My To Do List for SPRING BREAK

Things I wanna do during this week off...
ride the horses - I hope we can squeeze in a trail ride.

exercise - in some manner every day

spring cleaning inside (outside coming soon…)

start our garden (inside) - This year we are going to for sure do the apple bin gardening.

read two books - actually I want to finish reading the two books that I am in the middle of right now!

write two chapters of my novel - (I had this list started on Friday, and I did write a chapter Sunday night!!!!)

watch some movies on our list to watch!

maybe watch a tv series - I love the Tudors, and I would like to see season two, but I dont' think it's out yet. Another series I am interested in is Dexter.

organize stuff for Relay for Life - I need to get all my team members registered (I have four teams this year!)

BEST DINNER EVER!!! My new favorite restaurant in town!

     Rick and I decided on the spur of the moment to go out and eat tonight, and so we aimlessly headed down to town.
     It's not like we have a ton of choices, and the ones that we do have, we often don't agree or both aren't in the mood to eat at this place or that place.
     In the end, we decided to try the new Canvas Cowboys Grill, and let me tell you, we were MORE THAN pleasantly surprised.
     First off, we pulled up to witness some bullwhip demonstrations, so that was a nice touch! LOL
     I truly believe that Bink Picard has something SUPER special going here!
     Honestly, this is one of THE best dinners I have ever had in my entire life. NO LIE.
     Rick affirms that his steak was, "Without a doubt the best steak I have ever had in my life." That's coming from Mr. Picky!!!
     Many of you know that I am from Texas, and that my beloved grandfather, Pa (as I call him), is a person who I consider the best BBQer on the planet. Although he is no longer with us, he was a true Texan cowboy through and through, and one of the best cooks. Why? Because he believed in taking his time and making things "just right" as he would say.
     Well, I guarantee if my Pa was still alive, I would take him to Canvas Cowboys to eat, and he would be satisfied and pleased, and let me tell you that's the truest compliment I could ever give.
     I can't wait to take my dad (another BBQer extraordinaire)there on his next visit!!
     Let's talk about the ambience first. Well, the decor is some of the most incredible artwork, which you can check out online. My favorites were the Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck pieces. AMAZING.
     What's really cool is that we were able to hear the story behind some of the artwork. I always love knowing the details, and what an honor to hear them from the artist himself!
     I also LOVED that the seats were old bleachers from the Stampede! Talk about a clever way to keep it real and connected!
     OK, now for the meal...We both had to bring over half of our dinners home! I had a 10 ounce steak (Rick's was 16 ounces). Normally the portion for mine should be 8 ounces. And, the beef is bought locally!
     Along with our steaks we also got salad (all fresh veggies and greens), beans and rice (with a sweet taste), a roll, a baked potato, red potato salad (fresh and perfect), and a piece of apple pie (that we also brought home).
     Talk about a plate FULL of food! Holy cow! And, I can't believe how reasonable the prices are!!! My meal was $19.95, and Rick's was $29.99, which included Rick's Mountain Dew. I just drank water.
     Here's the funny moment of the night. Before we got our food, I told Rick I thought it was funny that they didn't give you a steak knife, when it was supposed to be steak for dinner. And, I figured it would come on our dinner plate.
     When our dinners arrived, no steak knife. Then I used my bread knife to cut it, and HELLO! Can someone say TENDER????!! Definitely NO steak knife needed!
     And, let me tell you...the food was exceptionally tasteful. I, without a doubt, will be back! Next time, I will order and try the ribs!
     To end our delightful dinner, right about the time that we both felt like we might pop, Bink serenaded us with a little Johnny Cash. I had no idea that was coming, and let me tell you...it made my night!
     Yup, Bink's the cook, artist, and entertainment! He does have a nice support team of two other people, a waitress and prep cook.
     So, they are open on Friday and Saturdays starting at 5 p.m. for dinner, and then on Mondays for lunch and dinner.
     I can't wait to have a girls night there, and the only thing, I would like is a cold beer or nice glass of red wine.
     Hey, when you go visit, tell Bink that you Trisha sent ya, OK?!
     Oh, and if you go on Saturday night, you might get to see Bink's horse! How's that for authentic?

Care Packages and all!

