How is everyone?

Our weekend was ok, the first one with her working Sat. So, we had Sunday to spend with each other, and tonight she'll be home too! I'm sure we'll get use to it the longer she is working, and this all will be worth it when we are out of debt and on our way to getting a house of our own again! How was all of you weekends? Haven't heard much from anyone lately, except for Mom, which is fine. Just thought I'd try to get more of you to comment. So, please let us know how your last couple weekends have been!

New Phone Coming

After about 2-3 years I'm finially having to buy a new phone. I had an i730 and I'll be getting an i860. I will have the ability to take pictures with it too, and email them right from the phone. I know this phone will be the last one I have with Nextel, because Tina and I are looking to move to Cingular after our contracts run out here, and they have more selection & experience with the PPT feature coming to there service this year!

We're in and settling down!

We moved out over the week end and now have our own space again! We'll still be using Mamaw&Papaw's house for laundry, bathroom and some cooking, but for the most part we can now be out of their way and have our own time with the kids. I don't know if you can have too many kids, but you can have too many parents, and that's what we were living for the past 10 months! To many people and to many differences on how and what to do with the kids can start to ruin relationships! So, it's best for us to be out in our own space until we can manage getting a house! Tina & I were driving around after the Sportsmen Expo yesterday, in the Plumas Lake area where we will be getting a house within the next year! 2-3,000 sqare feet homes going for somewhere in the neighborhood of $300-500,000. We had so much fun looking at boat with Papaw&Mamaw, fishing in a trout filled pool, making spinner bates (with beads), learning to fly fish, and walking that the kids fell asleep on the way home. So we took the time to dream build and search for the perfect look for our house! We re-ran out FNA and found that we can be completely out of debt in 4 years, but I plan to get most of it done this year by getting creative and using the tools I have available! Sat. was spent moving out all the electronics and clothing we needed, and we will be doing a lot more over the coming weeks with running a more permanent power cable under the ground, and digging a trench for our water, and phone & coax cable so we can have cable and internet out there! We also have a new A/C unit to install on the top in the spring before it gets to hot!

Busy Weekend!

Tina & I had a long weekend with MLK day, and we put a lot of our time to good use! Sat. , after helping Tina with the kennels, I had time to catch up on folding and putting away clothing, while watching the Seahawks win. Sunday we got surprised by Grandma & Grandpa Souza showing up and visiting with us, for Mamaw's birthday! We celebrated that in the morning and then got busy on putting our "Jesus Tree" down. We had a small tree in the window of the kitchen this year and put all of our spiritual ornaments on it! Then we went outside and got power hooked up to our trailer! Monday we started out over at the kennels again and then got the water hooked up to the trailer! We also got a chance to clean up from storm damage we had in the last month, and tried to get our propane working, but ran into a snag. We should have that fixed by the end of the week. We also found out that Tina will be starting her job next Monday! Hope everyone else had a productive weekend like we did!

Thing are looking up in 2006

Today was my first day with the City of West Sacramento, but not really! I've been here working as a temp through an agency for the past 8 months and today that is over! They offered me the job back in Nov. and I gladly took it! Although this is not my long term goal for income, it is needed at this time to make it, until Primerica can replace the income! To do that we I will be receiving the watch, because replacing this income will take me making $50K and PFS rewards all $50K earners with a watch. To do that I'm on a challenge for myself of contacting 500 people in the next 6 month, so I can take an massively active role in building our PFS business! But, we also needed Tina to contribute as well, and it looks like that she will be starting with Fremont-Rideout Hospital up in Marysville in the next week or two!!!! The Lord has really blessed us and we thank him for all our successes, and look forward to growing closer to Jesus in the coming year! We've started reading the Bible all the way through this year and look forward to learning more about the lord and growing spiritually big time this year! We love you all and know if you put the Lord first in your life like he is in ours you'll be blessed in similar ways!

King Kong

WOW, what a great job Peter Jackson did. Another fantastic movie from him! Of course we can not compare it to his previous epic tale of LOTR, but as far as graphics go he is the master in my option! He made Kong come to life, adding in personality that wasn't there in the two previous films! A definite must see in the theater! But as far as kids go, again it's up to you, the first hours of the 3 hour movie is kind of drawn out! But as soon as Kong hit the screen, it was action, action and more action! The best scene sequence being the T Rex fight! The worst being the stampede scenes! That is all I'll be saying about that, you'll have to be surprised like I was! There are a few scary parts, but not many, and very low on blood a gore as well! Perfectly done!!!!

