Leave no man behind, not even in your hearts...

Bryan Jones came to see me a couple of days ago with a special project in mind. Bryan and a few other community members held silent vigils at American Memorial Park to show their support for our men and women in uniform, plead the end of the war and pray for the safe return of our troops. We are all affected by this war in one way or another and have stories to tell. While everyone knows to some detail what our armed forces have to expect in battle, very little people understand the emotional stress and turmoil that happens to family members even before their loved ones ever step foot on that plane bound for war. I understand that we live in a community that values privacy, and that some things are just too difficult to talk about. But, let me ask you this: if you could help someone not to feel the way you did or do now, could you be brave enough to step outside your comfort zone and make the journey easier for them? What if it were your mom, your brother, your daughter-in-law...your grandchild? There are families out there who do not even know where to begin preparing for the departure of their soldier; they have no idea what to expect after they leave and feel like they're on a roller coaster of emotions. They don't know the lingo like you do: deployment cycle, thousand mile stare, FRG, etc., etc. I can remember what it was like being that clueless and frustrated. It's a big sacrifice to make, talking about your pain. Just like you, I do not like to draw attention to myself. In fact, this blog is the only place where I can feel completely free and unedited, but I will take this one big step with you. I can think of a few reasons to sacrifice my own insecurity: Ed, Mike, Isaac, Mark, Marco, Norman, their wives, babies on the way...my list goes on and on and includes the ache of memories for those whom we've lost. The CNMI is still #2 on the list of casualties per capita. Will you join me?

If you want to share your personal experience dealing with the war, please contact me via email. Just because you call doesn't mean you're obligated to go through with this, but it's a first step and that's all anyone can ask of you. In the meantime, we pray and continue to support the troops that are on their way, already there and returning from this war.

Go to your happy place

Alice can tell the future. That's not completely accurate, she can see what you decide to do and the outcome of that choice. If you change your mind in the last minute, she's clueless. Sort of like us and the C.U.C. load shedding schedule, only prettier and less sweaty.

Who needs a Wii?

If it weren't for the power outage the last few chapters of Eclipse would have been rather dull. As it was, the blackout provided the perfect ambiance for my virtual experience - my first vampire war. Oh, it was better so much better than a Wii, I was transported to the middle of Edward's field, right there in the dark with the Cullens and the pack. My eyes burned just as fiercely with loathing. My heart raced with theirs as I too tried to control the volatile mixture of frustration and contempt. I was sweating, drained, wishing it would all end quickly. Just as the newborns approached, I heard a eerie howl pierce through the blackness outside. It came from somewhere in mountains before me. The wind carried the scent of disaster in the air. "This is too good to be true" I thought to myself.

I would have finished the story if the power hadn't come back on at 11:00 pm. Darned electricity, it ruins everything!

**********
Text message from Ed: Do you have power?
Response: Do chickens have nipples? 7:03 pm
Well...do they?

Likes the outdoors, fast cars and a tall glass of blood

Alice CullenToo bad she's a "vegetarian".

I wouldn't even think about it if I were you.
She's seen the future and it's safe to say, you're probably not in it.

That's What I Said Thursday!

You have been given the honor of creating a designer fragrance for the Marianas.

What will you name it?


Click on Rules to learn how to play!

Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like your toes don't bother you everytime you look at them

Is that the saying? LOL

Yes, we're opening school on the 8th of September. The teachers are waiting to start a brand new year. We might not have consistent electricity, but we do have power. It obviously won't be as comfortable as we'd like it to be for our staff and students, but it's no more than what we all have to put up with at home. I'm sure that the kids are all itching to meet their new classmates and teacher, plus we can't afford to put learning on hold for any reason. We move on! I remember one of my first grade students years ago saying to me, "I finally learned how to spell homework Ms. Boni. But, then we had that long weekend." No, we move on.

Parents will be well advised to dress their children in light breathable clothes and provide a re-fillable water jug. My kids are pretty used to drinking water since it's the only thing in our refrigerator and still the best thing for you. Please do not send your children to school with snacks that will only deplete their energy, i.e. sugary, processed and packaged snacks that are easy to buy but hard to get any nutritional value from. Since it's a new school year, it is the perfect time to start a healthy habit. A nice sandwich or some cut up fruit with water can be a perfect between class snack. If you have questions about what our staffing pattern or requirements are, please visit our GES blog. It's been a long summer and our campus is not the same without the pitter patter of Mallard feet. We can't wait for September. It's going to be a great year, I can just tell. We'll post up some back to school info at the Mallard Pond soon. See you on the first day of school!

