I met the Challenge

Last year my brother challenged me to blog at least 100 blogs for the year 2007. Yesterday my blog titled "A HAPPY DREAMA" was post 100 for the year.

I guess I am my waiting for my new challenge for the year 2008.

My brother always does a great job doing one last post for the year by reviewing the entire year in one blog, I will not be doing that one! *lol*

A Happy Dreama

Ron shared these pictures with me today. In my opinion they are the best picturess I have ever seen of Dreama. I am going to quote Ron when he calls these pictures "Happy Pictures". I just had to post Dreama looking happier than I have ever seen her look. I love these pictures!

The Day After

The day after Christmas has been a shopping event I have enjoyed for the past few years. Yesterday morning ...I got up at 4:45, picked Alicia up at 5:30 and was in the parking lot of Belks by 5:50. The girls had a good time shopping ...as did I. I found a couple of really good buys ...especially a winter coat I found for Robert.


Tomorrow its the first day back to work since last week ...it will be difficult ..I am suer I will have a hard time getting up.


We are low looking forward to News Years. We will be celebrating New Years with our best friends Ron and Dreama at their annual New Years Eve bash! They always throw one hellava party ....and I am sure this year will be no different.

Christmas 2007

This Christmas will forever be one of those memories that warms the heart. The only thing missing from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was Daniel and Kamey. Although ...Daniel did call me bright and early this morning with a "Merry Christmas".

Christmas actually started on Sunday when Robert and I went to the cabin to help out getting a few things ready. We both enjoyed making popcorn garland for the 13 foot tree that has to be resized to fit in the living room.

I was surrounded by my family ....one of the best feelings a person can have. I got to take a the forth in a series of pictures with my siblings ....I think a frame with the all the pictures would be a good project for this year. The food was wonderful ..but the company even better. My brother really pulled this off ...if it were not for him ...it would not have happened. It was magical to say the least.

Once we arrived home Brittany, Robert and I opened our gifts. It was the first time that we opened gifts on Christmas Eve ....but I figured with Brittany being older ...we would give it a try. I haven't made up my mind yet if I would prefer to open Christmas Eve in years to come ...or wait until the morning. I haven't had a chance to talk to Robert and Brittany about their feelings on it yet.

I can tell you that Roki and Bullsie very much enjoyed opening their gifts.

Robert and I stayed up all night ...and had a fun and lazy day. Brittany was off to visit some other members of her family for a couple of hours.

I managed to call most everyone today ...most of whom I saw last night to once again wish them a Merry Christmas.

Tomorrow is another big day. This is the second year that Brittany, Alicia and I head to the stores as soon as they open to take advantage of the DaY AFTER CHRISTMAS sales. If everything goes right we will find some good bargains ...and possibily catch a movie too. I would like to see the sequel to National Treasure ....but it will be up to the girls what we see.

Daniel and Kamey came home

Daniel came home ....and this is the beginning of the story that has taken many years to get started. Here is a picture of a mom who loves her son so very very much. There is not anything in the world that can keep these two apart any longer.

If you go to my pictures you will find the rest of the pictures of Daniel and Kamey's visit to Morgantown this week. Not only did I get my son back ...I gained another member of the family. Kamey is a wonderful person ....and I am so glad I got to meet her.

For Christmas Daniel gave me some tire marks ..that will remind me everyday that my son came home ...and will be back for many more visits.

I love you Daniel and Kamey

Its Friday Night

...and I am patiently watching email coming into my work email inbox. Work has been crazy crazy the past two weeks ....our team has a major project going live this weekend.

I haven't done much this week except for work.

I did go to the funeral home the other evening ...a mom of some very special people I know passes away unexpectedly ..and my heart went out to the entire family....my love and prayers.

I am currently in the garage keeping him company while he gets a few things done. Now ...you don't think I brought my mac out here do you? Your right ....I brought Roberts laptop to the garage.

It won't be too long before I get in get my shower and get to bed ....this could be a very busy weekend with work.

Christmas is just a little over a week away and I am still not done ....hopefully we will get the lights on and the tree decorated tomorrow.

Brittany got her high school ring today ....she loves it!! Her ring is very nice ....we upgraded almost everything on it.

Things are crazy

I have six more posts to make on this blog to meet my end of year goal ..and I should have had it done by now. Work has been crazy and I haven't had any time for ANY thing but work and daily "Have to do's". I have been working on a project at work that will be going live this Sat-Sun ..and I will be working this weekend. Next week ..hopefully things will slow down and work won't be so much a distraction. There is a lot going in right now that I don't even have time to mention. Merry Christmas ....five more to go now.

Christmas Presents

This is so cute. I found this at my neice Val's site ...awesome cute!

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Happy Birthday To Me

I don't typically announce my birthday ....but I have only been up for a few hours and its started off as a wonderful day!

I awoke to Robert giving me a few very special cards and some birthday lovin from him.

I also awoke to the first snowfall of the year. I love the first snow fall ....and I am happy it came on my birthday.

THEN ...on my way to work I had a phone message from my best friend Dreama wishing me happy birthday ....most of you know what that meant the world to me. If I wasn't already on cloud nine because of the phone call ....I pulled into the parking lot at work ...and there was Dreama ...waiting for me with a smile on her face and a gift in her hand. Its very hard for me as I sit here at work not to tear up.

This year I got the best birthday gift ever ! This picture was taken Saturday. I had the opportunity to get these two smiling faces in the same picture again! Here is my favorite picture from the night .and if you click on the link there are a few others.

Football Game With the Lemley's

Eight More

At the beginning of 2007 my brother challenged me to getting 100 posts here on Blogger. I think I am going to make it ...as long as nothing terrible happens!

I am just wondering will there be a new challenge for 2008??????

I love my Mac Book Pro

As noted in my previous blog I was fortunate enough to get a Mac book from my husband for Christmas ..and he even gave it to me early.

I have spent a total of maybe 2-3 hours on the laptop because everything has been crazy and busy both at home and at work. Robert has been sick all week and pretty much unable to do anything ..and work has been extra busy with a major project going live in just a little over a week.

Anyhow, based on the limited time I have been on my new laptop I can honestly say that this girl will NEVER have anything other than a mac. And if I had my way ...when it comes time to replace that family desktop computer ...it will also be a mac. The operating system is just incredible ....and I haven't even got to use any of the apps yet other than itunes. I have just trying to learn the operating system and some basic functionality.

I am looking forward to this coming year on developing some new web pages, podcasts and other muliti- media related things.

Anyhow ....just wanted to let everyone one that this is a PC girl that has 100% been converted to Apple. I just can't understand how Windows ever got the popular edge ...just doesn't make sense.

Oh PS ...I did sigh up for a .mac account ..so my email address has changed. So if you need to get a hold of me please email me at sanjulian.mac.com

Christmas Came Early

My husband knew that once my Christmas gift arrived it would be difficult to keep it from me ....and it was. He gave in this evening to my pleading with a smile on his face and said Merry Christmas. I have the best husband in the world and he spoils me crazy ..and I love it!