Government Grant Scam!!!

Just wanted to warn everyone about a scam that is getting around the USA this year. It seems to be one guy that does all the calling. He has a middle eastern accent, and is pretty hard to understand. He is offering government grants and tries to get your bank routing number or wants you to verify your routing number. He wants you to agree to this so he can charge you a fee, but he isn't always upfront about the fee and it is from $50-130.00. The grant amount seems to be the same, $12,500 is the amount he is offering. Whatever you do, DON"T GIVE HIM ANYTHING!!!! The better Business Burrow in FL has over 300 complains about him, so people have fell for this. I sniffed him out and when it was all said and done we told him we were rich and we didn't need the money and to give it to the victims of Hurricane Katrina!

Two big points here why this not real. Number one the government is not, for any reason just going to call you and say, "Hey, we have this extra money laying around, do you want some?" And number two, a grant is FREE, it doesn't cost anything!!! Accept for the work that goes into hunting one down, because it isn't easy to get your hands on free money! I've talked to a few people that I know in PA and they all remember getting a call like this!! If you want to lead the guy on to try to get info out of him, so we can give it to the proper authorities, fine, but DON"T GIVE HIM YOUR INFO!!!!!

Four Brothers

Got a chance to see this over Christmas weekend, on DVD, and it was good! Not what I expected as far as the story goes, but good! I'm glad I waited to see this, instead of seeing it in the theater! I probably would have been disappointed. Some bad language is in it, and guns of course, but nothing real bad. Just a good story of how family should stick together and stand up for each other! If your planning on renting a movie this should definitely be on your list!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

We hope you all have a great day, and remember we are with you always! In your hearts, prayers, and memories. We know this, for it is how we get through all the special days out here, in CA. We'll talk to you soon and enjoy Christopher's company on Monday! He gets to play "SANTA" this year!

Sending him off!!!!

Here is where we'll be driving to at 3pm pst (6pm est) to see Christopher off to PA. We hope you all enjoy the time you spend with him over the next week. I'm sure this will be trip he will always remember, as it is his first trip by himself. We love you all and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!

Contractor's Holiday Gifts

Over the past 2 weeks our department and floor has been flooded with gift baskets of all types! Most of them have all sorts of sweets in, and that means we get alot of repeat items! But some stand out about the rest, and this is by far the one that has been the best as far as presentation goes! I don't know if we will be tasting this one, but it sure does look good!

Certified Christmas Plan

Just in case you needed some help, here are the specs for Christmas!!!!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone. In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney with presents to give, And to see just who in this home did live

I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree. No Stocking by the mantle, just boots filled with sand, On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds, A sober thought came and ran through my mind. For this house was different, it was dark and dreary, I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone, Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home. The face was so gentle, this room in disorder, Not how I pictured a United States Soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I'd just read? Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed? I realized the families I saw on this night Wed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.

Soon 'round the world, the children would play, and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas Day. They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year, Becasue of the soldiers, like the one laying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, On a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home. The very thought brought a tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, "Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice. I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more My life is my God, my Country, my Corps"

The Soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep, I couldn't control it, I contiuned to weep. I kept watch for hours, so silent and still, And we both shivered from the cold night's chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark night, This Guardian of honoir, so willing to fight. Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure, Whispered, "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas, all is secure".

One look at my watch, and I knew he was right, "Merry Christmas, my friend, and to all, a good night."

(Ed. note- I found the following attached to one versioon of this... This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable..... PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able To celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.) FOR OTHER VERSIONS CLICK HERE

The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe

We were able to go see this this week for Christopher's Birthday, which made him really excited! When we got there to see it at 7pm we were in for a surprise as it was sold out until 9:45pm. So we decided to get the tickets and do the shopping we had planned to do after the movie; though we were going to do it without the kids we firgured we usually shop for them when they are with us and they never notice, so why this time too. We just had them stand somewhere else when we were checking out, so they would see things going in to bags! It worked, cause today Ant asked if we could go shopping for Christophers B-day and I told him we did it last night! He was pretty surprised! We were done and back at the theater around 9pm. The movie is done very well, but if your looking for a action packed in your face type of movie DON"T GO! This movie follows the previous ones and the books very closely. So if you've seen those, your in for a boring ride, since you know what is coming next! But, if you looking to go see it for the graphics, or for your kids, do it! Ours loved it & they all stayed awake, more then I can say for Tina! The graphics are the best I've seen by Disney yet; outside the Pirates of the Caribbean! Oh there is a great trailer of the Pirates of the Caribbean: A Dead Man's Chest before the movie as well! So, there's our advice for this movie. Hope you don't mind that I don't go all out on telling the story on our reviews, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Christopher!!!