*****************

Yellow roses greeted me yesterday morning. I didn't know what I did to deserve them, so I asked. I'm rarely speechless. I have many cute comeback lines stored in this brain of mine, but the answer caught me off guard and I'm truly comeback-less.

"You always deserve my love and affection,

you don't need to do anything to expect it from me"

*******************

Why I post a picture of my un-pedicured toes is beyond me. Maybe it will shame me into taking time for myself? If my good friend Wonda saw this, she'd be appalled. A woman does not bare her un-groomed feet for the world to see. Anyone know a good salon?

Hurry

Deece! Hurry!! I need something to look forward to tonight. The walls are crashing in. Without Wednesday WII what will I do?

Do you want fries with that?

Because I care about equal treatment

Emmet Cullen. He's really buff. And very yum.
Oh yeah, the girl is his wife, Rosalie.
See Wayne, I don't just post hunky guy pics do I?

That's What I Said Thursday!

Auditions are open for Grease. What role will you be trying out for?
Which piece will you be performing?

Rizzo: Sandra Dee
"I don't drink or swear, I won't rat my hair,
I get ill from one cigarette (cough, cough)
Keep your filthy paws of my silky drawers.
Would you pull that crap with Annette?"

Click on Rules to learn how to play!

16 Candles

"My son!" What simple, beautiful words!
"My boy!" What a wonderful phrase!
We're counting the months till you come to us-
The months, and the weeks, and the days.
"The new little stranger," some babes are called,
But that's not what you're going to be;
With double my virtues and half of my faults, You can't be a stranger to me!

I was barely a woman when I brought my son into this world. I fell in love with my little boy before I ever laid eyes on him, and when he finally arrived I felt I had come full circle. TonTon was born on August 19, 1992 at 12:11 pm, with the heart monitor attached to me firmly in his tiny grip. He had somehow grabbed a hold of it on his way from the doctor's hands into my arms. He's always been the first of my kids to sense what was on my heart. I guess even at birth he was trying to show me that. 16 years ago I was preparing to raise a boy, worrying about his first tooth, his first baby steps. In two years I will have to let him go, just a little bit at a time. How the years have passed. The excerpt above is by Captain Cyril Morton Throne, a poem I put in his baby book while I waited for his birth.

Happy 16th birthday son. I am so blessed by you and so proud of the young man you've become.


I love you mi'ijo,

Mommy

And now for some Native American cuisine

This is Jacob Black. He's no vampire, but he's just as swift and keen.
Hey Beachcomber! I found this interesting site on how to look like a Twilight vampire. If you thought no one was safe from bloodsuckers, you were wrong. None of us is safe from commercialism. I've already overheard that kids in Jr. High and High School here are reading Twilight, fascinated with it. Wonder how long it will take before we start seeing some un-dead loitering near the theater.
************************************************************************************

What Bites II

When someone mentions candle-lit dinners and you cringe, no longer associating them with anything remotely romantic because you've had your fair share of sweaty candlelit share-loaded meals thanks to CUC.

I brought you ladies a little snack

This is James.
Dangerous.
Sexy.
Cunning.
Sharp.
Witty.
Deadly.
Just another bad boy vampire in the Twilight series.
Now ladies...when was the last time you picked up a good book?

Does my ring burn your finger?

Everyone I know is either having a baby or getting married. I never had the traditional proposal, it was more like "let's get married", so I'm at a loss for good advice on that subject. Rings? I had three sets. The first one my aunt lent me when I got married, then an upgrade a few years later, and finally a new set that was supposed to symbolize ten years of commitment. Even then I initiated the buy, selected and purchased them on my good credit, so I'm partial to being part of the process. If this is a little Carrie Bradshaw-ish, please forgive me. Wayne and I (well, Wayne through default) have been on a Sex and the City DVD marathon. Lately my tone has been slightly influenced by it and I make no apologies (high fives from Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte!) The subject of proposals and rings has come up more than once this week, sparking some very interesting perspectives. My friends have very differing opinions. Names will be altered to protect the innocent.

