Photo adventures

A bunch of pictures have been posted. Here are the recent photosets I created, if you're feeling up for it:


Thanksgiving
-- A bunch of photos from our Thanksgiving visit.


Thunder Mountain Monument
-- This is the place I've been wanting to go. We got some good pictures, even though it was extremely cloudy. There's much to be said about Frank Van Zant (Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder) and his monument. Watch this online documentary about it all if you like (and if you want to download it, you can do that too). I also wrote a song/poem inspired by this place and its history--these are just the lyrics for now.

And here a couple slightly older ones:


Hiking the Y
-- We hiked the Y a couple weeks ago. It was fun and a beautiful day. It's already like 20 degrees colder here.


Jarom's birthday
-- Twas a spectacular event.

Gus the Wash

The Sweetest

Gifts in the whole wide world. I'm thankful. love you all, Mom

Some more Thanksgiving pics!

Also I want to Thank Heather and Darin for allowing us to all meet together in their beautiful home. Where could we all be together if not here. Thank you, Thank you both for being so generous with your place!! And another Big thank you to Mikie for the pictures and for always being so much fun and for loving us all so much.

Thankful for a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday

I just wanted to say thank you to all my kids, grandkids and their husbands, wife and everyone for a beautimous, fabulous Thanksgiving week. It was an emotional one for me with moving out of my own little home and in with Heather and Darin for a while. But it was also so great to be with all five of my children and their friends and spouses and my precious little grandchildren. We had so many fun times and dramas! Loved the days after too with shopping at Video Outlet, movie with Heather, Darin's band and the Festival of Lights on Main Street, spending time with the babes, going to the Parade, seeing Santa and out to lunch. What could be better than being with your family - Nothing! You all rock my world. Joey, I love you and wish you could have come with us yesterday. It's so nice having you around. Thank you Danny for all your help and support with my move and everything. I owe you an apple pie! Now on to a fabulous Christmas with not spending too much money and just being with family and celebrating. Let's have another potluck where everybody brings their special dish, yea bring on the Curry tofu rice, Mikie! What do you all think. Joey can bring the coffee! We can all keep it simple. Love you all too much for words and of course you're all too cute for words! Mom

mom sets it straight

"My cats are not fat"
-Mom, Thanksgiving 2007.

Week of living

Last week I made some granola with fresh blueberries (I burnt it a bit) . . . anyway, Oey decided to carve into it with his hands. Seriously, he devoured all that was left. The kid loves to eat.

We've been active. Our weather has been incredible for November, almost like spring. It looks like starting tomorrow we'll be getting our first real cold front and the first true taste of the winter to come here in Utah. Saturday was Jarom's birthday. We went to this place called Kangaroo Zoo--a huge warehouse filled with bouncehouses in American Fork. Amy's friend Michelle came with her kids and all children had a wild bounce-filled time. We splurged and ordered Domino's (delivery), and Jarom opened his gifts there. He kept asking after they were all opened, "Are you sure there's no more gifts, Mom?"


Jarom in action

Bella in action

Oey about to be clobbered

Birthday boy and pizza

Opening Nana's gift (he loves it, of course!)

We came home to rest for a bit and let Jarom play his new Leapster (like a Gameboy, except somewhat educational). Needless to say he loves it. Then I took him out a little bit later, on a "special date," to go bowling. Out of all of his date options, bowling easily won out. He always wants to go. So I brought two Virgil's cream sodas and we went and got a lane. The bumpers came up for his turn (so no gutter balls), and he didn't like this. He said, "I don't want those things. I want to bowl like you." We did great. I somehow got three strikes during my game. He bought a pack of Skittles from the vending machine with his own birthday quarters, and afterwards we went to Baskin Robbins to get him a free one-scoop birthday ice cream cone. Then we went home and all of us went over to Barnes and Noble to browse and read and pick up a Beatles piano/guitar book for Amy and I.


Bowling pro

I've been wanting to hike up to the big letter Y on the mountain with Amy and the kids, because it's easy enough for the kids to do it but high up enough to be beautiful. Our weather's been awesome so we did it Sunday afternoon. It was perfect out; we got to see the bright white moon against a brilliant blue backdrop, and watched the sun lazily drift down behind Utah Lake and the eastern mountains.


Everyone's a Y

See, I said it was perfect

Taking a break (Bella requested plenty of them)

I thought this nest shot was nice

A nice Mexican family was sitting up here. He was from Mexico City. I talked with him a bit in Spanish (struggled through it--have to practice more), and he took our picture.

The kids sitting on the Y

Tonight I told Jarom and Bella the story of early settlers in America, and a bit about the fate of the Indians. His response to me was, "That's not nice, Dad. We should share the earth with the Indians."

