School, Work, Performances...

wOw, what an amazing time lately...
- Performances and Rehearsals for the Calvary Comedy Show (done now... SO glad)
- Vacations... (done now, NOT glad)
- 2 boys in Junior High... hmmm, not sure how I feel about that (AND the 2 in college, 1 in 5th grade)
- Cole in football practice nearly every day
- TONS of work, which is great, except for the "work" part of it
- getting back into the routine of school... huge for me
- starting Christmas musical rehearsals (SO fun!)


Matt trying on new glasses, hopefully he'll be able to see the board in the classroom this year! Did you notice how it looks like I'm taller than him... yeah, I wish- I'm holding the camera way above my head (no, don't ask me why I do these things... i just do)

On our way home from the cruise... that's JON laying across them. I love how they feel so comfortable with each other and don't mind if one lays on the other... they're really kind that way.

I added this because I look so calm and rested- this is just before Formal Night on the cruise... by this time I had let go of the stress of work, etc. and decided to just be calm... I feel "life" creeping back on me!! aaaaggghhhh.... LOL

Remember, if you're going on vacation!

Stewart Travel Company
We have an incredible on-line travel web site!!
Tours to every country
Cruises (we're going on ours at the end of the month :o)
Flights and Hotels

But not just travel, there's:
Airport Parking
Flowers
Golf Tee Times
Passport procssing
Bridal/Honeymoon Registry
Tickets to events
TOO many to list...

Open Arms Backpack Drive

Open Arms, an orphan care ministry of Calvary Church, is hosting a backpack drive throughout the month of August. We are collecting NEW, EMPTY backpacks and collapsible lunch pails to send to school age AIDS orphans at the Acres of Love Forever Homes in South Africa, and to local children living in foster care throughout Orange County. These backpacks will be given to children in K-12th grades.
Collections will take place on Sundays August 17, 24, and 31, at a marked table in the lobby before and between services. The church is located at 1010 N. Tustin in Santa Ana, between Fourth Street and 17th Street. HERE'S the link.

This Week!!

Chris, our 5th & 6th Grade Pastor at Calvary... after he got slimed with a concoction of:
- green vanilla pudding
- oatmeal (ug!)
- fruit pieces
- corn syrup
- and baby shampoo... oh my...
what a GOOD SPORT he was!!

Jon & Cole thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing...

smashing slime in Erik's face. Honestly, I don't know that they planned (he & Matt) on getting slied at all... that was the BEST part. As Matt & Erik were trying to make announcements and talk about importatn things, Chris & Ben kept, ever so quietly, smearing slime all over their heads, putting slime down their shirts and then started smearing it on their faces. It was SO great!!

Miss Penny was sick, so "Mr. Bling" filled in!!! It was a riot. Here's Matt with Mr. Bling... just chillin'.

Cole, first week of this year's football practice... here we go again! (he LOVES it secretly... ;-)

for a laugh :o)

poor guy... that's pretty disgusting, actually.

that's too painful to even think about.

and you've probably heard abou these... PERFECT VICTOR FLIPS, DON'T YOU THINK??

for those late-night jogs...

light-up fashion... it doubles as a lamp... seriously.

Here's their site: Rhyme and Reason

Bubble Calendar, a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop every day.

Bubble Calendar, a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop every day.
i would love one of these... actually, it would make a very fun gift.

The California Trolley!

How fun is this Trolley??

It is part of our fleet of vehicles now that we charter. I think it's perrrty.... :o) It's getting a new engine though, right now, poor thing! It'll be ready by early August tho.

Uncle Jerry's Birthday :-)

2 great Uncles... Ron & Jerry. *smooch*

Part 1- Cole & Dylan, he needed his shoes tied and so Cole came to the rescue.

Part 2: While he was tying it, Joey was checking it all out...

Part 3: Then Joey sits down and unties his shoes, asking Cole to tie them for him... it was really cute.

Uncle Ron & Jon playing "Super Monkey Ball" on my iPhone :-)

My cousin Kyle & his wife Candy. They just started going to Calvary! I'm SO excited... if you see them, be sure to say Hi! Also, he & my Uncle Jerry are the owners of "The King of Ding" J & K Appliances - if you need appliances, go there! And listen for their ad on The Fish; very funny.

Uncle Jerry & his daughter, Ashley & my girl Paris (on the right)

Cousins Ashley & Paris

Oddly coincidentally, my Aunt Darla & her husband Shawn are best friends with Steve & Melanie Duggins and so they came with their cutie-patootey daughter, Danielle!

