I'm a little bummed - I wrote a post yesterday & it somehow got lost/deleted before I could publish it! Not like it was big news or anything; just filling in the details of my weekend.

Friday, Ty & I went to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. I snuck in candy, as always, & Tyson was extremely paraniod, saying that it was fine with him if I snuck it in, but he wanted no part of it, since there would be a man in a suit walking around looking for people who sneak in candy. He was really freaking out when the usher came up the aisle toward us to help someone else find a seat. He was sure I'd be taken away in handcuffs! Anyway, the movie was a nice surprise to both of us. The animation was really cool, of course, and the musical numbers were fun.

On Saturday, we went to Krista & Dustin's for dessert & Krista & I took a drive out to Sams Valley, then came back to the house & went through some old pictures. As always, a great visit with great friends...

Sunday, Tyson had a football game, which we won again...this is game three, still undefeated, still not scored on! If the boys go to State (which I'm pretty sure they will; they've finished in 1st place both of the years Tyson played previously), they will get to play at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, where the Ducks play.

In other big news, Tyson will be playing the acoustic half bass for 5th grade orchestra! He's totally jazzed about it, and he ordinarily wouldn't be eligible for orchestra until next year, but he is this year because he was placed in the 4th/5th blended class.

All for now...stay tuned for the next post...

I'm starting to feel discouraged again in the dating area. Yes, I enjoy being single. I love the independence & I love being able to check out any hotties I want to without feeling guilty! I also love knowing that, by being single, I'm not settling for any less in a relationship than I desire and am entitled to.

That being said, I'd just like to be asked out by a cute guy (not one of the circus freaks - they don't count!) and to go out on a real date! I know that I need to stop being frustrated & let God decide when the timing's right & send him to me, but dangit, it just seems like that's never going to happen!

Tyson doesn't help matters. We saw a guy in a jeep who was really cute & wearing a flannel shirt (on the right guy, that's sexy!), who was rocking out with his music, and Tyson said, "See Mom, we need to get one of those!" He's always pointing out guys that seem nice, but unfortunately, these guys don't seem to notice me, or if they do, they aren't liking what they see.

I mean, I realize that I'm not a stunningly beautiful or typically good-looking female, but if I were a guy, I'd totally want to date me! I'm funny, smart, a good friend, a great mom, secure in who I am, loyal, impulsive but responsible & a genuinely nice person. What's not to like?

Speaking of cats, by the way, Tyson & I got one on Sunday! His name's Domino, he's (obviously) black and white, with long hair, somewhere around a year old, and as sweet as can be! It was really important to us that we get a cat that would snuggle with Tyson & let him love on it, since the last cat he had was aptly named Scratcher, and wouldn't let him near her. Last night, Tyson draped Domino over his back and around his neck like a scarf & walked around with him without even having to hold on - the goofy cat was just hanging there, purring. I'll add pictures to this post once I get around to it.

That's my big, exciting news for the day, week, month, etc. Yippee!! (Sorry, every once in a while, I get a little bored with the monotony of work, school, football practice, dinner, work, bed, sleep and more work, etc.)

This is me at work the last two days. Every other month, without fail, I get irate patients who insist on telling me that I've done something wrong & treat me like I'm stupid. This happens to be the odd month, which I have officially termed "@$$-hole month"!

Had to comment here on the fact that I haven't received one single comment on the 10 greatest love songs! I mean, come on - with all the musicians in our family, what is up with that? And, Mom: if you won't start your own blog, the least you can do is post your answers to my questions!

Ok, enough berating for tonight; I'm off to bed.

I found this on the Friday Five & thought it would be interesting. Don't forget to post a comment with your answers!!!


