Pedroline... The 28th year

Pedroline (pronounced pA-drO-leen) is a name that just rolls off the tongue. Half masculine, half feminine, it completely describes the fashionista that is my brother! Okay, so he loves fashion, but let me set the record straight, Peter is not feminine in any way, shape or form!! (oh my, I better stop while I'm ahead, the jokes just keep coming... I'll leave the 'shape' part of that statement alone! HA HA HA)

I have no idea who or why we came up with that nickname for Peter, but nevertheless, he is stuck with it. Of course it is just one of many nicknames for our complex brother.

28 years ago today, Peter made his grand entrance into the world. 45 minute labor and boom there he was... perfectly pink and healthy. He really is a miracle baby (in fact all my siblings are miracles) and it wasn't until later in life that we've realized that the perfectly pink was hiding the truth... Peter is a bit off, a bit slow, a bit flawed, a bit, shall we say... SPECIAL. But we love him just the same, just as if he were normal like us!! Of course none of that is entirely true, but we've always had a too much fun giving him a hard time. LOL.

Today I salute my brother Peter on his birthday. It's hard to believe that he is 28. That's a serious age. 30 is looming ahead and responsibilities and taking life seriously are the daily pressures that come as you start to leave your 20's behind. So Peter, as you celebrate the day of your birth, ask yourself this... What Would SpongeBob Do?????

In usual blogger style... here is a list of Pedo Stuff. (does anyone else notice how these lists get longer and longer each year?? funny that.) ;-)




28 moments of Peter's 28 years:

1. Goose Egg Forehead with 2 black eyes
2. Pneumonia on Christmas Day
3. Beside bell ringing
4. Jerry Macguire and a girl
5. Beating up 5 guys on the corner
6. BMX Madness
7. Standing in the corner
8. Cammo in the backyard
9. Shooting the wife in Big Bear
10. Laugh attacks in the middle of the story
11. Singing the testimony
12. Sam Ash Limelight Nights
13. Label swapping
14. Dribble Shirts
15. Goodwill Hunting (or Thrifting)
16. Carebear hugs
17. The mouse and the giant strawberry
18. Headlock sleep wrestling
19. Boonsters!
20. Spongebob bedtimes
21. D2E
22. Drive by healings
23. Cruising to Mr. & Mrs.
24. Backscratch Begging
25. Poker face
26. Madlib crying
27. Bee running (ending in TIMBER!!!)
28. What about JIM??

In case none of you know this.. #28 is actually a serious one. Peter spent his time and money looking out for a homeless man named Jim. He bought him meals and even went and would buy him new pairs of pants. This is the epitome of my brother. His compassion showed up early in life and he's maintained that sensitivity to others needs up to this point. Peter, you make me proud to be your sister!

I hope this year is abundant in blessings and that you receive your deepest heart's desires!! Happy 28th Birthday!!

Love
The Big Queen Sister! :-)

SUPERHEROES

Happy Father's Day to every dad who makes a difference every day!!

Dad, I wish you a wonderful day and want to say thank you for all you've done for me. Even though the miles may separate us, I will always be your daughter and you will always be my daddy. I hope the rest of the 'kids' treat you well and you get a dip in the pool and some yummy bbq food to celebrate!! I love you!!

Gramps, my first father's day without you. I thought about you often today and remembered a lot of the words of wisdom you passed down to me. I miss your smiling Irish eyes. There is so much I would share with you if I could, but alas, the time of sharing is done. Thank you for the many father's days I got to spend with you! I love you.

Paul, you are the newest man in my life and I know you've been bombarded today by the many avenues I've taken to say happy father's day. So I will simply say that seeing you as a father just shows me more and more of who you are. A man of integrity and character and wisdom. I love you more and more and look forward to a lifetime of celebrations with you!


Pastor Morgan, you have been my 'spiritual' father for 12 years. I want to just say thanks for being there for me and helping me through the good and bad times. You are a rock and I am forever grateful!! I love you!

Happy Father's Day Blogger World... CELEBRATE!!!
The Queen

Toto, I'm not in Cali anymore!!

Boy, have I landed in a different world! It's not bad, not in the least. I find it interesting and exciting. (If you can call quiet, peaceful & small exciting!! LOL)

I had crawfish for the first time!! I'll admit, when I saw them scooping the crawfish out of the boiling water into our bag, I thought to myself, can I really eat that? Can I?? But once we got all 5 pounds home, (for just the two of us!!!), I forgot my original thought and dug in. That is, once Paul showed me how to pinch the tail off and get the meat out and then suck the head. Once I got the hang of it, I was chowing down! Mmmm Mmmm Good. With sweet corn on the cob and red potatoes soaking up the juices and spices, it was a feast fit for a Queen! ;-)

I'm experiencing so many different things. Like having to walk into the post office to mail anything! Unless you can catch the mailman in the morning as he goes by. There are no drive up post office boxes or boxes at the corner to drop your mail. It's a bit of hassle, until you realize you really have no other pressing engagement, so why the impatience?!

