Proposition 1D & 1E

I'm not a really political person, but I hate how our government words these propositions to benefit themselves. Mental illness carries a huge stigma, unfortunately statistics don't help the matter. The only way to fix this is early diagnosis of mental illness and proper care. If we had this the statistics of mental illness and the homeless and crime would dramatically fall. Educate yourselves and please VOTE. Don't let the government make all of our decisions. Here's the easy wording from http://www.noprop1e.com/

Vote No on Props. 1D & 1E!
Why vote NO on Propositions 1D & 1E - two deceptive and harmful propositions on the May 19 ballot?
Prop. 1D cuts $268 million per year from children’s services like child abuse prevention, immunization and early childhood development, all created by Proposition 10 (November 1998).
Prop. 1E cuts mental health care programs demanded by the voters through Proposition 63 (November 2004) by almost a half billion dollars.
Both Props. 1D & 1E take money out of specific programs required by the voters and put it in the state general fund, where the Legislature and the Governor can spend it with no accountability.
That’s bad, but what’s worse is that both measures are like wolves in sheep’s clothing. The Legislature wrote Props. 1D & 1E to make them sound like they protect and expand services, even though they really cut programs.

Even in this difficult time, neither Prop. 1D nor 1E is necessary to balance the state budget. Together they would provide just one-half of one percent of state spending. But both Props. 1D & 1E would slash services for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Now is no time to try to balance the budget in ways that harm children and the mentally ill. That’s why people and groups from many different backgrounds have banded together to form one campaign united to defeat Props. 1D & 1E.
Please get the facts about Props. 1D & 1E, and help us get the word out so we can defeat these measures. And vote NO on Props. 1D & 1E!

Sami's a Pitcher... sort of

Sami finally got her day to pitch. She has been asking for awhile now and hasn't gotten the chance. So I really haven't been working with her all that much because she is a great third baseman. Her coach threw her in last night to pitch much to all of our surprise, luckily I take my camera with me everywhere I go.

She did ok. The one and only thing I HATE about pitchers is when they throw balls and get all grumpy and pout, so Sami knew she was NOT ALLOWED TO POUT! She threw a few balls, and a few strikes. The ump, ummm Michelle's husband Dave, took his job WAY TOO SERIOUSLY and called most of her pitches balls, even though I nicely asked him to just call strikes. He clearly needs glasses because everyone knows it can still be a strike even if it hits the backstop over his head. As long as the pitcher smiles as cute as my little Sami does. When she did get a strike she would clap for herself and she would smile so big and then giggle. (No umpires were harmed in the pitching of Sami Hurley, nor by her mother, close but no harm, oh but she did hit one batter. woopsydoo) She changed her form for every pitch and when one grumpy old man from the other side yelled at her for coming off the mound (ok it's not a mound in softball) her coach sternly let him know it was her VERY first time pitching and that she is only 9. I thought that was nice.

Sami found pitching a little stressful, but I reminded her that it takes a lot of practice and that her first time would be the hardest and now that was out of the way. I'm glad she got the chance, I think all the girls should get at least one chance to play everywhere they want to play.

Trever likes going to Sami's game's when she plays the Wolverines because the girl he is head over heels in love with is their catcher. So I let him have the camera for a minute and he came back with TONS of pictures of her. So this is Rachel. Oh and he is best friends with her brother Brandon, who by the way is in love with Sami.

Sure I've had my Tetanus shot

That's what Jim has said for the last 14 years. He hasn't had one since we have been married, until now. Last Tuesday evening I had gone to Sami's game while Jim and Trever stayed home to prep our horse trailer to be re-welded. They took all the thick rubber mats out, then the boards out to reveal very rusty beams underneath. Ryan B. had offered to help Jim fix the beams and then cut the sides and put up new diamond plating around the outside, just to fix it all up, stop the rust from spreading and make it look pretty. I'm not sure if they had planned all of that but in my head that's what they were doing. It was probably just a boys excuse to get together and play with their big boy toys. So this is how it went when we get home from the game.

Trever: Dad, did you not want me to tell just mom, or not tell anyone?

Jim: (from the shower) Trever hush it's not that big of a deal.

Me: Not tell me what? What did you do?

Where I walk into the bathroom and see blood still oozing from his foot. He then informs me that while Trever and him were finishing up he jumped from one beam to another and landed on a long thick rusty screw that looked like this...

This is what started out the hole in his foot, yes it's that big!

Then Jim starts telling me it wasn't that big of a deal, and he was fine. The whole time Trever is pacing and clearly having an anxiety attack. He wanted to go get Grandma or Uncle Kenny.

He had tennis shoes on and at first thought it just went through those until he tried to get his foot off. He had to reach down and with Trevers help, pull his foot off of the screw. I hadn't noticed the blood on the deck until then, it was bad. He wouldn't go to the ER, mainly because I called and they had a critical so it would have taken all night to get seen. We went to the Dr. the next morning and he got his first tetanus shot in at least 20 years and and antibiotic shot, then follow up shots every day for the next 3 days plus oral antibiotics. He has been off of work for the week but has to go back tomorrow, he's doing much better but it still looks a little gross, and has to have it followed up next Monday and if it isn't healed they have to cut it back open and clean it out, and make sure there isn't further damage to muscle or bones.

He kept telling the kids it was his left foot and it went all the way through, but it's his right foot, you know the one that is HUGE and SWOLLEN.

It swelled really bad for a few days and bruised, but looks much better now.

I was rubbing his foot because the muscle is sore and it opened up, I won't gross you out but the white thing in it was a piece of his sock, I think. I won't discuss what else came out of it. Good thing I like this sort of thing.

My Kids ARE Cute

A few years back we took a quick picture of Trever at church, in the car with a camera phone and was my favorite picture of him ever. The other day I had my camera on the way to church in the car and snapped a picture and again, it's one of my favorites. So, yes Trever IS cute!

Then Sunday Sami wanted her hair straightened for church. I LOVE her curls but it was almost straight so I gave it a shot. It's hard to get it straight. So, Mojiah and Jimi worked on it later that evening, and this is what it looked like. First I couldn't believe how much her and Jimi look alike, and second and much worse, I can't believe how old she looks. She is growing up so fast. She knows she is only allowed to straighten those curls one time every other week.

Our First Poker Ride...

Jim and I have heard of a poker ride for at least a year now and have looked forward to going on one. Well we finally got to go. This is what it is. We all meet at our friends Dee and Perry's at 10am. We get our first card, in a sealed envelope. We ride a few miles, get the next one. So on and so on, and get our fifth and final card back at the house. Then everyone opens their hand and see who wins. We didn't! But we had a great time anyways. There were about 75 horses there and I rode Abbi and have to say that ours looked and acted close to the best there. See, maybe I am a real cowgirl. But I have to say, cause I know you are all thinking it anyways... Jim looks SO INCREDIBLE in his hat and chaps! YUM! We then had a BBQ and a small raffle, again we didn't win anything. But I loved this cowboy hat wind chime thing and really wanted it. Perry and Dee had one similar and gave me theirs. Very nice people.I shaped Jim's hat all by myself, I think I did a pretty good job. And it only blew on the ground about 3 times.

I have a post coming soon about OUR horse trailer and the problem Jim had while trying to fix that up, but I want to make sure he doesn't lose a foot first.

Trever's Bitter Sweet Day...

It seems like just yesterday that Trever got his first dirt bike. A 2004 Yamaha PW 50. We bought it in Ridgecrest. We loaded it in the back of my van, got it home and put just enough gas for Trev to be able to ride his first bike the day he got it. He rode his new bike for the first time at about 10:30pm, and you could see the glowing smile on his face even through his helmet.

11/6/2005
He has really outgrown the bike, but he still would come home after school and ride all the time. We, well Jim and Trever, have been looking for a new bike for quiet awhile and trying to find one that he would like, be able to grow into a little, that we could get a killer deal on. Someone literally showed up on our door and asked to buy it. Not only the 50 but the old Yamaha PW 80. So not just his first but his second too. Trever, or Jim, now wants a Yamaha YZ 80. With a clutch that goes REALLY fast, a racing bike. Mom doesn't like that very much. Technically the money is Trever's although mom and dad will probably borrow it until we can find a great deal on a new bike. The sad thing is Trever is very sentimental like his daddy and almost shed a tear watching them load up his first bike.
Don't worry Trever, it won't be long before you'll have a new one!

Game Ball Fever!!!

For softball it is a big deal to get the game ball at the end of a game. Sami had a game on Saturday, she did great. She hit a home run with two other girls on base and had a total of 7 RBI's. She caught a pop fly, and even threw out a girl who was stealing to third. She hit every time up to bat and was definitely a very strong player. So she won the game ball HAND'S DOWN! She was so excited. I was excited, Jim was excited.