As of tonight I am officially a MAC user and have given up the PC. I have been a PC user for all of my computer life. Over the past few years I have been wanting a MAC when I hear what it can do opposed to a PC. As most of you know I love web design, podcasting and digital pictures ...with that being said ......it would be stupid to continue being a PC user.

I haven't had much time to play with it. I am sure I will be in exploring/transfer/learning mode for the next month or so. I am anxious though once I learn how to use the system to do some fun multi-media projects.

In the process I have a new email address. From here forward please email me at sanjulian@mac.com. Its going to take some time I am sure to get my new email address into all my web applications and social networking sites.

Black Friday 2007

Brittany and I got up to a 3:00 am alarm ...by the way of Robert's alarm clock. I had a couple of back up alarms in place but they both failed. One was my brother ...he was going to call me at 3 am ....but didn't ...but did manage to call at 3:25 as I was heading out the door. The other was an automated wake up call by JC Penney that I had signed up for on Thanksgiving Day. Robert told me they did call at 3:30 ...and I was already gone.

Brittany and I arrived at the mall at 3:50 ..and we were in for a shock The line we normally wait in was 10 times longer than it had been in the past. Also, once getting in the lines were long and the aisles were crowded.

We shopped until we both were exhausted at 9:30 AM ...but had managed to get all the Early Bird specials we were after. I got some REALLY awesome deals that I can't talk about since Christmas is still a month away

Did I mention that prior to getting up at 3 am ..that I had not been to sleep? So tonight .....early evening I totally crashed and couldn't take anymore. Robert told me to get to bed when he realized that I had fallen asleep in the bathroom. *lol*

Looking forward to next year already!

Pampered 4 Paws - No Letter of Recommendation

Its Thanksgiving Day I am sitting here talking about Roki ..and what a wonderful pooch he is. During the first month of his life we had a horrible ordeal. Just to remind the everyone what happened that week ...here is my previous post from June 2005.





Most of you know what hell we went through last week with a pet sitter we hired to take care of our pup. The purpose of this blog will be to give you details and for anyone else doing a search on a person named Riki Anderson, Andrea R. Anderson or Pampered4paws.

The arrival of our new pup was joyous ..but came at a bad time. We got our new baby one week before Robert was to bowl in the ABC Nationals is Baton Rouge. We had called a kennel and quickly found out that Roki was too young for his kennel shots and that we would need to sign a waiver stating that we knew he could contract a kennel disease. Also, after doing some intense reading we found out that a really critical time for pups for their emotional well being is between the weeks of 8 and 16. We learned that what fears or angers they experience during these would stay with them even as they because full grown.

Our best friends Ron and Dreama had offered to watch Roki for us ...we didn't want to take advantage of their friendship and we wanted him in own environment because of the reasons stated above.

We had remembered hearing a friend mention a pet sitter and called my friend to get her name and number. She came highly recommended. Her name was Riki Anderson, owner of Pampered4Paws, a pet sitting service located in Morgantown, West Virginia.

We called Riki and inquired if she would be willing to come to the house to let Roki out for potty breaks, feed him and change his papers. She had asked us if we were willing to let her kennel him. We were VERY explicit about him being left in his own environment and did not want him taken to her home and place of business. She agreed to take the job and wanted to come and meet us and him.

She came out met us, played with Roki, cut his nails, chit chatted about her dad and family. We took a liking to her and was relieved that we found her. Heck, she even offered to bring in my mail and water my flowers. We did ask if she would bring in the mail and to fill our bird feeder daily ..and she agreed.

Roki was to be left in the kitchen, baby gates on both ends. The kitchen was to be papered, bowls of food and water ..and toys of course. She agreed that this was a good set up and even went as far as to tell to maybe put cardboard on the cupboards to protect them in case he were to chew.


She was to:
Come 3 times a day and spend 1 1/2 hours for 2 visits and quick visit for the 3rd.
She was to fill my birdfeeder and bring my mail.

The cost:
$20 per day plus a tank fill of gas.

Payment was made in full on the day she visited. We felt a payment in full in advance would show her our gesturer that we trusted her and knew she would do a good job.

We tried calling her the day after we left but only got her voice mail ..We left her a message inquiring about Roki. On he third day I received a voice mail from her ( that we still have) stating how well Roki was doing, that he was gaining weight and generally doing well. She also stated to me that she was spending more than an hour and half out at the house each time ...and that she just left there and was just now in cell phone range. Later that night all hell broke loose.

We were talking to our friends Ron and Dreama and they informed us that they had been cutting hay in the field next to our home and they haven't seen anyone come or go. They didn't want to alarm me ...but they were concerned. Since Ron knew the code for our garage we told him where the key was. Dreama kept me on the phone while Ron went to check on Roki. Within a short time Ron arrived home with me still on the phone with Dreama to let us know Roki was gone. He said that there was still feces left on his papers that was dried and not cleaned up. I hug up and called Riki.

When we attempted to call her all we got was her voice mail. A short time had passed and we got a voice mail (that we still have)..it was her. She said that he looked depressed so she took him to the ball park for her softball game. We were TICKED!
If she was playing softball ..who was watching Roki? He hadn't had his 12 week shots and lord knows what he was in. And ...I NEVER gave her permission to take him anywhere other than the vet if needed. We were very EXPLICIT about him not being anywhere but his own home.

We left her a voice mail and demanded that she return him to his home and to leave the key and to leave the premises immediately.

She had a surprise there when she got there. Ron was there waiting on her. He had gone there to take pictures of the mess she had left. She told him that "off the record" it was her intentions never to leave him there and that she had planned on taking him". She also said that she had called the sheriffs department and they instructed her to remove the dog and that she could have us arrested. What a total fruitcake this girl is. I called the Sheriffs Department 3 times in the next few hours and talked to them in detail as they searched their records. There was not a call made. She once once again lying.

Riki Anderson, owner of pampered4paws took the dog without permission from the owners from his home.

Riki Anderson, owner of pampered4paws endangered the well being of the owners dog.

Riki Anderson, owner of pampered4paws ignored instructions from the owners.

Riki Anderson, owner of pampered4paws stole from the owners by keeping money for services she did not render. She was paid to watch him in his home and was not paid for any other services. She returned $40 that did not cover the services she did not do not the tank of gas that would be used for the many trips she would be making.

We have been spreading the word all week of the types of services she provides. We are very much considering taking her to court. I have contacted professional organizations to report her as well. We wanted to post this so that if anyone searches the web on a Riki Anderson, Andrea R. Anderson or Pampered4Paws ..they will get this as a result of their search.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the SanJulian's

10 Steps to Happiness

Ten Steps To True Happiness

A team of experts believe that they have found the
essential ingredients to make a person's life happier.

Based on best knowledge and research, the team came up
with a 10-point plan for happiness listed below.

The 10 steps to happiness

1. Plant something and nurture it
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

and I have one more to add...

11. Read Positive Thoughts each and everyday!

Wishbook's slideshow on Flickr

Wishbook's slideshow on Flickr

This is a sideshow of a SEARS Wishbook from 1971!

How many memories does this bring back. I was finding all my old toys!

