Scott's New Blog

Hey all! It's Scott. Just thought I'd drop a post here to let everyone know I have a new blog... Serotonin Drip. If you have a chance swing on by and leave me a comment or two. I'd love to hear from you.

Why don't I post here? Well it could get confusing trying to figure out who posted what since Becky and I are wired very different. If I kept posting here some folks may think the owner of this blog is bipolar or something.

Plus this gives her a way to disclaim anything i might say... ;-)

Love you honey! <3

Alphanumerically,

Scott

"Starbucks" and Strange Coincidences...

I just have to write this post about some interesting and coincidental things that I have experienced within the past month! There seems to be some interesting chain of events that have been happening recently (and for some reason, it all starts with my favorite "Starbucks" coffee joint)...there may be no direct connection at all. However, I keep thinking things over in my mind and I figured I might as well blog about them!

Last month I received a phone message a few weeks before Thanksgiving from an old, but very good friend of mine, from my high school days! Her name is Hannah. She now lives out of state with her husband and two children, but her family still lives in Orlando. I was once a maid-of-honor in her first wedding. She married once before right out of high school, but, unfortunately, things did not work out between the two of them. Anyway, the last time I spoke with her, it was about 4 years ago when she was visiting her parents here in town. She came to our house and met our children for the first time. Our youngest, Amanda, was a newborn at the time. As I said, in this message a few weeks ago, Hannah was calling to let me know she was going to be coming into town again for Thanksgiving weekend and she was wondering if we might be able to get together at some point? I was thoroughly surprised by her phone call, because we had not even spoken or exchanged Christmas cards, etc. during the previous 4-year period. Well, I called her back and we arranged to get together for coffee one morning just before Thanksgiving at a local Starbucks...my favorite spot! We spent nearly 2.5 hours catching up on everything that's been going on in our lives over the past several years. As we were chatting away in Starbucks, Hannah recognized another old high school friend of hers standing in the line awaiting her coffee. It turns out, this old friend was yet, another one of the former maids-of-honor in Hannah's first wedding, along with myself! What a funny coincidence for us both! Hannah and I later arranged to have our children and husbands meet together for an afternoon of fun a few days later at a local park. It made me feel that warm, nostalgic feeling you get as you get older and you remember things from your long ago past! After all, Thanksgiving time is a time for family and get-togethers with loved ones. My visits with Hannah during her stay in town were a refreshing and unexpected experience!

Now, here comes another strange and interesting coincidence involving Starbucks...Just last week I was sitting in the exact same Starbucks enjoying a brief mocha before heading off to my job, when someone came up to me and asked if the seat next to me was taken? I was sitting in one of those comfy, large chairs they have. As I looked up to respond, I immediately recognized this woman and we both said, "Hi" at the same moment! She recognized me, as well! She was my former best friend from high school named, Angela. I had not spoken to her since our high school days, which happened to be 15 years ago already! This was one of those fleeting moments where I really began to feel "old". What's so interesting about this particular encounter is that it seemed to be almost a "divine appointment". She immediately sat down in the chair next to me and started telling me how bizarre it was that we were meeting face to face like this. She said that she was just standing there in the Starbucks line when she saw another woman waiting for her coffee and she thought the woman reminded her of my mother. She pointed to this woman and asked if it was my mom? I said, "no". She then went on to explain that when she saw this other woman, it made her think of me, "Becky Heard" [that's my maiden name]. Not five minutes later, Angela was asking to sit in the chair next to me and what do ya' know? It was ME sitting there in that chair! We spent about 15 minutes or so sharing a synopsis of our lives since we had last spoken. I learned a lot about the last several years of her life that I never knew. At this point, you might be wondering why I had not even spoken to her at all in the 15 years since we had graduated from high school? I will briefly say, without going into too much detail, that things took an unexpected turn for the worse in our friendship after graduation. As we both went on to our separate colleges, I never kept in touch with her, or vice versa. In my mind, although I had forgiven her long ago, I knew if I ever did come in contact with her that I would probably just ignore her. The wounds were too deep and despite my being a Christian, I always figured that my pride and self-worth would keep me from ever really contacting her again. And, of course, since so many years have passed and so many things in my life have changed since my high school days, I just really put the issues way behind me...or so I thought.

