A few more pictures from vacation:

Fig???

We NEED some of these hoops for our pool. Okay, need is a little strong, but they were fun.

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When Josh and I were first married, we bought a little white dog named Tia. She was our baby until we had Kayden, and we used to take her for long walks every night to the University of Redlands. Situated in the heart of the city, with the mountains as a backdrop and palm-tree lined streets, it has always been an idyllic setting for walking and talking.

On the back side of the campus, there is a street called "Fraternity Row", which always brought me back to college days. College students milling about, playing on the large central lush lawn between classes, studying on a park bench, eating luch with fellow students gives me a fondness and nostalia for days past at GVSU. The entire time we were in Redlands, we wanted to walk through the campus and we finally got the chance on Sunday.

The fountains by the cafeteria area

This one is for Josh- the basketball courts

The stage for graduation

If you see me sporting my new gift proudly- a Bulldog sweatshirt from the University of Redlands (thanks, Hale family)- you will know why. I love this university.

I would say it is nice to be home, but I am kicking myself for horrible time management. I promise things too quickly and then I cannot get them finished without rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off. Sigh.

Missed all my bloggers though:-)!

These photos were taken tonight. Kimberly-- a long time resident of Redlands and also co-founder of the
Kimberly Clark corporation (toilet paper and paper towels, etc)--gave 40 acres of land plus their house as a gift to the city when the last family member died. It was made into a community park, an "under the stars" theater, and the house is used for museum purposes. Since land space is at a premium out here, it is one of the few places that still has old trees, cobblestone pathways, coy ponds mixed with fountains and marble statues, enchanted gardens...some parts actually remind me of the Secret Garden.

It was always one of my favorite places to go, so we walked the trails tonight and looked over the city high atop Kimberly Crest.

The other is a picture of my other favorite historical house...I always thought it had a lot of character and would be fun to tour:-)

More fun swimming...

we went yesterday to the nicest pool I have seen-- a cave enclosure, large slide, remote controlled temperature and bubbles, waterfalls flowing from the raised hot tub to the pool. The new thing here in CA is saline- it is supposed to be gentler on your eyes and clothing, and just all around cleaner water. It was nice to not smell like chlorine when we got out. Kayden's favorite part was the slide, although he thought jumping on those couches would be pretty cool, too.

We visited with a few more friends at night, the Agees. One of those down to earth couples-- the kind we really miss. We are having lots of fun and relaxing outdoors quite a bit. The house we are staying at had the housekeeper and the pool man come by today. Ummm...I think I need a housekeeper. It was pretty nice to go out to swim and come back to a clean house!

A few pictures from yesterday--we went out to the beach. The water was unusually warm, eight feet swells, lots of good surfing to be had. I did not get any of Josh surfing because tide was coming in and I could not get down there without Kayden being knee high in waves.

Kayden thought that throwing rocks into the ocean was the funnest thing ever, so that is what we did all day...find rocks to throw in. At night, we went to one of those places where they prepare the food right in front of you. Kayden loved watching the guy throw stuff into the air and in his hat. The only rough part of the evening was that I got a chopstick to the eye...and yes, that hurts.

Also, for some reason Walmart charged us 154 times for our purchase, so we have been stuck without access to money. Thank Goodness for Macatawa Bank. One call to them and it was fixed.

More to come later....

Story for you...

After six hours in the air, another hour waiting and getting a rental car, a half hour waiting for In and Out Burger, almost another half hour trying to get back to the freeway since my hubby missed the on ramp, and then the hour and a half ride into Redlands, we were spent. Kayden was sleepy and really worn out, and all I wanted to do was put him to bed and go to bed myself.

The people's house we are staying at are out of the country, and they said they would leave a key under the front mat. We got to their house around 11pm...no key. So, we are thinking, what do we do now? We could pack all our luggage back up and go find someone else to stay with, but I told my husband to check around first and make sure none of the doors were unlocked.

Sure enough, the back slider door was unlocked. Josh and I both said our prayers, thanking God we did not have to put him back in the car seat (which is a rental, by the way, that smells like old library books and cigarettes- they left ours in Denver). We started unloading and putting our son to bed and about a half hour later, the phone rings. Apparently there had been a young girl in the house looking after it before we came. She saw Josh come through the door, ran upstairs, jumped off the balcony and ran two miles home because she thought we were burglars. Her mom called to see if she could send her brother back to retrieve her stuff, since she was still scared and would not come back.

Oops....


On another note, this is the first time I have seen my blog on a Mac, and it looks horrible! I am going to have to look into that when I get home.

Automated Telephone Service

Yesterday I called Professional Pharmacy to see about the stock status of a medication, and something strange happened. The call rang once, and a live person actually picked up the phone. No automated telephone service, no waiting twelve minutes, no elevator music, just a live person wanting to help me. Strange how if you think about it, that almost never happens. I even have to wait when I call Supercuts to get a haircut for Kayden. A beautiful thing.

