Yeah, I know....

This morning Zeus mentioned that maybe it was time to shut down this blog since it has been severely neglected for the last three months. To be honest, that thought has crossed my mind. As I look at many of the blogs that I have followed for the last few years it seems that most of them are in the same boat, if not a total lack of posts for months then certainly a slowdown. I have a feeling that Facebook has much to do with that. It is much easier to put up a photo and not have to worry about a lot of words to go with it.

The last seven months have been filled with all kinds of activities. Seems like I've gone from one large project to the next, each one unique and challenging. Along the way I've been fortunate to have the support of family and friends to make the end results successful. Together we have celebrated, laughed, cried, sweat buckets and then laughed some more. My daughters have held me up emotionally through anger, exhaustion and disappointment, always willing to listen to the rants no matter what time or where I called or texted. Zeus has been steady as a rock right beside me, there for advice and comfort whenever needed.

This post has been delayed for so long because I just wasn't sure how to cover everything. It finally occurred to me that the easiest way was to utilize the Shooting blog. Feel free to click on the links.... or not.

May turned out to be an eventful month! The dimple became a permanent addition to my right cheek with no complications. Three months post-op and I have accepted that it is just part of who I am. Photographs can be cruel and the first few times I actually had to confront my new "look" it was tough. Just this morning while out riding it struck me that I will never be able to rob a bank.... too easily identifiable. I guess I could wear a mask...

Bubba graduated from high school! How did that happen? Those eighteen years flew by way too fast! He has grown into a fine young man and we are very proud. Next task, college!


Our Buddhist Obon Festival was held two weeks ago. This year Jubee joined Little and Littlest Miss in dancing with us! She was really nervous but after three weeks of learning thirteen dances she was perfect, as well as beautiful! Two new yukatas were required, along with the accessories, so some construction time in my lair was necessary. The practices are two hours, three times a week. The movements are slow and precise, similar to Tai Chi. Unknown muscles ached for weeks. Who will join us next year? Ice cream treats after every practice. Also, if you dance with us I will take you to Tuacahn as a reward! We had a blast singing along to Glee all the way down to St. George where we saw an amazing production of The Little Mermaid!

My mother celebrated her 80th birthday last week! An open house was held in her honor and it was fun to watch her greet old and new friends at the party. She was absolutely beautiful in her new suit and with that big smile on her face! I love you, Mom! Can't wait until your 90th!

Other activities this summer are the usual riding, swimming and field trips with the kids. Inflatable kayaks are now part of our recreational equipment but so far have only spent two days in the water.

August brings no large events, just relishing the last month of summer before my playmates return to school. Hoping to put many more miles on the bikes, rides down the slide at the pool, kayaking on the lakes and rivers and more coinage in the Lucky Penny jar. And maybe a blog post or two....

Life is grand and I am a very lucky woman.

$17.81

$12.84

Click! Click! Click!

Each day during the month of December I look forward to the late afternoon. From 5:00 pm to 5:15 pm the clicking begins. Timers set all over the house take turns tripping and lights begin to go on. The strands of garland, wreaths and our skinny old tree are strung with white lights that cast eerie shadows on the walls. At 11:00 pm the clicking begins again as they all turn off.

Eight timers in all, including one for the two wreaths that adorn the front of the house and one for the wreath in the lair window that only my neighbor can see.

I love all the light. I'm thinking of leaving the tree up all year in the Stupid Room (again, a future post).

$2.51
.45
3.24
1.69
1.28

The Happiest Place on Earth

Three days in Disneyland and California Adventure was everything we had anticipated, and more. It didn't take long for the contagious excitement of the park to affect all of us.

Planning had taken months, dates were finally set and reservations made. Four vehicles filled with fifteen excited kids, ages one year through 71 headed southwest. This would be an extra special holiday because four birthdays were being celebrated.

The Prince (age 1) was content to watch all the happenings from his stroller. He was especially enamored by the beautiful princesses.