I really enjoyed watching this slideshow.

Some People

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.


When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

A 3 D Movie

Last Sunday I took my two favorite teenagers to a 3D movie at the mall. The movie was terrible ....but the company as the best. I love shopping with these two girls ....I think I make them laugh more than than do me. It was a good time.

Lordy Lordy

This was in todays newspaper! I have had so much fun with Robert's birthday! He is a true sweetheart of a man ..and deserves as much lovin as I can give.

Happy Birthday Robert

Today my dear hubby turned 40 years old. We had a deer roast for him this past weekend to celebrate ...it was fun. Thanks to Ron....for all the work he did to help get it going ...I don't think there would have been a celebration without him.

Robert is under the weather today ....he has too many allergies to count...and I am sure he digested something that was on the "do not eat" list.

Anyhow ....just wanted to shout out a blog and tell Robert HAPPY BIRTHDAY .....and that I love him with all my heart and soul.

Here are the picture from the deer roast. CLICK HERE for the slide show.

Brittany is SEVENTEEN today!

I can't believe it! Brittany is seventeen years old today ....WOW ...am I ever getting old. It was also picture day at school today.

We are so very proud of her!

Happy Birthday to out beautiful daughter Brittany

Apples Apples ...Everywhere!

Over the past weekend Robert and I drove to Romney, WV to get deer apples. Here is a video of all the apples we have in our garage.

My Hunter Hubby!!

Way to go Robert!!!! Today was the opening day of bow season in West Virginia. I am so happy to report that my hubby harvested a nice 8 point late afternoon from his deer stand. The deep had once been a 9 point but looks like was was broken off. Robert got his with a double lung shot and the deer didn't travel very far before it fell.

We put the four wheeler to good use for the first time for hunting. We towed him back to the garage.

As most of you know, Robert has not hunted for two years because of the time he had to spend with me and my medical issues. It warmed my heart so much to see him put on his camo and head out to the tree stand. He looked so handsome all geared up.

If I have my way this deer is going to be pepperoni stuffed with hot pepper cheese. Here is a video I got of him afterwards.

Way to go hubby!! I love you!

Springs Festival 2007

Last Friday on 10/5/07 my sister Terri, Brittany, my mom and myself went to the Springs Festival in Springs Pa. We had a fantastic time ...and are wanting to go back next year.

Terri sacrificed much cherished sleeping hours in order to pull it off. It really meant a lot to me that she went.

This was the first year that we have all gone together ..and it is my fourth year of being there the first Friday in October.

The weather was beautiful ..and the homemade bread was the best yet. I took them to my secret pumpkin patch that I found last years. All pumpkins are $1.00

Most of our money was spent at Pine Accents (which moved miles down the road) and Country Charms.

The Springs Festival is one of my favorite trips I take ...I didn't think I was going to go this year for a few reasons ....but I am so glad I did.

Lots of love to Brittany, Terri and Sandi for making this a great day!

Tuesday Tidbits

With each day I am feeling better. I am still taking it easy ...at least for this week. I will probably try to get into a little more next week as far as house chores. It will feel good to be something other than a lump on a log.

I have been working with Ron getting Robert's 40 birthday bash organized at Ron's deer roast. Something tells me we are going to have one kickin of a great time! Robert never reads my blog ...so my secrets are safe here. *lol*

I am looking forward to going to the Springs Festival on Friday. I didn't think I was going to get to go this year .....but things have been moving along well ...so I am going to give it a shot. I am excited as ever to get up there and get some homemade bread.

As most of you know I have been doing a lot of "spiritual" reading over the past six months or so. All the reading as let me to becoming members in both Astara and the AMORC. I really feel like I have been divinely led down this path for a reason ....so away I go. From what I understand I will have several years of studying weekly lessons to complete all the levels of degrees on both organizations.

I have been wanting to start up another podcast. I registered one. But, now I am reconsidering if I will have enough time to do one ...and to do it right.

I helped Brittany push through a project at the last minute last night ...it was fun, but I am glad we got it done.

Robert has maintained the average he has been wanting so far this year. As I mentioned in my blog last Tuesday he felt as though we wasn't going to bowl well ....but he did. We go to New Mexico in May for the USBC Nationals.

Mine and Roberts prayers go out to Dee and her family at this time of crisis. She was supposed to go with me Friday ...but I don't think that is looking good. Lots of love and prayers to her mom for a speedy recovery. I hope she gets out of the hospital soon. I know all to well what kind od pain she is suffering.

Roki still has an ear infection that we are working with. He hasn't been himself these past two days.

Last night Brittany and her friend Tiffany got ready here for the homecoming football game and the dance to follow. She had a really good time ....she said there was a LOT of drama. I remember being that age .....but I don't think I had muc of the Drama. Her next formal dance will be the Jingle Bell Ball at Christmas time ...then her junior prom in the spring.

A Cool Graphic Tool

Since everyone seems to be caught up with getting a My Space page up ....I decided to work on mine just a little. There are so many cool tools that are out there is here is one of them. I made this graphic in a matter of a few seconds.


I was able to make this graphic at Image Chef

It is Not Cancer !!!!!

...got my pathology results back the tumor is benign. I have another CT scan in two weeks to see if it is growing to help us decide what direction to go from here.

Updates

First of all I have to show off this picture of my son Daniel .....he is so handsome! I talked to him and Kamey tonight on the phone and they both sound like they are doing really well. You can visit them at their My Space Page ....Kamey does a really good job keeping it up to date. They are going to try and come in before Christmas .......I can't wait!

I felt okay today. I was by myself most of the day because it was Robert's first day back to work since my surgery ....I missed him and wished he was here ....but I did okay. I have two doctors appointments on Thursday. I will be getting my staples out, biopsy results ....and find out where we go from here to get the tumor smaller. I am trying to stay positive and not think about it asmuch as possible.

Thursday evening Robert and I are going to the Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood ......I love buckwheat cakes. I think we are also going to try and go Saturday too as long as I am up to it. Thursday is the opening day ...and the fireman's parade which is great.

Brittany's homecoming dance is Friday. She is looking forward to it. I am sure I will have several pictures by the weekend loaded so everyone can see them.

I talked to Terri today. She is still having problems with her ipod ...I think her and Ed are going to come by one day this week so I can take a look at it. I know I would be lost without my ipod.

I ordered my Christmas cards this evening ......I added a new twist to them this year. I love Christmas ....I am already in the Christmas spirit and its not even Halloween yet.

I also ordered Brittany's high school ring today. I don't remember them being that expensive when my parents bought mine ........GEESH! Anyhow .....I hope she likes it and wears it a lot!

Robert is bowling tonight ...he has been bowling very well all season. When he left the house today he said he didn't feel like he was going to bowl well tonight ...I hope he was wrong. I should be finding out here any minute.

Talk to ya later
Kim

Still On The Mend

On 9/11 I had surgery to remove a tumor on my small intestines. Without going into detail ....they could not remove it due to the location of it. I don't have the biopsy results back yet ..and I don't know what the next steps are going to be. I am going to assume that I will begin some sort of medical treatment to reduce to size of the tumor ......but I won't know anything until Thursday.

