Memories

Just for kicks, I am copying my little sister Angel with this post idea. Pretty please ( with sugar on top), read below, and leave a comment -- even you lurkers out there who read and never say a word.

Directions1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory about me. It doesn't matter if you know me really well or if we don't know each other very well at all (like my new blogging friends). The memory can be anything you remember...something recent or something from when we were kids or from when we first met (and even if you only know me through blogging...you can tell me your favorite blog post and why or something). If we know each other really well and we have a lot of memories together just choose your favorite memory, the funniest memory or the first one that comes to your mind.

2. Next, post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory for you if you put this same game on your blog!

Free art lessons, tips, tutorials and demonstrations

Here are some links to free art lessons, tips, tutorials and demonstrations

ArtGraphica Free Art Lessons: Learn how to draw portraits, landscapes, still life... http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/free-art-tutorials.htm

Utrecht: Art & Ed
http://www.utrechtart.com/community/index.cfm?catID=3

Free art lessons:
http://www.freeartlessons.com/lessons.htm

Drawing lessons:
http://www.drawspace.com/

Watercolor Tutorials:
http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm

Learn to Paint Wildlife and Animalsby Jason Morgan Professional Wildlife Artist:
http://www.jasonmorgan.co.uk/Misc%20pages/demos.htm

Enjoy!

The hospital bag....

I am at the hospital all day today, Jimmy is having his Neuropsychological assessment done, it usually lasts all day long. I am supposed to stick around in the hospital, it is going to be a long boring day. There is surprisingly little to do around here, I am prepared: I brought my "hospital bag" It is a bag full of stuff I may need at the hospital: snacks, a book or two, activities for me and Jimmy to do . I used to have a change of clothes in there just in case they kept Jimmy unexpectedly overnight. I don't have the clothes in there anymore, Jimmy is not "in treatment" so there is little chance of him being kept overnight. I pretty much keep my "hospital bag" packed all the time. I guess it is a remnant of the uncertain times when I never knew what the future would bring. It is just one more reminder that in the back of my mind things will never quite be "normal" for me again.

vacation photos

My boys sleeping after a looong day at 6 flags, Actually, we were waiting for my husband when the boys decided to pose this way. I heard my oldest yell "photo op" and turned around to see this. They did get some odd looks from passers by.

San diego: My oldest boy posing in front of front of our ship. Yes, he did have fun with the camera on this trip.

Son #1 posing in a store in San diego. I think I'll save this photo to blackmail him with later.....

Son#2 in the cruse ship dining room

Our second day on the cruise was in Catalina Island. The three oldest boys and their dad went snorkeling and I stayed with our youngest and played on the beach.

They had a climbing wall on the ship, sons #1 and #3 got to the top on the first try. This is son#3 almost to the top.

My youngest also climbed the wall but he never made it to the top.

Son #3 eating escargot on the ship, my boys decided they wanted to try a different new food everyday.

Day 3 on the cruise was Ensenada, where we bartered and shopped here is my oldest eating a taco from a street vendor there.

The last night in the dining room we are clapping for the singing and dancing waiters.

Son #4 as an "adventure pirate" part of the kids club on board the ship.

how we spent our summer vacations...

We went on a family summer vacation this year... It has been a few years since we had a summer vacation. Last year (2007) our summer was so busy that we never had the whole family together for a few days that we could go somewhere. The summer before that (2006) we were spending every spare minute making trips trying to clear up my father-in-laws estate and my son's brain tumor stuff. The summer three years ago (2005) my son was diagnosed the day we were supposed to leave on our vacation, we spent our summer vacation having brain surgeries.

We did do things together as a family, just never an official "all-go-somewhere-together-in-the-summer" vacation. So we finally did it. We took our government stimulus package check and our savings and blew it on a 4 day cruise. we took off, drove 14 hours in our gas-guzzling-minivan, spent 4 days with it with my sister in California, we were 4 days on the cruse and spent another looooong day driving back home. Then I took another 4 days at home to recover.