Another thing is the leisurely way of doing things. Everyone is very meticulous and slow. However, things actually get done. How does that happen?? I don't get it. But I like it! LOL The only thing that tries my patience every day is the stop signs. You have to make a complete stop. And if other cars stop at the other corners, everyone sits there and figures out who goes next and they are super courteous and try to let you go first. O.M.W. I don't have the leisure of zipping through stop signs and beating everyone to the punch anymore. It definitely "worketh patience"!!

Also, the women around here are mostly very feminine. I see skirts and dresses and jewelry and "done" hair and "pumps" everywhere. These women take their femininity very seriously! Now mind you, it's not the high fashion capital of the south by any stretch of the imagination, but still, I think in California the ratio of women in pants or suits or men's jeans versus skirts is about 95 to 5. Here dresses are about 90 to 10. It's just strange for me to see that. It is definitely noticeable.

Also, bugs love me in the south. I had a couple of VERY miserable and itchy days, when I had sat outside too long and got 7 bites! I'm guessing mesquitos, but whatever they were, they swelled and itched like nobody's business!! I hope they don't leave marks!!! I also found a lizard skeleton in my closet! (And Paul had cleaned out the closet fairly recently!) It had a skull and a spine and legs and toes. The skull was the weirdest thing to see. I scooped it up on a piece of paper and tried to take pictures of it without getting too close. It was grossing me out big time!

Also, did I mention the real estate? You can find a major fixer upper for $17,500.00!! That's less than what I paid for my car! And I got a simple Toyota Corrolla. For a move in ready house, you can easily find something around $70,000.00. Again, less than some cars I am acquainted with. The rent here for a 2-3 bedroom with 2 baths is in the $550.00 range. It just amazings me the difference of cost here. Although, a gallon of milk is about $3.50 here and in my hometown in California the current price is $1.99. I'm not sure why that is. Hmmmm. Something to ponder.

And the thing that gets me the most. When people go shopping, they don't grab a shopping cart, they get a "buggy". A what?? Yep, a BUGGY. I know. I refuse to say it. I will always say shopping cart no matter who points and laughs at me!! ;-)

There's so much to tell, I could ramble on forever. I can't even keep track of all the new things I am seeing and experiencing. I'm sure as new things come to me, you will hear alllllllllll about it! It's too fun NOT to share!

TGIF!!

Queen Cat

Twenty-Six

Yesterday was my sister's birthday.
What a whirlwind day it was.
I didn't have a chance to post until now. So sorry!

Deborah, my baby sister, I hope your birthday was meaningful and full of love and laughter. I know it probably wasn't the grandest birthday you've ever had. It wasn't the least stressful or most exciting time I'm sure. But, to celebrate another year of growth and family and friends and changes and all the in-between is a blessing nonetheless.

I am sad to think I did not get to share it with you. I would have never known that #25 would be the last birthday we'd spend living, working & playing together. Change is hard, but remember it's all things work together for good...

So here is my ode to Deb... 26 things that she does that makes me miss her most!!

1. JOHN WAYNE!
2. Peeking from the supply closet door while I'm "trying" to work
3. Talking to the cars while merging into the carpool lane on the I-5 after work
4. Eating Paul's Place even though she knows it makes her sick
5. Singing soprano
6. "Cooking" nachos in the microwave
7. Always examining if she has swollen ankles
8. Using a whole bottle of bleach to clean a bathroom
9. Laying on the couch reading a Julie Lessman book
10. Making pesto pizza and stuffed mushrooms
11. Reading her Bible before going to bed
12. Singing and praying in the shower
13. Making 'another' doctor's appointment
14. Saying she doesn't feel good
15. Snort laughing
16. Picking on Sonia
17. Sideseat driving
18. Ordering the most expensive thing on the menu
19. Craving gelato from Luccia's
20. Borrowing church clothes from my closet
21. Playing with Zee Zee
22. Yelling at the dog (used to be Tiffany!)
23. Fighting with Peter in her sleep
24. Fixing mom's hair
25. Laying across my lap watching TV in the bonus room
26. Sitting next to me at church

Happy Belated Birthday Deb! Your gift is in the mail!! Hope you like it!!!

Love you lots!

Queen Cat

A Friday TAG!!