The really amazing thing about this whole encounter last week is that while we were talking, I kept thinking to myself, "this is really weird that I don't feel strange telling her about all the things that I've been up to in my life". It was like there really were no barriers and almost as if nothing had ever happened negatively between us. She kept talking about some important turning points in her life over the last several years and how her faith and relationship with God had grown since then. I had always believed that Angela was a Christian, even when we were back in high school. I remember that she attended Orangewood Christian School in Maitland while growing up (isn't Orangewood Church the "mother church" where UPC began from?). But, back then, it wasn't really something that we spent a lot of time talking about with each other. I had not accepted Christ as my savior at that time in my life. As we sat there in Starbucks and she was telling me about the amazing things God has done in her life, she also commented that our "coincidental" meeting must have been from God Himself! It started to freak me out, a bit...but in a good way! I started thinking, why of all times, have these two young women from my high school days [Hannah and Angela] come suddenly back into my path during this holiday season? And, why does it all seem to be happening at this particular Starbucks? I surmised that even though I may not totally be privy to all of God's plans and timing of things, the Christmas season is certainly a reminder of the forgiveness Jesus came here to represent and later died for. Perhaps, for both Angela and I, God simply wanted to "tie up any loose ends" from the past by having us unexpectedly meet and share our stories with one another. It made me realize that if I ever was holding onto any negative feelings from the past in our friendship, that there's "no time like the present" to confirm that all is truly forgiven! We never really did discuss our falling out or any of the things that went sour in our relationship, but I suspect that for whatever reason, God had a plan for me, as well as for Angela, that particular day last week when we met up. I still can't quite figure out the connection to Starbucks, but, it must have to do with the fact that it was located in Winter Park and my former high school was Winter Park High School. Most of the people I went to high school with were from this area of town.

Oh, and on another interesting side-note, I will tell you that one of the things Angela shared with me is about her very own business that she owns. It's called, "Solarte" and she purchased the business from its original owners on Park Ave. in Winter Park several years ago. She gave me their website address and as I perused the website, I came across a very interesting article featuring an interview with Angela, the owner of Solarte. It gave me a glimpse into some of the things she had briefly talked about and eluded to last week when she told me of the biggest turning point in her life several years ago. I was amazed to see the connection and references to God in this interview and at the bottom of her website. It became clear to me that indeed, God has been up to some amazing things in her life in recent years! I am glad to know that she has found her way back to a faith-filled life and relationship with God! As I said earlier, I never really knew that side of her in our high school days. It is great to see the miracles and amazing things God can do in our lives and in the lives of people from our past! To God be the glory!!!

If you want to check out her website, it is www.solarte.com.

Rate Your Years...

Well, I have been trying to decide what to blog about for a few weeks now. It seems that the things I want to blog about all seem very negative and so I am never brave enough to post any of the thoughts that often go on in my head. I don't want my blog or even my image to come off as someone who is a "downer" all the time...ya' know? On my way home tonight from work, the idea just came in my head to simply write a little entry about the past several years of my life and to rate them on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst year and 10 being a fabulous year in my life! As 2006 draws to a close, I must say that I am truly glad to see this year be over with! Let's see what I thought of previous years...

2006 - I rate this year a 1 for sure...yep, you read this right. I absolutely hated this past year and won't be sad to see it go! We declared bankruptcy this year and have been trying to dig ourselves out of a very deep and lonely pit financially all year. The only positive thing I can recall about 2006 is Scott and I and our family becoming official members of UPC! That was for sure a step in the right direction!

2005 - I rate this year a 2. It was better than 2004, but not by much. One of my close friends committed suicide unexpectedly. She was a young mother of two children and she played a key part in helping me develop friendships while I was a stay-at-home mother. She got me involved in a local MOMS club several years prior. Another reason this year wasn't so great was that Scott and I had our dream of building a new, larger home for our growing family shattered. A serious financial downfall caused us to have to back out of a contract we had signed on our "dream home". What a disappointing year!