Summertime- one of my favorite times of year. The sun, swimming, smells of coconut suntan lotion and...

mounds and mounds of crocs.

This could be a controversial post, but I had to comment anyway. I understand that these are perhaps the most comfortable shoes in the world, but I have even heard them referred to as cute. Seriously? A big hunk of plastic with a bunch of holes in it? Colors that make me reminisce about the days of Rainbow Bright.

Comfortable? Perhaps. Cute?

I would love to hear your comments.

Little Dissapointed...

Here we are, almost halfway through the summer, and I have yet to receive one cottage invitation from Fig. It's simply contractual. Josh plays basketball, we are part of the family. Family = cottage.

I might have to rethink the 2007-2008 season.

Summer time

'
We found the most beautiful place- a park near my parent's house. I never even knew it existed. The park was far off the road; nestled back in the woods. We were driving down an old dirt road and all the sudden came upon a well-maintained park. Full of trails and look out towers, a faded bridge walkway around the pond, and perfect summer evening weather, it was the ideal way to spend an evening playing with Kayden.

Needs to learn how to hold a bat yet...

Video

Some of you have requested to see the news segment. I had a hard time uploading it through photobucket, but the direct link is on this page:

http://www.minimebabygear.com/press.htm

Just click on the Channel 13 icon, and it will take you directly to it after the car ad. Don't be too harsh! I was pretty nervous:-)

A few new videos

Because I could watch this 100 times and still laugh...



He looks huge in this video, huh?



What we do on a Sunday afternoon at my parent's house for entertainment. Yes, we are dorks.

Good To Go.

Beware: Soap BoxIt seems like every time we order take-out lately, I feel like I have to tip the To Go worker. I worked at Applebees-- I know that it takes them a little while to put the order together. I remember many nights, however, where the TO GO specialists made far more than me waitressing. I even overheard one of them lamenting about someone only tipping them $2.

My Question is this: When did we have to start tipping for TO GO's?

Cold?

Every Wed. night after softball games, we invite the team to our house for swimming. Apparently, my brother thought the water was a little chilly....
or perhaps he was teasing my dad whom would really like a wet suit for swimming.

Happy Father's Day

I hope you all had a great father's day. Some of my fondest memories of my dad:

Eating popsicles with him and my brother Nathan when I was little.

Sneaking to the parking lot with all three of us kids in tow when it was icy. Mom used to hate us doing donuts, but dad did them anyway.

My dad is a handy man. I am always asking him for help around the house or to fix something broken. I did not even realize that all guys do not possess this handyman gene. I could bring him almost anything and he could fix it like new.

The day I got married. My dad teased me for months that he would do a happy dance down the aisle. The actual day of my wedding, my dad was emotional all day. Walking me down the aisle, giving Josh my hand, kissing my dependence on him as the man in my life goodbye.

My grandpa had a cottage on Hess Lake. It did not matter how many friends I took along or how long we wanted to tube or ski. Dad drove the boat, catering to our liking. He never complained about driving or the hot sun...only now that I have my own kid do I realize what a sacrifice it was to give up his free day to make ours fun.

Flying home when my grandpa died. My grandpa was my hero- actually a lot of people's hero. One of those great men- worked tirelessly for the homeless, did everything for his family, used his life's savings to bring his family joy. He had that special quality of making everyone feel like you were his favorite. I was devastated when he died as it was very unexpected. I flew home and stepped off the plane to my awaiting parents. My dad had tears in his eyes. I had such respect for him because he did not try to hide his feelings.

He always gave me the frosting off his cake, still does.

I remember as a child, the place we went camping had a big hill. I fell down and was embarrased because a couple of friends were along. I remember my dad asking me if I wanted to hold his hand. He probably does not even remember it, but I remember telling him no and then later being so upset that I missed the chance to hold his hand.

Above all, I am so thankful I was blessed with such a great dad. Not everyone is so fortunate to have someone who wanted to be such a large part of their kid's life.

Pastor Scott Leaving???

Look out into the crowd after church, and you will see many people talking and milling about. My husband will not be one of them. Immediately once church is out, he heads--or should I say runs--for the door.

Before we were married, he got into the habit of leaving before the final song to avoid the "yappers" as he likes to call people like me. I really like "yapping", so now we stay for the final song; I head for the people, he heads for the door.

When I am in nursery, we drive separately to church. Some of the kids were getting a little antsy for mom and dad to come back, so I looked to see if the service was finished. Who did I see trying to slyly sneak out the door unnoticed during the final song? You guessed it.

Arriving home a bit later, Josh was sitting at the kitchen table. Following is our conversation:
Jamie: "Hey, I have to know. What did they say about Pastor Scott leaving the church?"
Josh: "What?" looking befuddled. "Oh, I am not sure.."
Jamie:"They said at the end of the service that Pastor Scott was leaving. What did they say about it?"
Josh: Scratching his head, and looking at me confused. " I don't really know. I must have missed that part."
Jamie:"You don't even remember hearing anything about it? They made the announcement at the end of the service. You do not remember at all what they had to say?"
Josh" "No, I am sorry- I think I missed it."
Jamie:"Could it be because you were not present?"
Josh: Laughing, hysterically. "Busted"

Sometimes it's just plain fun to mess with Josh.

That'll teach. Being 6'8" has its disadvantage-- no such thing as sneaking discreetly out the door early.

Senior Pranks

Yesterday morning, Josh was playing pick up ball at East Kentwood High School when a teacher interupted them in the gym.
"Did you hear that school is cancelled today?" he asked the other players, most of which were fellow teachers at East Kentwood High.
None of them had heard the news, so they continued playing. Two minutes later, one of the head teachers received a phone call asking them to evacuate the school.

Bomb Threat.

Although I would not classify this as a senior prank, that is what it was. Kids must be losing their creativity. Even though it was a million years ago, our senior pranks were awesome- throwing water balloons at freshman, hiding open tuna fish in library books, dying the lawn at school with the year of our class, letting a pig loose in the hallway, hanging bras in the trees.

My mom's class moved the Principal's car into the creek. I am not sure he was so happy about that one. So, what about you? Any good ones?

Diane Sawyer I ain't.

Blogging has taken a back seat this week. Three reasons why:

The start of softball! Okay, Okay. I hear you now. Jamie playing softball? I seem more like an "indoor girl", right? I not only play-- I love it! We play on Wed. nights (we are still in need of one girl if anyone out there wants to play). One of my first posts was about the greatest sports moment of my life- winning the softball tourney last year. There are so few sports memories to choose from, it was not hard to hone in on that one. More than anything, we have a lot of fun.

Deep in me is a hermit longing to get out. Far too much time in my basement has left me feeling like a hermit. It must be summer and swimsuit season for all the Wet Happened? bags that have been ordered this week.

Remember that "before" picture of my sewing room? Well, it looked exactly like that Wed. night. Not great when the news crew was coming Thursday morning. My solution? Shove the mess in the closet, drawer, spare room. Now I am unable to find anything! Even as we speak, I am looking for my card reader. No luck. I will have to find it later and post pix then.

Thanks to all for the nice comments regarding my TV segment. That is nerve wracking! Even though I am not really a drinker, a good shot of vodka would have been just the ticket.

A few posts ago I mentioned watching a mother bird build a nest right outside my kitchen window. For a week, I struggled on tip toe to see how many babies were in there- if I would catch a glimpse of a tiny beak. Initially, I thought there were two:

Growing bigger-- they are so ugly they are cute!

Imagine my surprise when I looked in there and saw four! They are starting to spread their tiny wings, all of them have their eyes opened, and are getting too big for the nest!

I have wasted more time watching these baby birds! The reflection of the sun blocks me from the mother's view, so I can view them from about a foot away from their nest. I am going to be sad when they fly away! I have witnessed God's nature at it's finest!

Also, I am sure many of you moms have come across this. Thank God they are washable crayons!

Why, Oh Why??

Would it kill gas stations, since they are making record profits and all, to actually have nice restrooms for us ladies to use? I am not asking for the Ritz, here people, I am just asking for something that has been cleaned in the last month. For the price we are paying for gas, kick a little back to the people, Exxon Mobile. At least then I will feel like I am getting something for my $10 a gallon.

Little Lucy

Alright, fellow bloggers--I try to keep business separate from this blog most days, but I could not resist showing off Little Lucy. She is so adorable, and did so well for our photo shoot!

I simply adore her little hands and feet and precious face. Thanks, Katie, for the great photos and Emily for letting me use her!

Just a small note: If you think of it today, please pray for my mom. She is going in for ear surgery. She has tumors growing in her ears that can attach to her brain (one is actually very close to doing so now), causing meningitis and all sorts of other problems. She went in last year at about this same time for the other ear, and it is a long and painful recovery, so if you wouldn't mind saying a little prayer for my mom, Jan, that would be appreciated!

Calling All Swimmers:

Don't ya just love all those plastic toys???

Well, it is finally open after much frustration and, I will admit it, a little crankiness from me. I could not get my pump working this year. The two previous years we had it opened for us, and I thought it high time to learn! Kayden has already almost fallen in four times.

Anyway, starting in June once school is out, Friday is open swim day for the kiddos. From 1-4 every friday we open the pool to neighborhood and friends. If you are interested in coming, please just swing on by! I will give a reminder once school is out, but we really do love "open swim". It is a lot of fun to grow new friendships and relax.

Rules, Rules (I really only have two):

1) Bring your own snacks/drinks and (if you remember) towels.
2) Each parent must watch their own children. From time to time I need to run into the house, and feel better about each parent being responsible for the kids they bring.

Only 17 more days of school, right???

A Blog about a Frog

Every teacher has to take a turn doing chapel at school. Today was Josh's day to be in charge-teaching a lesson to the K-5th graders. We decided about a month ago to focus on the fruits of the spirit, and thought it would be memorable to attach a live animal example to each fruit. So, we asked Josh's class which animals they have as pets, then I researched each one and attributed it to a fruit of the Spirit. Granted, many of the traits are oversimplified. We just wanted something unique so kids remember each fruit. For example: dogs=love. We used our dog Carmelo as the example and told how even when we get mad and punish him, he still wags his tail and is happy to see us- giving us unconditional love.

We got rolling right along, and went through the leopard gecko representing gentleness due to their gentle disposition, and the rabbit that stood for goodness (It was the one of the only pets Lincoln would let into the White House). The turtles were next representing patience, followed by a snake for peace. Then we got to the frog.

Opening the net top, one of the fourth graders went to grab the frog and it leaped onto another fourth grade girl. She, of course, screamed bloody murder. It hopped around a couple more times, leading to more screaming and running from the frog. Scrambling for the frog, the owner finally caught it. Just as soon, it slipped free again.... hopping straight for the kindergarten class. You guessed it- mass pandemonium. Kids screaming, jumping out of their seats, running around frightened. Finally, Mrs. Wells caught the frog and put it back inside the bucket.

So, what did the frog stand for, you ask? Self Control. (Frogs are excellent swimmers, but if they do not have the control to go to land for a break, they will drown.) So much for that fruit. I guarantee every kid in that place will never forget what frogs stand for though!

A few pictures from Thursday- it sure was fun to have Joy around. The most fun part is that she is so girly! We played with tiaras, picked flowers, played with boas, looked at dresses. It was fun playing with something other than cars or trucks.

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When I sit down at my kitchen table, I look out the window to see this:

...a robin ready to have baby birdies. Watching her build a nest, and fly in and out has been one of our favorite things these days.

"Pretty Boy" Floyd

In lieu of the fight Saturday night between "Pretty Boy" Grand Rapids local Floyd Mayweather and "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya, I thought I would share a small story from my past.

When I was a freshman in college, I met a little blond haired girl, Jennifer, while we were on a class smoke break outside ( I cannot believe I actually smoked that much!). We actually have been friends ever since. Anyway, we always had a lot of fun together and as a last hurrah before I got married, a whole bunch of us girls went to this place called "the Grotto". Right as we were about to leave for the evening, this guy came up and introduced himself. His pick up line was " I am going to be on ESPN this Saturday night". Yeah right, I thought. "For what?" I asked, to which he replied "boxing". He proceeded to tell me about his three houses and how famous he was. I had never heard of him.

During that season of my life, I was working towards become an attorney, and I loved to argue. I thought he was lying and told him so. Josh and I were rubbing elbows with Wayne Gretsky's agent and all sorts of sports talent, so even if he was a local celebrity, I was not impressed. Stubborn as I am, he tried for fifteen minutes to convince me he was a "somebody" to no avail. Sure enough, I open the paper the next morning, and who is on the front page? This guy-Floyd Mayweather. He was telling me the truth. Oopsie. Every time I hear about this fight, I am immediately transported back to 1999, the "Grotto", and bickering with Pretty Boy Floyd.

Separation of Church and Bank

There is a small debate going on, and I would like to know your thoughts. Here is the issue:

A church in the area has asked their members to sign up for direct deposit, withdrawn each Monday morning, for a 10% (or more) tithe. They claim they are thousands short each week, and would like to make sure that, even on vacation or absence from church, people are still tithing the full amount they should be.

So, what do you think? Overstepping boundaries? Taking out the "cheerful" part of giving? Or darn smart idea?

Transported

The Year: 1988

Place:Terry Hall, Grandville, MI

Event: Roller Skating Party

Mission: get asked by some other boy classmate for "boy's choose free skate"

Memories: Sweaty Palms, concession stand with awesome candy, backward skate, classmate speed races, loud 80's music blaring, disco balls, and the hokey pokey. Can't you just smell it? They all seem to smell the same.

Tonight was the skating party for Dutton Christian and I felt transported. Apparently this roller skating hall has been the exact same for thirty years, so although it was a different rink than I went to as a child, it looked so similar. Maybe all of them look 70's disco themed.

Nostalgia...don't you love it?