Beautiful Sunset

I looked out the front door the other day and noticed this...

I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures. It was beautiful.

 

 

 

looking for a meth lab

so they don't make over the counter drugs with pseudoephedrine in them anymore because everyone was buying them and making meth. So now i'm stuck here miserable because i can't get any good drugs to clear up my head. So if anyone knows of a good meth lab around, let me know. I don't want the meth, i just want the pseudoephedrine that i can't get at the stupid drug store!

sinus infections suck

Ben...

the Black Friday adventures

we don't buy a lot of junk normally

but its fun sometimes to get up at the crack of dawn with a bunch of other lunatics and hunt down the bargains.

Anyway, we headed out this morning for the Black Friday sales. We only hit Fry's and then came home and napped. The line was INSANE, but i got almost everything i wanted on my list.

Here is the video of the line right before the store opened.




Yes the line wrapped around the store and then down the street and around the corner

cool picture

Our Nana

Our Nana is gone to heaven

visiting nana in WA

Chara and I made a last minute trip up to visit our Nana.

she is sick and not doing so well, so we are up here helping my sister take care of her.

we are now just all hanging out in her room. She is sleeping in her chair and Chara is on her laptop and my mom is playing Chara's DS playing Brain Age. good times

we were planning to come back on Tuesday, but we may extend our stay to continue taking care of our Nana

Ben..

Officially getting old

I just did something I've never done before and something i accredit to old people.

I gave money to a presidential candidate. Who does that? old people. I'm old. Or at least getting there.

I'm not a political person and am usually very disenfranchised with the whole process, so this was part of that. I felt it was important to put some money behind someone i believed in. I have great cynicism toward the system and i've seen that play out in spades in the media and how it views the current roster of political hopefuls.

I gave my money to Ron Paul, because i believe he is truly different than any of the other parties running and would actually bring a change instead more of the same from a new name. I believe in many of the things he is promoting and i have great hopes that we can make some good changes with him in office. Check him out if you haven't heard him. Listen to his ideas. they are truly refreshing.

His supporters were having a fund raising push today and he has raised almost 6.9 million today alone. That is a lot of people putting their money where their mouths are so to speak.

good clean fun

the weekend started with a trip to sissy's place in la - a stop over for us ladies to rest up before the big day..
we hung out, went to the grove, and played with the kiddos.. much fun..

deborah showing melody her reading skill
 

isaiah aka the ladies man telling lizard a about his plans for his birthday party
 


we headed off sunday AM to san dimas to get our race on..
this race is a 6-7 mile race, where you and a partner alternate biking and running - at the end of the race there is a giant mud pit that you and your buddy crawl though.. good times..
now.. i have been training for this race for months - and have done mini muddy buddies in the gym - meaning i would run a mile and bike a mile six different times... i felt i had prepared.. not so much..
turns out there was nothing i could have done to prepare me for this.. the whole entire race was either straight up hill, or straight down hill - mixed with a little more uphill action.. there a total of one flat area.. the hills were so steep that most racers didn't even attempt to ride their bikes... the runners passed the bikers every time.. it was insane.. needless to say i was most unhappy that my 'buddy' (yeah.. that's you jo jessica) had 'tricked' me into even attempting this event..
but.. at the end of the six miles.. there was this pit.. a giant pit filled with mud that we all as a group got to crawl through.. crawling through mud with my girls made the whole thing mostly worth it..

pre-race.. all clean - and happily unaware of what's up ahead..
 

the charo bringing it home.. last stretch of the race.. i think it's the only time i actually rode the bike..
 

oh my god we're done..
 

the two crazies int the white helmets are the charo and jo jessica, melobeast and lizard are to the left, lizard in the blue, beast in the red
 

my team kicks ass..
 

and the post race photo..
 

everyone just tossed their shoes away..
 

melody about to be baptized with a hose..
 

getting clean was just as fun as getting dirty
 

the race is on..

the girls and i ran/biked the muddy buddy this weekend..

i promise more pictures to come.. but for now i need to take a shower..

 

working for the weekend..

today was my last psych clinical..

that means for the rest of the semester i have fridays off - no more alarms going at at 4am waking my sleepy self up - no more driving to san diego to be at class at 645..

for the rest of the semester i have four day weekends.. today was a good day..

happy halloween

it's 6:22 and i just got my first trick-or-treaters...
i'd better get more - or i'm going to have to eat all this candy by myself..

back to life, back to reality

school was closed all week last week.. and opened this week a week behind, with a bunch of work due.. nevermind that none of us nursing students got anything done because we were all glued to the news wondering if we should evacuate or not.. doesn't matter...
this week and all the work due with it just need to be over..
i need some sleep..

best birthday ever..

ben made sure today was the best birthday ever..
we started the day with breakfast at my favorite place in del mar
then ben took me on shopping spree in down town
and then - the super surprise..
ben took me to sea world - where i got to take part in the 'dolphin interaction program'..
today was awesome.. we got to go behind the scenes, get in the water, and play with some dolphins. it was an amazing birthday present.. just me and some dolphins - holding hands..
and we ended off the day having dinner at bj's ..

the only way today could have been better is if they let me take a dolphin home with me.. no such luck..

stayed tunned for pictures.. we'll put them up as soon as we get them..

Guess who's birthday it is?

Its a big champagne birthday for the Charo

we got big super secret plans for her big birthday day

oh what do we have in store for the big day?

i'm not telling

photos and video montage of all the events to follow

Wish Chara a big happy birthday

returning back to normal

i'm back at work

Chara and the puppy are hanging out at home

things are starting to get back to normal. the air is better. still smoky, but better

hopefully these fires will be out soon and we can go on with our regularly scheduled lives

thanks for all the nice thoughts and prayers

we're fine.... it's all fine

still smokey, but we can breath

the fires look like they will not approach the Cote compound so we are safe.

we had a big fire party last night with Matt and Jess and Jimmy and Lizz. we had homemade stew and biscuits and it was yummy

I think i'm going back to work if Chara will let me

Ben...

holy fires batman

the update so far today -
we have a rather large fire, the witch fire' - to the south of us. - that one looks like it's moving west towards encinitas - and wouldn't worry me except that it has merged with another fire - and by itself is about 196,000 acres.. it just doesn't want to stop.. it is however 10% contained..
there is another fire to the east of us - in the fallbrook area - heading towards bonsal. some of you know that aunt tamie lives out that way - so far she is ok - and is ready to leave if need be. i will keep you updated on her status.
and we have a fire to the north on camp Pendleton - that fire doesn't so much worry me - except that the 5 freeway has been closed up to san clemente - so now we're kinda stuck surrounded by fires..

there are other fires further south - but these are the ones making me nervous right now.
so far we are all ok - we try not to go outside because the air quality is so bad. so for now we sit at home, keep an eye out, and try not to kill each other..

so keep sending your prayers, happy thoughts, and good mojo - there are plenty of people in san diego in need of it today..

Wednesday morning...the sun is shining

You can actually see the sky today at our house which is good news. its still smokey, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. the sky has a little blue which is nice.

There are a few new fires popping up, one in Camp Pendleton that has I-5 shut down going north.

we are still good. just hanging out at the house.

Ben...

Here is a google map of the fire