2004 - This year goes into the negative ratings...I would rate 2004 a -5 (hey, it's my blog, so I can rate it this way if I want ~wink, wink). As most of you know, my step-father committed suicide three days before Easter during this year. To this day, it is still the absolute WORST, traumatic event I have EVER gone through.

2003 - This was a pretty good year for me. I would rate it a 7. I went back to work part-time after having been a stay-at-home mom for 4 years. It was a bold move for me, but a positive one that came at the right time for us.

2002 - I would rate this year an 8. We had our surprise baby #3, Amanda Summer, and she has truly been a delight to have in our family! Also, I went back to college this year to take a course in order to renew my teaching certificate. It was a positive achievement for me.

2001 - Well, this year has mixed emotions. The first half of 2001 was pretty great for us! We had our son, Chandler, and moved into a brand new home in the spring of 2001! But, of course, by the fall when the 9/11 attacks occurred, the entire nation changed and has never been the same since. I would rate this year an 8 on a personal level.

2000 - I would rate this year a 10! Scott and I sold our previous home and paid off a lot of debts. We were preparing to move into our newly built home the following year. Also, Scott was doing very well at his job and had a lucrative year with side-work projects and such. I don't remember this year being a very stressful year for us in most ways.

1999 - I would rate this year a 9. We had our first child, Sierra, in January. After two previous miscarriages, she was definitely an answer to our prayers! I enjoyed my first year as a new mother and loved staying at home with her! We joined a few different mom's and children's groups and began establishing a whole new circle of friends!

1998 - This year was probably an 8 for me. We got pregnant in April and after severeal sonograms, we were delighted to find out that our pregnancy was viable and healthy! I enjoyed the anticipation of the arrival of our first child during this year! It made teaching at my school more pleasant, somehow.

1997 - Well, this was yet, another sucky year. I rate this year a 1. Our dreams of starting a family were shattered twice during this unfortunate year. We miscarried in March right around the time of our 1-year anniversary. We also miscarried another time during August. Many doctor's visits and surgical procedures done during this year. Once we found out the cause of our miscarriages, I had corrective surgery to repair my uterus.

1996 - This year was a 10! Scott and I set out on our new life together as man and wife on March 9th! After graduating from college the semester prior to our wedding date, I also landed my first teaching job as a second grade school teacher. My life-long aspirations of becoming a teacher came true!

My New Year's toast will be, "To experiencing happier memories in 2007 and to seeing some light at the end of a long, dark, hopeless tunnel!"

Camping was a success!

Well, we are back! Our first official camping trip as a family at Fort Wilderness was a great success! The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast! We arrived just before sunset on Friday evening and spent a few hours getting things set up! Scott was the "man of the day", of course, by getting our tent erected and all the accessories installed (yes, we brought our own mini-fridge), including outdoor lights and even some strands of Christmas tree lights for decoration.

On Saturday morning, we made scrambled eggs and bacon on the propane travel stove Scott brought. Then, we headed off to the nearby bus stop to catch a ride on a Disney bus to the Tri-Circle D Ranch, where they had pony rides for the kids to enjoy. Amanda was too scared to ride on one, but she walked with Scott & I as we each took Sierra and Chandler on their ponies around the walking area. After that, we headed over to a really great playground they had for the kids to slide on and swing. After some playground time, the nearby boat sounded its horn which will take you on a free ride either to the Magic Kingdom or the Wilderness Lodge. We hopped on a boat to Wilderness Lodge, and enjoyed browsing the humongous accommodations there! I have posted a picture of the kids sitting outside in front of the Wilderness Lodge which backs up against a picture-perfect waterfall with stones.

Later on Saturday night, we joined a small group for tacos for dinner and old-fashioned smores for dessert! This was a special treat for the kids! We then hopped on yet, another bus to a campground site where they show Disney movies outside in a stadium-like setting. You can order popcorn and drinks from their concession stand and even roast your own smores outside on their firepits as you watch the movie on a large outdoor screen! It was a great ending to a perfect day and the kids and Scott & I were very tired Saturday night after that!

