He Is The Decider

I thought this was on youtube, but couldn't find it. For those of you that like W, this is probably not for you, unless you have a sense of humor. For the rest of you, click here and enjoy!

Daryl's Court Date

A lot of you commented on my post, 'Thank You' back on September 14th. Some of you knew what was going on, and a lot of you didn't, and you still lent me your support through your comments - thank you so much for that. I will blog about this tonight, because this week was the conclusion to our nightmare. In July of this year, D got a ticket from a DOT officer. (He's a truck driver.) He gave the ticket to his boss, as it was equipment violations, and not having the proper paperwork in the truck. His boss said, "I'll take care of it." And that, D thought, was the end of it. Not so much. On September 11th, some lady hit D's truck at a job site, so D called the police to report the accident, per company policy. The police said there would be no citation, as it wasn't D's fault. But - D had a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear in court. They arrested him. He called me, but I was in a meeting and didn't answer. He called his work, and the manager said, "We'll bail you out today." Unbeknownst to me! Well, about a 1/2 hour later, I have two messages on my phone from the receptionist at D's work. She didn't leave any details in the message. I have been married to two truck drivers, and the only reason they call the wife is if there's been an accident. I immediately went into panic-mode! When I called back, she tells me, "No, he's not in the hospital, he's in jail." I asked her if she had the right wife! D? In jail? WTF? So she tells me that in order to bail him out I need $780. Yeah, I'll just pull that right out of my ass! No prob! Now I didn't know what this was all about. I had NO details. D couldn't call me from jail, because we don't have a land line...only cell phones. So, the 1st 24 hours, I did a lot of brainstorming, etc., and did the dance around Vicki telling her Daddy was on an out-of-state run, and his truck broke down. I couldn't exactly tell her that her hero was in jail - jail is for bad guys! The next morning (Wednesday), I went to a bail bondsman and told him my sob story. I needed collateral equal to the bail amount. The only thing I had was my wedding & engagement rings. I took them off and started crying. It was an awful experience. So Jerry, the bondsman, went down to bail D out. He said D would call me when he was released - probably within 4 hours. That was at 10:30 a.m. 24 hours after his arrest. At 3:00, I called the automated number to see when D would be released, and found out they moved him to a different jail (Durango). I called Jerry, and he said, "Go visit him." So I did. What a catastrophe! I got there just as they were getting a bunch of inmates off the bus together. I saw D in his black & white jail stripes, with pink flip-flops, handcuffed to another prisoner (pink handcuffs, too). I'm so glad he didn't see me at that moment. So there I am, waiting to see him. My number will be called soon. A voice comes over the loudspeaker telling everyone that the jail is now on lockdown - go home - visiting hours are over. WTF? So, I go home for another sleepless night. Me & Rascal in the recliner again. The next morning, I called the automated number and it said he was released at 5:00 a.m. Um, ok...it's 7:00! Why hasn't he called? Oh, yeah, and they moved him to yet another jail (Lower Buckeye)! So I truck on down to that facility and very calmly ask where my hubby is. They told me that it could take 10-12 hours from that release time before he's actually released! Well, snapped. I started screaming like a crazy woman about 48 hours in jail for a f'ing failure to appear in court...and quite a few other choice words. All of a sudden, there was a hand on my shoulder, and I heard these words, "Ma'am, if you don't leave immediately, I'm going to take you into custody." Um, ok, I'll be going now. So I sat in the parking lot and cried. Then I went to work. D was released at 10:30 a.m. that day, exactly 48 hours after his arrest. What we didn't realize is that his company wouldn't back him up. And that there were criminal charges filed against him. So his court date was yesterday, and he pleaded to 1 of the lesser non-criminal charges, and all others were dropped, and the bond released. I got my wedding rings back today. The only time I was happier to see them was the very first time! It had been 83 days without them on, and one of those days was our anniversary. So again, thanks everyone for your support. I would especially like to thank Aaron, Veronnica, Ted, Julie, Mark, Ingrid and Kramer. I really couldn't have gone through this without your support!