Watch these as Jarom bowls and Bella plays.

WELL, well, well

I'm well. It's been one crazy week. Matt and I have started dating again- not really, just feels like it. We have been staying up all night talking, crying and laughing our hearts out. We really did stay up All night one time. The other nights were more like 3 or 4 in the morning. I had a nervous break down last week and quit my job- never to go back. And as some of you know chopped my hair off. I think I only did that because I didn't sleep the night before. I was just so mad that I couldn't get all my fuzzes and frizz to calm down. Two weeks ago I got to go visit Glory in Austin. Highlights of it were - two stepping, tubing, kayaking, yoga, eating, singing around the piano to the beatles, running around the lake and watching the sun rise. Eating my nephew and nieces halloween candy. I saved the best for last. I was only there for two and a half days. The first night there Jenny, Glory and I walked 6th street. And every few steps were offered a free drink. I got to see this girl dancing and rubbing her butt against the window- I was secretly waiting for her to rub on it too hard. I know- I'm soo mean. I really couldn't help think it though. I really wanted to go into that bar. It was bumping- for reals. But my sisters wanted something a little more high end. We let jenny pick it, because we really didn't care. Jenny swears Glory and I were drunk. We were acting gay so the guys would leave us alone. And by the way- did you know? they have a mall sized health food store. It was cool. Again- I'm well- now. By and by I come. xoxo


Glory and her friend said we would ONLY run five miles. I was so dying and happy to finally have the car back in view only for them to look at their and watch and say, we still have 15 mintues, lets do two more. I almost cried but was out of breath to do any of those heaving sobs.



This is mike- the two stepping king.

This is my ice cream shop where I got a mix of pumpkin and mexican vanilla ice cream. And got photo booth pictures with me, glory, my mom and little teddy (dollys baby)

A Myspace Blog: hope it's not offensive

My Insane and Beautiful Family: From LDS to LSD (read mikie's below after this)

This blog could go on a thousand million trillion pages. And I gots lots to do today. But let's say this: I am very excited this is a holiday week and for once I get to see all FOUR of my siblings and my PARENTS all in the same day. Some people hate getting together for the holidays. I mean, secretly, the family thing to them is a bore. But for me, whom once was a terrible teenage party pooper, the more time I spend with our wild, OPEN-MINDED, ridiculous, beautiful talented family, the more I love being alive. I am priveleged and specially lucky to be a kid of our kind, because we have some serious freaking spirit.

Spirit! Like team-spirit kind of spirit. We all grew up Mormon, as I have ranted before, and though I ain't so fond of the whole religious fixings of that particular organization anymore, I am so glad I grew up with the closest most sweet compassionate family ever. But what's even RADDEST about our family, is that though we all grew up Mormon, we have gone on to become OURSELVES. We may not be so religious these days, but we damn well believe in being good and kind to others (especially the underdogs) - and we have grown out of the green jello and gossipy Sundays into green other kinds of lives filled with fresh vegetables (the vegetarians some of us now are), sushi, musical instruments, songwriting, books, paints, gardens, cats, art, movies, acting (mr. miguel), insanity, and sharing our good lives through our bizarre family blog. Even though Mom and Dad got a divorce a few years back (thank god! we should all say) they are better friends now than they ever were because Mom finally could go and find her own world of books and cats and little finches and truly be herself. And Dad has learned to love cats too, and feeds the wild ones, and it seems he treasures his children and Mom and all the things we are and we love more than ever now.

That's what makes my family so special. We started out compassionate and interesting, but we didn't just stop there. We have grown and grown and grown as people, improving our lives and our kindnesses and our thoughtfulness and ESPECIALLY by following our true-est hearts. We have gone from meat and potato rednecks to polar bear loving vegetarian fools. Our parents have seen us smoke, drink, and have listened to all the "sins" and they don' t give a hoot anymore. It took some hard work (by me!) in the beginning to get them to lighten up, but now they even shop at Trader Joes. Mom likes coffee and we can say "fuck" in front of her without feeling like we have betrayed God! We drink soy milk. I am telling you, these are not the ways our very traditional little family grew up. We would have scorned soy milk and organic thinking. Even Matt, our Mormon bro with the three genius childrens, uses organic EVERYTHING, and is the kind of guy who is openminded enough to talk with his peers in pubs and discuss the politics of nature, the physics of everything, the make-up of our government, with anyone he deems somewhat interesting and knowledgable. And open-mindedness is intelligent, my friends....

