One Last Time.....

Before we begin, anyone have more info on Obama's mistress? This would be interesting timing for that little detail to unfold.

I'm already bored. Let's all go to Ireland where the business tax rate is only 11%.

McCain does look better sitting down. Obama is harder to watch after watching them impersonate him on SNL. Nice! If Obama wanted to run against Pres. Bush he should have run four years ago.

Can't do this anymore. Yek.

Are these our only choices?

Do I dare? It's only 9:09pm and Kale is just hopping out of the tub after football practice and Dane is still laying in bed chatting. If I turn on the debate now it could cause some serious frustration.

I was listening to an interesting report yesterday about Ohio's early voting results. They had anticipated that over 20,000 people would take advantage of the early voting and that it would be a good indicator of how Ohio would vote for President. Because Ohio is such an important state in the election this was coveted info. But only about 3,000 votes have come in. Is it because people truly need more time to make up their mind and these final debates will weigh heavily or is it that the two choices are so poor that people can't make themselves vote for either one? For my young kids, 9 & 7, the choice hinges on one issue. Abortion. Don't ask me how they got hung up on it. One of them came home from school asking what abortion was and they both decided then that Obama and Clinton were evil because they think it's okay to kill babies. I tried to explain that it wasn't quite that simple but is it just that simple? My own decision may come down to that issue. They both seem clueless on the rest of the issues.



The whole bailout thing was a huge disappointment for me and the biggest reason was that neither McCain or Obama showed any leadership or understanding. They didn't seem to be able to persuade their own parties to follow their lead. They didn't have a lead. One voice I would have loved to have heard in this mess was Romney's. The guy is a financial genius and the Republicans didn't parade him once to show any economic understanding. My fear is that McCain was too worried that people would say well why didn't you pick him for VP. It seemed political and not like anyone is trying to solve things for the best of the country. Not a surprise. We have been told to expect the turmoil. If this isn't turmoil then I would hate to see what is.

Why didn't McCain mention Romney as a choice for that financial post? Frustrating. It has been reported that they don't love each other but Romney did speak at the convention.

So Oliver, McCain didn't clearly answer your question but the info he gave you was accurate. The Clinton Administration decided in the 92/93 to increase home ownership in American from 60% to 70% I believe. Worthy goal. Unfortunately, they did not do this with financial planning. For example, instead of counselling people to pay off their credit card debt so they could qualify for a loan or even just loosening the standards to lower % of down payment like 10-15% instead of 20%, they let Freddy and Fannie loose. The loans offered were ridiculous. 125% of a homes value and applicants didn't even have to have great credit scores. And those ARM's. Youza. So that is the tip of the iceberg. America got greedy. Wall Street and Main Street. Main Street because people accepted loans they couldn't afford for huge homes they didn't need. Wall Street because then the big banks and insurance companies starting betting on these bad loans. They hired world class mathmeticians to create a formula to try and predict which of the bad loans would actually get paid. Then they sold the bad loans to each other. That alone was stupid, but the thing that tipped the scale to corrupt and just plain greed was when the banks also put a rider on the loan that said, 'Wamu if you buy this bad loan from us and the applicant doesn't pay it back then we (AIG, Leaman Bros, Merrill Lynch etc.) will pay you.' Like a little insurance policy. Only we can't call it an insurance policy because then it would be regulated and no one in their right mind would approve of us doing this. Why? Because a regulator would have made the banks have that money in reserve if it was truly an insurance policy. So the banks called it a 'swap' and therefore it is not insurance and not regulated. No money was put in reserve for the banks to pay each other and people started to default on the bad loans. That is my understanding. If I am wrong, Mitt please call me and explain it to me.

How did I see the affect of this? Within 2 years, more than 50% of our PTA volunteers had to go back to work to pay mortgages that had gone in to the variable interest years. Less PTA volunteers.

This is going to be ugly for McCain. He is not great in this format. Obama is a great speaker. Hillary was good in this format too. Will McCain's plan to let everyone refinance their home include those of us that are not in debt and still paying their mortgage? Isn't buying out the bad loans what we just did with the bailout. I would blow off his statement about American workers being the best in the world if I hadn't seem surprising apathy in other places outside of our country. The things I heard from Michelle about the work place in Italy and what I hear from Jeff about Japan pretty much reinforce that Americans know how to work. We may be fat, full of entitlement, prude for not wanting our President to have a mistress and flaunt it in office and nationalistic, but for all that I saw an article a few years ago that showed Americans giving more to charities around the world than any other country. That is adjusted for % of income as well.

500 billion of our debt owed to China scares me. I don't think people realize that our debt is not just to ourselves. It is to other countries. What happens if the call it in?

McCain attacking in this format is just ugly. He will loose this debate for that reason alone. If he and Palin win it will be because Tina Fey has played Palin on SNL. JK.

Priorities. McCain all three at once. Health, SS, Energy. ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS. That says it all don't you think. Was it Lincoln that said, 'A country that gives everything to it's citizens call also take it away'?

Obama. Dang he is good at this. Energy. Health care. Education. Wait. Where did education come from? McCain should not laugh out loud ever!

Finally an American who puts it on the line. The person who asked this question should be President. We will have to make sacrifices. Nobody wants to hear that but someone from the 'greatest generation' understands that there is no other way to win a war. Military or Economic.

Barak Hussein Obama should not have brought up 9/11. Is buying only Made in the USA even feasible anymore? In such a global economy the money trail almost makes it one big nation. True, the imbalance of flow to the Middle East is unsettling. Especially with the way they use the money. By supporting terrorism and growing their own dictatorships. Our history with Saudi Arabia is quite sketchy to say the least.

Small business would be hit for sure. Love those tax credits. Too funny to watch Tom Brokaw push the rules. I love him. It would sure be great to see Tim Russert doing this. Not even smooth from entitlements to tax plans. The businesses making more than 250k are the ones hiring dummy! McCain is left handed. I am so sick of everyone blaming the policies of the last 8 years. Let's face it. Greed did not start 8 years ago. If we make good choices things go well. If we make bad choices we will have to live with the consequences. It's a cycle. Prosperity -Pride - Destruction - Humility. Then it begins again. Sound familiar?

Don't get smirky gentlemen. Energy. This thought brings me comfort. God is in charge. He has a plan. There are still pieces of that plan that must happen before he can return here to earth. In order for that plan to be fulfilled, more countries must be taught the gospel. The teachers/missionaries must have a way to get there. The technology must exist to get them there. Transportation will evolve. Finances will have be steady for some people because in order for people to listen to the gospel their basic needs have to be met first. Food, shelter.

Health records online? Are you kidding me? If some twit from University of Tennessee can hack into Palin's email, then some brain from MIT will be able to hack into health records and sell them. Health care responsibility, right, priviledge? Fine for health care plan non-compliance? Blah blah blah. Socialistic? The governments own programs for vetrans are just as bad as any private insurance. Don't tell me that there is less red tape IN ANY GOVERNEMENT PROGRAM!

Foreign policy. Are we still the greatest force for good? Sure we are still ahead of France and Iran. JK. I do believe that our country was created under inspiration to our founding fathers. Is there no hope for us? There is hope but it starts with each individual living a more Christlike life. In the last few years I have wondered what would happen if we tried a little experiment. What would happen if the world as a whole spent one week living more Christlike.

Did McCain really say temper our decisions? I'm sorry but if anyone seems able to temper themselves it just might not be him. Good question about Pakistan. At least Obama can set up a flow. No Iraq. No Pakistan problem. Intersting but accurate? He pronounces that wierdly.

Follow up shmallow up! It is making me tired. 11:15pm and it is worth it to stay up any more. Oh wait. Bomb, Bomb Bomb Bomb Iraq. This may get good yet. Musharif is not in power any more.

Glad this next question didn't go to Palin. The book the Kite Runner puts Afganistan in an interesting perspective. Is touting the status of Iraq really a good response how to handle Afganistan?

Russian humanitarian crisis. Putin and the KGB. What are the penalities for their agression? What international pressures? Those guys have allowed their citizens to freeze and starve before and I can't imagine they would hesitate to do it again just to show the U.S. that we could take any sanctions and shove them.

Mrs. McCain doesn't look that comfortable. Michelle more personable. Thank goodness it's over.

Isn't Andrea Mitchell married to Alan Greenspan? Those dinner conversations would be interesting.

Nashville. A mear three hours from my own casa. I took it for granted that we could just vote by mail in Oregon. Here in TN I have to visit a polling place. I will have to take Dane. I will probably leave some hanging, pregnant chads if I have to chase him:) Good night.

