Oh the holiday fun.

Thanksgiving is over. I loved having a 4 day weekend. It was so relaxing just hanging out with the family on Thanksgiving. Gotta love Sam, he cooked dinner and had it all in the oven going when I finally decided to emerge from the bedroom a little after 10 am. I never use to be one to sleep in, must be my getting older that makes it easier for me to sleep in lately, or the fact I didn't go to bed till almost 2 am that morning. I get downstairs in my scrapbook room and I just don't want to leave. Good thing I don't stay home, I would be a hermit in that room.

So anyway we had a nice meal, Amanda came over and we all visited and played games. The kids dug out all the holiday decorations and set the tree up and got it all decorated. One of my favorite things about putting up our tree is watching them dig out their ornaments from over the years and put them on the tree. They love telling about where it came from or when they made it. We always laugh and have fun. Whenever we use to travel to someplace I would pick up ornaments, like yellowstone park or glacier. It was kind of the fun part of the trip to look for an ornament on our summer vacation. We also have kept some that the kids made when they were little. Just fun time for all of us. They usually end up fighting over whose turn it was to put on the star on top, but this year their dad tricked them and had them looking for something while he put it on.

Thanksgiving afternoon, we decided to drive to Billings and get a hotel room so we could all swim and relax in a hot tub. Was kind of nice just being away from home. I had to laugh because late that night we decided to go to Walmart in hopes no one would be there since it was night and a holiday to boot. No one was there (best time to shop) but across the street at the closed Best Buy we had to laugh at all the people already camped out around the outside of the store for the sale on Friday morning. People are seriously nuts.

The rest of the weekend I spent in my scrapbook room. I got tons of layouts completed and things done and ready for the holidays. I am on a mission to get most of my old pictures scrapbooked and into albums.

Happy Turkey Day

Yeah tomorrow is Thanksgiving and in this new job that I am so loving I get Friday off as a paid holiday also. We are having dinner tomorrow at home. Just a quiet family meal with the kids. Friday we are all going to Billings to go shopping and have some fun. Maybe get a motel and do some swimming if we want. Nothing like a relaxing weekend with the family.
Happy Thanksgiving all.

David Berg in the Morning

There is a morning radio talk show that is on the radio. I finally had to turn it off this morning because this guy is so one sided, opinionated. Boy the republicans should have mixed feelings about him. He is so republican but yet so closed mined that he scares me. I hope not all republicans are that way. This guy literally made me vote democrate this year. Seriously I was listening to him before the election because it is him or Deery Brownfield, take your pick. (Someone shoot me now.) Yestereday he was talking about how over half of Montanan's should be ashamed of how they voted for John Tester. He said they were dooped and lied to and it was 18 month campaign to smear and lie about Conrad Burns. Okay let me see over 1/2 of the voters voted for Tester, shouldn't he be proud that people got out and voted. I mean the numbers were like 2/3 of voters voted in this non-presidential election. I say way to go Montana, you let your vote count and be heard.

I will be honest, I don't know how I feel about John Tester. I keep hearing all the ney sayers saying how our State is doomed and this or that will be gone, but I guess I wonder how they know all these bad things will happen when this guy hasn't been a Senator in Washington DC before. I hope he will do a good job. I really went back and forth on how to vote. Conrad Burns has been there for years, and do we give up that senority and his ability to pork barrel for our State for change and someone new that won't have that senority? I went with the side of change. I think there should be limitations on the length a person can serve. I will be honest, I think Conrad Burns was bought by Jack Abromoff. Come on if someone gave me $150K in contributions just days before I voted on issues that affect him, would you vote in his favor? Conrad did, I am sure I would too because why shoot a donor in the foot. He says he did nothing wrong, I say the vote doesn't matter, it is the fact that he voted at all after taking the money. He should have either not taken the donations, or not voted. But not do both, that is a shame as David Berg said. Montana voted, and people like David Berg should respect that vote. They shouldn't be using their talk show to discredit Montana voters by saying things like shame on you 9 times in just several minutes. They should be saying things like way to go Montana, you voted and you were heard.

Life is flying by

I remember when I was a child and adults use to say, enjoy each day because when your older they go by so much faster. Well I am not sure I consider myself old (just yet) I mean after all I am not even 40 yet!! But boy do the days just seem to fly by. I almost feel like I need to take more time and enjoy each day. Just get out and walk in it and marvel in the fact that it is today. The last three years I have put all my energy into doing this Master's program. The degree means so much to me. Being the first person in my family to have a BA and MA will be an amazing thing. It has just been something I have always wanted. I would like to go on and get my PhD. but I really just need to work on making sure the student loans for this degree get paid off. It is hard to believe that next week will Thanksgiving already. I have been so busy getting ready for a craft show that my friend Jill and I did last weekend. It was a huge hit and great money maker for us. Things went so well. I have osme of the canvas left over from it posted on ebay (luvnmontana) and than I am going to post the frames and clocks that we have left over too.

Back to homework, I am so looking forward to this semester being over and than graduation in May. Boy I have so much to do before May. I have to finish up my internship and than study for my CRC exam and be turning information in for my LCPC, so much work so little time.

