TODAYS DAILY QUOTE:

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture is a book written by Randy Pausch. If you have not read this book it is a MUST read. It will truly change the way you think about life. If you have not heard of Randy or this book...have you been under a rock???? Here is some info on the book:

Synopsis:

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

You also can watch the Lecture here on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Unfortunately, Randy lost his battle on July 25, 2008. He leaves behind his wife Jia and their 3 small children. You may be wondering why I am writing about this. Well, first of all...like I said above I think it is a must read for everyone. Second of all....I LOVE QUOTES!!! Randy has a ton of quotes that I LOVE!! I thought I would start doing a daily quote on my blog and my first quote will be from Randy.

TODAYS DAILY QUOTE:

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game."
Randy Pausch

Ernie...the CATDOG

Ernie is our miniature schnauzer that we got about a year ago. I hadn't planned on getting a miniature schnauzer but....one day we were at the mall...went into the pet store....took Ernie out to pet him....he was mine!!!! I fell in love that moment! Ernie has brought us more laughs than I can tell you about. He is the FUNNIEST dog! First of all...that face and those big brown eyes....will steal your heart every time! Here are a couple pics of when we first got him.

As soon as we got him home he started chasing the cat. The cat was scared to death of him. He stayed in the basement for six month until we were finally decided that it was ridiculous for the cat to hid the rest of his life!!!!! So...we made it so the cat couldn't hide from him. They ended up being good buds....but NOW...Ernie thinks he is a CAT!!!! He plays with Keekee (the cat) just like another cat would! He swats...tries to jump from the furniture like Keekee does...its not pretty to see when he tries it. He has taken over the cats bed. If Keekee is in his bed, Ernie goes over and bites him and makes him get out. And best of all...he gets on the back of the furniture like the cat!!!! We swear one day...he is going to MEOW!!!

He is definitely one WEIRD dog...but we love him!!!!

THE TRUMPET!

Cole is has decided to play the trumpet. Do I really need to say anymore...LOL. He brought the trumpet home from school yesterday...and decided to play us a few....um....blows? As he attempted to play...poor Ely looks at me with this look on his face like ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I leaned over to him and said...I feel your pain Ely....I feel your pain! Unfortunately, the blows of the horn has brought back some very haunting memories I have as a kid. My little brother Michael decide when he was in middle school that he was going to play the saxophone. Michael absolutely enjoyed annoying the tar out of me. :) He would bring the saxophone home to practice. He would start practicing about the time I started my homework. To drown out the noise I would sit at my desk in my room with my radio blaring. Michael then would sneak in my room (my back was to my door...not a good idea) get right behind me and blow that thing as loud and hard as he could...and watch me STICK to the ceiling!!! I can not even begin to tell you how MAD that would make me. He would run as fast as he could as soon as I came down from the ceiling because he KNEW if I caught him...he was going to get the beating of his life that he so well deserved!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently the beatings were worth taking...because they did not stop him. Thank God I was in my senior year and left the house after graduating. My poor mother probably had to endure the pain he use to inflict on me.

So...last night after we listen to the horn blowing and getting homework done...I was exhausted. I put everyone to bed and went a plopped down in my bed laying on my back with my arm draped across my eyes....trying to find the ambition to roll over to set the alarm and turn out the light. Before I can, I hear the loud blow of the trumpet right at the side of my bed. I think to myself...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I look up and there stands Cole in his UNDERWEAR with the trumpet!!!! UUGGGHHH!!! I said..."WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He said..."I just wanted to blow it one more time." Seriously...I could of given him one of those beatings Michael used to get!!!!!!!!! But I said..."Cole...its bedtime...get in bed and you can play it tomorrow."



Cole is a very hard child to get up in the morning. He would NOT get up this morning. The great mother that I am.....lol....I thought...Oh...how funny would it be if I blew that horn in his face!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHA!!!! Then I thought better of it. I didn't want to give him any ideas for tomorrow morning when I finally get to sleep in!

WHEW WEEEEE!!!!

Well...so most of you know that I had my first mammogram done about a week ago. If you haven't read about it...see a couple post below. :) Anyway...I got a call back saying that they saw something suspicious and that I needed to come back in. Long story short....I am fine....it was a lymph node. I really wasn't worried. I have no idea why...I just wasn't. My friend Mary got a call too and had to go back in...thank goodness...she was fine too. I guess I just don't worry about things that I really don't have any control over. I figured it is what it is...and when we figure that out we will deal with it. Cole had lots of questions. He wanted to know what I would do if they had to cut my boobies off. I told them I would just have them move my fat roll up and I would be good as new. :) Bless him....he believed me. Its really not a bad idea ya know!