     So, as most of you know, my son is a Marine. I send him and also the son of my best friend a care package every two weeks. I always send stuff that makes their lives easier, and usually it’s a lot of random things! Lots of snacks, movies, our local paper, drinks, magazines, and whatever else I find and think they might like.
     Well, anyhow, our little one decided that she was going to send a special package to her big brother. She’s so proud of him!!
I was a little worried about what was in the box, but I didn’t want to break it open because she had even taped it all up! I do have to fill out a declaration form in order to send a package to Cody, since it’s international and all. I ended up writing toys and pictures, although I really wasn't sure.
     Cody did just get the package, and he said it made his day! He said it was pretty funny to see all the big and tough guys standing around him checking out his special package, and that they all sounded like they were a bunch of women at a baby shower with their ooooooos and aaaaaaaas.
     On the outside of the box she wrote, “I love my big bro Cody! Hez in the US Marinz! Dont forget to send me prezens!”
Inside the box were lots of pictures she drew of the two of them together, and a couple of toys, two lollipops, a small American Flag, a dollar bill (this was HUGE because she loves money!), and an envelope with a card. The card was blank, and on the envelope it said, “Fil out and send bac to me.” LOL!!!! Too cute!
      Cody said he is going to never spend the dollar bill and always keep it with him, and he plans on sending her that card back, too. She absolutely loves it when she gets mail from him!
     I am so proud of her for being so thoughtful and kind. And, how cool is it that she made a whole bunch of marines smile!

My Monday!

Monday is the key day of the week. Gaelic Proverb

     I tend to agree. Doesn’t your Monday just set the tone for the rest of the week? Today was a SUPER Monday for me!!!
     It started out with just feeling happy and healthy and THANKFULLY not too sore after my 4-hour trail ride yesterday. I have to admit I was worried because last night I started feeling quite sore, but today I feel GREAT!!!
     Then Cody called! YEAH! We talked for a LONG time, and it’s just so good to hear his voice, especially after the big SNAFU on Friday that had me a little anxious. I feel so happy when I talk to him!! Hey, hug your loved ones today and feel lucky for it!! I can’t wait to hug him again…sometime this summer.
     Today I also had a massage…What a nice way to relax and end the day. By the way, I always schedule my massages for Monday appointments? I figure if I have a tough Monday, it will just change that energy around, right?!
     Happy Monday! You only get 52 a year, so make the best of them. And, today is the 12th Monday of 2009! I also realized that I only have 11 Mondays left until I am out for summer vacation. It’s not that I am counting, just that we have a TON of fun things to do this summer !!
     Whether your Monday was STELLAR or not so, just remember you get another one in 6 more days!

Rainbow lover!

     We had to stop on Friday to take a picture of the rainbow!!! Of course, our little one wanted to go and search out the pot of gold. She's still a little obsessed with leprechauns this week!! LOL

We all know what SNAFU means...

Pic from CNN website

     As many of you may have heard, a nuclear submarine crashed into the ship Cody is on!! What the heck? How does that seriously happen with today’s technology?
     You can read all about it HERE.
     Cody emailed right away in the morning to let me know he was OK because he knew I would hear about it on the news.
     He told us that he thought it was an explosion of some sort and then they immediately could smell gasoline when it happened. He was in his berthing (living quarters), and they were watching a movie at around 1 a.m. his time when his ship was hit.
     When I first heard about this and researched it, I immediately found it stupid and somewhat funny, not in a knee-slapper sort of way, mind you. But, I guess more like ridiculous!
     Now that I have had a few days to really digest all of this. I am MAD. It could’ve been REALLY bad.
     What if the entire boat exploded? They did after all hit near the gas storage, at least 25,000 gallons of the diesel is now in the ocean.
     What if the boat had sunk? You know, like HEY you sank my battleship! Hello, they have over 1000 sailors and marines on that ship!
     Thankfully nobody was critically injured, just sounds like some bumps and bruises for some of the 200 sailors aboard the sub.
     And, I thought I had to be worried about terrorists!!?! SIGH

Happy first day of SPRING!!!!!

     The sun was even shining just a bit ago!
     I am soooo glad for Spring to be here, now if the weather would just figure that out, too!!!
     I just love getting back outside and being able to do more later since we have more light.
     Just last night we were talking about how the temperature felt mild without any wind!!
     If you get a chance check out google today!



     It's a Google Doodle celebrating Eric Carle's 40th anniversary for The Hungry Caterpillar! Can you believe that book has been out for 40 years?! Mr. Carle has a super cool life story RIGHT HERE! And, he is 80 now!!!

Gotta love Girl Scout COOKIES!!!!