Who was your first best friend? Eric.
Who have been some of the most influential people in your life? My mom, my sisters, and I suppose my friends Sarah & Shannon, since we were BF's since 6th grade, but I'm not all that easily influenced. (For those of you who don't already know this, I'm just a little stubborn.)
Do you usually have one best friend or a lot of close friends? I've always had several best friends, but all separately. I've always thought it would be very interesting to see all of my best friends at one party & see how they all relate to eachother. I have cool, young friends, nerdy friends, musician friends, and mostly older women that I've met through work & connected with that are spiritual, but fun & sassy.
Do you believe people of the opposite sex can be best friends and not lovers? Absolutely, as long as there's no physical attraction.
Have you ever fallen in love with a friend? I'll leave this one unanswered...

10 Weird Facts About Me (Ten on Tuesday):

1. I only like to sing in front of large audiences. Small ones make me nervous.
2. I love kids, but only have one.
3. I plan to build a Harley from scratch, beginning on my 40th birthday.
4. I'm completely anal!
5. I will only eat cheese on pizza.
6. I don't like any kind of fish or seafood.
7. I close my right eye when I read a book.
8. I'm double-jointed in my left pointer finger.
9. As a girl, I was able to squirt tears out of my eyes and turn my eyelids inside-out.
10. I have an out-ty belly-button.

(This is probably a little too much information for some...!)

I also wanted to share my latest project, which I did yesterday - the recovering of the kitchen table chairs that I've talked about doing for the last year, and finally got around to! (They used to be a powder-blue cord-type material that really didn't go with my cream/khaki/green living room.):

I finally got a digital camera, and I finally figured out how to upload images onto my computer! (I know, for a smart girl, I'm kind of a dummy, huh?)

Anyway, since I was so proud of me recent expoits as a landscaper, I thought I'd share the before & after pics of my jungle, er...yard:

I have to brag on my incredible nieces here for a moment (my nephews are pretty cool too):

I have several nieces and nephews (comes from having 6 siblings!), and it just so turned out that four of them are all the same age (15 y/o). I just think it's so cool that so many of our kids love music as much as we do, and are talented musicians and songwriters.

My niece, Mary, is the lead singer in a band called Crossover, who actually plays gigs in Humboldt County. Her link is posted here on my blog. On the Crossover website, you can actually listen to some of their music.

My niece, Jennifer, lives in Arizona. Aside from being an extremely bright freshman in college this year, at age 15, she is also a floutist and a budding songwriter. She's such a great writer in general, so I don't know why I'm surprised that her songs are wonderful, too! Her blog link is posted here, as well, and she has posted the lyrics to a few of her songs.

My niece, Carey-Anna, lives in Eureka, CA, and unbeknownst to me, has been learning guitar and writing her own songs, too! Her dad called me last night to tell me that she had just performed at her first open mic night at the Has Beans Coffee Company in Old Town Eureka (who happens to be the city league softball team I played for when my son was just a baby). Pictures of the open mic night can be viewed at www.hasbeansopenmic.blogspot.com.

Now that my "public" has increased its ranks, the demand for output continues to increase...ah, the pressure...

I picked Tyson up on Friday after work from Medford. We oohed & aahed at eachother for a while, saying, "You've grown" & "Huh-uh, you've shrunk!" to eachother. Tyson said my head even shrank & I smelled different. So, that was quite the experience for the two of us; our first big amount of time away from eachother. We celebrated by going to Hometown Buffet, Tyson's favorite restaurant. We had a nice time & he filled me in with a little more detail about his visit, which sounded pretty good (except that he was informed that there was no tooth fairy!). From the sounds of it, there was plenty of partying going on, but I think Tyson's already decided that's not how he wants to live his life. Since being back, he's already said a couple of times how he doesn't plan to drink when he's an adult.

On Saturday, we went to a BBQ at Krista & Dustin's, which is always a good time! On Sunday, we went rafting with a group of 22 people, including a boy & a girl from Tyson's school & their parents. That was a lot of fun - believe it or not, I'd never been rafting before! Definitely an experience I'd like to repeat!

