Flashback Friday and Happy Birthday Jason!

Howdy folks......Today is Good Friday and we have made another Easter Holiday! It is this holiday that marks the fresh face of spring, planting flowers, and soaking up the beautiful spring weather and sun. This is that crisp time of year when the swimsuits are entering the department stores and the humans are seeking out the fitness gurus, centers, magic diet pills and OH Yeah the tanning beds. It is this time of year that makes the impossible seem within reach and the attainable not so important.....so here's to spring and ode to the drone of winter. HAPPY EASTER!! Now, who wants to take bets on how hard the wind blows Sunday??!! HA! HA!

Here is a flashback for some of us and in these photos is my favorite spring and summer place: La Plata Canyon....and the family cabin. Memories from here and camping with the families are abundant for me and unfortunately none to often anymore........

I also want to send a shout out to my brother-in-law Jason and wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Just in case your wondering.....yes, this is how he always looks!!! HA HA HA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Flashback Friday 4-2-09

Here it is.....Flashback is BACK!! Until I officially run out of pictures.....so, if anyone out there has any good old photos of the families', please let me know!!

A real Boo Hoo Moment......:(

I have not been very diligent lately with my blog posts, although I have been thinking everyday that there is stuff I feel I need to say. These random thoughts I have while passively driving Denton to school or picking up the groceries......You know, those silent conversations that you have in your head with your "Id, Ego or Superego" as Sigmond Freud would have labeled it. Don't you ever wonder what life would be like if you didn't answer your own thoughts inside your head???? I mean for instance if I was not physically typing this on the computer, I would still be"thinking" it in my head. You, the reader.... just happen to be getting a glimpse into my head. Not asking you to like it, just to read it and think about it (especially you younguns!)

So, where is that line that we as individuals cross when we say just a little too much? When do people on the "outside" feel as though we have divulged too much information about ourselves to them because it brings into focus their own personal insecurities? Are there certain things that other people just don't want to hear, because it may hit too close to home for them and then the insecurity beast may raise its head in their life? I wonder these things everyday, and yes, everyday there are little indiscrepancies within my life and emotions that I choose to keep to myself so as to not step on the indivisible boundaries of someone Else's problems......Is it just human nature to "sweep it all under the rug" until there is no other option but to "suck it up" with the vacuum?? I think that we all want life to play out with as few "intermissions" as possible, but is that healthy? Are these stages in life that we just swim through and them come up for air on the other side and realize that we actually made it?
I happen to think that there is NO adventure in life that I would not try. Yes, I said I, because not everyone wants to try what they think is the "impossible" for them. Well, you know what, I want to try it ALL and that is exactly what I plan to do!!!! NO, we don't have to live out the exact same life that centuries of the same gender have partaken in....and quite frankly what is the RIGHT way to live life? I sometimes wonder if we live life by "reliving" life, rather than by living life. (????) It is individual and each person has to make those choices and do what it is right for their path in life. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that we should trample those around us trying to get there, I just think they can either be a part of it, or not......either way life will go on undeniably!
So, I plan to try it ALL and I may not be the CHAMPION at the end, but I will have ACHIEVED what I set out to do! No, there will be no paycheck at the end, but there will be the overwhelming satisfaction that comes along with an "EXPERIENCE." So for all you dreamers and non dreamers alike, here are some life lessons to chew on for a while.....

"Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most."

"A well written life is almost as rare as a well spent one."

"Most people go on living their everyday life: half frightened, half indifferent, they behold the ghostly tragi-comedy that is being performed on the international stage before the eyes and ears of the world." (all the while wishing they could be one of THOSE people!)

Courtney's Birthday!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!!!!!
We Love Ya!!

Courtney, Kyler, Drew and Denton.

Indentured Servant

Indentured Servant-

(Definition from Wikipedia, and yes all of you scholars out there, I know it is not a reputable source of information for citation but it was fast!!)-

"An indentured servant is a form of debt bondage worker. The laborer is under contract of an employer for usually three to seven (18) years, in exchange for their transportation, food, drink, clothing, and lodging."

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-

"Is a mental disorder most commonly characterized by intrusive, repetitive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviors and mental acts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at preventing some imagined dreaded event; however, these behaviors or mental acts are not connected to the imagined dreaded event."

Jentry is SUCH a little cleaner....She sweeps, mops, load the clothes dryer, dusts, and cleans the toilets. It is hilarious...

Here she is washing the windows

Whee! After a long day of cleaning, she is throwing back some good old Schnapps!!

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY (after tomorrow)! I am going to post a link to a video and a brief synopsis of the history of St. Patrick's Day so everyone can be beefed up on it before the actual day!

History

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling. It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.) St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
No Irish Need Apply
Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.
However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
Wearing of the Green Goes Global
Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

Watch this video on the history if you would like!
http://link.history.com/services/link/bcpid12040009001/bclid1675979350/bctid1455377204

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

5 pounds corned brisket of beef. 6 peppercorns, or packaged pickling spices. 3 carrots, peeled and quartered. 3 onions, peeled and quartered. 1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges. Melted butter (about 4 tablespoons).
Place the corned beef in water to cover with the peppercorns or mixed pickling spices (in supermarkets, these often come packaged with the corned beef). Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add the carrots and onions and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and brush the vegetables with the melted butter. Serve with boiled parsley potatoes, cooked separately. (The stock can be saved to add to a pot roast or stew instead of other liquid.)

"The Toothless Wonder"

Denton came home from school yesterday with the Aztec Talon Newspaper and low and behold, he was in it. So here is a copy, just thought I would share it with you. It was picture day, and the morning after he lost his first tooth. He asked me if they had put his name in the paper as "Denton the toothless wonder!" What will he come up with next??