{madison and summer}

camp out in the backyard again last night.....girls only.

the boys are tonight. better than green peter.

at least for mom.

summa, summa, summa,

that's all this girl talks about.

signed her up for two summer camps and can't wait for our otter beach fridays with the mary's.

{miss tara terry}

beautiful.

{day in review}

crazy, silly week.....and it will only get wackier.

grammy in hospital after 6th fall in 3 weeks.....moved to assisted living....move her out of old house (that we moved her into on mother's day weekend)....and move her to new place in 12 hours flat.....just so she could get released.

exhausted.

back to work....bff quits...but has new job...better job with sweet co-workers and is her own boss. back to work.

audit....ladies night out....kids.....last days of school....work....grocery shop...no shower

....no exercise.

i can feel the wall getting closer and i am about ready to hit it.

{long time, no blog}

blurry little picture of madison and her friends last weekend....

slumber parties are the thing right now.

there is rarely a weekend where we don't have a gaggle of girlies at our house.....

i think zac is missing his friend, but had a great time last night with some new friends.

this is good.

due date quickly approaching.....can't wait to meet mac!

and sunny is finally out of the boot.

thought i would post this picture to let everyone in idaho see how ridiculous our driveway was that day. everyone else had a completely dry spot to park.

sunny.....you could own sunriver right now!

THAT would have paid for you wedding.....and we'd all be tagging along on your honeymoon to BOOT.....no pun intended.

have fun the rest of the week. hope everything went well in ontario.

{update from yesterday}

{update}

{cheer up friend}

you know it's a bad day when......

it's whipped cream and carmel on your coffee PLUS

the bird is chirpping!

cheer up friend. i am having the same day....but, wouldn't want to "one up ya!"

see you for our tuesday date in an hour.

{obama}

i have loved having a dialogue with my kids about politics this year...

it has been ages since oregon has even mattered in the primaries.

i am a huge supporter of obama. i love his ideas and so many other things about him.

but...what i am loving most this morning is this great picture of him and his own kids. this is so normal. yawning at what is probably another boring event that she has to go to with dad.

so american and just so cute.

another thing i found out last night as my husband was filling out his ballot was that he is a registered republican. what the heck.....we have been married for almost 20 years and i never knew.

that is what is so cool about america.

and on a personal note...even though i am supporting obama....it was such an amazing day yesterday with the kids and chelsea clinton. it had nothing to do with politics. in the eyes of every 6 and 7 year old in that crowd they were meeting a celebrity as well as an amazing role model for young girls.

you rock chelsea.

{angela cardas photography}

this has really been a cool week.

lots of great experiences...i'm just too tired to write about them.

i do, however, want to gush about my amazing friend angela cardas of cardas photography .

she took this great picture of chelsea clinton when she was at the club yesterday. check out her website to see several other great shots. she is simply the best photographer around...in my humble little opinion.

thank you angela for all you do for us. you make our events so memorable.

you are the best.

{a great day at the club}

As Chelsea Clinton moved through the corridors of the Boys & Girls Club of Albany, her following steadily grew.It was not a surprise. The daughter of presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, Chelsea made her Monday afternoon visit something the members would remember for a long time.On what appeared more like a fact-finding tour than a campaign stop, the 28-year old signed autographs, talked to club members, posed for pictures and fielded questions from a large group of children after helping dedicate club’s new community garden.“It was a great opportunity for us,” said club director Ryan Graves. “The kids were poppin’ off the walls all day.”The club found out about the stop only a night before. Graves got the word as his plane landed in Juneau, Alaska. A text message from his wife had him back in Albany to greet Clinton.Clinton participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new garden site, a partnership between the Boys & Girls Club and the Oregon State Extension Service. She emphasized environmental issues and the importance of after school programs in a brief statement.A question-and-answer session concluded her tour as club members asked questions ranging from her favorite ice cream flavor to global warming.She did get some politically oriented questions, including one from a club member who asked if she thought her father was a good president.“I do think he was a good president,” she answered. “But I think my mom will be a better one.”Clinton’s day-long swing through the Willamette Valley included stops in Portland, Keizer, Eugene and Springfield prior to her visit to Albany. She was scheduled to conclude her day’s activities back in Portland greeting volunteers at the Clinton campaign headquarters.Graves said the visit was particularly important because the Boys & Girls Club of Albany is 45 percent female.“We have a large group of female members and this presents them with a strong role model,” he emphasized.

