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Good-bye 2008

While I sit here, on this last morning of 2008, trying to think of something clever to say, I start to wonder what I can do to make 2009 a better year.

I know for some, 2008 has been a tough year. But it hasn't been so bad for me, and I can really only think of two major, life-altering events that happened. I'm sure there are more, but they must not be too dramatic if I can't remember them off the top of my head.

So for 2009, I'm hoping for some of the same from 2008. Of course I want the good times to be better and the bad times to hurt less, but as long as my family stays healthy and safe, I'm good.

Happy New Year

Desert Winter

We drove out to Amargosa over the weekend, and this is what we were treated to. One lonely tree, on the edge of an RV park. It was being sprayed by the sprinkler. Icicles, in the middle of the desert, are a very beautiful sight.

That'll do Pig!

You GUESS? NEVER guess. I mean, you gotta KNOW what you're doing!
Otherwise, you leave yourself wide open to suggestion. And that, to my
mind is the problem with this whole damn country.

Everybody's open to suggestion! Hmph!

You'll hear that (or a variation of that) often around our house. Grandpa Tucker said it in the movie Pure Country, and we steal it every chance we get. Most often, we shorten it down. Something like; I'll suggest something to Chad for dinner, he'll say "yeah, I guess". That leaves it wide open for me to tell him that's the problem with the whole damn country, everyone guesses. Or, Chad will mention to me that he wants to do something and when my response is "I guess", he gives me; "Guess? You gotta know what your doing."


Another favorite that we say often comes from Farmer Hoggett in Babe.

That'll do, pig. That'll do.

We usually say this to each other when we do something good. This one is pretty funny because when other people hear us say it to each other, they think we are being mean. We would never do that. It's just a term of endearment.

Are there any movie quotes you use at your house?

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Diggin up bones

CJ is famous. Well, if he's not, he's going to be (maybe). He works as the City Contact for the Parks Department in Duchesne, UT., where he is responsible for taking care of the landscaping in all the parks and cemeteries in the city.

Recently, as part of his duties, he had to dig up the grave of William Henry Long at the Duchesne City Cemetery. Mr. Long's bones were to be collected for testing.

William Long took his own life back in 1936 and has been exhumed once before.Some members of Mr. Long's family think that he may not be William Long after all. And that he is instead, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh. So how will this make CJ famous? Well, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh is also known as The Sundance Kid. So while CJ was digging him up, a documentary film crew recorded the entire event.

Read the story here. CJ is digging in the 3rd picture of this Photo Gallery.

CJ, your the coolest.

My Sentiments Exactly

It was so cute last night when I picked Christopher up on my way home from work. It was snowing and I could tell he was excited as soon as he got in the car. He told me how his neighbor was going to have a hard time getting his truck out, because it was covered in snow. He was going on and on about how cool the snow was and then said, "This is the best day of my life!". Just to be sure I understood him, I asked why. "Because Grandma" he said. "It's snowing and this snow is way better then it is in Colorado." I agreed, it was some pretty great snow.

We took a few pictures with my phone and he asked me if I would put them on my blog and say how it seemed like we were riding in a spaceship and that those huge snowflakes looked like stars. "Absolutely" I said. I would love to do that.

Little did I know, that in the morning, I would be hearing Christopher's words again. Only this time in my head, while in awe of the beauty from this overnight, desert snowstorm. My sentiments exactly Christopher.
This is the best day of my life.

Don't call me at home

I'm sorry, I can't go to work today.
It snowed all night and I must stay home to play.
The desert is white for as far as my eyes can see.
Don't call me at home, instead, come out and play with me.

Hallmark and Cake Mix

I thought that there wasn't much Chad could do anymore that would surprise me. But wow, he got me twice now in two days.

I usually sign any cards that we give out, I don't know why, I just do. That changed last night while I was in getting ready to go to Chad's Mom's for her birthday. I came out to get the card ready and Chad proudly handed it to me sealed and addressed to "Mom". I quizzically looked at him and the conversation went like this:

T: Did you sign it?

C: Yeah.

T: What did you write?

C: Love, Chad and Trudi.

T: That's it? Not; We love you, your a wonderful Mom.

C: No, why would I write that?

T: Because your supposed to write something nice in the card, not just your name.

C: Then whats the point of buying a card? If you have to write something, why don't you just write it on a piece of paper? That's what the card is for. And look, it's even a Hallmark.

As bad as I wanted to, I even tried for half a second, but I just couldn't argue with that. He's right, and now I know why all these years, cards from him have just been signed; Love Chad.