Oh The Drama

Have you ever watched The Office? If you have then you know Michael the manager of the Scranton branch. It is painful for me to watch him get into situations that are just so touchy. Now.....that same dread and pain is something plaguing me tonight as I make myself watch the VP debate. I have to watch to be an informed voter, but after Palin's TERRIBLE interview results this past couple of weeks, I am scared. The day Palin was named VP and the wave began to rise someone asked me what I thought. All I could say was that anything that rises that fast can only fall faster.

We had to DVR the debate because we were running around so now I am watching it in small increments so that I don't scream and wake the kids and Erron up. We are just getting to the foreign policy stuff. Could get very, very bad. Biden - what new things will he make up tonight. Palin - will she say the same three things over and over again after being coached or will she show a brain?

I can't watch. Iran or Pakistan? Will she know which is which? OMG I think she just used three world leader's names in one sentence and I think she even pronounced them right. The shame of low expectations! She spoke with Kissinger? Was that part of the debate prep? At least they brought in the big guns. Biden - how will she respond to the Spain statement? Nothing? Looked that up and it sounds very confusing. Israel, Israel. Blah Blah Blah.

Up to this point nobody is making me sick because they sound like they don't know what they are talking about but truly it just sound like same politics different day. Almost a relief actually. Oh there goes the N. Korean leader's name again. I really expected Biden to be better than this. All I have heard about was how amazing of a speaker and debater he is. He should be shredding Palin. Oh this is good. Palin just called out Biden on McCleran's statement. Did she read a newspaper this morning? Which one? Katie, that reminded me of a Barbara Walters question she likes to use on her celebrity interviews. If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be. Seriously, does that give Katie credibility again.

Can I get off topic for a second? This is one of the biggest news weeks of the year I think. VP debate, Wall Street Implodes, Congress tries to decide if and how much we will rescue/bailout. Where is Meridith Viera of The Today Show? I am a religious viewer of The Today Show. The first hour anyway while getting kids ready for school etc. All that crap of the third and fourth hour is not part of my world. I digress. Katie leaving was devastating to me. Love Matt. Love Anne and Al. But to have her replaced with Meridith was just yecky. At first she tried to be Katie and failed miserably. I don't like to watch her interviews. Unfortunately Katie can't come back. It would never be the same. So where is Meridith this week? Vacation? Really? Makes me wonder if something is going on there.

Scary question about Obama being taken out of the equation. Unfortunately, I have to wonder if he has to have more security that other politicians. Biden is smooth. He is eloquent. Palin did she really say 'dog gone it'. A shout out to her brother's third grade class? Hmm. Sweet? Cheese?

OHHHH. She just touted constitutional knowledge. Decent answer with specific issues that will be her pets. Biden - a history of getting things done? No portfolio but he will be in the room for every major decision. VP Cheney the most dangerous VP in history. Especially to his hunting buddies. HE-HE.

Lack of Experience vs. Lack of Discipline - this would be good if anyone actually answers it. A perfect ideal. Interesting phrase for a maverick. Good joke Biden about his only Achilles heel. A man showing tears in the VP debate? Please Palin don't cry. They will torture the Kleenex club if this goes any further. At lease Palin called Americans out to be more financially responsible. The idea that Wall Street is the only one to blame for our financial situation is RIDICULOUS. How many years have they been reporting on the increase in the average credit card balance of Americans? Hello. And NOBODY saw this coming? If anyone wants some good quotes on staying our of debt I used some good ones in the RS lesson I taught last week and they go way back.

Palins voice changes when she goes back to her Alaskan 'Joe six pack' roots. She is not scared to look into that camera.

Closing statements. Be Strong. Always been proud to be an American. Michelle Obama hurt them with that. Of course we have to refer to Reagan. We have a Reagan so we can't argue with that. Biden had some good ideas of what progress is about. Even character counts. Champ.

Am I too sarcastic? Who won? I miss Tim Russert. No car wreck. Sad mark of a successful debate.

What are Biden and Palin talking about after? Planning dinner at the Red Lobster:)

Palin's baby has never been awake in any appearance . How do they do that?

Now, all I can hope is that the microphone are off so that nobody embarrasses themselves.

Geraldine Ferraro said it very well. As a woman I wanted her to do well. As an American I wanted someone to give me something that made a difference so that I could decide who to vote on.

It's midnight. Need to listen to the reviews. The male leads best friend. Good one.

Adequate. But Not Too Adequate I Hope.

Hey Heather. Try 'Inkheart'. I will be starting the sequel this week. Gave Reagan 'Are You There God It's Me Margaret'. We have talked about everything but I told her if she had any questions we could chat about any thing she wanted. Her big question was, "What is the A&P"?

Trying to watch The Other Bolyn Girl tonight and am too distracted to appreciate it.

And We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun

There are a million things to do in here. Michelle and I could do them all in a week if we were alone but with kids, mostly Dane, we might only get 1/2 million of them done.

Yesterday, we took the kids to see the Winchester Mystery House. It was built by the wife of one of the owners of Winchester Rifles. She built it as a way to keep away the spirits of the people killed by the guns. She just kept building. Staircases that lead nowhere, doors that open to walls, six kitchens, 160 rooms in all. It is interesting and even really cool looking on the outside but the Biltmore makes these people look poverty stricken!

Dane hated this place. By the end of the tour I was in tears and if it hadn't been for Michelle I might have just started driving back to TN. I just felt broken and like I was being punished by God for being so selfish. I have so many things that I want to do in this life and I truly thought that it would be okay as long as I took the kids along. That we could experience this together. That I didn't have to miss out or wait until I was 60 to go anywhere. After this, I realized I was just plain wrong. It's too much. From now on I will eek out what I can on my own somehow but adventures with kids are a thing of the past.

I didn't want to push it with Dane today. We were going to go to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz but after yesterday I realized that it would be me entertaining Dane in the little kids stuff while Michelle took the rest of the kids to do things. I made a mommy executive decision and decided I wanted to spend time with my friend. So we took the kids to see Wall-E and then swimming. Tomorrow, our goal is to go to the Aquarium and Michelle knows some great tide pools. We even found cheap water shoes at Target.

Michelle really knows me too well. Tonight, she sent me to the grocery store while she watched the kids swimming. She knew that I was at the end of my rope so she gave me alone time to get food and cook it in our hotel room. What would I do without my good friends? I am sending a hug to each of you.

Sending you perfect weather from here. Mid 70's and sunny after the clouds roll out. It could work if we could afford to live here:)

What Was I THINKING?????

There are few things that would be worth what my frazzled, hormonal, tired body & mind went through today. Michelle is definitely one of them.

Let it be enough to say that by the time I got to the rental car and my GPS had downloaded maps from somewhere that wasn't California so getting to here was impossible, it was a very thin veil that kept me from saying forget it. Never again will I take them on a trip. Who was I trying to kid that these adventures with kids were teaching me so much about myself blah, blah, blah. I do not like what I learned about myself today. Every bad thought I have ever had came back today plus a whole bucket more. Reagan and Kale are the perfect travellers. Maybe the simple answer is that I let Dane stay home because that is where he likes to be and I just take the other two. The were different travellers even at his age. Kale and Reagan were both pros by 2 1/2. Dane just doesn't like it. If he has to travel it needs to be with him on a bike or hiking.

It is ok now. Michelle and her kids came to see us and we have grand plans for the week. All of her stuff just got here from Italy so we are her excuse to put off unpacking for another week:)

I'm not sure if you northwesterners want me to send weather from here. The high this week where we are is only about 72. Glad I brought the kids jackets. Plus, 1,400 fires burning down here puts a little damper on the air quality. I should be in bed. This time change is going to kill me. Dane has been asleep for 3 hours already.

We Begin Again :)

Bad Tam has been slacking in the blog dept. I know! My best excuses are;
1. That we spent three days at the pool this week. One day Reagan had a really nice little friend, Emily over and then Reagan went to Vacation Bible School with her and had a blast. Thank you Sharisa for the inspiration on Mormons and Vacation Bible School. We need it too. Then another day my friend Marianne came over with her seven kids and we just played all day.

2. My friend, Julianna, and her daughter, Manuela, came on an adventure with us to Sevierville, TN. It is about 1 hr 20 min from us. I found out about Forbidden Caverns and just had to explore. The caves used to be home to the Cherokee Indians during bad weather and then in the 1920's the bootleggers took them over to hideout and make moonshine. At one point we were 630 feet below the surface. It was awesome. Surprisingly, I must report that Dane did not set off any alarms, jump from any cliffs, run along an off-limit path or do anything too .... Danelike. (I forgot my camera so Julianna is going to email pictures and then I will post them.)