{chelsea in the house}

The Boys & Girls Club of Albany will be among the stops for Chelsea Clinton today during a campaign visit on behalf of her mother, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.Her Albany visit, the day before the last day to vote in Oregon’s primary election, is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the club, 1215 Hill St. S.E.“We got a phone call last night saying they would like to come visit a place that had kids,” said Kambria Hunter, the club’s special events director. “We’re really excited. It was a surprise to us.”Clinton will not deliver a campaign talk for her mother, Hunter added. “She just wants to meet the kids and their parents.”The club has about 3,000 members, said Sunny Duffy, branch director.Between 5 and 6 p.m. today, when Clinton is scheduled to be there, the club’s scheduled activites include a volleyball practice and the dedication of a new garden for a youth garden club.Clinton’s visit is among a daylong tour that includes stops in Keizer, Eugene and Springfield.After leaving Albany, she’ll wrap up the day with a 7 p.m. appearance in Portland, greeting volunteers at the Clinton campaign’s Portland headquarters, 32 N.W. Fifth Ave.The Albany City Council had planned to have its Monday afternoon work session at the Boys & Girls club today so members could tour new facilities there, but the Chelsea visit changed the plans. The council will meet at City Hall instead, as usual, starting at 4, city spokeswoman Marylin Smith said.Democrat-Herald

{the bird is chirping}

for the record.....

there is a phrase i never want to hear again as long as i live.....

"lexie just ran under the fence with a bird in her mouth and it was still chirping!"

from now on whenever there is a crisis it will be referred to in code as

"the bird is chirping"

gross.

{diet pepsi lime}

i have discovered the best drink in the world. you have to try this.

i am so obsessed...

missy and i walked last night and when we came home we each had one with a huge glass of crushed ice.

heaven.

.....and, i just have to say that i was so grateful last night to have an air conditioned house and a fridge with an ice maker.

i have been married for 19 years and this will be the first summer with either....

so thankful.

{mr. mariah carey}

ok....so here is our brush with fame.

in 2007 we took a family vacation to disneyland with the ayer's family and matt hetwer.

we ran into nick cannon at a restaurant, said hi, and took his picture.

the kids thought it was great to actually see a celebrity.

i have had this stupid picture on my camera for over a year now....what in the heck to do with such a thing???

well, now he is married to mariah carey and is all over the papers. maybe i should have sold this famous pic to "people" magazine and made millions???

{happy mother's day to me}

happy mother's day to me......

and by the way....i do have{2} kids.....

one is just always m.i.a. in pictures.

{hyphy}

who knew.....

when i was in san francisco all zac wanted me to bring back to him was a "hyphy" t-shirt. we asked adults who lived in the area what it meant, but nobody really knew. i never found a shirt, but for those of you who were with us in san fran on our quest for the perfect "hyphy" shirt....here is the definition.

Hyphy (pronounced /ˈhaɪfiː/ HYE-fee) is a style of music and dance primarily associated with the Bay Area hip hop culture. The Hyphy movement started in the early '90s but began to re-emerge in the early 2000s as a response from Bay Area rappers against commercial hip hop for ignoring the Bay's influence on the hip hop industry.[1][2] Although the "hyphy movement" has just recently seen light in mainstream America, it has been a long standing and evolving culture in the Bay Area.[3] Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak was the first to use the term on an album.
Hyphy music is distinguished by gritty, pounding rhythms and in this sense can be associated with the Bay Area as crunk music is to the South; however, contrary to popular belief, the musical aspect of the Hyphy movement has very few similarities to crunk music as it is dictated by more up-tempo beats.[4] An individual is said to "get hyphy" when they act or dance in an overstated, fast paced, and ridiculous manner.[5] Those who consider themselves part of the Hyphy movement would describe this behavior as "getting stupid" or "going dumb."[6][7] In contrast to much of popular American culture where these phrases would be considered negative or even insulting, Hyphy is distinguished by taking this kind of behavior as a form of pride.[8]

{last night in san francisco}

tonight is our last night in san francisco. we have had a good time....but, sad to say....sorry bff....it has pretty much revolved around food. tomorrow is a new day though. i'm not discouraged. can't wait to walk.

here's me and ash at the sky bar at the top of the hilton. it was amazing.

this is a shot of the view at night. jess took it through a window, so you can't see it that well, but you get the picture.

we took a tour today. madison...do you remember this spot by the golden gate bridge? i have this exact same picture of you somewhere. remember how freezing cold it was....it was so, so cold today too.

on our way to the cheesecake factory for dinner at 8:30. my last binge before i have to work off this ba-donka-donk.

looking at the pictures of me is pretty scary.

we'll see you guys tomorrow.

love mwa.

