There Must Have Been Something In The Water

That water being from the lake, and that lake being Hume; which is where my two oldest were this past week at camp with their church youth group. What other explanation could there be for a 16 year old brother to volunteer to pose for a photo with his 14 year old sister?
Or...for that same 16 year old to come home with his hair cut like this:

(It's a little difficult to tell from the photo, but in between the shaved portion made to look like eyebrows and a mustache, are eyes and a mouth that read, "Hi Mom!" written in permanent marker)



My first inclination was to call the camp and suggest a water analysis of the aforementioned lake, meanwhile rushing my son to the ER for detoxification. However, after hearing all of the great stories that they both had to share about their week at camp, I knew that the only water that had any effect on them was the living water also known as Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful for the time they spent with friends, pastors, other volunteer staff and most importantly God. I am also thankful for my dear friend and hairdresser who was able to fix the haircut that came by means of a bowl, scissors, and a bunch of guys looking to gain extra spirit points during recreation!

Mamma Mia!

Sunday afternoon I went to see Mamma Mia! The Movie and couldn't believe what I discovered; Matt Doan looks like Colin Firth! I have loved Colin Firth (in a movie star crush sort of way) since he was the wonderful Mr. Darcy in the TV mini series version of Pride and Prejudice. I have loved Matt Doan (in a thankful parent of a high schooler in his youth group sort of way) for the last 3 years. However, I have NEVER seen this resemblance before. For verification I immediately leaned over to my good friend Julia to share what I'd discovered. She gasped in agreement and couldn't believe that she'd never noticed it either. So, are we just a couple of 40-something-yr-old women who've completely lost it, or does anyone else see what we see?

I've never colored my hair

But it looks like I'm gonna have to start! My 16 yr old son, is on his first behind the wheel driving lesson as I'm writing this post. I thought I was OK with this and even though he wouldn't let me take a picture of him w/his instructor to forever remember this day, I was still OK. Then it happened...about an hour into his 2 hour lesson, my cell phone rang showing a number that I didn't recognize. I quickly checked the business card the instructor left and saw that it was his number. I took a deep breath and calmly answered the phone. It was RJ, "Hi Mom, I'm just checking to see if I'm available to take my next lesson on Aug. 1st?" I replied (hoping that he couldn't tell my heart was beating in my throat), "Yeah, that's fine, what time?" He told me the time and I hung up. OMG!!!! Could that not have waited 'til they returned? I was certain that the call was from the instructor letting me know that there had been some kind of horrible accident, or that my son wasn't trainable and that I'd have to come pick him up. Now I have to wait for another hour before he returns. All the while praying for calmness and that my good friend/hairdresser will be able to do something with the countless gray hairs I've just acquired.

Come Sail Away

The weather was perfect for the landsailer today in Punta Banda. We all took turns and had a blast. Below is RJ's video de la landsail that he filmed using his dad's Flip video camera. If you are prone to motion sickness, you may want to take some Dramamine. Since this gives a better view of RJ's feet than the landsailer itself, I will post photos of it along with other fun shots from our Punta Banda trip later. Now I need to get back to my lounge chair in the glorious sunshine.

I wanted to be Karen Carpenter

When we were eating dinner last night at Baja Mama's in Punta Banda, I had a flashback to a childhood dream. The owner/chef, a muu-muu wearing, tooth missing, elderly woman sauntered over to her boom box and began to play a cassette tape of a compilation of The Carpenter's Greatest Hits. I immediately began to sing along and knew all the words to each song. This would only come as a shock to anyone who didn't know that I wanted to be Karen Carpenter when I was a little girl.

My mom had their albums and they played constantly on our turntable during my lower elementary school years. One album even had pages of photos of the 70's drumming diva and her piano playing brother, which I'd study to try and replicate her poses. I thought she was beautiful and so talented. What young girl wouldn't want to be like her? I think my fascination began when my mom would hold me on her lap and sing along to Close To You -- "on the day that you were born the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true, so they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue." I have to confess that I thought the song had been written for me. What can I say, I was young and naive.

As I got older I was sad to learn of her battle with anorexia and couldn't understand how someone so beautiful could struggle with that. Clearly she couldn't see what I and so many others saw. I guess Rainy Days and Mondays really did get her down.

For the record (pun intended) I no longer want to be her, but it was fun to take a trip down memory lane. I know that this post really shows my age and many of you may never have heard of this superstar songstress. I'll gladly take the ridicule and maybe even add a few of her songs to my iPod when I want to remember what life was like Only Yesterday.

Flexibility Is The Key

What do 11 people in a cozy Mexican beach house do when the sun just won't come out?

GET FLEXIBLE!!!!

Check out Laceyann & Mitchell (with a little help from their siblings in the leg department)


Laceyann has really gotten into her reading!




Mitchell has to work a little harder at having an attitude of flexibility!

It's great to have silly times with good friends -- with or without the sun!!!

