The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, "We grew a child in here," and breasts that say, "We nourished life." My hands, with bitten nails and a writer's callus, say, "We create amazing things."
I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon.
~Ellen DeGeneres
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Erik - Ruptured Ear Drum
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
'Holy Prostitutes'
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
10 MILES
He thinks this is a figment of his imagination and drives on without second thought....
Soon he sees another sign which reads:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
5 MILES
Suddenly he begins to realize that these signs are for real and drives past a third sign saying:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
NEXT RIGHT
His curiosity gets the best of him and he pulls into the drive. On the far side of the parking lot is a stone building with a small sign next to the door reading:
SISTERS O F ST. FRANCIS
He climbs the steps and rings the bell. The door is answered by a nun in a long black habit who asks, 'What may we do for you ! my son? '
He answers, 'I saw your signs along the highway and was interested in possibly doing business....'
'Very well my son. Please follow me.' He is led through many winding passages and is soon quite disoriented. The nun stops at a closed door and tells the man, 'Please knock on this door.'
He does so and another nun in a long habit, holding a tin cup answers the door... This nun instructs, 'Please place $100 in the cup then go through the large wooden door at the end of the hallway.'
He puts $100 in the cup, eagerly trots down the hall and slips through the door pulling it shut behind him.
The door locks, and he finds himself back in the parking lot facing another sign:
GO IN PEACE.
YOU HAVE JUST BEEN SCREWED BY THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS.
SERVES YOU RIGHT, YOU SINNER
Monday, July 21, 2008
Driving through the Night
Jasmine needed us to resolve the property in Albertson. G'ma and G'pa's Dodge and Mom's Ford to gather and store bed, recliner, entertainment stand, and grill and whatnot.
Got out of Missoula at 4 pm, got the Ford loaded back up in Lolo at 6 pm, had BBQ sandwiches for dinner and then made it 1 mile out of town before remembering Erik's Baby Blanket, turned around and fetched it, and back on the road. Took a lot of photos with "precious" along Highway 12, went on some different paths including following the Lewis & Clark route off the main highway.
2 hours and Exhaustion set in near Peter King Road (Mile Marker 1000, just shy of Lowell, Idaho. folded down the back seats, moved the gear to the front passenger seat and spread out the sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. the Elevation was 1500 feet above sea level and it was very toasty and no blankets were really needed, just padding for under us. Slept for 4 hours to take the edge off the headache.
Stopped in Kamiah, Idaho and secured some Motrin and water, made it 6o miles before the Migraine made driving shear torture. Stopped near Pardee, Idaho County, Mile (Marker 60), and slept another 2 hours and then the sun came up around 4:40 am... absolutely unreasonable of it to do that.
Made it the last hour easily, only a little brush with the 'law' on the reservation, was 'warned' for going 57 in a 55 (have to watch my P's and Q's) but all was well. Learned about Lewis & Clark (200 years ago) and the Nez Pierce Run and the Ant and the Yellowjacket.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Missoula Farmers Market
one thing that was the most noteworthy was all the bicycles. There were many bicycle racks to attach bikes too and they were all full. the racks are pretty kewl
This is important to us as a family since we want a community that is bike / pedestrian priority. While the Alternative Transportation - Mountain Line is a nice idea, it doesnt extend past the 'urban area' of Missoula. Like Lolo, Montana. We have investigated Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management but we really would like to see a commutor train that utilizes the rails already in place from Darby Montana to Missoula Montana could even ad through to Kalispell, Montana. We got excited about Missoula in Motion, but it sadly appears to be a long way from fruition.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Lewiston Idaho
The celebrated Lewis and Clark Expedition brought Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the Clearwater Valley in 1805. Lewis and Clark embarked on a search for a trade route through the Northwest. They followed the Clearwater River from the Bitterroot Mountains to its merger with the Snake River, the site of the present-day twin cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington.
Finding things to do for 7 / 8 year old boys is a little difficult. All signs downtown say
NO SKATEBOARDS.
