Some pics from the Hoop World Streetball Tournament last weekend:

Well, tomorrow's the 4th of July again...Isn't that supposed to be, like, in the middle of summer?! In my opinion, summer should last for at least 6 months. With all the stuff you have to do on a daily basis, there's just not much time left for enjoying the sunshine & the wonderful warm summer evenings. Tomorrow, Tyson & I are going to Lisa's dad's place (along w/ Tyson's best bud, Triston& his mom) for a BBQ & swimming in their pool, which I hear is pretty spectacular & all rock. Afterward, we will go watch the fireworks somewhere, of course. Speaking of amazing pools, though, Tyson went to his friend, Luc's, aunt's house & their entire living room was a pool. The entrance leads to a balcony & you look down & see this olympic sized pool! Awesome!

Work's been getting a little bit better. I sent out my patient statements for the first time in two months, so yesterday I was inundated with calls, but not half as bad as I thought. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't be able to figure out which screen to go to to get the info I needed, with the new software, but I think I'm really starting to get it! To top it off, I am FINALLY getting an assistant! It's so nice to know that they recognize how hard I work & that I can't continue to do it all on my own.

I got a call from Krista today & she said that a friend of Dustin's that he'd considered going into business with, committed suicide yesterday, leaving behind a wife & kids. Apparently, the marriage was in trouble & his business was flourishing & just became too much stress. Another tragedy that just makes no sense. Don't people realize that everything changes eventually, if you just give it enough time? And if you can't wait it out, then you can change it, rather than taking your life & having no opportunity for better things to come and hurting so many people that you love in the meantime? Anyway, if they end up having the memorial this weekend, then Krista & Dustin will be coming down.

Kristin came down from Bend on Friday & we went shopping until the mall closed, then headed over to Chadwick's & hung out with a couple of guys that she knew from college. On Saturday, I accompanied Lisa down to Redding to meet up with her ex & drop her son off for a visit with him. We're thinking that when we go to pick him up, we should bring Ty & go to the water slides there & then camp at Shasta Lake on the way back up. On Saturday night, Tyson & I rented a couple of movies & snuggled on the futon & slept in on Sunday & watched more movies & I even took a nap, then went to lay out by the pool. I've just been SO exhausted lately, that sometimes you just need to drop everything & recouperate!

My mom is thinking about moving here & I need to get out & start looking for a place for her, too. It's just hard to make the time, especially when I don't know when the move would take place & she has a certain kind of place in mind, but anything I've looked at with any kind of yard/acreage is SPENDY! Maybe you guys could send out some prayers her way & include my dad in them, too? I won't go into it, but he's going through a rough time & could use some prayers.

Well, I've pretty much posted about everything I can think of, except that Tyson will be signing up for summer league basketball sometime this next week or so. Hope everyone's having a great summer so far! Oh, upcoming events for the rest of summer include Becky's party in Gold Hill (her parents are renting a band & will have a full bar & BBQ, and I had such a great time last time I went, and this is supposed to be HUGE!), hopefully the Douglas County fair August 9th (Poison & Ratt will be performing & I just love those 80s hair bands!) & then the Chicago concert with Lisa & her parents at Britt at the end of August!

All right, I guess I'll try this dang thing again - I'll take Kathy's advice & copy & paste just in case I lose it when I go to post...

Let me start by saying that it's entirely WAY too late for me to even be up, much less posting on my blog, but I know that the suspense has nearly killed all y'all!

So, some highlights:

*Ty's 5th grade graduation June 11. He received the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, as well as the Social Studies & Science award (to add to his Math award from earlier in the year). Not to brag or anything...Seth stopped by briefly & cut out early, even though it was his day off (yep - he's actually working!)

*Work - getting better, still sucking, but learning more...

*Visit from family!! Kathy & the kids drove up from AZ & stayed just over a week with me. Laura joined us Saturday through Tuesday morning, when they drove back. We had an AWESOME visit! The weather was ideal, the kids got along well, we played in the pool, went shopping, visited & did KARAOKE!!! I just love having a sister that loves to do this as much as I do! So, they arrived on Monday evening & on Thursday, Kathy & I went to the Red Lion, where we'd hear a rumor that the guys from Whose Line Is It Anyway? would be doing some karaoke prior to their show at the Craterian the next night. We couldn't be sure, but figured that even if it weren't true, there would still be karaoke...Well, sure enough - they sauntered in & we joined the rest of the groupies & took a bunch of pics & just hung out with them. Obviously, these are some funny guys, but I was really impressed by how well most of them sang (oh, and also how hot a couple of them were)! Then, on Saturday, when Kathy & Laura came back from Eureka for my niece, Mary's, graduation, we all went out to Chadwick's. We decided to drive the jeep there & get a cab home so that we could all drink & be silly together, which we promptly proceeded to do. I have some incriminating photos of Laura underneath the table & Kathy hugging a complete stranger like she was her best friend. We won't discuss the incriminating photos they got of me! I just LOVE my sisters & hanging out with them! We really had a blast.