Jimi had a game Monday, she hit every time but one, where she got walked. She played short stop and it seemed like every ball was hit her way. She scooped EVERY one up, and made all but one PERFECT throws, and the one that wasn't perfect was still pretty darn good. I didn't count her RBI's but I know she did good. Her coach's have a lot of faith in her speed and almost always send her on the steal home because most of the time she makes it. One small error in her game was when she stole home and didn't slide, well the rule is if the play is even close the runner has to slide. She didn't. She would have been safe, but the Ump RUDELY called her out. I knew she was out, I knew WHY she was out, but he didn't have to be so rude. Needless to say she got the game ball. YEAH JIMI!!! Same game, Jimi played against Tori's team. Jimi's team was winning by quiet a bit, but Tori's team has two pretty good pitchers. Early in the season I would practice with all the girls, batting, fielding grounders, pop ups, and throwing. Tori and Sami showed interest in pitching so, being a catcher myself and watching many pitchers form for years I taught them all I knew. (I can teach, but by no means can I pitch) VERY early on I noticed some real talent in Tori, and Sami. So I was thrilled when I noticed Tori up to pitch for the last two innings. I have to say that I was SO proud of her. She only walked one girl in both innings, and had very few balls. I know she want's a little more speed but I am assuring her that will come in time but for now it's all about accuracy. Again, I was just so proud of her. I can only post one picture cause I promised Tabi I would send her the rest. So she got the game ball too! Jimi and Harleigh are on the same team so imagine the pressure I felt (cause it's all about me, right?) with Tori pitching, Harleigh up to bat who also had a great hit, and Jimi on third waiting to steal home. I also have to say that I was very proud of Harleigh in the same game because she hasn't been hitting really good yet this season, but when she was up to bat against Tori I reminded her that she had hit off her practicing at home, I think it gave her just the confidence she needed because she had a great hit! I keep going back and forth about coaching next year, so I'm back to wanting to again. This is who I want to draft on my team...

Jimi and Sami, because it is the only year they can both play on the same team. Sami at third and Jimi at short, Tori pitching, I want Harleigh, I would like Sami V. for a catcher if I could, Taryn K, Heather M, and a few others that I'm not sure I could get, but then I could hold practices here in South Fork and make it so much easier, and Jim could take the boys.

I LOVE softball!!! I have so many great memories of ball when I was younger, my dad went to EVERY game and that wasn't easy for him. He drove truck on graveyards most the time but would skip sleep to come to my games. They finally recruited him as an ump or something. Thanks daddy, I will never forget that! I even got a brand new glove for getting perfect attendance in 5th grade.

Oh yeah, this Friday after seeing Tori pitch and knowing I helped her. (wish I could take all the credit, but she has TON'S of natural talent) Sami's coach has promised to let her pitch in her game, we are all so excited, and a little nervous. It's definitely different in a game. I know she will do great!

Yes with a digital camea

I have tried so many times to get that great action shot!! I started to believe that it was impossible with a digital camera. You know the ball coming off the bat, or the pop fly right before you catch it. I always got the catcher standing up watching as they were already rounding first, Or the team running in AFTER the ball was caught. NOT THIS TIME! I was ready. Let me set it up for you. Two outs, down by only 2 after coming back from 2-13. Bases loaded, Jimi on third and her best friend Shelby catching. Shelby is a great catcher! A little wild pitch goes by Shelby, Jimi had a huge lead off and was almost half way down already and kicked it into high gear. She sees Shelby scrambling for the ball, and Melissa (their pitcher) cover home, she sees the toss towards the plate and she slides...

SHE'S SAFE!!!
Great Job Jimi! She is known by both her team and all the others as a BIG hitter, the outfield moves back and they are all ready! They are even worried about her stealing because she is fast, she's the only one the coach will send home on a steal. I remind her to not let it go to her head because there we several games last year when she got psyched out and couldn't hit a thing. For now she has the confidence and is doing great!

Are Ghosts really REAL?

I think that I am pretty open minded about most things. Does hypnosis work? EMDR did. Herbal remedies? Sure why not. Exercise give you more energy? Yeah most the time. Yoga? Let me know. Anyways, when it came to ghosts I was the same way. Yeah, maybe but I've never seen one. Felt one, maybe. But no actual proof. UNTIL NOW!!! This is the part where you look away or stop reading if you don't agree with me and want to argue it out, or if your scared and don't want to look. There's my disclaimer, my blog, my rules!

I had mentioned our recent trip to Alcatraz, and that I had a creepy photo or two. Yesterday I was looking around for history on Alcatraz and had I have known some of these things BEFORE we went, it would have been a lot stranger/scarier. So, it is one of Americas most haunted places. Didn't know that. Over the years, it has served as a military outpost, a fort, a military prison, a federal prison, and finally a national park. During its history there have been many deaths on Alcatraz, including 45 Civil War soldiers, 8 guards and inmates murdered by other prisoners, 5 suicides, and 15 inmates that died of natural causes. With the beatings, torture, hate and sorrow it has seen, this place has earned the reputation of being one of the most haunted places. While I was looking around it made sense that none of these deaths were pleasant, much less the quality of life for anyone, that the spirits would have maybe stayed around. Ok, so I looked again at my pictures of Alcatraz. There was a lot of hype around the Warden's home which was burned down. So I zoomed in a lot of pictures of the Warden's house. Believe it or not this is what I got, nothing has been photo shopped and we will all only see what we see, so this is really my own opinion.

