Clarification

So what exactly does my husband do?  You can check him out on IMDB, read his list of credits and still have no idea what he does so here's my understanding of things: 

 Phillip's work begins once a movie has been filmed which means we don't meet the stars although he does meet and work with some great directors and producers.  Our closest "brush with fame" came when we had to drive Angelina Jolie's purse down to L.A. when he was working on Mr. and Mrs. Smith (her purse from a scene in the movie.) 

 

Sometimes we get to go to a cast and crew screenings and we get to see some movies before they come out but we don't walk the red carpet (which is a relief, I could never afford one of those dresses!)  The only real premier we went to was a movie that Phillip's car was in.  I still giggle every time I think of seeing his beat up Honda Civic on the big screen. (The other movie  he worked on and was  an in extra didn't end up having a premier due to 9/11) 

I still think we should have been invited to "The Happening" since Phillip's arm and hand ended up in one of the scenes, but no luck there.  (He came home from work one day covered in fake blood with a huge grin on his face since he had spent his day making a paint gun of sorts that sprayed fake blood - not his typical day at work).  

So that's the unvarnished truth.  At the end of the day he works very hard, provides for our family and we don't roll with the rich or famous, sorry to disappoint!

Booked

Who the heck has time to read these days? NOT ME!! I have to admit I have "read" a ton of fiction lately as long as it is available as a book on CD and I can import it onto my ipod. I kind of feel myself growing dumber ...
The two books that I'm sort of working on right now are on my Shelfari on the side bar. The Beth Moore book is for Ladies Bible Study, the other one is the film that Phillip is working on, although it is so terribly depressing I might not ever finish.
Before I had kids I read all the time, in college while in the midst of reading tons of homework books I found time to read King Lear and other classics to give myself a break from the heavy reading. i know that right now I'm watching too much T.V. but you can fold laundry and tidy with the T.V. on, you have to just sit there with a book. Sigh ... 

When Phillip is gone I find myself needing something to keep me company until bedtime. Maybe it's time I grabbed a book from one of my five bookshelves (I'll save the ones that are in boxes for later) and try to sit still for a second. Who knows, I might just learn something ...

Clams and worms and sea gull germs ...

We did it! and just to prove to my husband that I can tie a fishing knot ...

Palomar Knot:

O.k, o.k. I know I didn't leave enough space between the hooks and swiveler or even between the hooks themselves but that just means I get to practice more!! (pay no attention to my grungy fingernails and dirty kitchen table!) Eliot and Zak each caught a 4 pounder (well, at least we had fun with our 4 lb "sand weights")


Eliannah caught handfulls of seagull feathers and who knows what else. The only reason we left was because Eliannah needed to use the restroom. Zak and I could have stayed much longer but I think an hour and a half was a good amount of time. Fishing with three kids and numerous hooks is like running a 3 ring circus but being out on the pier and seeing the beautiful ocean just calmed my soul (or maybe I was calmed by the pot fumes comming from a bunch of kids at a nearby picnic table).

S & Ms and Twiddlers.

Yesterday was our only full day together with Phillip this weekend and since we had so much fishing at Lopez last week we decided to go down to the Pismo Pier and try our luck in the ocean.  Once we got there we saw bounce houses, face painting, candy, games, pumpkin decorating (all free) and other such mayhem for the annual "Pumpkins on the Pier" festival. 

My boys were not deterred in the least.  They grabbed their fishing poles, marched right past buckets of candy and straight out to the end of the pier where they patiently watched their lines get fouled by the pier posts.  I think they would have stayed for quiet some time had we not lost all the hooks in a nasty snarl.

Of course a bounce house and a bag of candy is a nice consolation prize!  Zak was surprised that the "S & Ms" weren't chocolate (they were skittles) and all the the kids looked forward to eating the "twiddlers" (Twizzlers).

After purchasing the right gear for the pier I promised Zak that I'd take him fishing tomorrow if he finishes all his home school.  He had a hard time last week after Phillip left and since I'm too tired to do that again I'm not above blatant bribes to get him motivated.  Wish me luck!

Ahhhhhhh that's better

What I love about being home:

I haven't seen any litter

No one smokes

There are public restrooms at the parks

There are no crowds

We haven't needed to take the bus

I know the people I sat with at church

I know the songs we sang at church

I can see the ocean!

There is a garbage disposal in my sink

The kids have plenty of toys

We've stayed up late twice in one week to play games with friends

We can hop in the car and drive to the store any old time we like

I have cupboards full of seasons and spices (Curry on Saturday, Phillip's homemade teriyaki sauce on Sunday)

Oh ... the list goes on and on and on and on and on!