*End of baseball, on the street ball hoops tournament June 23-24 downtown Medford, sponsored by KOBI & KISS FM. Tyson has been setting this up for a couple of months now, with very little assistance from me, & has organized four friends to join his team (it's a 3-on-3 tourament, & he can have 2 subs), set up practices at the YMCA & the school & made up plays & collected the $100 entry fee. So we did that all weekend - good times for the most part. Tyson being the little competitor had a hard time with losing all their games, but they were in a 13 & under division, since the next division was 10 & under & they had one 10 y/o & four 11 y/o. I kept having to remind him that he was getting to spend an entire weekend with his best buds (and his girlfriend, who was also on the team) doing his most favorite thing with the music pumping & the streets closed off for vendors & meeting real street ball players & that it was a great experience, win or lose. Halfway through, I decided that if he wanted to have a bad time, that was his call & he did just fine.

There's really even more to tell, but I need to crash for the time being & will try to fill in the gaps soon (I know, that's what I always say...I really will try!)

I can't believe this, but I just spent 45 minutes posting & my hand slipped & I lost it all! The story of my frustrating & exhausting life these days. Sorry, but there's no way in hell I'm about to do it all over again!

Don't stop checking in - I know I'm way overdue for an update & I'll try to do one later but, if not today, soon! In the meantime:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!!!!

10 on Tuesday:

I haven't done this in a while, but here goes:
Ten Things I Like to Do By Myself (in no particular order):

1) Shop
2) Read
3) Drive
4) Play/sing/write/listen to/burn music
5) Watch TV or movies (no interruptions!)
6) Walk
7) Sunbathe
8) Look at old pictures
9) Pedicures/masks & pampering in general
10) Go to the park or a coffee shop & people watch

Due for an update, I suppose...Let's see...I dunno if I already mentioned that Seth moved back to the Valley. We haven't seen or heard from him much, which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, it seems pretty crappy to be so close by & still not make the effort with Tyson, but on the other (more selfish) hand, the less we see of him, the better, as far as I'm concerned. I know that sounds mean, but I just don't want Tyson to follow in his footsteps. Seth actually called me this morning to ask me to pick him up from work & take him to the hospital, since his dad had a heart attack, so I did.

We had Tyson's 11th birthday party a couple of weekends ago. I got him a LaBron James jersey he's been wanting but I couldn't afford & The Simpson's Season 4. He had baseball practice on Friday & we had two of his buddies stay the night afteward, then had two others meet us at Pizza Hut, where we played video games & ate a really yummy Dairy Queen Blizzard cake. Lisa met me there so that we could bus the boys over to the skating rink & we got ourselves a nice workout there, too! On the night of Tyson's actual birthday, I took Tyson & his friend, Triston, to Red Lobster (Ty's favorite restaurant) & we pigged out. (Of course, I, the sea-food hater, ordered chicken!)

Tyson has been on a health kick for quite a while now & wants to work out at the workout room here at the apts all the time in addition to meeting up with several friends to play hoops at the YMCA. He also will only eat junk on special occasions. It's really paying off for him - he looks really nice & lean, even though he will always have muscle mass. I'm really proud of him for his committment. He's actually at the Y right now while I was at home doing some extra transcription work for Brenda this week. It was surprisingly easy, which is nice, but will mean a smaller check...

Last week was a killer. We had to get all of our charges & payments posted & everything billed out etc. in time to close out Medical Manager by noon on Friday. Now we won't be able to use Med Mgr (although we can access it for a reference, but can't make any entries etc.) ever again. Our data is currently being converted to the new software & we will be live with Centricity May 7. During our training, I was still never taught how to post a payment, make an adjustment or do any billing, so I'm just a little nervous...It's been very draining.

On top of all the work stuff, I decided to be a good Mom & volunteer to be our baseball team's official scorekeeper. This didn't sound like much & I figured, hey, I'll be at all the games, anyway, so why not? Well, let me tell you - it is an entirely different language, mostly made up of hieroglyphic-type codes, or so it seems! I've done 2 games now & I know I'm not doing everything right, although I really am doing my best. I just hope it's enough of what they're looking for to be helpful & that I'll get the hang of it soon!

In other news, after much flirting back & forth, I got asked out by a little cutie-pie at one of the restaurants that Lisa & I frequent for lunch. By little, I mean that he's 24 years old & I've never dated a guy more than a year younger than me - my theory is that men already mature so much slower than women & I'm pretty mature for my age, so if anything, I should be dating older guys (although I'm tentatively hopeful that the men have mostly caught up by age 31)! Anwyay, this guy wrote down his myspace addy so I could check it out and thank goodness I did! I was already a little trepadicious because of the age discrepancy, but he's even less mature than I gave him credit for! He literally stated on his profile that he is an "unmotivated stoner"! Boy, do I know how to pick 'em, or what?! I've decided that I'll still go to the restaurant, because I really do like their food & it's closest to my work, and I'll even still flirt with him, 'cause it's fun, but if he tries to ask me out again, I'll just tell him that we are from two different worlds & he's gotta settle for being my little cupcake from the restaurant! This little experience simply renews my conviction that the Man Upstairs is keeping me from guys until the one that I've been waiting for is in the position to come whisk me off my feet!

Here are some pics from the Coos Bay trip:

Wellll....Yesterday was my 31st birthday & I just want to say that I have the greatest family & friends EVER!!! I think I heard from EVERYBODY! I felt incredibly special & surrounded by love ~ it really was a fantastic birthday!

Yesterday was also the first day of Centricity training at work - we are converting our entire practice (which includes 6 companies & 5 doctors) of 23 years of Medical Manager to a new computer system. It's going to be great & really computer friendly once we get everything transfered & learn the new system, but it's been mind-boggling in the meantime & very overwhelming when you consider that every aspect of my job will change (not to mention that we will eventually be going to centralized billing, which will be handled by yours truly)! I heard somewhere that it doesn't pay to be too good at your job, because then you become indispensible & I'm really feeling that right now, although of course it makes me feel good that they have so much confidence in my abilities...