I love this one... Matt & Melody Duggins were just sitting there on Uncle Jerry's patio, overlooking Orange & Chapman Ave, the lights were so pretty, it was such a nice night and they were just sitting there chatting & laughing. It's nice to see my boys growing up enough to enjoy themselves with other people, you know?

I actually really like this...

very well done, funny, clever. there's a part in Act Two that I really would prefer the kids didn't see but other than that I found everything to be really FUN. Neil Patrick Harris is VERY good in this. You can download it on iTunes.

Dr. Horrible - web site

LOVE IT!

found this on my friend, Susie's blog... (click HERE)
i laughed SO hard. love it...

I Love Summer Because....

SOME of the reasons I LOVE summer...

time at the beach... here's matt & cole testing out the waters. it was a perfect day in laguna (diver's cove). we did some snorkeling (schools of fish and sand sharks!), boogie boarding and putting our toes in the sand... my fav.

having time together... jon & cole licking the cake-batter spoons :o)



date nights with tom! here we were at the Kodak Theatre seeing Ricky Gervais... he was pretty funny. then we went to dinner, see below:


so we found this place at the Hollywood & Highland Mall called "U-Wink"- it was REALLY cool! every seat has a touch-screen and you can play games alone or with the whole restaurant- here above was our score... we were pretty happy with that score! :o)


having time to visit the library... here's cole at the katie wheeler library, chillin... :o) he's just too-cool-for-school...

time for football practice to begin... here's cole at the Mater Dei Football Camp; you can't tell but he just tackled the wild dummy bag to the ground! you show 'em, cole!!


summer is time for paris' birthday!! my girl is 21... *sigh* we went to lunch at maggiano's, her fav, had champagne and steak (mmmm) and then went makeup shopping at sephora! nice...


hanging out with friends!! here's our beautiful & funny friend vienne & jon cracking each other up... it was at their fourth of july party at their house. i DO SO love hanging out with friends... i miss that in the 'busy-ness' of the year...


... kids are more fun in the summer... it's just a proven fact! here's caleb and the boys, trying to kill cole, as usual, and then it looks like the girls just can't quite understand WHY boys act like that... :o) (I don't blame you girls)


fun summer camps.... the boys started the Concordia Basketball Camp today- it is really well done.

but that's just me... what's YOUR favorite thing about summer???

Farewell Tour!!

Oh man...
July 22nd at the Pacific Amp... The Stray Cats Farewell Tour - the ONLY date they will play in the whole of AMERICA!
Can you believe it. At least we can still see Brian & his Orchestra but still... it's the end of an age. They were IT. I just found this picture on their blog- it hadn't ever been published I guess- I thought it was kind of fun.

Some of my favorite pictures... (for now!)

love these, thought i'd share... ;o)
above is one of my FAVORITE actresses ever... Carole Lombard
she was funny and talented and just so great...


Louise Brooks, of course :o)

don't you LOVE this one of Myrna Loy?? Can you believe she could look so glamorous and cool?? She always kind of looks like a "harried housewife", you know?? A little irritated and in a rush... not HERE, that's for sure!

Sarah Bernhardt... what was it like to see her on the stage, hmmm? As good as the hype, do you suppose?? I'll bet.



Bing Crosby & Al Jolsen - wOw... I would have LOVED to have been there, seeing them together!


A very young Buster Keaton

a little older now... ;o) (every detail is so perfect- the sloped shoulders, the floppy bow, the puckered green vest... just great)

General Custer!! What a striking figure and yet seems like a scrappy red-headed, freckle face kid, all at the same time. I'll bet it was like standing next to a stick of lit dynamite when you talked to him. This picture was found at a very cool web site, Shorpy.com.

I've got lots more but that's it for now... just wanted to stroll down Nostalgia Lane for a bit; thanks for coming along!! :oD

New York, Philly and life lately...

On the road to Tom's cousin Jimmy's house

enjoying the sunset at Jimmy's house :o)

Tommy, Tom, Matt & Jimmy - what a fun bunch of guys!

Cole, returning from camp! We got home from New York about an hour before they arrived on their bus... whew... that was close.

5th & 6th grade Pool Party! What a blast- here's Tom going down the slide with Jon. PLUG that nose, Jon!!! :oD

The gorgeous spire atop Independance Hall :o) I'm SO glad we rented a car and drove there... it's a beautiful and thought-provoking place to visit. You really need to see it.



The beautiful Quacker Bank down the street from Independance Hall.


Matt at the New York Stock Exchange... Tom's cousin tried to get him on the floor but it fell through, rats!!

The street where my man was born... who'd have thought he was just a country-boy?? (Peekskill, NY)
loved the trip- wish i had more time to talk about it - gotta go!!!