Is it the end???

Well, I think my jury duty days are almost over. I was kinda glad that they didn't call me for this last case. It appeared to be a bit "overstuffed" with info that I could not control my ADDness for. I can only stay tuned for soo long and then.... oops, you lost me, I was somewhere on the beach. That wouldn't be too good for the poor person on trial.


Now, a little update on the Canine Companions thing...oh who am I kiddin, no one reads this thing anymore..I'm acting like I have this audience when I am basically talking to myself.

Well, who cares...so, Canine Companions...we have officially been ACCEPTED!! Yeah! Now we just have to wait to see what class we are in . Every Feb, May, Aug, and Nov they hold 2 week classes. We are hoping to be in the May class as this works best for Christian as far as school and spending the days at home with the dog without little brother around. ( Brother will be busy this summer terrorizing counselors at the YMCA)...

Well, that's it for now, I do have some funny video's to post, maybe this evening...maybe not. I have to get two boys baths, help with homework, and your typical evening stuff...
Tah Tah for now!

Jury Duty

Hadn't written in awhile but felt compelled to write about my Jury Duty experience. The story starts like this...

Now, I have never had to serve on Jury Duty before. But going along with everyone elses attitude about serving, I though I Would surely hate it. I got my little notification letter, went to the fist calling where we were informed that a Juror typically serves 3 months, however we were the so called " Lucky Ones" to get a break and only have to serve 2! wha- hoo!! ( or so I thought). I was to call in every night from January til the end of February. The sucky part of it all was not knowing if I had to go in til the night before, so any of my meetings with work ( which I have LOTS of) may not happen and I would have to cancel with these poor families. But, this is my " Civil Duty" so chin up and serve well fellow citizen!

So, all goes pretty well until the big day....January 20...Inauguration Day! I will NEVER EVER forget this day, not because it's our first Black president ( although he isn't black because his mama was white and on the birth certificate they HAVE to list the mother's race as the race of the child, therefore he is WHITE you people!) but because of the tragedy that I went through!

I found out on the 19 that I was to report for Jury selection the next day. Still the same attitude of: This is stupid...I am dreading this...yada yada yada... ok, so now I show up ( a little early) and have to sit outside the court room because court is in session. Great, gives me time to complain with the other perspective jurors. But as I look around and more and more start showing up, I am a little concerned with who they have to pick from. I mean, you've got a guy to my left who looks like he slept in the bus station last night, smelly, greasy hair and talking about his family that are all locked up. Who is he talking to? Another guy who smells like he just got out of a bar. Then there's pops, who comes with his walker, can't hear anything and is completely outta breath by the time the doors open. I thought he was gonna croak right there by his raspy breathes and shaky self.

Once inside, the judge explains that he has a case and will call 13 names to sit in the jury box. Or at least that's what I thought I heard. Mind you, by this time I was in complete utter shock that gramps over here is still with us and that the stinky greasy bus station guy is handing someone gum ( or is it??) to some other disgusting figure. All of a sudden, the first name the judge calls is .... "Mrs. Kristina Powell". Nice. Juror #1 of course! oops, what am I supposed to do again? I stand up, walk up front and look around, thanking the convict that I now have to sentence with a slignt nod, he points me in the right direction. Great.

So with all 13 spots filled ( greasy bus guy sits in front of me), the prosecuting attorney starts her spill. I'm trying to give it my best and fight my ADDness. Judgie poo then talks to us and each one of us has to tell him a little about ourselves. GREAT, in front of the felon! At least we didn't have to give our address etc. So, a few jurors get voted off by the prosecuting attorney and the other lawyer dude and wham, we now have our 13. Me being #1. Prosecuting attorney lady asked me a question, lucky for me I was paying attention and she smiled and now she is really checking me out. Pay Attention Kristi, don't mess this up.

The story is the felon guy was caught driving recklessly ( age 19) and tried to run from the cops. When he finally pulled over, he tried to get out of the car and run. But supremeo cop stopped him, saw the bottle of Gin in the front seat, almost empty, and smelled the tall tell sign of what he had been doing. He asked the felon, " Did you have anything to drink tonight?" " sure did" was the response.