I Just Couldn't Resist!

It's a good thing I know my husband loves me, because I think he might be a little bit upset when he sees this! Click here to see us as elves! It takes a few minutes to load, but it's funny! Enjoy the laugh!!!

It's Time To Award Great Blogs!

Some of you may have noticed that I recently added the Llamalicious Blogger Award to my sidebar. This was bestowed upon me by none other than one of my favorite bloggers, Simply Curious Girl.

Now it's my turn to pass the award on to blogs that I feel are deserving! I think these blogs are exciting and funny...and sometimes I learn new things when reading them! All I ask is that you pass this award onto others that you feel are deserving of it. And the winners are (drumroll, please):

Jane Smith

Kim1Champ(bump)

Queen B

JennAnn

Ruth Anne

Teri

Shannon

V

Now, add your award to your sidebar and show it off with pride!

Belated Birthday Shout-Out To My Sister Gayle

My sister Gayle, a.k.a. The Mayan Princess, had a birthday on Thanksgiving Day. Her nickname, The Mayan Princess, comes from our trip to Mexico last November. Gayle, you will be forever known as The Mayan Princess to me!

Gayle, I am truly blessed to have you as a sister. You are older and wiser, and offer great advice. You have the best sense of humor out of the three of us and I miss having you nearby. I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

And now, my favorite quote that makes me think of you: I smile because you are my sister. I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!

Love ya!

The Christmas Season Has Begun

It wouldn't be official without the Nelson family annual trip to the opening night of Glendale Glitters. This is the city of Glendale's annual holiday festival. It's a lot of fun, and we have made it a tradition to go on the first night. Here are some pics from the event:

The petting zoo was great. The look on Vicki's face is because the donkeys were making funny noises!

This little piggy was hiding under the sheep. They had about 10 little piggies in the pen, and they were all very afraid!

Vicki took the camera and got this pic of the little piggy underneath the sheep! She's a better photographer than I am!

My Old Man

Yes, I can really call him that, now! Not only will he be a grandfather in a few short months, but he now rides with a windshield!


Now, I give him crap about riding with a windshield, but Vicki is the queen of giving him crap! She called him a wimp as soon as she saw it!


Confuscious say: He who rides with windshield is old!

This Is What I Get For Complaining

Some of you may know that I'm going to be obtaining my motorcycle endorsement on my license. I'm not there yet, but soon, hopefully.

In the meantime, Big D is building me a motorcycle. It's a 1984 Harley Davidson Ironhead 1000cc Sportster. I really like the bike, and I'm helping him design it.

A few weeks ago, we took the motorcycle for a 400-mile round trip to Parker, AZ. I believe I blogged about the immense pains I had from the seat on the back of his bike. Well, Big D decided that since I complained, I was getting a 'special' seat on my Sportster. Here are the pics.

It's actually a sissy-bar (back-rest) duct-taped to the frame! Very funny, Big D! I think I'll pick out my own seat for this bike! Thanks, anyway!

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all of my friends on blogger a very happy Thanksgiving. May all your turkeys come out moist! This is the first Thanksgiving in three years that I'm not dreading the holiday. Three years ago on Thanksgiving 2004 was the last time I saw my Dad before he passed away. We knew he was dying, so I spent a lot of quality time with him. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with the whole fam damily! We went for a ride in his truck to Dunkin' Donuts (his favorite coffee, too). We sat and talked. We sat in silence. I cried, a lot. When I left for the airport to come back home, saying goodbye to Dad was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my adult life. I knew it would be the last time I hugged him and it broke my heart. After he passed away in January 2005, I thought I would be ok by the holidays. I wasn't. The following June (2006), I started taking anti-axiety medications. I am happy to say that this is the first holiday that I have been "off the meds" and I am feeling good. I am able to have happy memories without crying for the first time in a very long time. This year, the holidays will be great again. So, again, I hope all of you have a very happy Thanksgiving, because I truly will this year.