But I can see a man standing in the top left window. No one was there.

Sami has to do a big report on Alcatraz island, so I took a few pictures of some of the signs in the prison. This is what I got. It looks a little like a cat, but you can see an ear, nose, mouth, eyes and I think a little hand by the mouth. What do you think? This is the original picture but being small you can't really see it on the blog. Top left corner in the brick.

Ok, I posted these before, but after looking into the prison, and finding out about the Civil War prisoners it made sense of his jacket, the long Civil War type. So this is zoomed in. Zoomed in further I make out a face but it gets so pixaly that I don't really know. I have looked and looked at all pictures and there was NO WHERE to stand over there. It was the third floor window and the greenery you see is actually the top of the tree's and a huge 20ft fence. The railing you see is actually pieces of the fence and nowhere near the building at all. The building is flat around the corner too. A little blurry I know but I was getting a picture of the Bay.

So now I have MY OWN proof. Your welcome to leave your own thoughts, but it won't change my mind. I reached over the chains that kept us from the prison hospital and felt ice cold draft and the girls freaked out because they heard a moan. (I didn't actually hear it myself) I did hear cell doors slamming and got rushed out of the prison as lights were going off. We were the last ones in for the night. My camera (new by the way) gave me NO problems before or since Alcatraz, but there were many places in the Prison that it just stopped working. New batteries and it would still just shut off, only to come back alive ON IT'S OWN a few minutes later. I didn't think anything of it but a cheap, broken camera. I still haven't changed the batteries and took over 200 pictures after that. I have more, but they don't show up well on the blog, and I could MAYBE explain them to myself, maybe not.

Vacation Pictures

I was looking through our vacation pictures and it is no shock that Sami and Trever don't get along, but I swear they did (for the most part) on vacation. Flipping through the pictures at the beach they happened to line up just right and looked really really funny...

First they are playing nicely together... (well ignoring each other which I've accepted as the same thing.)

Then Trever says something mean to her...

Trever pushes her down...

Sami flounders in the sand...

Sami gets up and dusts herself off, with no Trever in sight...

I promise they weren't fighting. The pictures weren't even taken in order but that's how they lined up. I thought it was pretty funny, but as I kept looking I found another series that was much the same. Only this time it was with the bikes. We were outside the hotel and Jim and Alex had ran up to the room to get something. The others were doing tricks on the patio until I made them stop for making black marks on the pavement. (so much like my grandpa Ward) Jimi sat on her bike, Sami set hers up on the sidewalk and Trever really did try to set his up, but he had a little difficulty...

Trever riding with no care in the world...

Because they listen so well, they scurry over to do as I had said and put their bikes up...

When Trever gets his up, it knocks Sami's down...

He finally figures it out, or so he thinks...

As he gets Sami's balanced, his falls back over...

He gets his back up and guess who instigates and knocks hers back over, just to torment the poor poor boy...

You would never imagine that they would look like they loved each other so much just a short time later... (ok, the next day)

pictures speak a thousand words!

Green krispies and green face

So I am a TOTAL slacker when it came to Easter this year. My only excuse is that we JUST got home from vacation and I wasn't even sure if we would be home by Easter at all. So... the night of Easter I got the things to make the rice krispy baskets, the ones with the dyed coconut grass. Um yeah... instead they made their own creations. Alex made a guitar and mic. Jimi made eggs and a bunny. Sami made eggs. Trever made, well who knows but he had most of it eaten by the time he was done. Jim had the idea to dye them green. They ended up looking a little gross but tasted really yummy. We didn't actually eat the kids creations, I made my own, in a pan, away from the kids. Sorry the pictures are so blurry, new camera and I can't figure it out in time for the kids to still be around, that's also the reason I have no pictures of Trever.

Next...

Jimi is grounded from her precious cell phone, because she's mouthy and it's that or I beat her! Monday night she asks nicely to run to Toni's to borrow jeans (the cloths swap thing is so weird) and then go to Harleighs to do a facial mask. It was 7:34, but I said yes as long as your home by 8:00. She runs out, and comes strolling in at 8:09. I told her that she just added 9 more days with no phone. Obviously she was mad, but who could tell cause she still had the green mask on her face. Being the nice mom I am I decided to give her a 5 minute grace period and decreased the time to 4 extra days. Then I grabbed my camera, of course she didn't think her green face was bloggable, but I disagreed. Finally we negotiated and I took off the 4 extra days. We won't go into how she acted later that makes us wonder if she will EVER get her phone back.