise, Mom and Dad bought it for us and she set it up as soon as we got home, except it took me like 3 hours to realize and the only reason I looked was because Chace spilled his drink and I looked over in that direction. I was super excited {I will take a picture of it and post it later}.

Well that's all in the long-kind of nutshell version of our lives. It went by so quickly and I have school tomorrow. I didn't do as much homework as planned over the break and I think I might have caused a little stress in my life but hey I have 6 days of actual school left and I can't wait...only thing is after school gets out I am studying my little butt off because I take a test at the beginning of the year...wish me luck.

a picture-less post with random tid bits of information

Well...Hello-it’s been a while since my last post- just a quick recap of what's happened over the last couple of weeks. Manuel had volunteered to leave Micron, because of the lay-offs, he signed his papers and we were soon to be Micron free, which came with a load of mixed emotions...less money, him possibly going to Texas to help with Hurricane Ike, leaving me here in Idaho, those were the downers, him being home at nights with me (if he stayed in Idaho), more time with him, and we would make the financial issues work....well while I was in California, I received a phone call from him, telling me has some good news, He got a call with a job offer in Fab 4 at Micron. I was so excited; it meant he wasn't leaving to Texas, which I was really depressed about. SO he started his new shift tonight. The one thing I don't really like about this shift, is he works every other Saturday, but hey I will take that any day over him leaving me here. I guess all in all...everything worked out the way it was suppose to.

Halloween has come and gone...it sure went by fast. We had a little party with some friends, and it was ALOT of FUN! Manuel was a Rodeo Clown, and I was a disco dancer, or a hippie, or the chick from Austin Powers...I just know I had a GROOVY dress...ha-ha! It was a lot of fun though, I must say, Manuel’s idea of a rodeo clown was a hit! It was definitely the best one at the party I do believe; I may be a little bias though ;).

ON Saturday, we made a quick trip to Burley to pick up our new washer and dryer from Ron and Heathers, and to see Chace's play that night. At first I didn't think Manuel would like it, (finding out he didn't watch in High School when they put it on for the school) I was happy he went with me and he ENJOYED It! and I must say, my little brother Chace, well not so little, but he looked so tough and did a great job! The night before he stepped in for a kid that was not able to make it to the play and I hear he did an excellent job! I want to rent the movie now!

School is going great, just can't wait till this semester is over. All the little mundane assignments, frankly I am getting so sick of them...can't wait till this college career of mine is over. I have 11 classes left until I am done. December of 2009 can't come soon enough....it's sad...it's still over a year and I am so EXCITED.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner...and Vanessa and I will be testing our pie making skills out. We want to make an array of pies including, Pumpkin, my favorite, I think a pecan pie will be in the plan, and there was a couple others, but I can't remember. So if you have any tips on making home made pies, leave me a comment because this is a new thing for both of us and we might just need all the help we can get.

In 3 weeks we will be heading to sin city! Our really good friend and his fiancé are getting married in Vegas and we will be attending. Manuel's brothers and wives, and girlfriend will be attending the pre-marriage festivities and then the wedding. Manuel and I can't wait for our mini-vacation.

On another note...I have some weird food allergies...one is peanuts...I can eat cashews in moderation (which is nice, because they are good) but any other peanut/nut related food item has odd reactions in my mouth...sometimes I just can't resist the Salty peanuts and eat them hoping the reaction wont be bad..but to no avail each and every time I get sores in my mouth like no other....I always hear about if your child is allergic to something, if you re-introduce it to them in other food items, in small amounts, increasing each time, they will become *un* allergic to the item....it apparently doesn't work with me...

I have never been a fan of pumpkin seeds. I tried them for the first time maybe 3 years ago, I didn't like them. We made them ourselves so they weren't as seasoned as I like things. So yesterday on our way back to Boise, I bought some seasoned pumpkin seeds. I like to buy sunflower seeds, not to eat the seed, but to just suck the seasoning off then spit them out *sorry if that grosses you out* I planned on doing the same thing with pumpkin seeds! They were pretty good, I even managed to crack them open and eat the seeds, not too bad. I had maybe a handful, that's all I had before I fell asleep...well we got home and my mouth was so sore, looked in the mirror and my mouth is full of those dang sores... apparently I just have weird allergic reactions to odd things....

Meet the "pumpkinettes"

(these pumpkins found a new place! On top of my Table!. I must say this little towel has come in handy a few times! It is from Jessica Westerberg's wedding. Thanks)

On Monday, Raylynne called and wanted to hang out so we planned a cousin night for Tuesday night! So we met at Guadalara, had us some tasty food then we headed off to the pumpkin patch! It was so fun, and so in expensive! Raylynne was on the look out for a big pumpkin so she could make her scarecrow and I just wanted some little one to put on the kitchen table and out by the front door! The prices as the Korn Maze are a steal! The most you pay for any pumpkin, no matter how big it is, is $6. They have a size chart, which ever whole your pumpkin can fit all the way thru is how much you pay! I got all 8 of my pumpkinettes for .50 cents a piece, I made out of there with $4!! it was a bargain. I want to go back to get some big ones so Manuel can carve and I am thinking about painting my big one this year.



I love Fall! I love Halloween. Last year I was so excited to get some trick o treaters at our house, I went over board with the candy I think. But this year we are having a party and so hopefully lots of people come and we get some little kids this time. Some of the party planners want to scare the little kids, but I put a stop to that...all the little ones need is to be scared out of their costumes, it will scar them for life!!! haha!

Tagged by Stephanie

Here's how to play:
1. Link your tagger and list rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post leaving names and links to their blogs
4. Let them know they have been tagged by commenting on their blog

1.I don't like eating chicken off the bone...So you wont be seeing me at any KFC porkin down on some of the colonel sweet county fried chicken...SiCk.


2. I love Dr. Pepper and a licorice rope...Sad to say that I don't drink the DP as much anymore, but I am so proud of myself, I use to have one every day now it's like maybe once or twice a week...WHOA!

3. I don't like using port-a-potties or rest areas. I am deathly terrified. 1 not so funny story and 2 funny stories
* Reason why? well when my family was at the Stadium of Fire in Provo, UT..some teenagers,(I assume who were drunk b/c honestly, this is really cruel) decided they would tip me over in the port-a-potty. Sick, I remember like it was yesterday, I was wearing a blue striped sweater from Sears and some Old Navy overalls...why I remember things like this is beyond me, maybe because it was the outfit that I was in when I scarred for life.