Ok, sounds like a confession to me welp, I know what my vote is... so now the dude recants and thinks he should be left off and not get a DUI. ( not to mention that he is under the legal age for drinking). So, now I'm all about this. We get this cool official badge for Jurors..I'm important!! We get to go back and take a break, sent off to lunch to watch the Inauguration, and report back. We have the coolest break room with candy and coffee..I mean "life is good as a juror! Can I have this as my profession?? All time juror yeah buddy! I'm all about this. Court officials and officers smile as we walk by, and me..JUROR #1 Yah! I'm all excited, ran to work to show off my badge, and believe me they tried to get info about the case, but I stayed true to my duty and told them NOTHING! Top secret, for us IMPORTANT people~

So now we go back hear some more witnesses, me the only juror with a notepad and pencil. I am ALL about this!!! But there's a problem, waaaaaay back in the beginning before he called us to the jury box, Judgie poo told us that 1 juror would not be allowed to deliberate and that their name would be drawn out of the deck with all our names and whomever name comes up goes home. I kinda remember this, but not really. So, just about time to deliberate and I grab my purse, I'm ready to go back and discuss this when all of a sudden... "Mrs. Powell, you're free to go"....What??? What?? No way!!! I start to stand up and my face tells it all. Judgie Poo says " Wow, we've never had that response before." Well, I didn't even realize it at the time, but I started "pouting" ...Oh yes, pouting! Well, I work with 2 year olds all the time what do you expect!

So, now I must leave. I sadly walk by the awesome jury room, take my badge off, and head for the door. DANG!! This can't be! This just can't be! So distraught that I try to exit by way of the closet door. Thanks bailiff! Once outside the door, a police officer asks me to wait as the prosecuting attorney wanted to speak with me. hmm, ok, sure. Maybe she has a special assignment for me?! No, she wanted to know what my vote would have been. Dah, this isn't rocket science, the guy is guilty and should have his license removed...She liked that and said I could call her to know what happened.

As I head to the office, I am seriously SERIOUSLY bummed! I could barely get in the door without expressing my feelings. My boss said I could go home, all paid for by Civil Service..still didn't help me though. I came home and could not for some reason get it together... I mean, this was unfinished business for me. And that's just how the rest of my week went. All week, nothing I did worked out. I would try and call new referrals, no one called me back, I tried to see people that were scheduled, they weren't home, I made arrangements to see a mama at the hospital with a sick baby and she dodged me.. I mean ALL week this went on and I STILL could not get over this whole court thing. I later found out that the other juror's decided the guy was not guilty of drunk driving and the judge was not happy with that decision. Go figure! There would have been serious lock down if I was still there because the guy was GUILTY!! That's what you get when you leave it up to some of those crazy folks!

Now, I know this was rather long and hopefully you have stayed with me here because I have some GOOD NEWS...or not so good news...


I have to report for Jury selection AGAIN tomorrow! Now I am here to tell you that if they kick me off this time, I won't go out without a fight!! I may just start crying or something! Chances are that they won't call me again, and it won't be the same if I'm not Juror #1. But , if I am called, at least I can wear that cool badge and eat some snacks in the deliberation room that is ONLY FOR JURORS!!!

Wish me luck!!!

A little Housekeeping...

lol! It's been so long since I last updated that I almost forgot my password. Phew! A lot has gone on in a short period of time. Keaton has kept me busy with : tape everywhere, his makeshift fans with flags all over the house, a whole box of honey buns found under his bed...empty, every poop means he want a bath ( we sometimes have 3 or 4 baths a day, yep he poops that much. He can't stand his own smell so he pushes what's ready.. out then gets in the tub never waiting for ALL of it... ok, TMI sorry), me stepping on a lego piece and almost needing stitches, slugs poppin up everywhere ( I know, crazy..I can't figure this out), me being on call for Jury Duty..look out..and really much much more but frankly I AM TIRED and it's only the 12th ! Here is to the 2009 and trying to enjoy these crazy moments and cherish the chaos in my home because someday they will be all grown my house will be quiet. hmm, quiet? What is that???

Anyway, a little update on Christian's Canine Companion quest. We have our last (yeee-haw!)interview this coming Thursday. Technically, they have this interview at the center ( which is in Orlando, Florida) but we were fortunate enough to have a representative come to Memphis instead. So, after this interview if all goes well we should be next in line for training, which I hope is in May. Two whole weeks in Orlando...umm, I forsee some exciting adventures ahead!!! If for some reason they can't find us the right dog, then we could be placed in the Aug or Nov class. Let's hope it's May!! The dog is bred and raised by CCI, they use Labrador Retriever's, and Golden Retriever's and a mix between the two. We hope for a lab ( shorter hair is less mess if you catch my drift). I am also hoping my mom will be able to come with us. Charles and Keaton will have to stay home as they do not want siblings around because they want this dog to bond with Christian and no one else. Anyway, keep your fingers cross for Christian this Thursday and the upcoming months. As far as his strength goes..well, no major changes still holding his own :)

Little Cabin in the Big Woods

Aaahhh! The sweet smell of mountain air! I was fortunate enough as a kid to expedience this mountain air just about every holiday and summer. My grandparents had a cabin in the Sequoia's and from the time I was around 8 or 9 til I moved out, our family vacations mostly consisted of going to the cabin. The rules first started out as NO TV was allowed. Grandad thought that the great outdoors should be entertainment enough. He was right! Some of the best memories I have were from our family hikes..like Darryl almost drowning, Dave getting hit in the lip after my dad was FREAKED by hornets...( ok, so he's deadly allergic..he had a right to be afraid), and of course hiking to the waterfall with grandma and finding bear tracks...fresh bear tracks.. Yes, those were the days! Crazy, scary stuff like that is what makes memories. I really do cherish the time spent there and had always dreamed of my boys having the same experiences. But, the cabin has been sold and we are no longer living in California...