Sometimes, I have gotten sad that, like some of the talented folks here in Nevada City, I did not grow up with my dad recording music or my mom painting or making sculptures and feeding me organic bean sprouts and chanting pretty hippy lullabies to me. I have pondered what my own children will be like, as they will have such cutesy little luxuries. I have seen those children whom I know now in this city exude a confidence like I have never known. It is rock solid, it came with the way the grew up around a consciousness of the globe and all the people and food and cultures on it, it came through their hippy parents doing whatever the hell they wanted to. My parents weren't like that. My mom did what she thought society needed her to do, what she was "allowed" to do, what was "right" and "good" within her religion. She fiercely fought with my Dad to get us piano lessons and to get us learning other instruments, and to give Mikie the chance to become an actor in theater at a very young age. She did those things because those parts of her never got to. And so, besides a few lessons and the daydreams of our mother, we never grew up with the artsy fartsy shit, we had casseroles and Spam sometimes and dinner around a table, and read from scriptures on holidays and had to wear skirts that weren't short and go to church every Sunday, and many other church activites. I was wrought with guilt just for growing boobs in the first place.... And despite all of this uncomfortable time of my life, and despite short bouts of jealousy I get for my extra talented, talented, practically famous, artist friends who are children of artists here, I am so very very grateful to have lived a life of duality. A life that began with much strictness, but lots of love, (yet a very narrowminded view of the whole world) and I have gotten to WITNESS the growth and change of all my family as we have discovered our true hearts and the depths of culture and consciousness, and magic in our lives. I have gotten to see the growth unfold within us all, especially within Dad who is now so patient witnessing all of our new strange foods, the garden burger bonanzas, and our talents, and our defiant spirits and our non conformant selves. And I actually feel more priveleged than the artist kids for this witness of change, and this wisdom. Because my kids will just have it, the easy life. And that's WONDERFUL. But I had to work for it! I had to convince my parents that other countries had real people in them, and that Americans weren't the only kids in the world. I had to preach vegetarianism when I was one, (Heather did most of that though) and they thought I was insane. I had to deal with Dad's outbursts about me "living in sin" with boyfriends. But now, he could care less for such labels of life. My parents are such wise and wonderful and real changed happier people. I have worked and worked to see these changes, and my efforts paid off! To me, that is the greatest privelege in the world. I don't mean to sound braggy! I just was so unaccepted by my family for a while there, but now they could care less about anything except us being together. I think it's alot closer to unconditional love now. And though my confidence as a teenager didn't start out at 100%, I just don't care. I have a large dose of humility integrated into my soul, and it can be very hard sometimes, but that's OK, it's probably good for me.

And so while other people groan about the holidays and family "obligations", I will be dancing the insane dance with my family and some blasting song in the living room.

What's with Lists?

Seriously. I have a list of things it seems EVERY day. New things. Some of them get done, others fall disregarded by the wayside, littering the roads of my somewhat-clean recent past. It's funny, once you're out of school things suddenly begin to occur in lists, prioritized. Always the 1st is the most important, biggest and most daunting thing you need to get done, and it goes from there. By the number 8 or 9, you find yourself wracking your brain for more and more things you know you should get finished. Soon you've got a 15-long list of stuff, the last 3 or 4 being totally unnaccomplishable, and probably the final a joke like "marry Natalie Portman" or a cliffhanger like "go to Walmart to get." Right now my list consists of a variety of BIG things like CarSmog, Registration, FixCar, PayBill, BuyLaptop, GetPaycheck, NewBrakes, until finally I'm overwhelmed with how expensive it's all winding up to be! So instead, I wittle down my savings on RoadTrips, like the one documented in this video:

country life for me

moving is fun!








darin got me an autoharp!
i'm gonna be a country singer!





















it's been birthday time, study time, and moving time.

my birthday was lovely. i got my cute new red coat from mom, my purple Kone vac from dad, and my beautiful new autoharp from darin which i am excited to take time to learn to play. i envision singing along like june carter cash in a pretty little dress and coiffed hair. I also gave my walt whitman presentation in one of my graduate seminars; i had been really nervous but it went well and i got compliments about it in the next class meeting too! the night of my birthday i went out to dinner at baja fresh with dad and grandma georgie.

today i have my last shift at work...everyone keeps trying to make me feel bad because i'm leaving but my heart is still rejoicing, so i know it's right.

mom has been moving in this weekend and there is a festive feeling in the air. i think living together is going to be very fun. everyone come gather here and let's make a fairytale holiday season!

we now have cable - first time ever in mine and darin's living-together life. i'm kind of nervous about losing darin to the ever-absorbing presence of basketball games, discovery channel, history channel, etc. but i have to admit it is kind of cozy and nice to have tv. we can watch the parade on thanksgiving morning!

i am full of brimming over hope and enthusiasm for life right now and i can't wait for us all to be together and talk about everything.

heather deary

Top 10 things or so that come to mind when I think of Heather.
1.) cheerful, with a beautiful winsome smile.
2.) sun worshiper
3.) Turquoise
4.) earrings and long necklaces with colorful beads
5.) sun dresses and flip flops
6.) loves cats
7.) smart
8.) loves babies !
9.) yoga
10.) I love to be around her - I feel as if I'm not alone on this one.

