~ ♥ There Are Angels Walking On This Earth Disguised As Moms ♥ ~

**VOTING LINK** Scroll down to the bottom to vote!!!
Each month, An Island Life hosts a photo contest with a specific theme.

For February the theme is: Love Is . . .

Here’s how it works:
I have posted a picture taken by me below and how this photo relates to what LOVE IS and what it means to me; which enters me in the contest! Voting will begin on Feb 9th and will run till Feb 13th. I am asking you to VOTE FOR ME!!! Scroll down to the bottom to cast a vote...
The photo with the most votes will be announced on Feb 14th.

Thank you for taking the time to vote ~


I hope you take a few moments also to check out Kailani's blog - She is a busy Momma to 3 daughters, works part-time as a flight attendant and is living in Hawaii (MY DREAM!!!)

This photo for me says Love is... The LOVE of a family sharing a vacation; the LOVE that is felt each and every sunset in Hawaii; the LOVE bestowed upon you by the shear beauty of this magical place.

Yesterday was my first day back at work following my tennis elbow release surgery. I had been off work since November 20th and was quite excited to return to my normal scheduled days!!

When my boss came to me after reading my Doctor's Release that stated NO repetive motion, she asked "why are you here?" I suppose I should have read the note!! DOH!!! After a call to verify with the Doc, it was decided that I had to return home for another 6 weeks! My job IS repetitive motion; I'm an Accounts Payable Technician.

I will continue to rest my arm, go to physical therapy and train for my 10k!! I am working on talking The Fireguy into running a half marathon as a team!! I think that I could do 6.5 miles by March???

The weather has been awful here in CA, so I am also busying myself with movies (LOVE The Redbox)!!!

On January 1st I began a training program prepared for me by my 'Marathon Maniac' daughter.

The program is a 16 week program with the ending goal being me running a 10k (6 miles) race. I have run plenty of 5k's (3 miles) but have never gone beyond that. I don't consider myself a runner, so this is really a challenge for me; I have rather short legs and don't run very fast. I have changed my mindset to FINISH, which is my goal!

Although it is early into my training, I wanted to get my progress posted so that I can be held accountable :-) !!

With the help of Dailymile I am able to track my training ~ So for the first two weeks I have logged the following:

Running ~ 13.4 miles
Cycle ~ 41.9 miles
Other Fitness (Walking, elliptical machine, rollerblade) ~ 12.21 miles

Total of 67.51 miles first two weeks of training !!!! YEAH ME!!!

Check back for updates ~

I am about at my wits end... Do any of you feel ready to sleep around 8 o'clock in the evening? However, by the time you get the house closed down & get ready for bed and lay down you are wide awake??? I have tried the following:

* sleep aids (oral tablets) that I power right through, meaning they don't put me to sleep.
* tea (chamomile, lavender, mint) which only seem to make me get up and piddle a couple of times through the night
* staying up later - which is really tough since my alarm goes off at 4:10AM...

I can usually get in a couple hours of true sleep, but then around 11PM or 2AM I start tossing & turning and then my brain starts churning and I have a difficult time turning it off.

What I would give for a full 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep!!

Any suggestions????

I was watching some old skool music videos today and took a little trip down memory lane. I thought about some of the 'hip' clothing and jewelry back then and how many are back in style now. One of the things that I suppose really never went "out' were mood rings ~ Funny little item... to think that you could possibly control your emotions by what color your mood jewelry turned! I had a good snicker, but thought I'd ask you this question ~ So what color are you right now?

Use the chart below to help you~

Black - Stressed, Cold, Uptight, Tense
Brown - Nervous, Anxious, Puzzled
Red - Energized, Restless, Distracted
Amber - Hopeful, Mixed Emotions, Unpredictable
Green - Amused, Upbeat, Cheerful
Blue - Relaxed, Calm, Love, Tranquil
Dark Blue / Purple - Passionate, Hot, Excited

P.S. Almost forgot to report that my mood ring is GREEN

I hope this posts comes across as positive and not negative!
(P.S. Remember to pause my player at the bottom of the blog to enjoy the video clip)

It is with such excitement that I share with you my desire to follow through with 'letting go' of things from the past. I'm not going to air my dirty laundry here, but I want to share that I will stop letting history run my life. For too long I have let things that people have said and done affect me personally. I try to make other people happy ALL THE TIME, sometimes by not being myself. I need to be true to myself and be me.. Let's face it nobody is perfect, we all have 'ghosts and skeletons' in our closets! I say so what!!! I have accepted my faults, changed what I needed to and have moved on.

