DEVOR DAYS

Sister Time

2012-02-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

A funny thing happened several months ago. I heard on the radio Kathy Griffin was going to perform at the Pantages in February 2012. Okay, go ahead say what you say about Kathy Griffin, but Brandi and I find her funny, crude, dirty, and just plain awesome!

I called up Brandi on my way too work. I remember telling her "Hey, I don't have a lot of time at work today to investigate, but Kathy Griffin is in town in February. It would probably be fun. See if you can look up some information and call me later." She responded with "Holy, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary Joseph, I will check it out."

Brandi called back 10 minutes later and said okay DONE and DONE we are going to Kathy Griffin in February. LOVE HER (Brandi, not Kathy, well her also. Anyway, Brandi LOVE HER!)!!

Fast forward to present day and Brandi and I are walking around the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and I share how cool it is we can just call each other and say let's meet up in Hollywood. Hollywood people. No offense to any of the following cities, but we are not saying "Hey, let's meet up in Dallas (Kansas City, Minneapolis, etc. any other city here)." NOOOO! Let's meet in Hollywood. I just felt like the shit for a moment. Something popular, famous, important....NOPE just Emily and Brandi hanging out in Hollywood (you know where the popular, famous, important people hang out).

Had a great time. Love you B!

(Okay fine, we are a bit far from the stage but you could see everything in person just fine. Maggie and Kathy Griffin on stage.)

Cause and Effect...Simple Science People

2012-01-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

CAUSE

Knitting
Pinterest
Ravelry
Yarn
Modge Podge
Circular Needles
Playing on NEW Apple Products

EFFECT

No Cleaning
No Exercise
No Reading
No Sleep

Just Sayin'*

*Sidenote: Did you know "Just Sayin'" is the most used phrase of 2011. I am so 2011---JUST SAYIN'!

Word to LIVE BY

2012-01-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

Saw this on Fancy Napkin (cute blog I have started to follow) and thought it was worth sharing.

Enjoy your day, week, month, lifetime of "withouts."

Aspiring to be my BEST SELF

2012-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

This blog entry is dedicated to my amazing big sister: I love you Brandi!

Every new year begins with a personal reflection of to resolute or not to resolute. It generally ends with NOT, because it is always going to be the same thing; eat healthy, exercise more, make self a priority (BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!). So this year I decided not to make 2012 resolutions, but to aspire to be my best self in 2012.
BODY
My body image is a challenge for most people I know. No matter if you are overweight, underweight, or average you will always find something to not like about your body. I simply aspire to take care of my body. Let me share a little secret-I HATE GOING TO THE DOCTOR. I would rather suffer and wait for the ailment to disappear. Smart, right! I really am a idiot. My thinking is I can go to the doctor, and they will just tell me what I already know. You are sick, you need to loose weight, be sure you are exercising and taking your multi-vitamin. NO SHIT SHERLOCK! Hence, my avoidance of the doctor. But I know I need to listen to my body and take care of it because it is the only one I have.
MIND
I use my mind a lot. I know this seems strange to say, but I really do. With my job as an Elementary School Principal, I am mentally exhausted at the end of everyday. Hell, I am mentally exhausted as soon as I walk in the door. I am constantly thinking how can I support the parents concerns, what intervention do these students need, what hours is my staff working today. You name it I am mentally ON. So, I am aspiring to turn my mind OFF. I aspire to read at least one fiction book per month. I want to have a quiet escape through a book. I prefer the book to require as little thinking as possible. Hunger Games is as intellectual as I desire during the school year.
HEART
This one is tough. Not to get into too many details, but my heart hurt in 2011. For this reason I aspire to hold my heart tightly this year. Now, there will be times of hurt, but I must remember hearts will heal (mind you they heal on their own time, but they heal).
SPIRIT
I aspire to stay present. I am about to tell you something no one knows about me --- I AM A CONTROL FREAK (insert appropriate guffaw here). This year I aspire to help my spirit by being present. I am often thinking about my next or previous thought, response, action, etc. (Warning: cliche coming up) The past is history, the future is a mystery, today is a gift. That is why we call it the present. I aspire to embrace the gift of present every moment.

Happy 2012 to everyone! May you aspire to be your best self.

WHERE IS AFRICA?

2011-10-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

Africa is where Brad is.
Africa is Brad's once in a life life journey.
Africa is where my heart remains until by Braddy returns home.

I am writing this blog on my fourth day of Brad's 16 day trip to Zimbabwe, Africa. I am lucky to have received a couple of e-mails from him while he has been away. Here are a few notes to summarize what he has shared with me.

Plane trip to New York had hard seats.

5 hour flight to New York, 16 hours to South Africa, 2 hours to Zimbabwe...LONG TRIP! So tired!

Poorest area he has ever visited before.

Hospital reminds him of early 20th century with a x-ray machine.

People are all very friendly.

Eat basic meat and salads.

Takes about 30 minutes to access internet.

Some TV for families with a satellite dish.

Kids thought it is was funny he didn't wear a long sleeze shirt and tie during a devotion service. Brad wore his traditional dockers and polo shirt. Love him!

Sleeps every night under a mosquito net.

I miss Brad terribly and I know he looks forward to returning home, but I am HAPPY he is enjoying this once in a lifetime experience. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts for a great trip and safe travels home.

Check out "Nyadire, Mutoko, Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe" on Google Earth to get a basic lay of the land. It's a whole different world out there.

HANKUNA MATATA

PS Pardon any type/spelling errors. I am attempting this blog post on the iPad which doesn't allow for the same features of doing on a PC.

Pacific Northwest DEVOR Family FUN

2011-07-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

We are officially on our way home. We decided to take our time to get home by traveling by way of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

Before leaving Washington, however, we drove up to northern Washington to see a high school friend and her daughter Reghan. It was great to catch up again (in person, not via FB or Twitter).

HELLO BLOGGERS...why do my pics do this!! I am open to comments to help with this problem.

On our way down we drove through Tilamook where they make Tilamook cheese and ice cream. We tried both-YUMMY!!

We have fallen in love with the Oregon coast. There are endless beach views which simply take your breath away.

Good night y'all. Come back soon to hear about our final days of summer vacation.

Pacific Northwest DEVOR FAMILY FUN

2011-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Long post with several pictures.

SAN FRANCISCO

We began our trip early on Saturday, July 2nd. We were all looking forward to a road trip and leaving the home front for a while. Our first stop was San Francisco. We got there around 2 p.m. and checked into our hotel. Brad and I stayed at this hotel about 10 years ago, so we were familiar with the area and remembered it being fairly accessible to public transportation and walking distance to some attractions. Since we already have to pay $20/day for parking, we always prefer leaving our car so we don't have to pay a parking fee AGAIN somewhere else.

We stayed at the Americana Best Western. They recently remodeled it with a more contemporary look, so this made it a fun environment. Here are a few shots of our room and surroundings.

We dropped off all the luggage and headed straight out. First stop would be Lomard "Crooked" Street. Checked out the iPhone map and it said it would be a 2.1 mile walk...NO PROBLEM. We made it but forgot about the San Francisco hills. Whew!!

Sunday, July 3rd we slept in for a bit and took our time getting ready before heading out around 10 a.m. Our goal today was to visit Chinatown. The night prior, I did a little research and found a self guided tour which included about 13 "discrete" spots. I uploaded the itinerary onto my phone and we were off. Here were a few of the highlights.

Chinatown Gate and main entrance. "Where's Waldo (Emily/Juan)?"

Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, the city's first Catholic Cathedral built in 1854.

Chinatown Kite Shop.

Eastern Bakery-oldest bakery in Chinatown opening in 1924. It was recommended to try the Golden Yolk Mooncake. We did...once was enough. :-)

Tin How Temple. This stop had you walk up 3 flights of stairs to a beautiful temple where locals come to pray and mediate. It was beautifully decorated with gold lanterns amid smoky ribbons of incense. (Pictures were not allowed inside). I loved this sight, because it is something you would never stop at just by walking by. It was a GREAT stop.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company is where they make fortune cookies (DUH!!). This was fun to watch and the employees were so sweet. Giving us free samples over and over again, but you had to pay 50 cents for a photo. Too funny!

Ten Ren Tea Company was a great stop to re-hydrate.

We ended our visit in Chinatown by having some traditional Chinese food at the House of Nanking. Yum-O!

From there we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf. We only spent a few minutes here because it was "uncomfortably" busy and we planed on going to this area tomorrow.

We were pooped, so decided to take the cable car to cut about 2 miles off our hilly walk back to the hotel. Earlier in the day we stopped at the Cable Car Museum, so it was fascinating to see it all in action.

Our final day in San Francisco began early. We had reservation to take a ferry to Alcatraz Island. Here are a few pictures of our morning in Alcatraz.

VANCOUVER, WA
July 5th, we continued north by making a stop over in Vancouver, Washington. My Uncle Monty, Aunt Joan, and Crystal moved here about a year ago. We had dinner with the family and then headed for a the hotel for a much needed nights sleep.

Here is a pic of the family in front of their home in Vancouver.

The next day we headed out to view Mt. Saint Helen's. It was interesting to see a natural disaster which didn't happen hundreds of years ago, but really very recently (1980).

(Sorry about the pic orientation-a few did this and I DON'T know why?)

SEATTLE

We then headed to Seattle, WA. We stayed only a few blocks from the major sight seeing places in Seattle. We stayed at the Moore Hotel. This hotel is old and traditional, but had a clean bed and a warm shower. We liked it.

We visited the Pike Place Market Place. This was a fun experience with so much to see. We were in fresh produce and flower heaven. We, of course, had to visit the World Famous Pike Place Fish guys. They were so nice and really showed why CNN named them the "most fun place to work" in 2001.

The next day we headed to the Space Needle area and a local art show in Pioneer Square.

We also went to the Seattle Art Museum-free admission on Thursday's and we were sold

We ended our day with some classic fish and chips on a Seattle dock. It has been a great couple of days here in Seattle.

Tomorrow, we are heading to see Kami Bible, a high school friend, in Northern Washington and then will take a couple of days to travel the coast back home.

Well, you made it to the bottom of this very long post. Thank you for taking time to travel with us via the blog. :-)

Admitting your problem is the first step, RIGHT MONTH 6

2011-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

So, here we are again. Aren't you all tired of us by now.

Brandi and I have been on our weight loss journey for 6 months now and are both feeling good about our accomplishments. Unfortunately, I have hit a major plateau. I am working towards getting over the hump and I know I will I just have to be patient. A great thing about doing this with Brandi is she continues to support me in this "painful" journey. Last week, when I hit my 6th week of losing NOTHING, she said just keep going and remember this is only about you. That really helped, I have to do this for ME, NOT anybody or for any other reason.

On the other hand, Brandi is kicking butt on her weight loss journey. She looks great and I look forward to catching up with her weight loss soon.

Emily (33 pounds lost) and Brandi (51 pounds lost)

Brandi and I wanted to do a together picture this month since we were together on Sunday afternoon. We made several attempts, however, we were feeling bad asking multiple people to take 2-3 shots each to find neither of us being satisfied with any of them. So, we settled with the above picture. Sorry it is blurry...it's the best we could do.