On Monday, Tyson & I went shopping for school supplies & got his hair cut. We also went out to breakfast. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy going out to eat so much more as a single parent! No one is rushing us, and we just sit there & chat away, getting as many refills as we want, and actually enjoy the experience! It's so nice! It's so great to have my boy back - we always enjoy eachother's company.

Now, yesterday was a whole different scenario! It was Tyson's first day of school (he's in the 4th/5th blended class this year), so they had a 12:30 release. I picked him up (across town) and took him to Talent, where he goes to daycare. I went inside & said, "Wow! Is Tyson the only kid here today?" and they said they weren't open until the next day...uh, nice of them to put that on the schedule, eh? So I had to bring him back to work with me for 3 1/2 hours on a 2-doc day with a full schedule. I stuck him on the internet out of sight. Thank goodness the administrator wasn't here yesterday! After work, I drove him back across town to football practice, then ran home to do transcription until it was time to pick him up. Then dinner, bath & bed,and before we knew it, it was 9:00! Thank goodness he didn't have any homework! Something has got to give!

10 Great Love Songs
I know I'm forgetting some really great ones - it's hard to do up a list on the spot like this, and there are so many great songs!

1) "You Are So Beautiful" - Joe Cocker
2) "More Than Words" - Extreme
3) "After All" - Peter Cetera & Cher
4) "The First Time...Ever I Saw Your Face" - Roberta Flack
5) "Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton
6) "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
7) "Time in a Bottle" - Jim Croce
8) "You Belong to Me" - Jason Wade (and various other artists)
9) "Two Outta Three Ain't Bad" - Meatloaf
10) "I Can't Make You Love Me" - Bonne Raitt
11) "Face to Face" - Alabama

I know you guys are simply dying to hear what's been happening in my extremely exciting life, so in order to feed your insatiable hunger for the grisly details, I figured I'd write a blog entry...(in case you didn't notice, Laura, that was me being "eloquent"!)

Abso-frickin-lutely nothing!! That's what's been going on! Although today is my BFF, Sarah's 29th birthday, and I have the Grand Opening for some fellow eye specialists tonight after work, as well as a parent meeting at 7:30 for football. I'll probably bail on at least one, if not both, of these things, since I already have two tapes to transcribe & will likely have more by day's end.

Tyson leaves from Gold Beach tomorrow morning to come home! I can't wait to see him! It sucks, though, because as soon as he gets back, it's back to school & football practice, along with all the extra transcription I've taken on, including backup for another transcriptionist, who happens to be taking her vacation next week! I'll just have to work during his practices & after he goes to bed so that we can still get that quality time in.

Anyhoo - not much else to report, so tune in next time for more "As Amanda's World Turns" (or, rather, "As Amanda's World Sprials Completely Out of Control")!

10 Lessons You Want to Teach Your Kids

1) You're only a "kid" for 18 years. You'll be an adult for the other 80 years. Be a kid & enjoy it!
2) Be choosy when dating someone! #1. People will judge you based on who you hang with and you might ruin future prospects, and #2. This person could end up being the mother of your child (whether you plan that or not)!
3) Money isn't everything & don't compete with the Joneses, but it's sure important when you don't have it! Work hard & be responsible with the money you earn.
4) Be kind & forgiving of others & don't expect the same from them, because you will almost always be disappointed...just be the better man.
5) Be crazy - it's more fun & it gets a reaction out of people. Dance! People will usually follow suit or be jealous that you have the guts to let go like that. And even if they don't get it, you're still having a good time, so who really cares?!
6) Never burn a bridge - even when you think you don't need it. It not only leaves you more opportunities, it's the respectful way to end things.
7) Use manners & treat a lady like a lady. Some day you'll be the unique, sweet guy who makes her swoon & feel special. (And yes, for goodness sakes, put the seat down!)
8) Be original! Be a leader - or just be yourself; either way, don't follow someone else's path - it may not be the best path for you, and people will respect your originality even if they don't agree with you.
9) Stand up for what you believe in - whether it's your Christianity, your friends, your morals or yourself! Stick to your guns!
10) Travel far away...this world is so much bigger than your hometown, state, or even your country; explore it! You'll come to learn that this world is about so much more than yourself.