After the Caverns we went to a great Rain Forest Adventure Park. Like a little mini-zoo. Lemurs, lots and lots of snakes, kangaroos, emus, turtles, lizards, birds, funky frogs and a really ugly lungfish. We missed the big show so we will have to go back again to see it when we visit the Chinese Circus across the street. Nothing too cheesy for us:)

3. On Saturday we went to do a little ritual I have only seen in the South. Here, when you buy/sell a house both parties meet at closing and sign together. Then you sit at the table and the seller tells you about the neighborhood and takes you on a final walk thru of the house to show you how the use the intercom, sprinkler system etc. and where to find all the manuals to the appliances and answer any questions you have about the house. Is that not the most civilized thing you have ever heard of? Our seller is going to be out of town on our closing date and we couldn't move it up because we are going to be out of town for a few weeks so she wanted to do the walk thru before we left. There is not a part of me that wanted to meet the people that bought our house in Portland. Except that part that wanted to smack them. Grrrr.

Now, would you believe we are off on another adventure? T & KRuD (Tam, Kale, Reagan & Dane) are headed to California. We drove to Atlanta tonight and will catch a flight to San Fran tomorrow. Now, I must admit some skittishness about this one. I haven't flown with Dane since he was 5 months old. Driving is at least in my control to some extent. I can stop and change a diaper, hand out snacks, threaten some fighting kids and just plain stop if we need a break to run around. Tomorrow, we will embark on a 5 hr non-stop flight in an enclosed space with the Danester. Are you as nervous about this as I am. Let us pray!

Dearest Erron flies out on the 4th and flies back a day before us. Does anyone see what I see? There better be bonus points in heaven for this one. It will be so worth it though. My best friend, or bff for all of you under age 25, Michelle is living in Monterrey for the next 18 months so we had to get there ASAP to see her. I am even giddy about it.

For all of my friends that love reading I just can't get my act together to do anything on my Goodreads page so let me tell you here that I just finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Some of you know that I love Stephanie Meyer and think she is a great story teller. What she lacks is a finesse with the words. Setterfield is like an artist with words. A real writer. I liked the book. It wasn't what I expected and sometimes that is even better.

Right now I am in the middle of reading Eat, Love Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert. I almost didn't read it because someone told me it was one of those Oprah books and I didn't want to be one of those women who would read a book Oprah pimped. Not sure if that was true but I already had the book and it was downstairs when I need a book to run out the door with. So I started it. At first I was really excited because one of my dreams is to be able to travel and discover the 'real me'. Not far into it I got a little bummed because Gilbert seems to begin this journey after throwing away a perfectly good marriage. It is not my place to judge but that made this a little less special for me.

It is true that I can't take off for a year around the world by myself. Some days there is only a very thin veil stopping me but if I have figured anything out in the last little while it is that I never would have discovered some things about myself had I not been willing to stick it out and include my kids on the adventure. I could relocate across the country by myself any day. I have even done that a few times. But did I know that I could drive through 10 states for 2,800 miles with three kids before this year? Nope. The kids and I had done lots of trips to CA, OR, WA, ID, UT and WY but that was known territory. Since March we have travelled over 6,000 miles together. Reagan has been to 20 states and the boys 19.

My friend, Marianne, lent me another book called Chickens In The Headlights. It is like comic relief. It is told from the perspective of a boy who grew up in a family of 7 boys and he pulls no punches when he tells story after story about the mischief they were up to from early AM to late PM. Every time I need a chuckle, aka about day 4 of Erron being out of town, I read a chapter. It is too funny. I don't want to tell any of the stories because Reagan reads my blog and I don't want her to get together with the boys to carry out one of their schemes. We already find our way into enough fun.

Have a good night everyone.

Security! Security!, Killing People at Kroger, and Breakfast For Dinner

We just had the best night! For the past week the kids and I have been bike riding after dinner. Tonight we braved the 'cold snap' the forecaster talked about yesterday. The high was only about 79*. Tomorrow we must suffer a high of 82*. Sucks to be us I know. We went riding down the street we are moving to and met our new neighbor, Karen from Ireland, and her two kids. We already know some of the other kids on that block so when everyone came out there were 11 kids riding up and down the street while the moms were chatting. It was the great American block. The kids are tired out and Dane came home looking like a little street urchin. Popsicle and Gatorade on his shirt and face. Kale with a big grin chewing his gum. He looked like the kid from Sand Lot.

The rest of the day was interesting. Reagan has volleyball camp this week and then Reagan and Kale had Piano lessons this afternoon. While they were plunking away I ran to Kroger with Dane. While I was chatting away with one of my friends we ran into and guy down the aisle fell straight back and start having a seizure. Some other people ran to get the manager and call 911 and I tried to remember what they taught me to do when the little boy, Brian, I was a nanny for when I was 18 would have epileptic grand mals. Had someone get some soft stuff for under his head and then grabbed his glasses case to put in his teeth. All of the sudden he just stopped and wasn't breathing for a few seconds. I was trying to feel his chest and all of the sudden he just took this huge breath. Poor guy had hit his head and it was bleeding. His mouth was bleeding and it took a good 5-7 minutes before he could focus on anything or tell us his name. An older lady told me you aren't supposed to put things in their teeth anymore during a seizure and for a second I thought for sure I had killed him. He just held on to my hand and was so scared. The medics got there and took over and I had to leave to get the kids from piano. Nothing like a little blood pumping to keep you awake in the afternoon.

After that exciting day I was not in the mood for a big dinner so I made the best pancakes with homemade berry syrup. All the kids like it and it smells great while it's cooking. I will add the recipe at the bottom of this blog and a picture at the side. It's my own recipe so don't tell me if you don't like it. Just don't say anything:)



This is the kids at the Houston Children's Museum. They had a blast in there for a couple of hours. They had an awesome rag rug weaving area that I am determined to copy and put in Reagan's room. I wish I had taken a picture of it but is was basically a bunch of eye bolts screwed into a 2x4. It takes two of those 2x4's attached to the top and bottom of a frame and then you tie yarn to the eye bolts at the top and then the other end of the string to the eye bolt opposite on the bottom. After you tie the yard you weave strips of cloth through the yarn and keep pulling the strips down tightly on top of the other one. I am sure there are better instructions than this somewhere on the internet.

Here is the only picture I got of my sister. She and Kale are riding the carousal at the mall. He loved being with the hotty of the family:)
Here it is. My summer home. A little place called the Biltmore House that sits on a mere 8,000 acres. The kids and I took a little jaunt over to NC for a couple of days to see this place. I really want to go back a Christmas because I guess they really deck this place out. Unfortunately, I will probably have to leave Dane home when I go because he is on the 'not allowed on the premises' list. Reagan and Kale loved touring the gardens and the 250 room house but Dane not so much. As with the roped off areas at Graceland, Dane felt like it was only a suggestion that you not go there. Unlike Graceland, this place is decked out with brutal security and blaring alarms. As Dane ran out of my reach past one of the soft velvet ropes security jumped out of nowhere yelling, "The alarms will go off he has to get out of there." Too late. I will never forget the sound. What would I blog about if I didn't have Dane? How can I use this to blackmail him in his teenage years?

Okay, the pancake recipe.

Tam's Best Pancakes

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup Dannon lite and fit Vanilla yogurt

1 cup milk

3 eggs

3 TBSP melted butter

1tsp vanilla

Measure the Bisquick into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix the yogurt, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla together and then add them to the Bisquick. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes before you start cooking them. While you are waiting for the batter mix together the ingredients for the syrup.

Berry Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp corn starch

2 TBSP orange juice

1 cup frozen unsweetened mixed berries

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half

In a saucepan mix together the sugar and corn starch. Stir in OJ until smooth and add the mixed berries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook about 4 minutes or until thickened. Removed from heat and add strawberries just before serving.

I often double the syrup recipe and put the extra pancakes and syrup in the fridge and it keeps for about a week.

Tim Russert Has Died

The photos are downloaded and the blog tonight was written in my head but then I got the news. Tim Russert has died. I loved him. I loved how much he truly enjoyed politics, his father, his son, Luke, and how he seemed to be so genuine. His book about his father made me want to be his sister so that I could have had that life too. There is a list of people that I admire and would like to meet and talk to some time and he was on the list. He seemed so really happy and thrilled to be living his life. It seems that there are not that many people that find the thing they love to do and they get to do it for a career but when you watched him you could tell he was one of them. My heart goes out to his family. Sadness.