My love goes out to Daniel ...he finally made it home ...I miss him so much ....I think I may call him tonight.

I have had so much support these past two weeks from my family and friends ....I am one very lucky person.

I still am in some pain .....but its getting better each day.

I know this post is short but I wanted to let everyone know that I am at home and on the mend.

I Want Food!!

Tomorrow is my surgery to remove the mass in my small bowl that has been diagnosed by MRI as Lymphoma. I am scared and just want the surgery over so we can get the official diagnosis based on biopsy ...and start to heal.

There is so much I could write ....but my growling stomach has my full attention at the moment.

Keep me in your prayers

Kim

Labor Day

Its Labor Day ...and we are not doing much. Robert is outside laboring with the lawnmower ..and I inside working to my plants. Once a year I re-plant ...re-oil, re-everything to my plants to make them healthy fro the winter.

I haven't blogged in awhile ....but I haven't really been up to much other than not feeling well. I did manage to get out of the house this past Saturday. For Alicia's birthday ....I gave her a shopping trip to Pittsburgh ...Robinson Township Mall. Alicia, Brittany, Dee and Brittany got an early start and was on our way to Pittsburgh by 9:00. We had the best time shopping. It was fun a girly shopping trip. When we came home we had more Victoria Secret shopping bags than anything else. It was a blast ...we all had a great time. I am ready to go again ...but I had better save some money first. When we got back ...Ron had surprised Dee with dinner that he worked on all day for Dee and Alicia. I am glad Alicia especially had a good time ...since it was for her that we went. Alicia and Dee had some time to bond ....and I think they are getting along great.

My surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday ...9/11. What a day to be having surgery ....but I am not superstitious at all. And if I am ...I had better get over it really quick. I have been trying to keep my spirits up ...and I try not thinking about the Lymphoma part of it too much until we have hard evidence from pathology. With the love of my friends and family ..I am ready to take what ever God has planned for me. I know that everything happens for a reason ....so I am sure there is a reason I am going through this. I am taking it one day at a time.

Brittany and Robert have been wonderful ....words can't express how much love is in this household. I love them both so very much!

On a fun note ....Apple is probably going to announce a new ipod tomorrow ...I can't wait!! When I was in Pittsburgh Saturday ..I did get to hold and play with an iphone for a few minutes ......FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!

Anyhow ....I will try to keep everyone updated via the blog. On some days my nerves get the best of me ....so I may or may not blog again before the surgery. If I don't ...please keep me in your prayers ..and I am sure Robert will be talking to many of you to give you updates next week.

Love to you all

Kim

Go CB's!!!!

Tonight is the second game of the season for Clay Battelle. There is a boy is the front row that thinks Brittany is cute and has asked her out. I guess its time to decide if I am going to refrain her from dating until she is 30.

Tuesday Tidbits

I am back to work and feeling good so far .....It's sad when your weekly goal is to make it to the end of the work week without missing any time.

I made an appointment with s surgeon. He was highly recommended. I have an appointment next Monday ....so hopefully I will know more after that. I am trying to keep my spirits up ...but at times it is difficult. I love my family and I love my life ....I just want 50 years of what I have now ..then I will be content.

Robert starts bowling again tonight. This is the first night of 35+ weeks of bowling. He bought a new bowling ball when we were in Reno a few months ago ...he thinks he is going to like it and do well this year. I am excited for him. For all you friends and family out there ......as long as I am not in the hospital I will be throwing a 40th birthday bash for my hubby ...with some help. Details to come as they become. I will have to get after Charlie to start his magic when it comes to the photography *lol*

Brittany starts school next week. We did the school clothes shopping thing over the weekend ....we had a good time. By the time the day was over ....my bed was calling my name.

Roki has a boo boo on his chin. I think we are going to need to take him to the vet to have it looked at.

Ron and Alicia have been at the beach all week .......I miss the both. Robert and I have been taking one shift each day to spend time with Ruger until his family get back home. It's too bad Dee couldn't have gone with them .....I know Ron would have loved to had her gone ...and Alicia wanted her to go too. I have spent the last 7 to 8 months worrying about Ron and Alicia .....and I tell ya what ...Ron sure pulled things together when everything was falling apart ...and I have all the respect in the world for him. One thing I know for sure ...is Ron is one of the best parents I have known in my lifetime ..and no one could ever accuse him of not putting the welfare of his daughter first. I hope they are having a great time ...they both deserve it!

Students came back to town this week ....yuck.

I started watching a new TV show. I actually started on the Season 1. The show is called "Weeds" ...and it is side splitting hilarious.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Pets are gifts from Heaven

Yes ...this picture is indeed funny ...but it was just as healing. As you can see I am once again in bed. I have been off all week .....I am fighting an infection from hell and have had my fever spiking to over 103 all week. I guess that is the good news believe it or not. I found out Monday my MRI results. The Physician reading my MRI believes I have Lymphoma. I can't tell you anymore than that because I don't know. It is very frustrating and emotional to be where I am ..but I am dealing with it. I did want to make sure I got to all my close friends and family before posting it here in my blog.

Imagine this ....you cried yourself to sleep and wake up and look next to you and you find a BIG OLE MEANIE WEENIE ROTTWEILER ..holding his bunny rabbit sleeping on his back and snoring. I had to quietly yell for my husband to come with the camera before we work sleeping beauty. We did manage to get in a few good pictures.

I will keep everyone updated as I get the news. Please keep me in your prayers.

Love, Kim

Just waiting on Brittany

It's Sunday afternoon ...and all I have to do is finish this post and dry my hair before Brittany gets home. When she get home we are off to do some errands like grocery shopping. We have next to nothing in our cupboards ...so it will be a change to have some food on the shelves. I love shopping with Brittany ...she keeps me focused while we are shopping. She likes staying on task.

I have felt good this weekend ......we camped last night. It was nice falling asleep listening to the tree frogs .....then Robert woke me up so I wouldn't miss out on the call of a wild coyote pack running through. Needless to say ......that shook me up just a little. The the owl hooting afterwards didn't help. Typically, I love sounds of nature ....I just don't like coyotes. It was good sleeping weather ....we stayed up around talked around the camp fire. I wish Dee could have joined us ....but I did get a chance to shout out a hello to her when she called Ron. Alicia came up for a visit this morning at the campsite when she got home from her moms ...she is growing up too fast.

Next Saturday Brittany and I are going school clothes shopping ....which should be fun. She also as an appointment at the salon ....to get ready for the first day of school a few days following. Brittany will be a junior this year ..as we are so excited for her.

We also have another shopping trip planned at Robinson Township Mall the beginning of September ..this is my birthday gift to Alicia ....so her, myself, Brittany and hopefully Dee will be heading north for some shopping fun!

I had my MRI Friday .....I was a nervous wreck ...and really made myself sick trying to stay calm. I don't know anything as of yet ....I just checked about an hour ago. I keep telling myself that if my doctor as not called me then its not bad results. I am very nervous and I am trying very hard not to think about it at all. On the good side of things ...other than the virus I had last week coupled with my nerves it was a good with when it came to my other problems. I feel good today ..and I am so so so looking forward to having a normal work week.

I am so glad I cam back to Blogger. Blogging was just not the same. I am going to quit worrying about who is reading what ....if you come here and see something you don't like and offends you its your own fault for coming and nosing around.

Speaking of blogging ...I need to get back on target for reaching the goal of 100 posts by the end of the year.

Later...

What a Storm

Within a few minutes of my previous post after mentioning that a storm was on its way ...the storm arrived. Here is what came with the rain, thunder and lightening.

Rain Rain GO AWAY!!

What started out to be a good week ...at least Sunday evening has turned into a very sick week for the SanJulian family. Robert started on Monday ..and I on Tuesday ..I had to leave work because I was feeling pretty nauseous. Between the sick to my stomach ..and my barometer of a head ...I have been sick all week .....I truly believe the weather has caused all of it. ...at least for me.

Tomorrow I have my MRI to get a further look at the mass in my abdomen that was found on the CT scan. I am not afraid ....I have my xanax.

We need groceries so bad it hurts .....but we have been to under the weather to get to the grocery store. Robert and Brittany have been pulling things together ...and I have my own collection of food that I eat.

As I am typing this my head is pounding like a hammer his on it ...and as I look out the window I see dark clouds and hear the roar of thunder. As soon as this freaking weather stops I am sure the headache and the sinus stuff will let up too.

I Love This Song

A very good friend of mine sent this to me to me …it was very touching and I loved it!

http://gospelman.info/christian/HelloGOD.html

Feeling Great Today

..its 5:19 ..I'm at the computer ...and drinking coffee ..WHICH MEANS........I AM GOING TO WORK TODAY. So ....if I am going to work today that means????? YEP ..I AM FEELING GREAT!

Some people would think I am crazy because I'm down cause I am only working one day this week .......but I would rather be there than here and sick.

Did I ever say how much I love Blogger? I am excited to be back. In the last several months I had to hold back a little because of the situation with my pesky coworkers and the situation with Dreama. For a quick update on both ....the pesky coworker thing has seemed to slow down. And as for Ron ...he seems to be really happy these days. It's nice seeing that smile on his face. I think there is a special someone that gets credit for that smile.

I read more on my reflexology last night ..and I am starting to get the hang of of it. My interest in reflexology was an interruption in my study of tarot ...but it was a whim I had to go with am now I am glad. I think that it will be both beneficial to Robert, myself and Brittany ..that is if she gives me her foot to practice on.

I did not go to work today

I had every intention of making it to work today ...and it just didn't happen. I woke up in pain...and knew from the get got that I would not be able to make it through the day.

Robert has started keeping a medical journal on me ...he writes down everything I do or take ...just to see if there is something causing the pain levels at certain times. He takes such good care of me ....sometimes I feel like I do not deserve him.

Its 8:00 in the evening ..and I am feeling much better. I will be at work tomorrow.

As soon as I get done with the shower ..and getting things done for the evening ...I am going to grab my Reflexology book and read myself to sleep.

Many of you know that over the past 6 months or so ...I have been going full steam down a spiritual path ..that path as also led me to look into Alternative Medicine .....ya never know. Conventional medical treatments haven't done a thing for me yet.

I just love being back at Blogger. I don't know what it is about Blogger. blogger in some aspects isn't advanced as some other online blogging applications .... I guess it just has the technology X factor that makes me love it.

I couldn't take it!!

I had to come back to blogger. I tried using the other one and I hated it. I think in the past month I have only blogged a few times .....cause my heart just wasn't in it.

I do think that I threw those pesky coworkers of mine off the trail .....I can't stand nosey people. I know who they are ...and they know that I know .....so I am pleased.

It going to be a short week at work since we are heading north for a few days.

I have my Morgan town doctors appointment this Tuesday ....so I hope that I get some more answers to what is going on.

I am so tired .....I can barely type ......my heart wants to keep on typing .....cause I just LOVE being back at Blogger ....but I am going to retire for today. I will blog again tomorrow. I can't blog while I am at work directly into Blogger ...but I can send my account an email and it will automatically format it as a post.


I have a LOT of cathcing up to do. I made a bet with my brother that I would make 100 posts by the end of the year ....and due to my co-workers irritating me ...I am now behind schedule.

For MANY reasons. PLEASE READ

I have been blogging for many years. The time has come for MANY reasons to limit access to my blog. Robert and I have always been very transparent ....in sharing our personal thoughts and events with everyone. It saddens me that I had to finally make this decision ...but it is the best solution I could come up with.

We are moving this blog to Live Journal. Live Journal will give the us the ability to limit access to people we do not know.

This has been a long time coming ....as most of you know.

So ...if you are a reader of this blog and wish to continue reading it ...we want you to. I am only placing limits on people who don't have our best interest at heart. Please set up an account at Live Journal and add me as a friend. Our user name is sanjulian. This will allow you to read our blog the same as you have in the past. It will take you only a minute to set up an account and add us as your friend. Even if I don't know you and you have been reading my blog because you are a friend of a friend ...or my brothers friends ..or my mothers friend ...I still want you to read this. Just let me know how you are connected ..or if you just like reading this blog and I will add you.

If you don't sign up as a friend ...you will have very limited access to our blog ...so please take the time to do this.

I will be placing a forward on all our domains to point to the new blog which is located at http://sanjulian.livejournal.com. I will be forwarding the following domains to the Live Journal Page.

the-sanjulians.com
sanjulan.ws
kimsanjulian.com (future domain)
pink-camo.com
pinkcamo.tv
pinkcamo.net

I wish I had taken a better look at Live Journal in the past ..... in my opinion it is the best blogging tool and social network on the web.

Hangin in

I have talked to most of you ....but for those you I don't get to talk with as often ...I'm doing okay. I am determined to beat this one! I'm tired, worn out and ready for a fight to get my health back.

I am going to wake up in the morning and start a game plan ....I want to get back to normal.

Getting Back to Basics

Well the time has come that I need to slow down and take a few breaths of fresh air. I have not had the greatest week. I am starting to feel better ...but had to face a few realities. The first ....is that I could possibly have to undergo another surgery. Without going through all the anatomical details ....because of the several surgeries I have had in the past two years .....adhesion's resulted. Those adhesion's are causing some "communication problems" in my doctors words. So I will be dealing with those issues over the next several months. I am however starting to feel better and am so anxious to get back to work .....hopefully tomorrow.

So ...because I carry so many things on my back ...most of my own doing. I have made the decision with the support of loving husband Robert to slow down a bit ....and get back to basics. Although I did very well with my eBay store, my podcasting shows and those things associated with "Pink Camo" ....it has been a drain on my energy.

Today, I will be going through the motions if "getting things back to basics" ..you may have already noticed a change in my blog.

We made a list of all my extra activities ..outside the basics of home, family and work ..and put that list priority order. There were a few things I don't want to give up because they bring me such joy ....and that is my spiritual path I am on ..and the other is my personal scrapbooking.

There have been several avenues I have taken with scrapbooking .....my teaching podcast, being a consultant with close to my heart, and my own personal scrapping ...of which I have had no time for. So ...I am making time for it.

The most important thing on my list was my spiritual growth. I am looking forward to see how things unfold for me over the next few years.

eBay ....as it was a supplement to our income and I had several customers ..I am closing my store front. Which also means I will not be selling Mary Kay. If someone wants something ...I can still get it for them at least for the next several months. But at the end of that contract I will let it expire.

Avon ...I am keeping it. I like it. It's fun. And requires very little effort.

So ..that is the jist of things. I will also keep my blog going so that our friends and family can read what we are doing. I am also keeping my flickr site listed ...cause I can't see myself not taking pictures any time soon.

So ...here I go ....I am "GETTING MYSELF BACK TO BASICS".

Talk Shoe

I am not able to do much today other than stay in bed .....from time to time today I have gotten up and surfed the web for 15 or 20 minutes at a time.

I found a new tool! Its called Talk Shoe. This new tool serves a duel purpose for me. It will absolutly help me as a podcaster and as a listener in my search for knowledge. I won't go into much detail because I am not feeling the best ....but keep on the lookout for something from me using this new tool.

I was home sick again

and I have done absolutly nothing except for whinning of how shitty I feel. I let an RX run out last week. I was only 2 doses short before I got it filled ….didn’t think it woould do this to me. I really thought I had more refills ..and the rx got caught between which doctor whould fill it out. My family doctor ended up taking care of it …...I am not feeling any better. I think it may need to make a trip to see her tomorrow.

See more progress on: did nothing today

Out Sick

Its been over three months since I have had a medical episode ....and it finally hit. I was up and ready for work this morning when I decided that it just was not worth it. I know for a fact if I had gone I would have ended up either back at home or in the ED. I am sitting here the PC taking care of a few thinks in case I am unable to attend tomorrow too. I wasn't going to do it ..but with my boss out on medical leave herself ...I didn't want to leave my director holding he ball. Anyhow ...not on the mood for chat ..just wanted to give a few of you an update.

AOL - Forget it!

Forget everything I said about AOL. At first glance it was nice and has the potential of definetly leading in the social network arena. BUT ...it was slower than moses ....I was getting angry just waiting for one page to come up. I think the average was about 45 seconds for every page. SO............keeping things as is for now ...not making any changes. Why change a good thing?

AOL

I can't believe I am about to say this. I love social networks and I belong to about every one that is on the web. I signed up for AOL for personal reasons ..and through my discovery I am coming to the conclusion that AOL may just be the true social network that has yet to have its day as a social network.

I have always been transparent to everyone ...I keep mine and Roberts life an open book. It is something I have enjoyed doing. I have always made friends and kept our dearest of friends a part of our lives. We have enjoyed doing it and I think they have enjoyed being a part if the world of the SanJulians. Anyhow ..this blog privacy issue has been on my mind for several months because people out there I don't consider friends ....in fact I think they are evil.

Anyhow ...after looking at AOL for about 30 minutes I am keeping my options open. I may decide in the near future to the me moires of the Robert and Kim to a private place. There are people near and dear to our heart that will continue to have access ...like Ron, Charlie and Norman, Chris and Paula, Mark and Martha ......Debbie and Bob, Ed and Amy ...Sandy and Gerald ...Cindy, Pam, Nicole .......and the list goes on. At this point ...we I am leaving this open as an option and wail decide in a few days. I think the fact that I had to report certain people to HR where they have been hitting my blog and making comments and starting gossip that was unnecessary.

Anyhow I love blogging ...and sharing.

As I was looking through AOL ....I kinda got the feeling that AOL is probably the best social network I have seen ...and they probably need to market themselves as such.

Sunday Morning

..and I am ready to go back to bed. I have just posted on one of my other blogs but I am being distracted by a rotten rottweiler He keeps bringing his tops and laying them on me ....especially Mr Squirrel.

Anyhow ..I will make this blog short so I can give my attention craved puppy some lovin. I decided to make my spiritual blog private once again. Nothing as happened to make me want to do this other than just knowing how early I am in my spiritual growth ..I don't want to leave myself open to any negativeness this early in the game. I have downloaded AOL to use for this purpose ..hoping that I can find some good message boards and chat rooms.

Friday night we went up to the camp site with Ron and a friend of his to jsut sit around the campfire and relax. We had a really good time just chillin and talking. We ended up getting to be at 4:30 Saturday morning. I wish I had taken my camera. The moon was beautiful!

We were supposed to go to a graduation party yesterday ...but didn't make it because Robert wasn't feeling all that great. We just hung out and enjoyed each others company instead.

I can't believe Roki has finally settled down ...I am half afraid of moving .....cause he might thing I want to play ...and I don't.

When I get done with this post I will do one of two things ....open up AOL or go back to bed.

Its back to work tomorrow. The next two weeks will be extremely busy at work ...then I have my ............. Well I think I will finish this part the blog on my work blog ....I wouldn't want to bore you with the details of my job.

I am getting a new pc!!!!

I always try to stay on the cutting edge of technology. But this is unreal. My husband just emailed me this link and said we were getting one with the week. I will let everyone know in a couple of weeks what It think of it. I am excited to get my new toy ....I can't wait to get it. I am already rearranging furniture ..cause this will have to go in the living room. Click here to see what I am getting! I had my mind made up that I was getting an apple ....but I guess Microsoft has changed my mind for me.

I am going to share ONE

Ina previous blog I mentioned that I have started two new blogs. I had thought that I was going to keep them both private ...but have had second thoughts on the matter.

I have decided to make my "Spiritual Journey" page public. My first thoughts was to keep it private since I am still a student, will always be a student and have a very long way to go. BUT ..maybe if I had come across someone like me a few years ago ....maybe I would have found "truth" sooner.

So anyhow .....without a bunch of hoopla .....Kim's Spiritual Journey is now open to the public.

PageFlakes

Okay ....Once again I have found the best of the best in my opinion. I have for many years been a user of an "Internet Start Page" ....such as Yahoo, MSN ...currently I use iGoogle ...which I thought nothing could ever compare with. This morning I found one that might just give Google a run for its money in this category. I have only seen this page for less than 15 seconds and knew it was worth posting a blog on. I can tell you this ..that I WILL have an account with PageFlakes before the day is done. Let me know what you think. It's real easy ...just click on the "leave comment" link in this post .....pretty please???

Two New Blogs

I have been in a funky mood today ...just one of those days. It's times like this when you just want to get lost in your own thoughts to find direction.

I have decided to start two brand new blogs. At he present time these two blogs are for the purpose of my individual growth. They will be used to get things off my chest, and to keep new information documented so that I have access to it whenever I need it.

The first of the two blogs will be my "spiritual" one. Yes ..thats what I said ......and I will say it again for those of you that are in shock ...."Spiritual". Over the past several months I have going through a period of spiritual enlightenment. I have so many thoughts, views and pieces of information that I want to share. Some of you may be shocked .....some of you not so shocked. I thought about just including a label marked "spiritual" in my Pink Camo blog ...but after serious thought and divine direction ..I have created a brand new blog. For now ...I am keeping this one private. I consider myself a student ..and I have so much to learn. For now this is a very private matter. It is my hopes though to one day share this blog ...and you will probably be somewhat amazed and shocked at the transformation I am undergoing. Its pretty amazing ..and I have been waiting my whole life for this.

The second new blog that I created is one that is also one that will be for my eyes only. This one is about that word every hates to hear on Monday mornings ...its called "Work". There have been evil people that I have to deal with on a daily basis that sometimes really gets the best of me. I don't want these people to get the best of me .......so I am fighting back. I am fighting back the best way I know how ...so wa la ...a new blog!!

Memorial Day Weekend ....Nice!

We had a very nice, relaxing and fun Memorail Day weekend. It would have been a nice weekend for camping ...but who would have known the weather was going to be so beautiful.

On Saturday Robert, Brittany and myself went to our extended family's ..the Lemley homestead for the traditional Memorial Day, cookout, chill out, very fun get together. I was able to get many good pictures ...as I knew I would. Click HERE to view a slide show of all the pictures in my flickr folder.

Chef Ron did the cooking on the gril ..and cover dishes were brought. I could have easily grabbed a few of them and taken off. The food was fantastic!

On Sunday we went back over for leftovers with Ron and his parents and ended the evening with a four wheeler ride up on the hill to the camp site and back. Alicia was with her mom so she didn't get to join us for this ride ...but Brittany took her place for the evening on the back of Ron's four wheeler. When we got to the camp site ...the view was breath taking as usual .... Being there brought mixed emotions. I can't wait for camping ....and I am so VERYmuch looking forward to the peace, tranquility and the cood times the newly named "Paradise Mountain" provides. However, it will take some getting use to not having "my buddy" there. Actually, this past weekend was the first get together there that I did not burst into tears. So ..maybe I am making progress.

Whatever sad feeling I was having was soon ended by watching the two George of the Jungles swing on a grapvide ..its a damn good thing that it didn't break! Click on the "Play" button to watch the two cavemen.

Any how ..here are a few pictures that I took from the campsite. The four wheeler ride was ended with Ron putting Brittany at the helm and let her do a little driving.

Today, I think we are going to just piddle around. I have some ebay things I need to get done today so I can stop at the post office in the morning on the way to work.

Wow ...I'm Speechless

Don't have much time for this post ....and I will wrtie more this weekend. I got up this morning and was drinking my coffee and I typically do ..and I read news that Facebook has updated their platform ..so I took a peek. I was floored ...they did it right in every sense of the word right. So ...if your a friend of mine, take a look at the new Facebook and set up an account!!! Yikes! ..I have got to stop playing and get ready for work.

Twitteroo

I found a cool twitter app that rests on your desktop. I have tested this and love it! If you love Twitter like I do ..then try this out.

We were both in tears

Early this morning I had a renal ultrasound. I tried not to think about it during the day ....but the good news came around 3:00. My kidney scan was normal! I think the tears just came from the overwhelming sense of relief. Robert and I have been through so much ...and this was the best news we got in the past two years. I know for certain that there have been several factors that contributed to this good news. I changed a few things in my life ...altered a few things .....and got rid of a few things. Everything is really good right now .....I just hope it stays this way.

Kim is dancing around the room singing .....

"were gonna have a party". Just got off the phone with Ron ...looks like we are on for this weekend ....I am in the party hardy mood. Its going to be a blast! This one will surely be different than past years .....but its summer, its almost camping season ..and we are gonna have fun.

30 Boxes

If your like me and have signed up for every web 2.0 application there is ..there here is one more to add you your list. 30 boxes brings all your "other" things into one place ...and its pretty nifty. My life is totally an open book ......I love sharing mine and Roberts life with our friends and family. It does upset me though to have people look at my website with malicious intent. Anyhow ....as you can see ..I added a 30 BOXES link in the right side bar of this page

Bloglines

I have been trying to find a way to pull the daily rss feeds to my phone. Although I typically use my Google Reader everyday ....it was hard to read on my cell phone /PDA. I downloaded software with the highest rating called "Smart RSS". I didn't have to manually type in each rss feed if I used a website called BLOGLINES. I was very pleased when all my daily reads automatically download. I then am able to read my feeds on the go and on demand. I love it!

In over my head with .....

BUSY! After taking a vacation ...I came home to a "to do" list that somehow tripled. Its been a crazy week ...and I haven't had time to think straight.

Although we loved our vacation out west ......I am still trying to catch up.

This week .......my old buddy lost her sister. It has killed me not being able to be there for her. Her sister passed away on the morning of Mothers day. Dreama has had a lot on her shoulders recently and my prayers go out to her. Ron has tried to be there for her .......its been hard on him too.

It has also been a busy week at work ....I had a go live for a project I recently took over after returning back to work from a 2 month medical leave. It went okay. definitely some lessons learned.

Robert has been sick all week with his allergies acting up. I think he is starting to feel a little better since it had rained.

I am hoping to get caught up with all my blogging and pod casting ....... I think I need to make a new "to do" list.

If you get some time take a look at our most recent flickr pictures. I haven't looked at them too much until I take off some weight.

It is supposed to be a nice weekend ...hopefully we will get in some four wheeling.

A week later......

...and we are home. We got home late Saturday evening ..and were totally exhausted. I have been wanting to blog our trip ....but we are just starting to come out of this jet lag thing. I am going to start a blog of our trip .....it will probably be in draft format for another few days. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are home ....safe and had a great time!

For the next week.....

I will be blogging via audio. Please go to my Audio blog (to the right of here) and catch up on our family vacation.

A Visit From My Brother

Last night my brother came by for a picture and I should have taken pictures! But ...I already had my camera packed ...why was I so stupid and not take it out.

Robert and I both really like Amy and cute little Josie. Little Josie is such a sweetie ......I can't wait till she comes back to visit.

I am sooooooooooooo happy for him. I think he is going to keep this one.

Audio blog added

I found a cool tool on the web that I have now put here on my page. It's called GABCAST ..and if you look to the right there it is. I thought it would be fun to add some sort of an audio blog that I can use ....especially on vacation. So ....stay tuned. I think you can even do a conference type of bog too ...I might just try it out and see what happens.

Brother Update

This morning …as part of my morning ritual I stumbled out to the bar …with coffee in hand to wake myself up while surfing the net. I made my usual stop at my brother’s blog. As I was reading his blog I was thinking to myself “It is going to have to liven this blog up a bit …cause its getting boring” That thought no sooner left my brain when I about feel off my chair and spilled my coffee. My brother’s blog at this moment could no longer be called boring.

It appears he has a new special someone in his life that he is ecstatic over. I think I can could all the girls he has been ecstatic over on just a few fingers of my hand. I waited till Robert woke up ….so I wouldn’t wake him and then called my brother to get the news right from the horses (brothers) mouth.

I wish him all the happiness in the world ….he knows that. He and I have been through a lot together …and I want him to be happy. It so weird …but I have this strange feeling ….this is it for him.

Leave Me A Message

I found this great tool on the net. Leave me a message and make my day!

Click Here

Close To My Heart

I have started as a consultant with a WONDERFUL scrapbooking company. I am so looking forward to working with them!

Roki In The Backyard

I couldn't wake up this morning

When I got up this morning I decided to hop on second life for a few minutes. I think it goes without saying that I didn’t make it very far and I had to lay back down in Second Life. I decided to go shopping at the local mall nearest my home to shop for scripts. I couldn’t help myself ....I had to lay down right in middle of the showroom.

Is it Sunday Already?

Talk about the weekend flying by ....GEESH! It was a rainy and cold weekend here ....great for power lounges and naps. The three of us just took it wast this weekend ...I still have plenty of things to do today.

I had many auctions that ended last night on ebay. I always make it a point to get the products shipped within two days. I have found that having my auctions run seven days on ending on a Saturday has both time management and financial benefits. I dropped the drop shipper I had contracted with ....it wasn't working for me. Everything that I thought that could sell after pulling market research reports the company was out of. I am not going to pay for a membership to sell products that are not in stock. I have also made two business decisions that I can't talk about yet until the details are in order ....but it is sooooo exciting. I have already taken steps to move forward ..it just a matter of a little bit more technical eduction on my part.

I had podcasted this past week ..and it is still in post production. I hope to get this published this week. I would also like to record a new podcast and send it to post production so I get it up next week. The one that I publish this week on Pink Camo will be number 1o. That doesn't count the ones I had recorded for "Teach Me to Scrap". I really enjoy podcasting and I am addicted to the whole concept of New Media.

We have two USBC tournaments coming up. One on Weriton and one in Reno. We are looking forward to just getting away.

Work has been okay .....and very busy. This past week was hard on me physically ....I worked a day and a half remote. Sometimes the quietness of my own home is all I need to get over a hurdle. The most diffuculy people I have to work with are the ones that have the passive aggresive thing going on and don't even know it.

I am sitting here watching "Cars" with Brittany and Robert .....is it over yet??? Not my kind of a movie.

Robert found this on You Tube ....UNREAL

I should have done more today

.....but I just didn't feel like going out today. The weather was crappy and I was too comfortable just hanging with hubby. I did spend some time sending more of my ebay store items to auction. I am really suprised how busy it keeps me.

Robert and I are sitting here watching an old movie called War Games.

The baby is resting at my feet. HE is such a baby.

Brittany is with her dad this weekend ...but will be home tomorrow.

Officially on Monday Ron and Dreama will be divorced. Four months from the time shewalked out on Ron ....and I am still having a tough time over losing a friend.

This week a schoolmate of Brittany's was killed in a terrible accident. This is the first time she has had to deal with losing someone her own age.

I had a huge ordeal with the maid service this week ...what a freakin nightmare! Its on the list to talk about it on my podcast this week.

I'm tired tonight .....I shouldn't be ......

My Blog

I love to blog ..and have been blogging for years. Long before there was such a thing called blogging ...I was keeping an online web journal for all my friends and family to see. I have always enjoyed doing it ...I never had any bad experiences as a result of something I wrote.

..then it happened. My co-workers !

Over the past couple months my co-workers have made more visits to my blog than I have. I have known all along from my stat reporter who stops by to visit ..but never really looked at it in detail. Several weeks ago we had two instances where a few comments were left. It was upsetting to both Robert and I ..and it was the last thing we needed at the time.

I have had workers that have no genuine interest wanting to know what was going on ..I have had people I don't really care for ....looking at every picture we have taken. My husbands ex girlfriend whom he doesn't give the time of day to ....made two visits to my blog ..and get this ..her boyfriend also stopped by to see how things were going. I have had managers, friends, bitches, foes,busy bodies and no bodies stop by to see what was up in the SanJulian household. So ..if your reading this ..and you are one of those people that I am referring to I just wanted you to know that I know you have been here nib nosing around. This place is for my family and my friends ...and to the people I invite. I keep my URL's open so that our family can friends can get in here without remembering yet another password.

Robert and I have had to take this a step further because of the comments that were left ..and take it to our Human Resources Department. We also had to make an official request to have all my websites blocked from that domain.

I was probably more shocked than anything to see the number of times these people were looking through our pages. Wow ..I can't imagine how someone could have so much extra time on their hands.

Anyhow ...I thought it was about time I said something now that the cat is out of the bag.

Happy blogging!

Scrapbook - Design Basics

Since ending my TEACH ME TO SCRAP podcast to focus on my Pink Camo podcast ..I didn't want this information to be lost. I had spend a good bit of time pulling this information together for one of my first podcasts. So here you go.

Basic Design Concepts

There are plenty of sites to get layout sketches and floor plans for scrapbooking.

You need to arrange items on your page in a phasing manner

Elements of a Page

1. Pictures
2. Journaling
3. Title or Focal Point
4. Paper
5. Embellishments - The Jewelry of your layout

Dimension
1D - Looking just at flat photographs
2D - Photo plum limited amount of reporter style writing
3D - Memories, photos with journeying ....tells a deeper story.


Everything Starts With A Line

A line connects two pints in space

• Find two elements on one of your favorite pages that repeat, For example, 2 photos, 2 embellishments, 2 areas of journaling.
• Find the imaginary line between them and THAT is your line.

• The reason for lines is to connect areas your page

• Items need to be in 3D / In a triangle
• Everything should be in 3's, in a triangle, 3 lines forming a triangle.

Shapes

• Don't cut your photo's like lucky charms
• Don't mix anything more than 3 any one thing. (fonts, shapes, etc)

Scale

• If you mix large items with small items together on your page ...it could and up unbalance if not placed strategically.
• If you add a very tiny flower next to a photo in a large space ..your photo will look lost.
• You can add the tiny flower on the photo and mat and give the matted photo more visual weight.

Balance (Building a triangle, Design Balance)

• Colors can build balance you can use different hues, shades and tints
• Stuck with balancing colors
• You colors should be balanced with your title and topic

Contrast

• When choosing two shades of the same color select different shades from the opposite ends of the color spectrum.
• Contrast makes things look 3D
• Balance things that are close up with things that are far away (the yin and the yang)

Texture

• Texture is the other balance.
• Use different textures such as: crinkling, textured card stock, marbled paper
• You can also use visually textured embellishments

*** ALWAYS REMEMBER THE RULE OF THREE. YOU WANT TO REPEAT YOUR DESIGN ELEMENT 3 TIMES ON YOUR PAGE IN A TRIANGLE.

White Space

• You need to leave white space for your page to breathe.
• Empty/White space gives a clean feeling and also adds balance
• Think about the page needing needing air and that things could be crowded for the page to breathe.

Mixing Fonts

• Stick to three fonts, for example 1 handwritten and 2 printed.

Textures

• Stamps. buttons, ribbons, flowers, fibers and metals (metals with the same finish)

• By adding an three of these textures the eye can perceive the texture without touching it.
  

• You can also layer papers to create dimension.

***** SCRAPBOOKING = 80% INSTRUCTION AND 20% PERSONAL INTUITION *****