Gosh, I had a hard time limiting this one to 10!

Happy Tuesday!

I had the laziest day that I can remember having in years!!!!!

I slept in until 10 am, went to work for a couple of hours (my only concession to un-lazy behavior), stopped by the library & picked up a Jude Deveraux & two Johnathan Kellerman novels, came home & put on my swimsuit, made myself a banana julius, grabbed a blanket & suntan oil & laid out in my back yard for an hour or two, then I came in & laid on the futon & read for another hour or two, until I decided that I needed a nap. I woke up some time later - at this point, I didn't know what time it was when I fell asleep or when I woke up, and frankly, loved not knowing or caring!

I just finished my Jude Devereaux book & only had one interruption: a quick phone call from Tyson at 8:00. He wanted to tell me something, but couldn't, I'm thinking, because someone was nearby, so I asked him if he could tell me later & he said he would...hmm....

Anyway, I felt compelled to share my sinfully lazy day & am now off to watch another chick flick. I finally rented Serendipity last night! What a great movie...if only life were such a fairy tale...

Friday 5
Wedding Crashers (copying my sister yet again!)

1. How many weddings have you attended? Let's see, actually not very many: My mom's, my brother Joe's (where I sang), my sister Kathy's (where I showed up at the tail end - I'll never forgive myself for that!), my friend Shannon's (where I sang), my friend Krista's (where I sang), my own (where I didn't sing, but sure cried a lot!) and most recently, an old friend from High school, Clifton's. I think that's it...

2. Wedding registries: buy from the list or freestyle it? Freestyle, but most likely wait until the very last minute to do so.

3. Are you more likely to slow dance or participate in the chicken dance? Chicken dance! Definitely! Although I might do both, depending on who's there to slow dance with...

4. The garter find/toss experience: cute or tacky? Sexy!

5. If you could marry someone famous, who would it be? Adam Sandler - I know, it sounds weird, but he could always make me laugh & seems like someone I could be comfortable around. Not to mention that Tyson loves his humor, too!

I figured I'd better post something to keep everyone (yup - all three of you!) reading my blog.

I tried renting Serendipity last night, but it was out, so I ended up with Boat Trip instead - I knew it would be totally cheesy, but it was pretty comical & had Horatio Sanz in it, as well as a cameo by Will Ferrel. My favorite part is probably when Horatio's character has finally figured out that they are on a gay cruise by accident & decided to check out the breakfast buffet, because, after all, "How gay can a buffet be?" Well, as it turns out, pretty gay!

Tonight I did some transcription & was supposed to go salsa dancing, but it turned out the dancing didn't even start until 9:45, so that was totally out of the question on a work night! So, we ended up getting ice cream at the Fudge Factory & wandering around the plaza window shopping & talking girl talk. It was nice, because I don't get to hang out with Denise much - she's married, has a daughter in the house still & works 40+ hours a week, so she doesn't have a lot of spare time, and it made me feel special that she'd choose to spend some of it with li'l ol' me! I sure do have some good friends!

Anyway, I should probably turn in for the night - I've been really bad this week about hitting snooze until absolutely the last minute! School starts soon & I'll have to get up even earlier....GROOOOOOOOOOOAAAN!

10 Things You Love About Your City
10 things I love about Ashland

1) I'm from the Rogue Valley & it feels like home.
2) The seasons!
3) The culture of a bigger city, with a small town feel.
4) It's artsy! Music, theater, writers, you name it!
5) The beautiful park, complete with Japanese garden & duck ponds.
6) The plaza & all the unique stores.
7) Great restaurants with good food & creekside seating.
8) Its location is great - it's not far to Reno, Portland, San Francisco, etc.
9) Summer nights.
10) The hills and all the beautiful houses.

