Folsom Zoo

Today Joey and I hooked up with one of my mommy friends, Deborah and her 3-year old daughter LeiLani and went to the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. We had a wonderful time. The weather couldn't have been better and the kids loved running throughout the zoo and even getting to pet an animal or two.

They got to feed the chickens, roosters, and peacocks that are on-site, both inside and outside of the zoo. I had brought some bread along for just that purpose. It was fun watching the chickens go after every little piece and while doing so clearly show what the pecking order was amongst them. The kids also fed a little of the melon we brought to a very sweet doe who seemed more pet than wild animal. She loved to be petted, and really chowed down on the melon taking it right out of the kids hands. They loved it.

After the zoo we headed over to the miniature steam train and took a ride on the rails. It was nice to be able to sit down after all that walking and just enjoy the breeze it created and the beautiful scenery that surrounded it. Both LeiLani and Joey liked it so much that they wanted to ride again, but we were able to dissuade them away from that thought with promises of the park that exists right next store.

They had fun climbing, sliding, and swinging. As well as making angels in the tanbark. LeiLani was a lot better at this than Joe, but I think she's had a little more practice at it as well.

We ended our outing with the kids searching for pine cones and playing hide and seek with us in the many overgrown bushes that flank the property. All in all, I'd have to say its one of the best days I've had in a long time.

Vacation, Staycation

Well as most of you know we were supposed to be at Lake Chelan in Washington this week, but there just weren't any vacation dollars to be found in this months budget, so we sent Mom, Crystal, and her mother-in-love Sharon off to the lake without us. They were going to hook up with one of our oldest friends Jorinda, and her daughter Cassie and granddaughter Sami. An all girls vacation... sounds like fun.

On the home front Larry decided to go ahead and take the week off anyway as he really needed a break, and we needed some family time together and as a couple. So far it's been pretty low key. Friday night we went to a local school carnival to help raise PTA dollars for my daycare providers kids school. It was fun. We won a photo shoot through the raffle, so that was pretty exciting.

My sister-in-love Mary was kind enough to watch Joey for a few hours on Saturday so Larry and I got to sneak away for a romantic lunch for two at this new Thai place I'd been wanting to try - Sala Thai. Man was it ever delicious. Not cheap, but then again I practically ordered everything off the menu, not really, but we did order five or six things to try and wasn't disappointed in one of them. Plus the serving sizes were so ample that we've each had another couple of meals off of just the left overs. You gotta love that, especially in today's economy.

Sunday we spent with the in-loves having a b-b-q dinner at their place. Yummy. That's all that needs to be said, YUMMY!

On Monday and Tuesday Larry began helping his dad with their deck extension. They got it all laid out on Monday, and yesterday began building the stairs and welding on the iron railings. Didn't quite get it finished, so he and Joey are going back over today to finish it up with Pop Pop. It almost double the size of their outdoor living space and will be really great to have come next summer. Even I got my hands a little dirty by helping to drill sink holes where the screws needed to go in. Joey's helped by picking up loose screws and putting them in a box and tossing the scrap pieces of wood into the wheelbarrow for later disposal. Whatever daddy and grandpa is doing, he wants to be doing. These Monson men, they're just so dang cute, especially when they're all working together.

So far we're enjoying the relaxing pace of our staycation and were looking forward to a few outings with family and friends at the end of the week.

Well as you tell by the post time it's the middle of the night, again. I just can't sleep. The bummer is it makes it a vicious cycle... Pain's so high I can't sleep. Because I can't sleep, I'm exhausted. Because I'm exhausted I don't feel like doing anything, including housework. Because the house is such a disaster it makes me feel even worse and a bit depressed. Depression triggers flare ups in people with Fibromyalgia, and there I am back at the beginning with the pain.

It's just crazy and no matter what I try, nothing seems to break that cycle these days. I need help, and yet feel as though I've exhausted all my resources - medically, familialy, socially. People get tired of hearing about your woes all the time, I get that, try to keep it to myself most of the time, but still it's hard to get through the day these days, and even harder it seems to get through the night.

Such is life, well my life anyway.

Yummy - OOOOO!

My in-loves had us over for dinner last night and was it ever yummy. Dad bar-b-qued tri tip and it was perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked to medium rare. Mom did everything else - salad, scalloped potatoes, cake... and every last bite delicioso!

We went over a little early so Joey could hang with his grandparents and of course him and Grammi played chase over and over much to his delight. Dad took him for a short walk out in the jungle (the perimeter of their yard - open to deer and turkey alike and the occasional snake). Joey enjoyed that too, checking out each bit of nature as they passed by it.

Uncle Brian joined us for dinner and it was great to see him since we haven't seen to much of him now that summer is officially over and were not having parties practically every weekend. Thank goodness for that part as I'm exhausted, though I do miss seeing everyone with any kind of regularity.

Anyway it turned out to be a very nice evening and I for one was grateful for a lovely meal that I didn't have one bit of responsibility of preparing. There's something indescribable about being able to sit down, relax, and enjoy a good meal that someone else has put all the effort into... some how it just seems to make everything taste that much yummier to me.

Joey & Peter Cotton Tail

Well Joseph has taken quite a liking to our newest family member, Peter Cotton Tail. If he's not chasing him around the house, he's begging to be in his pen with him. He wants to share all his toys with him, much to my displeasure, as I'm sure Peter is going to chew on something toxic. So far Joe's given him is farm animals, cars, even a full size basketball, which to my surprise Peter actually played with pushing it all around his pen. I felt a little guilty when I took that one back out of his pen and away from the rabbit as he seemed to be having so much fun with him.


It makes Larry and I crack up when Peter is having free time and Sunset, one of our cats, comes out and Peter ends up chasing her around. Just when we think it can't get any funnier, Bubba starts chasing the rabbit who's chasing the cat and we crack up all over again. Not to be outdone Joe usually joins in the fray chasing the dog, who's chasing the rabbit, who's chasing the cat. Confused yet?!


Anyway, we're just one big happy family around here.