Thank you to everyone out there in the "real" world supporting us through this journey.

Admitting your problem is the first step, RIGHT MONTH 5

2011-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here we are again. I have to be straight from the beginning of this blog.

This month - SUCKED!!

I don't understand why this month in particular and I don't know where my spirit went this month, but it was NOT on weight loss. Unfortunately, this resulted in not losing much. So, this month I am committed to tracking and have joined a gym. I MUST do both of these if I want to continue and I DO, I SOOOO DO!

In addition, Brandi gave me some super supportive words earlier today. She basically told me to get back on track because we had blog fans. (Gotta love a sisters honest advice and the truly important issues.) So, blog fans I promise to do better this month.

Emily - 33 pounds lost
This is my self-portrait. I used this picture on purpose. First of all, I took the picture because I was excited that my jacket fit AND buttoned. YES! But, then I thought I would also use it for the blog. You see paper clips in the middle of the mirror. Those are my weight loss clips. Every time I lose a pound, I take off a clip. I am so excited to get rid of all those DAMN clips!!

Brandi - 45 pounds lost

Brandi, on the other hand, is doing AMAZING. She looks super hot. I am so proud of you Bran Bran...keep it up!!

Admitting your problem is the first step, RIGHT MONTH 4

2011-04-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Okay here we are again for the month of April.

Emily - 32 pounds
My picture is a bit unusual because Brad wasn't available to take my photo (don't ask??!!), so I said FINE, I am an independent woman...I WILL DO IT MYSELF. Here it is.

Brandi - 39 pounds

Brandi did not follow the rule of not having on work out clothes for our next photo shoot, however, she is getting so skinny she looks hot anyway. Way to go Bran-Bran...I am UBER proud of you.

Stay tuned for more to come next month!

Admitting your problem is the first step, RIGHT MONTH 3

2011-03-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are again. The dreadful pictures are reappearing. However, we don't find them as dreadful as before beginning this weight loss journey once again. Brandi and I have lost 53.5 pounds together. Here is our March photo and the months since we have begun (as a reference point).

Emily - 24 pounds (I SO wanted to hit 25 today, DAMN!) TOTAL

Brandi - 28.5 pounds TOTAL

We are both feeling great about our loss and enjoying our clothes not fitting. We are the most proud of our time in Kansas recently. We were both able to stay on track and hold one another accountable, while still enjoying a slice of Casey's pizza. Yumm-OOOOO!! Thank you Tonganoxie!

Picture Sidenote: I think Brandi and I need to discuss having a "decent" picture next month. Like a picture where we are not finishing up a work out session or yard work. I swear we look even better when dressed like real girls. :-)

Admitting your problem is the first step,Right MONTH 2

2011-02-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 2011

Well, here we are again. Brandi and I have been working hard on making lots of veggie soup, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and exercising. You know the regular stuff we are all suppose to do. Here are our photos for our first month success.

Emily - total weight loss-15 pounds

EDITED POST: Thought I would add a front pic as well. I hate how uptight I look. Oh well, it's the pic I have.

Brandi - total weight loss-18 pounds

Smooth Music

2011-01-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I turned off the TV and just listened to some smooth tunes. Here are a few of my favorite I thought I would share.

There is nothing better than Jewel LIVE...her voice just gets inside you. Love her!

Such a sexy and touching song!

Seriously, who doesn't LOVE The Notebook!

I first heard this song in the movie "Griffin and Phoenix". Such a sad movie, but I really like it alot.

My nephew, Luke, introduced this song (John Mayer's version anyway) to me just recently. Can't stop listening to it.

Admitting your problem is the first step, RIGHT!!

2011-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

I am writing this post with my hands shaking, my brow sweating, and my stomach turning (that might be because I am just hungry). What is the big deal, you may ask? I am making something public (as if it wasn't obvious) which is much, much easier for me to pretend is non-existent.

I AM OVERWEIGHT!

Yes, I am using all caps. This usually means I am shouting, however, I am not shouting to be heard by all of you. Rather, I am shouting to hear myself. My weight has been a issue for quite a while and I really need to overcome the difficulty of losing it when it is way more yummy to gain. Several years ago I lost close to 50 pounds and felt good (although I had another 40 I could have lost). Well, that was all gained back and then some.

I have been feeling depressed regarding my weight, and more importantly, my health. I have been having internal struggles with what I needed to do. (The solution seems obvious, though) Note the verb used, needed. My weight is not an issue of looking good anymore, it is about needing to feel good, needing to be healthy, needing to make MY HEALTH a priority.

I have been thinking about going back to Weight Watchers (the support I had when I initially lost 50 pounds), but I just didn't want to pay up to $40 a month. Honestly, I am too embarrassed to return to my local WW branch and admit I gained all the weight back. You name it, I had an excuse.

UNTIL...

My sister called and asked if I wanted to start Weight Watchers on-line with her. We could be each others support system. I felt this was the final sign and I needed to just go for it. Brandi and I both find more success when we are held accountable. WW on-line doesn't always give this because you are having to monitor yourself more than standing in front of someone to weigh you and admit your gain or loss.

So, Brandi and I decided to also use this blog as a way to hold us accountable. We will post a picture of ourselves each month to monitor progress. This blog is open to all our family and friends and we look forward to their support through this journey. So, here are the first pictures. God give us strength (We both cry and laugh when we see these pictures). This honesty business is a killer.

January 2011- Emily (an intentional frumpy picture, so when I lose weight people can say "WOW!!! YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I am looking forward to losing the face weight more than anything else.

January 2011 - Brandi

Pay It Forward

2011-01-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

The rules:

"I promise to send something handmade

to the first 3 people who leave a comment here.

To be eligible, you must also post this in your blog,

or make the same offer to 3 other people.

The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 3 people

*sometime* in 2011."

Name Photography

2011-01-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

About 6 months ago, I saw a blog where someone collected photos throughout the year which included letters of their family name. They were each framed and hung on the wall. I really liked the idea and thought I would work on it over Summer/Fall vacation. Here are the letters I photographed and their locations.

D from Alamosa, Colorado brewery where we had dinner on our family road trip to Breckenridge, Colorado

E from Meteor Crater in Winslow, Colorado

V from Bentonville, Arkansas...Home of Wal-Mart. Brad's parents live near Bentonville now. We took a trip to their place for Thanksgiving break.

O also from Alamosa, Colorado

R from Breckenridge, Colorado

And the final project framed, hung, and complete........

PS I will be re-developing the O. I don't like how it was cropped too much. Also, I may change the r someday. All the letters are uppercase except the "r". Just the itty bitty details.

I was having a difficult time capturing the location of the frames to those not familiar with our home. But, I love how you see the letters as you are walking up the stairs. They are also a focal point when you walk into the front door.

ON ANOTHER NOTE

Work returns tomorrow, January 3rd. I look forward to starting another great calendar year with a great teaching staff and amazing students. :-)

My life of blogging, however, may be less frequent but I will see what happens.

Black Swan

2010-12-30T22:28:00.000-08:00

Today, I was engaged in two hours of excellence.

This came from watching Black Swan starring Natalie Portman. This was a great movie which was able to create a balance of good and evil, purity and temptation, and strength and weakness centered around the classic ballet tale of Swan's Lake. I am not a ballet connoisseur in anyway, but the story kept me mesmerized every second. I am comfortable with and confident some will disagree with my review of this movie. I just found it to be really amazing and so has the Screen Actors Guild providing it 12 Golden Globe Nominations. Just saying!!

Now, keep in mind this movie had what some would consider controversial scenes and was "dark" in nature. Do not go to this movie expecting a upbeat and/or postive beginning, middle, or end. A young lady left the theatre telling her mom, "I didn't really understand what was going on half of the time." This movie does require some level of abstract intellect I am afraid. So, consider yourself warned.

2011 RESOLUTION

I am not a big believer in resolutions because it generally has to do with something I can't seem to stick with like lose weight or exercise.

BORING!!

For 2011, however, I have created a resolution which forces me to have some me time. I am going to commit to going to the movies once per month by myself. I am a bit strange to really enjoy this process. I am able to sit wherever I want, have popcorn all to myself, and form my own opinion on a movie I want to see. I will do my best in providing monthly reviews of what I see on this blog. This way, I am holding myself accountable to at least blogging once per month, right!

Feel free to send any movie suggestions my way.

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2011!

Holiday Break Field Trip

2010-12-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Juan and I are still off for Holiday Break this week. We thought we would use one of our days to go to Universal Studios. However, there was a 100% chance of rain, so we went with Plan B. We went to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Before that, however, we spent the night at Brandi's. Here is a synopsis of our evening and day at Getty.

First, we stopped in Burbank to watch Luke play basketball with his Simi Valley High School team. Go Pioneers! I haven't seen him play in a while, so it was fun to see him again. Except this time he is 6'2"...what happen to our little Lukey "Captain Underpants"?

Later in the day we went and picked up Brandi from work and then headed to the Town Center for a bite to eat and shopping.

Brandi and I LOVE Anthropologie!! We had the most fun in this store. Here is what is sounded like.
Brandi: I love this. Isn't it cute.
Emily: Oh, that is cute...I love this...what do you think?
Brandi: Love it! We really should stop saying how much we love things, because I love everything.
Emily: Right. Me too! But this is so cute.
Brandi: AWWW...I love it!

Most of the conversations continued in this manner, no matter how many times we told each other to stop saying how much we loved something. But the store is so stinkin' cute.

Here is a particular item we are both fond of in the event any of my blog readers are interested in purchasing a special gift for a special someone in California.

Measuring cups...We would be fine with either collection.

Simply click on the picture above for a direct link to the webpage - MOM!!

Once we got home it was 9 p.m., so DUH...it was time to go to bed.

Juan and I woke up the next morning to find rain, just as predicted. We are glad we went with Plan B. We drove up to the Getty and saw some great paintings, sculptures, decorative art, etc. It really is a great museum. What I enjoyed the most was watching Juan enjoy the art.

This is what I thought he was going to look like:

But instead he was interested, excited, and impressed. He looked like this for the majority of the day:

Here are a few of our favorite pieces (Juan wanted to take a picture of just about every piece, but I tried to select just a sampling):

Yes, it the real LILLIES by Van Gough

Renoir

Thought to be the first African-American bust

In case you were confused, Juan is on the right.

Watched a short film on how the artist might have made this piece---so AWESOME

So now we are home just taking in the last few days of Holiday break. I hope everyone has a GREAT New Year. May 2011 continue with many joys and memories.

2010 Highlights

2010-12-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

As we conclude another year we should all take time to reflect on the special memories made during 2010. There are many for the Devor family, however, meeting the Nelson family was WITHOUT A DOUBT, my #1 highlight.

Who are the Nelson’s?

Toni Nelson is my cousin (father’s niece). She is about 15 years older than me (but still only 29 years young), but I always remember spending time with her and her family as a child. Once we moved to Kansas we lost all contact with the Rawlings (Toni’s mom and dad, my aunt and uncle-Joanne and Danny). Recently, Brandi was able to find Toni and her family living in Anaheim Hills, California.

