We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. ~Gloria Steinem

I just need to vent for a very short time about something minor. Being unemployed, I have had the chance to watch a little more TV. (Which now means I watch some rather than none.) Anyway I was watching the View this morning and according to thier stats America spends 12 billion dollars on elective cosmetic surgery!! I have never been a math wiz or even real good at budgeting, but doesn't it seem like that is a lot of money. A lot of money that could wipe out personal debt, our country's debt, or stop world hunger or something? I guess we all spend money and on things we don't need. I would probably be just as amazed at how much we all spend at Starbuck's each year.

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. ~Frank Hubbard

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Confucius

Athletic training has been listed #2 as one of the top jobs in the medical field by allhealthcare.com. Click on the title to read a little about it. It does say in the job description that our hours vary and I can totally stand by that! But it is such a good job, most don't mind. I can't work 60 hours a week anymore, but I am sure I will find time to stay certified and help to keep athletes healthy and competitive.

Memories

Memory Lane...

I got this from a friend's blog. I thought it would be fun! I hope you will play along. Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

There's no place like home except Grandpa's!

While we have been kind of nomads this summer, we have been staying at Grandpa's house. I love staying there. Home Sweet Home. I think most know how wonderful I think my Grandpa is, but how great is it that I told him I needed a place to stay for nearly three months and he still said I could come. He did reserve the right to kick us out when he got tired of us--but really the three of us are a huge handful to take on. While we have been there he has played many rounds of Uno, Sequence, Go Fish, Old Maid, Memory and Penta with us. He plays with the kids on the swing, taught Isaac how to fly a kite and even hosed Isaac off after playing in a mud puddle afer a summer rain. He is amazing and I thank him so much for all he has done for us.

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley

My Grandpa happens to be a very lucky guy. Part of that may have something to do with the handfulls of 4 leaf clovers he constantly finds. He found another one the other day and left it for anther day. I told Isaac about clover and the luck of a 4 leaf clover. By the way, I have NEVER found a 4 leaf clover. So I told him to ask Grandpa about it and he took Isaac over the patch where he knew this large clover was. Not only did Isaac find it right away, but he also found three more! I think they brought in 5 total!

A life without love is like a year without summer. ~Swedish Proverb

Bubble fun and turtle racing are good ways to stay out of trouble. Unless of course you drop your turtle before you race it. That gave us some bad looks.

Tube rides are always a good time! It was Zoey's first time.

I caught you a delicious bass! By the way--both my kids reeled in thier own fish.

Isaac took his own photo. And look at those two good lookin' guys!! We took a short ride on a pontoon. It was fun until we nearly sank it.

I skip to the heartbeat of my angel. ~Astrid Alauda

I wish I had remembered to bring the USB to hook up my camera. Maybe later this week. We kinda took it easy after we got back from St. Louis. Then the Saturday after we went to a wedding. It was a very beautiful outdoor wedding, but it was raining. We went straight from the wedding to the cabins Up North. Zoey got her very first fishing pole and is an excellent fisher. She caught a walleye and a crappie. She enjoyed touching the fish and petting each mino before we put them on the hook. Currently her favorite color is blue so she talked mostly about blue chickens, flying turtles and she thought the dragonflies were flying worms. Isaac caught many fish, but it seemed that after he would get the first one he would want to be done fishing. All he had to do was stick the pole in the water and in no time he would be pulling out a fish--Northern, small mouth bass, large mouth bass, rock bass, sunnies--one right after another. He doesn't share his sister's enthusiasm about touching the fish and minos. We raced turtles. Isaac's turtle got a ribbon for slow poke. We ate ice cream from Frosty's and the kids loved the fireworks. We really had a great vacation up there. I have got to get some pics to post.

The joy of the week--Chris took a couple days off work and drove from Gillette WY to Longville MN to fish and hang out with us. He told no one and it was the best surprise for all of us!!!!

So now we are working on the whole moving thing. Getting phone #s, power, inspections, appraisals, carpet, daycare, employment, registering Ike in school.

The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed. ~Author Unknown

It just doesn't seem to me that we moved to Montana all that long ago. We were there a year and a half. It was great up there and my kids got a fabulous education. But now here I am--seeing my kids. When we got to MT my kids were 1 and 3. They were little, both still toddlers, one in diapers and one mostly potty trained. Now I have a five year old who can read, write and tell you all the oceans and layers of the earth and that there are 9 planets except that Pluto is not really a planet so there are only 8. Zoey is looking very forward to being 4 and she has grown so much that she will feel like a four year old. She is extremely creative, can climb on anything and according to her daycare providers she will be an engineer someday. None of my children are in diapers (an occasional pull up at night), we chucked all the sippies when we moved. I miss my babies and usually joke with them that they can't grow more until they have my permission. But at least they are growing into fabulous little people that I am so terribly proud of. I find it very difficult to think of Zoey as being 3 and not treating her as though she she is still a baby. Both of my children are very independant. Where does the time go. From 1 and 3 straight (soon to be) 4 and 6--I think I missed something!