Basketball season is over (after a very disappointing weekend at the Coos Bay tournament in which Tyson got to play about 2 whole minutes - no exaggeration - and it just broke my heart to watch). We have now started baseball, and Tyson's coach has said that he will definitely be one of three pitcher/catchers on the team, which Tyson was thrilled about!

Seth came into town unexpectedly last week & I was already planning to go to Eugene to celebrate Krista's & my birthday (and her daughter, Paige's), so I offered to let Seth stay here at my place with Tyson so they could spend some time together. I've been feeling really good about how we've been handling our co-parenting relationship lately, but I have to tell you - I picked Seth up from his brother's place, which is roughly 2 miles away from my apartment, & we got into 2 fights en route! Then, when I tried to call a truce, he said that he hadn't realized we were arguing - which just reminded me that arguing doesn't have a natural place in the lifestyle that I've chosen, but it's such a regular occurance with him that he doesn't even notice it! Anyway, Tyson seemed to enjoy the time with his dad for the most part. While I was in Eugene, I went on my first Harley ride!! It was awesome & the guy was even pretty hot, but I'm recommitted to holding out for the guy I believe to be my soul mate, as I received a call from him after almost 2 years a couple of weeks ago that renewed my faith in that possibility...

Enough about my secretive love life - back to the whole Seth thing: he told me last night that he is planning to move back to the Rogue Valley - YIKES!!!! He said, "I know that you'd prefer it if I stayed 3 1/2 hours away, but there's nothing for me there." Since I have come to learn that Seth doesn't always do what he says he will, I took it with a grain of salt & simply agreed that the distance did make it easier to get along, but we'd just have to work it out...all the while screaming inside, "NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!!!"

Anyway, I really am sorry that it's taken me so long to update my blog & thank all of you who have been patient with me & continue to check on the off chance that I'll get off my lazy buns & let y'all know what's been happening!

See, I actually posted a really long update here, but the text all disappeared, so I gave up!

At long last, the slacker has once again returned to visit her own blog...

I've been sick, Tyson's been sick, I've been working, watching a lot of movies & trying not to do anything else that requires energy or imagination...Therefore, not much to write about!

The only activities that I have been involved in consist of Tyson's sporting events. I was telling my friend Susan today at work that it's kinda sad that I equate the changing of the seasons with which sport my kid plays! Last Sunday was Tyson's last basketball game(s). Our coach called the day before the games to let us know that he & his son couldn't make it, because their whole family had the flu. So he called a dad on the team & asked him to coach, which actually worked out pretty well. Our first game, Tyson came out ready to play ball. He was everywhere & playing hard & with a lot of style! He scored 15 points of the 21 at the ending score, and that was just in the first quarter (aka half, since they only play 2 quarters vs 4, like the normal games). He played the entire first 1/2 & had to rest up a little bit during the 2nd half. The last game was actually tied 28-28 (again, Tyson was the lead scorer, but I lost track of his points) & went into overtime, where the other team won by just one basket. It was a pretty good game to end the season on, even though it would have been nice to win a game!

The really cool thing is that Tyson's coach called after the game to ask if Tyson would be interested in playing for the next level up, since they were short 2 players & have a tournament this weekend. Of course, Tyson was thrilled & more than happy to extend the basketball season for another week. We went to his first practice tonight & he was a little disappointed because he won't be the starting point guard like he was on the other team, but I nipped that in the bud. I told him & his friend Triston, who also will play on this team with him, that they should feel honored to be asked to play up & will be lucky if they get any play time, since these guys have been playing together all season & they just need some backup for their tournament. They'll only get to practice with them one more time, on Thursday. The tournament will be on Friday & Saturday in Coos Bay. This means that Tyson will miss his first baseball practice, but I spoke with his new coach & he was very supportive & assured me that it would be fine. So, Tyson will have his first baseball practice the following Monday! No breaks for my boy, but it's good for him - especially for him. He thrives on physical activity & needs the encouragement, not to mention the male role model/companionship that sports offer.

In other news, my friend Kristin moved to Bend today. I'm planning a trip up to Eugene the 24th-26th to celebrate Krista's & my birthdays (hers is the 18th, mine is the 28th). We are planning to do a day spa or something to that effect. No matter what we do, though, it will just be nice to see her & the family again!

I really, really am trying to get better about being more consistent with my posts here! Let's see - I went out with my friend Lisa from work, along with her mom & her mom's friends from work. We did the comedy/karaoke thing as usual, & it was a blast! The comedians were really great, so that is always a bonus! My friend Kristin joined us toward the end of the night, too. It looks like she'll be moving back to Bend before too much longer. Her fiance has accepted a job there & is going through a lengthy training for his police officer stuff, so she'd never see him if she stayed here; besides, her family is all in Bend, so it makes sense. Samantha & I are meeting up tonight to do dinner & then maybe do karaoke somewhere - she likes to sing, too. It's cool, because we grew up together & that was one of our biggest bonds & we both really enjoy it & sing well together. It's nice for her to get out of the house every once in a while, since she's a stay-at-home mom with a 1 y/o & a 3 y/o.

Aside from all that, Tyson is continuing to do well in school & still really likes it - he actually said to me last weekend that he likes it so much he was looking forward to going back on Monday! Of course, some of this may be due in part to his new girlfriend!