I Just Don't Get It

Last week 1st quarter report cards were sent home. Now, Vicki is a good student; a little chatty, but good. She gets A's and B's, and is actually disappointed when she gets a C. I always tell her that I want her to try her best, and if she does that, I'm happy. So, attached to her report card is something called "The President's Challenge Physical Fitness Program" results sheet. Let me back up a bit. We are not the most physically fit family in the world. But Vicki and I walk, and now jog 3 times a week, we try to eat healthy, etc. She's a little chubby, but my sisters and I went through that stage at her age, too. So this results sheet, for a 'Challenge' that I have NEVER heard of, shows her birth date, height, weight, etc. Then it has all these ratings for things like Curl-ups, V-Sit Reach (whatever the hell that is), One-Mile Run, etc. She did ok, except for the running part. We are not runners. We can barely jog. The only runner in the family is Eric...he was a track star in high school, but he has the body of a runner, too. So, the bottom part of the 'results' sheet has comments in the following categories: Agility, Endurance, Upper Body Strength. It suggests that she should do the following:

• Sit-ups or stomach crunches 10 minutes/day, 5 days/week
• tennis, handball or basketball 3 times/week
• jogging 20 minutes/day, 3 days/week
• push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, or working with dumbbells 4 times/week

Now, even though I think that list is a little excessive for a 9-yr-old, I told her that we'll start working out a little more together. Let me remind you, she wants to do this...I am not forcing this on her.

Fast forward to yesterday at Vicki's school. D and I went to the Turkey Run at Vicki's request. It's where the kids run a mile and compete for prizes. 1st place wins a turkey, 2nd place and 3rd place each win a pumpkin pie. The girls run first. While they are running, we notice the coach is a little chunky herself. D said, "Is that the coach?" We surmised that it was, indeed, the coach. D said, "Why is she fat?" No lie, here...she was big. And it wasn't muscle...it was fat. One of her thighs equals two of mine. And she was petite, too, so she REALLY didn't wear it well at all. So now I'm thinking about Vicki's 'results' sheet, and how she's supposed to be doing all of this working out to get in shape. The issue here is, if your coach is fat and telling you to work out more, doesn't that make her a hypocrit??

As the girls' race came to an end, we noticed that the coach was talking to the 2nd and 3rd place winners, away from everyone else. D said, "She's probably trying to get their pumpkin pies!"

BTW...Vicki did not come in last, either. She had 7 or 8 girls come in behind her. She's not an overachiever when it comes to physical fitness, but she's my kid and I love her.

Thanksgiving Breakfast

Today, we had our annual Thanksgiving breakfast at work. The food is never a disappointment. Eggs were good, plenty of fruit, pancakes, sausage, etc. It was wonderful.

There is one thing, however, that really bugs me. Starbuck's coffee. Now I'm sure it's wonderful for all you Starbuck's lovers to get a free coffee in the morning, along with a free breakfast. But I gotta tell ya, I think Starbuck's coffee is simply mud in a cup, and the people at Starbucks are laughing at all of you for paying $5 for a cup of mud! Hello??

I tried a cup, thinking, well, it can't be that bad if I make it myself. So a little Splenda and some 1/2 & 1/2, and I went back to my desk. WRONG! It is that bad! I took a sip and immediately felt like the hair was starting to grow on my chest! WTF??!! I really don't understand how anyone can drink this crap!

I'll stick to my Dunkin' Donuts coffee from now on. I hope all you Starbuck's lovers enjoy your mud!

Our Friends Marty & Amy

Our first friends in Arizona were our next door neighbors, Marty & Amy. Even though we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies when we got here (yes, really), we ended up being the best of friends.

Marty & Amy relocated to Texas a while back because of Amy's job. We really miss them dearly, and hope to visit them sometime next year. Marty sent me this picture of them on their new bike in Texas. I love the pic. They look so happy. We miss you guys!