For surprise # 2, he was making a cake and I could hear liquid being stirred around in the bowl. It didn't sound right to me so I asked him what he was doing. "Making a cake" he said. I asked what was in the bowl and he said "eggs, water, and oil". Of course, I told him he wasn't mixing it right, that you put the mix in the bowl first, then you put in the rest of the ingredients. Not the other way around. "Trudi", he said. "Just relax, I've made a hundred cakes."
OK, I'm relaxing. It smells good and I guess it doesn't matter how he makes it. He said I could have the leftovers in the bowl all by myself if I made the cake. I didn't want to, so now I will just relax. He gave me the bowl and a spoon anyway. What a guy.

Birthday Alert!

There is something new on the Birthday Blog today. Leave me a message or comment if you don't have access and want to see.

http://mysecretproject.blogspot.com/

Good Morning

If there is one thing I love about the desert, it's the sky. This is what the horses were enjoying a couple of days ago when I went out to feed. It was beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice, but you'll get the idea.

Thanksgiving Morning

The sun wasn't up yet on Thanksgiving morning when I went out to feed the horses and I was so surprised to see this rare Pahrump weather event. It was so calm and so peaceful, there was no wind and no sounds, just quiet. After feeding, I went back to bed, but I couldn't go back to sleep. I just kept thinking about the absolute beautiful Thanksgiving morning I was missing. So, I got back up and took my camera outside and thought about all I was thankful for.

This last one was a little later in the morning and the sun was trying to peek through.

Check it out! According to the poll on my blog there is no 0ne who "NEVER" visits my blog. I expected a few to never visit, but none? And, the majority who do visit, visit every day. I think that is so cool. I think there is something wrong with the counter though. There must have been more than 7 (and one was me, hehe).

Since today is 11/29/08, I'm going to post the 11th and 29th picutres from the 8th folder on my computer. Let's see what we get.

Whats your 11th and 29th pictures?

11th Picture

This is Baby Boy waiting to get his car tech'ed (is that a word?), at Death Valley Raceway in February 08.

29th Picture

Chad's brother Jabez at the same race.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and list a few things I am thankful for. These are in no particular order.

1) My Job - I am so thankful to have such a good job. I really lucked out when I got this job three and a half years ago. (I'll try really hard to remember this when I drag myself back in on Friday after having all week off.)

2) My Husband - I don't know what I would do without Chad. He is the best husband and I am thankful to have him in my life.

3) My Kids - My kids put up with a lot from me, and, they still love me. My kids are awesome and I would not trade any of them for the world. I hope they know how much I love them.

4)My Grandkids - I am sooooo thankful that I have these 14 little people in my life. I used to not like other peoples kids too much and then these guys came along and I truly cannot live without them.

5)My Family - I have the best family ever and I know I don't tell them enough that I love them. I am thankful that they put up with me.

6)This country - I am so thankful that we live in a country where we have political and religious freedom. I'm able to vote for our president and choose which church I will attend. How lucky I am that I wasn't born in a country where these things are not possible.

These are just a few of the things on my thankful list. What are you thankful for?

What Your Thanksgiving Meal Says About You

When it comes to the holidays, you follow and love the big traditions. You look forward to them every year. You see the holidays as a time to be close to loved ones. It's a good time to reconnect and make memories. You like the more adult aspects of the holidays - parties, cocktails, and having time off from work. During the holidays, you are likely to feel comforted. At your worst, you feel a bit over-indulgent. You consider yourself a hillbilly, and you're proud of it. You tend to spend your holidays sharing and pitching in. You'll do whatever needs to be done.

What Does Your Thanksgiving Meal Say About You?

I am A Mormon!

I just wanted to repeat a story that was told in Church on Sunday. I can't remember the speakers name so I'll just call her Sister Elenore Green. Sister Green is in her late 70's or early 80's and was born and raised in the only Mormon family in Nebraska.

Elenore's Great-Grandparents were Mormon pioneers who were traveling with a group destined for Salt Lake City. They were one of four families that had grown tired of traveling and had decided together that they wanted to stop and settle in Nebraska. They approached the other Mormons and tried to convince them that they should stop. The leader of the group refused, he had his orders from church leaders and would continue leading his company into the Salt Lake Valley. That didn't fare well with these four families and they were very angry. They decided to settle in Nebraska and cursed the Mormons for going on and leaving them to fend for themselves. They would burn their Church records and would never again be associated with the Mormons.

All but Elenore's Great Grandmother, she couldn't bare the thought of cutting all ties with the Mormons, so she hid a copy of The Book Of Mormon, and years later, it was found in her home by her daughter. Her daughter kept the book and handed it down to her own daughter (Elenore's mother) who studied it and learned to love the Gospel. She was a well respected member of the community and was the one that the townspeople would go to when they needed help or advice, but because the Mormons were still hated, she kept her beliefs a secret. She went on to have her own family, and there still wasn't a Mormon Church, so she and her family attended the local Presbyterian Church.