I got my taxes back & paid off bills, which is always a huge relief. My one "splurge" is the score that I got on patio chair cushions & a new umbrella at BigLots. I've been looking at WalMart & the cushions I liked were $35 apiece & the cheap-o umbreallas were starting at $75. At BigLots, I got even better cushions for $20 a pop & spent $26 on a really nice canvas umbrella with a wood stand. I was very excited! I can't wait for the nice weather. I'm looking forward to getting tan & being able to take the top back off my jeep again!

Anyway, I guess I'd better get ready to meet Samantha. That's all, folks!

Boy, am I a slacker or what?! Actually, I've just been trying to get caught back up after filling in doing some extra transcription again, which means that the rest of my life is temporarily put on hold, with the exception of Tyson's school & games etc.

I did manage to go out with a couple of girlfriends a few weekends ago...other than that, I'm just keeping my nose to the grind & life is generally pretty boring! I also had a candle party last weekend which turned out to be pretty lucrative & enjoyable at the same time, which is always a bonus!

Tyson's basketball team still hasn't won a single game, but I'm just proud that he is one of the best on the team & is so self-motivated.

Really, this is probably the most pathetic posting in all of my blog posts. See, this is why I don't post anymore! Because I hardly have a life anymore! Tomorrow my big plan is to take my kitties to the vet to remove their stitches from getting spayed & to go to Tyson's basketball game. I may end up going to lunch or a movie with my long-lost-friend, Samantha & I also might pick up my niece to hang out after the game if I hear back from her. I did get invited by my friend, April, to watch the fights & go out afterward, but I doubt that I'll go. I'm already planning a "girls' night out" with my friend, Lisa, & her mom, both of which don't go out much & they've been wanting to do the comedy/karaoke thing I like to do. I adore them & I think we'll have a really good time, if it actually pans out. All I've got to say is, thank goodness for girlfriends!!!!

Figured I'd better post something, already, or people will stop checking my blog!

Well, once so much time has passed, I just update with the short version to get caught up:

Went to Eureka. My niece, Heather, was planning to come with, but wasn't able to get the time off work. I made it down by 3:45 p.m. Saturday & stopped at my brother, Allen's house. My other bros came over & we all went to the mall to see my nephew Johny, who wouldn't be able to make it for the Christmas party, since he had to work. We were also looking for a board game that I desperately wanted us all to play, called Encore, but never did end up finding while I was there. From there, we drove over to my dad's place, where his girlfriend, Polly, had set up a really nice buffet-style dinner & we all visited, sang karaoke & opened presents. The party finally broke up around 12:30 a.m., so I drove about a 1/2 hour south to my sister, Laura's. I camped out in my niece, Mary's, room & we stayed up talking until about 4:30 a.m. (Note: My sister is moving to Arizona to join her new hubby & my niece will be getting a place with her boyfriend, so this was very likely the last "girl talk sleepover" that we'll get to have!)

I got up the next morning & visited with Laura & her talking bird, Baby, until about 1 p.m., then headed up to my mom's, which is about 5 minutes away. We went out to dinner & rented some Christmas movies & got all cozy with new jammies & blankets that we'd received as gifts & ate banana bread that she'd baked for the holidays. It was a really nice visit, and long overdue!

The next morning (Christmas Day!), we got up & drove back to Eureka to go to my brother, Allen's, and met up with the other siblings & did many more hours of karaoke. Afterward, Allen & I went to the nursing home where he volunteers & visited with some of the old folks there. That felt really good, knowing that some of them may not have had any other visitors that day. They sure do love my brother!

From there, I dropped Allen off & headed over to my dad's & got to visit with him & Polly (who I just met this visit for the first time & already adore!) until a little after midnight. The next morning, Polly & I got up & hit the after-Christmas sales at Target & went to lunch at Applebees. We came back & it was time for me to head back to meet Seth & pick up my boy!

I was about 20 minutes late meeting them in the Redwoods, but it was fine. Tyson & I were really happy to be back together & chattered the whole way home telling each other everything that had happened. We got home around 7 p.m. or so & had our own Christmas! The next day, I had to go back to work, but we spent all of the evenings that week just hanging out & trying to get back on track.

We went out to Eagle Point for New Years & stayed the night out at Alex & Ed's. Krista & Dustin came down & all of the other neighbors were there, along with Kristin & Loren, who arrived around 10 p.m. We got up the next day & came back home to put away Christmas decorations & get ready for school/work the next day. (Over the weekend, we also saw Eragon - which we had read together at bedtime; Ty's now reading Eldest, the second book - and Pursuit of Happyness, both really good flicks!) So, Tyson's back in school, I've been back at work, but did have to take one sick day...I had the flu for four days last week - ugh! Things are gradually getting back to normal & I've even gone walking again the last two days!

Uh, yeah, so...so much for my "short version", eh...?

I'm getting ready to head down to Eureka for Christmas with my parents & three brothers & one of my sisters. Tyson is spending Christmas with his dad this year, for the first time. I hope he has a good Christmas! We'll celebrate together when he comes home. The plan is to pick him up on my way back from Eureka - Seth agreed to meet me halfway.

Anyway, I don't know for sure if I'll be online or not while I'm down there, so just in case: Everyone have a Merry Christmas & enjoy your time spent with family & friends!