*When we were in Pocatello for on my sister Chanc's softball game, we were at the field, with bathrooms similar to rest area's...so I wandered off and went to some strangers house and asked if I could use her restroom :) I am so lucky to be alive...I was probably 12 or 13, so really I "knew"better but I couldn't sit on the shiny silver toilet....I get chills every time i think of the things.

* Recently* we were in Boise playing ultimate Frisbee and I really needed to use the restroom, so Manuel took me over to the "square of toilets" you know the shacks, and he went into the men's, I go into the women's, I get in to one stall and see the shiny silver toilet, I ran out crying. Manuel comes out and was like that was quick, and realized I was a little teary eyed and we laughed, I have quite some fear...
^^apparently I only like white ceramic toilets, that's all :)^^

4. I love to sit by the heater when it's on, cover myself in a blanket and lay down- I like to capture the heat so I stay warm!! ( who doesn't?)

5. I am no animal lover. I think animals are disgusting...some say I will change when I have little ones, but I tell you I won't, I think its really gross when people pet them, especially the really shedding type kind of dogs, because you get the hair on your hands, let alone, dog skin doesn't spell pretty, no matter how many time you bathe the things. I also think its gross when people are dog sleepers, letting the dog in the bed with them....gag me
^^ Not to mention I am pretty much scared of any animal (especially cats, they really freak me out, they are weird creatures). I am okay with my boss dog Otto but I hate it when he touches my pant leg with his face and I hate the feel of his fur when I am getting ready to walk him ,I have to put his shock collar on...the feeling is DiSgUsTiNg!!!

6.At night when I am alone, and I am going upstairs to bed, I always have the hall light on going up the stairs, even though there is light, I always run up the stairs as if someone were chasing me...then I leave all the lights on upstairs (that being the ones that are already on...hall light, bedroom light, bath light and closet light,....seesh that's a lot of lights) I leave them all on until I am ready to jump in bed...I HATE THE DARK...I also sleep with the TV on at night so I feel that the "company" (a.k.a. TV) will protect me or if there were to ever be a robber in my house, it might think we are still awake...mUwahahah!

7. Okay...I am a white girl with some issue...I can't say TORTILLA with out rolling the "r" and making the "ll" silent... so I pronounce like this "Tortiyya" I don't even know if you could even understand how i say it...ok ok... I say it like my husband...I may not know a whole lot of Spanish, but I sure say "Tortilla" like a Mexican :) *Disclaimer...not to be taken offensively, I am married to Manuel remember, I am sure I say a few things with the Spanish accent now, Tortilla is just one that has been the subject of laughter lately

Okay I tag...

Chanc
Linda
Lacey
Lacy
Lindsey G
Lyndsey W
McKinzie

YoU hAvE gOt To Be KiDdInG--

What will they think of next....seriously this did give me a good laugh tonight, I read it on someone else's blog but it's worth reading. Honestly how could the FDA approve this...good thing I don't really like Ben & Jerry's, but if I did, I definitely don't anymore.

Our Saturday night fun comes from laughing about this article from the Chicago Tribune. Tell me this is a joke...PLEASE let this be a joke. Continue reading after the article...In a highly unusual break from the normally sane and practical modus operandi of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animals' rights organization has petitioned the successful and highly visible ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's to replace the cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk.PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves. PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health."The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."It's hard to argue that 'the breast is best,' so I polled the office for some ideas for flavors that Ben & Jerry's might make with human breast milk.How would you like to wrap your lips around a scoop of: 'Titty Tiramisu' or maybe, 'Mammary Macadamia Nut.' If that doesn't titillate you, you might want to try, 'Fudgie Juggs', 'Nippley Neapolitan', or 'Racky Road?'

While I was laughing about the ice cream names, I can't imagine digging a big ol' spoon of sweet "breast milked" Ice-Cream...not exactly something I find to be of interest.......Nasty
It's is crazy to believe that some nursing mothers will sell their breast milk, you know making it their job, to other mothers of babies. I understand that giving the children the best nourishment, but not from another women...GrOsS

Furnace issues

So this week we figured out our furnace wasn't working to its potential :( the coldest time I swear too. So Manuel and Frank figured it must be the ignitor b/c the heater would turn on but no heat, it just blew air..and not hot air, which was an issue with me. So Wednesday Manuel fixed the ignitor problem (we bought a new one :)) Tonight we purchased and installed a new thermostat...it's pretty sweet. It's a flushed mount thermostat, so it doesn't stick out, it even with the wall. So while Manuel went to chat with some old buddies from work on their lunch break, I sat at home trying to figure the thing out, it's digital, it's programmable, there fore its a piece of confusing work for me. I set it, but I know my husband will reset it because it will be too hot for him.(while he was gone, I turned it up to 76 and was enjoying my nice warm house, until he called, I turned it down, then right before he got home it shut off because it's met it's "targeted temp", which was 72 or 70, can't really remember...but it was nice and warm while it lasted.
* When I moved into my 2nd apartment here in Boise, we didn't have to pay utilities and my room had it's very own thermostat , meaning I could make it how ever hot or cold I would like, without affecting Nancy or Claudia's room, oh I was in heaven, not having to pay for it was even more of a great thing, I had the room set at 80 most of the time and it was heaven, if only I could just have free utilities now, well at least Free HEAT*

Anyway, after about an hour of trying to figure out how the programmable features work , I gave up, it's too confusing, all I need to know is how to turn the temp up and how to shut it off...that's all :)

B-I-N-G-O and that's what we did tonight!

So for family night tonight, we went to Pizza Hut for some good grub and some funny laughs then we helped ourselves to a night of B-I-N-G-O FUN! We went to this place where they play Bingo and it was alright! (although next time I go, I think i Will take a hair net, a bunny suit (micron suits haha, and a face mask) I dislike with a strong passion the smell of smoke, let alone the smell of smoke on me, it's something I really dislike (Mom, you should be proud, I didn't say your most "hated" word...hahah) with that said...So this place is kind of awkward, exactly how I pictured it, Bingo, a geriatric unit smokin there lives away. You purchase your Bingo cards and your ink to dot the numbers called. Take a seat, and get rollin. Now our issue tonight was that we showed up in the middle of game 11, tried catching up and in reality, we would have increased our chances of winning, if we would have gone when they first opened up (note to self: show up at 6:30, so you can play all 13 or 14 games) So we even had to pay full price, $13, and we only have like 4 games to play oh well! It was a great night of doing something out of the ordinary and even though I was gung-ho on winning(who invented "gung-ho" anyway, its a little piece of random vocabulary I use now and then when I am feeling a little discombobulated) I lost every game, my brother-in-law Frank, on the other hand, won $40 (Who is very excited to be returning next week, hahah)! I would classify us in the "adventurous" category, we were in deed, the youngest in the group tonight and I was just hoping (a little too much) to win so I could bring home the dough (one of the games was worth $1000 if you called bingo/blackout before the caller called out 51 different numbers), that's a lot of dough for only spending $13 per game session!!!

Apparently Traffic Violations take a back seat in my life!

So I am just letting you all know that if you don't' hear from me, it may be due to the fact that I will be hand-cuffed when I turn my "traffic violation payment" in...Why? oh well because it will only be 3 days late. Whether I mail it or "hand" deliver it, still 3 days late. How could I have forgotten about this, I mean it starred me down every time I went near the fridge. So today, just had to be the day I realized that it was due on the 10th, not the 15th. I know it's my responsibility to know when my ticket is due, but since Sept. 19, (they day I received the dang thing) I kept thinking the 15th. Why the 15th, I have no reason, except for the fact that the officer would kindly gave me the ticket, said "now ma'am you have from Oct 3-Oct 15, to make this payment or appear before the judge" okay, now I am a person who doesn't forget easily, the 15th it is :). until today, when I just happened to think, oh I should take it off the fridge right now and write the check and put in the mailbox so it may arrive early :) (always like to be on time with things, apparently traffic violations take a back seat in my life) So when I was looking for the address, right there, it says Oct 3- Oct 10th...WHHHHHAT??? It's Oct 10, at 6:35 p.m, what am I going to do...I freaked out, put my Jacket, as if I were going to take my ticket right then...(really we were headed out for a night of pizza and bingo) and I just stood there shaking my head, freaking out as if I were going to be put in jail...I don't know what happens when you don't pay your ticket on time, and if there is a little grace period, but hopefully nothing will come of this, and if it does, well this will be in-deed, my first/last time of paying something late and lets hope it will be my last ticket I receive. anyway, well the ticket and my payment are ready to be mailed. Hopefully I will be seeing my check go thru the bank next week, before you see my mug shot on this website (by the way, I have always wondered how you add links to words, but I just figured it out and I am super excited)

p.s. I won't be "handing"my payment in , I am mailing it. my brother in law tongight told me thats what will happen to me...or maybe it was my sister in law, anywho, that's why I am mailing it, they will have to catch me first.. {Insert Evil Laugh here}

Why is it called "canning" when you are actually "jarring"?

Last weekend, my mother-in-law sent up a bunch of "goodies" There were Tamales, Molé, Tortillas, a sack full of tomatoes, and peppers from her garden, and some tomatillos. I didn't exactly know what to do with the tomatoes since I am the only one that really likes to eat them anyway, they were going bad faster than I could eat them. So I got an itch to make salsa...not just make the dang salsa, but to also can the salsa. There are firsts for everything and this my friends, was my first time ever canning. It was a real-tiring process trying to find the dang mason jars, Walmart, I managed to get to 3 different ones and to all my luck they were sold out. When we were in Caldwell on Saturday, I stopped at Albertsons and to my surprise they LOTS of them. I purchased 2/12 packs thinking I would be making a lot. So this morning when I woke up, I started first thing. Boiled the tomatoes, drained them, boiled the tomatillos, cut the onion and chopped the cilantro, and viola! I was ready to blend the heck out of all this fresh produce. After attempting the first batch, Manuel woke up, (thank heavens, b/c he is a salt lover and I am not, and I need to add salt to the mixture, my little shake just wasn't enough) any way he sampled almost all of the batches. after getting all the jars filled, (to my surprise, with everything I had, it only filled 7 jars, I was shocked from the looks of all the stuff we had, I thought we would have more) I put them in the pot to seal the deal. I let them boil in the water for a long time just because I wasn't keeping track of time and so every time I would check on them I would "plan" to give them just 20 more minutes, but then I never managed to look at the clock at this point in time. So I am pretty sure they were in the pot for well over an hour or so. (obviously, I don't exactly follow rules. It said not to disturbed the jars with in 12-24 hours of canning...but I had to get a picture and they had cooled by now, I don't (hopefully not) think I hurt anything)
Oh well, I don't think it hurt any thing. When you can, the lids are not suppose to pop back up when you push in the center of them. when I pulled the jars out only 2 popped back at me. But throughout the day, they have sealed and not a single one of the seven pop back and I think my results are pretty good for being a first timer. Now, I haven't tried the salsa since they have been sealed, it says to wait 12-24 hours before messing with them, possibly tomorrow I will have some. Hopefully it tastes good... I am pretty proud of my-self. Now if I could can peaches. I am sure I could but with what I hear, it gets pretty messy and I just don't know if I am ready to conquer that on my own, doing the salsa was messy enough :)

One last note: Sorry if this blog seems to over use the (,) comma, I just finished an assignment for my Business Communication class that was dealing with commas, so now that I have been doing that for the last 45 minutes, I think the comma usage is instilled in my head for the time being :)

One more item of business, I love that I can still spell correctly at 2 AM...Spell Checker is just trying to correctly spell words its not recognizing. SWEET

Chelsea and the Horrible day turned good by a nice note, Blow Pops and a Dr. Pepper

I am sure there have been worse days than this one, but as of right now, it's was awful. Work started at 7 in the AM...so just to give you an idea of what time I woke up (5:45 AM) anyway.. Work with the kids was fine, minus the incident with not wanting to go to school, yelling, fighting, being late to school..what a morning. So I took Margaret and family to the airport, on my way back I was definitely not all with it and I came over the bridge by BSU and apparently I was going 45. Couldn't tell, Acura's drive so smooth...not so much, I should have been paying better attention. So as soon as I come down, I hear it...a siren...lights in the mirror and him motioning for me to turn down the street instead of pulling over. Great. He was very polite...a little to polite in speaking but a hard core officer. I couldn't find my license but I could tell him the number, (Am I the only one who has the drivers license # memorized, b/c when I said that, he was like, "hmm...really?") He was probably thinking "this girl must be a trouble-maker" haha. not really. So as he is writing my information down (such as eye color, hair color, weight,) I find the license. As soon as I hand it too him , he looks at me and says "well, here it says you are 5'3", you said you were 5''4". I respond, "I said that?, I don't remember you asking my height". "oh, your right, I was thinking of asking that question" You know, I wonder how much police officers can get away with saying they asked and accusing the "violator" of lying, resulting in a bigger fine. arrgg. Thanks to my great Listening skills and a little defensive attitude I have, I set the man right :). Anyway, well because I was going 45 in a 30 zone, I was fined $75....if I had been 1 mile over (46), my fine would have been $140...holy crap. He warned I was near the boiling point. I really never speed, I am usually a good driver, very attentive, but my mind definitely wasn't with me at the moment. So this resulted in some tears because I couldn't believe I let my self do that, and I was a bit "teary-eyed" at the drive thru at the bank. No, not at a pull-up to the window and see the teller face-to-face, one with a TV, a camera and speaker. I thought I was playing it cool when she first came on, I just said hello, fine thanks", not really making eye contact... So when she returned my receipt, she came back on and said "Chelsea, I am sending your receipt along with a little treat, I hope you have a better day." Oh I was a bit more teary, just b/c I think I was more embarrassed than anything, but she was a big sweetheart. There are those in life who just make ya so mad, because of their rudeness, but then there are the sweet ones, which you don't find a lot of anymore, a lot of bitter people out there, but when you find one, they sure are sweet. She also wrote a little note on the receipt and I think I will post it on the fridge for a while. Because really, I knew life would be okay after I received this.

FLASHBACK: So when I was coming to Boise a few years back with Stephanie and Hilary, I was speeding 90 in a 75 so Steph could get to a restroom, I see lights, (out of no-where again, cops sure are sneaky, usually I am cop detector.) anyway, that ticket, oh my lands was like $175,( I was seriously in the boiling then) and here I am pouting about a $75 one, well let me explain, that was like 5 years ago, meaning I think my record is, well was clean, now I have this on me :(

I think what brought a bigger smile to my face was that I was special enough to get BLOW POPS, not just a dum-dum or a Safe-T-pop, I got 3 BLOW POPS (Apple, Watermelon, Strawberry), not a bad selection if I do say so my self. So if you my friend are a teller at US BANK, that wrote a sweet note to "Cheer-up" a customer, I sure do appreciate it. Keep it up, because that technique definitely works on a girl like me. Anyway, then my dear husband took me for Dr. Pepper..it sure was delicious with that hamburger I had as well (bad I know)

K & C Taylor...tied the knot (FINALLY)

My "bestest" recently got married in La Marada, California. It was a great weekend, lots of laughs and girl time. I flew out Friday morning and was in California by 1030 and away we went to cleaning, decorating, cleaning, and the list goes on. Crystal and Kody's wedding was pretty, fun and stressful all at the same time. All I can say, is that I am glad it's over. We had lots to do and little time. Crystal and her family had been there the whole week and had done alot of things but we had to do the final touches and the things that must be done last. It was fun I loved hanging out with her family, they are second to mine and I just feel right at home with them :) Since Manuel was unable to go, I stayed at the hotel with Crystal, Sandy, Christine Friday night then Sandy, Christine and Holly stayed with me Saturday night. I was never alone, which is a good thing. I am glad the Taylor's are one now, it's about dang time. Since the wedding took place in California, we had an open house in Burley tonight. IT was almost just as stressful :) haha! We had the open house at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It turned out to be a wonderful night. Grandpa kept saying how beautiful his yard looked. IT did look pretty dang cute back there with Orange, creams and browns. BEAUTIFUL! And of course we had to decorate the car, so I took the liberty of sending the kids to the store to get the stuff so we could decorate, it was lots of fun, except my brilliant idea of whip cream didn't do the deed. It melted...Stupid me, where did I ever get that idea from? Enjoy the pictures...

Califonia Wedding and a working windshield system..

So tomorrow bright and early (or should I say DARK and Early) I am heading to California. Manuel will drop me off at the airport at 5:30 am ish. One of my very very close friends is getting married and decided California would be the best place for her nuptials. And after 6 years of these two dating(I might be wrong on the years of dating, but it's been 3 years of being engaged), I don't care where it happens, just so it happens :). It will be exciting although I am sad because Manuel isn't going. He was originally going to have to work, but since he took it upon himself to volunteer for a shift switch, they are giving me Saturday and Sunday off, so he can be ready for Monday's new shift. Although I really him to go, I will miss him like crazy, but will be glad that when I get home Sunday night, *HOPEFULLY* my windshield wiper system will be fixed. I finally picked the part up yesterday and I am so happy for Manuel to fix it. If you recall, I would have to say my windshield wipers are one the best features in the car...I am dork but I love having a squeaky clean windshield, and due to the fact that the motor part was broke in the little accident on the freeway involving a piece of metal, my windshield is sure squeaky and not clean...(squeaky I say, b/c I sometimes forget that there is no fluid in there and I push the windshield wipers button to work and I just get squeaks from the rubber rubbing against the dry, bug infested, dirty windshield.

Rotten little buggers...

So as I was getting ready for work Wednesday morning, Manuel called and asked me if I realized that we had been T.P'd...hahah seriously...I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have to deal with Toilet papered yards until my yonder years when my children's friends pull pranks. Boy was I wrong, although the TP was very minimal it was an easy clean up but just reflecting back on my years...I went TP'ing a couple times, I remember one time we were in desperate need to TP my neighbors that mom took the crowd in to town to buy toilet paper, but it was Burley and no stores stay open really late, except for the gas stations, I remember thinking...dang this toilet paper is expensive. Us girls came up with enough money to buy a pack while some went to the bathroom and took a roll or two, I am sure it went un-noticed but I must say that was probably the best TP'ing job I have ever witnessed. Good thing they didn't know who did it and we weren't called to come clean it up unlike some one I know (hehhmmm..Initials C.N.T.). Luckily our little prankster or should I say PRANKSTERS got off easy. Maybe our little TP'ing friend heard about our new paint purchase and wanted to pay one last tribute to Good Ol' Blue...haha

We will part with the BLUE and go with the NEW

Can I just tell you that September 1st (today) is/was the best day of September and a day I have been awaiting to happen for quite some time. What is this suspense you ask??? MY HOUSE WILL NO LONGER BE BLUE. You know a year in a half ago, when I first drove by my then soon to be house, I cried... I cried in the car coming down the street before I even saw the house, because I could see the chimney and it was blue, very blue. I cried because it reminded me of a porta-potty and anyone who knows me knows that I am deathly terrified of the dang things. The color has definitely worn on me and I don't mind it anymore, but still terrified of porta-potties. Anyway, today we bought the paint, it will be probably another month before we get it painted, due to the fact that we have stuff going on every weekend in September, but none-the-less, it will be changed shortly. So you can all anticipate the change and we will definitely be posting pictures.

SO GOOD BYE BLUE HOUSE

AND HELLO TO THE NEW PAINT :)

Now, hopefully the colors are right, like we wanted them and I won’t be disappointed. I must say, I wish that we didn't have to go thru this b/c it was like heck deciding which color to use. Now I know that we have an Association here in this neighborhood, and I know that we are suppose to ask permission to paint...but I have no idea how to even contact the association I have googled and phone booked them and nothing has popped up, at least I tried. I am sure it won't be a problem, because trust me; we definitely do stand out in the neighborhood like a sore thumb. I don't really like the idea of asking "permission" from someone else to paint my house when we are the owners here; I don’t need permission for something like that. Funny story as to why I don't think it will be that big of deal to not get "Permission." Last year before we moved in, I was here cleaning the house and Vanessa was my company at the moment and I knew Gordo was coming to pick her up and the doorbell rang...we assumed it was Gordo but looked out window and it was different man. I answered it and he asked me if he could paint my house, he gave his card and all...I am still convinced that it was the Association that sent him because supposedly he lives in the neighborhood. Mmm... a little odd but funny. I was embarrassed, I knew this house was a bit "unique" if you will, but I was already having a hard time dealing with the color let alone having someone else point out that my house needed painted...

Patience Patience Patience

Summers over...what?

So Summer is coming to an end here in the Vega household, like wise all over. I don't exactly know how I feel about this. I on one hand wish I could just work and not have to study..I thoroughly enjoyed myself this summer..on the other hand, I am ready to get school started...because really I have 3 semesters left until I am done forever... I think. Today I made the mistake of going to Wal-mart, Manuel and I needed a few items for school and it was crazy. there was one mom just throwing notebooks at her kid telling him to be quiet, (poor thing, it's not his fault) I wanted to punch her, really because she was acting so ridiculous, if she wants to save her self the stress and huffing and puffing....she needs to learn to go shopping a little earlier next year, not the day before school starts. Then there was another lady....who just liked to push people around with her cart... She was real rude...who does that and who doesn't realize it and why wouldn't she realize and apologize...oh the looks from people were hilarious. I enjoyed my self although I think I am crazy for going the day before it all starts as well, but I gotta tell ya, if I had gone earlier, I wouldn't have been able to blog about crazy wal-mart shoppers. I love it though. Buying new notebooks, binders(I usually try and re-use my binders from previous years, but I thought since I have my degree in Health info Mgmt, I might use my notes, information and other random ramblings I was given last year, they might just come in handy...when I need them too) pencils, pens, paper, is something that I look forward to going back to school...all so fresh...and clothes too. I still need to do that type of shopping, perhaps tomorrow after work.

Warning: LONG POST

Well...where to begin? On August 13, Chanc, Randy and Aidan decided to come to Boise, 2 days before I was actually expecting them(they were coming for Marissa's wedding) but I was glad they chose to come early ( I think I begged enough and my sister gave in...Love ya) While they were here, we laughed alot and chatted, it was great time with them just to ourselves and I am going to admit it... I didn't get enough of Aidan, he is such a cute little guy and boy does he love to jump. He was jumping away in his little jumper and it was so adorable, he makes me tired just watching him jump, but I love it. It was a bummer because the first couple of days they were here, I had to work and so did Manuel, and when we were with them in the evenings, they hours just flew by to quickly.

Friday, we headed off to Burley (funny: my family comes to stay at my house in Boise...we stayed in my parents house in Burley...odd) Manuel had a tournament in Burley on Saturday. After getting my hair done, and I made it over to the tournament, sat in my chair..i realized I was alone. Usually my family is there and Manuel's parents will stop by for a little while, but since my family was in Boise I was alone. But to my surprise and such a happy surprise, my in-laws came and stayed the whole time. It was great having them there and watching there son. Manuel's team took 2nd place, which is pretty good seeing that one player decided to ditch the team the night before and one other player was playing while he was sick. They did Awesome still. I am getting a little sad....Paintball season is over. I sometimes complain that it takes Manuel from me on Sundays, but I love the tournaments and watching him play, he is an amazing player...I on the other hand try to take as many pictures of him playing as I can, I have snapped some pretty sweet ones. I remember last year at one of the burley tournaments, I walked over to his field, took some pictures and was walking back to the canopy and I got hit in the head with a paintball...it hurt..and I don't know how he can endure the pain, I am baby... I have had 2 balls to the head and one to the nose...I think that I am good not playing. The tournament ended at 5:00 and then we rushed to Boise to make it to my cousin Marissa's wedding reception. We got there at 835...sweet 25 minutes to enjoy the blissful day of marriage for the happy couple :) It was a busy day.





Sunday, was Chace's 18th Birthday...I am getting old, I can't believe he is 18 still...The Asher clan, The Todd's, Bell's, Bench's and Vega's all went to Roaring Springs!! It was such a fun day, I had a blast, took the camera but didn't find time for pictures, the water was what we were all about. It was fun because while were in line for one the slide rides, Margaret and the girls were there, so after a while Manuel and I took the girls and the Bell kids, Chace and Chad and we went all over the place. Syd talked me into doing the Boomerang...NEVER AGAIN. IT was the scariest ride I have ever been on, but now at least I can say I have been on it...Right Syd? One on the slides, every time Manuel and I went on the blue one I think, we were about to exit into the pool and it would always flip over on us...resulting in Manuel flipping over me, pushing me to the bottom of the pool and me getting road rash. But when we would go on the other slide, nothing. We came out just fine. Even Mom, Dad Chanc, Randy went down the blue slide and nothing happened to them...WEIRD. It was a great day and then we ended it by coming to my house and having cake and Ice Cream in Celebration of Chace and Bradyn's B-days.





Monday- Chanc thought that I needed to work on my digital scrap booking skills and that's what we did pretty much all day I would say. Mom took the boy's shopping for school clothes and Manuel tagged along. Dad, Randy, Chanc, Aidan and myself stayed home. Rather relaxing, minus the power going out twice, odd. Then in the afternoon, Dad, Chace Chad Randy Manuel, Scot, Bradyn, Aaliyah, Kolby went to Huck Jam in Nampa. Tony Hawk was there. Mom, Chanc, Stacie, Ashton, Aidan and myself went to dinner and were going to go shopping but that didn't happen. We went to Smoky Mtn. It was sure Delicious. I love that place and Chanc had mentioned that it is one of the top 10 pizza places to eat in America :) After dinner, the guys called and said they were home, so we came home and hung out side for a while until Mom and Dad and boys, and Scot and Stacie and kids left for Exit-208. It was such a fun filled weekend.

Monday night...one last evening with the A-man...Manuel and I soaked it all up... we just couldn't get enough. We opted to take the little guy while his parents packed up because they were going to be leaving Tuesday morning. It was fun and I think he enjoyed hanging out with us rather than going to sleep like his mom wanted



(Ashton...sporting a pirates bandanna..such a stud)













(The guys were playing alot of hackie-sack)














Grandpa and Grandma with Aidan



Tuesday...I left for work, Manuel was sleeping, Chanc was getting ready and her two boys were sleeping....I get home from work...Manuel was awake...the Todd's were gone, it was sad, I instantly missed having them. I hope they move to Boise, so we can hang out more often. Chanc: I just don't think we would fit in Sandpoint...It seems a little small too me and I thought we already made plans for you to live next door to me in BOISE and our kids will grow up to be the best of friends...remember...now quit changing your mind on me...I am not liking that.

Friday night we had Family Vega night. We went bowling. It was alot of fun...I definitely have some bowlers of a family though. Gordo, Vanessa and Megan were totally kicking out butts. I did manage to break 100 each time though, the first game was 101 and it only went up-hill from there...I am contemplating joining a league...I think I would be an asset to some one's team (haha). It was fun hanging out with them and we definitely need to do it more often.

Interested in Hair Removal?

So I have mentioned in the past that I am doing Laser Hair Removal for the Dr's I Nanny for. I have posted the prices for what we do and I know it may seem a bit pricey but we do payments, it's not at all up front costs, although you get a bonus if you pay up front for the package you want to purchase you will get an additional 20% off. It's great for birthdays, anniversaries, and for those I love you and would like you hairless kind of gifts :) (hahah) Bare Naked Ladies is for the ladies pricing and Idaho Manskaping is for the Men. So if you or anyone you know is interested in Laser Hair Removal, let me know and I will give them the info. If you want to schedule an appointment you can simply email me at m_c_vega@yahoo.com with your contact info and I will be more than happy to give you more information.

I am not sure if you can read the prices very clear, double click the picture to enlarge.

My First Tag

So apparently in the blogging world...Tags are a must :)

4 people I Love: Manuel, and the rest of my family...I have lots :)

4 places I visit over and over: Asher's, Vega's, Walmart, Target'

4 people I text/email on a regular basis: Manuel, Crystal, Chace, Chad

4 favorite foods: Prime Rib, Shrimp, Sweet n Sour Chicken (my new favorite Recipe), Mexican food

4 places I'd rather be: Puerta Vallarta, Cruise (oh the joy of being at Sea), Burley, hanging with family

4 things I'd rather be doing: hmm..I should be studying but since that's not exactly what I wanna do: Planning a vacation would be nice, playing Ultimate Frisbee, Playing volleyball in the sand :), hanging with the family

4 Movies I watch over and over: oh man there are quite a few but..just some of them are Bring it on, My Best Friends Wedding, Paintball video's of the husband, She's the Man

4 TV shows I watch over and over: Scrubs, George Lopez, Tori and Dean (I am addicted), Friends, and just for the record...Sex in the City

4 Bands I love: Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas

4 Songs I love: Our Song--Taylor Swift, I loved her first--Heartland, So in Love--Tori and Dean, Black Velvet--Melissa Etheridge

4 People I tag: Chanc, Steph, Lacey, Lacy.

SO IN LOVE

SO recently I have become an addict...to Tori and Dean..Home Sweet Hollywood...I love the show and I dont think I have ever been so into watching a season of a show...but this show will do it for me..now Chanc I may have had the Days of our lives addiction for a while, but you must know I quit recording the stupid show...I dont know why I ever wasted my time..hahh... Anyway I dont really like the music video they have going on but I love the song...so enjoy the first of Tori Spelling singing...

What's happened recently...

Well I have be MIA in the blogging world for well a month Update...Advantix the bug sprayer company is awesome.. I saw one tiny very tiny spider the other day, other than that it's all I have seen, and I am impressed I think we will keep them around. Vanessa and Gordo (my Brother-in-law) finally tied the knot... It was a beautiful day, I cried, Vanessa was a gorgeous bride and I am so happy to have her as a sister-in-law. It's crazy to think that we are family now. We went to school together, cheered together, I have lived with her since December 2003, minus 3 months in 2004, and now she's a married woman and I couldn't be happier. Ya know...I use to think I was picture crazy, any time we had anywhere to go, whether it were down town, or anything, I was always the one to have my camera...lately I have been SLACKING. OH I had my camera at the wedding...and the battery was there too just not together together I should say. Manuel had the battery in his suite pocket...my camera you ask..in the car. argghhh! SO I have only one picture of the entire day at the moment..I am sure we will be getting some from Hector (the photographer) soon. So I guess enjoy this picture and I will post more when we get more.

L To R: Eric, Erica, Chelsea, Manuel

Some good news...I am happy to announce that Manuel will have weekends off. It's a funny thing on Tuesday night I told him I wish that he worked the same days as his brothers just because they work opposite days than Manuel and it's always so hard to get together with them. Well Wednesday morning, Manuel called and told me that some one came and asked for a volunteer to switch to A/B shift (Sun, Mon, Tues, and every other Wed). He currently works C/D shift (every other Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat), so after much consideration...more on his part than mine, I am all for it, he has volunteered to go. I did however has a mishap in forgetting about Paintball for a moment when he told me about the switch...I hope his team is willing to work with him on this and maybe hold practices on Saturdays now b/c starting in Sept. he wont be able to make it on Sundays. So I guess sometimes little silent wishes do come true

Finally a graduate...but back in the fall

I don't know if I like the idea of going back to school, I have been enjoying my summer all too well and have forgotten what it's like being a student...then I remembered I kept telling myself that even before school got out for the summer I was going to study my Heine' off to take my test as soon as I received my diploma...well I finally received my diploma, it was a week late, but I only would have cared that it was a week late if I had actually studied for my test and was ready, but to my dismay I have studied but only for like 4 hours...I think I have 3 chapters in my book completed and I have like 14 to go or something like that...the book is currently in my car...a good place. I guess this week while the family I nanny for is on vacation guess who gets to study their heart out because If I don't take it with in the next month....or I guess school starts in 3 weeks I think it may be a bit difficult to study for my major test and do all the other tedious assignments assigned once school starts...I don't know if I am good at juggling that kind of material all at once and plus just because this test I take gives me the credentials...and costs around $300 I better study and pass it all in one time..I guess I should get started..

Out with the old..in this new DRESSER

So after living out of the 3 drawer, clear containers all my married life, we decided, (well I actually decided) it was time for a dresser. I am so glad we purchased this one. After much consideration and to our dear friend Franky, we scored awesome on this deal. At first I was going to settle with one from Target, it was around $250, 6 drawers. Franky works for Macy's downtown, and he mentioned to us that there were some dressers that were on clearance, we went and looked but to my dismay, I didn't like the colors, I like the dark Mahogany colors and they didn't have exactly what I wanted on display and I wasn't going to purchase one that I didn't like even if the price was right because all that would happen is I would probably use it for a while then decide I really don't like it then spend more money on the one I want. So Franky disappeared for a while and then came back and told me he found one that he thinks I am going to like....Ta...dah....he is so awesome, I looked at it, looked at the price....and then decided yes. It was originally $1500, and the mirror that goes along with it was $500, but with Franky's employee discount (THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH) our purchase came to $424. We paid him in advance and then he made the purchase, otherwise we would have spent 2000 and I wasn't willing...I love it though. It has 9 drawers and I also got rid of a lot of stuff when I putting our stuff away, other wise it wouldn't have all fit..so good thing I didn't try to go for a 6 drawer dresser or else we would have been in out of space.

PS...sorry I really don't like pictures when there is a mirror involved and you see the photographer...like myself in the mirror taking the pictures...but I couldn't take it without the mirror in the picture, so I guess we will just deal with it. Also as you can see in the mirror right behind me are the containers that have been housing our clothes that didn't belong in the closet.

MR.ADVANTIX PEST CONTROL SELLER

THANK YOU and a million more...I HOPE IT WORKS. SO yesterday after we got home from Camping, my nap was interrupted by the doorbell. SO come to find out that it was pest control...well last time someone came to my door, they were selling meat and lets just say I let them in, let them do the spill, then I let them go, telling them to come back later for the husband. Well I made sure we were gone, I just can't say no thanks! so yesterday as he said he was with Advantix, I knew I needed to just say "we aren't interested right now" wait...I did say that...then I let him talk to Manuel. I knew I wanted the house sprayed but didn't really know how good this was and if it was worth it. Well some chattin and a few 45 minutes later and 4 more seasons of pest control to go....My house is sprayed...it will only be in a matter of time the disgusting little things will be gone....mostly. I can already see a creepy pile of dead ants over by the garage door and it makes me smile. I do not know how on this planet, when I was little kid, I could play with spiders, carry mice in my pocket, ONLY to SCARE MY MOM ( LOVE YOU MOM) and worms and lady bugs and Rollie Pollies....SSSiiiickkkkkk. But thanks BABE and PEST CONTROL SELLER.

One YEAR STRONGER....Forever more to go <3

We celebrated our anniversary on Monday. Crazy to think that it has already been a year. Went by so quickly, but I guess the saying is right, "Time Flies, when you are havin fun". That's what we do and that's how we roll. Manuel is always so active he keeps me pretty busy. Laughing at his funny jokes, stories he tells and the memories we share. I love this guy and I am glad that I chose to be with him for the rest of my life :) Let me tell ya, I definitely agree with whoever told me marriage isn't a cakewalk, it has been difficult at times but we have gotten thru the mud and let me tell ya, I have learned a lot from him and how stubborn I have been, but in the end we always still and forever will love each other. Now this may come as a shocker to everyone but I wanted to go camping...don’t ask me where it came from because if you know me, well not having a bed and running water isn't exactly what I call FUN. But I really wanted to go and what better time than for our anniversary to go camping. I waited for him Sunday to get done paintballing then we headed out, I was so excited I got everything put together. I wanted to take the four-wheeler but our ramps are not at our house and well lifting the thing into the back of the truck was out of the question but I chuckled as he tried (Love ya babe) We went up towards Idaho City, some guys told us to go to Robie Creek but I felt like we would have been camping in someone’s back yard or that some strange thing might eat us alive, so we turned out of there and went more towards Idaho City, about 17 miles before we saw a couple campers and thought we would give this road a try, LUCKY US, we landed a sweet site for the night right by the water :) We set the tent up, got the fire going *and let me add...the fire this guy can make is pretty amazing*, played a few rounds of Phase 10 and then something hit me and I was ready to go home, I was dealing okay with the little bugs but when a big bug hit me, I decided I like camping until the bugs come out...gross....but I managed thru the night. Manuel was laughing because well let me tell you some interesting yet random facts of myself...I don’t like sunscreen unless it's coconut scented...and I still hate the feel of it on my skin, and I for a FACT hate the smell and feel of insect repellent on my skin...so imagine me getting sprayed...what little I even spray on...but as the husband said to me...it's either this or West Nile...okay so I let him spray a little more but I still was...I don’t know what word to use but it's disgusting. So We cooked ourselves up some mighty fine camping food....Foil Dinners. We love them :) then we had some delicious s’mores, after...I mean way after dinner was over and we were thinking to ourselves how are we going to roast the marshmallows? we don’t have any twigs, I don’t think the tree branches with green/yellowish stuff would have settled very well in our stomach and well...I wouldn't have done that anyway...ahh...we brought a knife for protection, lets use that...oh the s’mores were ohhhh so delicious and well worth the thinking and wait :) Monday we woke up, ate some cinnamon twists that I made and some yogurt then packed up and decided we would drive more down the road to see what it was all about, well come to find out we found some awesome camping sites. One that I like to call "Creek side property" it was perfect, so next time we go, I would like to go there then I can let my feel play in the water and not worry what bugs might be crawling out of the bushes next to me. You see that's how our original camp site was; it was this little tiny area you could walk thru to get to the water but to close to the bushes for me. We also found a beach area that when MOM and DAD come up to Boise with the BOAT,and the rest of the gang, they have a boat dock and a beach sandy area that would work great, a blocked off shallow area and its more secluded but I also saw more private boat docks that would work too, I just love the sand on my feet :). We made it home safe and sound...nothing happened to us camping...which we were a little worried camping alone but we survived and will hopefully do it again. We went to the movie later in the day GET SMART....love the movie..Steve is just a funny man. We then finished the night off by going to dinner at the ICHIBAN.. YUMMY!!!! I LOVE BEING MARRIED, I LOVE BEING A WIFE AND MOST OF ALL I LOVE JOSE MANUEL, CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT FOREVER WITH YOU!!!! I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK MANUEL

The Good ol'Altima

Friday as were driving out of Boise, a car ran something over and when that happened it flew back and we ran over it. there was no way of avoiding this item due to the fact we were in the fast lane, and there were cars next too us as well, so we couldn't have dodged it. So bam...we run over it and Manuel thought that he left it behind. Until I heard a sound that sounded like my front tire was flat... so we get pulled over and I get out of the car (Manuel told me to stay in, but really I wanted to see what happened to my car) So I get out of the car and I hear liquid pouring out rapidly, I was freaked, I don't know much about cars, but I think I know that if something sounds funny or something is leaking something must be wrong. Well when pulled out the item that we hit, this is what we found. It's like a metal piece from a back of an older car, it definitely took a toll' on the good ol' Nissan. The leakage problem that was going on just happened to be the Windshield washer fluid container and it barely missed the tire. Little did I know that if it would have got the front tire, the car would have rolled, I learned something and just one more thing to be afraid of while driving. I am just happy that nothing happened to us, that we were safe and nothing to damaging happened to the car, thank goodness. We do have a hole in the front bumper where it went thru and Manuel is not sure if it punctured the container of if it just popped the bottom lid off, we should probably take a look at that because I tell ya, having a dirty windshield sucks and especially since I think my windshield wipers rock, I miss being able to use them...they still work, I just don't like the sound of them on a dry windshield......shhhhrieeekkkkk....

Numero Uno SHELLY

Once again, Manuel and his team took first place in Shelly, Idaho. It was the first time for tournaments to be held there and the guy did a good job, the fields were set up great, and enough room for the spectator sport :). Chace and Dad played, this tournament however, I didn't get any pictures of their team :( next time. So it started Friday, we headed over to Shelly after Manuel and I got off work, first stop...Taco Bandido, always a must...I love that place. We made it to Shelly around 10:30, went to the field, which by the way, was really hard to find in the dark, we dropped Dave off and then we went on our long journey of trying to find our hotel. My aunt told me to look for the Hospital or "H" signs...uhmmm the way we took, no H signs were around, it was awful, we were both tired and lost in Idaho Falls..hahah...we stopped and got some directions, they were okay but we still had to navigate ourselves, taking turns we weren't sure where they would take us... We finally found it and I don't know if I even hit the pillow before I was asleep, we were both so tired. Saturday started off with breakfast (Go Hampton Inn's Fake EGGS...blahhh), then the guys left for the field, I took a lil'nap, then got ready and mom and I were off to the field. Once again feeling a little lost bc the directions I had, ummm no streets were found off of there. So I just made it some how to the main street then I remembered where to go from there. Once at the field, we were watching games from the start- Crystal and Kody came, and it was really funny, because I forgot to tell Crys, that sometimes the balls come thru the net and you sometimes get hit, well she was standing by Dad's truck and moved to the side and bam...a ball pinned her, she didn't get hit, although it hit Dad's shiny white truck and then splatted on her hair. Andy and Lacey came over as well. We had quite the crowd, if there was an award given for the teams with the most spectators, I think Crusade Red, Crusade Blue and Verdict would definitely win. It's so fun getting a bunch of people to watch, I love all the family time, glad Dad and Chace are hooked for now. So Crusade Red dominated and they had to prove it twice. The game that they first won, well it went over by 2 minutes and the opposing team protested, even with the protest, and another match, Crusade red still dominated, it was exciting. When Crusade Red team members get fired up, you might as well give up. It was a day of victory for us :) After they awards were given, all the gang gathered at the hotel and decided we were going to eat at TGI Fridays, Manuel and I piled in with Crystal and Kody, mom and dad followed along with Milan's family. Well Kody googled TGI Fridays on his phone and oh my gosh...we were driving around forever, we were following the directions but who in this knows where we ended up, not at the restaurant that's for sure. After driving around for a bit, dad finally got the directions and we found it just fine. Dinner was great, Thanks DAD! and it was fun how we had Mom's "50th Birthday" hahha, good one Kody! They came out singing happy birthday and all and she was just laughing, good times. SO once we left the restaurant, come to find out the hotel was just 2 minutes away from TGI Fridays, I don't trust Google anymore, it got us lost too many times that weekend.