6 quirky things

After reading Erin's quirks and therefore being "tagged", I'm now listing six of my potential oddities. Of course, I'll feel much better if I find I'm not the only one who does these things. After all, there's safety in numbers.

1. I almost always snort when I laugh. (I don't think that needs further explanation, and most everyone knows that anyway.)

2. I am a syrup snob. Raised in a family of French Canadians from Vermont, the only syrup I'd ever experienced as a child was REAL maple syrup and therefore, it's the only kind I will eat. I won't eat anything that requires syrup at a restaurant or friend's house if they only serve fake syrup and the smell makes me nauseous.

3. I believe that bathing suits are just an extension of my wardrobe. No one likes to wear the same outfit day after day. Why should bathing suits be any different? However, I won't pay more than $30 for one. Which leads me to #4...

4. I am a bargain shopper (Marshall's, Ross, eBay, etc.) and refuse to pay full retail for anything unless I've been given a gift certificate and even then, it's incredibly difficult for me to do so. The MSRP for most items can be pulled from my brain at anytime. My life is a virtual "The Price is Right" and I intend to win the showcase.

5. When a song I love plays on the radio I get really excited. Even though it most likely exists on my ipod or a cd that I own and I can listen to it anytime I want. There's something about hearing it on the radio that makes it sound better.

6. I think that toilet paper should hang on the holder so that it rolls over the top of the roll, not from underneath. I not only use that rule of placement in my own home, but have been known to turn the roll over at other people's homes as I'm sure they don't care and probably place it on haphazardly. I justify that if they do care, they'll be thankful that I've shown them the light.

Ice Cream Quiz

This is a fun and mindless quiz for a hot summer day. Enjoy!

I Am Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous. You tend to be successful at anything you try. A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd. You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream. What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Look Ma, No Hands!

Per California law, I've gone hands-free today. Now I have a question...why is it that everyone else that I see with this headset seem to have it firmly attached? Mine flops and wiggles and falls off.

Any hints? Are my ears not standard issue?

Spa - aaah Day

It's been about 2 years since I've been to Burke Williams. My friend had received a gift certificate from her husband for Mother's Day and he in turn put me in charge of making sure she went. Thankfully, I had my own gift certificates (one of which I found when I cleaned off my desk ) so I was happy to take on this responsibility.

Yesterday was our spa day and we arrived at 9:30 am, and it was just as I had remembered it. Let the aaah-ing begin! Aaah, the fragrance of essential oils, soothing music, and welcoming staff; it was good to be back. Stepping into that world out of everyday life is my equivalent to what Alice must have experienced when she fell into that rabbit hole and found herself in Wonderland.

As the ever-so-courteous staff began to get us checked in for the day I realized that I had neglected to pack my bathing suit. Awww...(not the aaah I was looking for. This is more like 'Awww Mom, do I have to take out the trash?') no jacuzzi for me! Although this is a European spa and clothing is optional, I'm not nearly that much of an exhibitionist. Just then, the staff explained that their jacuzzi was currently out of service so they were offering each of us a complimentary private signature bath -- aaah.

Parading around in our cushy robes and squishy sandals, my friend and I enjoyed the steam room and sauna prior to our scheduled facials. We waited in the dim lit lounge with a large stone fireplace sipping the fruit enhanced spa water. Aaah -- it's good to be pampered.

My name was then called by a cute, young, blond gal who would be my aesthetician. She walked me back to the treatment room and began to explain the different types of facials and what might be good for my skin. She asked if there was anything in particular that I would like help with and I replied, "Can you wave a magic wand and make my wrinkles disappear?" She chuckled a little, and continued with her description of the nourishing facial. I agreed that this was probably the best choice for me and she replied, "It's my mom's favorite too". I thought, 'HOW OLD DO YOU THINK I AM?!?!' She had to have been at least 25 and equated me to her mother more than once. As far as I was concerned, we were done talking. She just needed to work her wonders on my face and shut up.

I think I made my point when she needed to step out for a minute and I told her that I'd probably be asleep when she got back. For 80 minutes I laid under the heated blankets with my hands dipped in paraffin inside terry cloth gloves as she cleansed my face and massaged my neck, shoulders and head. I let my thoughts wander and drifted off into my happy place while she used her Houdini-like moves to manipulate my body and remove sheets to reach my lower extremities without exposing me. Aaah - pure relaxation. I really must have fallen asleep since I startled and awakened myself with a little snore. (heehee)

When our facials were finished, they escorted us to our baths. Aaah -- there is something quite decadent about having a soothing mineral bath drawn for you. Not to mention the sliced oranges, glass of spa water and cucumbers placed on your eyelids. I'm glad that the jacuzzi was out of commission.

Using all of the spa's wonderful amenities, we got ourselves put back together and readied ourselves for the real world. The sun was so shockingly bright when we opened the door it almost made our 4 hour experience feel as though we'd just walked out of a dream. Aaah -- but what a glorious dream it was. Thanks Baeba!