4 years ago...

4 years ago this summer I found out that lil' loca was on the way...and my oh my how much greater life has been...

WES IS HOME FROM JAPAN!!!

Eye Alaska

My long time best friend, Lindsey, invited me to go with her to her brother, Camerons, show on Saturday at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. He has been touring all year and just so happened to have a show in town! It was so much fun. I had not heard their new music but I love it!! check out their myspace page www.myspace.com/eyealaska


Their new CD is released on July 7th!! You will love it!!!

Nick's an OLD MAN

Happy 23rd Birthday Nick!!!

An Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership

The other day I was watching Glenn Beck, as usual, when he had this lady on who wrote this letter. This is exactly how I feel. I agree with her and the polls have shown that this is how the majority of Americans either feel right now or are starting to feel. I encourage everyone who feels this way to read the letter below and start to take a stand. Send letters to your Representatives, send letters to the media, send letters to your Senators, don't watch stations that are not following fair journalism practices. The only way these people and media outlets will change is if we let them know we will not tolerate it. Let them know how you feel. We cannot be silent any longer. Its time to fight back.

An Open Letter to Our Nation’s Leadership

by Web Producer

I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I am 53, and I have been a registered Democrat all of my adult life. Before the last Presidential election, I registered Republican because I no longer feel the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. I now no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me.

There must be someone, please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me you are there and are willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please do it now.

You might ask yourselves what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me? These are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

* Illegal Immigration—I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S. I am not a racist. This not to be confused with legal immigration.

* TARP Bill—I want it repealed and no further funding supplied to it. We told you “NO!” but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze! Repeal!

* Czars—I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the Czars. No more Czars. Government officials answer to the process not the President. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

* Cap & Trade—the debate on global warming is NOT over, there IS more to say.

* Universal Health Care—I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

* Growing Government Control—I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Please mind your own business; you have enough to do with your REAL obligations. Let’s start there.

* ACORN—I do not want ACORN or its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them on every real estate deal that closes. Stop all funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audit and investigation. I do not trust them with the taking of the census or with taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before the taxpayers get any further involved with them. It walks like a duck and talks like a duck—hello… stop protecting political buddies. You work for the people. Investigate.

* Redistribution of Wealth—No. If I work for it, it is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth I support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do want me to hate my employers? What do your have against shareholders making a profit?

* Charitable Contributions—although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities where we know our needs best and can use local talent and resources. Butt out, please. We want to do this ourselves.

* Corporate Bail Outs—knock it off! Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we will be better off just getting to it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful, like ripping off a band aid. We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us a chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

* Transparency and Accountability—how about it? No really, let’s have it. Let’s say we give the “buzz” words a rest and have some straight, honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with cleaver wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

* Unprecedented Quick Spending—stop it, now. Take a breath. Listen to “The People.”

Let’s just slow down and get some more input from some “non-politicians” on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law.

I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant nor a violent person. I am a mother and grandmother. I am a working woman. I am busy, busy, busy and tired, tired, tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawns and wash our cars on weekends, and be responsible, contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same, all the while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding our Constitution and believed in the checks and balances to keep you from getting too far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think that I find humor in hiring a speed reader to unintelligibly ramble through a bill you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not! It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face! I am not laughing—the arrogance!

Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it, but you expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children? We did not want that TARP bill. We said “NO!” We would repeal it if we could. I am not sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all the recent spending. From my perspective, it seems that you have all gone insane.

I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back!

You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington.

You can also go to this link to fill out a petition http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/an-open-letter-to-our-nations-leadership

Chili Cook-off

One of the reasons I love Tustin so much-the Chili Cook-off!!!!!

I LOVE chili! <3

P.S. I love Natalie too, almost as much as I love chili.

Rock Harbor

Most of you know that 2 years ago I started attending Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa. At first, I was just attending when I could make it without it being an inconvenience. Now that I live back in Tustin I have been trying to make it more often. And everytime I go I realize that this is definitely something that I need. My relationship with God has grown stronger in the last 2 months than ever before, which is kinda strange being that I went to Christian school my whole life (this is not to say that I am perfect by any means).