My Pets

I'm posting pictures of my doggies in response to a comment from Teri. Here you go, Teri!

Spotsy is a 12+ year-old Dalmation-Border Collie mix. She has been with us for 2 years now, and she is a lover, not a fighter.

This is Rascal, aka: Little Boy, Little Buddy, Pasquale. He's a 7.5-year-old Daschund-Sharpei mix. I just call him my mini-Rottweiler!

Hey, Mom, Are You OK?

Last night, Vicki and I walked the dogs to the park. The usual routine is that I walk two laps around the park with the dogs while Vicki plays on the playground. Well, I walked for a bit, and I'm not sure what got into me but I decided to jog. My doggies were very happy about this for one lap, and one lap only! When I got to the playground section of the park on my 1st lap, Vicki saw me jogging and yelled (as loud as she could), "Hey Mom! Is everything ok? Why are you running?" I had to stop for a moment because you can't laugh and jog at the same time! I told her I was fine, I was just jogging. One the second lap, Spotsy, my dalmation-border collie mix, kind of slowed down a bit, and looked at me as if to say, "Hey lady, one lap was good, but two? Not so much." So next time I will only run with my little Rascal. I guess Spotsy is just too old, now. I'm not sure how long this jogging will last, but I'm hoping I can take off a few more pounds before Christmas arrives!

Walk to D'Feet ALS

Hey, everyone. On January 19th, 2008, I am once again participating in the Walk to D'Feet ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). For those of you that are not familiar with this disease, I envy you. Here is a link to get some quick info on this debilitating and deadly disease. My father, George Studley lost his battle with ALS on January 18, 2005, just 3 short days after I completed that year's walk. He never saw the team shirts we got made up. He never saw the team shirt that our whole team signed for him. (It got there the day after he passed away.) He knew of my efforts in the walk, and appreciated them. My team name is Dad's Desert Angels, and Dad loved the name. I think my Mom and my sisters will agree, Dad was always larger than life to us. And to watch him waste away with this terrible disease just shattered us. I participate in this walk for many reasons, but the top two are: 1. It is my wish to help eradicate this disease so other families will not have to endure what we all went through. 2. I still feel a bit guilty for living nearly 3,000 miles away when Dad got sick. I'm thankful that I got to see him on Thanksgiving in 2004. Please follow this link to my personal walk page, and donate if you can. I appreciate any help I can receive in getting to my personal goal. Thank you.

Pass The Cheer

So, I'm a little late on this one, sorry! I'm highlighting some of my favorite posts from the HCBC and I'm also including some from my other favorite blogs, too. Kim - I love it when people act surprised that pregnancy sucks! Don't worry, Champ, it won't last forever! Queen B - Notes on cars are hysterical! You inspire me to leave more notes! RuthAnne - I cannot tell you how hard I laughed when I read this! Teri - This is so sweet! Jenn Ann - Will is very sweet - you're lucky to have each other! Jane - I'm still wondering who ate the pie! Shannon - Because it was for us, and it really hit home. V - I still cannot believe people think that looks like a butterfly on a golf ball! Big D - You are my one and only! ILY!

What A Difference

If anyone had any question as to whether D and I have lost weight over the past year, please see my friend Shannon's blog here. She took the time to post these awful pics of us, and then the good pics of us. I nearly choked on my Slimmy when I saw them! I think my comment reflects that! Feel free to leave a comment on Shannon's blog.

A Veterans Day Tribute

This is a shout-out to all veterans, young and old. I want to thank each and every one of you for your service. You have preserved our rights, all of them, and it is my promise not to take those rights for granted.

I would like to take a moment to honor some of my favorite veterans:

My father, George F. Studley

My uncles:

Harold Studley

Robert Studley

Russell Studley

My brother-in-law, Mark Nelson

My father-in-law, Leif Nelson

My father-in-law is a highly decorated WWII veteran, and is also the only one on my list that is still with us today.