Still having this in the back of my mind, I decided that this year the boys were going to get some "cabin exposure". Oh, I've been planning this for months! After my failure camper attempt, there was no other choice than cabin time. Usually, Charles has to work during the holidays..which leaves me and the boys alone. Sooooo, why not go to the mountains and do something different for a change? Let's start the countdown now and let you all in on mistake #1...the words RUSTIC implies ALONE, no TV, No civilization, no HELP...yes, there are neighbors, but not during Christmas!

The plan was for the boys and I to go up on Christmas Day and then Charles would come the next night after he slept from all night working. We would stay til Sunday and then come home. The week of Christmas, I kept an eye on the weather in hopes for some "vast amounts of puffy white stuff..snow!" But no such luck. I did however see that there would be some rain the day after Christmas ( Friday), but nothing major. Ok, no big deal... mistake # 2.

Well, Thursday went mostly without incident. However I was totally excited about being at a cabin that I was too quick to go exploring with the boys and locked ourselves out. Now, NO ONE is around, we are the only Crazy's to do this little trip over Christmas. So, I hoisted Keaton up on the back balcony and had him climb ( lucky for him and me that he can climb) over the raling and go through the back door that I was praying was left unlocked. Thank goodness it was! No car keys, no people around...on the CHILLY side...and of course...no cell phone. Yep, could've been disastrous! Mistake # 3.

After this little exciting adventure, I decided it was best to keep the keys with me at all times..just in case. Our first night was fun, we had popcorn, watched movies, played with the legos, a few card games..ate leftover Chicken and Dumplings, hot dogs, hamburger and of course our staple food item.. oreo's. When we finished, I thought it would be cool to disperse our leftovers outside off the back deck so that Christian could use his night goggles to maybe catch a glimpse of wildlife. Yep, mistake # 4... Umm, what kind of wildlife do you REALLY want to see?? I would say it was around 10:00 or so when we heard this loud screaming, shrieking noise out back where we threw the leftovers. Quickly I try to reach my friend and wildlife expert and I get NO RESPONSE...still more screaming and shrieking going on..yet too terrified to step out back and look. Christian thinks it must be some dogs mom.. umm, No son, it's deer. They make this certain noise when they are finding their young..now go to bed. Ok, I have no DOUBT that wasn't a deer, and dogs..yes, but not your standard domesticated dogs...how bout, coyotes or wolves..hmm, yep, after the hot dogs and meat that we threw out for the squirrels.. Dah! Do squirrels eat meat??? Stupid Stupid Stupid !! Umm, later...I was told it most likely was a mountain lion....once again, Stupid Stupid Stupid!!!

So, the rest of the night, we had the fireplace going ( coolest thing EVER, all I had to do was turn a knob..who knew??) and huddled together. I might bring to your attention that the temps were in the low 30's most of the day...a bit on the chilly side. remember mistake #2 and the weather.

The next day we spent it driving around, and made our own Indiana Jones road with it's bumpy, curvy twistyness...we found other crazy folks who were visiting a cabin down the way and talked with them for a bit, we also saw some wild turkeys and did some exploring on the banks of the lake. Temps rising and now a "fire" in the fireplace would make us too hot.. remember mistake #2..it should be raining today as the weather predicted, lucky for us ( i thought) it didn't.. All was good..and then Charles called.

Yep, Chuck got lost. We had to go out and find him in the dark. He was already out of the park by the time we reached him. I guess if you would've asked for directions, this wouldn't have happened!! We got back to the cabin, ate some burgers ( didn't throw anything out this time) and then to my objections... he showed the boys how to gamble. Thanks grandma for sending the gambling chips and dice...nice. Well, of course, Keaton had a blast with this game. I tried to re-direct with a nice game of Crazy 8's.. No go, Keaton is stuck on gambling. I have visions of him taking this new profound knowledge to school... AND of course, Keaton goes nowhere without his new Radio..and what is Chuck encouraging in the music department?? HMM, Fat Bottom Girls makes the Rockin' world go round!! Like I need Keaton going to school singing this and then gambling in the cafeteria.....