10 Great Things That To Me Happened This Year:

1. I got to take Tyson on our first ever vacation to Hollywood, where I've wanted to go all my life!
2. I got a raise!
3. I got a piano & a digital camera - both of which I've been wanting for quite some time.
4. Krista & I got to go on the Suicide Memorial Walk together.
5. My sister, Kathy, & I were able to spend her birthday together & had a great time visiting for the whole week!
6. I got two root canals - I know this sounds weird for a great things list, but I discovered sedation dentistry & am no longer afraid to have work done!
7. I had to get tough as a mom, but came out the other side & Tyson is doing better for it!
8. I got the first date thing out of the way, received flowers from a guy & was asked for my phone number by a really cute guy that I liked (never mind that the flowers were from a guy I didn't like that way & the guy I did like stopped calling!)
9. I made some new friends & reconnected with some that I hadn't been in touch with for a while.
10. I finally got my jeep!

I know, I know...I've TOTALLY been neglecting my blog! Honestly, though, there just hasn't been much to report! We had a great time on our Hollywood trip & a nice visit with Sarah & Maya in San Diego for Thanksgiving. The jeep ran great & I was especially grateful for the new tires I got before the trip upon our return - there was snow everywhere & it was all stormy & wet & cold! Kind of a shock after being in 80 degree weather in CA.

Ever since our return, we've just been playing catch-up: on rest, on cleaning, on work, etc. I've really just been focusing on staying on track & getting back to the grind...which is boring...which is why I haven't written anything...

Tyson's basketball practices started once we got back. His coach seems pretty nice, but also like he doesn't take it very seriously at this level, so they have short practices, most of which are warm-ups & stretches. Tyson is definitely one of the top players on the team. He loves the game & wants to stay after to shoot some more & plays basketball every recess & goes to the YMCA with his friends whenever he can to play.

My niece, Heather (my brother's daughter, who's now 16 y/o), found me on myspace & lives here in the valley with her mom, so we got together last weekend & went to pizza & saw Happy Feet at the theater. It was so great seeing her! She's always had a great, easy-going personality & she just has such a good head on her shoulders. I'm so proud of all my nieces that way! Anyway, it made me feel really good that she would look me up & want to spend time with me.

Vacation, Day 3 & 4:

(First, a special thanks to Kathy for taking the time to fix the format on this blog!)

Sorry to leave you hanging yeaterday...I was too exhausted to do anything but lay down at the motel & watch Prison Break & Heroes.

Ok, so yesterday, we caught the shuttle from the motel at 9:15 am & arrived at Universal Studios by 9:30. Unbeknownst to us, the park doesn't open until 10 a.m., but this was fine & allowed us to take a bunch of pictures right outside with the revolving Universal Studios ball. When you first step inside the gates, there are some life-sized bronze/iron statues set up as a camera crew & directors. As I was taking pictures of this, one of them came to life! It was a really excellent performance & fantastic makeup. From there, we explored all the attractions & rides. Our favorites were:
* The Back the the Future ride, where you ride in an 8-seater Delorian & are taken through a very real simulation flying through Hill Valley & the Ice Age, Prehistoric Age & through volcanos.
*The Jurassic Park ride, where you ride a boat through the "jungle" & see all kinds of different dinosaurs, then at the very end, drop down an 84 foot waterfall.
*The Revenge of the Mummy (which we rode 4 times over the last two days), where you ride a roller coaster, plunging through complete darkness, complete with the cockroach-type insects scurrying at your feet. When you screech to a halt, the ride takes you in reverse back over the same roller coaster!

Other attractions we enjoyed were the Terminator 2: 3D re-enactment & the Shrek 3D Torture Chamber inside Farquaad's castle. In the Shrek one, the seats actually move while you watch the movie, so you're riding horses & flying through the air with the characters, as well as being sneezed on by Donkey & feeling "spiders" at your feet. Today, we watched a live production of some scenes from the movie Waterworld. The set was amazing & the special effects were really cool, too!

There were so many things to see & do & we got some really great pictures! Yesterday, we also went on the City Walk outside the Studios & ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe, where Tyson bought a hat & T-shirt with his dog-sitting & yard work money that he'd saved for this trip.

Prior to the trip, I'd called the motel & asked about parking, to find out (to my utter dismay!) that it costs $20 per day to park at the motel in addition to the cost of the room. I paid this the first day when we checked in, then decided to check out some on-street parking in Hollywood per Sarah's suggestion. I moved the jeep yesterday morning & was worried about it being towed or stolen throughout the day, then was too afraid to walk down to check on it when we got back last night after dark. Besides, like Tyson said, if I waited till morning, we'd at least have one more night of happiness if something did happen to it! So, I got up this morning & walked down to check on it before we left for Universal Studios & it was still there, so I decided to leave it in the same spot again. If all goes well as of tomorrow, that saved me $60 on this trip! Yeesh!

The plan for tomorrow is to get up & walk back down to Hollywood Blvd & revisit the Walk of Fame before checking out at noon & heading down to San Diego to see Sarah & Maya, where we'll spend Thanksgiving & head back toward home on Friday morning. The last stop we'll make is in Sacramento, where we'll break up the drive home Friday night.