Rock Harbor is a great church! I love attending. I feel like I learn more in one Sunday then I did while in Bible class at school. I love that every lesson is relatable and given in its historical context. Growing up, Bible class was not taught in a way that was exciting or fun or relatable. I hated the class- it was boring. Now, I realize that it can be taught in an amazing and entertaining way. I am learning all sorts of exciting things.

The current theme at Rock Harbor has been a several week series about Corinth. If you have some time click on the link below and listen to some of the lessons. They are really good. They are only about 15 minutes long. I usually listen to them while I cook or eat. It is a great way to spend some time away from staring at the TV or computer.

P.S. The lessons "The Gift of Marraige" and "For the Sake of" are really good. I love Mike's sermons! <3

Rock Harbor Corinth lessons pt.3

Rock Harbor message archive

Scout's Dedication

On May 24th, 2009, Scout was dedicated at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa. I was really excited that Jesi asked me and Katie to stand on stage with her and Scout. Actually, I was more honored than excited. It was such a great day and it was awesome to see how excited Scout was to get her own Bible that was "just my size". After her dedication we went back to my moms house where we had a little luncheon ith scome of Scouts friends! Then I took Scout to my house to nap and play with the doggies. On the way home Scout told me and Katie that her "special day" was because "we love Jesus and because everyone loves me." She is just too dang precious! Here are a few pictures of the day. Check out Jesi's blog to read more about the service itself at scoutsmommy.blogspot.com

The momma and baby

Up on stage

San Diego Trip

So it has been about 3 years since my buddy Nick moved to San Diego (and I went to LA). We always plan on visiting one another but just never seem to do it since we visit in Tustin all the time. Well this weekend I decided that I would drive my butt down there and have some fun! I drove down Friday night just in time to watch the Laker's game with all my SD friends! I even got to see my new friend Mallory! We had so much fun. We watched the game, ate pizza, and played beer pong and MOOSE! and MOOSE just happens to be my fav! Love it!!! On Saturday morning Nick and I cooked breakfast for our friends Tim and Brian and Brian's girlfriend then we all just sat around their house all day cozied up on the couch watching reruns of Scrubs and Family Guy. All day I kept thinking "I gotta get back to Tustin because Scout is getting dedicated tomorrow" but I was having so much fun visiting that I just stayed until after the Cav lost to the Magic.

The Lakers won and I had such a great time in SD! Great 2 days I cannot wait to go back! YAY!


Tim and Alex dominating

A litte Moose for ya!

Alex, me, Tim, Richard and Nick

World Largest Pizza (that actually tastes delish)



p.s. post had to be in purple because the Lakers took the series!

Lucky Girls

Last week my dad bought Kate and I Lakers tickets. We had so much fun! We had premier seating so we got to go in through the VIP entrance with all the celebrities. Once we got through the doors we "accidentally" went down the wrong stairs and ended up in the back where the locker room and VIP restaurant is for the ballas! It was pretty sweet! We even ended up walking out of the tunnel where the players come out! HOLLLLLAAA We only got a few pictures cause we were so into the game itself :) We bleed purple and gold!

What Jesus could have learned from obama...

Jes shared this with me this morning. Its pretty fun but sad....

The Parable of the Talents [NIV version, taken from Matthew 25:14-29]

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful s ervant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him…’

Note: A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars.

Now, clearly Jesus was confused. If only Obama had been around to teach him a thing or two the story would have had a totally different ending.

It would have gone something like this:

“After meeting with them, Jesus took the all the talents from all three men; 10 from the first, 4 from the second, and 1 from the third, which made 15 talents total. He divvied them up and gave each man 5 talents, then sent them on their way.”

If only the Bible had been written P.O. (post Obama), it’d be much more fair.

LOL

The picture speaks for itself

Click the picture to make it larger