On Saturday we went to a free fishing clinic at Lopez Lake.  We sat and learned the rules of good fishermanship for about 30 min and then they gave us free tackle boxes complete with lures and hooks (for Zak and Eliot) and fishing poles to borrow that were already set up.  They also had bait and there were several old guys on hand to help out.  We didn't catch anything but it was great to be experiencing the Central Coast again!! 

Home ... ish

9 hours of travel +2 days with family +3.5 hour drive - (no pit stops) = home Tuesday night
Whew! After running a gagillion errands on Wednesday we jumped back in to "real" life today by sending Zak to school and taking the rest of the crew including my niece who is with us until Saturday to Ladies Bible Study. It felt great!

... And now if I can just unpack the 400 lbs of misc we brought back with us (yes I had to weigh everything so I didn't get charged extra and I'm not exaggerating), organize my house that got re-arraigned by the people who carpeted while we were gone, dust and vacuum months worth of neglect and catch up on months of homeschooling and not die of exhaustion I'll be good!

Last night I was so tired I went to bed at 9 and when Eliot woke me up at 9:30 needing lotion bleary eyed little me rummaged through our toiletries and slathered him with self tanner. Since he wore long sleeves today I didn't figure it out until late this morning when I was trying to comprehend why my hands were so orange ... oh well.

Phillip will be visiting us this weekend but will have to go back to Philadelphia on Monday to continue work. We don't know how long he will be doing this so please pray with us that he can move back home ASAP.

Zak

While he may not have left his heart in San Francisco, he sure left his smile in Philadelphia. Fortunately this time he pulled this one out himself. I didn't mind pulling the other ones out but he freaks out so much it's less traumatic for him to take charge. 

So late last night when I tiptoed into the boys' room to get something both boys popped up expecting to see Zak cash in his tooth. It was quiet funny! 

Actually, this time Phillip was the fairy and because he is such a good daddy he decided to write a sweet little note to each of the kids to put under their pillow (only Zak's had $ in it). I think this is the beginning of a wonderful tradition especially since I found a love note that he had snuck under my pillow as well!  

It's scary 'cause it's true

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: 'From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

- Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747–1813)

Last weekend trip: Valley Forge

Of all of the trips we've taken this summer this one was the closest.  I'm so glad we waited until it was cool to go!  On Saturday evening we walked around a bit and joined a campfire discussion led by one of the Park Rangers.  He was going to give a talk about how the Revolutionary war was the first Civil war but for whatever reason he started by answering questions which was great!  I had a ton of them!

E

It was fun to really understand why this huge valley was so important to the Revolutionary war when not a single battle was fought here. After the British captured Philadelphia, General Washington and his troops were driven off in the Battle of Germantown and according to the park ranger it was a pretty miserable defeat. Needing to find a place to winter his troops, General Washington chose a valley close enough to Philadelphia to keep an eye on the British, but far enough away to be safe from surprise attacks. His army didn't have enough, clothing, food, medical supplies, weapons, discipline - you name it, but despite that fact under a Prussian General named Baron von Steuben the army was "forged" into a well disciplined fighting machine that never lost another battle after that winter of 1777/78.  (Since I am by no means a historian you can read more here)

We got too cold to stay and listen very long Saturday night so we got up Sunday morning to head back there with scooters and a picnic lunch.

I.D. Update

Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dmv pulled through and sent me the paperwork I will need to get through airport security.  It is not a driver's license but it is an official photocopy complete with stamps and seals.  I'm doing cartwheels right now!!!!!!  What a relief!!!!!!!  (and no, I don't mind that they charged me $20 for a color photo copy, totally worth it!!!!!)

Debating

So ... who do you think did better and why?

(I don't usually beg for comments but I really want to know! if you don't know what to say just vote on the sidebar poll)

He said ... she said ...

VP debates ... are you watching?  I can't wait to see how this turns out.  This is going to really make or break the McCain / Palin campaign I think.

Travel Tips

1. arrive to the airport on time
2. weight your luggage before hand
3. bring snacks and drinks for the plane

4. DON'T LOSE YOUR WALLET 2 WEEKS BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!



So frustrating. To get a replacement license you have to turn in a specific form - in person to the CA DMV or mails in a request and hope it gets returned in time. Alternatively you can go to the PA DMV and request an ID card - provided you have photo I.D. and a Social Security card. If you need to get a Social Security card you must bring in proof of U.S. citizenship and a Photo I.D. My passport, birth certificate and SS card all have my maiden name on them. The Passport is expired (aka not a valid form of I.D.) and is tucked safely away along with my SS card and birth certificate at home where it belongs. Please pray that either someone returns my wallet or that my mailed request for a duplicate license is returned quickly - otherwise I'm stuck here. NOT COOL!  for some reason no one wants to accept my costco card or library card as a valid I.D. ... wonder why?