Most of you know that I have 3 kids that are currently active duty military. They are:

Samantha Nelson, US Navy, Virginia

Eric Nelson (and his wife Toshia), US Air Force, Korea

Rex Nelson (and his wife Deja), US Navy, Japan

I would like to honor them, as well, as they are our future vets. We love you guys!

Happy Veterans Day!

Funny for Today

From the Northwest Florida Daily News comes this story of a Crestview couple who drove their car to Wal-Mart, only to have their carbreak down in the parking lot. The man told his wife to carry on with the shopping while he fixed the car in the lot. The wife returned later to see a small group of people near the car. On closer inspection, she saw a pair of male legs protruding from under the chassis. Although the man was in shorts, his lack of underpants turned his private parts into glaringly public ones. Unable to stand the embarrassment, she dutifully stepped forward, quickly put her hand UP his shorts, and tucked everything back into place. On regaining her feet, she looked across the hood and found herself staring at her husband who was standing idly by. The mechanic, however, had to have three stitches in his forehead.

Do You Like Jack-O?

I had the following conversation with Vicki tonight: Vicki: Mom, do you like Jack-O? Me: You mean Michael Jackson? Vicki: I don't know, he has long black hair, but isn't Michael Jackson black? Me: What are you talking about? (at this point, I go to see what she's looking at) Vicki: Look, they're calling him Jack-O. (pointing to the TV) Me: Yeah, that's Michael Jackson. Vicki: I thought he was black. Me: He used to be. I honestly never thought I would be explaining Michael Jackson to my daughter!

Something To Make You Smile

A woman in her fifties is at home, unclothed, happily jumping on her bed and squealing with delight. Her husband watches her for a while and asks, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look? What's the matter with you?" The woman continues to bounce on the bed and says, "I don't care what you think. I just came from having a mammogram, and the doctor says that not only am I healthy, but I have the breasts of an 18 year-old." The husband replies, "What did he say about your 55-year old ass?" "Your name never came up," she replied

Aaron Has Finally Lost It!

Last night, our friend Aaron came over to continue working on his project motorcycle. He seemed to be doing ok, until I saw him sitting on the frame and making "vroom vroom" noises. We're a little worried about him.

Introducing: Our Grandson!

Baby Jayden's scheduled arrival date is April 2nd!

Can You Believe This?

I swear this could only happen to me. I haven't received a summons for jury duty in 7 years! Is this some kind of joke? Are the courts even open the day after Thanksgiving?? Guess I'll find out!

10 Wonderful Years Together

Today is my 10-year wedding anniversary. I bet you didn't know I was married to the best man in the world.

Daryl, I can still remember the night we met, when I called you a cowboy, and George told me I didn't "want any of that". Good thing he was only partially joking - as he was the best man at our wedding!

We have been through some of the most challenging times of our lives together, and we've had some of the most fulfilling times together, as well. Everyone I knew thought I was crazy to "marry the guy with 3 kids", but I knew what I wanted. Raising those kids wasn't all rosy, or peace and light - and I had a few reality checks along the way, but I wouldn't change those years for anything in the world. Everyone now knows: those are "my kids". and you don't mess with them - ever! And Vicki was a wonderful surprise when we thought I couldn't have any children; I can't imagine life without her.

You have taught me to love myself, and accept myself for who I am. I have learned that it's okay to do things a little differently than others do; okay to go off the beaten path. You give me the courage to do those things, day-in and day-out, and if I fail, you are always there to support me.

You are simply, the man of my dreams. You are the song my heart sings to, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Here's to a decade of love, laughs and tears. Let's pull out all the stops and have many, many more!

I love you, Babe. Happy Anniversary!

Happy Halloween!

I was far too tired to post this last night. After 3 hours of trekking around our old neighborhood, all I wanted to do was sleep! Here's my little she-devil...she didn't really need a costume for that!