Sunday morning we packed up and came home. We were all pretty tired but enjoyed the rest of Sunday at home after unpacking. I loved camping at Ford Wilderness because even though the surroundings make you feel as if you are totally away from urban society, pretty much anything you need is right there! They have bathroom and shower facilities within walking distance from your camp site, there is running water and a hose and spigot on each site, in addition to an electricity hook-up unit. You can enjoy eating at restaurants if you want simply by hopping on a bus! And, of course, while you are "roughing it", if you happen to forget something from home, such as food items or toiletries, you can purchase them from one of two trading post/sundry stores they have in the resort. I would definitely recommend this simple vacation away from home for anyone looking to spend only a small amount of money on a relaxing and fun adventure away from home!

Fort Wilderness, Here We Come!

Well, I can't forget to post about our upcoming weekend at Fort Wilderness! We are taking the "Zoo Crew" camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness resort on Friday afternoon and will be there until Sunday! I truly am excited because we have never taken the kids camping before. We do have a tent with two rooms. I think the weather should be pretty favorable...let's hope there's no rain and no sudden cold front. But, right now, the weather is sunny and breezy for a wonderful November week! I am just glad to be "getting out of dodge", as they say. I need a mental break from our current life and a change of scenery for a few days will be very refreshing for me! I will post after we return and hopefully will have some great photos to share!

PMDD

Well, since I haven't posted a new blog in about two weeks, the only thing I feel like posting right now is about a condition that I feel plagues me every month or so...PMDD. It stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It's like a magnified version of the infamous PMS. The label PMDD has only recently been recognized as a real condition that effects some women right around that "time of the month". It's very cyclical for me and I notice the symptoms easily now that I have diagnosed myself with it. It is literally like one day I am fine and then the next I am in a mental slump that typically lasts 7-14 days. I am already on medication regularly to deal with symptoms of depression that come and go. But, for me, PMDD is markedly more intense in terms of the way it affects my mood. It truly does color my perception of the world and things in a much more negative light. Fortunately, my physician told me that it is perfectly o.k. to double my medication dosage during the week or so prior to my "time of the month" when the symptoms seem to be at their worst. This has definitely helped me the past few months. What I don't like is knowing the difference that the meds make in how I view things as opposed to how I view things if I skip a dose or forget to take it. What's also frustrating is seeing the physical symptoms that surface when I am experiencing PMDD symptoms. I literally feel tired, even if I have gotten a decent night's sleep. I feel totally glum and unmotivated to do anything. I feel as if I can't really think or remember things too clearly either. But, if I double my dose of meds, then it does relieve a majority of those symptoms. I hate that it appears that I function at my best with certain medications. But, I suppose that it is like any other ailment or health problem. Certain things need certain meds to function properly. At least we have science and technology in this day and age to come up with things that help those in need.

Well, that's all I wanted to say about that issue. I just have been in a mental slump for about a week and this, too, shall pass...as they say!

Are you a little bored with your life?

I hate to admit this...but on the other hand, I think it's good to confess that sometimes I go through phases in my life where I feel bored. Is it actually possible to be so caught up in the mundane activities of life, the curve balls life throws at you, and all the ups and downs of daily living, that one can actually still feel BORED with their life? I mean, as a mother of three young children and a part-time working mom, you'd think I would not have time to actually be BORED with my own life. I feel selfish in even admitting it to myself, let alone God! I mean, after all, we live in perhaps, one of the most blessed and fortunate countries on this Earth. With all the modern-day conveniences that technology has brought our way, how could I ever even think of being bored with my life?

Well, that's where I found myself a few days ago...flat out, completely BORED! It's like I am still waiting for something exciting to happen! In fact, I feel like I have been waiting for while for something to come along and truly engage me in a positive way. So, the other night I actually did a Google search on the web by typing in the words, "Christians who are bored with life". I was surprised to actually see many links under this type of subject search! One really interesting website that I stumbled upon in my quest for adventure was the website, www.lifeswitch.org