I Am An Adventurer!

I have a phobia of some situations involving water. Shower, bath, pools and clean clear rivers fine. Don't expect me to jump in the ocean. I have tried it a few times. Hanauma Bay in Hawaii made me hyperventilate. Atlantic Ocean off Long Island and Florida not so good. Pacific Ocean in Southern California doable for some strange reason. Hate lakes mostly because of fish nipping at my toes and walking in gooey mud. Don't tell me that the fish don't bother people either because they got up close and personal with me when I went waterskiing in the American Falls reservoir. Love rafting and canoeing in rivers and streams especially when they have rocky bottoms. But, at no time do I enjoy driving over water. It took me years to feel comfortable driving over all of those bridges in Portland. The Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in California just about do me in.

So why is this relevant in my life? Well, the first couple of hours today I was driving through the great land of Texas. Wonderful. I would even move to Beaumont. Steer clear of the Wendy's in Orange. Fast food rage waiting to happen. Then it started. Almost immediately after crossing the border into Louisiana the screen on my GPS started turning blue. I thought maybe I hadn't noticed it changing colors from state to state and then I looked to my left and to my right. Water, water everywhere. Not pretty water either. Swampy tree filled lakes and bayous, muddy rough rivers and channels for almost 30 straight miles. The only thing that kept me from crying and shaking was the thought that if the kids see me freaking out they will get upset. So while they were watching 'The Bee Movie', I cranked P!nk on my iPod to keep my mind from thinking about all the possible survival scenarios if the car went over the side.

Needless to say, Louisiana is not my favorite. The traffic in Baton Rouge, which sits right on the Mississippi River, was horrible. We went 10 miles in 45 minutes. Then we hopped of the road to let KI go potty in Slidell and there was no freeway access to get back on. Thank goodness for GPS because it took some serious country road maneuvering to get on I-59 N. Now I am glad we didn't go to New Orleans. Not many states have me excited to drive right on out but Louisiana is one!

I wasn't expecting much from Mississippi. In my mind I had a vision of hill billies, moonshine, and lack of self-respect. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. This place is great. With all of the trees it reminds me of the mountains just flatter. Golf courses, nice houses and very clean. We are staying in Hattiesburg and it is a great little town. About 50,000 friendly people in a pretty and happy place. I think I could have a vacation place here and be darn excited about it. Ross, my buddy here at the Courtyard, gave me good directions to get here last night. The address was wrong on the Internet and I couldn't get mapquest to jive with the Marriott website so I called. He set me straight and then today about 20 minutes out of town I called the hotel and he answered. I asked for a local pizza place and he set us up. Our pizza was delivered while we were checking in. We are master travelers now.

I can't believe we left Houston without a picture of the kids with my sister. Oh well. There is always Myspace:) Wendy's boyfriend, Chris, was really great to let us stay with them. It is a totally different mind set to go from having no kids or at least older kids to having three young Sorensen's. Especially Dane. Youza. Chris's dad, Jim, is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was raised in Brooklyn, NY and had a lot of great stories. He has done a lot of interesting things. Most of the time I didn't even remember that he is suffering from MS and spends his time in a wheelchair. He is so peaceful and content that it made me want to be a more grateful person. And so funny. Not many people are quick enough to tease my sister. Our lives are definitely blessed because we got to know him.

While we were at Wendy's I had one of those moments that makes all of the crazy times on these trips worth it. The kids were talking to Jim and they were telling him some of the places they have been and some of the things they have seen on our different trips . Jim said, "Wow. You guys have been all over." Kale piped up and said, "Ya. Our mom is an adventurer." I'm not sure why but I think that is the greatest compliment he could have paid me. I am an adventurer. That alone over shadows the days I don't wear make-up or do my hair. It out shines the fact that I am overweight and don't get to dress up for the office anymore. It definitely makes me want to live up to that list that I started as a teenager of all the things that I wanted to accomplish in this life. That list has doubled over the years. Everything I pass off the list sees three new things on the list. Books to read, mountains to hike, places to visit, languages to learn, goals to set. What's next? If Dane will get potty trained so he can go to preschool I am going to start piano lessons in the fall.

All Good Things .......

We have really enjoyed being in Houston. Yesterday, we took the kids to the Children's Museum for a couple of hours. Bonus that the museum was in the mall so I got to run into the Texas store and Wendy bought each of the kids a souvenir. We came home in time for the kids to change into suits and jump in the pool for about 3.5 hours. For the second day in a row Dane staggered out and said he was tired and wanted to go to bed. Will wonders never cease?

Today, we hit Splashtown for 5 hours and mom was not as vigilant about getting the sunscreen on every 1/2 hour and we are all fried like catfish. Of course that didn't stop the kids from jumping back into the pool for an hour after dinner. They have loved Aunt Wendy's pool and would gladly take it home with us. We may need to rethink and buy a house with a pool.

Splashtown is the greatest water park I have ever been to. They have lots of slides for kids of all ages and the best play areas for the little kids that I have ever seen. The biggest slide is called the Texas Freefall and you literally climb 5 stories up and then drop straight down. Spencer, the kids' 14 year old cousin, was challenging them to do it and and would you believe that Reagan and Kale both did? Not this momma. Dane and I went on some slides his size about 30 times. Despite him running for all those hours at the water park and swimming tonight, we could not get 3 out of 3 nights with him falling asleep on his own. I had to drag him out of the pool at 8:30pm to get into the shower. I gave him Tylenol for his sunburn and Melatonin and even then it took another 1/2 hour for him to drift off.

The next couple of days are going to be long driving days. We will spend the night in Hattiesburg, Mississippi tomorrow night and then bust the rest of the way home on Friday. Originally, I had planned to spend a day in New Orleans but I have repeatedly heard that it is still less than completely safe and I have never been there and know nothing about what to do and where to go on a good day. So just decided my route today and am more in the mood to get home than find something interesting in Beaumont, LaFayette, Baton Rouge, or Hattiesburg. Does that make me a lame boring mother?

Mission Impossible

Had you told me even this morning that I would achieve what until tonight I have thought impossible, I would have sighed and said, "In my dreams." Are you ready for this? We wore Dane out. At 9pm central time he staggered out of the pool after four hours and said, "Mommy, I want you." "Do you want to sit in my lap?" "No. I am done. I want to go to bed." Stunned silence from everyone at the pool. Me, Wendy, Dylan and especially Reagan and Kale. For us it is the equivalent of reaching the end of the Internet. It is not something we would ever see in this life. Me falling asleep in a chair watching Dane ride his bike at 7:45am sure. Reagan and KI begging for quiet time while Dane launches the scooter on one more round in the house maybe. But Dane, asleep and snoring without one complaint or even the need for Melatonin NEVER!

Had a little summer flash back this morning. Wendy and I took the kids grocery shopping at Kroger. I promised myself a long time ago that all three of them food shopping would not happen again if I could help it. This morning reminded me that they are all home for the summer and Erron barely lives with us so unless I want to start shopping on Sunday, they get to come with me for the summer. One of the least fun things that I can think of.

Good night to all.

Houston, The Blazer Has Landed!

My friend, Sharisa, had the best line yesterday. I was telling her about how I took the kids to my favorite breakfast place Braums. They have vanilla yogurt with fresh strawberries and bananas and nuts on top. Love it. Dane took one bite and threw up the nuts all over the table. Kale picked out all of the bananas and Reagan picked all of the cheese off of her ham, egg and CHEESE biscuit. Sharisa said, "There they go, writing over those good memories you used to have."

The day in Dallas was too short. We played with Sharisa's kids in the pool, visited the Dallas Temple and got scrumptious cupcakes from Sprinkles. The best part was sitting in the hall outside my hotel room talking to Sharisa. We had to sit out there because the extra ears in the room wouldn't go to sleep and there are just some times that kids should be in bed so moms can catch up after not seeing each other for 11 years. We have earned it. It was fun to catch up and even better to talk to someone who knew me before. Before I was mom or mommy.

This morning we packed up the Blazer and drove 220 miles down I-45 South to see my sister in Houston. This is my first time in this part of Texas and I have to say that I love it just the same. It makes me even more jealous that my sister, Wendy, gets to live here. The kids spend most of the afternoon and evening in her pool and got to see their cousins, Spencer and Dylan, for the first time in about 6 years. To put it in perspective the last time they saw each other Kale was 15 months old. It is a little sad to say that our family does best with each other in small doses but as long as we are happy we shouldn't rock the boat. No reunions in the near future.