Toni is married to James and has two daughters, Amanda and Hannah. We met on December 11th at my house to catch up on old times. We met again tonight (December 26th) with all the families together (Rawlings, Nelson, Leinen, Gettys, Devor). It was such a great night.

It is amazing to see how we are all so crazy and similar. I love the Nelson family and can’t wait to spend more time together to catch up on all the years we missed.

Here are a few pictures of our crazy, fun evening.

Dad and his sister, my Aunt Joanne

How adorable are we...Hannah, Brandi, Emily, and Amanda

Again ladies, why did we all feel the need to bend over to take this pic?

Amanda and her fiance, Andrew. Their wedding date is August 12th, 2011.

Congrats to the both of you.

The whole gang, minus significant others (someone had to take the picture)

Good Night Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

We now conclude a quiet Christmas day at the Devor household. We had a great day of eating, opening presents, watching movies at home, and just keeping things low key. So, now we say Good Night Christmas 2010! See you next year!

Photo technique copied from No Biggie.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven't posted since August. Blogging is really more difficult for me than I thought it would be.

Why is it so hard?
1. I really wonder...Is my life all that interesting that people may actually want to read about it. I think not.
2. We're just a bit of a crazy house around here, I don't know how much of the craziness I want to make public.
3. I am so busy when I am not on break. I try really hard to get home at a reasonable time to treasure my time with the family. So, by the time I get home, eat dinner, and just chill...it is time to go to bed and start over again the next day.
4. There are such cool blogs out there my just doesn't even compete.
5. Added after I started uploading pictures...Why the hell am I having so many technical problems with this damn Blogger. My pictures are uploading sideways at random, the spacing is complete f*-!%# up (sorry mama). Help me blog sphere...how do you fix this??

So, there are all my excuses. Let us begin my quarterly blog.

Why I am blogging today...I love the Christmas season and our silly little traditions. I don't promise they are all that exciting, but it is what we do.

BE WARNED...there are several photos. Enjoy!!

The season begins with the fun prepping!! Notice no 16 year old involved in the prepping part of the season. He did (a very little) just got snappy when the camera came out.

Even Jayme was enjoying the Christmas spirit.

December 11th was our annual California Christmas dinner at my place. This had the usual antics of too much food, endless laughs, Dirty Bingo, and presents (oh, and my mommy was in town-AWESOME!---love you Mama!).

This was also Grandma's Birthday. I love that we were able to spend another year with her. I love her so very much!

Brandi loves herself some Harry and David balls!

The boys representing Emporia State University...GO HORNETS. Thank you Grandma Kansas! Weight bench from Papa Leinen.
One of the best moments of this day was later in the evening when Toni, James, and Hannah Nelson came to visit. Toni is my cousin (daughter of dad's sister) who Brandi and I haven't seen in close to 20 years. They live in Anaheim Hills and Brandi was able to re-connect with her through Facebook. Thank you Mark Zuckerberg. It was SO great to see/meet them and we look forward to creating new memories for lost time.

One of our annual traditions has become to go see the "Light House" in Murrieta. We love going to see the new lights and decorations this house adds each year. I can never believe the commitment of this family. The entire family begins decorating in September. The retired couple who own the home are outside every evening for several weeks prior to Christmas to greet the thousands of people who come to see his "Light House." They are also the nicest people...what great Christmas spirit.

I wasn't happy with any still shots of the house, so I will include one of the many bundles of cords strategically placed around the perimeter of the house.

Our annual Christmas picture in front of the light house.

Christmas Eve was spent at the Wild Animal Park. Fri st of all, let me say for the record I am VERY upset with the Wild Animal Park. They have officially changed their name to the SAFARI PARK. What the hell! What was so wrong with the Wild Animal Park for the last 50 years, that they had to change the name. I will NEVER call it the SAFARI PARK...ever ever EVER!! Here are a few shots of our day.

And Christmas Eve now comes to an end as we wait for Santa's arrival.

Merry Christmas to all!

What happened to the DEVOR's??

2010-08-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still alive. Vacation ended in July and work started hard and fast. So, here are a few things we have been up to:

Juan had soccer camp
Juan had football camp
Brad went back to work
Emily went back to work
Juan started his sophomore year at school (YIKES!!!)
Emily started a new school year with 630 students and 20 teachers (do the math people!)

Okay, so it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Why haven't I posted.

I'm tired, I'm pooped, I'm busy!! I sure appreciate my vacation time and so glad we took advantage of it this year. I look forward to another one SOON!!!!

I will try to do a better job with posts.

Colorado Summer 2010

2010-07-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Colorado Update

2010-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here is our Colorado Update:

Monday we went to Peak 8 Breckenridge Fun Park. This was a fun day, except for the sun burn. You forget how much closer you are to the sun, until you get the sunburn which burns for days. At the fun park we went alpine sliding; gem hunting; ran a maze; played miniature gold; jumped on a bungee trampoline; and rock climbing.

Tuesday was filled with a train ride from Leadville. We went up about 1,000 feet. It was about a 2 hour ride and was filled with beautiful mountain scenery.

Still having a great time. More updates to come.

PS Sorry pictures are having a difficult time uploading. You will just have to trust me. It was a fun couple of days.

Califoria to Colorado

2010-07-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

We have officially made it to Breckenridge, Colorado. We are already having a GREAT time, but really enjoyed our trip out here. It usually takes about 15 hours (straight through) to get here, but we decided to leave on Thursday and make some stops on the way. Here is a summary of our trip:

We stopped in Winslow, Arizona to look at a Meteor Crater. It was huge and unimaginable how a big rock from space landed there millions of years ago. What do you know?

Our next tourist stop was the Four Corners. This picture says it all.

We then went to the Great Sand Dunes near Alamosa, Colorado. This is really a beautiful site to see.

Lastly, we went to the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge. We were able to take an incline railway down to the river, ride an aerial tram across, and walk and drive across the bridge. This was a fun experience.

So, now we are in Breckenridge (by the way-the house is everything we thought it would be...thank you Jerel and Nieta), and our days will be filled with more fun. Updates to come.

Summer Vacation Number 2, 2010

2010-07-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

We are lucky this year to enjoy two summer vacations...Kansas and Colorado.

(Don't be jealous you Hawaii and Caribbean island vacationers)

Next week, we will be leaving to meet the Devor Family in Breckenridge, Colorado. This vacation will include some amusement park fun, white water rafting, train ride, and alpine sliding. We are all looking forward to the trip and spending time with the family. But my shallow side must come out, I am really looking forward to the house. It is beautiful! Jerel and Nieta found this house, and I can't wait to see it in person. Here is a preview!

So, if I don't return in a couple of weeks you will know where to find me. I will be in the wing back, leather chair next to the floor to ceiling picture windows reading a book and drinking wine. Please knock before entering! Happy SUMMER VACATIOIN everyone!

Kansas Week

2010-06-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Okay...so here they are. Although the Moseley wedding in Kansas was GREAT, we did do more than just wed the cute couple. Here are the highlights. I love you Kansas family...looking forward to the next trip out.

We rode on Grandpa Kansas new ATV (the boys loved the new toy)
Grandpa Kansas put the boys to work
We went to a T-Bones game and I "Danced for my Dinner" The FAB 5 hung out
Spent quality time with the family (Mom-this one is for you!)

and just did Kansas the way Kansas do!

Moseley Wedding

2010-06-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

I AM DETERMINED to make this work. Here is another attempt. I couldn't use the song so there is no music. You can keep the IPod on the sidebar on or just sing along to your favorite tune. HA!! HA! My outdated technology is making me VERY unhappy today!

UPDATE: Apparently I am using a song which has a copyright block...who knew. I need to do some trobule shooting, because I am having some additional problems also. Check back later.

This darn technology!!

Since returning from Kansas we haven't done much of anything. It has been nice to sit around the pool, catch up on reading, edit wedding photos, and just take it easy. I will post the road trip pictures soon. But in the meantime, here is a video montage of the Moseley Wedding. We all had a great time and are SOOO excited to have Michael Moseley officially part of our family. We love you both Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Elizabeth Moseley.

PS Be sure to mute the IPod music on the sidebar FIRST, so you can hear the wedding video music.

"Party's Here" (Thank you Snooki)

2010-06-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

Brandi (30 something), Luke (16 years old), Holt (14 years old), Juan (16 years old), and I (30 something, but nearly as old as Bran) will begin our road trip to Kansas on Saturday!

1 car
5 people
3,000 miles round trip
+/- $500 worth of gas
4 bottles of California wine (not to drink while driving, unless an emergency arises)
1 case of water
1 bag of trail mix
Memories...Priceless

I am getting super excited for this trip. The drive is not our favorite part, however, we look forward to the memories to be made (the good, bad, ugly, and stinky).

See you soon Kansas!

Love you!

Busy is the new black

2010-05-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

Seriously, who do you know that hasn't been insanely crazy. I can't count a one. Life is certainly taking us all by storm right now.

I look forward to stopping to smell the roses again sometime soon.

One way I try to decompress from the craziness is through photography. I am certainly not a pro, but I just find it therapeutic and fun for all involved.

My friend's daughter is a Senior in high school and I offered to take some photos for senior pictures. I was honored she gave me this opportunity. I will be shooting my sister's wedding in a couple of weeks, so I was happy to get the practice. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

I would love some feedback from those photo pros out this in blog-land.

I love the contrast of her focused and the blurry people in the background. Cool shot, I think.

Melissa wanted more of the cool building behind her, but I much preferred the pictures of her up close.

Mom and daughter pic...too cute!

I was just trying to get her to not pose smile in this picture and it became one of my favorite pics of the day.

Thank you Melissa and Linda. This was a really fun day! Love you both.

Day at Disneyland

2010-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, we volunteered at a local high school and each received free tickets to Disneyland. In years past we have gone to Disneyland on Mother's Day. However, this weekend didn't have anything going on, so we thought we would go to Disneyland with our free tickets. I am sure glad we did. We had a super time. Here are a few shots and memories of our day.

Juan: Are you going to want to take pictures of everything ALL DAY..gawwwwww?

Dad: Come on Juan, let's just get it over with.

Mom: Would you two just stop complaining and stand in front of the damn mouse.

Welcome to the happiest place on Earth (with a teenager)!

Juan trying to act like he is NOT scared at the Haunted Mansion..HA!! HA!!

This picture represents our family more than any other shot EVER!

Dad is just hanging out effected by nothing (he would not show expression of having fun at Disneyland if it would save his life).

Juan shows pure joy thinking no one will see it.

Mom demonstrating the melo-dramatics she so loves!

Juan: When will this be over...I am HUNGRY?

Our favorite part of any amusement park are the shows. It is always fun to get away from the crowds, relax, and giggle. The Hillbilly show is one of our favs.

It was a GREAT day, and I am so glad we decided to go this weekend. It was a low key day with no schedule, time to be there, be back, etc. Just walked around and hung out together as a family. I love all my friends and extended family, but some days with just the three of us are the ones I cherish the most. I love you Brad and Juan!!