As I clicked throughout this pretty cool, interactive website, I found that this is actually an organization you can sign up through and after filling out some information, they will match you up with a host family or person/s in some other country in the world based on your preferences for climate, region, and general landscape. To be honest, I actually thought it was just one of those web quizzes where you simply fill out a brief questionnaire and they will tell you what country and profession around the world you would most likely enjoy. I actually did fill out a simple survey and this website told me that I would be best suited for the country Bolivia. I know the name, but know nothing about this region of the world or exactly where it's located on the map. The interesting thing is that this web site appears to be for real! In other words, someone who for example, works as a stock broker in New York may actually take their questionnaire and find out that he/she is best suited to become a coffee bean farmer in Argentina! And it appears as though this organization will actually make your dream happen! I think it is some sort of Christian faith-based organization started in the U.K. In reading some of the testimonies, I was amazed to see that some people have actually had life-changing experiences through this concept! Now, considering that I was born and raised and am still living in Orlando, it is safe to assume that at some point in my life, I would like to live elsewhere, if for no other reason than for the sake of a change of scenery. But, to actually contemplate the idea of picking up and leaving my present life behind and starting fresh somewhere completely new is something that does scare me a bit. I guess if I ever really get THAT bored, I could truly give the idea more consideration. But, since I am married and have a family, obviously such a life change would not be so easy. It may not even be the best thing for me at this time.

But, I did think this website was worth mentioning and I thought I would pass the website on to anyone else who happens to be bored with life, too! Heck, even if you only visit the website and dream about a new way of life, give the website a visit! In the very least, it will give you something to think about for fun! Oh, and if you do happen to fill out their brief survey while visiting the site, let me know by posting to my blog here which country they say best suits your preferences? I'd love to see what others have for their results! Don't worry, to do this preliminary questionnaire, you don't have to fill out any names or addresses or anything personal about yourself.

www.lifeswitch.org

More Orange County Traffic Division stuff...

Well, in the spirit of ranting about those annoying situations which sometimes arise concerning the Orange County Traffic Division...aka the Clerk of the Court, I decided to make today's entry a recap of my events for the day. Pam Johnson gave me the bright idea to write about my own circumstance simply by writing about her own personal experience recently. For those of you who don't know a little about my recent "run-ins" with the law, I was in a minor rear-end accident back in May. I was the rear-ender, so the accident was my fault. I was on my way to my son's preschool graduation, in fact, I was only a block down the road from his preschool where the ceremony was being held when traffic became bottle-necked and came to a sudden halt in the lane I was traveling in. I disregarded the number one rule of driving for a brief moment...I took my eyes off the road for a split second to look down into my purse for my watch, when before I knew it, I was looking at the rear end of the vehicle in front of me and "kaboom"! I rear-ended the little black SUV. No one was hurt, but I will never forgive myself for missing my son's preschool graduation. I was more upset about that than anything else. Since the accident was my fault, of course, I received a ticket. They only give you 30 days to pay the ticket, no matter whatever your present circumstances. So, of course, this $100+ ticket couldn't have come at a more difficult time for us financially. It was the end of the school year with summer camps to pay in advance for, not to mention all the year-end festivities and other expenses such as year-end gifts for teachers of each of my three children. Simply put, I knew I wouldn't have the money in 30 days. No problem, I thought! I will just pay the fee when it is convenient for my budget. After all, I was already out $250 for the deductible to cover the repairs to my vehicle. So, I paid the ticket about 2-3 weeks after the 30 days due date. The ticket voucher never indicated anywhere on the form what to do in case you can't pay the ticket within 30 days. Surely, I am not the only person who has ever encountered this predicament? As my long, hot, drought-like summer came to a close (and I am not talking about weather, here...I am referring to a severe lack of funds), I was unpleasantly surprised to open my mailbox one day in August to find a letter from Orange County warning me that my driver's license was about to be suspended! For what...I thought? After all, I DID pay that prior ticket. After a phone call to the Clerk of the Court, I was informed that it was due to an $18 late fee that had been tacked onto my ticket since it was paid after the 30 days due date. Of course, I was never informed that I had incurred this $18 late fee, much less that it was about to cause me a suspended license! I went down in person to the Clerk of Court on my next day off and paid the $18 fee, only to be told then that I would now need to stand in yet, another line right next to the one I had just gone through. This new line was for the DMV office and I needed to show proof that this payment had been received in order for them to NOT suspend my license. OK, so I did this. Problem solved!