     It's that time!!! I love Girl Scout Cookies! I have loved them ever since I sold them when I was a little Brownie back in the day.
     Talk about coming full circle, now I have a little one who is a Daisy Scout (they didn't have those when I was little), and I am the COOKIE MOM for our troop!!
     So, yesterday we picked up our troop order, and then we separated them all out for each girl. Our tiny little girls had 87 cases of cookies in all!!!
     Then last night, our little one was so excited and she helped to organize each of our orders! Today we delivered them all!!!
     Her two favorite stops? Sheriff Rogers (who had a HUGE order) because she loves visiting him at his Bat Man office! And, of course, her Grandpa Bob and Grandma Judy because they ALWAYS have a special treat and little surprise for her!!
     The best part of selling the Girl Scout cookies this year was watching our little one's confidence grow as she sold to MANY people in my school building! She was so cute, and I was super proud of her!!!
     Watching her deliver them all today, my heart was just huge. She was all smiles and SO PROUD OF HERSELF!!! What a great experience this has been!
     So, which is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

I did it!

     I love learning something new! I love crossing off something on my TO DO IN THIS LIFETIME LIST!!!!
     Yesterday our little one had a hair appointment. Our hairdresser, Shelley, will always French braid her hair after cutting it, and we can keep it in overnight, and it's SOOOO super cute!
     Well, the last appointment I had mentioned that I would like to learn. That having two boys earlier meant not having to deal with hair!
     So, little did I know, but Shelley actually crossed out time for me to learn! YEAH!
     And, I did!! It's far easier than I thought!!! I am so proud of myself for learning and very thankful to Shelley for taking the time to teach me!!!!
     Now, it takes some practice! I want one of those Barbie heads, so I can practice, so my rows are perfectly straight and the braids are tight!
     Our little one was so cute because she was super patient and also VERY proud of me for learning!! We will definitely have cute hair this summer while we are riding our horses!

Quick funny!

     A sneaky leprechaun came to our house and our milk was GREEN! The funny thing about this...he wasn't thinking and he must've put too much green in his magic potion because we had a little one running around with a green moustache that I thought would never go away, LOL!!! [I should've taken a pic!!!]
     It reminded me of the time she had a green hand when we colored eggs!!! LOL
     Good times!

This I believe...

     I recently finished reading an incredibly inspiring book, This I Believe: The Personal Philsophies of Remarkable Men and Women.
     It's a book that is based on the NPR series with the same name.
     There are actually now two books! And, I am eager to read the second. The essays are from famous and not famous people!
     I actually decided to have my students write these essays, as well, after we had read and listened to some. I was BLOWN away by what my students wrote. Seriously, I was moved to tears by their beliefs and the eloquent way for which they stated them.
     You should check out and listen to some online! Go to the THIS I BELIEVE site!
     I wrote both an essay and a list. The list was inspired from this great story about a kindergarten student who wrote a list of 100 things he believed for the 100th day of school.
     I loved the essays by Tony Hawk, Elie Wiesel, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, and Sarah Adams (BE COOL TO THE PIZZA DUDE), and soooo many more. I love both reading and listening to them, and I hope you enjoy them, too!
I may even submit my essay, but for now I will share with you my list!

Trisha's Top Twenty Truths

This I believe...
All children deserve to feel loved.

Becoming a parent is the greatest thing I have ever done in my entire life.

People should be kind to each other.

One person can make a HUGE difference.

Failures teach bigger lessons than successes.

Everything happens for a reason.

Random acts of kindness do make the world a brighter and better place.

It’s never as bad as it first seems.

Parents can put way too much pressure on their kids.

Love is not biology.

People can change if they want to.

What you put into this life is what it will return to you.

Every person has a purpose.

Chaos can be organized.

Music feeds the soul.

Nature is true beauty.

Tough times are NEVER forever.

Travel feeds curiosity.

Apathy is far worse than hate.

Adults need to play.

…I believe this.

St. Patty's Day!

     Well, we have all of our green clothes set out, and we are ready for tomorrow!
     We also accepted the challenge and made a...leprechaun trap!!
     We had so much fun making this project, and our little one is just sure that we will catch a leprechaun in the morning!
     Of course, I shouldn't be surprised because this is the SAME girl who asked Santa for a leprechaun and an elf for Christmas, so that she wouldn't have to do her chores anymore!
     She did tell us that if we caught one, she was going to make him do her spelling tests from now on. LOL!
     She added Lucky Charms inside the hat, so that when we catch our little friend, he won't starve!
     The top of the hat is a piece of felt across an oatmeal tub, so when the sneaky guy goes to grab the gold (almond Hershey Kiss), he will fall through!
     The sign says, DO NOT CLIMB LADDER! Because you see, leprechauns like to break rules!
     We had a blast making this! You should've seen our little one out searching for the perfect sticks to make the ladder!
     The quality of the pic isn't so good because it's from the cell phone, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like!
     Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yummy!