Work on a Saturday-not always a BAD Thing

2010-04-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

I often do NOT blog about work. I developed this blog to be my personal update to our family and friends, not a work blog. I am going to alter from this today, because I am filled with pride. I went to work this past Saturday. Now, this doesn't sound very fun, but it was a really rewarding experience. Twinhill Elementary School had a Spring Clean-Up day. This was new to Twinhill, so I wasn't sure what kind of turn out we would have. The purpose of this day was to come together as a community to do some of those important spring cleaning activities around the school. We had the following duties to complete: pull weeds, plant a tree donated by the City of Riverside, rake leaves, hose down and wash outdoor walls, and paint the main office. I had a teacher who coordinated the outside activities (and she did a GREAT job) while I was pretty much stuck in the office painting with my attendance clerk. This was a big project we NEVER thought would end. There are still touch ups to be done, but we will get to it in time.

So what made me so proud. I was proud because our community is filled with many low income families. They work really hard during the week to provide for their families. The fact they took time out of their busy Saturday to help their community school was a really special moment. I am so proud and lucky to be the Principal of Twinhill Elementary. Thank you to everyone for their help! The school looks GREAT!

Day at the Zoo

2010-04-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Brad and I had an afternoon date. We headed down to the world famous San Diego Zoo and walked around for a couple of hours. Beautiful day, animals were in good spirits, and just enjoyed some time outside. Here are a few non-edited, no biggie, pics (point and shoot camera, didn't want to hassle with the big guns).

Everyone have a GREAT week!

Hes' so cute and scruffy! Love my man!

One of my favorite parts of the zoo. Great views of San Diego!This is just hilarious! By the way, we were about 1 foot from the sign...oh heck!
African Lions getting ready for a training session.
Lion and his keeper.The next two pics are my fav. The lion is a creature you must respect.
I have found myself in some compromising positions, but this is ridiculous. I love me some giraffes!

New Projects

2010-04-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I took on ANOTHER new project. I am always willing to try something new with the hopes it will turn out to be something I LOVE.

Finding a hobby I LOVE has been a challenge of mine for 15 years now.

(Oh, and I am a perfectionist...unless I am good at it the first time I QUIT!)

Well, this project I really enjoyed...I sewed a baby quilt. I don't want to say who the quilt is for yet, because she may read this blog (those of you who know me could probably infer based on who is currently pregnant and having an upcoming shower). But I hope she and her new baby loves it.

Please don't look to closely...I named this baby quilt

"THERE IS PERFECTION IN THE IMPERFECTIONS"

Excited to get started...

Processing the fact I have NOOOOO idea what I am doing!

The end product. Patchwork on the front side with a purple fleece on the back, and satin green edge.
Poor lighting in this picture, but wanted to show the quilted back.

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

This week was a much needed Spring Break. Brad, Juan, and I spent 5 days beach camping at Dohney State Beach. It was GREAT! There wasn't much activity per se. We just enjoyed some time to relax, watch the waves, ride bikes, read, etc. No agenda, no schedule, no plans. Although I am all about traveling and seeing new things, camping trips include as little planning as possible (this way we can truly relax).

So, we are now home. After packing up the trailer, completing about 10 loads of laundry, and catching up on my recorded programs, I can blog about our trip. Here are the things I want to remember the most:

Juan's smile when running through the birds (I think every parent lives just to see their child happy...this happiness makes my heart fill with joy.)

Beach houses (I want a beach house when I grow up.)

Sand formations (The high/low tides make some awesome shapes in the sand.)

Silhouettes of fisherman at dusk

Roasted marshmallow on top of brownies (Seriously, DELICIOUS!!)

Juan saying how bored he is (whatever!)

Silly chatter with Juan because he is SO bored (So bored, but was entertained by bugging me...secretly I didn't mind one bit, I have to embrace every moment.)

Full moon (Brightened the entire night sky.)

Fish and Chips (Can't go to the beach without some good ol' fish and chips.)

Smash Ball games (never knew a paddle game could have so many different game types)

Waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean

TIME TIME TIME...I love time with my FAMILY !!!!!

Here are some random pics of our trip.

I am....

2010-03-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I said I was going to try to blog a bit more often. Well, obviously this plan did not work out so well. I stumbled upon a blog recently with answering the following questions, so I decided I would post my thoughts.

I am...

wishing everyone lived a life of integrity.
I think...

I need to find a true passion (non-work related). I need to truly explore what makes ME happy. Is it photography, jogging, music, what "hobby" completes me?

I should...

get my doctorate. My goal has been doctorate before 40, but I just haven't been too inspired lately.

I dream...

about being debt free.

I want...

to lose 50 pounds. I know, not very unique. Who doesn't want to lose weight, but 50 lbs would be AMAZING!

I know...

I am loved by many friends and family.

I don't like...

vegetables. I wonder if there is a connection with the lbs above with my dislike of veggies. Mmmmm!! Just wondering.

I smell...

Jayme's (the golden) farts. Gross, but my reality.

(Had to add this photo, because it just makes me crack up! The funniest Jayme picture ever.)

I hear...

Adam Lambert on my I-Pod. I really like him! I am glad he didn't win Idol; he deserved to make a name for himself (not as an American Idol winner).

I fear...

being alone. My husband and son are my whole life and I hate being without them (even when they drive me crazy).

I search...

blogs and websites which inspire, educate, and make me laugh.

I miss...

my mom (everyday Mommy...I LOVE YOU!)

I always...

am second guessing myself. My controlling ways are always present and take over my thoughts.

I crave...

chocolate. Again, love of chocolate...hate of veggies...losing 50 lbs. Come on Em, don't you see the connection. HA! HA!

I remember...

my one BIG birthday party. Brandi and I shared our party, because our b-day’s are so close together (Brandi-10/9 Emily 10/10). We had lunch, cake, and a piñata in the backyard at the Studebaker house and then went bowling. Super fun!

I need…

to be balanced. I don’t do well when I feel overwhelmed and behind. I need routine, structure, and always know the plan.

I forget…

things that happen more than a year ago. Brad can remember every detail, date, and event and it drives him crazy when I don’t recall something he remembers. He is my walking diary.

I feel…

tired. It has been a stressful few weeks and I look forward to the balance spoken of above.

I can’t…

say “roar.” It’s true. My family and friends have taught me every phonetic sound and blend; I just can’t seem to get it out right. I say “WAR.” Hey, can’t be perfect.

I am happy…

when I see Juan and Brad smile!

I sing…

just about anything. It drives Juan crazy when I roll down the window and get down with the hip hop (dancing included). Now, Brandi is the lyricist…she knows every word of every song! Amazing!

I listen…

to about any type of music.

I shop…

not very often anymore. That ol’ debt free thing, you know.

I eat…

anything yummy! I love food! Do we really have to add salt to the wound. Was this blog starter blog planted, so I would keep thinking about the 50 lbs. Damn you blog posts!!

I love…

my FAMILY!

Now, your turn. Cut and paste these sentence starters to reflect on your “I AM”
I am
I think
I should
I dream
I want
I know
I don’t like
I smell
I hear
I fear
I search
I miss
I always
I crave
I remember
I need
I forget
I feel
I can’t
I am happy
I sing
I listen
I shop
I eat
I love

Just kind of cute!

2010-03-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

I have never wanted to get a car decal stick figure thingy...but this was kind of fun to play with. (Thanks to Casey Starnes for this from link!)

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Make your own stick family at Widdlytinks!

Too much to BLOG about

2010-03-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

So, it is Sunday night and I should be getting ready for some shut eye.

ZzzzzZzzzzZZZzzz

But then I realized I haven't blogged all week.

Well, I am going to keep this short anyway!

This week has challenged be emotionally and mentally both professionally and personally. Big thanks to my family and friends for their love and support. I am so grateful for Brad and Juan---they make me smile, cry, yell, shout, cheer, and most of all, LOVE!

I hope to have some future blogs which generate provoking thoughts and discussion. Be sure to let me know if you want to hear about anything in particular. Some have asked me to write about work. Although I love my job, I probably won't write about it too much. This blog tends to be my personal outlet where I leave work, work!!

Keep reading!

Photo Editing

2010-02-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

I have always been a fan of photography. I am still learning, but enjoy the experience. I especially enjoy pictures of nature, landscapes, flowers, etc.. It drives Brad crazy sometimes, because he thinks there should always be a person in the picture. I let him in sometimes and then crop him out. HA!! HA!!

One of the things I have been working on lately is to photo edit a bit more. I have been working with FotoFlexer, Picnik, and Adobe Photo Elements. Here are a few of my photo edits using Picnik. The Wild Animal Park pictures from last week were edited using Adobe Photo Elements.

I would love to hear from other bloggers and photo enthusiast on what you use.

Check them out:

Hanbury is Home

2010-02-27T20:00:00.001-08:00

7057 Hanbury Street in Long Beach, California will forever be my family's home. My Grandpa and Grandma Holt were the original owners, and has been in our family for 57 years. It is this house where 5 Holt kids played, loved, and built endless memories. As my mother put it, it is where we were all taught to love unconditionally.

After Grandpa Holt passed away, my Uncle Monty, Aunt Joan, and Crystal moved into the house (I don't think anyone was willing to let it go just yet.) They will be moving up North soon, leaving the house to a new family. I have no doubt they will continue creating endless memories and love unconditionally as LOVE is forever embedded into the walls.

Here are a few of my own memories of 7057 Hanbury:

Brandi and I would report to the Hanbury House afterschool for several years until Mom was off work.
This house was our pretend address, so Brandi and I could continue attending the schools we wanted...Helen Keller Elementary and DeMille Middle School.
This is where Tim came to announce Victoria was born with a rose for Brandi and me.
Tim planted a itty-bitty twig in the yard, which has been become a fully grown tree (right side of yard in picture above).
I kissed my first boy 2 houses down from this house.
I remember all the holidays. Grandma sure loved to decorate and cook for ALL the holidays.
I remember the smell of Grandpa's printing garage. This smell will always be present in my memories.
Mom would tell us stories of how they had rabbits in the backyard when she was growing up. Not cute little bunnies…but rabbits to EAT!
I would help Grandma and Grandpa with cutting the notepads after Grandpa printed and glued them.
I remember saying goodbye to Grandpa for the last time when visiting California for Spring Break one month before he died.
I always secretly wished the upstairs room could be mine.
Grandpa sitting on the porch or leaning up against a car smoking and visiting with the neighbors.

I can think of so many more. I encourage those who consider Hanbury HOME to comment with your memories.

You will forever be in our hearts 7057 Hanbury Street

Love is STILL in the air!

2010-02-22T21:36:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is over, however, love is still in the air. I received this e-mail a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was cute and wanted to pass it along.

What love means to a 4-8 year old. Touching words from the mouth of babes.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'

Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris – age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

And the final one:

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Day at the Zoo

2010-02-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

You never get to old for a GREAT day at the zoo. For Brad's birthday (February 12th), I renewed our San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park membership. This past Saturday, we went to the Wild Animal Park along with Juan's girlfriend, Brittany. It was great weather, due to a slight rain in the morning....light sweater weather.