From a very young age, Elenore knew that she came from one of the four original families who had left the Church. And that she could never tell anyone that she was a Mormon. Everyone cursed and talked very badly about the Mormons and how they had abandoned them in Nebraska. Elenore spent her entire life hiding the fact that her family was Mormon, until years later.

While in college, Elenore was traveling by bus with her college class, making a loop around Nebraska. They were in Idaho near the Utah boarder, and she was riding in the front of the bus next to the professor. She heard a bunch of guys, who were in the back of the bus grumbling. And they were making fun of and just saying terrible things about the Mormons. The closer to Utah they got, the louder they got. Finally, Elenore couldn't take it any longer. She was shaking and she was scared but she pushed all that aside and told them that the things that they were saying were not true. One of the boys in the back asked how could she possibly know more than he on this subject. She just took a deep breath, stood up and said "Because I am A Mormon".

Everyone was shocked and the bus grew so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Elenore's professor was so impressed with her courage, that he told the bus driver to make a detour down into Salt Lake City to see the Temple. He wanted to see for himself, what she was talking of. That was her first time visiting the Salt Lake Temple and she had the opportunity to share it with all of her classmates. Giving her testimony for the first time, was such a welcomed relief, that she knew right then, that she would never again hide the fact that she was a Mormon.



I think a lot can be learned from Sister Green. I AM A MORMON!

Private Birthday Blog

I changed my Birthday Blog back to private. There are only a few people that have access right now, but I want to share it with everyone. So.......PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me your email address so I can add you. I don't want anyone to miss their own very special Birthday Party.

Ship High in Transport

My good friend Anna sent me this in an email. And since this is my favorite word (and color like she was so kind to point out), that I thought I would share. Guess you learn something new everyday.

Manure... An interesting fact

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas.

As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.

Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term " S.H.I.T " , (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I.

The Name Game

I found this tag while blog stocking and thought it would be fun to do.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car):
Trudi: Old English Sheep Jeep
Chad: Dog Dodge

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie):
Trudi: Sherbet Peanut Butter
Chad:Vanilla Peanut Butter

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name):
Trudi: TBRO
Chad: CBRO


4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal):
Trudi: Green Horse
Chad: Blue Rabbit

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):
Trudi: Lynne S. Lake
Chad: Preston Salt Lake


6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first):
Trudi: Brotr
Chad: Broch

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Trudi: The Brown Lemon aide
Chad: The Brown Coffee

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers):
Trudi: Bobby Ray
Chad: Horace Ted

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
Trudi: Endless Love Peanut Butter Cup
Chad: English Leather Oh Henry

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ):
Trudi: Raynone
Chad: it's protected

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Trudi: Hanson Henderson
Chad: Fisher Fresno

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Trudi: Spring Daisy
Chad: Fall Lantana

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie"
or "y"):
Trudi: Banana Pantie
Chad: Watermelon Socky

14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Trudi: Cheerio Weeping Willow
Chad: Egg Potato Red River Birch

15. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour"):
Trudi: The Blogging Rain Tour
Chad: The Rabbit Raising Snow Tour

So.....I tag Kaylynn and Lindsy to post their answers on their blogs. Have fun!

Thin Ice with the old lady

While walking through the service drive today, I saw Anthony heading to the building through the door opposite the one I was going to. He did his normal "hi mom" wave, while I just smiled and gave him the "peace sign". He stopped dead in his tracks and said "Mom, don't ever do that again". I was thinking that maybe I had given some sort of gang sign, or something offensive that could get me into trouble and asked him why. He just simply said "because you are old".

I was shocked, I couldn't believe that my son just called me old. This is the same kid that was happy when I turned 30, so he could finally tell his friends that his mom was in her thirties.

And now, with only 5 years away from him being in his thirties, he calls me old. Hmmmmmm........All I can say is that boy is treading on thin ice with this old lady.

Peace out Anthony!!!

Corn Dog Sticks and a Field Trip

Christopher comes to my house on Wednesday nights for spelling lessons, and while driving, we usually have a pretty good conversation. Last week, he was telling me about school lunch and how good the food is. He likes the pizza, it's square and it doesn't have crust on the edge and it is good.

The kids get served lunch on thin plastic trays, the kind of plastic that is used to make the plastic cups you would use for soda (these are his words). They throw them away when they are done and they don't hold that much food. The trays at his old school are much better because they held more food.