Well moving on... no loud noises that night. All was good even though we are HOT..remember mistake #2.... Something going on with the weather and the tempts...hmm cold to hot, what does that spell? TOR NA DO??? Nah!

Next morning, we get up ..do some exploring, playing around on the play equipment. Check out these next few photos and see the talent!

Christian first down the slide.. Then Keaton...


And then......Charles..

With perfect form, I give him a 10 for not spilling 1 drop of his coffee! You go Chuckie boy!

Ok, so by now...it's hot, and VERY windy. Tornado feel.. Lots of clouds rolling in. But lots of wind all day and no precipitation. Wow, how we lucked out, not much rain on our parade... what was I thinking?? The rain CLEARLY was making it's way IN!!! No mention of tornado...it's all good!

So, say around 6:oo Saturday night, while watching Narnia, Prince Caspian... the power cuts off. Windy, yes, but no rain. It's all good. A few looksy looks and all appears to be good. I make a few calls to see if we are in a " severe weather" path..umm, yes we are but nothing big( as I was told). Ok, I could go with it. A thunderstorm, some rain...no big deal.

Since the movie was being played on my computer, we were good to go for another hour. Just about at the best part of the movie..my battery dies. AND the wind is HOWLING by this point.. our little cabin is vibrating some. I make some more calls...but it's now not going through. You guessed it...this is mistake #2. Never Never trust the weather man... if they say rain, expect STORM and if they say Friday..try SATURDAY and ALWAYS bring flashlights and VALIUM...not for me of course, for the kids! And it doesn't help when Charles goes around saying Freddy Krueger is coming!! Yikes is right! I look out and I see a few car's down the way LEAVING! We are still here, major rains, thunder, lightening...WIND oh the WIND!! Later found out that the wind was traveling around 50 to 60 miles per hour! Isn't that classified as a tornado?? It should be to a cabin in the big woods!! Well, no flashlights, no power, what is left but to go to bed and hope for the best. If only Chuck would shut up about Freddy Krueger, we could all go to sleep!

Finally, the storm dies down and it's just rain. Keaton is in our bed, I am on the edge as there isn't enough room in this double sized bed. And everyone is finally asleep but me. I'm still a little on edge making sure we don't have another round of the storm. So, It must have been around 3 and I reach up to scratch ( not pick) my nose and WHAM...something is running out my nose. YIKES! It's a flood of blood. Too much drama for me and I have this blasted bloody nose. I can't see ANYTHING, blood running down my face..I trip over someones shoes to the bathroom and just as I get in there.. I almost fall over my socks. So, after getting this in control. I decide to try and sleep with Christian on the sofa bed. Ugh! The springs were NOT comfortable. I think I only got about 3 hours sleep. But the next morning, it looked like a murder took place, my DNA is all smeared in the bedroom, bathroom ....EVERYWHERE! Ok, time to go home.

So, really besides all this...we had a great time. I really enjoyed having quality time with the boys, playing games, legos and taking a few walks. The storm will be a memory for them like the ones I have from my cabin days. The sun of course was shinning the next day.. today...and all is good. Can't wait for the next trip..anyone wanna come?? Bring your flashlight!

Camper Success....Finally!

For those that remember the camper story ...well, my friends decided to get me a camper since the duct taped beauty didn't quite work out... After many long hours searching the web for that perfect camper... Woo-lah!

Happy Camping!!

It's NOT the gift that counts...

It's always a good idea to make a Christmas list for the hubby, so you don't get any unexpected suprises....

Is it starched...how does it stay that way??? Do I really need to know??

Just for the record..this is not mine... found it on FB...

Warning : Danger Up Ahead!

Well, since my camping ideas went down the drain with the duct taped camper... I had decided that I would comfort my sad self with renting a cabin for Christmas. Oh yeah!! I have been sooo excited about this, everyone that knows me knows where I am going to be over the Christmas break. But all I keep hearing is... it's going to be cold you know, are you sure you want to do

this? When is Charles going to get there... what are you going to do with the boys???? Have faith in me PEOPLE!!

Well, OK...I've got plans! Sure, Chuck isn't going to arrive til day 2..which leaves me in charge of a fire ( scary thought I admit) But the boys and I are going to do board games, make hot cocoa, watch a few movies, make cookies, take a walk..where's the damage in that?? Oh did I mention that there is NO TV and NO PHONE?? It's all good. I have a cell phone, supposedly it's in range... and I have a computer that will play DVD's ...AND their own DVD players...so all should be good.....right?

Does this look like two innocent faces that you want to be cooped up in a cabin for 4 days with?? Surely it will be alright..if not, I have my blog I can document on... Stay tuned!