I love the photo opportunities the Wild Animal Park provides. No matter how many times I have been, I always find something beautiful to take a picture of. My personal favorites are the plants. The colors and uniqueness of the plants is truly inspiring.

Here are a few shots of our fun:

"Juan, don't pose...just walk casually across the bridge." Got to love Juan, he doesn't know how NOT to pose.

Feeding the ducks

Brad and Juan...watch out for the big elephant behind you.
I could watch giraffes ALL day!

Juan's favorite...the Lion!

Love how the red pops out amongst the aloe plant.

Another aloe flower!

The newest addition to the Wild Animal Park. An African Elephant born on February 14, 2010.

Then lastly, my personal favorite. As mentioned above, you are never to old for the zoo. Here is my beautiful 15 year old just having fun with a duck. No batteries, jersey, or friends required.

I treasure this smile EVERYDAY!

A VERY long SHORT week

2010-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in my blog below, I returned to work this week after being off for 10 days. I knew I would be unable to blog as much due to my busier schedule, and I was not kidding. I didn't blog at all. I had off Monday, so it was a short week, but it was SO long. I had two days over 15 hours long EACH, not getting myself home after close to 10 p.m. each night. This is NOT the way I like to spend my week. I missed eating dinner with the family, watching the Olympics, and just hanging out. Luckily, not every week is this time intensive.

After this crazy week, however, I was imspired by a story shared by one of my teacher friends. It certainly puts in perspective why we continue to teach. I love this story and was so glad she shared it. Let's call it,

THE BIG APPLAUSE

Despite pink slips, pay cuts, furlough days, cuts in benefits, DAIT, DAW, and other not so appealing parts of being a teacher right now, one great thing about it stands out... my students! I love them!

Today I had the pleasure of watching how wonderful, smart, and awesome children can be. We are working on multiplying greater numbers, not very easy for a third grader, especially when they are first learning how. I taught them a few different ways to solve the problems this week, so today students were coming to the board to demonstrate which way they liked solving the problem.

After a few students, mostly my high achieving students who can do anything, came and showed their skills, one of my RSP (Special Education) students raised his hand and asked if he could have a turn. I said sure, and I could see that my other students looked a little worried because only the "smart" kids had volunteered to come up. Now, I knew he could do it with my help, but I was a little worried he might crack under the pressure of being up there in front of all his classmates by himself. I am very proud to say that this student came to the board, showed every step, and solved the problem perfectly.

But, the best part was watching the faces of my other students as they watched him do it, I watched as their mouths fell open and they began to whisper to each other about how "smart" this student was as he solved the problem correctly step by step. They were truly amazed. Then as he turned to walk form the board, my entire class broke out in a loud applause. They are such caring kids, proud of their classmate, and I was very proud of them all!

Now, that sounded like the end of my story, but my favorite part is yet to come, and this is better than solving a math problem correctly! After the student sat down, the next kid came up and solved his problem correctly. Then the same RSP student, who had just received applause, stood up and started clapping for his classmate and turned around and said, "Come on guys! We have to clap. He did it!" The reason this is such a big deal you may ask? Aside from academic disabilities, this student rarely recognizes, interacts with, or pays attention to any other students. So, yes, solving a math problem is great, but for him to recognize another student's accomplishments is amazing, pretty much a miracle!

I love my job!

Girl Scout Season

2010-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

Girl Scout cookie season is most certainly here. I have been asked by several students, neighbors, plus girls and mommies outside of Sam's Club, Ralph's, etc. I don't mind, however, I am a HUGE fan of Thin Mints. I have to limit myself from ordering from EVERYONE, because I just love them so. Recently, I discovered a recipe for "THIN MINTS" and tried them out tonight. Ladies and Gentleman, I think I have purchased my LAST over priced box of Girl Scout cookies this year...this is the best imitation recipe I have ever made.

GIRL SCOUT "THIN MINTS"

1 sleeve Ritz crackers
2 cups chocolate chips (I didn't use dark chocolate chips, but those would be amazing for the dark chocolate lovers like me)
2 T shortening
Peppermint Extract (amount based on taste preference)

Melt the chocolate chips, shortening, and peppermint extract in microwave. Be sure you don't overcook. Dip crackers into melted chocolate and transfer to cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Allow cookies to chill in fridge. ENJOY!

I will still buy a few boxes to support those sweet Girl Scouts, but these are awesome when those boxes are gone after one hour. HA!!

PS I am going back to work tomorrow, so will be blogging less frequently. I will try to come up with some interesting topics, family updates, etc. to keep this blog blogging!

Devor Birthday Adventure

2010-02-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

One of the many things I LOVE about my husband, is his love for nature hikes. If it wasn't for him, I would spend my time baking, hanging at home, going to mall, etc. Generally indoor type of things. However, he is always pulling me outside for a little hike, and I love it that he does.

Friday, 2/12 was Brad's 40th birthday. He didn't want a big party or surprise, he just wanted to take a hike.

Only my husband is able to find places to hike in suburbia Murrieta, California (It's not all beaches and Disneyland, people!!). So, we headed about 15 miles west to Cleveland National Forest. He was on a mission to find the Tenaja Falls he read about on-line and in the Sunset Magazine (must have mag for Westerners-hint, hint, Kami).

To get there you have to take a 7 mile un-paved road past a NO OUTLET sign. This really should have been my first sign to jump out of the car. HA!! :-) We got there and started on our way. We continued down a path to another "path" and discovered it wasn't really a path at all.

This sign should have been another clue we were not on the correct path, nay, any path at all.

After climbing up, down, and through many rock piles and mud, Brad re-discovered the real path.

(Does this look like a path to anyone, yeah, me neither?)

Remember we are on an adventure to find the Tenja Falls. We have seen many
waterfalls (Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, etc.), so we were looking and listening for a tall waterfall cascading down a tall mountain with a clean, shimmering pool at the bottom. We never quite found anything which matched this description and we kept losing sight of any form of a continuous path. We stopped, had lunch, and concluded this must be Tenaja Falls.

Isn't it lovely? If you close your eyes you can hear the roaring flow of water, if you close them a bit tighter you might even see a waterfall cascading down a tall mountain with a clean, shimmering pool at the bottom. When you re-open your eyes, yep, we see the Tenaja Falls.

Although the path was not well marked or paved out, we had an AWESOME time. Here are a few more shots of our fun.

Thank you California for helping us create another GREAT family memory.

Happy BIRTHDAY, Braddy!! I love you!!!!!!!!

Love is in the Air!

2010-02-11T18:01:00.001-08:00

In celebration of LOVE with the upcoming Valentine's Day, please enjoy some of my favorite love scences.

And now for my all time favorite movie. I could watch Nottinghill a million times and never be tired of it!

I could include another 100 videos, but this will do for now. Much love to all the lovers out there! XOXOXOXXO Enjoy your weekend!

What is a BLOG??

2010-02-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

I had this week off of work and have spent more time to "play" with my BLOG. I have been using Blogger for about a year. I haven't been super happy with Blogger and its ability to format the way I want things to look. For about a day, I thought about using a different theme designer (i.e. WordPress). I have a friend offering this service for free. With her advice/suggestions and the advice of other bloggers, I decided leaving Blogger was not the issue.

The issue is ME:
Here are some of my concerns with blogging in general:

I don't seem to get the traffic to my blog I am hoping for. I thought I would have family get on my site often and check to see what the Devor's have been up to. Who wouldn't want to read about us...we are SOOO exciting (continue reading below to understand my sarcasm). So either family/friends are not visiting like I thought they would, they are not commenting, or both.
I wasn't happy with the basic format of the site. I needed to jazz up my site and I couldn't seem to manipulate with the boring office look. However, I am currently working on this process. I am NOT creative (in forms of written or artistic expression-I approach creatively a bit more analytically) by nature, so I am excited to "borrow" the creativity of others.

TIME: Oh TIME!! This has become a four letter word in my life. Life has really become busy lately (personal and professional) and I just don't seem to to find/give the time to blogging it deserves.
What do I write about? I mean, really! The Devor Days are pretty basic. School, work, sleep, etc. and a family trip sprinkled in there every once in a while.
Privacy: There are some things I don't want to share do the fact that some family things are just plain old PRIVATE! The really good stuff which happens often qualifies in this category of PRIVATE.
Who is this blog for? Is this blog to keep my family and friends updated, a voice for me to express myself, or just something everyone else is doing, why not m

So, now what? Where do I go from here. I don't have an answer to this yet.

I would just thank you all for you patience and understanding as I work through my struggles and questions with blogging and expression. I am open to suggestions, comments, advice, criticism, etc.

Thanks for visiting!!

Emily VACA

2010-02-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

This year, my school district approved a somewhat nontraditional holiday week off for President's week. Previously, we would take two 3 day weekends. This was kind of nice also. Anyway, this year students have off February 8th - 15th off. Brad still has to work, and Juan still has school. This means, I get some time alone for some R & R. Generally when I have a week off, we would plan a little trip. But due to no one being off other then me (and other financial obligations), I just get to hang at home.

So, here are my plans:

Drop off my dry cleaning
Complete employee evaluations which I can't seem to get done at work
Modify lunch recess schedule
Finalize any work e-mails
Catch up on blog reading
Sleep in to 8 a.m. everyday, hopefully
Renew Juan's passport
Take Jayme to the vet for his annual visit
Go to Juan's final frosph-soph soccer game

Not very exciting now that I write it down...actually pretty depressing. This is why I don't find myself blogging too often. My life just isn't all that exciting. I don't post the exciting stuff (to protect privacy of family members), anyways.

Everyone have a GREAT week!

2 Truths and 1 Lie

2010-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Have you played this game before? It is simple and a GREAT way to get to know people a little bit better. You have to tell 3 things, stories, ideas, etc. about yourself. They can be simple or more complex stories. They can be about relationships, money, travel. They can be about anything you want to share.

Two of the items have to be true, and 1 has to be a lie. So, read through my 3 items and then comment about which one is the lie. Also in the comment section, you have to put 3 items (2 Truths, and 1 Lie) about yourself for others to guess. Have FUN!

Two TRUTHS...One LIE about Emily! MY MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT...

My most embarrassing moment included walking into a glass door (and shattering it, by the way) while visiting a friend's college dorm. A boys dorm none the less. I was so trying to be cool, and it just didn't work out right.

My most embarrassing moment was when my bathing suit top came down after a fabulous dive into a pool. As I jumped up from under the water, I threw my hands up to celebrate my dive. I hadn't yet realized my top was down to my waist.

My most embarrassing moment was when I had to present at a conference with a huge hot chocolate stain on my white pants from the crotch area to my knee. Everyone was very understanding, but there is no way they heard a word I said...too distracted.

Okay, your turn. Click on comment to guess my lie and include 2 truths, and 1 lie about yourself.