Mr. Eris, Jr. (12) is a little more reserved but really enjoyed his time with Bubba (age 17).

The Princess (age 3) took it all in as fast as she could. She is an expert on fairies and princesses and loved meeting all of them.

Jubee (age 14) did it all! She loved the rides and was a super help with the little ones. That grin was on her face the entire time.

Little Ms. (nearly 8) is the fearless one of the group and had carefully measured her height to make sure she could ride all of the scariest rides. And she did!

Bubba gave his tearful mother a hug after only a few hours and thanked her for bringing him. He hauled Littlest around on his shoulders much of the time and loved every second there.

Littlest Ms. , age 5, was wide-eyed from the moment we first entered the park. I believe she was the perfect age and the look of wonderment on her face the entire time was a joy to watch. The above photo was taken at the Princess Lunch where they read a Royal Decree in her honor for her birthday!

Having my entire family together, sharing laughter and making memories is what makes my life complete. Earlier this evening they were all here at our home eating belated birthday cakes and reliving the fun of last weekend. Five cameras had been busy last weekend preserving history. Shutters tripped nearly 1,100 times. The scrapbook is now complete and will sit on the coffee table for months where little hands as well as big hands will open it each time they visit. The smiles on the faces in the photos will bring new smiles as the good times are remembered again and again.

I love you all!

To see more smiles and fun, CLICK HERE.

$.36 found at Disneyland

.06 in Euros found in Death Valley National Park

(numismatising while on vacation is tough work)

It's What Fun Is!

Last Friday was my birthday. About a week ago I realized that I was now closer to 60 than 50, a sobering thought that haunted me for a few days. Although I will always claim to be 39, a calculated number that makes perfect sense to me, Athena and Eris, the increasing number of spots from years of sun make that number slightly unbelievable.

Zeus was out of town for the weekend. When the girls asked about my plans for the day I told them I wanted to go to Lagoon. No kids, no hubbies, just my girls who all love the crazy rides like their mom. They all quickly jumped on board with the idea!

Lagoon is an amusement park located about 25 miles away that has been around since 1900. Just like the zoo, I remember going there as a young child with my family. Dad loved the roller coaster while Mom loved the Tilt-A-Whirl. Both rides are still in operation. Athena and Eris spent lots of time there growing up and like their mother, both love the scariest rides in the park.

We arrived shortly after it opened at 5 pm and went quickly from ride to ride, hitting the steepest, twistiest and fastest thrillers as fast as the lines would let us. The weather was a perfect 80. An added bonus was that Halloween is celebrated all through the month of October. Spooky decorations, interesting creatures and monsters were everywhere.

I braved two new rides this year. In 2001 Athena and Eris took little 9 year old Bubba on the Skycoaster, a giant swing that pulls you up to a height of 143 feet and then lets you free fall at speeds up to 80 mph. I've always wanted to try it. Athena and the Duchess were more than happy to be my swinging partners.

Eris strapped into the Catapult next to me. It was new to both of us and didn't disappoint. After being harnessed into the round metal frame by what seemed like a dozen belts you are catapulted up to 250 ft in the air. I knew immediately that I loved this ride!

After five hours of body slamming and stomach-turning rides it was time for the park to close. It took until Saturday afternoon before I could eat again and my ribs ached for two days from laughing so hard!

Thanks to Athena, Eris, Duchess and Googamus for making my birthday such a Frightmarish success!

$1.86

$3.75

$1.65

$1.75

I'm baaaaaack!

Last post: June 17th... from Canada??? That was six weeks ago! I'm not sure exactly how to update. In fact, that dilemma is part of why it's taken so long to get at it. I don't know where this post is going so it might be a little disorganized and will most likely take more than one day to finish. But here goes...

If you know me personally or have read my blog from afar you are aware that summertime is my absolute favorite season of the year. Zeus knows that I will be off playing at some activity from early morning until late at night. This year is no exception, plus a few bonus experiences along the way.

The lack of posts certainly does not reflect the amount of time working on this computer and finetuning the images on the monitor. For weeks the kitchen island was transformed into my workroom. From that vantage point at least Zeus and I could see each other as he also worked at his desk in The Sanctuario. My cameras have been put through their paces recording births, marriages, graduations, birthdays, dancing and summertime activities. Some of my favorite images will be available at the Shooting Blog for those who might be interested. For those who want the abbreviated version, here goes:

THE WEDDING: The wedding of my nephew and his lovely new bride was incredible! The day was perfect and the never-ending smiles on faces were priceless. The breathtaking setting of the Bountiful LDS Temple and the happiness on their faces made photographing the occasion an unforgettable experience. And it was so much fun! You can see more images here.

BABIES: I love to play with newborn babies. In the first week you can fold them like a pretzel and usually they sleep right through it. In May I was excited to play with the newborn baby of some friends whose wedding I shot three years ago. Little Obi is so cute!

A week later I picked on Bella, the beautiful daughter of our close friends. All of that dark hair was amazing! My own daughters didn't have that much hair until they were three!! (only a slight exaggeration.)

Then nearly three weeks ago Little Miss arrived, our newest great-granddaughter (our family tree is very confusing so I won't even try to explain). She is perfect in EVERY way and I fell totally in love with her the minute I saw her. Her mommy was a good sport about letting me play with her! More images here.

THE POSSE: This new found pleasure of riding has become almost an obsession. The exciting part is that since Eris convinced me that I should try it we have now convinced quite a few others to join us. Athena, who never does anything halfway, is now just as nuts about this sport as we are. The Duchess is riding, as are a number of friends who are affectionately referred to as The Posse. Others are talking about joining us and we welcome everyone! Yesterday was particularly exciting for Athena and me as we helped Jubee take her first laps on a bike. She is nearing 14 years old and had never been on one. She was awesome! Little Ms. Eris will be competing in her first mini-triathlon this next Saturday and you can bet I'll be there with a camera! More posse photos here.

Riding vs. ralking, sorry MoneyWalker. In the summer heat there is no comparison. This morning I spent 2 1/2 hours riding the parkway and loved every second of it. I have found a way to continue numismatizing although it will never be as lucrative as ralking. There is a truck stop wash a short distance from the trail that pays out quite well. I'm thinking that in the fall I will go back to ralking at least once a week but for now, it's riding as often as I can.

That's enough for this post. There are a number of other stories left to be told and hopefully it won't take another six weeks to get them up!

(The totals listed below have been collected over the last six weeks.)

$.91

1.71

.93

1.34

1.13

4.52

1.52

1.80

1.16

1.33

6.37

2.41

Never a dull moment

This last week has been a blur. Every single day on the calendar was loaded with places to go and things to do. Early mornings and late nights were the norm. All of these activities were things that I enjoy doing. A number of bike rides were taken and new paths explored. (Future post to come.) We finally got to the pool yesterday to officially begin our summer holidays. (Another future post.) My cameras have been put through the paces on a number of shoots with some of my favorite people requiring many, many hours sitting in front of my computer culling through well over a thousand shots and editing, editing, editing. (Still a few more posts waiting to be written up.)

Zeus has been out of town for four days and is scheduled to return this evening. It's a good thing he hasn't been around because this house is a total disaster! Clothes piled up on my unmade bed, camera gear and computer equipment scattered all over the kitchen and great room, bike gear in all areas of the car and not a thing to eat in the refrigerator. As I returned home from my ralk this morning I noticed a few weeds that have sprouted up in the yard that even I am embarrassed about.


I have ten hours to put my house back in order, clean the car, pull the weeds, fill the fridge with food and hopefully get in an hour of rest on the patio. Until I return with the promised posts I will leave you with a few of my favorite images from the last week.




Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life?

$2.15 (that includes another paper dollar, two in a week!)

$.91

P.S. MoneyWalker, I haven't forgotten. The package is on my list of to-dos for this week.

Pedicure gone wrong

The guys go to play poker. The gals gather at my house to paint toenails.

This is why my life is never boring.

$1.88

$1.16

The Oath

Being an American citizen is something that I've always taken for granted. I've been fortunate to enjoy the comforts afforded to me simply because of the circumstances of my birth. Travel into rural Mexico and ten eye-opening days in the Philippines gave me a glimpse of true poverty, the likes of which most Americans will not experience and therefore cannot comprehend.


A few days ago we had a chance to witness the Naturalization of Luis, one of our dear friends. The ceremony was held in a small theater in SLC and included 100 new citizens who came from countries as close as Canada and Mexico to as distant as Rwanda. The ages spanned from 18 through 75. The actual ceremony was brief and consisted of the group taking a surprisingly long oath of allegiance. After that the new Americans were given a chance to tell a little about why they were here and what it means to them. I would dare say there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium after the gentleman from Rwanda spoke about his harrowing experiences and his gratitude for the new opportunities that both he and his family now were being given. A standing ovation followed.


I live in one of the reddest states in the nation but am blue to the core. Frustration and disbelief at the one-sided and short-sighted politics that governs our state makes me shake my head til it hurts. Still, being a part of this inspiring ceremony made me take a step back and realize just how lucky that we all are to be here. I can vote. Granted, that vote doesn't usually mean much here but at least I have that privilege.

Congratulations Luis!

$2.49

The Lonely Rhinestone

The popcorn has been vacuumed up off the basement floor. The furniture and decor has been returned to the rightful places. Tutus are in the toy room waiting for the next onslaught of little girls. Images have been edited and printed. Zeus has safely returned home from his short trip to the south.

The photo above is an earring that is without a mate. All I could come up with was the oval rhinestone. Hopefully in all of the excitement of the evening this lonely earring got tangled in some tulle and it will glitter it's way back home. (It does have some sentimental value to me.)

Can you mommies please check your backpacks and toy boxes?

There is a stack of unclaimed items that were gathered up after the storm of XX chromosomes left on Saturday. Among those things are a pink coat (Addi?), a baggie of small clothes, two bags of fingernail polish, some miscellaneous baubles and a large canister of red licorice (get it out!!!).

Some of my favorite photos of that memorable evening have been posted at the Shooting Blog. Click on over to see what fun we had!

$2.05 (I am loving the earlier sunrise and slightly warmer temps!)

The Power of Pink

Move furniture to the garage and other places to make room for mirrors, pink balloons and all kinds of sugary treats. After the house is nearly empty then clear it of any living thing that is male.

Next fill those rooms with piles of velvet dress-up gowns, colorful tulle tutus and other dancing costumes. Bring out boxes of old prom dresses, cheerleading uniforms and pom poms. Set up a table of costume jewelry complete with sparkling rhinestones, pearls and beads. Throw in a stash of feather boas, sequined belts, patent leather purses and a variety of large hats and bonnets.

Now invite ten wide-eyed little girls, ages 6 months through 14 years who had no idea what to expect at the party. Add nine grownup girls who all are in need of being totally silly for a few precious hours.

That was the scene on Friday night. Within minutes after walking through the door my home was total chaos and little girls' clothing was strewn across every surface in the house. Feathers, velvet and tutus were flying all over the place. Sounds of ooohs, aaahs and giggling echoed with each new outfit. The grownup girls were good sports about getting dressed up, even those who are extremely shy about getting in front of a camera.

My shutter clicked over 300 times in those four hours. As I look back through the images I am impressed by the absolute beauty and inner strength of these women.

Every. One. Of. Them.

(Note: I will be spending the next few days editing and will post when they are available. In the meantime the feathers and popcorn on the floor will just have to wait...)

(Additional note: Littlest (purple dress) was suffering from a bad ear infection and spent most of the evening on the couch. She is feeling better now.)

The Estrogen Explosion

Last week we had a girl's night at my home while the guys were at their regularly scheduled poker night. Pizza, bread sticks and cookie dough are the preferred menu. Everyone comes ready to relax and do some major laughing. Month after month the guys manage to sneak away without taking a single child along. Why is that?



This month there were ten children, ages 4 months through 13 (sorry Jubee). Add five mothers. Thirteen of those fifteen bodies had XX chromosomes. Only two XYs were in the house, one downstairs playing a video game and the other on the bed asleep (fitting, no?). You can rest assured that with this many females under one roof there is a potential for high drama, loud laughter and the occasional complaints about cramps and childrearing. The air often smells of nail polish. Topics of conversion run from crafting projects to politics. Every one of the mothers is a successful career woman, each is multi-faceted and incredible.



It makes for a fascinating and lively evening. Way more fun than a boring poker game. Thanks ladies!


$1.60

Procrastination, my middle name

Two months ago I was asked to make an outfit for the Prince's baptism, an honor that I eagerly accepted. The Duchess was warned that it wouldn't get done before the holidays but that it would surely be ready for the special date on the 16th. She promised not to worry about it.

The only instructions I was given about the design were a few "don't do this", but otherwise I was turned loose to design it myself. Okay, it's designed. In my head. Fabric, pattern and notions have all been purchased. The special little adornments have all been received. All that is left is the cutting and sewing.

One problem in the design had been nagging my brain. Last night in the middle of the night the solution came to me, a real duh moment. I realized that a specialty foot that goes on my machine would do the job and it was just sitting in my cabinet waiting to get used. At two a.m. I had to suppress the urge to get up and try it out!

Today has been spent running post-holiday errands. They are all done. Tomorrow has been set aside as a sewing-only day dedicated strictly to this one special project. Better yet, maybe I'll start right now.

$2.21 plus a Sears gift card ($20 balance) and a movie theater gift card ($1 balance)

Note: Wednesday night, 10 pm. Done.

Phew, I'm glad that's over.

2010.

It's been a really interesting year, some very tough experiences as well as some delightful and exciting times. Being the last day of 2009 it's time to take stock again and see where I want the next year to go.

Photography: Aperture is no longer a mystery and is my main mode of shooting. Lighting is also not the horror it used to be. Learning greenscreen was one of my goals for last year and it proved to be loads of fun. I will soon be posting some wild shots done with the Eris clan last month. Oh what the heck, I'll put one here just for grins. I'm hoping to do some more of this stuff so if I can get any volunteers... Goal: shoot more and more and more.

Health: Didn't lose ten but am down five from where I was last year. Hoping for another seven in the next few months. One of my best Christmas gifts was having to exchange clothing for smaller sizes. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I'm bragging! And while we're on that subject, Zeus was able to come out of his spring treatments with a clean bill of health. There were a couple of rough months but he is doing great. Hats off to modern medicine. Goal: more running, less ralking.

Quilting: Not much accomplished last year, just a few baby quilts and tops. Probably about 20 neonatal blankets were delivered. I really need to get that machine humming again. Goal: one sewing finish per month, not necessarily a quilt.

Travel: We made a couple of very nice trips this year although tropical islands weren't in the itinerary. I'm still hanging on to my Puerto Rico scrapbook paper. This next year will probably find us back in Arizona a few times as well as CA. Goal: take that trip with Jan.

Running/ralking: Just a reminder to all those who signed on for the 5k. You have approximately 18 weeks to get in shape. Click here. Goal: Just do it.

Family/babies: We were expecting four or five babies when 2009 began. As it turned out we happily welcomed six new little ones, most of whom call us Grandpa Zeus and Grandma Numi. And surprise, so far we know of two more on the way for next year! Goal: spend lots of time with each of them.

Along with the happy times often comes the sad. We lost a dear brother this year and he will always be missed.

And one more thing, if you look back at last year's New Year's post you will see that Littlest accurately predicted the arrival of another English baby. The gender was a little off but the prediction was correct. Maybe I should chat with her about the coming year...

$1.48

(I love the sign, Jodi!)

Post-holiday Peace on Earth

Thirty minutes ago I sent the last gift out the door. I know, they are a day late, but those two little girl's dresses had to be tried on before the final stitches were put in. They didn't need them until tomorrow anyway. The fabric was gold and red crushed velour and all I could think about while sewing them was a couch from the 70's. The girls love them because they are swingy and ruffly. Eris loves them because they can be wadded up in a ball with nary a wrinkle.

The holiday season was great at the Numi house. The big log cabin party on Wednesday night was as much fun as always (photos in two posts at the Shooting blog). A big thanks to all friends and family who came to share in the good times and eat all of the tasty food. Christmas Eve and morning was as expected, chaotic and noisy. Pajamas were handed out, a new Christmas story was read and the kids went to bed. The problem every year is that Eris and Athena want to stay up all night talking and giggling. All the beds in the house were filled. Couches and floors were also littered with quilts and sleeping family members.

The morning festivities started at 6:30 and by 9:30 all presents had been opened, Zeus' breakfast casserole had been devoured and cars were pulling out of the driveway. Ahhh, time for our relaxing day to begin. No cooking, no kids, no phone, just quiet. Leftovers for dinner, new electronic gadgets to conquer and way too much chocolate to eat.

It's been a busy month. As usual, I look forward to enjoying a slower pace. I know that isn't going to happen for at a few months. Three short trips are scheduled (so far) and the calendar is being updated constantly.

Life is good.

$?.?? (I did go out yesterday afternoon but haven't counted.)

Your contribution is welcomed

IT'S FESTIVUS!!

It's finally here! Get out your aluminum poles!

And don't forget to send your contributions to the Human Fund!

(feel free to send them directly to me and I'll try to remember to forward them on.)

HAPPY FESTIVUS TO THE REST OF US!

Note: If you are unfamiliar with this tradition click here and here.

No panic

Finally, it's a little warmer. Today it got warm enough to dump snow. Only about four or five inches at our house, but then we are in the valley. Benches got about double that amount. It is beautiful. And quiet. And light.

Tomorrow I will get a good start on my shopping. For weeks I've listened as others have bragged (yes, that would be you, Athena) that their gifts have all been dutifully purchased. For some reason I haven't been phased at all by the approaching holidays, almost like I'm denying that they are coming. There is a stack of flannel waiting for transformation into the beloved pajama pants and the day has been set aside for this to happen. A few gift certificates have been purchased but that's about it.

Perhaps the fact that I'm not worried should in itself cause panic.

$000.000

(No, that is not our house on the left, or the right.)

Terror in Red

It's that time of year again when we have the opportunity to terrorize our toddlers.

Whose brilliant idea was it to try to get innocent little two- and three-year-olds to not only accept candy from a weirdly dressed old man but then to go sit on his lap?

We were all prepared yesterday afternoon to watch the Princess and Little Man screech in horror at their first encounter with St. Nick. The Princess did not disappoint. She hung onto her daddy for dear life and couldn't escape fast enough. Little Man walked right up to him and gladly took the green candy cane, then even sat on his lap... for about two seconds. But the brave little soldier didn't whimper, just said "Bye Santa" and headed for the cookies.

Unlike last year when Littlest Ms. treated us to hysterical screaming, this year she was hesitant but compliant. Little Ms., skeptical at age seven was I think checking out his beard to see if it was real. Mr. Eris, Jr. was simply a good sport to get the candy cane.

$ .62 (it was 2 degrees on our front porch at 7 am with icy roads. ugh.)