Fast forward to today...I had elected on my original ticket to take the Driver Improvement/Traffic School course in order to prevent points being assessed on my license from that ticket. The deadline for taking this course and providing proof of completion of an approved course is Tuesday, Oct. 17th. Procrastination is my new middle name and so, I had put this off for many weeks. I finally signed up online last week to take an online version of this Traffic School course. I finally finished the last chapter last night and completed all quizzes and finally, passed the Final Exam, as well. I requested that the certificate of completion be e-mailed to me, so that I could print it out directly and take it down in person to the Clerk of the Court before Oct. 17th. I got home from work today and found out that the certificate had NOT been e-mailed to me as I had expected. So, I called the company and a helpful representative e-mailed me directly the certificate once again as we spoke over the phone. She was even nice enough to wait on the phone line with me to verify that I did receive it. I printed it out and raced down to the local Clerk of Court office in Winter Park at about 4:15pm, knowing that the office closes at 5pm. I still had one more day to get the certificate in the hands of the Clerk of the Court's office, but, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I didn't know for certain that I could successfully cross this errand off my list of duties for the day. Fortunately, as I walked into the building this afternoon, a friendly security office/police officer asked me what I needed. I simply told him that I was here to see the Clerk of Court and showed him my certificate. He asked me if the certificate was late and I promptly responded, "No...it is not due until tomorrow". He smiled and while looking at my three kids in tow, pleasantly told me that I didn't need to wait an hour in line and all I needed to do was to put my certificate in one of the labeled envelopes located on the outside of the entry door and to place it in the blue overnight drop-off box located right outside in the parking lot. It seemed too good to be true! He assured me that it was all I needed to do! So, I wrote a brief note on the form and carefully folded it and put it in one of the envelopes and dropped it into the drop box, just as he told me to do! It was nice to know that I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that someone should process my certificate by tomorrow and hopefully, I can FINALLY put that annoying fender-bender and all the strings that came attached to that mishap behind me once and for all! Let's hope I don't get another unexpected letter in the mail soon informing me that my license is about to be suspended for them not having ever received my proof of completion of the driving course!

Scott's Syndrome: The Panic Clean

As a father of 3 young children there is one constant struggle that I fear will never end... cleanliness. Cleanliness of them, their rooms, and sadly the house. Now I know there is always an expected level of clutter and mess associated with having a kid, but when it is exponentially multiplied by 300 it can get a tad unbearable at times. Finally culminating in the sad realization that you are outnumbered and the battle is all but lost. Just bury yourself in the last bastion of sanity.. the small closet containing the toilet, put your head in your hands and pray for serenity and a maid.

Then you snap back to reality by the phone ringing. It's Mom... oh Heavenly Father it's MOM. More specifically Mom-in-law. She wants to visit... in an hour! Your serenity will have to wait for another day.. for this day... you must PANIC CLEAN! T-minus 50 minutes and counting.

Now normally a panic clean is no big deal until you measure yourself against "Nana Clean". A level of clean rivaled only by the cleanliness of the level 5 containment room in the Centers for Disease Control... you know... where they keep the deadliest viruses in the world. Now that is close to "Nana Clean".

Well we got it all done and the next day I found this comic in the paper. God seems to have a really ironic sense of humor. I think He and I will get along fine.

Click to enlarge the comic to read it.

~ Scott

Our Birthday Bowling Princess!

I just HAD to share some of these precious photos from our baby girl's 4th birthday party, this past Saturday! We held the party at Boardwalk Bowl...our kids LOVE to bowl now! It was SO much fun! Just a few friends and lots of relatives made for the perfect party with pizza, sodas, and of course, YUM-YUM birthday cake! Let's hear it for Princess Amanda...Hip, Hip, Hooray!!!

A Fungus Amongus

Welcome to our new blog site template! I was getting tired of the Pepto Bismol pink look from the previous design, so I changed things up a bit. It was supposed to be a rose color and normally, I like rose, but somehow, it just didn't seem soothing to the eyes. So, I thought the green layout is more my style for now.