Every little girl dreams of the day a man gets on one knee holding that little box with the perfect ring in it, but when it comes to engagement rings have we given in to the hype of the wedding industry? Are the four C's really more important than love?

I had lunch with Holden who is planning to purchase the perfect ring for his unsuspecting girlfriend. He's going to Tiffany & Co. on his own. He believes that her ring should be something that comes from his heart and that whatever it is, she should cherish it because he sought it out especially for her. He's a hopeless romantic in the best sense of the word and I know he'll obsess about it so much it will be just gorgeous. I think what matters is that he loves her so much he is actually making every effort to find the perfect ring that exudes that love.


Celeste just got her wedding set upgraded. Her husband surprised her with it during a recent road trip. It is stunning, to be sure. She chose her ring with her then Fiancé. She believes that a wedding ring should be something tailored to a woman's taste and that it should be something that reflects her style. It should also be something so beautiful to her that each time she puts it on, she can't take her eyes off of it.

We sat a recent bride Angelique, who would prefer to design her own set rather than buy one from a retailer. To men, it would be the equivalent choice between getting a brand new Corvette or building the car of your dreams with everything you need at your disposal. I'm not really the one to be qualifying this issue, but I do think they are all correct. Wherever it comes from and whatever it looks like, a wedding ring should symbolize your love. If it is carefully chosen with the woman in mind, her preferences, her style, her unique personality then it will be treasured. I know a couple who decided they wanted faux turtle shell wedding bands and they were gorgeous. My friend Piper has a diamond so huge it blinds me. The important thing is that they are a refection of love. I have a good 16 years of experience over all these guys, so my opinions have been tempered by time and life. The only thing that really matters to me is that the man should love the woman and the woman the man. The search for the ring should be something both partners will remember, symbolic of the efforts they make to build a life together. There are no mistakes in buying a ring that I can think of except never take it off after and for Pete's sake don't get a tattoo ring unless your word is as good as the ink on your finger. Good luck Holden, here are some great tips from Blue Nile for your hunt. Congratulations Angelique. Celeste, your ring sparkles so does your future.

That's What I Said Thursday!

Oprah or Jerry Springer?
Where would you be most likely to make a guest appearance?
What would the title of your episode be?


Click on Rules to learn how to play.

What bites

When you realize that it would be cheaper to rent rather than to own your own home and pay for utilities.

When there are six hour power outages and your bill is still more than half of your take home pay.

When candles become part of your regular grocery list.

When eating out is more affordable than cooking at home because the price of rice and spam have gone up.

When saving Engine Two becomes more of a priority than saving the land crabs.

Is it true that Twilight makes vampirism cliqueish?

I loved Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles because they were passionate, hopelessly romantic and morbidly stunning. I vaguely remember watching vampire movies when I was a girl. The name Dracula immediately brought forth visions of gorgeous women in long billowy lingerie running terrified through a graveyard while a dark haired, pale skinned figure emerged from behind the fog bearing fangs and announcing in a thick Romanian accent, "I vaaant to drink your blooood!" In contrast, Lestat was hauntingly sexy and strong, and he drew you willingly into his tormented world, making you want to engage the very creature you feared. He was the extreme epitome of the bad boy, historically a temptation to women of all ages. Plus, it didn't hurt that he was a rock star.


Twilight on the other hand, is set in modern day times and focuses on two star-crossed lovers one human, one well, you get the gist. Bella and Edward are teenagers for all intents and purposes. Bella is more like an old soul trapped in a 17 year old body, while Edward was literally born in early 1900's. Like all Romeo and Juliet-ish love stories, they fiercely believe they belong together despite the obvious dangers. I have never been a great fan of teen novels, and have rarely picked one up except to encourage my children to read by reading along with them. Teenagers do not fascinate me, perhaps because I've worked very hard at trying to forget my own less than magnificent adolescent years. I began reading with a bit of apprehension and surprisingly, couldn't put the book down.

Meyer's novels have been able to capture my curiosity. In fact, Twilight fits quite appropriately in this genre. Teenagers by definition are rebellious creatures. They are also infatuated with their newly blossoming superegos and idea of loooove. Psychosocially, at least according to Erik Erikson, the balance between identity vs. role confusion and intimacy vs. isolation becomes crucial to survival. The pivotal questions: how does a vampire fit in the already chaotic world of high school? How can love be so simple? Why would anyone want to be a teenager for eternity?