Vacation, Day 2:

Phew! What a day! We got up & had breakfast at our motel, got all packed up & took off at 9:30 a.m. The drive was incredibly boring, since most of it was flat land or open hills, although this was broken up by some olive trees & orange trees. I was just so surprised that there's so much empty space in California! It was also really foggy until we were about an hour away from LA, when it got SO nice that I stripped down to my tank top & zipped down my window in the jeep. This was especially nice, since it's been pretty cold & icky in Ashland lately. Our motel is right off the freeway & we arrived right on time, just before 3 p.m. We checked in, then went for a walk to Hollywood Blvd, where EVERYTHING is, and it's only a few blocks away! We walked up & down the Walk of Fame, looking at the stars on the sidewalk, then went to the Chinese Theater, where all the stars have put their hand & foot prints along with their autographs on the sidewalk. We took a ton of pictures (which I've sent to most of you) & went to the Wax Museum & Guiness World Records, teaking a break to get dinner at a Mexican place in the Hollywood mall, then stopped by Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. It's just so crazy & different here. We are thoroughly enjoying all the sights & the streetperformers. On the way home, a guy on the street tried to sell us an ipod & Tyson thought that was a cool experience, too. Well, that's all for now. I'm ready to settle in & rest up for tomorrow...We signed up for the shuttle from the motel to Universal Studios at 9:15 a.m., returning at 7:30 p.m., at which point I plan to catch my Monday shows: Prison Break & Heroes! Will try to post more tomorrow evening.

Vacation, Day 1:

We'er heeeerrreee! To our room at the Comfort Inn, that is. We got up this morning &, after a call from Sarah & then another from Krista, managed to get everything packed & out the door & on the road by 10 am. We arrived at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield right at 3 pm. The factory wasn't operating as usual, since it was a weekend, but we still got to see some workers doing a special Christmas order & were able to score on 8 lbs of "Belly Flops", the over/undersized Jelly Bellies that don't make the cut. I thought this would be a nice treat to share w/ people at work when I get back home. We went to the workout room here & are getting ready to jump in the hot tub. It's outdoors, but it's acutally a really nice, warm evening out, so I think that'll be nice. Tyson's on the bed watching Fairly Odd Parents & sampling Jelly Bellies. I'm getting ready to download some pics from the tour & I'll try to upload to this blog post, but if I can't, I will email to y'all indiviually. Tomorrow, HOLLYWOOD!!

It's been so long, so this will be a long story short, unlike my usual fashion...

Tyson: He & I have had some issues resulting in new rules & boundaries, but I think we have made at least a temporary breakthrough. Hasn't been easy, and I know we'll have a rough road ahead, but he's a great kid & I love him lots, so it's worth it!

Dating: no more! I think I'd already made up my mind about this by the time I met this guy for coffee, so the poor guy really never had a chance, even though he was a sweetheart.

Hollywood: We leave Saturday morning!!

Well, Tyson loves his new school - he's already made some really good friends & is actually staying over with one of them tonight after they finish roller skating. He says that his new school is giving him confidence. My reply to that was that every parent wants their kid to have confidence, because people with confidence don't settle for less than they deserve & will go on to be successful!

Since Tyson's sleeping over, I'm planning to go out with Kristin tonight. It's been quite a while since we did anything, so we figured we'd go shake it loose a little. I have kind of a blind date tomorrow with a guy I've been getting to know online...Don't worry - I'm meeting him in a public place for a cup of coffee, which I thought would be a nice casual way to get to know someone without that "first date" pressure. I've decided that, after this, I am really not interested in dating. I think that I can meet enough people through hanging out with friends & doing things with Tyson's new school & that sort of thing that I don't have to worry about putting more pressure on myself just because I think it's time. I also think that I keep sabatoging these "dates" in my mind before they happen because I've decided that I prefer fantasy to reality when it comes to men. Hopefully, one of these days, I'll meet someone who fulfills the fantasy & if not, that's ok too.

Halloween was fun. My friend, Lisa, was supposed to be Morticia Addams & I was to be Gomez, but she got sick for a couple days & had to miss work, so I dressed up as Morticia. For some reason, I've been unable to post pics to this blog the last few times that I tried, so I won't bother. Tyson was a basketball player. Kathy helped me get a Michael Jordan jersey from Ebay & he wore an afro wig with basketball shorts & his Jordans. We took his friend, Kane, trick-or-treating with us. He kinda slowed us down by introducing himself to everyone he met (he was being silly & telling them all that he was "Webster"), but Tyson had fun & still scored big on the candy (aka the Devil)!

I've been looking into trading in the jeep again. I'm trying to get into something with better gas mileage before we take our trip to Hollywood in a couple of weeks. I don't know if I mentioned this, but since we'll be so close, I'm planning to drive over to San Diego when we check out of our Hollywood motel & stay with Sarah & Maya for Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what Seth's plans are for Christmas yet, but this is technically his year to have Tyson & he mentioned a while back that he did want him, so I may end up driving down to Eureka for Christmas, which would be nice since I usually try to be there for Thanksgiving & won't make it this year.

Last Sunday, Ty & I went over to Seth's dad's house for his little sister, Emily's, 18th birthday party. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be & I know it was really nice for Tyson to get to see his other family.

Anyway, I suppose I'd better get ready to go out...BTW, Dad, if you're back from Oklahoma, drop me a line when you have time & tell me how the visit went, ok?

And, Kathy, I am still having problems with the side bar...weird...Maybe you can look into that when you get a chance? What would I do without you?

And, Debbie - thanks for stopping by! Don't be a stranger! And tell that husband of yours to write me already!

I'm BAAAaaack... I know, it's been too long, but hopefully y'all can find it in your hearts to forgive me!