Happy Halloween

Oh man it came and went so fast this year. It was Halloween before I knew it and now it is over. I miss the days when my kids were young and they dressed up and loved to go trick or treating. Now I just have to worry more about keeping them from throwing eggs at cars and causing trouble as teenagers.

Hope everyone had a Happy and Safe Halloween.

Rest in Peace Moe! He was 79, and passed away this past week.

Catching Up

Wow it has been awhile since I have posted last. I can give you the excuses, but lets just say they are new job, 12 master level college classes this semester and no time to do anything.

We did get out to take our family picture the other day so I could get some Christmas cards mailed out on time this year. Last year, Megan and I had fun making our cards, but I actually got tired of making them that mailing them out wasn't any fun. So anyway, they are done and ordered. Here is the picture that we took down behind our neighbors backyard. I love the picture, even our dog Shane is posed so nice for his picture. I was ready to strangle my son by the time I was done taking the pictures. He doesn't take good pictures anyway, but every time we took a picture he decided to make a funny face on purpose like sticking out his tongue, doing an O with his mouth, just something stupid. I got back home to look at the pictures and the computer and wanted his hid so bad. He thought it was funny, but the rest of us were not laughing because we were all outside with no coats on in 30 degree weather taking pictures. So expect your pictures and card early this year. HAHAHAHA who am I kidding it is almost November already. So guess I better get busy shopping since I don't have much time left.

First day of school

Today was the first day of school for the kids. Amazingly I am having a harder time with my youngest being in high school than I was when he went to school. I just feel like my time with them is very limited and I need to treasure every minute of it.

Here are their first day of school pictures.


Jerad is a freshman this year. I just can't believe how fast their early years went. I thought having my baby as a freshman was so far away and yet here he is. He is so excited about school. He has such a head on his shoulders for knowing what he wants, setting his goals and doing it. He has enrolled in all honors classes in high school and is just loving it. He is in football and not sure yet what postion he plays but his first game is Friday!!


Megan is a junior this year. She is just like me and really struggles in school. She tries hard, but math and science just aren't her things. Can't believe she will be graduating next year. She decided that she would like to go to Paris after graduation and together we are saving money so that we can take a trip to Paris in 2 years. It will be so fun, just the two of us to spend some time in Paris, seeing the sites. She is doing cross country right now and than will be playing basketball all that just to keep her in shape for her true love of sports, TENNIS!!!

Riley Erickson, isn't he just the cuties little boy. He came over and spent an evening with me a couple weeks ago. Of course I had to take some pictures and post of my little godson. He has those eyes that just touch your heart like his mom's. They are so deep and dark brown and just make you fall in love.

We had to have some fun in the back yard and light a fire in the fire pit and roast some marshmellows to eat. Nothing better than smores in the summer.

10 more days

Counting today, I only have 10 more days at this job. I can't wait. I thought I would be nice and give them a months notice but now I realize that being nice isn't so nice for me. All of a sudden all the little quirks and things I have just put up with the last 8 years are driving me crazy. My biggest pet peeve is my supervisor. She hasn't even bothered to keep up to date on all the rules and regulations of the program I run. So when I am gone she will meet with clients and tell them things that she has no business telling them. For instance last month she told a client to come in to the office at a set time and she would help her with paperwork. Which would have been fine, but supervisor decided to leave the office and wasn't there for the appointment, so she talked to the client later on the phone and told her she would just date her application as of that date. Well than the client figuring her paperwork would be back dated to that date just didn't bother to turn it in for almost 5 weeks. So I dated it on the day she turned it in, because we do not back date applications. She is now upset because supervisor told her she would, however if they audit her file in the reveiw this year and find she received services for over a month before her application was even dated or signed by the parent she would have to pay it all back. I refuse to back date it, my supervisor had no business telling her she would because she doens't even work in that program. Grrrr I hate stupid people.

I am so not going to miss working with her. I really will miss my job, but I just don't understand people who think they are above the rules on everything they do.

New Job!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I finally made the brave step towards getting a new job. I had interviewed for a job in June and was called because I was the first choice for the job. However at that time, I really felt like I needed to give my current employer more than 2 weeks notice. (My job is very detailed and someone just cant step into it without training.) and I also wanted to take my vacation with my family for a week up west. They wanted someone that could start in 2 weeks, so I passed it by. Last Friday, I got a call asking if I would be willing to take the position and that they would wait while I gave my employer a months notice. So I gave them the notice and accepted the new position. I start there on September 11th. My last day at my current position is September 6th, but than I am flying off to Phoenix for 4 days of scrapbooking fun at Creative Escape!!!

I am really nervous about the new job, but so excited because it is such a great opportunity to me. I am starting my internship on September 7th and the position will fit all my internship goals so I won't have to really do much outside of work, like I would have had to in the old job.
Hard to believe I will be done with school in just 9 months. I start my CRC exam preparation class next week. I sent in my payment for the CRC exam which will be held on April 28, 2007. I am really going to force myself not to be a procrastinator and to study and prepare for this exam.