One thing that really baffles him is; why do they take the sticks out of the corn dogs? So when they eat the corn dog they have to pick it up with their hands because the stick is gone. He's not sure why they are gone and wishes they had sticks. I wish they had sticks too.

What has our world come to if our elementary kids can't have sticks in their corn dogs? I guess if they take them out before the kids get them, they don't have to have stick monitors to make sure they confiscate all the sticks before the 2nd graders get a chance to sharpen them into deadly weapons.

The best day of the whole entire week was going to be the day his class got to go on a field trip to Skate Zone. He was pretty excited. I hope he had fun.

***Alert***Alert***Alert***

Someone is having a birthday -

I'll give you a hint -

Bee-Are-Aye-Tee

Give up?

Go to the birthday page to find out who!!

Happy Anniversary Chad

15 years ago, we said I do, again. And since this is our "legal" anniversary, I thought I would tell you right here in front of everyone (all 5 people who read this), how much I love you and how happy I am to be your wife. I am very lucky to have you and I am looking forward to the next 15 years. I love you Chad!

Recent random stuff

Today was the first day of trying to adjust to the end of Daylight Savings Time. Dang, that's hard to get used to. I don't like it getting dark at 5:00. The only plus is that I get to sleep in tomorrow.
I had lasik eye surgery about 8 years ago. They fixed my astigmatism and I have been able to see 100% better than I did before the surgery, for all this time. But lately, I have noticed that I don't see as clear as I should. So, I went to the eye Dr. and he confirmed that I can use some help with my distance vision as well as my close up. So basically, he said I'm getting old and recommended...........are you ready for this? Bi-focals! Sheesh....I'm not even 40 yet. Actually, age isn't completely to blame for my diminishing eye sight. He said that the cornea, the part that is reshaped during lasik, is like hair. It just continues to grow, so eventually my astigmatism will and has started to return. I could have lasik again to touch it up and it should be good as new. My close up vision problem though, is age. And even if I did redo the lasik, I would still need reading glasses. So I ordered progressive lenses which I can wear to see close up or far away. I hate that I can see so good with them. I don't want to get dependant on them and wear them all the time. Oh well, on the bright side, I'm not blind.

Halloween was fun, we went over to Anthony's to have birthday cake and ice cream for Zachary's birthday. He didn't quite know what to think when we turned out all the lights, lit a "2" candle and everyone was singing to him. He was looking around like we had lost our marbles. He was just about to get mad when the song was over and his daddy was encouraging him to blow out his candle. Next year, he may understand it a bit more.

After cake and ice cream, we followed all the kids to the Saddle West for some trick or treating. They had closed off the outside corridor of the hotel and made a path past hotel rooms where people were handing out candy from the rooms. Some were dressed up and some had there rooms decorated. I don't know how many rooms there were, but the kids all got a full bag of candy. Then at the end, they had a haunted house that you had to go thru to get out. You could by pass that part if you wanted to, but who wants to do that? That was the best part. I think all the kids had fun and no one was tormented too bad.

Speaking of the Saddle West. Since Chad and I had such a great time when we went to see the Beverly Hills Chihuahua, we decided to share it with the kids. So, we picked up Kaylynn's and Anthony's kids and went to the movies. The only one we didn't take was Zachary. We figured we were already pushing our luck with 6 kids, so we better not try it with a baby too. The kids had a great time. None of the kids except Aly had been to the movies before so it was quite the treat. We had drinks and popcorn and Grandpa and Grandma survived. It was a great night.

Last, but not least; Sunday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week!

Happy Halloween

We have a real live monster in our family. And guess what? He's having a birthday. Skip on over to our Birthday Blog (it's open for everyone now) to see his birthday wish. But I'm warning you, he is SCARY!! So be careful.

You Should Be a Pregnant Nun for Halloween

According to our quiz, you'd make an ideal pregnant nun. Your runner up costume: Witch

The Halloween Costume Generator

Kristy's Blog

Kristy started her very own blog. She is so excited about it. Her mom is going to help her put all kinds of fun stuff on it. Check it out and maybe leave her a comment now and then. http://themonkeybrat.blogspot.com/

Take this quiz and see where you belong.

I Belong in 1951

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

My Baby Boy!!

Happy 25th Birthday Anthony. I hope your day is great.

Love Always,
Your WoW

Movies in Pahrump.....2nd time

We went to the movies at the Saddle West again last night. This time we saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I love this movie. It was sooooo good. I probably like it so much because of my own Chihuahuas. And just so you know, I finally know the truth about my Tippy. She did get taken by Coyotes, but they didn't eat her, they took her on a train to Tijuana so she could go on to Beverly Hills. I think she is an actress now. That's my story, and it makes me feel better.