Winter Formal 2010

2010-01-30T21:37:00.000-08:00

Juan had his winter formal tonight at Murrieta Valley High School. He went with his girlfriend of 4 months (this is a long time for Freshman, PEOPLE...pointing out the relationship duration is very important to them), Brittany. They looked amazing and were so excited for the evening. The night began at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at our house. Juan asked if he could take Brittany out on a dinner date before the dance. The mean mom said NO. I explained unless he was able to pay and/or drive to a dinner date, he wasn't ready for such an experience. However, I did offer having a special dinner at our house. They had shrimp cocktail, soup, salmon, asparagus, and rice. If I (the cook) may say so myself, it was better than any restaurant. While they ate, Brad and I had the pleasure of enjoying dinner with Brittany's family in the dining room. It was a lot of fun.

Juan had fun preparing for the night by running a few errands to kill some time, taking a long relaxing bath, and getting ready (took about 10 minutes-great being a boy). The most special moment, however, was when Juan said:

"Mom, in case I forget to say it later, thank you for everything you are doing for tonight."

Enjoy some of the great pics from the amazing evening. I am sure they are having a GREAT time at the dance!

One Week Past

2010-01-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

So, one week has gone by since my last blog. I knew when I started back at work my blogs would be less frequent; however I am trying to commit to updating once a week.

What has been going on this week? Not much...I must say.

The weeks go by very quickly. I LOVE the weekends (especially Sunday), because it is during this time we are able to totally take it easy. It is not uncommon for me to not get out of my sweat pants and t-shirts on a Sunday. Love SUNDAY's...it's my fun day....because I don't have to run day! :-) To make things even more fun, it began raining about an hour ago and it is suppose to continue throughout the week. Luckily, Brad and I were able to do some much needed outside work before the great down pour. Wish us SoCal residents luck. We don't do well with inclement weather.

Yesterday, we headed up to LaVerne, California for a soccer tournament. Juan and his teammates played well, but lost. It is always fun to watch Juan play, but also a bit stressful. I don't want him to get angry, tackled, hurt, or all of the above.

Not much to report this week. I will have to come up with some fun blog topics like my friend Shannon Albert, her blogs are always super interesting. If you have any ideas, please comment. I love comments. If it asks for a URL (and you don't have a blog), I think you just have to type in an e-mail address or facebook.com. I will review and consider all suggestions. I may not write about them, but I will consider all of them.

Everyone have a GREAT week! Love from Devor Days!

DREAMS....

2010-01-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

Brad was driving home today from Juan's soccer game and I caught a quick nap (really quick...his game was only about 15 minutes away). I was certainly sleepy, though, because I woke up with a description of my dream. I woke up and said I want Biscuits and Gravy. I asked Brad to make his yummy sausage gravy and I will make some biscuits. Strange, but dinner for tonight has been planned. Why did this particular dream come during that particular moment. Was I hungry, I don't think so? Did I miss the midwest, and crave some Bitlers B&G?

I have had many strange dreams and would love someday to have them analyzed.

I have had the dream of going to work or school naked (or bottomless) many times. I am told this is generated when one is anxious...who knows!
I have run from California to Kansas in my dreams before. I am NOT a runner! Am I supposed to be!
My mother went to rehab for not being able to quit smoking in a dream I had when I was 11 or 12 years old. My mom is NOT a smoker!

I want to hear from you. What are some strange dreams you have had?

Back to WORK

2010-01-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot to report the last couple of days. I have returned to work Monday and am trying to get back to the swing of things. Amazing how two weeks off can completely mess with one's ability to function normally. I find myself pretty good at multi-tasking, but the last couple of days I have been struggling. It is rare for me to leave work with anything to sign, review, e-mail, etc. The last couple of days have most certainly been an exception. I have to go to work tomorrow and sign about three documents, approve a half a dozen orders, and send multiple e-mails. Okay, maybe it doesn't sign like a big deal but this is in between meeting after meeting, discipline after discipline, and conversation after conversation. AWWWWW!! Welcome back to work Emily !! I wish everyone a GREAT week!!

Dad's Birthday

2010-01-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today is just a picture blog. Brandi and I surprised our Dad with a birthday celebration. We (Brandi) made him his favorite recipe as a child and made (Emily) him a slide show of new and old photos, so he could take a walk down memory lane. We started at Woodranch BBQ for lunch and then went back to his place to continue our celebrations. We had a GREAT afternoon. Happy 60th Birthday DAD!! WE LOVE YOU!!

What's a birthday, without the birthday song!!!! Happy Birthday DAD!!

Another Year Behind Us

2010-01-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

2009 ends, and 2010 begins in the blink of an eye. 2009 was a great year, but I am very much looking forward to the year to come. Here are some of the DEVOR 2009 highlights:

-Brad was recognized as the Chaplain of the Year by his company. With this, we were provided a fully paid 4 day trip to South Beach, Florida. This trip was nothing like we have experienced before. Our vacations generally consist of AAA discounts, packed lunches, and free/inexpensive fun. Being the trip was paid, however, we were provided a Town Car and driver to/from the airport and hotel, room at the Ritz Carlton ON South Beach, and amazing food each morning and night. Thank you VITAS!! (PS Brad and I went on this trip without Juan. It was great to have some couple time!)

-Summer vacation included a camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. This is a beautiful part of the country and we were in awe during the whole trip with the amazing scenery. Jerel, Nieta, Lori and her girls, and Craig and Joy's kids were able to join us and spend some great family time together. We look forward to going again sometime.

-We had several camping trips around Southern California, also. We enjoyed camping near San Simeon (home of Hearst Castle), San Clemente, and Doheny. We always enjoy these trips as an opportunity to get away from real life for a few days. Many times these trips include some friends and their families. This is always fun!!

-Emily (me, but I feel like I shouldn't write in first person here??) became an Elementary School Principal this year. She is so lucky to be working with an amazing staff, students, and families. This has been a great beginning to her Administrative career.

-Juan joined a Club Soccer team this year. This has required some additional money, time, practice, and commitments. He is the youngest team member, while playing against and with mostly 18 - 19 year old boys/men (They had mustaches and were 6' tall---scary). His skills have greatly improved with this great soccer experience.

-Juan began his High School life in 2009. He quickly discovered how high school is MUCH different than his last several years of school. The pacing and requirements of high school have certainly challenged him, but he is trying to find his way. Luckily, he continues to look forward to college and discuss his future plans as an adult. I am excited to see what he finally decides to do in the future. I am confident he will be great in whatever he chooses.

I know there have been many more things which happened in 2009, but these were just some highlights. 2,010 wishes to everyone in 2010!!

Life with a Teenager

2009-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Life with a teenager can be very challenging. You have a person looking to find who they are, the direction they want their life to run, while all still just trying to be a kid. With these challenges come the parents trying to allow the teenager to find who they are, guide them in the right direction they want their life to run, while still wanting them to be a kid.

Yesterday, I was blessed with a moment of kids just being kids. I have a friend, Tracy, on Facebook and real life, who recommended a Wii game called Just Dance. This game looked like a lot of fun on her video on FB, so Juan and I ran out to go get it. We played together for a couple of hours, and then some of his friends came over to join in the fun. See the video below for a great teenage moment. I love you Juan...stay a kid!!!!

Thank you Tracy for the recommendation and the opportunity to watch my baby just being a kid! GREAT MEMORY!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brERSotj_ME

Snow in So Cal

2009-12-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

From Palm Springs to Winter Wonderland in less than 30 minutes. Amazing! Many think of Southern California and they imagine beaches and sun. There is plenty of this, however, the best thing about living in Southern California is you can generally see a beach or snow within an hour or so. Sunday, Juan and I (Brad was sick in bed and couldn't go...BOO!) joined the Elamparo Family (Juan's girlfriend's family) to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram which took us up to the San Jacinto Mountain Park. You take a aerial tram, which holds about 80 people, up to the mountains. Once you arrive, you step out to 14" of snow. It truly is an amazing site, not to mention COLD!!!!!

We spent the day sledding, having a snowball fight, and sharing lots of laughter. It was really a GREAT time, and I look forward to going again in the Summer and Winter.

Thank you Southern California for offering such great weather diversity.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

The Christmas celebration began with my annual California Christmas celebration on the 19th. I look forward to this event all year long. It is great to have all the California family get together to celebrate the year and the Christmas season. It often includes lots of planning, cleaning, and stress. But with these things it results in a GREAT time.

We begin with visiting and cocktails and then move to the food. This is always yummy! Then we start a game of Christmas Bingo. This is a Christmas tradition from the Devor side of the family which I have adopted as my own. This is always a Christmas tradition we all look forward to each year. The most prized BINGO prize is a bottle of Brut. This may give you an idea of what kinds of prizes are part of this game.

I was excited to have 19 people (including Rachel from Kansas) come and pile into my itty bitty house this year. It was great to have everyone together. Maybe someday I can have a combined California/Kansas Christmas.

Christmas Eve Brad had to work. After work, we went out to dinner, played games, and got ready for Santa. I may have a 15 year old, but we still put out cookies and egg nog for Santa. Never stop believing.

Christmas Day we opened presents, had Hawaiian French Toast for breakfast, and went to opening day of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey, Jr., which is one of Brad and my favorite actors. We both feel he has such great talent and enjoy most movies he makes. Brad was quite a trooper. He came down with the flu on Christmas Day, but went along with all the plans for the sake of Christmas. Gotta love him!

I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas and are blessed in 2010.

Who am I to speak?

2009-12-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't added to my blog since September. Since then I keep looking at some old friends' blogs and wonder why aren't they blogging. I have e-mailed, facebooked (a verb now), and pestered them about updating their blogs. They since have and I have enjoyed every moment of hearing about their lives. However, here I am not blogging myself. So, I am going to give this another whirl. I will not throw out any promises, but I will give it my best effort. I learned on Shannon Albert's blog (www.shannonalbert.me) the best bloggers have their own domain name, pictures, and regular updates. I will look into these Shannon, I promise.

So, 2009...it is coming to an end. Today is Christmas (well, 12:20 a.m. December 25th) and I can't seem to sleep. Maybe I am waiting up with the hopes I see Santa. HA!! We'll see. Anyway, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the year. Here are a few of the lessons of 2009 for Emily Devor:

Having a teenager is a sure route to cardiac arrest: Juan is 15 years old and a freshman in high school. Without going into a great deal of detail (to protect his privacy), Juan has created some challenges for me this year. I am trying to remember what it is like to be a teenager and be respectful of what he is going through right now, but SERIOUSLY!! Is this age completely necessary...can we just go from 12 to 27. I am sure my insurance company would approve, by not having to pay for any more blood pressure meds.

I will never lose my passion for teaching:
I have been so lucky this year to go from pink slip to Principal. There is a long story. But in the end, I was assigned my first Principal position this school year. I love the position and continue to learn everyday. People often ask if I miss teaching. The answer is always YES. I was born to be a teacher, wanted to be nothing else but a teacher. So, to say I don't miss teaching wouldn't make any sense. This is NOT to say, however, I don't enjoy being a Principal. It is just now I have to be more creative in finding ways to "teach." One of my commitments is to take a grade level a week to teach intervention to a small group of students. This has helped class sizes during intervention, but selfishly has given me opportunities to directly work with students each day.