I think Kale has met his match. His cousin, Dylan, is 13 and he and Kale sparred in the pool for over an hour. So many times we have had to hold Kale back from playing rough with his friends because of his size and strength that it was eye opening to watch him go full force with an older boy. I was nervous and almost had to sit on my hands because I'm not sure just what is okay when big boys are wrestling. Kale was in heaven. Hopefully, he doesn't try the new headlock move on any of the little guys in Knoxville.

Dane insisted on going with Wendy to get Chinese food for dinner. Things were going great until they walked out of the restaurant with the food and Dane stopped, turned and said to the lady, "I don't like you and I don't like Chinese." Oh Dane. Obviously, 'Parenting The Strong Willed Child' is not paying off. He does love Spencer though. A little hero worship I think. Dane has followed him around all afternoon. Spencer is 14. My boys need an older brother. Maybe I should rent one a couple afternoons a week:)

I left my pillow in Dallas at the hotel. Do you think that is a good enough excuse to go back and get it and maybe get lost there. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I really am here.

Daney Does Dallas!

This is what I LOVE about Texans. They love it here and frankly they don't care if you don't. If you love it too then you get adopted into a group that wasn't born here but got here as fast as you could. That group includes me. Much to my father's consternation I became a Dallas Cowboy fan when I was 5. I always wanted to see Dallas and finally my senior year in high school I got to come here for a speech competition. It was like coming home for the first time. I cried when I had to leave and then spent years trying to get back here. My friends used to mock me because I loved it so much. Then some of those same friends were there when I opened my mission call and found I was coming back to the Texas Dallas Mission. It was prophetic for me. Loved it and really thought I would move back here after college. Of course life has other plans and this is the first time I am visited in 15 years. I wondered if the feelings would be as strong.



There weren't even words in my repertoire that could describe to the kids the heart wrenching feeling of driving through Marshall. I served there for seven months. Of course it has changed but the memories just came rushing back as I drove past the old Railroad mansions. The old dive that we lived in is still there and still a dive. There was a great pottery place there, Marshall Pottery, that used to give tours to show how they used the red clay prominent in this area to make the pottery. They don't give the tours anymore but I finally have my Texas chip and dip bowl. This is the only small town I could ever imagine myself living in. Somewhere on the lake probably where I could go down to the dock and catch my own catfish.



We skipped Tyler (can barely remember it except for the roses) and drove straight to Dallas. Mostly because I just couldn't wait any longer. As soon as I saw the skyline the old feeling came back of coming home. In my mind I can see the map of Plano and can remember the streets and where everything is. There is even a house that I love here that I would love to find again. For a time I thought I would go to SMU so I have to take the kids there and to the temple in Richardson. My friend, Sharisa, says there is a great cupcake place over there and we will probably hit a park with a fun water feature to help get the wiggles out. Reunion Tower is on the list as well as finding out where the new football stadium will be. I feel like a kid again. I am so much more excited than the youngsters are. I would take them to a Mesquite Rodeo but Dane and bulls just aren't meant to be in the same building yet.



Reagan has gotten a big kick out of all the Texas shaped stuff everywhere. In Oregon, Washington, and Tennessee you might see someone with a flag from their favorite college but here everyone has a Texas flag. On every overpass, loop or sign there is the shape of Texas or the Star engraved somewhere. Many people decorate the homes in Texas paraphernalia. Texas is not shy about it's arrogance and it is the only place that I can stand that. It makes me think my new house in TN is going to have a TX room. How about my bedroom? What do you think Erron? The eyes of TX are upon you:)



The kids and I have decided that the people in Arkansas are not very creative. Anyone who would name towns, Arkadelphia and Texarkana need help. In Texarkana we ate lunch at Whataburger. Texas would be perfect if we could bring in some mountains around Dallas and get rid of those darn Whataburgers. They weren't my favorite in 1992 and they left that same bad taste in my mouth today. Erron was jealous though. Interstate BBQ, Whataburger and we are going to get Braums yogurt for breakfast. Now he wishes he had come with us:)



I will leave you with one of those endearing TX stories.



John Madden (football announcer) was announcing at at Patriots game and asked Tom Brady (quarterback) what the phone was for that he sat next to when he was on the sidelines. Tom told him it was his direct line to God. John asked him if he could use it and Tom said sure for $200. John paid and called God who gave him all the weeks picks. John made a mint.

The next Sunday, John was announcing at a Colts game and asked Peyton Manning about his phone on the sideline. Peyton told John that it was his own direct line to God. John asked if he could use it and Peyton said yes for $500. John called, God gave him the picks and John was happy.

Then came Monday night at the Cowboys game. John asked Tony Romo about his phone and of course it was Tony's direct line to the Big Guy in the sky so John asked him if he cold use it. Sure said Tony for .50 cents. John said hey, "Tom charged me $200 and Peyton charged my $500 what is up with that?" Tony replied, "Well John, it's a local call from here. This IS God's country." I know all you Texas haters are gagging but I laughed all over myself when I read that at a little gas station in Lindon.

No one could take Oregon shaped coasters seriously. Washington shaped pasta? I think not. Gardens in the shape of Tennessee. Whatever. God Bless Texas! And I did see an armadillo by the side of the road today. It is a wonderful life.

Loving Graceland

Kale the Elivs Impersonator, Dane the Growler, and Reagan flashing gang signs.

Dane Found Elvis!

I swear that life would just be plain boring without getting to live it with Dane. It would be too easy, too predictable, too simple.

We made it out the door this morning and rolled out of the driveway at 9:01am. Impressive I know. After I got in packing mode yesterday it only took me an hour. The kids and I have this great routine. They each have a backpack that they can fill with anything they want to have with them in the car. Toys, books, games, crayons, etc. They are usually so excited for a trip that these get packed a week before we leave. Then I just tell them to bring me 5 pair of pj's. Now 5 undies, 5 shorts......... and so on. They get to pick it all out and I get to give final approval and I am a master packer and can fit a ton in one bag. No sweat. After I went to bed last night I kept thinking that I forgot something because there is still room to move in the car. On the trip from Oregon to Tennessee you couldn't sneeze because there wasn't enough room for the extra oxygen.

Can I just tell you that I love my GPS? I did mapquest my route to have a general idea of where I was going but with the GPS we made it right to the Graceland Parking Lot in Memphis and then to the Famous Interstate BBQ for dinner and then to the ever faithful Marriott for swimming and bed.

Graceland was interesting. I left with a feeling of a life that ended too soon and thinking wouldn't it be quite the reality show to have Elvis at 72 years old. The house is exactly how he left it. Nothing has been updated except some of the technology for security. I'm sure the house was quite amazing for the 1970's but the kids' and I talked about it and we imagine if Elvis was still alive today the house would be very different. Think about it. Elvis was rich and famous and the rich and famous now live very large. Having seen one episode of MTV Cribs ( one too many episodes) those newbie rich people are way out there. I wondered if he would have gone off the deep end like them or would he have stayed suburbia and somewhat low key. This is Memphis for heaven's sake not Beverly Hills. With all the craziness that was his life they talked about his great escapades being jumping on the main street on go carts and riding his horses.

Dane's favorite part of Graceland was listening to the headphones for the audio tour and dancing to all of the Elvis music that he loves from having watched Lilo and Stitch. He was as entertaining to everyone around him as the rhinestone jumpsuits were. People were following us around waiting to see what Dane would do next. Would he make a mad dash for the grand piano that hasn't been played since Elvis died - AGAIN? Would he try and blow out the eternal flame that burns at Elvis' grave - AGAIN? Would he try to pick MORE flowers in the Meditation Garden for his mommy? Then there are my cynical 7 & 8 year old who just wanted to know if they would see the toilet that he died on and wanted to know why the video said Elvis died of a heart attack and not from a drug overdose. They also were incensed that I wouldn't spend the $65 per ticket so that we could take the Platinum tour that included the airplanes, Lisa Marie & Hound Dog 2 and the car museum. I do hope the pictures turn out of the kids doing Elvis poses.

