Happy Belated Birthday To My First Baby Boy

My oldest turned 21 on Tuesday June 9th, and all I can say is where the hell did the time go anyway?? Seems like just yesterday the nurse laid him on my chest, and he stared back at me with those big beautiful dark eyes....and I fell in love with him in that instant. And I fell hard. And even now he continues to amaze me with all that he is and all that he will be. Happy 21st birthday Christopher Joseph!! You make me more and more proud every single day and I am lucky to call you my son.

Hard to Believe She's All Grown Up

Burda and Zack after graduation.

Maybe not the best picture but absolutely my favorite! Look at that smile!

All my babies together. And Critter is holding the flower Burda gave to me after she got her diploma. And that is when the waterworks got serious! Thought I could hold it together, but not so much. Turned into a blubbering mess, but she was no better so it was all good.

Congratulations Graduate!

I can't even begin to explain how proud I am of this little girl! Tomorrow marks the end of high school for her, but it is only the beginning of the best time in her life! I am so blessed to have been a part of this journey, and I am so excited to see where her life will take her. I love you baby girl! Congratulations!!

Kickin' It Old School For Her Birthday

Happy Birthday Carin!! And in case you are wondering, why yes, that is a super snazzy one piece pantsuit she is wearing!! :) Love you sis!!

We're The Weeds.....

He is the shorter white weed in blue jeans and the dark green shirt. Made me giggle outloud, a lot!! And now that song it stuck in my head. Great!!

Senior Prom 2009

Burda with Grandpa Jack & Grandma Sherry

The whole clan, including Zack...he is now officially part of the family, whether he likes it or not.

Burda and Little Man (giving his very bestest cheesy smile)

Ahhhhh...aren't they just the perfect couple?!!

For Those Like Me That Missed It!!!

So, tonight was soccer practice for Little Man, and like we do every Tuesday night during American Idol, we set the DVR. And I am not gonna lie, this season my main reason for watching the show is the guy in this video, Adam Lambert. Well, he performed last and through NO FAULT of my own, the DVR stopped recording right before his performance. Seriously.....right before he took the stage. That was R-O-N-G wrong man!! But thanks to the amazing and wonderful interweb...here it is. Thought I would share just in case there was anyone else out there that might be looking for it. And two number one salutes to FOX for running over and messing up my DVR!

I know that I have not had a good ol' music rant yet on the new blog, but if you read the old one....this is what I mean when I say a singer has to be able to sit alone without all the techno crap. This is what I want to hear....not Britney and a synthesizer. Just sayin....

Scanning Some Old Pictures

Just look at that face...they just don't come much more adorable that that. I had to do some pretty creative cropping on this one....there was a little too much Critter peeking out from under that towel!

The hubby and Burda the summer we spent our vacation in Estes Park. Just does not get cooler than that.

There are a bunch more that I want to share, but our scanner decided to be a real POS and stopped working. Hopefully there will be more to come when I get it figured out.

Answers to the Arguments

I am copying this from my son's blog, and he in turn plagiarized it from Facebook, but I think it addresses most of the arguments I have heard in the last few days against gay marriage. I personally believe if you oppose same-sex marriage it really comes down to your religious beliefs and opinions. And while I would fight to the death to defend your right to worship as you choose, I do not believe that gives you the right to force those beliefs and opinions on me. So, when you are reading the post below...try to do it with an open mind, and read beyond the sarcasm.

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.

One Step Forward

I wonder if the fact that it was a unanimous decision will matter to the opponents? And I know the fight is far from over, and a constitutional amendment will probably end up on the ballot, but the soonest that can happen would be 2012. And hopefully between now and then the opponents of gay marriage will see that the same-sex couples that were able to marry did not somehow rise up and take over the world. We will not be plunged into total darkness, and there will not be religious persecution for those that disagree. The most amazing thing about this country is that we can all have very different belief systems but still peacefully co-exist as long as each and every one of us treat others with respect and dignity. The same-sex couples I know are not looking for special treatment......just equal treatment. Simple as that. Today I am very proud of my little state and its Supreme Court.

Then and Now

The top video is him today, and the bottom is him cruisin' me around last June (that explains his shorts!) and notice how much faster he is going now. And yes, that helmet conversation did come up! Going to the Honda dealer this week as a matter of fact! He gets his fearlessness from him daddy!

All Grown Up

Tomorrow Critter and Burda will be boarding a plane bound for Seattle Washington for their first ever Spring Break adventure. While I am more than a little excited that they get to take this trip together, I can also come up with a million reasons why they shouldn't. Horrible plane crash, terrorist takeover, Ebola breakout....the list goes on and on. But that is just the helicopter mom in me and I know none of these things will happen, and they will have an amazing time and make memories to last a lifetime. I just cant believe that the kids in that picture (with my niece Mallory and nephew Dustin) are old enough to be traveling across the country on their own. But they are, and I hope they have more fun than they can possibly imagine!! I love you guys!! Take lots of pictures to share, and be safe!!

jl

PS--I need to thank my bro, since I jacked these pictures from his Facebook album. Thanks Bro!! :)

Where to Start

It seems pretty odd to have this blank canvas of a blog again. I didn't know when I started back in October of 07 how much I would like doing it, and now that I have to start all over it seems a little overwhelming. Silly, huh. So, lets start with the weekend....I am officially starting mine right now! It has been a while since I have taken a day off, and with the new client coming on, there have been some long hours. But tomorrow is all mine. No office, no phone, no email. Just sleeping in and relaxing. The hubby is off too so we have planned a movie day. I just might run around in jammies all day long. With the free time I will try to post some pictures I need to get off the memory card, and maybe come up with a new and witty post. Or, maybe it will be just the same old same old. But either way it is time to get back to it.

jl

Let's Try This Again....

So, the old blog seems to be having some issues, and since I am not smart enough to figure out what the hell is going on, I am throwing in the towel and starting over here. So, welcome to the new digs....feel free to hang around and visit often!

jl