Wow, there's so much to post about, where to begin...? I guess I'll start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...On the weekend of the 14th (my big brother, Joe's, birthday!), Tyson & I drove up to Eugene to stay with the Dawsons. He was out of school & I took the day off work on Friday so that we could take our time & got there Friday afternoon. We met Travis & Keri (Dustin's bro & sis-in-law, who I also went to school with) and Dustin's Aunt & Uncle & cousin, Colton, along with Ed & Alex & their kids, who came up from Eagle Point, at a pizza place in Eugene that has an indoor carousel. The next morning, I watched Jake & they took Tyson to the Ducks' game. We had a potluck/party that night & another of our high school friends, Dennis, came over & we all had a great time hanging out together. The following morning was the Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide awareness & prevention in Portland, so Krista & I got up at 5:30 a.m. & drove to the walk. Neither of us was feeling great (espcially me, as I was puking on the way up from drinking too much the night before), but we were really glad that we did it...This was my second year & Krista's first. It's funny - last year, it was on Shannon's birthday (I blogged about it, if you want to read it in my archives), and this year it was the day before. It was really crappy weather & we were soaked, but it was worth it & so nice to have eachother there this year instead of doing it all by myself.

The other big news is that there have been some issues at Tyson's school & I wasn't very happy with his teacher, for several reasons which I won't go into right now. Tyson wanted to change schools & go here in town, but I've been playing the devil's advocate & giving him a couple of weeks to decide, even though it would make my life much easier, too. We went on Friday to tour the local school with the principal & were both really impressed by what we saw & the teachers & environment there. The final decision was up to Tyson & he wants to start on Monday. We went back to his old school to clean out his desk & say goodbye to his classmates & teachers & that's when he did get a little sad, but he still wants to go through with the change. I think it will be nice, because where he was going, there are mostly rich kids with two parents, & I think Tyson thought we were poor (which we are not! I can always pay my bills, even if I have to juggle some) & abnormal for having a single parent family. It will also make the transportation/work issue MUCH easier. As far as Tyson's grades go, I still haven't received a report card, but his teacher said that he should have no problem of attaining his goal of straight A's. He's definitely smart enough; it's just a matter of whether or not he applies himself & turns in his homework. This year, he's really made that a priority, so I wouldn't be surprised if he is getting straight A's. Hopefully, I'll find out for sure soon...

By the way, Happy Belated Birthday to my dad on the 19th, who is currently in Oklahoma, visiting relatives, and Happy Upcoming Birthday to my big sister, Laura on the 31st (yep, Halloween!), who is currently trying to recouperate from gall-stones! Love you guys!

Eventually, I really will sit down & blog so everyone is up-to-date, but in the meantime, here's some filler:

5 Best of TV This Season (Sorry, couldn't come up with the whole 10!)

1) Grey's Anatomy (Now McSteamy joins McDreamy - yummy! Only bad part is, where does that leave my darling Finn?)
2) Prison Break (they've been teasing me, but new episodes are back Oct. 23rd. As much as I love Michal Schofield, I must admit that I am tiring of the intense looks that the camera holds, then fades to commercial...)
3) Heroes (LOVE this show!!!! Was a big surprise & has great characters!)
4) My Name is Earl (Just good humor)
5) What About Brian (Not my usual style, but just got sucked in, so now I stay up for it.)

Mondays & Thursdays are MY nights - if I watch any other TV, it's usually stuff like Wheel of Fortune or Family Feud, Simpsons, Friends or That 70's Show.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TWYLA!!!!!!

Still not much to post, but I do feel that it's my duty to keep my readers abreast of current events in my life...

I got my digital camera & have been reading up on it more than doing any experimenting, yet. I can't wait until the leaves start to change colors - I'll take the camera to Lithia Park. The colors there are absolutely fantastic!

I went to dinner with Kristin & Loren (yep - finally asked how to spell it) last night at the Outback Steakhouse. I've never been there before, since I don't like red meat, but MAN, their chicken & veggies are to die for! The Bloomin' Onion appetizer is really yummy, too. I ordered a strawberry margerita, which was good, but Kristin got their Wallabe Darned or something like that, which is a frozen peachy drink & it was delicious! It was Loren's birthday. We're planning to get together today so that Loren can play some basketball with Tyson & then we'll have dinner & rent a movie.

I really appreciate any help I can get from good guys that wouldn't mind spending time with Tyson. I feel like, if I can have positive male role models in his life, I won't be concerned with hooking up with one, myself. My friend, Susan, played a part in this decision with a wise statement she made at work, in reference to my concerns about Tyson being so desperate for me to bring a man into his life & my thoughts that having a man around might make parenting easier: "Amanda, men don't want to discipline your son. They just want to get in your pants." Now, I'm sure that there are some good guys out there (maybe even some that aren't already married) but, for the most part, this statement rings true. I've also deduced that men tend to be very shallow & go for skinny blondes, neither of which would describe me. And if a guy can't appreciate all of the wonderful qualities that I have because they're too hung up on the physical aspect of things, I have no problem continuing to be a single mom. So I am now officially back on the wagon & focusing my efforts on recruiting the good guys that I know to be a part of Tyson's life.

I haven't been doing a whole lot. This time of the year is mostly devoted to getting back into school-mode, although this year has been a lot less stressful, since Tyson decided to skip football.