Ely had told me that if it took a long time to get my results back that it was because the doctor was staring at my pictures thinking...NICE RACK! I told him...I didn't think so...and they are just x-rays...they aren't pictures. And even if they were...he sure wouldn't be checking out MINE!!!! Sometime...I really wonder about that kid!

On a serious note though...I am really glad my friend Mary had called and told me about Margarita and Mammogram night. I was suppose to get a mammogram done a year ago because I am adopted and have no medical history. The doctor wanted to get a baseline on me because of that. Of course I blew it off. One of those things...oh I will get to it later...and never did. Well....though I wasn't really worried...I did think to myself....if it is cancer....and it has gotten bigger because I blew it off a year ago when we could of found it....I would have been so mad at myself for being SO STUPID! I know that early detection is key! But...it wasn't I am fine...and have learned my lesson. :)

I told them to make sure they put me on the mailing list for next year!!! It is definitely worth the squash and the peace of mind....for that nice massage and refreshments they give you afterwords! :) I have told a lot of my friends about it and they all say....I WANT A MAMMOGRAM LIKE THAT!!!! To bad a lot of them live in a different state...otherwise I would have drag them there with me this time! For those of you that do live here...it was at the Centennial Women's Medical Center. The staff was a bunch of wonderful ladies....they even heat your robes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sure wish they did all medical stuff there! :)

REMEMBER:

GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!!!!

Dessert!!!!

I planned on posting something everyday when I started this blog. Well, we see how that is going. LOL I am going to try and post more often...life has just gotten busy with all the boys back in school.

I wanted to tell you all about this dessert I made for a BBQ we went to last weekend. I have a couple pics to download from then too...I just haven't done it. I know...I am a slacker!

Anyway....we went to a reservoir to have a BBQ with some of Lance's friends that he works with. They all wanted me to make one of my YUMMY desserts. (Yes...I am a good wife every now and then and send stuff in with Lance for him and his co-workers) I haven't had any complaints yet.

I didn't want to make something that I have sent in before. I thought they would like something new. So I went on the hunt through some cookbooks to see what I could find. First I wanted it to be good....and second...fast....I don't like dishes that take forever to prepare. And this is what I found. I thought I had died and went straight to heaven when I tasted them. As one of the guys at the BBQ said...." NOW THAT IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!" LOL So I thought I would share. :)

Gooey Turtle Bars

2 c. graham cracker crumbs or vanilla wafers (I used graham crackers)

1/2 c. butter melted

2 c. (12 oz) semisweet chocolate morsels

1 c. pecan pieces

1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping

Combine crumbs and butter. Press firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2 inch pan. Sprinkle with morsels and pecans.

Remove lid from caramel topping ; microwave at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until hot, stirring after 30 seconds. Drizzle over pecans. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until morsels melt; let cool in pan on a wire rack. Chill at least 30 minutes; cut into bars.

I got it from a cookbook that I bought from Southern Living at Home. Its called Easy Weeknight Favorites. This is an AWESOME cookbook. I love GOOD recipes that are easy and fast. Which makes this the perfect recipe book. I think my friend Lillian still sells Southern Living at Home and if anyone is interested in this cookbook let me know and I will send you her information. :)

ENJOY!!!!!

BOOBIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHA....got your attention didn't I?????? Ok...so....I am getting up there in age now :) and it was time....for......YES...THE DREADED M word.....MAMMOGRAM!!!! Mary...a good friend of mine called to let me know about a Women's Medical Center that was doing MARGARITAS AND MAMMOGRAM NIGHT. She said..how fun would it be for a bunch of us to get together and go??? I totally agreed. So we emailed all our friends...and just 3 of us ended up going. The rest are just BIG OL' CHICKENS!!!! So it was just Mary, Carol and Myself. As we were sitting there in our gowns I said...Oh...I should of brought my camera...so I could take a pic of the three of us in our lovely gowns to put on my blog. Then I thought..ummmm...maybe NOT...haha...I wouldn't do that to you all....you might not come back to read my post anymore. LOL

I ran across this poem...and I couldn't of said it better myself. So I thought I would just post it.

The Mammogram

By Julia Napier©

For years and years they told me,

Be careful of your breasts.

Don't ever squeeze or bruise them.

And give them monthly tests.

So I heeded all their warnings,

And protected them by law.

Guarded them very carefully,

And I always wore my bra.

After 30 years of astute care,

My gyno, Dr. Pruitt,

Said I should get a Mammogram."

O.K." I said, let's do it."

"Stand up here real close" she said,

(She got my boob in line),

"And tell me when it hurts," she said,

"Ah yes! Right there, that's fine.

"She stepped upon a pedal,

I could not believe my eyes!

A plastic plate came slamming down,

My hooter's in a vise!

My skin was stretched and mangled,

From underneath my chin.

My poor boob was being squashed,

To Swedish Pancake thin.

Excruciating pain I felt,

Within it's vise-like grip.