I'm trying really hard to keep up with my blog!! Sooo glad it's Friday. Not sure why I'm glad, maybe it's just programmed in us to be extra happy on Friday... but for whatever the reason, I am ecstatic to see Friday arrive. Looking forward to another fabulous weekend here in Small Town USA!! :-)

So... on to the business at hand:

I was tagged by Deb at The Daily Bee!

Rules of the Tag

::List Six Unimportant Things that Make you Happy::
Mention and link to the person who tagged you::
Tag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.

Here goes: Six unimportant things that make me happy!

1. Holding hands across recliner armrests!
2. New Shoes!!!!
3. Actually being Queen of my very own castle!! ;-)
4. Hats!! (I love hats, and when I need a pick-me-up, I just slap a hat on and away I go!)
5. Pedicures... they are pure bliss!
6. Good morning texts (It really doesn't matter if we are in the same room, they still make me smile!!)

There you have it!!! Six unimportant things that make me happy... although if they make me happy, they are definitely important to me, even on the smallest scale!!

Now to the tagging...

Mom @ Nana's Words
Eileen @ Say What?!?!
Yvonne @ Aune's Adventures
Rita @ Macias Moments


TGIF everyone!!!! We are survivors!!! :-)

Hope everyone's weekend plans include some rest and relaxation, laughs and giggles, good company and everything unimportant that makes you happy!!

Queen B.

Completely Confused!

This is my first post from the good old state of Mississippi!!! The state I now call home! Who woulda thunk it!! But, yes, it is true. I now live in the deep south. It's humid and warm and green and plush and chalk full of history. It's long drives of rolling plains and tiny towns in between. It's water towers galore and picturesque courthouses. The after work traffic lasts about 15 minutes and after 7 p.m. the streets are quiet. Scattered thunderstorms are about every 1/4 mile and happen mostly in the summer. It truly is a different place. Yet, somehow I feel at home. I think the added element that my heart is here has something to do with it. Home is truly where your heart is!



Surprisingly, the one hiccup in this state of complete bliss is an inner struggle that has crept up on me. I've never quite been in this situation before and had no idea what to expect, this moving across country. In the deepest part of my heart of hearts, I am completely content and happy and joyful and know I'm exactly where I need to be. But my surface is an emotional wreck. Tears threaten at every turn, without notice and usually without legitimate cause. I hate it. And totally not used to it at all. I'll be the first to tell you how annoying I am. I annoy myself with these emotional outbursts. When will it stop?? Please say soon.



Everything seems topsy turvy here. I am wondering where that strong independent woman who could handle anything set before her has gone. At times I feel like a 5 year old about to throw a pity party or temper tantrum. And I used to be efficient. Now I'm all thumbs and left feet. I even open packages from the wrong end and forget things. Paul has taken to leaving me notes for reminders. I'm starting to wonder how I managed to make it through a day without him. I'm hoping one of these days I'll actually be able to finally at least feed myself and change my own diaper!! LOL. Seriously, that's how I feel!!

See, Completely Confused. why me?? Huh? Huh? huh?...

Maybe I'm trying too hard. I need to relax and just live life, I know. Now that's just preaching to the choir! I guess I'll try harder to not try too hard. HA. Catch 22!!

If you know me at all or have read my blog at all, you know I overthink EVERYTHING. And here I am doing it again. Deep breath. Whew.

Emotions mixed with Imagination is a lethal combination.

Selfish, Petty, Ungrateful. Yep, I'd use those words to describe my silliness too. But give me a chance. Isn't acknowledgment the first step to recovery?? LOL. Fingers Crossed!!

For now, my confused self is gonna pamper herself with a relaxing evening!

Hasta La Vista Baby!
The Queen

Communication Crisis

I've had communication on the brain these past few days. It amazes me how many avenues of connecting with someone that are available to us today.

The spoken word has taken on a whole new meaning in our advanced age of technology. Since the invention of the telephone, where for the first time people did not have to be face to face or in close proximity to hear each other's voice, communication has reached a level that exceeds what was ever thought possible. And every day we find more and more ways to further our connection with each other. We can use a telephone, computer, television, intercom system, voicemail, even electronic birthday cards to carry on a conversation or speak to a person who is not physically in our presence.

The written word has moved beyond the ink and paper. There was a time when a letter or book was viewed and respected as a treasure, handled carefully and proudly shared with anyone who would listen. We can now send 'letters' all over the world with the push of a button. We text, email, instant message and blog with ease.

Humanity has not been such a close knit group since the days following the great flood!