{haight ashbury}

wasn't really excited for the trip until just about now.....

looking forward to exploring with some really fun girls.

bringing the camera....will take lots of fun pictures.

i will try to post from the road.

good luck at your track meet miss madison.

go rebels!

{packing}

madison stayed the night at taylor's house after the ms dance friday night.

this poor girl had no chance....just about every single one of her big brother's friends

were chaperoning the dance that night and every move she made

they had about six big football players surrounding her and any poor shmuck she was

dancing with with flashlights....telling the boys to watch their hands.

i'm not complaining.

then....last night she stayed the night with the 3 sweetest 7th graders you will ever meet in your life. it's kind of cool that the older kids include her.....not only are they older, but they are from a different school, so that makes it even more fun.

it doesn't hurt that she has known nicole since they were babies and cassandra since she was 4.

and grant if you are reading this.....jasmine....who is on the right is jeremy daniels daughter.

weird, huh?

heading to san francisco tomorrow. i really need to get to crack-a-lackin' on packing....i have done zip-o. as a matter of fact it is now 12:15 and i am still in my jammies.

two of the girls i am going with are bound and determined for us to get our picture taken on these steps on castro street. so....i think that will be a mission.

i'm sure we will visit fisherman's wharf. neither of them have been.

and i watched this movie last night...in peace and quiet....in my jammies with a blanket and no kids interrupting. it was really good....maybe my favorite.

{out of the playoffs}

Lebanon is playing well late in the season, keeping alive its chances at a state playoff berth.The Warriors’ 9-2 win at South Albany on Friday has Lebanon in position to make the 5A baseball bracket with a sweep of Crescent Valley next week.Lebanon took two of three in this week’s series. Both teams are now tied at 9-9 in league play with one week to go.Tuesday, Lebanon opens its final three-game series at Crescent Valley (11-7).South, now out of playoff contention because of the way the tiebreakers fall, is at home Tuesday against West Albany (13-5).Lebanon (10-12 overall) got contributions throughout its lineup, including four hits and two RBIs from Taylor Bitterman and six strong innings by starting pitcher Ben Cramlet.Nico Johnson added a double and a triple; Jon Hiebert had two hits and an RBI; and Cramlet helped his own cause with a hit and two runs batted in.Friday, Lebanon scored four runs on nine hits in the first inning.South (10-11) got two back in the bottom of the first, butcouldn’t add on.Bitterman said getting the early runs was a big boost.“It keeps us going,” he said. “When we get on the board first it gives us a lot of confidence and we stay up the whole game.”Jonathon Neuschwander had two hits for South. Zac Hunter and Justin Robbins each had one RBI.Cramlet allowed six South hits, walked two and struck out three.“Ben was adequate. He was Ben,” Stolsig said. “He’s not going to overpower you. He’s not going to hurt himself very much, he’s going to throw strikes and that’s exactly what we need from him.”The Rebels entered Friday one game behind Crescent Valley for fourth place and one game ahead of Lebanon.But South just couldn’t get much going against the Warriors.“We had a lot of opportunities, guys in scoring position, we just couldn’t seem to get that clutch hit when we needed it,” South coach Chad Angel said. “They did a nice job. They hit it all over the place and we made mistakes.”Corvallis (16-2 MWC) is on its way to winning the conference title. The Spartans host Silverton (3-15) next week.West Albany clinched a playoff spot with Lebanon’s win.Lebanon started the league season with three straight losses to Corvallis.But the Warriors have the playoffs in sight if they can come up with three more wins.“For these guys to think they’re going to be playing in meaningful games this time of year ... they worked real hard and persevered and got to this point,” Stolsig said.Lebanon 9, South Albany 2Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410 112 0 — 9 16 1South Albany . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200 000 0 — 2 6 2Cramlet, Stubbs (7) and Marshall. Rudzik, Jor. Heckman (5), Hanslovan (7) and Belcher. 3B—L, Johnson. 2B—L, Johnson, Duerr. SA, Robbins. W—Cramlet. L—Rudzik.

{this can't be good}

it can never be good if i am up blogging at 5:30 in the morning.

john has been up all night with a stomach bug, so i had to get up to e-mail his staff. great.

i'm making sure that he is breathing in the opposite direction as me......

....because i am leaving for a conference in san francisco in a couple of days.

just what i need.....to have the flu on an airplane ride.