A prisoner in this vicious thing,

My poor defenseless tit!"

Take a deep breath" she said to me,

Who does she think she's kidding?!?

My chest is mashed in her machine,

And woozy I am getting.

"There, that's good," I heard her say,

(The room was slowly swaying.)

"Now, let's have a go at the other one.

"Have mercy, I was praying.

It squeezed me from both up and down,

It squeezed me from both sides.

I'll bet SHE'S never had this done,

To HER tender little hide.

Next time that they make me do this,

I will request a blindfold.

I have no wish to see again,

My knockers getting steam rolled.

If I had no problem when I came in,

I surely have one now.

If there had been a cyst in there,

It would have gone "ker-pow!"

This machine was created by a man,

Of this, I have no doubt.

I'd like to stick his balls in there,

And see how THEY come out!

HAHA! Honestly...it was not bad at all. I don't know what all the fuss is about with women not wanting to get them. But I really do think that they should test for testicular cancer this way!!!! :)

All my girlfriends have no idea what they missed. Yeah...we got the mammograms...which took a whole ten minutes...but guess what else we got.....MASSAGES...ON OUR BACKS...AFTER we got our shirts back on...ROFL. They had a person there doing chair massages after you were done. Then we got refreshments and drinks....Carmel cheesecake...YUM And...we got to sign up for a drawing for a basket full of goodies and a spa treatment...I HOPE I WIN...LOL And going with friends was great!

NOW...that is MY KIND OF MAMMOGRAM. I would go back again today if they let me :)

They will be doing it again next year! YIPPPPEEEEE!!!! Ok...Ok..I know I don't get out much...but in my opinion...for something that all of us should be doing....this is the way to do it!!!!

Here are some statistics I thought I would post on Breast Cancer.

Cancer Burden†
•
In 2004,* 186,772 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,954 women died from the disease.
•
Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women.

NOW...if you are due....Quit be a CHICKEN...and go do it!!!!

ON TO THE MAN PAD!!!!

What the heck is a MAN PAD you ask???? It is Lance's condo in Vail where he lives during the week. :) We love going up there. Its a 4 bedroom 4 1/2 bath. I call it my vacation home. LOL Here are a few pics.

Ely and Cole REALLY enjoy the MAN COUCH!!!! Why is it called the MAN COUCH???? See the wooden ends on the arms. They pull out for your drink and remote!!! Definitely a MAN COUCH!!!! And of course...it reclines.

We decided to take Ely and Cole 4-wheeling for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately Lucas had to work so he didn't get to go. We had a ball!

We found some elk bones in a little stream. The boys thought that was WAY COOL!!!!

After we went 4-wheeling we decided to do a little Real Estate Shopping. Here are a few things we looked at:


These go for about 12 MILLION each!!!!! I am not kidding!!!! They are right in down town Vail. Lance and I decided that we will put a down payment on one as soon as we...........

WIN THE POWERBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEHEHEHEHE!!!!

Here are a few more pics of Vail.

More Million Dollar Real Estate!

This is a pic of the ski hills...without the snow. They don't look as intimidating without the snow on them...lol


These flags are put on the fire hydrants so they can find them when you are up to your forehead in SNOW!!! LOL



It was a great weekend....other than...getting pulled over by the POLICE!!!! I decided to take a dirt road on the back side of town to the main road. No more do I turn on that road there is a cop!!! Of course he flips on his lights and pulls me over. I thought to myself...."YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!! PULLING ME OVER ON A DIRT ROAD!!!! ARE THERE EVEN SPEED LIMITS ON DIRT ROADS????????? LOL Well...apparently there are. He says..."do you know what the speed limit is on this road". I wanted to say...ARE YOU SERIOUS??? But I said..no. He said 30. I said...oh. LOL He said..."do you know how fast you were going?" I wanted to say...."HAHAHA...obviously faster than that!!!!" But I didn't...I said no. "37" he said. Well.... dang ROSCO, you almost had yourself a chase....hahahaha. :) I am thinking he is going to just tell me to slow it down and let me go....but NO...he has to see my license and registration! I think...I AM SOOOO BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!! My registration was 2 months past due....oops! LOL
I just acted TOTALLY STUPID like I had no idea that it was expired. :) He was a very nice cop and he did end up letting me go. No ticket. :)

So...FYI...there are speed limits on dirt roads. ROFL :)

That night after we got home Ely and I were chillin on the couch watching George Lopez. Ely says "So what are you doing tomorrow?" I thought he was just making small talk. I said "I don't know." He says "Noooooo....remember..you are going to get your car thing you need!" (my registration) I laughed and said.."oh yeah...your right...I am." Then he says..."I got your back mom...I got your back!" LOL He is so sweet. I am glad someone is looking after me. We all know I need it. :)