Santa and Bu

Most mothers stand in long lines at Christmas to have their children's picture taken with Santa. So, why should I be any different? Maybe because my children are too old to sit on Chris' lap! BUT...Malibu is only 5lbs 7 oz so Santa was more than happy to have her cuddle up to him, especially since he was at Pet Smart!

Sisters

The best part of being apart, is being together again.

Thanksgiving

Did anyone ever stop to think about how the "Turkey" feels on Thanksgiving? Why should you, afterall, it's only a turkey. But, Turkeys have feelings too. This year, I decided to honor the turkey and take it's picture. Afterall, if it weren't for Mr. Turkey, what would we eat? Ham isn't really appropriate, we eat that on Easter. Why not eat Rabbits on Easter? Who said we have to eat Prime Rib on Christmas? Who came up with the menu for Thanksgiving anyway? Aren't we suppose to have corn and stuff like that?

Only in California

It's November 20th and it was 90 degrees today. What's with this summer-like weather? It's suppose to be getting cooler and eventually, begin to snow. Hey, wake up! It's California! It's hot and that's the way we like it. Bundle up all you Illinoians and be very jealous. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

Bu...

Malibu "Bu" is such a great cat. This morning she was sitting in the bathroom window just looking up at the birds flying by. I swear, the birds know she is sitting there and that they are safe because she is "screened in." It drives her crazy!

Katie

This is Katie when she was two. I scarcly remember way back then. It's weird because you think you will, but somehow, the years slip by and it's difficult to remember last year's events let alone 19 years ago. A good reason for this blogging stuff. Anyway, my point is that today Katie was hurt at practice and I felt just like she was two again only I couldn't pick her up and take care of her. This is by far the worst part about her living 1900 miles away. Thank God she's almost home....

Water Polo

Leslie plays Water Polo. Obviously, she is the goalie. Yesterday's game was tough, it was against the #1 ranked J.C. team in the State. Leslie's defenders were weak and every shot on Leslie was one-on-one. For any of you who have played soccer, it is the same concept. If your back defensive players don't stop the offense, they will have a free shot against the goalie. Leslie didn't block this shot but she made a tride and true effort. Afterall, you sit in a 12' deep pool and egg beater for 28 minutes straight, and then when you need to block a shot, you have to propel your body as high out of the water as possible, with just the use of your legs.

Baseball

Well, I decided since the Angels lost, I will root for the Cards because in essense, they have a few "Angels" on their team. After all, if it weren't for Eckstein coming up to bat in the 9th with 2 outs, full count, and hitting a single, the Astros would be flying to Chicago today. Instead, the series is still alive! Go you Angel Cardinals!

Rainy Sunday in Cali

It's a lazy, rainy day in southern Cali. It's actually the perfect day to stay inside, catch up on the laundry, and make homemade chicken soup. Bu is even feeling a little lazy. I put a warm, freshly dried load of towels on the couch to fold and went back out to put a new load of clothes going and when I returned to fold the towels, Bu had nuzzled herself right into the middle of the towels. I can't bring myself to making her get up so I can fold - I'll just let her enjoy her little afternoon siesta.

What happened to our Angels?

What is going on with the California, Los Angeles of Anaheim (which is in Orange County, not Los Angeles) Angels? Are they having a contest with St. Louis for the most loses in a row in a play off series? I think we need to start praying...

Malibu from Illinois

Malibu "Bu" is from Illinois, born to the human parents of Mona and Jerry Gardner. We've never owned a calico cat - they're very strange. They actually like to take showers, eat mustard and sometimes salad with lemon dressing. Twice, Bu has propelled from our two-story window in an attempt to escape to the outside world. She's not allowed outside without her cat harness, she has not sense when it comes to the street and just likes to lay in the middle regardless of the constant traffic up and down the street. She wakes me up every morning at 4:30 sharp, I go down stairs and sleep the rest of my night on the couch with Bu situated comfortably on my back. Her favorite thing in the whole world are these cat treats. If you don't feed her them often enough (she meows to let you know but we always tell her we don't understand Spanish), she will commit larceny, bite open the end and eat the entire bag. It's amazing she's not a fat cat!

Squirrels

It's amazing how squirrels are so brave nowadays. We were walking back to Katie's apartment and this little guy was just sitting on the cement watching us walk by. It even looked my way so I could snap the picture! Only in Normal.........

Bob & Katie on Homecoming

Nothing is Normal in Normal

My recent trip to Normal was anything but normal. I did enjoy seeing all of my favorite past and present ISU Softball girls. However, nothing topped the awesome tailgate party we had. Kate's hat wins the prize for the most outrageous and Bob's alcohol intake goes down in the history books, although H.S. has her own story. I'll write more about that tomorrow - it's a story in itself. Of course, the highlight of the trip was seeing my wonderful daughter Katie. I love her so much and she's awesome!