I love my husband:
I remind myself of this lesson everyday. Brad and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary earlier this month. I love him more each and everyday. Do we drive each other completely crazy somedays, weeks, or monhts. OH YES!!!!!! But when all is said and done, Brad has taught me so much about myself while letting me grow into who I am. Brad has given me nothing but support for anything I want to do. Brad has taught me to calm down during stressful situations. Brad has taught me I can't control EVERYTHING. I love you Brad!!

I love reality TV:
My guilty pleasure revealed. I love all types of reality TV. I am so entertained by the lives of others...real of not. They make me giggle and reflect on us as a society. It's hard to believe there are actually people out there who would put their lives on TV, and I love watching every second of it.

Those are some of my lessons for this year. It is know 12:40 a.m. and I really should get some sleep. I will make every attempt to update my blog for 2010. Fingers crossed! MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

2009-09-20T21:44:00.001-07:00

I decided to to the 40 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for two reasons, one civic in nature and one personal. Civic in nature by increasing awareness of breast cancer and raising money to support education and research.

Personally, I did this to prove to myself I can complete it. The 40 mile walk was over a two day period from Queen Mary to El Dorado Park (+26 miles) and then wake up to walk another 13 + miles from El Dorado Park to Queen Mary. This walk was in Long Beach, and took me through much of my childhood which was very emotional. I walked by places I used to go to as a kiddos (i.e. Baskin Robbins, Flower Shop), hospital I was born, Demille Middle School, and so much more. This was an experience I will never forget. Neither will my feet. I ended up with several blisters and a torn off toe nail. Not just a broken toe nail, but a GONE toe nail. That caused instant pain and tears.

Thank you to all the people on the walk supporting me along the way. A special thanks to my friend, Alia Ihmud. Thank you for doing this walk with me and encouraging me every step of the way.

Here are a few pics of the experience.

Summer Update

2009-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

The summer is quickly coming to an end. I have already started back to work as of July 21st. I am very much looking forward to the new year and the great experiences which lie ahead. Juan has been very busy with soccer camp for 2 hours in the morning, naps and chores for a little while, and then to soccer club training for 2 hours in the evening. He should be a professional by the end of the summer I am sure. Brad, unfortunately, doesn't get the type of break Juan and I have. He enjoys his time home though by frolicking in the pool, trying to keep cool. The weather has stayed in the 100's for a few weeks now, so we are all looking forward to some cooler temps soon.

Juan registers for high school next week. We have purchased his school supplies and some new clothes, and it is starting to feel for real. It is hard to believe he is high school and will graduate and be an adult in only 4 years. He has grown up very quickly and we are so proud of all his accomplishments and can't wait to see what others areas of success he will find.

That's all for now. Love to all!!

2009-07-15T18:02:00.001-07:00

Brad, Juan, and I went to Wyoming last week to enjoy the many amazing views of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks. While there, we met up with Brad's parents, sister and family, and sons of his brother. Had a great time with the family and enjoyed some good old fashion R & R. Here is a scrapbook showing some of our fun times. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A little COUSIN FUN!

2009-06-30T20:48:00.001-07:00

Luke and Holt were able to stay with us for a few days after the Holt reunion. I am so glad they were able to hang out. It's great watching the boys hang out and get to know each other a little better every time they are together. Here are a few shots of going to see Transformers and enjoying some good ol' night swimming.

Busy Blog

2009-06-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

This has not been a very busy blog. I developed this blog with the intention to keep my "not-so-close" family updated on the news of the Devor family. Unfortunately, the Devor family member (me) in charge of updating the blog has been so busy lately. When I have time to relax, that is just what I do. I veg out, watch mindless television, and eat ice cream. Trust me when I tell you this combination has not been beneficial to me physically or mentally. This needs to change, #1. #2, I really need to keep my blog much more current. I will do my best, so keep checking back it to see if there is anything new.

To begin with, we are having the annual Holt reunion in Temecula, CA today. I will post some pictures by the end of the weekend for everyone to enjoy.

Much love to all my family and friends who take the time to check my blog-I promise I will try to do better.

PS So, I went to the reunion and had such a GREAT time that I didn't take a single picture. I asked some family members to send me some, so we'll see if they do. Everyone looked great and are all doing well. It was a smaller crowd this year (no Kansas family, they make a big difference when they are here), but stil had a nice time. This year, Tracy and Laura (Danny's fiance) won the horseshoe tournatment. Thank you Kevin for creating a great tradition.

FAMILY

2009-05-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last blog. Life has just been a bit crazy. Here is a "mini scrapbook" of my recent trip to Kansas for Elizabeth's college graduation. ENJOY!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Miami with Brad and Emily (March 2009)

2009-03-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

I am super proud of Brad. His company recognized him for all his hard work for Outstanding Service as Chaplain of the Year 2008. This recognition came with a expense paid trip to South Beach-Miami, Florida. We had a great stay and enjoyed the sites of Miami. Here are a few shots of our trip.

Brad and I all gussied up for the award dinner.

Here we are enjoying a warm afternoon with a nice, cool beverage at a local bar.

Brad looking quite damper if I may say so myself before going to get his picture taken which will be posted in his office as Chaplain of the Year.

Enjoying some outside time at a juice bar on Ocean Drive.

Enjoying a yummy dinner with Brad's co-workers.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

On this trip, we were offered accommodations at the Ritz Carlton. It was a GREAT place to stay (especially because it was paid for). Here a few pictures of the room and pool area.

I have to admit the bathroom was my favorite part of the room. The first door on the right is the shower and the second door closer to the mirror is the toilet room. The bathroom was just so super roomy and big. I really liked it and want to build one in my house. :-)

Tupperware with Kay Sedia

2009-03-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was invited to a Tupperware Party. My initial thought, was NO WAY!! I don't need to pay $50 for a salad spinner that I don't need. But I decided to go ahead and go after I found out the consultant is a proud Latina drag queen named Kay Sedia (yes, like quesidilla). It was a riot and I had a great time. Here are a few shots for enjoyment.

Rachel's Time Out in California

2009-03-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Yes my blog followers...I am still alive. I know it has been a long time since I have written, but it has just been an extremely busy time right now both personally and professionally. I was given a phone call last week, however, which allowed me to keep my mind off of some of the things I can't control. My youngest sister, Rachel, called and said I am coming over next week. This was exciting news considering she lives in Kansas. I was thrilled and we have had a fun few days together. Here are a few shots of our time together. Thank you Rachel for coming out. Love you!

Valentine's 2009

2009-02-16T17:46:00.001-08:00

I count my blessings everyday for having such great people in my life who I love dearly and hopefully love me back! This year I shared Valentine's Day with some of those people. I shared V-Day with my hubby, friends, and spouses. Here are a few shots of our fun evening.

The happy couple even after 15 blissful years! I LOVE my Braddy!!

Brandon McDannell, the evening entertainment. Brandon is the son of one of friends (Sue, his mom, is actually in the red top in front of speaker. She is probably used to the loud noise by now). He is a very talented musician!

These are some group shots. My favorite had to be the one with the men. The girls were all excited about getting their group picture together. As you can see, the men did not share the same level of excitement. It was hilarious!

Save 2nd Base

2009-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

SAVE 2ND BASE!

Come on ladies-think back in high school...SAVE 2nd BASE.

I’ve committed to participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this September. It’s a big commitment, one that will require me to spend the next several months training and fundraising. This event will be a 39.3 mile walk over a weekend in Long Beach, California (Queen Mary to El Dorado Park and back to the Queen Mary). I will be walking with thousands of other women supporting this important cause. I can’t do it without your help. Though I’m required to raise at least $1,800 in donation, I plan to raise much more! I hope that I can count on your support.

HOW CAN I HELP!
You can make a donation to my fundraising campaign on my personal Avon Walk for Breast Cancer website by clicking here. All you have to do is click on the pink "Donate Now" button. If you prefer to write a check, just contact me and I'll send you the information and form.As I prepare for this exciting event, I plan to update this page and the Avon webpage frequently so that all my supporters can follow my progress, so please visit often. Thank you in advance.

Facebook Reconnects

2009-02-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

Facebook is super awesome in providing opportunities for people to reconnect. Since joining Facebook I have caught up with so many people from high school, World's of Fun, and college. It has been great to see how everyone has gotten older with jobs, families, and careers. It has reminded me to treasure each moment, because life has gone by so quickly.

This evening Brad, Juan, and I were able to have dinner with a friend from World's of Fun. We calculated we haven't seen each other for about 15 years. This number is just unbelievable. Although we have all grown older, we can still laugh at the silliest things and reminisce about our times together as teenagers. GREAT times.

Thanks Justin for a great evening! We wish you all the best and hope to see you again very soon! Love you!

Yoga Night

2009-02-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

A group of lady friends and I make a point to get together one time per month with some sort of activity surrounded around the idea of mind, body, and soul. We have done a variety of different things like go to the wineries, apple orchards, or just hang out at home chatting with friends. This evening was my responsibility to plan and I decided we would go for dinner and a Yoga night. I use to do Yoga more consistently, however like most exercise I have been super slacking lately. So, tonight was lot of fun to hang out with my friends while doing some Yoga. Here are a few shots.

I am BACK!

2009-01-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

My apologies for being so horrible about getting anything interesting on my blog. I have been really busy at work, so once I get home:

1. Give hugs and kisses to the family (including 3 very anxious doggies)

2. Change into comfy clothes

3. Eat dinner (I am blessed to have a husband who has planned something for dinner before I get home almost every night)

4. Clean up dinner

5. Catch up on everyone's day

6. Check and respond to e-mails, facebook, etc.

7. Catch up on DVR (I can't stay up past 9 p.m. most nights, so I have to catch up the following day-I am officially OLD)

8. Give hugs and kisses to the family (including 3 very anxious doggies)

9. Prepare clothes and stuff to take to work

10. GO TO BED!!

That is about it and I don't think it would be very exciting to write that on the blog over and over again.

So here is an update:

Jayme is growing up. She is 9 weeks on Jan. 30th. She understands the command of sit and is a great little puppy. We will be beginning puppy lessons on February 9th. We are all very excited to learn more commands-like STOP peeing in the house!
Lincoln and Tres are getting used to the new puppy. They only growl when Jayme sits on them. Linc and Tres are just so little, it is not hard to do.
Brad has been busy getting all our tax information ready. Another blessing in my life is his ability to do the taxes. I would have no idea where to even begin.
Juan is a 14 year old boy, doesn't that say enough. He lost his second cell phone. The 1st he broke the screen. Insurance allowed us to replace it, however, the replacement is now"missing." Luckily, we kept the broken phone, so he is back to the original phone with the broken screen. It works fine as long as it is being used the way it is intended-for emergencies.
I presented at a Turn Around Schools conference this past week in San Diego. Go to turnaroundschools.com to check them out. They are a great team of people working with educators to make the difference in children's lives. It was a great opportunity and am so excited to be part of their revolution. Thank you TAS!

So, there is your update. I hope everyone is doing well. Much love!!!

P.S. Here are some updated shots of the puppy.