He's getting to the age, now, where he always wants to be hanging out with his friends (thank goodness I like his friends, too!), so they're either over here or he's gone. This weekend we had Kane & Tristan stay the night on Friday, so we got pizza and a movie, then he went to stay the night at Tristan's last night. I just had to call him on his cell phone to see when he's planning on coming home. I've spent the whole weekend cleaning my apartment, which actually has been pretty nice, but now I don't have anything else to clean! I even cleaned Tyson's room, which I never do, because I want him to do it. I did go to the mall today to cash in on some coupons I have & ran into my step-sister, Julie, whom I haven't seen for at least 11 years!

My sister, Kathy, has tagged me, so I guess if I'm a good sister, I'll comply...

The rules of the tag are:
List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets.
Tag 5 friends and list them.
Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

1. I love kids, but only have one. I guess that's kinda weird, but if you know me & the set of circumstances of my last marriage, you'll most likely understand.
2. I'm a tomboy, but I love to shop & dress up.
3. I don't like cheese, seafood or fish, red meat and many, many other foods!
4. I love to sing (I know, weird, huh?) The only problem is that I actually prefer large, anonymous crowds to smaller, personal ones including friends & family. I've been trying really hard to overcome this, though, because the opportunity to perform with friend & fam presents itself more often.
5. I try to be a very open-minded, non-judgemental person (because I know that I don't like to be judged!), so I think people tend to think of me as a liberated, free-spirited type, but I'm actually pretty old-fashioned, especially when it comes to romance.

Tyson & I went up to Eugene last weekend to see Krista & Dustin's new place. We had a BBQ on Saturday & Cindy & Lee came (Shannon's little sister) with Dan (Shannon's dad). Dustin & Travis were at a Duck's game, so Krista & I hung out, then Kerri came over & we all made a cake for her little boy's 3rd birthday. Thought I'd share a pic that I snagged from Krista's myspace. It was great, as always, seeing everyone, but it made me a little lonely when I came back home...

Oops! I guess I was a day behind. Grey's Anatomy won't be on until tomorrow - Thursday. Wishful thinking on my part...

I suppose it's been long enough that my public is thirsty for more (naturally)! All right, well...Tyson is enjoying school, even though he went in expecting not to. He says that now that last year's 5th graders are gone, he just might be the best basketball player in the school. We're still having issues with transportation, but at least he has a cell phone, now, so that we can communicate if he's stuck somewhere. My date for Saturday got cancelled (thank goodness!) since he had to pack & move. We haven't rescheduled yet & I think I'm going to try to blow him off - it's just too awkward. I really did like the guy I met camping & we had a couple of (very short & frustrating!) calls over the weekend, but I don't know where that will go, if anywhere. I'm back to being ok with being single for now, anyway. I plan to go up to Eugene this weekend for a BBQ at Krista's. I haven't been there since Ty was just a baby, so it'll be cool to go back. I've had a lot of fun in that town & it'll be nice to see Krista & Dustin's new place.

I booked a trip to Hollywood for Tyson & me. It will be the week before Thanksgiving, so that I'll only have to take three days' vacation & I'll get 10 consecutive days off! I'm SO excited & so is Tyson. At bedtime, he's like, "Mom, tell me again about Hollywood!" It's so cute to see him excited about something again! It seems like he's always "cool" & "bored" anymore, and I know it's just going to get worse! I'm grateful that he has made friends with two boys in the complex that have single moms, too. They also like to skateboard & they both have good relationships with their moms. Kane called his mom to ask if he could come to the skate park with us the other day & I heard him say, "Thank you, Mom. Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it!" That was refreshing!

Anyway, I guess I should get on the transcription I have, so that I can watch Grey's Anatomy tonight. Season premiere next Thursday!

I'm back from the coast & back to the grind. Camping was a blast. We got up there around 10:30 or so on Friday night & were prepared to fall into bed (we stayed in one of the cabins with Krista & Dustin & Alex & Ed with all of their kids), but heard music by the fire when we arrived, so of course, we stayed up for a while & visited. I sang with Dustin & Travis's dad & a couple of other guys. Another one of our high school friends was there that I just saw last summer for the first time in like 12 years, but I never saw him again after the first night...Bizarre! Anwyay, the guys all took Tyson fishing at 2:30 am, until Krista & I decided to go rescue them from the river in the jeep, which proceeded to piss off the rest of the campers. I guesss they thought we were out joyriding. We heard about it the entire rest of the weekend.

On Saturday, we went down to the river & played some volleyball, then I decided to take Tyson into town to see his dad & eat some breakfast at the restaurant where he works, so we went into town for a while. That night was much more mellow, since I think most of the campers had downed more than their share of alcoholic beverages the first night.

The third day was the best, even though we had run out of water & the generator was busted. The guys all played football, then everyone went down to the river together. Tyson was getting bored, with no boys his age to hang out with, so I ended up taking him down to stay the night with his dad.

A friend of Travis's had also come down to camp with his little girl, so I spent a lot of the weekend hanging out & getting to know him. I think he's a really nice guy & hope that I'll get to talk to him again. I'm actually almost dreading this date on Saturday now, and I know that's bad & that I should keep my options open, since I never did the whole dating thing before, but it's hard to think that way when you meet someone that you really click with. (At least I think so...) Anyway, I'm trying to just get back into routine & all that jazz. I took Tyson in for his first day of school today to find out that it doesn't start until tomorrow. As I dropped him off at home, I said, "Well, then, let's try this again tomorrow, shall we?"