My sweet Erron is a Food Network junkie and he convinced us that Interstate BBQ is supposed to be the best BBQ ever. So we went from Graceland (in the hood of Memphis) to the BBQ joint (in the hood of the hood in Memphis). We were very conspicuous among the other diners there. The best way to set the mood is to tell you what the waitress said when she gave us the menus. "Well, you are not even a little black are you?" I have been asked if I was Mexican, Italian and Erron even told his mom I was Lebanese just for fun but no, no one has ever mistaken me for a black woman. Was it the best BBQ? Well, Dane wouldn't eat anything but the white Wonderbread. Kale wouldn't eat any ribs because they had sauce and were not the dry rub kind that our friend Todd makes. I thought the pork ribs were great but the brisket was not even in the top 10 and Reagan thought it was a little spicy but wasn't too hungry anyway. We all loved the pecan pie we shared.

The trusty GPS then took us to the Marriott and we swam in the outdoor pool. The front desk clerk gave us a treat out of the Market for our Platinum gift so I grabbed some M&M's and made the kids do laps so I would share with them. Now don't get upset, I did the laps too. It tired the kids out so they are sleeping and I am blogging and plotting our course for tomorrow.

Memphis has a very different feel than Knoxville. They may both be in TN but they are worlds apart. It is soooo humid here. We have added more states to our license plate list and only need 6 more. We might have to take another road trip to the NE this time to get the rest.

SHHHH... It's Quiet Time

I swear I blogged on the 15th. Did someone erase my life? The kids got out of school last Thursday and today we have instituted daily quiet time for the rest of the summer. Kale is in his room reading and listening to CD's. Reagan is just being quiet so I am not going to bug her and Dane is sitting on the bed with me snuggling, crawling, jumping, and basically anything that doesn't qualify for quiet time. Typical Dane. So let's catch up.

We could have named this post....................

Another Day Another Doctor - I have learned the hard way that when people say bad things come in threes you can't combine things from different genres. You can't combine kids' health, appliance failure and stupid people trying to buy your house. They each get their own three.

On Friday the 9th, Dane and I were 'helping' at Reagan's class party. It was a lovely outdoor festivity that Dane was over in about an hour so we left to go to Sam's Club. Right in the middle of the 1/2 ton hamburger and chicken aisle my cell phone rang. "Mrs. Sorensen, Kale was outside playing tag and ran up the slide, flipped over and broke his nose on the side of the slide. Can you come and get him?" Dane thought is was really fun to run out of Sam's. "Faster Mommy Faster!" Sam's was about 20 minutes from the school so I called the Dr. on the way and they kindly squeezed him in so we didn't have to visit the ER. Then I called Dear Nora who once again came to the rescue by getting Reagan at the bus. The Dr. let us know we could expect bruising and probably black eyes. His eyes didn't get too bad. They just looked like they had dark circles and the swelling is mostly gone now. He refused to take pictures although he and Erron have decided it is really cool because they have both had broken noses now. Must be a boy thing.

That same Friday Reagan got a little throat tickle and I made her endure for five days before I finally took her to the Dr. to find out she had full blown strep. Love that pink medicine. She missed her field day, twice, but they had to reschedule because of weather so she got to go the next week. That means field day was Tuesday the 20th. How can I remember that? Well, Dane and I were in the car driving down Kingston Pike on the way to help with field day at Reagan's school when my cell phone rang. "Mrs. Sorensen this is nurse Connie at Kale's school. We have him here in the office because he was playing tag and forgot to duck under the metal pole and broke his front permanent tooth in half. Would you like to come and get him?" We flipped a U turn and went to pick him up. I had to run home to get our dental insurance info and find a Dentist. The first one referred by a friend was out to lunch and then in a staff meeting. The second one, also referred by a friend, was on vacation all week. His secretary referred me to someone else in their building. Dentist number three only cleans children's teeth and so they referred my to dentist #4. Dr. DeBerry turned out to be awesome with a really fun office staff. I dropped Reagan and Dane at a friends and ran in to the office. One of the nurses met us at the door and said, "Now Kale, sugar, tell me how this happened." You have to read that with a drawl to get the full effect. They took him right back and had me filling out paper work and were asking me questions when the nurse came out and said, "Did you know his nose is swollen too?" I had to tell her about the nose incident and then the ladies in the office just kept asking questions and I guess I was in rare form because they were laughing so hard they were falling our of their chairs and some of the moms in the waiting room wanted to know what was going on so I blogged in person for about 20 minutes about all the crazy things going on. I felt like a stand-up comedian. I'm glad they felt like laughing. Shouldn't someone be paying me to go through this stuff so that everyone else can laugh about it?

The Stupid People Buying Our House - This is the third house we have sold and we have never had an experience like this before. The market is really bad and we know we were blessed just to get a lowball offer after already lowering the price but we thought it would get better after the initial $$$ shock got over. It hasn't gotten better. The dumb people asked for six things after the inspection including a light bulb to be changed in the garage. Sure, from 2,800 miles miles away I am going to jump on my little ladder and pop in a new bulb. Idiots. They said there was a leak in the sink in the kids' bathroom. The same sink that I stored the TP under for three years and not one drop of water got on it. The plumber confirmed that there was not a leak. They said there was a leak in the furnace that we had just had serviced. The furnace company confirmed there was no leak. It just went on and on like that. Then things really fell apart. Their appraiser had never worked in our town before and didn't know how to comp the area so he appraised the house at $50,000 less than it appraised for last year. Portland's market is bad but it is not California. We threw a fit, our realtor threw a fit, every other realtor in Happy Valley threw a fit and then the buyers came back with a new lower offer and said they would fix everything they had asked us to fix. How kind of them after we had already faxed the receipts for the things we had fixed. Jerks. Well, someone finally got through to the lender and appraiser because he upped his appraisal to the buyers offer but they didn't want to go back to their offer so we didn't sign the papers. 15 minutes before our deadline was up they changed their offer back and then we signed. They sent us the wrong closing papers - TWICE! I am really sad that these people get to live in my house and next to my friends and neighbors. I can't say I hate them because then I would have to wipe my mouth out to be consistent with Dane so I will say, "They are not my favorite".

Are You Ready For Another Road Trip?

The kids' and I leave tomorrow to go visit my sister, Wendy, in Houston, Graceland, and my friend Sharisa in Dallas. They should put out a warning over the radio. Dane is coming. Everybody hide. His behavior has gotten bad enough that I have pulled out 'Parenting the Strong Willed Child', 'Disciplining the Strong Willed Child', and 'Bringing Up Boys'. I have been so stressed that Reagan found my copy of 'A Joyful Mother of Children' and put it by my bed. Ouch!

It is 3pm on Wednesday and we are supposed to leave by 9am on Thursday. I have not packed one thing or made one list. That must be my subconscious telling me something.

Did I tell you that our land lord hasn't paid the HOA dues and we just found out that we are banned from the neighborhood pool? Another Day Another Story About our Stupid Rental House. Let's save that for another day.

Ya'all Should Just Move Here

As promised, for all you rain drenched souls in the NW, here is what an 80* day in Tennessee looks like. Are you jealous?

And for my dear friend Heather, here is a cloudy day in Tennessee. Are you jealous yet?

One of the reasons I have not been blogging so faithfully the past couple of weeks is because I have been spending some quality time in the back yard admiring my favorite tree in the 80* weather. Really, it's okay to be jealous.

So what has been happening at the Sorensen's? Well, here is a picture of Reagan at Lunch with Grandparents Day. Yes, I do realize I am not her grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. but what are you going to do when our nearest relative is in Houston, TX. Not really lunching distance. The other important things are that we have accepted an offer on our house in Portland. The inspection is this Saturday and they want to close no later than June 6. We found a house here in Knoxville (actually it's Farragut, reportedly where all the Yankees live). Our offer has been accepted and when I go back to take pictures we will post those babies. Dane and I 'helped' at Kale's Field Day on Tuesday, took lunch to his teacher for appreciation week today and will be 'helping' in Reagan's fun day tomorrow.

For any of you avid readers out there don't forget that Stephanie Meyer's new book, The Host, came out on the 6th. I pre-ordered with free overnight shipping and started reading it yesterday afternoon. I cried at least three times and then wanted to cry again when I finished it today. Partly because it was so darn good and now how long do I have to wait for the next Stephanie Meyer book? Early August. How will I last? I guess I will just have to read the Twilight series seven more times before #4 comes out. Now, if I could write like that, I would never have been an accountant. She just sucks you in.

This was the funnest part of my week so far. My friend, Marianne, has seven kids and her youngest, shown here with Dane, are 1 year-old twins. Hannah and Spencer are quite the little pair. Are you impressed that I managed them and Dane and that no one is screaming in this picture? Don't start giving me any medals yet. I bribed them all with french fries. No, I am not kidding. We all trooped out to get lunch for Kale's teacher and I took a side trip to McD's.

