A mid-day smile for you (and a plug for youtube & Facebook)

I discovered this little mid-day smile and had to share it. What a unifying idea because, as I've found through the latin-dancing and yoga class my friend and I teach twice a week for free, dancing together makes us all happy.

(2 different links = same video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zlfKdbWwruY

http://www.uhc.tv/web_video/dancing-around-the-world

Maybe I'll join Facebook, since this is more of a fb post that a blog post. Are you all on fb? How do you decide what to post/not post there?

Rain in the desert

OK. It's March 2012. I found this unpublished post from July 2011. I love the pictures too much to not post it, so I am. I'm unsure whether it will show up on my most recent post or be hidden. If anyone ever finds it hidden in my history of posts, enjoy the cute pics!

The storms in the desert are frightening and beautiful. Thanks to the dry weather, there is a better electrical environment for lightening. You can look across the sky on a cloudy day and see multiple burst of lightening at once. I've never seen anything like it. One hot July day there was one of those storms and with it came a downpour in rain. Here's Emma and I enjoying the puddle on our porch. (so rare!)

My Circus Job

I read this on a Groupon email today. I was laughing out loud, literally. (No LOL: I hate abbreviating text, isn't language too beautiful to shorten?)

The Groupon Guide to: Circus Jobs

More youths than ever are fleeing their idyllic home lives for the clamor and glamour of the traveling circus. Before you sneak beneath the flaps of the big top, consider how your skills might be put to use in the world of the circus:

• Do you enjoy picking up chairs and brandishing a whip?
The ideal circus career for you is: Setting up chairs for the audience. Once the chairs are all set up, you can whip the audience into a frenzy with a preshow skit about turning off your cell phone.

• Do you enjoy high-flying danger?
The ideal circus career for you is: Flag placer. Picture the perfect circus tent—what do you see at the top? That's right, a tiny flag, placed there by an able-bodied volunteer who is unafraid to scale the tent in order to get the tiny wind-flapping pennant just right. You're helping!

• Do you enjoy cramming yourself into a tiny car?
The ideal circus career for you is: Any. Most circus employees travel under incredibly cramped conditions, often sharing the car with cumbersome passengers whose defining traits are that they are "strongmen," "fat ladies," or "elephants."

It reminded me of the amazing circus act I perform everyday 
post-school announcing 4 kids by name (mine, plus a friend's daughter) as they climb into our cozy, little 1999 Honda Civic. 
The boys take turns sandwiching themselves between the 2 girls in booster seats in back. 


Emma recently asked for a mini-van. 


Matthew pointed out yesterday that as we each get in the car sinks closer to the ground. 


I would like to ("ahem!") point out that we don't have to make a monthly car payment and the fact my kids aren't walking home from school. (And we share conversation together on the drive home - moments they will appreciate when they're older.) 


Still, my daily circus act is as hilarious as Groupons' daily email. 

My circus clowns

Happy Valentines Day!

I was the recipient of beautiful roses yesterday and wanted to share the moment with you...

Thank you Glen! Happy Valentines Day! 

I wish I could send out the beautiful floral aroma via computer. Ahhh. I literally stop every time I pass the kitchen counter to smell them.

(My apologies for the sappy post, because I don't want to be one of the bragging bloggers I detest. But the flowers are gorgeous. And isn't the picture I roped Glen into hilarious?)

...and I'm off to make valentine treats for teachers...

The Definition of a Good Woman

I had to share this pic I found in my archives of our trip to Mallorca, Spain. I couldn't stop laughing about the sign then.  (I'm still laughing) 

In case the image isn't big enough, it says:

WANTED

GOOD

WOMAN

Must Be Able To Clean,

Cook, Sew, Dig Worms

And Clean Fish

Must Have Boat

And Motor

PLEASE SEND PICTURE OF BOAT AND MOTOR

I definitely don't qualify as a good woman.

So Much to Say, So Much to Say, So Much to Say

November came and went so fast. Here it is in a nutshell:

Glen survived a blood clot in his calf after breaking his ankle. I'm thankful it was discovered early and he's alive.

I have overcome my fear of needles by injecting Glen's medication twice daily in his stomach. I was green the first few times, but now I could be a home-care professional. Maybe I will finish that Medical Assisting degree.

Thanksgiving at our house was Friday instead of Thursday. (Funny how national holidays can change just like that when Dad is in the hospital, right?) 

We shared our feast with my friend, Tahany and her kids. It thrilled me to know she experienced, and enjoyed, stuffing and gravy for the first time. I'm thankful to have a friend to share Thanksgiving with.

The wind has blown here for two days straight and all the beautiful leaves are stripped from our trees. Not to mention it gusts at night and keeps us awake. Fall was short and lacked color.

My parents cancelled their trip in November because we were so ill. I missed seeing them.

Kandy from Sandy (it's a great rhyme) made a last-minute trip to visit us in November and didn't just make my day, but my year. She also taught me recipes that require cases of butter. They were delicious!

Ethan is learning to play drums at school in Drum Circle. (no hippies or Rastafarians) He taps a beat on everything wherever we are. (car, kitchen table, you get the picture) It's so exciting to see him embracing an important part of music. No drum set at home yet.

Both boys are losing teeth right and left. (and in front for that matter!) Thankfully, there was no punching involved, because I explained the tooth fairy doesn't reward teeth lost in fights.

Emma is in all-day Kindergarten and her lack of presence is felt. I don't like the quiet noises (oxymoron) in my house during the day. Our daily separation hasn't affected our relationship, though. She told me tonight, "Mom, you are the best Mom ever. I love you." I had tears in my eyes because she must have known I needed that today. I'm thankful for the children God blessed me with.

Our family has endured record sicknesses in our household every other week for 3 months straight. No flu, (so glad we had the flu shots) but anything else that doesn't require a doctor visit, however is inconvenient and uncomfortable!

I have started attending a LDS Zumba class (not an oxymoron) with a friend from Mexico who can really dance! One day I will be able to keep up with the footwork. Let's just say it's an exercise in body awareness, self-consciousness, acceptance, and being carefree. 

Tomorrow Glen swears an oath to become an official U.S. citizen. The kids are coming too. I promise pictures. I continue to randomly break out in song "And he's proud to be an American, where at least he knows he's free!" So far he hasn't joined in singing with me.

I'm thankful for you, my family & friends too! Love to you all! 

Happy Halloween!

 Eager to go!

 King Tut

 Darth Vader

Alice in Wonderland