Still, my wonderings have taken me to the thought, If communication is so accessible then why do we still fail so miserably? It seems these days that there is an undeniable lack of communication amongst families, coworkers, friends, governments, communities and really, society in general. Has the English language become too difficult and complicated for us to put together a cohesive sentence? Have we lost the art of speech and conversation? Have we dumbed ourselves down with the 'shortcuts' of communication because we are in too much of a hurry? Has OMG and TTYL turned our brains to mush?

I don't think that is the issue.

We are strong intricate creations with enough brain power and emotion and heart and soul to easily "reach out and touch someone" in any way we so choose. So what is the real problem? Why do we miss the mark so badly and so often? In my humble opinion, the true reason is, we've stopped saying what we mean and meaning what we say. We have the tools to successfully execute and we have the words to speak, what we don't have is the sense of value in what we say. We've lowered ourselves to pretty speech and empty words of promise or compliments that hold no worth. We smile on the outside while we are crying on the inside. We laugh when what we really want to do is cringe. We grin and bear it. We conjure up big words to sound like we've got it all together, when in reality, we have no clue what we are doing.

It may work for a while, however, in time we realize just how far away from honestly knowing someone or being known for our true selves we really are.

I want to be a person that you would always know where you stand. That when I say I love you, you know I mean it. When I say I'm sorry, you would know it's from the heart. Good communication breeds a level of trust that most people only dream about... I plan on keeping that dream my every day reality!!


~ The Queen~

News Worthy!!

So I know it's been a while since I've blogged. I've been up to my eyeballs in wedding plans the past few months. I've also been busy blogging on our wedding website. I guess for while it will take the place of this blog, until I finally descend off of Cloud 9... ;-)

I just wanted to share some fun pictures with everyone. My work corkboard is like a breaking news bulletin with all kinds of Paul & I 'stuff'! I still wonder at the hand of God and how much creative power He has. Never in my wildest imagination (and believe me, I've got a very healthy imagination!!) did I ever conjure up a scenario as spectacular as these past few months. All I did was tell God that I would enjoy every step of the desert place and allow Him to prepare me for what He had in store for me. Once I took my hands off of my life, God stepped in and gave me my heart's desire... and then some!!



So now, I am happily engaged to a man beyond my dreams and ready to start a new life. Which means... I am moving away from California. Something I never, ever thought I'd do. And, I'm leaving it for... Mississippi! WHAT?? Now that is just strange. No mountains! No OCEAN! No Palm Trees! No DISNEYLAND!!! No Del Taco and IN-N-OUT! Oy Vey!! (and that's just scratching the surface.) But if I stayed in California.... that means, No Paul. And that's not even an option. So, I will be living (at least for the time being) in Mississippi, where my heart is.

(as you can see, he's been VERY good to me!!)

Here is a glimpse of the beach where we will be getting married... that's the Gulf of Mexico in the background. The sand is a beautiful pure white with enough seashells to keep any scavenger content all day long! We were there that day to check out the house we would be staying at and to take our engagement pictures.

So, tonight (in less than 12 hours) I head back to Mississippi for quick trip to interview for a company that actually paid for my plane ticket! Of course I really really want to make sure and land a job before I come home, but also, the best thing is seeing Paul again for a couple of days... which is the highlight of my trip!!

So stay tuned for more News Worthy stories in a couple of days!!

<3

The Queen 'B'

Life and the Living of it!

Well, as promised, here is a post about Life, my Life...

Boy has my life taken a right turn... So much has happened in such a short time and I couldn't be happier.... (well, I could be happier, but I know I just have to be patient, it's just around the corner!!)

Cryptic enough for you?

Alright, well since I've got to get back to living life (see previous posts to understand that!), I'll leave you with a link... read the story and you will understand ...

http://www.momentville.com/PaulandCatherine


LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

The Queen

Instead of Talking...

I love to talk.

at times.

When it's a subject that interests me.

Or when it's with a person that stimulates my thought processes.

And I got to thinking... a blog is a lot like talking. Granted it's a one sided conversation, but nevertheless, there's a subject being "discussed".

I like to discuss life and living and current events and values and favorites and lists and music and movies and books... you name it, I'll have something to say about it! But as much as I enjoy sharing my opinions and view points (and if you know me even a little bit, you will agree that I can exhaust a subject at any given time!), I realized that I've been doing something a lot lately in place of talking.

Instead of talking about life, I've been living it. Really, truly living life. All in, up to my eyeballs, grab the bull by the horns and hang on living. How scary! But talk about having the best time! Or, wait, not "talking about having the best time, HAVING the best time!

So, if you've wondered why I'm not around as much... there's your answer. The life I've discussed over and over on this blog is now being lived, and lived to the fullest.

(of course, I promise to come back from time to time just to update you on what a great time I'm having.... maybe.) :)

Q. Cat