My Claim To Fame...

Ok, so maybe I'm not famous and this post is really just to make you laugh. You are probably wondering who this guy is in the picture. His name is Daniel Nadelbach, and he is an amazing photographer. If you google his name he has an awesome website cataloging his work.

What does this have to do with me????

Well, in my younger years I did some modeling. My claim to fame is a safe sex billboard, an immodium AD commercial, and several little parts as an "extra".

What does this have to do with Daniel Nadelbach???

Well, almost exactly 11 years ago he was doing a photo shoot at the modeling agency I worked for in ABQ, NM and he told me that since I was moving that he wanted to take some pictures of me as a going away present. Here are a couple of the pictures he took. It was an amazing offer since he is a world renowned photographer and gets paid a lot for his photos.

What does this have to do with me now???

Well, that is the funny part. Who would have known that now in my 30's that my modeling experience would come in handy? Apparently it will. The last time I donated blood I was asked if they could take my picture to possibly use in one of their brochures. Attached is a copy of that picture as well which turned out horribly, but that is besides the point... Just last week I was contacted by United Blood Services and asked if I would participate in an actual photo shoot and possibly be used in their national campain. They want it to feature actual donors and it will share some of our stories. They have asked me to dress in my scrubs and asked that I bring my kids to be photographed with me. The photo shoot takes place next week. When they send me the photos I will be sure and share them with you...

Return of the BEES???

Chad and I found a live BEE in our garage last night before I left for work. It could be just a coincidence, but it is definitely making us nervous. I will have to see if he is brave enough to go up in the attic to check things out. Wish us luck...

Cousins

It is so great to get all the kids together. Just watching this slide show reminds me of how great my niece and nephew are. It's really too bad that we only get to see them once or twice a year.

Cousins

Afternoon Tea

While in Albuquerque over the 4th of July, my mother-in-law made us reservations to have aftenoon tea. I really thought that it was going to be more for my niece, Maia, but as it turns out I absolutely loved the experience. The place we went to was called the St. James teahouse in Old Town.

The experience started with a really bold tea that was delicious. Then, they brought out the food. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to eat so here is a picture of the food. It included a wonderful assortment of fresh baked scones and preserves, mini quiches, finger sandwiches and desserts. Yumm! The second tea we got to try was a blueberry tea. I went great with the scones. The 2 hour experience was finished off with a light green tea and they even provided a caffine free "butterfly tea" for my niece. We all tried it and it was wonderful. It was made from raspberries. We had a great day and it was fun to do something different.

The Boys Are Back!

After a week of peace and quiet my boys have all come home!

Chad has returned from his annual Mexico mission trip. This year he took 69 people down to build 3 houses. Not only did the group finish the 3 houses that they were sent to work on they helped work on 2 others. It was a great year with no injuries or illness. I love hearing stories of the families he is helping and am even considering going next year. I think it will be VERY difficult for me but worth it in the end. Chad is really good about saving time for fun on these trips too. On their last day they made there way down to the beach in Rosarito for some swimming, fun, and authentic mexican food. Chad will be heading back again in November with his mens group.

The boys, on the other hand, have spent the week in Albuquerque with their grandparents and had a blast. They are having to readjust to having rules, having a bedtime, and going back to school. We are truly blessed to have Chad's parents in our lives. These are memories that the kids will never forget.

My Boys

Killer Bees

Last night while I was at work I got a call from my husband for the first time in over a year!!! I immediately knew something was up. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have guessed it was a house full of bees.

So, here is how it happened...
Chad was walking out to the garage and on his way noticed 2 dead bees on the floor of our kitchen. He thought "well that was weird", and then he looked up. There were over 40 bees swarming in our kitchen. He grabbed the kids and headed outside and called the exterminator. After 2 hours of waiting, the exterminator finally showed up and confirmed our fear that these were indeed africanized killer bees. He did not find any evidence of a hive or honey combs in our attic, but says that there were probably about 10,000 bees up there. He dusted the attic with poison, charged us a ton of money and was gone in no time. Fortunately we are now only finding dead bees!

How weird is that? I am beginning to wonder what a normal week would look like at my house.

Vacation Nightmare

Well, we made it back from vacation and overall had a fantastic time! However, I can officially say that I think I may have experienced the worst way to wake up while we were gone. Anyone who travels with kids will probably appreciate this one.

It was 12:30 am on our second to last night in the hotel. I had only been asleep for about 30 minutes when I am awakened by a strange sound - my husband! It was only strange because nothing EVER wakes him up, but he was up yelling at my 9 year old son, Dylan. Within seconds I realized that Dylan, who was still sound asleep, was choking on his own vomit. Yuck! I quickly ran over to his side of the bed and rolled him to his side and woke him up while my husband rolled back over and promptly fell back asleep. Not only had Dylan been choking on his vomit, but he had apparently been vomiting several times. It was everywhere! I picked him up and stood him in front of the toilet while I got the shower going. I walked out into the room and just stood there trying to figure out what my options were. My first instinct were to grab my younger son, Collin, who was still sleeping in the bed covered in vomit and run, but then I thought about the poor hotel workers. So...I got Dylan in the shower, moved Collin to the floor and then made my way to the hotel lobby in my pj 's, without makeup or a bra, without contacts, and with my hair up in a rats nest of a bun to ask for sheets, blankets, lots of towels, and several large trash bags. The guy working the desk was so relieved that I did not ask for his staff to come clean it that he gave me everything I needed and did so very promptly. After comlete linen changes, and two shoers for Dylan, we were all back in bed. (Collin and Chad never did wake up again)

I had just fallen back to sleep after my mind had thought about all of the possibilities as to why Dylan would have gotten sick, and what we would do if it was the stomach flu, etc.. when 2 hours later I wake up to Dylan crying. I jumped out of bed to rush over and check on him and find him laying on the floor crying because he had fallen out of bed and hit his head on the nightstand on the way down. It is now almost 3:00 am. Back to sleep.

Fortunately, Dylan was not sick and we enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July with family at the museum and them lighting fireworks and having a picnic! Hope everyone else had a great day as well.