Even though my closest family is roughly 4 1/2 hours away, I plan to stay here for at least the next 9 years until Tyson graduates, then we'll see...there sure is a whole lot more I'd like to see of the world, but if I could have a home here & travel everywhere else, that might not be so bad...we'll just have to see what happens!

Strange weekend (yeah, I know - "big surprise!") -
Friday night: went shopping at the mall & dropped off onesies at Arty T'shirts to have custom onesies made for my friends, Gary & Twyla's baby boy, Kyle. One says "Boob Man!" and the other says "They Shake Me!" & has a picture of a really pathetic baby crying on it.
Saturday: back to the mall (under the guise of picking up the onesies, but I did manage to make it before the big sale ended at JC Penney's). I happened to run into my very good friends, Krista & Dustin (with their three kids), so we all shopped & had lunch together. I tell ya, those are some good people - we always have a great time & I just love both of them & feel so comfortable with them. (We've all known eachother since 7th grade.) After that, I decided I'd go test drive some Jeeps - I totally would've bought one, but I don't really have enough equity in my car yet to make it worth my while - it's alright, I like my car just fine, but it's so boring to have a car when I could be driving a Jeep with the top off! After I got home, the salesman called & asked me out. This guy is old & icky, of course, so I said yes. Just kiddin'! Gotcha! No, but I did have a weak moment & told him to call me back another time, instead of firmly telling him no like I should have. I have got to quit feeling guilty about turning people down! My problem is that I don't like to hurt people's feelings! Anyway, I did go to my office administrator's house-warming party & had a relatively good time. I convinced three of the "girls" (aged 31 - 50+) from our Yreka office to go into Medford & do karoake with me, but the first place we went had technical difficulties & had nothing planned as backup, so we walked around & went to a couple of other places, and by the time we finally found a place that had good live music, these guys were ready to go home...oh, well, I figured I had a designated driver & I should make good use of her, so I slammed some drinks down & we left. Turned out maybe that wasn't such a good idea...but, as always, I felt much better after puking!
Sunday: got up this morning & drove out to Eagle Point to go to church with Dustin & Krista & fam. Had a good time - the church has a really great band, but is a small church, not like Applegate. The message I took away from church was to quit living my own agenda & have faith in God & let Him guide my life...not like I didn't know this, but I always need reminding! After lunch, I took a drive through Sams Valley & came home, where I planted more flowers in planter boxes (my back yard is really coming along!) & watched a movie, then danced really badly by myself for a while, without the influence of alcohol, but just for the fun of it. I also got a call from Tyson today & it sounds like he's having a good visit. They went to the beach & built a driftwood fort & played horseshoes & had a BBQ today. Seth was kinda weird when I talked with him...he kept saying how it's been so long & this was taking a lot of getting used to, and I replied that I had been worried about that myself & I hoped that he'd get his license soon so it won't have to be so long between visits. Then he said that he'd have to get a motel to come see him since I won't let Ty stay at Seth's dad's or brother's. (I have good reasons for this, trust me!) I said that he could always stay at his sister's or here & he was getting argumentative, so instead of falling for all the guilt he was trying to put on me (some things never change, I guess!), I told him that it sounded like he wanted to argue & it made no sense. I can't wait to have my boy back!

Well, I suppose today was technically the last day to see Tyson for 2 weeks...he called as promised, and all sounded just groovy - I sent him with some little "extras" for the trip: a cammo mini etch-a-sketch, some bubble-gum & a disposable camera to take pics while he's at the coast...I also found the perfect card to slip in his suitcase so he'd see it tonight when he goes to put on his jammies: on the outside, it says, "Just remember, when you go to bed tonight" - then you open it up & it says, "I love you and miss you!" Could it be any more perfect?

I went shopping at the mall tonight to have something to do - if I'm not careful, I could be in the poor-house by the time the kid gets back...