It's a boy!

2009-01-21T20:04:00.001-08:00

The Devor's would like to introduce you to the newest member of their family.

Name: Jayme
Breed: Golden Retriever
Color: Blonde (will grow up a bit darker)
Born: November 23rd

Jayme is adjusting to his new home with two crazy little dogs who are super jealous. I am sure they will all become good friends soon. Continue to check out the blog for updates as he grows up!

Beach in January

2009-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

I try to count my blessings each day. Going to the beach in January is certainly on the top of my list of blessings. Living in California provies us such great weather and opportunities to camp anywhere, anytime. Gottta love it! This weekend we went to Doheney Beach in Dana Point, California. We meet up with some friends from work. We really had a great time sitting on the beach, sharing funny stories, watching/playing football, and eating too much. Here are a few shoots of our weekend.

Poor Kiddo

2009-01-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I am sitting in my office catching up on my desk work when a 1st grader walks in looking like he is sore from a full day of riding a horse. He says in a quiet voice, "Mrs. Devor, I had an accident." Oh, boy! I asked him if he went potty or stinky. He said stinky really bad. The scent began to linger throughout my office. I asked him to go into the restroom next to my office and try to clean it up the best he can while I call his mommy. He goes into the restroom and asks how do I clean it up. I suggested using the toilet paper. I went to call his mom and later he called me into the restroom. The poor kiddo is standing in the restroom with his pants and underwear down at his ankle, poop all over the toilet seat, and toilet paper everywhere. He started to get sad and said he couldn't clean himself. Knowing I couldn't help him, I asked him to pull up his pants and his mommy would be here soon. The smell was overwhelming and I had to do everything possible not to release my lunch. It was the worst smell I have smelt in a very long time. He wasn't able to sit down, so he just stood next to my door until his mom should up. I am still spraying air freshener today! My job is always so interesting! I love it!

8 Things

2009-01-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

8 Things I did Today (really yesterday, this day just started)

1. Tried to calm down a furious parent at school.
2. Watched a movie with my family.
3. Made dinner
4. Told Juan how proud I was of him and his grades this semester.
5. Chatted on Facebook
6. Went to bed early
7. Got blown away by the 60 mph winds
8. Enjoyed the fact it was finally FRIDAY

8 Favorite Restaurants (in no particular order)

1. Chili's
2. Chic-Fil-A
3. Pick Up Stix
4. El Pollo Loco
5. Los Primos
6. Claim Jumper
7. Zen Sushi
8. I thought we at out alot, but I am having trobule thinking of 8

8 Shows I Watch

1. CSI (the original)
2. American Idol
3. The Hills (I really need to grow up)
4. TMZ
5. Inside the Principal's Office
6. Any mindless, stupid reality show
7. CRASH
8. So You Think You Can Dance

8 Things I Look Forward to

1. Spending more time with the family
2. Going camping next weekend with my friends
3. Visiting Europe someday
4. Juan following his dreams
5. Brad and Emily remaining happy and healthy
6. Becoming a Principal
7. Getting a Golden Retriever
8. Remodeling our restrooms (someday maybe, but not on the top of the list)

8 people who blog (I don't know 8...here are a few

Kami Bible
Stacey Steel
Shannon Albert
Facebook posts

A GREAT Holiday!

2008-12-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas vacation this year. We were able to see snow, family, and friends. Here are just a few family photos. Love you all!

Brooke and Rene (Tori's daughters) with Aunt Emi.

Girls shopping trip out. Believe it or not it is close to 70 degrees-just crazy windy.

Lori and her girls.

The Devor grandkids.

Devor family out for pizza before going ice skating.

Christmas in Kansas

2008-12-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Tonganoxie, Kansas on the evening of Christmas Eve. We went straight to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's to celebrate the holidays with the whole family. It was nice to see everyone, many of whom I haven't seen in a really long time. The evening was filled with food, presents, and laughter.

We woke up Christmas day and enjoyed Mom's infamous Cheese-Sausage Biscuits and syrup. We then opened the Devor Christmas presents. Juan and Brad were both excited to receive the RC cars they have both been hoping for. Later, we ate some breakfast and enjoyed some of Juan's new games.

The remainder of the family arrived around 2 p.m. We meet Dustin, Rachel's boyfriend for the last 2 years. He was a nice guy and it was nice to have finally meet him face to face. We started our afternoon with Elizabeth's quick birthday celebration. We then moved to the "Christmas" room and watched everyone open their gifts. Gift giving/receiving is always fun at any age. Later, we had an enchilada dinner. I was able to convince many to join me out in the cold for a football game, which later turned into a snowball fight. FUN!!

Rachel and Elizabeth stayed at Mom and Tim's house for the evening and we just hung out. We will be going to do some girl shopping and stuff tomorrow. :-)

Photos of our Ski Trip

2008-12-23T18:04:00.001-08:00

Here are a few photos of our ski trip. We had a great time. We are, however, appreciating California weather more each day. It is currently 8 degrees. BRRRR!

Me on day two with two ski's and two poles. Feeling much more secure after a day of snowboarding.
Juan is a natural snowboarder. Here is one of many shots of him coming down the mountain. I am amazed how well he was able to catch on. He is such an athlete.
Brad and his parents getting ready to hit the slopes.
Juan and I on day one. This is when I was confident that I should try everything once. Well, I tried snowboarding once-I am done.
Brad, Juan, and I at our hotel.

Check out this scrapbook on our ski trip.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I am not 16 anymore!

2008-12-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Our day began at Ski Cooper around 8:30 a.m. We got our lift tickets, lessons, equipment, etc. and were ready to go. Brad, Jerel, and Nieta started off right away, while Juan and I hung out until our snowboard lessons began at 10 a.m. Juan and I were immediately split up into two groups; 16 and younger (Juan) and 16 and older (me). The reason for that split was immediately evident. Within the first 30 minutes of the lesson, I fell onto my foot binding and I knew the rest of the day was going to be interesting. PS I currently have a swollen bruise on the back of my thigh about the size of my hand. It hurts to sit, but I am managing. Anyway...the lessons went pretty well. I did good until they said to buckle in both feet and stand up. The stand up part was the part I couldn't seem to catch on to. I took a couple passes down the trainer slope, but wasn't having the best of times. Juan loved it and enjoyed going down the pass falling 30 - 40 times. He loved the falling, because he was able to pop right back up.

We ended our day around 3 p.m. I went straight to the ski rental and traded in my skateboard for a pair of ski's. Hopefully today will be more successful!!

We will be leaving for Kansas early tomorrow morning to officially begin the Christmas season!! Happy Holidays to everyone!!

Cold in Colorado

2008-12-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today we made it to the very cold Colorado. We are in Leadville, Colorado and is currently about 20 degrees (which it has been most of the day). We arrived around 12 p.m. and started off with a great snow ball fight. Jerel and Nieta got here about an hour later. We then went and had some dinner and then got fitted for our ski gear. I am quite nervous about learning to snow board tomorrow. Juan says it will be EASY! We shall see!

Tomorrow we will be heading over to Ski Cooper around 10 a.m. to try things out. Wish us all luck. We will be skiing for two days before heading over to Kansas. I am sure it will be a fun vacation all around. Will update on photos upon our return.

California Christmas

2008-12-14T17:24:00.001-08:00

Today was a GREAT day! I host the annual California Christmas celebration each year in my house. We have from 10-20 people come each year. It all depends on who is available that year. We also have it a few weeks prior to Christmas, because the closer it gets to Dec. 25th, the busier people get. In addition, many of us like to just stay home on actual Christmas Day. This year was a smaller crowd, but still a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures of our day. My mom and her siblings got my grandmother (their mother) a new lift chair. As you can see, she was very excited. Grandma just turned 80 this past Thursday, and on this day she wasn't feeling so hot. But she still came and held out through dinner. I am glad she did, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss this precious moment. What a smile!!

Here is everyone just enjoying the meal. Yummy!! Ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, "green stuff", and sweets that went on and on forever.

Each year, we play a fun game of Christmas Bingo. This is always something everyone looks forward to. Here I am playing the BINGO MASTER. This year I won cute salt and pepper shakers (sorry, Maggie).

The boys (Holt, Juan, and Luke) with Grandma in her new chair.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting ready for Christmas PHOTOS

2008-12-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Brad and Juan are ready to go. Brad is excited about his BIG googlies, because they fit around his eye glasses. Juan HATES sunglasses, but we told him the snow will be very bright and would like him with his retinas (sp?) in tact, so we got him some "cool" sunglasses. I love these boys!

Getting ready for Christmas

2008-12-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

I am having a busy next couple of weeks. Next weekend is the big California Christmas bash at my house. I have most of the Cali family come over to my house and we enjoy food, drinks, and lots of sweets. We then move into a very competitive game of Christmas BINGO. This game is all in the effort to get the BEST $5-$10 gift on the table. It is fun, however we have had tears in the past. Let's hope this year is tearless. Lastly, we open the Christmas gifts. This, of course, is always the most anticipated part for the kiddos. For me to, just because it is so much fun to have some family time. Sappy, I know!

The following weekend, we will be leaving sunny California on Saturday, December 20th. We will be meeting up with Brad's parent at Ski Cooper in Leadville, Colorado (highest incorporated city in the nation-WOW!) to try out some skiing. Well, some of us will be skiing. Juan and I will be taking snowboard lessons on the first day. I am a bit anxious about it all, but it should be a fun adventure. Juan is not worried one bit, he is already planning his first 360. I wouldn't doubt if he catches on right away. He is very athletic and quick to pick up just about any type of physical activity. Brad and his parents are keeping it old school with regular skiing.

After Colorado, we will be heading off to Kansas to enjoy many Christmas celebrations. Meeting with my family in Tongie on Christmas Eve-Christmas day. We will then go to Brad's parents and do a Christmas celebration with the whole family, and then stop in Wichita to see Brad's grandparents. I hope to meet up with some friends while I am out in Kansas. I hope I can. Then, we will return to sunny California again. We should be home on time for New Year's Eve. 2009-here we come!!!!!! How time flies!

I hope this message finds everyone else having a GREAT holiday seasons. May many blessings to brought upon you all this year and next. Much love!

Sneak Peek

2008-11-30T21:30:00.001-08:00

Get a sneak peek of our family photo session at

www.staceysteel.blogspot.com

2008-11-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Just started

2008-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well! I am trying to be more and more technology savvy...I just started my own blog. I don't know how often I will write on it, but I will try to keep it up. Today was a fun day. We had our family photos taken out at Santa Rosa Plateau. This is a place in Murrieta where we often like to take hikes, have picnic lunches, and just enjoy the nature. It was fun and I am looking forward to seeing the proofs. I will try to post some on line, if I can. The photographer was a friend and teacher in my district who does photography on the side. Check her out at steelthemomentphotography.com.

I am starting to feel a bit depressed because I have to go back to work tomorrow after a week off. The week has been great and I feel much more refreshed. I guess I have to go back sometime. Then, I only have to go for about 3 weeks before the winter holiday. :-)

I think this will be all for my first blog. Talk again later!