Reagan busted me the other day for still having an Oregon cell phone number. It took me over 35 years to be able to psychoanalyze myself as well as she does and she's 8. She's said, "I know. It's the last part of Oregon that you have and you don't want to let it go." There I was bawling my eyes out driving down Kingston Pike. So, I've decided that instead of me holding on to my Oregon cell phone number, ya'all should just move out here and enjoy the 80* weather with me. Just think, Dollywood is less than an hour away. Who doesn't love it when everyone they drive by, walk by or see from a distance waves and you? You can't tell me that you aren't hankering for grits at the Cracker Barrel on Saturday mornings. Here, they even keep score during the soccer games and the kids get real grades. You will see an unusually large number of orange objects year round because of UT but that is just one of their little quirks here. They drive very politely and everyone talks to you and your kids. Dane made friends with the two retired gentlemen that live behind us yesterday when they were out putting up a new bird house for one of the wives.

I have a new favorite line from 30 Rock last week. Kenneth - "I don't drink alcohol. This isn't alcohol. This is hill billy milk. I was raised on this stuff." As he proceeds to drink everyone under the table.

How Long Before I Look Back And Laugh?

I've often thought that when Erron and I were called to serve in the nursery together three weeks after we were married, that it was the Church's way of practicing birth control. One year of teaching 2-3 year -olds for two hours each Sunday and we were cured. The little boy that helped us decided to be a childless couple was Ricky. A crazy little guy whose parents dressed him in jump suits that were too short. Erron is convinced that this was the root of his issues. Why this trip down memory lane? Well, I think Dane may be the Lord's way of impressing on young teenage girls that abstinence is the best policy.

Tonight, Erron and I went out for our anniversary and then to the adult session of stake conference. (AKA - Church Meeting without kids.) Reagan and Kale's piano teacher has a 15 year old daughter, Courtney. She likes to babysit but has a lot of competition from the large group of 12-13 year old girls in the ward. I promised that we could keep her as busy as she wanted to be. Tonight was Courtney's first night with the Sorensen children. Can you feel what is coming?

Erron and I both remembered to turn our cell phones to vibrate during church but I forgot to sit mine on my lap. After two unanswered calls to my phone, Erron's phone buzzed in his pocket. He popped out to the foyer and came back with that look. The, "I am so glad I work out of state at least five days a week because our children, especially our youngest, drive me crazy," look. He leaned over to me and informed me that Courtney is crying and Dane won't go to bed. So the question. Do we leave the meeting early or do we stay for the last speaker and the go? We left early, came home to find Dane sitting at the top of the stairs saying, "I don't like her. She is not my friend." That would disturb me if it hadn't been the same thing he has told everyone, including me, for the last couple of weeks. Yoga Breathing!

First, I hugged Courtney, then I took Dane by the arm and told her to follow us. Dane had to look at Courtney to see her crying. He kept saying she wasn't his friend. I finally told him that I wasn't paying her to be his friend. Courtney was there to take care of him. I got him dressed and washed up all the while trying to comfort Courtney by telling her other horror stories of the babysitters that came before her. Poor girl. It can only get better from here right? Her mother should have to pay me for assuring that she won't been another teen pregnancy:)

So we get the kids to bed and after a long pep talk I take Courtney home. Erron needed his next 64oz Diet Coke on my way home and who did I run into? Courtney's mama coming home from conference. I had to tell her my three year old make her daughter cry. How long do you think it will take for this story to run through the ward? Embarrassing!

On a lighter note. We took the kids to a famous burger place today for lunch. 5 Guys Burger & Fries. We were sitting there eating the best fries I have ever had when the kids started talking about their Sunday School teachers. Kale piped up that his teacher wears really high heels. "Like five cheeseburgers high." That is such a KI thing to say. Erron and I laughed all the way home. Kale's new rating system. He always has the hot teachers.

In case all of my Oregon friends have forgotten what the sunshine looks like I will post some pictures of blue sky tomorrow. It is so hard to be here in the 80* weather.

Three Strikes - You're Outta Here

So, I have been considering some new rules for the Sorensen household. One of which is the three strike rule. Three incidents in 24 hours and the offender gets put up for sale. As of right now, DANE IS FOR SALE!

Strike #1 - Yesterday at church after a typical sacrament meeting with Dane he got kicked out of primary. Charges? Being disruptive and disrobing in opening exercises. No pictures.

Strike #2 - Today, while I was finishing on the elliptical I heard a rustling in the kitchen and decided I needed to check it out. Dane had pulled out the industrial sized Bisquick from Sam's Club and was eating fists full of Bisquick mix. Before you accuse me of starving a child, remember who you are talking to. A Sorensen starving? I think not!

Strike #3 - Dane has an incredibly high pain tolerance so when I heard a piercing cry from upstairs as I started dinner, I knew it wasn't good. I ran up the stairs and saw the bloody foot before I even saw his face. The dirty clothes were piled in the hall waiting their turn so I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his foot, picked him up and ran downstairs. Reagan got my keys and grabbed the Relief Society directory out of the car and I started dialing anyone I remotely knew on the list. I had no idea where the hospitals were here and you guessed it, Erron was out of town. Nobody from the list was home so I called a couple of neighbors and they weren't home. With Reagan and Kale holding the towel on Dane's foot I quickly googled our Dr. and called hoping for at least a message about where to take emergencies. They are affiliated with Children's hospital in downtown Knoxville so I wrote down the address so I could punch it in the GPS, got the kids in the car with Reagan still holding the towel firmly against the foot. Our past experience with ER's had me thinking we might be in for the long haul so we drove to another neighbors house to see if Kale and Reagan could stay there while I was gone. Sweet Nora took them right in and fed them dinner while I was gone. I decided to go ahead and call Erron to let him know what was going on and he reminded me that there was another hospital closer--only about 7 minutes away. Eastern Baptist is now on my list of go to places in an emergency. We walked right in, there wasn't anyone else waiting and Dane was with a nurse within 10 minutes. Five minutes later the Dr. was there. He said it is almost useless to put stitches in the bottom of a little boys foot because they don't stay still and the stitches would just rip out tomorrow when Dane decided to chase the squirrel again. So the Dr. cleaned it out really good, which was quite a job because the layers of dirt on that little foot included sand from the sandbox and clay from the park, red Popsicle juice and what ever dirt comes with running around bare foot in the back yard. He then put about 5 layers of Durmabond on his foot and said our goal was to keep that on for 4-5 days. Dane was a little tough guy the whole time.

I am so grateful that he is okay. My heart was beating a little faster there for a while and I was trying so hard not to freak out in front of the older two. Erron drove home so that Dane would know that daddy cared. I thought that was sweet.

I Always Wanted Double Ovens

If you are like me, then you thought the oven saga had come to a happy end on Monday when we found out we were to get a new working oven on Tuesday morning. Really, wasn't that a little optimistic? Situations like this are my excuse in life to be a mocking pessimist.

The delivery guys did show up first thing Tuesday morning. They were joking with me as soon as they walked through the door. I was so giddy that it was easy to joke back with them. We joked all the way into the kitchen. I thought they were still joking when they looked at the old stove and asked why it hadn't been taken it out and where was the tech to install the new one. Surely you jest. I even laughed a little because in my mind I thought wouldn't it just be a perfect new chapter to the stove saga to have the delivery all botched up. No, he was serious. The delivery guys DO NOT take out the old stove and they do not install the new one. If we needed a tech to take out the old and install the new we were supposed to request on from them or get our own. This is where I smiled, took a really deep breath (yoga breathing) and with my mouth said, "Let me call our leasing agent and see what he has arranged." I am quite the mulit-tasker and while my mouth was saying that my mind was saying, "Are you &*$%!^ kidding me? (Yes, I am a potty mouth in my head.) How hard is to get the delivery right? This is why I don't rent. This is why I own my own house and just fix the stupid things that go wrong and then the only person that I can get mad at is myself. Is this just the people we are lucky enough to deal with or do I now live in a different country otherwise known as Dumb&*%^ ville?" Right now my dad is calling me a hypocrite because I don't like him to swear around my kids. Dad, just remember you can think whatever you want around them just don't say it out loud:)

Our leasing agent, Phil, was not available to talk to me so his lovely assistant Jody got to listen to me gritting my teeth while explaining the situation. The delivery guys said they would just put the new oven in front of the old oven and take off because they have to stay on schedule. Schedule, right. They probably noticed the knives on the cupboard and fled for their lives. The above picture is of Dane refusing to be photographed on top of our SECOND STUPID STOVE. I kid you not. Not only does the new one block most of the kitchen it blocks the other stupid stove. After the delivery guys left I had to call my buddy the Banjo Queen because she appreciates or at least understands my dark thoughts. It was her idea to take a picture.