Today's entry is a bit strange. But, since so many others freely express their health issues from time to time, here goes...It's a Fungus Amongus, that is...a fungus among us. More accurately, it's a fungus among me. I had a revelation today while sitting at my desk at work. I was thinking about how for some reason, I just wasn't all that hungry today like I normally am. I had just gone down to the Nature's Table cafeteria to get some lunch and the only thing I seemed to want was a salad for lunch. That might not sound so odd, except for the fact that I rarely eat just a salad for a meal. Come to think of it, Saturday night, all I wanted for dinner was a salad. I didn't want any heavy, greasy, meat-filled dinner like I usually do. Yesterday, I craved green bean casserole, like the kind you make for Thanksgiving dinner! So, for Sunday dinner, I made green bean casserole with roast beef. What's with all the green vegetable cravings all of a sudden? I am not normally a big vegetable eater. In fact, quite the opposite! I prefer my sweets, carbs, and fats most of the time. I am a junk food junkie...it's no secret. Back to my original topic about a fungus. I was pondering the sudden interest in light meals and preference for vegetables and then it hit me! I have been taking an antifungal prescription medication for the past three days called Diflucan. It is to help cure a chronic yeast problem that I have been battling for over a year now. Actually, come to think of it, I have always had off-and-on yeast battles. I have also had frequent problems with Athlete's Foot that flares up from time to time. Athlete's Foot is also caused by a fungus..it's a variation of the Candida fungus. But, since I have been taking the Diflucan, it has miraculously cured all of those annoying symptoms associated with various yeast problems.

In the past, I have researched extensively about this little bugger on the internet. I have found out that Candida Albicans, the organism typically responsible for yeast infections, thrives on sugar in the body to survive. We all have a certain amount of yeast occurring naturally in the body, particularly women. However, when the ratio of normal levels gets out of whack due to things such as being on antibiotics for any reason, candida is likely to overgrow. Thus, a yeast infection develops. Yeast symptoms are not just associated with female problems. Yeast can cause serious upset in the digestive tract of anyone. Well, ever since I can remember, I have always had cravings for sweets. I am a "sweet-tooth" eater. It's a vicious cycle. You crave the sweets and consume the sugary foods, which in turn help keep the yeast alive and well in your body. This perpetuates the annoying yeast symptoms, such as the itching, burning, scaly skin associated with Athlete's Foot, etc. Diflucan is one of the only treatments that effectively and promptly treats my yeast problems (this sounds like a commercial, I know). The only problem is that since the typical course of treatment prescribed by most doctors is only one or two days, the symptoms almost always come back for me in due time.

Well, this time I have decided to take Diflucan for several days in a row, thereby extending the length of time overall that I am taking it. That must explain why I am noticing a sudden change in my eating habits. I mean, I truly am not craving the sugars quite as much as I normally do. My only hope is that somehow I can eradicate this little fungus from my system permanently. I know it will always be present in my body, but I am hoping to get it well under control and somehow keep it in check this time!

Redemption for Kevin Costner!!

OK, I admit, I was starting to think that maybe those misconceptions about Kevin Costner films were really true...I mean, I loved the movie, "Bull Durham", and I distinctly remember getting swept away in my young adult years with the film, "Dances With Wolves"! But somewhere along the line, Kevin Costner started getting a bad reputation for his many films over the years. I don't know exactly when it started...maybe it was with that movie, "The Postman", or could it have been the movie, "Message in a Bottle"? Although Kevin is very famous, you always kind of cringed whenever someone would say it's another Kevin Costner movie. Between the lines, everyone knew that meant you might as well bring a pillow and blanket to the movie theater, because you'll probably fall asleep in this one!

Well, folks, I am here to tell you that in my mind, Kevin Costner has officially redeemed himself as an actor who can carry a movie quite well! Scott and I were fortunate enough to get a free pass to see the special preview of the new movie, "The Guardian" last Thursday night. It was the day before the film was officially released and open to the public in theatres. The movie stars Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Costner, and John Heard. Scott and I truly enjoyed this awesome movie! It was filled with plenty of laughs, but also lots of drama and a bit of suspense at times! I won't reveal anything about the storyline, except to say that it is about a long-time Coast Guard Rescuer and an up-and-coming newbie to this profession. This movie gets my "Two Thumbs Up" vote! If you haven't made plans to see it yet, be sure to do so! It is not a movie that you should just wait to come out on DVD rental or something.