NO ROLLERSKATES
NO BICYCLES
NO SCOOTERS
NO FUN!!!
we are searching for a more kid friendly area.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Packing... Texas Style
Packed:
What we consider as essentials:
one Honda Civic Hybrid
Thule Bike rack
one 9x13 tent
one 9x13 tarp
one Ozark trail two burner stove
one Coleman Florescent lantern
four Therm-A-Rest self inflating Foam Pads
four -0F Sleeping bags
four pillows
one gallon of water
four pool noodles
two bottles of propane
propane lighter
one electrical cooler with car adapter
four marshmallow roasting sticks
a collection of CD's
two cell phones
a laptop computer
a portable DVD Player
DVD Collection
Nikon Digital SLR Camera
bag of clothes for each person, with 5 changes of clothes
two Nintendo DS Lites and Games
one 26" Trek
one 26" Specialized
two 20" Trek
two booster car seats
TWO ADULTS
TWO KIDS
TWO MONTHS
TEN THOUSAND MILES
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
When I put ME first
I look at the eggs and think *augh* not again.
I know that cereal doesn't agree with me, I just do not know what is worse - not eating, or dumping when I do eat. I can eat Cheetos or some other junk and be just fine.. no dumping.. I am pretty good with protein bars, they tend to hold me steady but my dh gives me the look that they are not 'food'.
and that sets the precedent for the day. coffee to smooth away the headache from not enough sleep which seems to be an ongoing battle lately.
by lunch, I am so busy and on the go that anything is better than nothing, and I usually get to 'anything' by 2 or 3 pm... could be a protein bar, a bowl of soup, or some chicken. I continue to keep the portions small. I still eat off a saucer.. by evening I am able to eat anything and not dump which is a much more pleasant experience, but then I tend to get a couple of times which is why I am still getting in way too many calories each day and my weight is inching up.
that and dehydration... holy cow. that is a serious problem here in the heat (90's each day) and while I am getting better about picking up propel in the gas stations and fixing water bottles with propel. but overall... I just feel so sucked back into the 'mommy zone'
dd#1 wont wake up to drive on her self chosen cross country trek, dd#2 wants to know what to do.

dd#2 can't get her dh to get the military move to proceed in an orderly manner, could I figure out the phone number of the office on the base that she is moving to so that she can make arrangements.
dh wakes me up on his way out to work because while he HATES to work, he hates that I want to 'sleep in' totally ignoring that I was at dd#1 house until 3 am helping her pack and move and so have only been asleep for 4.5 hours.
dh calls to let me know that the postage went up several months ago and I need to travel 6 miles to pick up $.01 stamps so that his REBATE letter goes out okay. screw that, I will slap another $.41 stamp on it and call it good.
did I mention that ds#1 is screaming for me to help him with HIS chore that he must do to earn HIS Nintendo DS and is pitching a fit because he doesn't think that he can, that the job is too much. (move rocks that I can pick up with one hand, he is almost 9 years old) and is pitching a fit that I wont help him.
ds#2 is actually doing really well, just had to go out at 8 am, and ring the doorbell to his own house today for some evil twisted reason while I was sleeping.
so I have 5 monsters, this is self inflicted torture and I do not eat well. I do not eat right. I do not like the feelings I get all day. I do not like the dumping on healthy food I do not like the belly that I have acquired in the last 9 months (started in November 2007 - 18 months post op).
WHAT to DO, what TO do?
really think about what I am doing to myself and is it really worth it?
and time to be much more SELFISH. so today, instead of sleeping, which I should be doing, I am typing. instead of eating a protein bar, I am waiting for my coffee to cool. I can hear the Cheetos groanin and growling down my intestines and they are making a horrible racket.
I have sent ds#1 up to get me the protein bar, and I am going to cancel the trip downtown today. we are going to just have a 'down day', for whatever that means - it is more like a finish up a hundred chores on the house before we leave for the summer. but it will be prudent for me to do this rather than try to get in a trip to the museum AND all these chores.
the garage needs to be cleaned out.. augh!!! see.. there I go again.. I simply can not just REST...
but I have eaten the protein bar at 10:25 am while typing this, that my 8 year old found for me, so the shakes should not be too bad this morning. I have given the 8 year old the chore of watering the front yard. I must get better at delegating and taking care of me.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Kids Triathlons
June 28, 2008 - Triathlon from Sverre Amundsen on Vimeo.
Region: South Midwest (Houston)
Region: Pacific Northwest (Missoula and Lewiston and Spokane)
http://www.usatriathlon.org
Erik Totally Rocks and Loves participating...
Swim*Bike*Run
Personal Best Time: 00:09:10
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Erik Summer
he completed his second year of Chess Club!! he has advanced to Bishop Rank (intermediate level on master course)
he completed his first year of cub scouts and has advanced to rank of Bear.
he has completed his first year of Swim Team and is ranked 21 out of 35 in NorthWest Aquatic League C1 Division with 25M Freestyle at 00:29:03 and 25M Backstroke at 00:30:07. (practice is 5 days a week, meets are on saturdays)
He is entering the Kiwanis Triathalon on Saturdays
http://www.kiwanishoustonsunrise.org/index.cfm/MenuItemID/171.htm
so we have four activities which is plenty. in addition to biking, ripsticking, and computer games (Nintendo DS Lite and Wii).
It is EXHAUSTING keeping up with him. ;)
Erik Chess Results

| beginner | intermediate | advanced | expert | master |
You obtained 6 points out of 15, in 19 minutes, 27 seconds
Your level is: intermediate
Complete Chess Training Program »
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Erik Swim Results




Erik Swim Times
|-----Date-----|-- 25 M Free style --|----25 M Backstroke----|
|-05/10/08 -|-----01:11.79 -------|-01:45.74-----Seed-------|
|-05/17/08 -|-------52.26 --------|- 01:08.33--100% Gain --|
|-05/24/08 -|-------47.06 --------|-00:56.31--100% Gain --|
|-05/31/08 -|-------40.26 --------|-00:39.02--100% Gain --|
|-06/07/08 -|-------38.72 --------|-00:44.07--- 50% Gain --|
|-06/23/08 -|-------35.32 --------|-00:39.45-- 100% Gain --|
boom chicka rocka chicka rocka chicka boom
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Never in this House
Can I Borrow $25?
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'
The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you
can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.' The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and
he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep, son?' He asked. 'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy. 'I've been thinking,
maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get
angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled. Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied. 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an
hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time s lip through our
fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
From my house to yours
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Construction
so the facia guy came out today and gave a bid.. the gutter guy came out and gave a bid and are waiting for the drywall guy to come out and give a bid oh and the window guy. he is getting a bid.
so there will be the spring time sound of hammers in the house shortly. I tried to replace the sink downstairs and it is STILL leaking.. which goes to show that I do not know what the heck I am doing and will still have to call the plumber. rats.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Physical Conditioning
Saturday, June 28, 2008 - 8 a.m.
Independence Park, 3919 Liberty Dr., Pearland, Texas
Sponsored by: Friends of Kiwanis
On-line registration closes at 3 p.m. on June 27.
RACE #4
Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 8 a.m.
Seven Lakes High School, 9251 S. Fry Road, Katy, TExas
Sponsored by: Houston Racing Triathlon Club
On-line registration closes at 3 p.m. on July 11.
RACE #6
Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 - 8 a.m.
Westland Family YMCA, 10402 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77008
Sponsored by: Houston Intercontinental Kiwanis
On-line registration closes at 3 p.m. on Sept. 5.
RACE #7
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 - 8 a.m.
Bear Branch Pool, 3215 Village Falls Court, Kingwood, Texas 77325-5502
Sponsored by: Kingwood Kiwanis
On-line registration closes at 3 p.m. on Sept. 12.
http://kiwanishoustonsunrise.org/index.cfm/MenuItemID/151.htm
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Oreos
14 tons of spilled Oreo cookies snarl Illinois traffic
Associated Press
MORRIS, Ill. -- Got milk?
Police say a trailer loaded with 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos has overturned, spilling the cookies still in their plastic sleeves into the median and roadway.
Illinois State Police Sgt. Brian Mahoney says the truck's driver was traveling from Chicago to Morris on Interstate 80 around 4 a.m. Monday when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into the median.
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"The boxes came out of the trailer and boxes were ripped open," he said.
The crash about 50 miles southwest of Chicago remains under investigation.
Mahoney says no charges have been filed but both lanes of traffic remain closed while authorities remove the cookies.