Me trying to let go of the madness got a little harder when I remembered that Kale had a choir performance that night at the school and #1 not only do I have to figure out the dinner situation again, but #2 just the thought of taking Dane to a public event fills me with dread and makes me crave chocolate. If we weren't really trying to give the kids every opportunity to assimilate into their new schools I would have called it quits right then. They could have asked me for anything and I would have given it to them. Ice Cream for dinner? Sure, have two, just let lie in my beautiful bed with the covers over my head. Spend the rest of the day watching TV? Absolutely, just don't come and get me unless there is a fire. Instead, we forged on. The Philster sent some guys over to take care of the stove at about 5pm and they were here until we left for the school at 6:20. We met Erron at Kale's school only to find an empty parking lot and locked doors. Perfect don't you think? We waited a bit and then decided to try Reagan's school. Sure enough, Kale's event was at the middle school next to Reagan's school. Don't ask me how I missed the BOLD ALL CAP sentence on the flyer that said at FARRAGUT MIDDLE SCHOOL. If I were an employee of Sorensen Inc. I would have fired myself at this point.

The performance was really cute and very well done. The kids sang and danced a little, did a little jazz hands and even played the kazoo. How can you be sad after that? Erron thought Dane was better behaved than usual but Erron has spent M-F out of town since the third week of January. I won't tell you what my mind was saying because I love my husband and he reads this. Hi sweetie.

Well, now you know.

Heather begged me not to put the asparagus recipe on so instead I will leave you with something I remembered in the shower yesterday. As thought processes go you don't want to know how I go to the part of my head that had me thinking about the time I was 18 and a nanny in NY. I took the three kids 12, 10 and 5 to Florida for a week by myself because the mom got in a fight with the grandma that lived in Boca Raton. We stayed with the grandparents for a couple of days and the grandma introduced me to a yummy snack I had never heard of. On plain white Wonder Bread spread some strawberry freezer jam and then sprinkle on some pine nuts. Fold it in half and eat it. It sounds ridiculous but I swear there is something about that white mooshy bread.

Another Day In The Life

The repairman came to fix the stove today. He took one look at it before he even touched it and said, "'why are they even bothering to repair this thing?" After I explained to him the problems we were having he said that the part needed to fix it was not even made anymore. So he called the leasing agent and then the owner and we are finally getting a new stove tomorrow morning. To celebrate we should go out to dinner:)

Dane and I went to a play group today with the other kids his age in our ward. 5 three year-old boys and 3 girls with 4 younger siblings. I expected chaos but they actually did really well. It was a relief for me to have someone for Dane to play with. He really needed it. He misses Stratton so much and talks about him at least once a day. I have been researching preschools for him in the fall and many of them are already full. We are going to go and interview one on Wednesday. It is more spendy than we are used to but he would go twice a week 8:30-2. I was reluctant to have him gone that long at first but as I started thinking about it I realized it would give me the perfect opportunity to be in Reagan and Kale's classrooms next year and not have to rely on friends to watch him.

Erron and I went to see Sugarland and Little Big Town on Saturday. It was a much smaller venue than the Rose Garden. Almost a large high school gym. There were no bad seats and even the drunk cowboys were entertaining. LBT did a great version of Fleetwood Mac's 'Go Your Own Way'. Sugarland closed with a song that I never thought I would get to see live. 'Pour some Sugar' by Def Leopard. During the Wreckers and Keith Urban Erron got a lot of work done on his blackberry. This time he didn't do any. That might me a good indicator of how much Erron likes what we are doing. Monitoring his blackberry usage.

I had started my quest to find the best way in Knoxville to learn Italian earlier this week and actually found some useful podcasts on iTunes. Then at the Primary activity I met a woman in our ward that is from Sardinia. She has some great kids books that teach words for the basics and has some contacts at the Foreign Language Acadamy here. It got me really excited to get this going. My goal is to learn Italian with the kids and then do an immersion program with them either next year or the next for a month in Italy. After the road trips we have taken a month in a foreign country should be easy right?

My friend Holly sent me a link to a great video lecture given by a professor who is dying of cancer. Inspiring.
http://video.stumbleupon.com/?s=ithct48cqw&i=ufcchmyxqsuj9vwsemax

Heather, tomorrow just for you I have a recipe that has asparagus in it. Even my kids eat it.

Fried Baloney Hole

TIVO is beautiful. I never watch TV when Erron is out of town so when he gets home I admit there is a little Giada here and a little Axmen there. Now that the writers' strike is over and 30 Rock and the Office are back the one liners are flying left and right. Mostly left. My favorite from 30 Rock was Liz Lemon yelling at Kenneth to keep his fried baloney hole shut. Kenneth is an uneducated very sweet guy from the south who always gets in sticky situations. I can't wait to use it. Wait, I think I just did. The people here are too nice though. I can't even give out my blog here because I don't want to hurt their feelings. My innate sarcasm and dark humor don't really fit in. Bad Tam needs another outlet. Maybe I should write a book.

So the stupid ants are back. This time in the boys' bathroom. The kids won't even go in there so we are filing through the master bath. And the stove saga continues. It either quits in the middle of cooking something or has a fit at the end. Beep! Beep! Beep! F1! F1! STUPID STOVE! You know? Guns are very big here. Walmart even has them. I could just use one on the oven. My menu planning is in a tailspin because I can't rely on the stupid thing. Anyone have any recipes that only require stove top or microwave? On second though nix the microwave because that thing is useless.

Speaking of guns. Tripped to Walmart today for supplies to give to the missionaries tomorrow at the primary activity. I took Dane out of the cart at the check out because it was the perfect height for him to reach over and spin the check-out bag holder thing around and around. He pulled a Dane and within 1.2 seconds was nowhere to be seen. Kale, Reagan, and I do a strategic splitting of the aisles and take turns hollering, "Dane". Oh, it was fun. And then I hear it. A little laugh with a video game background. I turn my head and there is my future red neck son with a rifle taller than he is shooting at something on a screen. MORTIFICATION! Really, you are kidding me right? And then we get home with milk shakes from the Steak & Shake to celebrate the end of state testing and Dane has to go potty. Well, after completely disrobing - can't potty with our shirt on you know -Dane proceeds back to the table NAKED. I skid across the kitchen floor to at least put on his undies and what does he proceed to do? Pull out the front of his undies and dump banana milk shake down. So proud. No, there are no pictures of this.

Can you see our future? Reagan an all-american volleyball player for USC, Kale a dancer at the Polynesian Culture Center among his fellow white Samoans and Dane the future Red Neck Comedian. Think Larry The Cable Guy. Hunting squirrels with rifles that could kill an elephant and then pouring stuff down his pants. I went through labor with an epidural that didn't work to deliver a 10' 4" baby naturally for him to do that? Oh, I don't think so.

On an even funner thought. I haven't seen my lil sis for about three years. She lives in Houston and this plan began to formulate in my mind. Road trip - Knoxville to Houston with a little side through my old mission haunts and to see a friend in Dallas. Knoxville, Memphis, Dallas and then Houston. My first concern was whether the kids would mutiny if I mentioned another road trip. "Reagan and Kale how do you feel about going to see aunt Wendy in Houston after school gets out." I sweeten the deal with the fact that she has a pool. They want to know how many days driving and the hours and all that fun stuff so I tell then we would spend the the first night in Memphis and then on to Dallas blah blah blah. Immediately Reagan perks up. "Memphis?" "Isn't that where Graceland is? Can we please go see Elvis's house please, please?" Really, I was impressed that she knew that Graceland was in Memphis so I asked her how she knew that. "Well, there was this Full House were Joey want to go to Graceland for Christmas and Becky wants to go to Nebraska and they decide to go to Nebraska for Thanksgiving and Graceland for Christmas and they get stuck in an airport. Joey loves Elvis and always sings his songs and has his hair cut and it is so cool." That was a one breath answer. A television show from 20 years ago is running my life. John Stamos is still cool and Elvis lives. The kids are so excited. Kale is practicing the Elvis lip thing and Reagan has already emailed her friends.

I may be committed now. If I am not will somebody please commit me.

A little side note. My GPS birthday present came this week and it has all these nifty features like voice and you can download books and music onto it too. Erron was setting it all up for me and he asked, "Do you want it to give you directions in a mans' voice or a womans'?" Is it hard to figure out my answer?