Our baby's 4th Birthday!

It's our youngest daughter, Amanda's, 4th birthday on October 2nd, 2006! We celebrated a day early and she is dressed in her prettiest little princess outfit that we gave her as part of her birthday present! She's so beautiful!!!

It's Time To Go Camping!!

I am so excited!! We are going camping in November with UPC! I registered today on-line and paid the fee to reserve our camping spot at Fort Wilderness! Scott & I did not get to take the kids on any summer vacations this past summer, due to budget constraints, so this will hopefully sort of make-up for a boring summer! The best part is that I invited my good friend from work, Su, and her family. She and her husband have two boys around the same ages as our kids. I know they will have a blast! We already have a tent we purchased from when we were first married without kids. It has two rooms in it, so we can put the kids in one of the sections. You can divide it off using a zipper enclosure attached to the inside of the tent. Scott and I came up to Fort Wilderness twice before in years past when my mom and her former husband went camping with UPC. They always camped out in their camper trailer. We would come up just for the day to play and eat and have fun. But, now we are going to be the ones actually camping and staying overnight for two nights. I can't wait!!!

Becky's Thoughts...

So, here goes...
Hey all! This is my first post on our family blog! I've jumped into the "pool" of wanna-be bloggers and will be steadily working my way up to "expert blogger"! Not much to talk about today, except that Scott and I took the kids to Downey Park today to enjoy their really cool water park! We tried going there about two months ago at the end of July, but the facility pump was down, so we couldn't try out this neat water park then. Fortunately, today it was up and running and the weather was perfectly hot and sunny for a cheap day at a water park! It only costs $1 per person and they have plenty of chairs and lounge chairs to sit on while you watch the kids get wet!

Family: Kids & Scissors

Ok after looking at the previous post I realized that some my see my youngest daughter and wonder what's up with her hair. Wellllllllll... one Sunday afternoon we were all kinda lounging around the house. Becky was taking a nap, Sierra was watching TV or drawing, and I was playing with Chandler and his trains in his room. We all thought Amanda was playing quietly. Well she was doing 'something' quietly.

Suddenly I heard a shriek from the hallway. All I really heard was "Daddy... Amanda... cut... SCISSORS!" At first I freaked thinking she fell on some scissors or cut her hand or something. I jumped up and bolted to the hallway and saw Sierra looking into the bathroom. I filled with more dread expecting to see blood, but then noticed Amanda wasn't crying but laughing hysterically. OK this is odd I thought. I looked into the bathroom and there was Amanda preening in the mirror with my barber scissors on the counter and all of her baby curls filling the sink. And I mean ALL of her curls! She had cut her bangs OFF down to baby duck fuzz length! and she had cut the sides just below the middle of her ears.


At first I kind of laughed... then reality hit. Oh no! Easter is next week! And of course the cuts weren't Vidal Sassoon quality by any means. I had to scold her through my giggles. She thought she looked cute. Needless to say Becky was roused from her slumber and came to find her beautiful baby's hair gone. Now this happened in April 2006 a week before Easter. The photo here is after four months of growth and it's still not ready to be cleaned up and her curls we fear are gone forever. Sooooo... I think I need to put a bell on Amanda and lock all scissors in a titanium, child-proof, cabinet... along with my pens and the TV remote.

~ Scott

Family: When You Give A Kid A Camera

It's bound to happen... you have a cute little digital camera sitting on your computer desk and you work all day away from the house. Oh and you have three little kids, 7-5-3 years of age. You go to take some pictures and you find your battery dead! What! So you go get a new $10 battery (argh) and put it in the camera and since you are on a Mac (wink) you put it in its dock and iPhoto opens... "ready to import 128 photos"... WHAT! HUH! NO WAY!

Now I have a 128Mb SD disk in it and it only holds about 100 pics at the resolution I use so 'someone' not only filled that disk but the built in memory as well. That's a lot of pictures. Anyway, please find below what happens when you give a kid a camera... oh these are unedited except to reduce the display size. this is the way they came out of the camera. Now on with the show...

click to enlarge the photos...

The above fan is actually an interesting photo... LOL

More to come later...

~ Scott