     I bought Ricky a homebrew kit for Christmas this past year, and he has made a couple of batches. In the end, it's all kind of a science project, and it's actually quite an interesting process.
     Well, our six-year-old was quite interested in how all this worked, too, so we bought her a rootbeer kit for Valentine's Day.
     OH MY GAWSH!!! The rootbeer is to die for! I consider myself somewhat of a rootbeer coniseur because I have always loved rootbeer since I was a little girl!
     It has always been my favorite pop, and really I don't like pop much at all, but I will drink some rootbeer!
     This homemade stuff is the best, and I know it's not a fluke because Dad and Daughter have made two batches now, and it's delicious! I told them they should name it Double D (Dad and Daughter)! I am thinking about making some special labels for them :)

Recycle!

     Yesterday when we made our trip to Wenatchee, I made a stop into Goodwill! I love going in there!!!
     So, I found several pairs of jeans for me, and some of my favorite brands! I found both sizes that I wear right now and sizes I will soon wear, too!! They were all $2.50 a pair!
     Apparently I was on a $2.50 vibe because I found tons of stuff!
     Well, our little girl is a lover of western shirts, and we have purchased her several new ones. BUT, I found the gold mine at Goodwill, and I bought her five new western shirts in an array of color, and each one was the magic price of $2.50!!! Yeah baby!!!
     Jordan was also in the mode of getting ready for MORP, and he found some perfect items, and his costume was PERFECT, and cheap :)
     I love Goodwill!

Read Across America Day! Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

     Today was such a fun day! My National Honor Society members went down to the elementary school and hung out with the little kids. They read together. And, the big kids brought the little ones books for them to keep.

     The highlight...a very special visitor! My son Jordan dressed up as the Cat and the Hat, and he was a hit!!

     Our little one wasn't sure at first if it was her brother or not. She was so cute! In the end, she figured out that it was Jordan, as she said, "I knew it was my brother because I know his eyes and his voice!" Too sweet!
     She was absolutely proud that it was her brother!!
     So, what's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Dine and Dash

     So, yesterday we all went out to lunch at The Corner Bistro. We were a big group: Rick, Jordan, G-Ma Pat, my dad, my little sister, and me :)
     The food was good, the service was OK, the fellowship was THE BEST!
     We had one waitress start us out, and then we had a different close us out.
     Right after dessert I excused myself to the bathroom, but really I was all about paying the check without anyone knowing, because then they would all demand to pay. [Where did this stubborn bit come from, anyhow?]
     My sister was getting impatient. She asked me, "Geez, what's the deal? Do we have to go and get the check or what?"
     I replied,"I dunno. This is the first time I have been here."
     To which she replied, "Well, maybe we should just Dine and Dash then!" [Note: She was kidding; she would NEVER do that.]
     I grabbed my coat, and I ran out the door! Jordan followed suit, and then we were dying outside!
     Jordan was just laughing because he thought I was leaving Rick with the check!
     Meanwhile I am watching my sister, who is looking dumbfounded about the whole thing!!
     To make matters worse, the waitress just kept telling them good-bye and thank you.
     I am busting a gut outside, DYING!! Finally, Rick asks the waitress if I paid, and she tells them all that I did.
     TOO funny! Good times!! My family was blown away that I would just leave them all with the ticket, so out of my character...which in the end it was!!! LOL

Another Super Saturday!

     Saturday we decided that since we were without kids that we should just GO! Off we went to Wenatchee...
     I love going to Wenatchee, and it's even more fun when we don't have it planned!
     Of course, I love spending HOURS in the bookstore. I could seriously spend a zillion dollars there! I did buy a book I have wanted for awhile, The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl. It's so inspiring and funny.

     Another favorite thing to do in Wenatchee is to go to Goodwill! I love finding books and clothes and whatnot.
     I also found some cool stuff to give our little one's teacher for this week of fun (Dr. Seuss all week!).
     We ate out (a milkshake at Sonic, made me think of my Grandpa!), and we just had a good time. We always laugh a lot! Lots of entertainment :)
     We jammed out to classic rock on the satellite radio and talked about everything. It's just relaxing and nice to mellow out and be adults together.