Do I think Twilight promotes vampire cliques? Remember who we're talking about here. By it's very nature it attracts teenage fascination. This vampire family, comprised of teenagers are both the exception and the norm. They are the new age "socies" with a terrifying twist. There will always be socies, jocks, nerd, greasers, jets, sharks, mods, goths, etc. Twilight does nothing to add to the high school world of cliques except make it a little more interesting. Will it unleash a frenzy of blood drinking? Exacerbate the myth of infallibility among already conflicted teenagers? Ah, maybe. Who knows what lurks in the minds of the dain bramaged. Hopefully the most harm it will do is launch a cool new clothing line and increase sales in dark black eyeliner and Johnson & Johnson baby powder.

Things that make you go mmmm...

A date with my daughter. Hope and I had an awesome morning doing seemingly mundane things like shopping for school supplies. Then as spontaneously as we'd announced we were done and started to head home, our feet carried us away to the bookstore, a place we use to love going to but rarely found the time for anymore. She picked up a teen mag, I picked up a new novel and we decided that it was time to do some girl stuff. A trip to DFS to learn all the essential names in history, Gucci, Prada, Tiffany & Co. We drooled over the charms, tried on some face mist and lipstick and confirmed our matching DNA with equal taste in all things Coach. A nice japanese lunch where we both indulged in sushi and our new reading material, then off to Bobby Cadillac's for ice cream sundaes. We talked about everything and nothing and I got a little glimpse of what it might be like when she becomes a woman.

Six hour power outages that force you to take the kids out for a treat and then frolicking in the park. Wayne and I sat under a tree, sneaking in some quiet time while the kids ran, wheeled and walked their way around the beautiful island scenery. Before we left, everyone got a chance to roll down a grassy hill. What fun!

Expressions! A nice bottle of wine, some good cheese and crackers and Deece's special mango jam! I bought Twilight by Stephanie Meyer's today. Mona mentioned it in her last post and I did some research on the reviews. Turns out a movie will be released soon, so I couldn't wait to grab the book. I read Anne Rice's vampire chronicles in high school and wanted to see how this new series measures up. I'm almost halfway into it and totally loving it. It's been a very fun Saturday, power outages aside. Saipan is still a great place to live, play and cherish your family.

What about you ha!

Tag! Deece sent this to me forever ago and I just found it in my file of must posts. It's pretty neat actually. Here's how. Answer the questions and then tag three more bloggers, post it on your blog, go to theirs and tell em they've been tagged and you're done. I tag bloggers who I don't really know that well, SOS & Elle and Ed, because I want to expose him. Transparency nai gatchong!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I was named after a Girl Scout in a promotional video my mom watched when she was pregnant with me.

2. When WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? July 21, my uncle John’s funeral

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Only the fake one I use to fill out forms with.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef (SPAM really, but it's not too sophisticated)

5. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? If I were really nice to myself and didn't give me attitude, yes.

6. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Actually, I'm trying to quit.

7. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, but they don’t work properly anymore. Dr. Flood called them cavernous tonsils

8. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Off my car? Sure.

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Hands down, Frosted Mini Wheats.

10. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope. I don't take my shoes off, I flip them off while I'm running to the bathroom.

11. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I’m stronger than I think I am.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Dreyers Rocky Road.

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes. The window to the soul thing. Smiling eyes make me happy, cool eyes put me off.

14. RED or PINK? Red. Pink is for sissies.

15. WHAT IS THE THING THAT YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOURSELF? I tend to over analyze things; my arms.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Tonia; my size 28 waist.

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Hell no, I hate chain letters.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Dark washed blue jeans and black heels.

19. Early riser or hit the snooze button? Depends on the day. Usually an early riser.

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Leavin’ by Jesse Mcartney

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, What color would you be?? I'd be the half broken Brown with the label peeled off.

22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Ylang ylang, barbecue, just out of the shower smell, clean sheets, new purse smell.

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Human Resources at PSS

24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? She’s the bestesest.

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Ha, ha, ha, lol, lmao!