I like me!! I love seeing the fruits of my labor in my children! I am walking forward, holding my head high and leaving it all behind!! NO MORE PAIN!!! I'm gonna let it go!!! Nobody sings it better than Tim McGraw, either...

I have decided to do Project 365!!! Basically the goal is to take and post a photo everyday for 365 days.

I want to commemorate my 50th birthday year by keeping a daily picture log of my life this year. Yes indeed, I am embracing my 50th year walking this earth (half of a century!!) and will forever be able to return to it on "Lollygaggin'". I am also hoping that this will give me the opportunity to learn more about picture taking and seeing the world around me!!

Please hop over to Lollygaggin and follow along, won't you?!?!?

~ Thanks to Nicolasa who inspired me to do this ~

I've been trying to think of a fitting post to end the year; thanks to Teresa over at
Grammy Girlfriend , I think I have the perfect one!


Let's end the year with a random post and a RANDOM DOZEN.... Should be fun; leave a comment and let me know if you post, I love reading others' answers.


1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends? I'll share drinks with my husband, but will not with others! YUCK-O!! A slight germ-a-phob, I am!!!

2. What have you learned this year? (Didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.) I've learned alot about myself; my inner strength and I have a better understanding of my purpose on earth.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations? I take the decorations quickly. I do not like to see the tree sitting without packages beneath it.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is: I am hoping to complete our list of goals for 2010!

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)? I enjoy the winter! I am hoping that the weather continues and we increase our winter snow pack to alleviate the possibility of the threat of drought!!

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales? I do not! Cannot stand the crowds!!

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? We will ring in the New Year while sitting in the spa; kind of a tradition.... I am making cioppino, another NYE tradition!!!

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January? I am hoping that the Doc will release me to return to work.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.) A grand mix of all!!

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please be honest!! As much as I can, but fear returning to work and not being able to spend the time that I wish I could HA! I have met some very amazing friends here...

11. Who runs your household? It is most definatley a joint effort! My Fireguy and I have a really wonderful relationship that has seen us through 31 years. Everyday it just gets better!!

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010! I hope to improve my overall health and run a 10k!

I wish you all a very Happy New Year...

Being off work has afforded me alot of time for holiday baking, which I thoroughly enjoy! Now that I have completed my baking I have moved on to the cooking portion... I plan to gift to my family members lots of home baked, home cooked and home smoked goodies this holiday season!! Additionally, I have a co-worker who is having surgery following Christmas and since she is a single Mom of a teenager I prepared split pea soup and lasagna for her. Both of these freeze so well and can be warmed up easily and makes for a great meal. I have also been perfecting a BBQ sauce recipe! My kids seem to like it well enough, and I value their input!! With all of this in mind I set out to prepare my three items...



Last week The Fireguy lost a fellow firefighter brother due to a line of duty death, marking the first such loss in the department history. As we all know, there is no good time to loose a loved one, but this time of year seems to make it especially difficult. This young firefighter leaves behind a wife and two young sons, also missing his Christmas Day birthday by days. The service was beyond words; a full ceremonial event. To see hundreds of uniformed personnel was amazing and the church overflowing with mourners was so humbling. There was no less than 35-40 various fire apparatus parked in front of and leading to the church. The bagpipers and honor guard performed their duties flawlessly. I wanted to take my camera to record this event, but then again I didn't want to be 'that person' at a funeral service. I took the photo below from the car and apologize for the poor quality but to see the American flag draped from two ladder trucks filled me with such emotion.

Following the service my Fireguy and I returned home and discussed the afternoon. It was the first service that we had attended that we were not together. All uniformed personnel were seated together; the spouses/significant others were seated elsewhere. It is one thing to observe the brotherhood of the firefighters, but I realized today also the 'sisterhood' that we wives/siginificant others make up. We take on a 'burden' if you will of carrying on with life at home while our firefighters put their lives on the line. Okay, sorry... back on track! This section is not about me, but about the realization of our public servants risking their own lives selfishly to protect and serve our communities. Take a moment if you will to pray for the family of this firefighter; pray for strength and comfort. The family has a very strong faith in God and I feel this will help them so much during this painful time in their lives.

Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post, but I needed to get this off my chest and felt that you all would understand...

Whew... What a weekend! I had such a good time tho'...

Sit back and enjoy my quick wrap-up ~

My Mom was one of the most creative people that I knew! I have long felt that my Sister and my Daughter had carried on her creativity, until recently... I have begun to try my hand at different projects and continue to 'create' in the kitchen.

This weekend I made a Christmas decoration for each of my kids. I had found the bare trees at World Market and thought that perhaps I could make them a little more special. I used some toile and a couple of Christmas themed picks that had belonged to my Mom. I think they turned out pretty well!

You can always paint toenails on!!!

Check back for results!!!!

I have been vascilatting on whether to blog about this, but that's what this blog is for! It's my life, my journey... So here goes!

My surgery went well, with the surgeon finding the probable cause for my discomfort and felt positive that my future results would be good. As seen in a previous post, I had a 'cradle cast' with lots of padding and gauze. Three ace bandages completed my trophy... I was also given a sling, which I found most helpful in carting that heavy thing around! I wore it sparingly around the house (mostly because I sat around alot!) but if I did go out I was sure to wear it! I have taken no pain meds and felt it was just more inconvenient than anything!!

Yesterday the doctor removed the cast and clipped a couple of stitch tails. I have not seen this type of wound closure; rather than the stitches being tied in knots on top of the skin they are dermal! No stitches to be seen...

The purple color is what is left of the doctor's markings!! Sure hope this all washes off... HA!!

I am out of work for 6 weeks!! No workie until at least Jan 18th!!! Yikes!!! I have a bit of self therapy to perform as my elbow is still able to fully extend and my wrist does like much movement right now either. I am limited to short periods of 'repetitive motion', meaning I can't live on my laptop!!! Dang... Guess I'll finish up some of those books ~

I would like to share some exciting news! A great family friend has just launched a new website and Etsy shop to showcase her amazing talent!!

Jodi was a softball pal of our daughter, Erin since they were 10-12 years old. The two ended up playing on the EGHS softball team, making memories to last a lifetime!

Jodi is now married and the stay-at-home mother to three little cherubs. Jodi is so talented and has given us all the chance to view her projects. Some of her many; blog designs, digitals kits, calendars, greetings cards and more!!!

Take a few moments and check out her website - www.pinkdesignz.com and her Etsy shop -http://www.etsy.com/shop/jodisnyder

Good luck to you Jodi!!

I say "broken" because it is not broken actually!!!

I have been pushing through 'tennis elbow' for about a year and since all other treatments have failed, surgery was the last hope!!! Never played tennis!! The doc said that 75% of his patients with this diagnosis have never played either!!! Actual cause is definite repetitive motion; data entry, 10-key and typing...

Since this is a slow time at work I chose now for the repair. I tried preparing by practicing using only my left hand/arm for simple tasks; not so easy!!!!

Here is a list of tasks that I have found pretty difficult:

* Brushing teeth (I have since purchased a battery powered brush)

* Cutting meat during meals (thanks to my Fireguy I will not starve as he cuts my meat)

* Using scissors!!!

* Drying your hair; I'm accepting the flat look for now since this task is just impossible!

* Last but not least...blowing your own nose!! I'll be honest... there is no cure for this one! You really need both hands to be effective!!!! Anyone able to prove me wrong??? I welcome your help/comments.

I should only be in the cast for another week and begin rehabbing until the first of the year ~

My first plane ride was in a private airplane similar to the photo above ~ My Dad had his pilot's license and had purchased his own plane.

The Nut Tree started as a fruit stand, later opening a restaurant, toy shop and the Nut Tree Railroad opened in 1952. The railroad had a quarter-mile track running through the Nut Tree orchards and gardens. When folks arrived via airplane you rode the train from the landing strip through a track running through the orchards and gardens.