We had a great day over the weekend with him! From his quad ride from Uncle Jeff, that is something he won't forget anytime soon to the gift that came on Monday from Oma&Opa, we are happy to have been able to see him reach the halfway to driving mark with flying colors! Christopher's 8th birthday was a success and we were able to get him some truely great gifts! Some of the things he liked the most was the controllers & game for the 64 and his Farve figure from Ant! He likes his wristbands from MaKayla and his bike from Mamaw&Papaw, that he's had for about 4 months now! He also like the lure, and can't wait to use it! He got a chance on one of our fishing trips to use one like it that I have in my takle! He was also surprised by the stuff from PA and thought the JR PJs to be the coolest!!!!! Thank you all for helping make the memories of this day be ones for use to remember always! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!!!!!

Hospital Interview!

Tina got a call alittle after lunch about a job she applied for over the internet at Fremont-Rideout Hospital, here in Marysville! This was the third job she put in for in as many months. When the lady was talking to her on the phone, it sounded like she was going to hire her right from the call. But, she decided to set up an interview for her this Thursday! So, thank you for keeping us in your prayors, it looks like she may be starting before Christmas! The position is for a Medical Records Admission Clerk and is from 2pm-11pm. This is something different then what Tina wanted to do, but right now she is happy to get her foot in the door with a hospital. They have a scholarship program for people who want to move up, just like LVH did!!!!!

Custom Creative Crafts

Tina came up with a brochure/order form for her craft sales. We will be at a Craft Fair tomorrow, seeing if we can gain some interest with people in the area. We would love for it to get to the point where we can be making money regularly with it, but we have to see how it goes! This is something she loves doing so it only makes sense to try it! We'll keep you updated with the interest and feed back we get. So, consider this CCC first "offical" brochure!

First NBA Game!!!!

VS.

We got a chance to go see a Sacramento Kings game on Tuesday. I won the tickets a few weeks ago in a raffle at work, so I decided to take Tina's Dad (since he had off) and the boys. Since I work in West Sac. we set it up for him to bring the boys down with him and I would meet him to go in together so we only had to pay to park one car. So, we met @ Safeway and I left the Jimmy there, hopped in his car and made or way over to Arco Arena! The game started at 7pm and we were parked by 6:15pm. As we made our way through the crowd to our seats we passed some venders, selling Kings stuff and I got the boys each a head band (Christopher picked white & Anthony picked black) and I also got a purple one for Tina, and I got 2 $2.00 pens for Tina. I was going to get a hat, but I figured I could get a better deal in the stores (they were $20+ there). The kids had a great time and so did Papaw! Some spots were boring, but they did a good job keeping the crowd into the game thoughout the commerical breaks! At the end of the game they had all the kids 15 and under come down on the court and shout a Free Throw shot! The boys loved that!!!! So it looks like we have Kings fans in the making!!!! We had a blast and Papaw said I need to win more tickets next time so we can take the ladies!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We made of first Thanksgiving dinner today and it was a success. When we lived in PA we had my parents that would make the meal and my brother. We were always the ones that would help in other ways. Well, we did everything this year. From making an apple pie from scratch (exept the crust) to Turkey, corn, carrots, mashed potatoes, stuffing (Stove Top), sweet pototoes, rolls, and gravy, we worked hard. Everything went great and the turkey was our only headace taking longer then expected, but it worked out well because her Dad was home in time to eat with us! Cooking was only the start of it we had the clean up to do as well, which took about 10 dish loads through out the day! Thank you Lord for the family we have, from CA to PA, our freedom, and most of all your son Jesus sent to earth to take away our sins!

Birthday String of Luck!

This weekend was pretty neat! My Birthday fell on Sat. and I had a String of luck start on Thursday! We had a funraiser event at work, that (to my surprise) had a raffle for the people that attended. I paid $1 for the raffle and donated $1 and won the big prize: 4 Sacramento Kings Tickets for Tuesday 29th, 2005! Saturday we went to a Steak & Oyster Dinner and paid $10 for raffle tickets and won a bottle of Red Wine; which we probably won't drink! But we still won something!!!!! Today I got and email from the Sacramento Bee (News paper that has raffle drawings every few weeks for all kinds of stuff) and I won Beauty & the Beast Musical Tickets (2) for this Saturday!!! And I'm in the running to win the Football Pool this week!