Just in case...

...in case you were one of the 3 people still following my posts about Uncle Alvin's trip, here's the update. He got here, and he got home. blah blah blah. I got so tired of his dismal reaction to all things California, I just couldn't face typing another post.

The rest of his story is truly tragic. Uncle Alvin was pastoring a small Lutheran congregation in Minnesota as he finished his seminary education. On the day of his graduation, he was at a school picnic, and drowned. My mother-in-law was just a teenager, and had lost her mother only a few years earlier. It's amazing to me what a sunny, delightful person my m/i/l was, having come from such a family of sad, sad people.

I have copies of all Uncle Alvin's sermons. I promise I won't post any of them.

The Brilliant Mrs Lopez!

Krista earned her Master's Degree from the School of Education, Point Loma Nazarene University. We couldn't be prouder!

Looky looky

Sarah and the guys gave me a birdbath for Mother's Day/birthday. It looks so sweet in my flower bed. The birds are enjoying it, too!

This is what Bethany gave me. She put a journal subject on every other page. Like, "Write out the words of your favorite praise song" and "Tell me a memory from your wedding day". She is pretty amazing, isn't she?
UPDATE: OK, no photo. It's a Moleskine notebook. Am I cool or what?

Thank you, beloved family! You are the best gifts of all!

Go Go Gadget ... gone

I'm unable to Twitter. I am the Queen of Newfangled Toys, so you can imagine how much this bugs me. I've done everything they ask me to do, but it simply doesn't work. On the other hand, it worked for about 2 days, and I seriously considering throwing my phone out the window on the 215.

Maybe this is better.

And we're back.

I knew I'd been gone for awhile. Frankly, Uncle Alvin's posts threw me into a chasm of depression; the man honestly didn't like ANYTHING! But I had no idea it'd been an entire month since I blogged. Well, I'm back with a few end-of-season wrap ups. I have mentioned before that I am a reality TV junkie, and life has been full. Shall we begin?

1. America's Next Top Model...yeah, they were all obnoxious, but at least Whitney had a voice that didn't cause me to emit continuous uncontrolled erk erk noises. My goal in life is to be as "plus sized" as she is!

2. Beauty and the Geek...yay, Tom! He wasn't nearly as dweebful as most have been, but the plethora of argyle sweater vests surely gave him nerd status. By the way, I think the use of the word "plethora" put me right there with him.

3. Survivor...sorry; dozed off. The good news? Since she's already been on two seasons, Parvati probably won't be back again. Please.

Finales still to come:
Top Chef...yeah, I don't cook. At all. And I really don't like most foods. But it's just cool to watch them design and plate those weird combinations. And the head judge, Tom Colicchio? Totally cool bald guy.

American Idol...David is a sweetie and hugely talented. David, on the other hand, is a sweetie and hugely talented. I voted last year (for Blake) and I'll probably vote again this year. For David.
**does anybody else out there keep calling that one guy "David C. Cook"?

Step It Up and Dance...wow, Jessie Spano looks GOOD, friends and neighbors. Except, of course, for those creepy bulgy Pomeranian eyes. In one episode, she started to cry and I was seriously concerned that one might pop right out and get stuck in her cleavage. Oh, and there are dancers, too.

The 2008 Presidential Primaries...great fun. I'll be voting for Blake again.

Coming Attractions:
So You Think You Can Dance...(starts in 6 days and 15 minutes) I can't wait to see if Sex comes to the auditions again. He's just beyond erk erk-ness. I'd like it better if Mary never screamed again, but I've got a pretty fast mute button finger. Does anyone know if we have run out of Schwimmers yet?

Project Runway...(starts in July) They've had to dress dogs, Barbie dolls, prom queens, lady wrestlers, Miss America contestants, and moms. Who's next? I'll be watching.

Summer Olympics...(starts in 83 days) We will be spending the first week of the summer Olympics on the Disney Magic, floating around the Mexican Rivera. I can't wait to see what the Diz folks will do to celebrate the Olympics! Goofy in his basketball jersey, Minnie on the balance beam, Cap'n Jack's synchonized swimming routine...I will report in full.

What's your tone?

I have different ring tones for different areas of my life. For Sarah: "California Dreamin'" because she is a Mama...and much of the time, she is a Papa, too. Krista: "Do You Believe in Magic?" because one Halloween she dressed up like a wizard, and we called her Magic Johnson (I'd love to tell you about what she said to the actual Magic Johnson when she met him...but then she'd have to kill me. Just a hint: it had something to do with his surname.) Bethany is my southpaw. Her ringtone is Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", which begins "to the left, to the left". If someone calls from home, Daughtry strikes up "I'm goin' home, to the place where I belong." A call from work is (of course) "I Love I Love I Love My Callendar Girl". Anyone from church: "Let My Lifesong Sing to You". My wake-up call: "Wake Up, Little Suzie".

Fess up: What's your ringtone line up? And what silly little gadgets does your phone have? Do you use any of the extras? What's your most embarassing download?

Hey, Moms!

For all you mommies who really really enjoy spending creative time with the kidlets, check out The Crafty Crow blogsite. She offers tons of clever ideas for stuff to do with the kids...games, crafts, cooking, etc...and brings them to her website with links and photos. She offers several ideas each day, and her history breaks it all down into multiple catagories (age, indoor vs outdoor, materials used, theme, etc). She also includes book suggestions and links to other similar sites. Good stuff. Really, really good stuff.

Let me know what you think!