Melody, Sweet Melody

My sweet Melody went to the other side on November 1, 2001. She wasn't even four years old yet, and she went away. Here is a picture of Melody with her sister Harmony. Goodbye my sweet baby.

Golden Slumbers by The Beatles
Once there was a way to get back homeward.
Once there was a way to get back home.
Sleep pretty darling do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.
Golden Slumbers fill your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep pretty darling do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.

East Coast Friend comes to Town

Chris, John, and I had a week of adventure! Chris took a vacation out to Colorado to visit with John and I for a week. We did lots of fun things! Tuesday: Fort Collins(minus me) and Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs. Wednesday: Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs and Trail Dust Steakhouse. Thursday: Invesco Field Tour, Halloween costume shopping, Dave and Busters, and a quick tour of Downtown Denver on 16th street mall. Friday: Estes Park and Cinzetti's Saturday: Halloween Party with the Adventure Club and Haunted Houses. Sunday: Last minutes with Chris and dropping him off at the airport.

Old Friends

Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
of the high shoes of the old friends
Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends
Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy
Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears
Lyrics by Simon and Garfunkel

Christopher Calabro arrived from New York on Monday, October 24th around 10:30pm. John is holding the sign I made for Chris. Let the fun begin!!!!

Here is Chris and I eating at Beau Jo's on Tuesday, October 25th. I worked during the day, but John and Chris went to Fort Collins to visit Colorado State University. The school that John went to. They went to a vintage record store and ate lunch at the student center. They were trying to blend in with the other college kids, and Chris was checking out the college girls. ;)

John, Chris, and I rode the Cog Railroad up Pikes Peak to the top. We were over 14,000 feet! Here is a picture of us at the top, and we went on Wednesday, October 26th. Afterwards, we went to Trail Dust Steakhouse for dinner.

Go Broncos!!!! Chris, John, and I went to Invesco Field for a tour. We went on Thursday, October 27th. We spent the early part of the afternoon looking at where the Broncos play. Afterwards, we went to a store called Wizard's Chest in Cherry Creek to get our Halloween hats for the party. After that, we went to Dave and Busters.

Boo Boo and I pretended to play this game, but we just wanted the action picture shot. This was at Dave and Busters on Thursday, October 27th.

Dueling Hats

Trick or Treat!!! The attack of the purple nessie. Halloween party at Adriana's house on Saturday, October 29th. After the pot-luck Italian dinner, we went to two haunted houses: Spider Mansion at Heritage Square and Field of Corpses in Arvada.

Boo Boo and I smiling for the camera.

Saying Goodbye

Here is Chris at the ticket counter checking in to go back to New York.

A Lot of Oysters, but No Pearls...

Just Relaxing

Boo Boo, Harmony, Cimbi, and I are just sitting around and doing nothing today. John and I are playing Animal Crossing again! We created a new town called Wantagh, and we are having fun meeting new people and finding new items. It helps pass the time, while we wait for the new teal and pink Nintendo DSs to come out. They come out October 24th---the same day as our friend Chris Calabro comes to Denver to visit us for a week. Guess what John and I will be playing, while we wait for the plane to land?! The DS Animal Crossing comes out the first week in December, so we have to wait on that.

The End of a Chapter

Mike Piazza of the NY Mets played his last game as a Met yesterday. I'm not sure if he is retiring from baseball or just the Mets. I'm not the fan like John is, but I like it when the Mets win. When I think of Mike Piazza, I think of the NY Mets. It's sad to see him go. So long Mikey!

Here We Go Again....

Poor New Orleans has gotten hit again, this time from Hurrican Rita. Here is a picture of a very sad dog on the only bit of dry land left. The storm surged, and the levees broke. New Orleans was still pumping out water when this new storm dumped more water on top of them to deal with. The storm is heading for Texas, and the hurricane season of destruction continues for another month. Sadly, there is a price for beauty!

What I Did Last Weekend

On Friday, September 9, 2005, John and I went to Estes Park with my parents to attend the Estes Park Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival. Here is the sweet Nessie wading in the water. Occasionally, canons are fired at her---Bastards!!!! Thankfully, she was safe! Long live Nessie!!!!

Me in the cabin my parents rented while John and I were in Estes Park. John and I stayed the night in this dreadful cabin. It had a nice view, but we slept on a sleeper sofa...yuck! My parents said it looked better in the pictures. John and I also went to see "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". Very funny movie, but I don't recommend seeing it with your parents.

Stessed out sheep trying to recuperate between border collie demonstrations.

A Scottish band, I think they were from Scotland. Not all the performers were from Scotland. Some were Americans, Canadians, Irish, and of course Scottish. I wonder if they really are bare under those kilts? I wonder?!? ;)

On Saturday, September 10, 2005, John and I attended baby James's 2nd birthday party. Has it really been 2 years? Geez they grow so fast! James had a Spiderman themed birthday. As you can see, there was Spiderman carnage everywhere. "Don't worry my spidey friends I can get out of this mess!"

That's Brisk baby!!!! John enjoying a cold one!!

James having fun in the sun at his birthday party!

On Sunday, September 11, 2005, I went to the first Adventure Club of the 2005-2006 season. John stayed home to watch the Broncos, but he joined us later at Beau Jo's for some pizza and good times with friends. We went to Mount Evans first and than on to Breckenridge. This is a picture of me with Annie and Kimmie on a rock at the summit of Mount Evans. We were at 12,000 feet. Mount Evans is over 14,000 feet, but they close down the road to the top after Labor Day. Oh, well! Can you see the thinner air?

In Breckenridge, some of us went to listen to music, but Kimmie, Ramon, Adrianna, Aaron, and I walked around and shopped. It was fun, but I really missed my Boo Boo. I was happy he met up with us at the restaurant. On the way through the Eisenhower, we saw a rain/snow mix coming down. Winter is just around the corner!!! Overall, it was a good day!

Four Years Ago Today....

Now I know, "Spanish Harlem" are not just pretty words to say.
I thought I knew, but now I know the rose trees never grow, in New York City.
Until you've seen this trash can dream come true,
You stand at the edge, while people run you through.
And I thank the Lord, there's people out there like you.
I thank the Lord there's people out there like you.

While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,
Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers,
Turn around and say, "Good Morning" to the night.
For unless they see the sky, but they can't and that is why.
They know not if it's dark outside or light.

This Broadway's got, its got a lot of songs to sing,
If I knew the tune I might join in.
I go my way alone, grow my own.
My own seeds shall be sown, in New York City.
Subways no way for a good man to go down,
Rich man can ride, and the hobo he can drown.

And I thank the Lord for the people I have found,
I thank the Lord for the people I have found.

While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,
Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers,
Turn around and say "Good Morning" to the night.
For unless they see the sky, but they can't and that is why,
They know not if it's dark outside or light.
By: Elton John

Four years ago, today, tragedy occured. The man responsible still roams free, because our stupid ass president can't get his head out of his ass. Fighting a useless war in Iraq when the man responsible lives in Afghanistan. How sad?! Perhaps, he was never meant to be caught! :(

What Went Wrong?

I have been going to the chiropractor for a little over five months to help me with getting pregnant. I found out three months back that my chiropractor's wife, who handles all the paperwork at the office, was pregnant. I went in today for an adjustment and found out that they lost the baby. She was seven months pregnant! I don't know all the details, because Jason(chiropractor) had a substitute filling in for him. All I know is Vicki(chiropractor's wife) hadn't felt the baby move for a while. She went to the doctor, and they couldn't find a heartbeat. Apparently, the baby died in utero, and I don't know why. I hate things like this! I don't understand how a seemingly healthy fetus just stops living. It makes no sense to me!

I'm posting some lyrics to a song by the Eagles. It isn't the entire song just the part that fits with my post. The song is called the "Sad Cafe".

The clouds rolled in and hid that shore
Now that glory train, it don’t stop here no more
Now I look at the years gone by,
And wonder at the powers that be.
I don’t know why fortune smiles on some
And let’s the rest go free

Maybe the time has drawn the faces I recall
But things in this life change very slowly,
If they ever change at all
There’s no use in asking why,
It just turned out that way
So meet me at midnight baby
Inside the sad cafe.
Why don’t you meet me at midnight baby,
Inside the sad cafe.

The Timeline

This is the timeline, as it unfolded, for Hurricane Katrina.

Friday, Aug. 26: Gov. Kathleen Blanco declares a state of emergency in Louisiana and requests troop assistance.

Saturday, Aug. 27: Gov. Blanco asks for federal state of emergency. A federal emergency is declared giving federal officials the authority to get involved.

Sunday, Aug. 28: Mayor Ray Nagin orders mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. President Bush warned of Levee failure by National Hurricane Center. National Weather Service predicts area will be "uninhabitable" after Hurricane arrives. First reports of water toppling over the levee appear in local paper.

Monday, Aug. 29: Levee breaches and New Orleans begins to fill with water, Bush travels to Arizona and California to discuss Medicare. FEMA chief finally responds to federal emergency, dispatching employees but giving them two days to arrive on site.

Tuesday, Aug. 30: Mass looting reported, security shortage cited in New Orleans. Pentagon says that local authorities have adequate National Guard units to handle hurricane needs despite governor's earlier request. Bush returns to Crawford for final day of vacation. TV coverage is around-the-clock Hurricane news.

Wednesday, Aug. 31: Tens of thousands trapped in New Orleans including at Convention Center and Superdome in "medieval" conditions. President Bush finally returns to Washington to establish a task force to coordinate federal response. Local authorities run out of food and water supplies.

Thursday, Sept. 1: New Orleans descends into anarchy. New Orleans Mayor issues a "Desperate SOS" to federal government. Bush claims nobody predicted the breach of the levees despite multiple warnings and his earlier briefing.

Friday, Sept. 2: Karl Rove begins Bush administration campaign to blame state and local officials—despite their repeated requests for help. Bush stages a photo-op—diverting Coast Guard helicopters and crew to act as backdrop for cameras. Levee repair work orchestrated for president's visit and White House press corps.
Saturday, Sept. 3: Bush blames state and local officials. Senior administration official (possibly Rove) caught in a lie claiming Gov. Blanco had not declared a state of emergency or asked for help.

Monday, Sept. 5: New Orleans officials begin to collect their dead.

Worst President Ever!!!!!

I'm using a picture of cute prairie dogs to show the turmoil that is going on in our world today. I didn't want to use actual pictures, because I find them way too sad. Anyways, here is a list of the tragedies that are occuring as I write:

#1---Hurricane Katrina has bombarded New Orleans, Louisiana & many locations in Mississippi. These places suffered severe damage and loss of life. New Orleans is still flooded! People have been stranded everywhere and without food and water for FIVE DAYS!!!!!! Where the hell is our presdient to help these people....oh, he was busy playing golf. He finally went to those places yesterday, in a helicopter of course. It took him five days to get help to these people. Pregnant women, babies, elderly, and anybody else have been without food and water suffering. Most of these people are black---coincidence, sadly I think not. I thought racism was slowly becoming a part of the past but unfortunately it is alive and well. This is not acceptable for people to be treated this way! I can't believe this man has the title of president by his name!

#2---Cindy Sheenan has been camping out in Crawford, Texas where Bush has been on vacation. She is waiting for our president to grow some balls and speak to her about why her son had to die in Iraq. Cindy is now following Bush back to the White House to camp out there to get him to speak to her. Why are we there fighting this war? What have we accomplished by being there? How many more soldiers and innocent people have to die?

#3---Speaking of Iraq, we are still there fighting this bullshit of a war. Why are we still there? Why are you allowing this to turn into another Vietnam? Bush, why don't you have a conscience and a soul? What the hell is wrong with you!?

All I have to say is I can't believe this man! It is so sad that he is in charge, because he is sending us all to hell!

I'm going to post the lyrics to a song from the Byrds, a classic! It was a song that came out during Vietnam, and it still fits for our world today.

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

A Year has Come and Gone

Well, it has finally been a year and nothing. It is really hard to keep your head up when you just don't understand what is wrong. I'm a good person---John is a good person, and we would make good parents. I just don't get it! John always says my blogs are depressing, but I do try to write happy things, too. Maybe someone will read my blog and know what I'm going through and offer up some advice. Then again, probably not because I don't think anyone reads my blog, except for John and maybe Chris Calabro and Jeanette (John's mom). Anyway, I don't know what else to say, so I'll use a song to speak for me.

Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
Though there are clouds in the sky,
you get by...
If you smile through your fears and sorrows.
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through.
If you just light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever, ever so near.
That's the time you must keep on trying.
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find life is worthwhile
If you'll just smile, come on and smile.
If you just smile.
Song by: Lyle Lovett (Hope Floats Soundtrack)

AM 760's Birthday Bash

Here is a picture of John with his favorite Liberal---Randi Rhodes!

John and I went to the Boulder Broker Inn on Friday, August 26th for AM 760's Birthday Bash. It is a progressive talk radio station. I don't listen as often as John, but we both enjoy listening to Randi Rhodes. Randi belongs to a radio show called Air America, which is based out of New York. Now all we need is to meet Al Franken and Jeanne Garofalo---two other liberals and well-known actors.

John and I had a lot of fun, but I thought I was going to pass out from lack of food. They had appetizers and cake, but it was not very filling. I refused to eat the cake, because people were getting the cake out with their bare hands. YUCK!!! Thankfully, after we saw and briefly met Randi, we went to Old Chicago with our friend, Damon. We had fun walking down Pearl Street Mall in Boulder observing the college newbies. We also ran into my brother, Michael after leaving the restaurant. :)

John and I celebrating and having fun!

Me surrounded by tons of people!

Rabbit

The rabbit is still okay! *sigh*

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday! It was my second birthday as Mrs. Blanco, and I'm loving every minute of it. My Boo Boo got me great presents: Sim Mania, The Sims Makin' Magic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book, and a cute bunny. If the bunny looks familiar, it's made from the same company that made Manhattan the skunk. :) I love my presents, and I love my Boo Boo. Yesterday was a lot of fun!

Here is me being embarassed by my family! We went to Traildust Steakhouse for dinner, and they came out to sing Happy Birthday to me afterwards. It wasn't too bad, and I got to make a wish on my birthday. :)

Earlier in the day, John and I went to the DCPA to listen live to a progressive radio talk show host from North Dakota. His name is Ed Schultz, and he was entertaining to listen to. We went with four other friends, and we had fun being around other proud Democrats. We will make this state blue! :)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Here is a picture of me at the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek. I'm waiting (along with John, Kevin, and Annie) for the release of the new Harry Potter book. Quite the cast of characters! We saw a lot of obsessed people dressing up like all sorts of characters from the book. My favorite is the guy who looked like Hagrid. It worked cause he had the body type and the height.

We ended up staying at a bed and breakfast called The German House in Greeley. Interested choice! The place was nice and it had a pool, but the breakfast wasn't too exciting. Usually, B&B's have these elaborate breakfasts with lots to choose from. This one was very light almost like a continential breakfast you would get at a standard hotel. Otherwise, I pretty much liked everything else---give or take a few things! I was hoping we would have been staying in the mountains where it would have been a lot cooler and a lot less smelly. Greeley is where I went to college for my Bachelor's. It's a nice little town, but it is surrounding by farm land and Monfort Slaughterhouse is close by. I like to refer to Greeley as Cowtown USA for obvious reasons. Moo! :)

This leads me to the book! The book was great, but it had a very sad ending. A character I liked was killed at the end. I guess he had to die for important events to come, but it was still sad. John and I didn't read as fast as Annie and Kevin but part of that was due to the fact we kept falling asleep. Kevin finished the book around 8:30pm, Annie around 10:00pm, and John and I finished 3:30am: Sunday morning. Needless to say, we are very tired but at least we finished the book. Now we will have to wait another couple of years to find out how it all ends! ;)

Me, Kevin, Annie, and John

Harry Potter Weekend

John and I will be off soon to the Humble House to pick-up Kevin and Annie to go to an undisclosed Bed and Breakfast. Kevin is mum to where we are going, but we know it is about an hour to an hour and a half out of Denver. We will travel to our secret destination, play around for a while, eat some dinner, play some more, than travel back to Denver to the Tattered Cover to join in the mayhem of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening release. I'm very excited about this endeavor! We will then travel back to the B&B, and rest for a spell. When we wake up, we will be reading the book all day. It will be great fun! :)

Sammy

Sammy the Stem Cell

Stress

I saw this picture on the internet, and I thought it was funny. It also symbolizes how I've been feeling about some things lately. Feeling very hectic and chaotic. Feeling as if my life is a little out of control---okay, a lot out of control. I've been working on it, but some things are just out of my hands.

Tag 2005

Who will be next?

John trying to run away.

Yesterday, John and I went with some friends to Manitou Springs to play tag. These friends are some of the Adventure Club crowd. We had to wait a little bit before playing, because it was raining. After a while, the rain stopped and we first played Russian volleyball. The playground dried up enough so we could play tag. I'm happy to say that I tagged the impossible Kevin, although he was hiding when I did it. If I had to chase him, I'm sure he would have gotten away. He is very fast! John also tagged Kevin, and he was running after him. Lucky! We had BBQ for dinner, and we went back to the tag site to play some more Russian volleyball. On to Sonic for a treat, and then we parted ways and went home. Of course, John and I couldn't find our way out fast enough---damn Manitou Springs and your bad signs.

Fun Day for Tag

John and I are going to Manitou Springs to play a game of tag with our Adventure Club friends. It should be fun, but I'm feeling like something I don't want is about to rear its ugly head. Besides that, we are going to play to around 8pm and then we will go to a restaurant for dinner.

As for now, I have trading in most of my VHS movies and now I need to replace some of them with DVDs. It was so sad to see my movies go---I had some good ones! Oh well, I'll just have to have fun replacing the ones I really wanted. :)

"You Should See My Scars"

My dad had two tests done today. One is a pet scan, I think. The other scan requires putting radioactive material into your body, and they do a scan to see if you have any cancer. So basically if the scan doesn't show anything, it might show up later 'cause you just allowed doctors to put radioactive material into your body!!! I don't understand why my dad is gambling with his health so much. Why does he keep letting these doctors mess with him? Doctors' intentions are usually money related---they generally don't care about you!!! Sad but true!....."I'm only happy when it rains!":(

4th of July Celebration

John, Jackie, and I went to Idaho Springs for a 4th of July celebration. We first ate at Beau Jo's pizza, and then sat outside for three hours waiting for this production to start. While we waited, we played a new card game called Monopoly. We had fun even though John won every game. However, the fireworks display was kind of lame. The fireworks went off one at a time with second delays in between, and Jackie had a hissy fit about the blanket and the streetlight. It's really not worth getting into, but she made a comment early about communicating with people when you have a problem....hmmmmm, possible words to live by...maybe. ;P Oh, well! We're still friends, so everything is kosher again. Why do holidays always seem to bring the worst out of people? It should be the other way around! Anyway, the 4th is over and now I have my birthday to look forward to. Hooray! :)

Fireworks

Jackie and John

It's the 4th of July!

Today is the 4th of July! We will celebrate the 4th in Idaho Springs with a fireworks display and Beau Jo's pizza. Jackie will join John and I on our little adventure into the mountains. Have a Happy 4th and don't blow yourself up with illegal fireworks! ;)

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!!

It's finally July, my birthday month! Although, my birthday is not until July 29th. I don't know what we are going to do yet, but I think my family and John are taking me to Traildust Steakhouse for my actually birthday. I think John and I will go to Red Lobster the next day. One of my favorite places! I don't know what I want for my birthday, well I know---but I have no control over it. If you have been reading my blog, then you know what I'm refering to.

Today, John and I are going to Frisco, which is in the mountains. We are meeting up with my parents to walk around and later have dinner. They are staying up there for the 4th of July weekend. Hopefully, it is a lot cooler in the higher elevations, because it is way too hot down here.

Another One Under My Belt

I have finally finished a mural I was working on all week for a young family. They wanted a mural for their baby's playroom. I'm very happy with how it came out and so are they. Even the baby smiles at it with glee. I'm hoping only more inquires will come my way! :)

Goddard Class Picture

From left to right: (Adults) Me, Kellie, & Lori
(Backrow) Jamison, Rebekah, Ian, Jay, Logan L., Avery, Jonathan, Chloe, & Adam
(Front row) Kaymen, Logan K., & Alyson

Here is a picture of my 12-18 months old classroom at The Goddard School. This picture was taken on Tuesday, May 3, 2005. My last day working at the daycare was May 4th and on May 5th, John and I went on our roadtrip to New York. I'm currently working on my mural business, and I'm happy to say that I'm currently finishing up a mural for a child's playroom. They responded to my ad in a local paper called the Columbine Courier. I also finished a mural for my parent's house, and I'm going to continue working on my art. In the meantime, I'm also trying to get a job as a nanny, so I can make some extra money on the side.