26. HAIR COLOR? Brown, ahem, most of the time

27. EYE COLOR ? Dark Brown

28. CONTACTS? Yes.

29. FAVORITE FOOD? Steak and salad

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS ? Happily Ever Afters of course.

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Mama Mia.

32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black, it’s the new …black.

33. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses then hugs

34. FAVORITE DESSERT Tiramisu with lots of rum

35. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Bigsox, Bruce, Deece, Ed, Mona, Hope?

36. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ??? Saipan Writer, she no like chain stuff.

7. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Still reading Run by Ann Patchet, just started Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Dust, I don’t ever use it.

39. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? A black screen, the power was out!

40. FAVORITE Sound? The sound just before the kids go to bed, the kisses, hugs and goodnights, giggling, rustling, breathing.

41. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones baby, yeah.

42. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Washington DC, that's like another planet actually.

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Nope unless simultaneously brushing my teeth, shampooing my hair and shaving counts as a talent.

44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Dr. Torres Hospital Saipan on a picnic table I think.

45. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Only the most conscientious people, those who enjoy shamelessly exposing their innermost secrets.

Lemon Cleanse: Orange you glad you don't have to drink lemonade again?

5 days was just right for me. If you plan on doing the cleanse one day you should know that hunger isn't really the biggest barrier to completing the ten days. I think our preoccupation with food is the hardest thing to overcome. Don't eat for days and you'll know what I mean. A snack passes the time while you're busily working. A meeting, a casual gathering, everything we do involves food. Even your body is busy making decisions about food. Hunger pangs, eating, digesting, extracting nutrients, excreting waste, filtering fluids, it's all the time working in a constant cycle. When you don't eat, your body begins to metaphorically pout and whine. "You're not hungry" you say to your stomach. Your stomach smirks and replies, "yes, but if you love me you'll feed me". When you go days without eating, your body starts busying itself with other matters. Overall, my skin felt better, like more blood was flowing through it.

The next time I do this I will think one day at a time. It seems to work better than setting myself up for what seemed like days of deprivation. All in all, it was very enlightening both mentally and physically. I know there's a lot of bad press out there regarding the master cleanse, but I guess everyone has to decide for themselves after trying it out.

That's What I Said Thursday!

Fill in the blanks

If it wasn't for ________________ I'd ____________________ .


If it wasn't for my apparent lack of math proficiency and inability to concentrate for long periods of time I'd be a rocket scientist by now!

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LC Day 5: It's not you, it's me

So I cheated on Wednesday, but Skinny was right it wasn't all I'd made it out to be. I mostly wanted to eat something to get that slimy coat off my tongue. It just felt weird, white and thick. My body didn't take the food well and I decided to finish out the five days or the supply of lemons and maple syrup, whatever came first. I wasn't really hungry, I was just bored and wanted to go somewhere for lunch, be with people, you know. Plus I have to admit, I'm not as invested in this whole cleanse thing as I want to be. I'd like my body to be rid of it's toxins and I want to feel rejuvenated, but I could probably accomplish that through less extreme measures. So, why am I continuing? It's one of my poorer traits, not being able to give up even when I probably should. Stubborn as hell; story of my life. LOL.

LC Day 4: WWBD

Let me just say that the salt water wash is naaasty. I could only get half a quart down before I started to gag. It’s supposed to start stewing in your belly for 30-60 minutes before you have to hit the great white throne, but my stomach turned all night without the need to ahem. My stomach made noises like when the power just comes on and all the appliances in the house start up. I watched 3 ½ episodes of Sex In The City and then drank four glasses of water and nothing. The book says that if it doesn’t work, you’re supposed to try again, adding or decreasing the sea salt in the wash. No thank you. I’m not doing that again ever.

I’m not so motivated anymore. I kinda wanna master quit this master cleanse. My tongue has been feeing a little slimy. I’m starting to question why the heck I started this journey, I mean how do you measure detoxification? It’s kind of like a puzzle, if you feel like shit your body is eliminating toxins, if you feel great your body has been cleansed of toxins? I feel sort of in the middle, euphoric for hours and then sluggish.

I may eat today although I prepared my LC. The hunger doesn’t start rearing it’s ugly head until mid morning, so maybe by lunch time I’ll be ready for a meal. Maybe. The added weight loss is nice, but not what I wanted to really accomplish. Which makes me wonder why I did this in the first place. Was it just to see if I could do it? