JOEHANAREANA

Lately Josh has been on this kick...making funny videos. He has chosen this fictional character, Joehanareana as the main subject of all the videos. We'll call him "Joe". The idea came from the "Fred" series created by Lucas Cruikshank. "Joe" is a young male who speaks with a chipmunk-like voice and seems very anxious about everything. Josh has actually featured me as "the mom" a few times. Josh admits there is a need to improve these videos so that "Joe" can be understood better. His speech is a bit hard to understand. I really love watching Joshua's creative juices flow. He is so fun and so funny and I love that he has a sense of humor so similar to mine because then we can laugh together so much more.

The "LOVE" Day

It's February, the month known for Valentine's Day. The big day for lover's to shower each other with romantic cards, dinners, and gifts. Where did this holiday come from? How did it start? No one really knows for sure. There are rumors that it started with a priest named Valentine who married lovers in secret when Emperor Claudius II banned men from marrying because he thought unwed men made better soldiers. Valentine was considered to be a loyal, compassionate, heroic and romantic. Valentine was considered one of the most popular saints of England and France. Many believe that we celebrate this Valentine Day to commemorate the anniversary of Saint Valentine's death.

Whatever the reason, it is a day that most enjoy, some dread and others shrug off. I have always found it to be a fun little day. My favorite part (besides the gifts I'd get) was going through my childrens' Valentine cards they'd receive from school. It was fun to see what goodies they'd get, who'd write what and the joy they got from the whole experience.

However you celebrate this upcoming day, remember that love should be shared everyday and toward everyone. Let's try to remember that we are commanded to "love one another", not just on Feb. 14 but everyday and all the time.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Turning 40

So tomorrow, January 13th is my birthday and I'm turning 40. It is kind of hard for me to believe. Knowing tonight is the last night I can say I'm thirty something is kinda surreal. BUT, also, it's just a number. So why sweat the small stuff. Right?

When my mom turned 40 years old I bought her a black t-shirt that says "I got this t-shirt when I turned 40" in big white letters, then below that in red smaller letters it says "I hate this shirt". Well, a few days ago I checked the mail and low and behold, worn and faded, out of an envelope I pulled..."the" shirt. Attached was a note that said "ha ha, remember this?" I was so surprised that mom had saved this t-shirt all these years. This shirt has now become an official hand-me-down for years to come. I will wear it tomorrow and probably here and there. Dawn is next in line so I will keep it safe, clean and free of holes.

I don't dread birthdays really, I'm always so thankful for being blessed with yet another year of life. Let's face it, we're all getting older so why dread the inevitable...be happy to be alive.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wow! The new year is here. In some ways this has been a very long year and in another sense it flew by. We all know that feeling. In just 12 short days I will be celebrating my 40th birthday and that is another reason the beginning of each new year is exciting for me. In my family we have several January birthdays...my brother Michael is a New Year's Day baby and so today he turns 30. After Michael we have mine, Michael's wife Dani, and my youngest sister Martha. Last night Jessica, Wes and I celebrated New Year's Eve at Tom and Patty's house. Every year they have a big party and every year we go. The day started out with me helping Patty and her mom, Gudi with the party preparations. We sliced and diced, boiled and baked, chopped and toasted all sorts of foods and desserts. Then we decorated the house and finally, primped ourselves for the big event. The guests began arriving and the festivities began. I sure did miss Josh but this year he got to spend it with his dad. As midnight approached the guests gathered around the t.v. and we watched Dick Clark and his famous Countdown. I thank the Lord for another year. I thank Him for the blessings and mercy He has bestowed upon me and my loved ones. I pray that God will bless us all with health, joy and peace. I pray that in the next year we will love stronger, care more and laugh louder. Happy 2009.

Christmas

This year for Christmas Josh and I were in our own place as opposed to last year when we were staying at Jim and Christine's house. We decorated our apartment the day after Thanksgiving and it turned out really nice. I love decorating for Christmas and Josh loves to do all the lights. On Christmas Eve I spent the evening with my sisters at my dad's house. We had a delicious dinner that was prepared by my step-mom, Susana, we exchanged gifts and we took lots of pictures. Later that evening Joshua and I went home and straight to bed. Christmas morning Jessica and her fiance Wes came over to spend the day with us. I love being with my two precious children no matter what the occasion. We are extra blessed now with Wes joining in family functions. Wes proposed to Jessica on December 20th at the Idaho Botanical Gardens...how romantic. Jessica hasn't set a date yet but looks like it might be September 2009.
I went back to work today after having taken the week off for Christmas. It is always so hard to go back to work after taking a vacation. Ugh!

Just in time for a new year.

Hi all. First I'd like to say that I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas. My prayer is that we will all have a healthy, happy and blessed upcoming year. May God's blessing pour down upon us and may we find and travel the path He desires us to follow.

For me the past few years have been rough to say the least. I chose not to follow the path that God had wanted me to stay on and therefore I have been reaping what I sowed. Thankfully, God is a loving God, a merciful God and a God of endless "second" chances. Although I have suffered greatly for my disobedience I have also learned so much and have grown closer to God in a way that I've never experienced before. God is love. God is hope. God is strength. I know these to be true with Him because I've experienced all these attributes of God so powerfully in the past year.

The end of the year is approaching quickly, just a few days away. I think maybe this will be a great time for me to start this blog site. A new year, a new start. I'm glad this year is closing. I welcome a new beginning.