I want to make her a birthday card- bella
she likes a pink purse and a purple purse and doggies
Bella would also like to give you a glass slipper for your birthday.

planting seeds, jumping on a trampoline, the trampoline is broken though- Jarom
I like going to the store with heather. I want to give heather a paper airplane for her birthday.

I asked Oey what he wanted to say and he just smiled. Which translates: Heather loves me and I love her.

We all love and miss you Heather. We live in a little fairytale over here with princess bella, prince derek(jarom) snow white or prince charming (matt) and I'm either some kind of princess or fairy some times even ursula. So from us to you. We hope all your dreams come true.

Birthday Stories

New Beginnings. This, is the story of a girl, who became a women. In this story is three things: light and darkness, heaven and the devil himself, and demons and magic . It is about the coming of age of Cheryl, and how she reaches, into her sole, and discovers real life cherubs, fluttering in her thoughts. Cherubs, and shewill never be thsame, again
.


Anyway, that was for the book I am writing about Heather.
SO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!! Here's to you performing beautifully well in your presentation today you're giving in the cafeteria. Er, I mean, in your grad school seminars.

I think the time has come again for ALL of us to do something for Heather on her birthday.
Here's your mission:

Write a brief excerpt from the story YOU would write about Heather.
Make it poetic, charming, daring suspenseful, exciting, or just stupid. Ok? Here goes mine!

Sipping on soda in Del Taco one afternoon, Heather was quietly preparing for the presentation she had to give for one of her classes the next day. Walt Whitman quotes chiming through her thoughts, she hardly noticed Ian McKellan, dressed in full Gandalf garb, sitting down at the table just behind her, his staff leaning carefully against the plastic finish of the bright green seats. Heather concentrated on her work was digging at a veggie works burrito with a fork. Gandalf behind her had just gotten his fries, and began making small hobbit houses out of the sauce packets, unwrapping his burrito. Gandalf looked down at his meal, content and peacefully ready to begin eating.
Mikie walks in, his teeth and conversation chattering at the speed of a talking doll wired with the wrong batteries.
"Hi Mikie"
"Hi heATHER gues WhAT Candice THIS and candice THAT and LA THIS and auditions that and joey and stan and stoey and monkey poop what are you doing later why not when" he drinks some soda, and continues.

Meanwhile mom, dad, Jarom, Bella and Stormy show up. Mom is pushing a shopping cart filled with Jarom, Bella and toys! The wheels screeching around the bends of Chevron and mom comes at high speeds into the Del Taco eatery. Dad, at 7 feet tall, walks with strut and a wild smile, on his telephone to an AT&T operator "THANK YOU what was your name again Miss? Oh thank you Deborah, and what was your middle name? Ah thank our Deborah Sarah..." etc. Stormy comes in behind dad, also 7 feet tall and walking on his hind legs, speaking clear english with a brittish accent. The two towering males turn the corner inside Chevron to join the little group of family.
Before long, the talk with Heather and the gang has erupted into a full on Ultimate Fighting Championship brawl, with Stormy and Bella fighting in the ring as all the family cheers them on. Matt and Amy have showed up, as well as Adie and Art, and Stoey and Jan who have somehow merged their bodies into one strange-looking human. Bella does a roundhouse kick and brings Stormy to the ground. Then she leaps high up into the aid and lands on his belly with such force that it knocks the wind out of him, and he is beaten. The family CHEERS!

Suddenly bolts of lightning struck all around, and the restaurant went pitch black. Everybody goes silent.

In the dark nothing can be heard but the sounds of people breathing. stormy meows. Then a soft-spoken old man's voice touches the air, quiet, precise, and distinctly brittish,

"Excuse me, but no one gives a f*ck about your family"

And as the lights come back up, Gandalf's hunched back, tall hat and walking stick can be seen outside the windows of Del Taco, as he makes way to a parked Ford Escort next to the propane tanks.

The End


I know my past and present are all screwed up. I have some editing to do.

1200 miles of Fall for Mikie

Driving down the 205, Sho' Nuff



Warner Bros Studios, oh sweet Los Angeles.

...
Who're these kids?






Merry Christmas Trees




No more Office for a while



Please enjoy this.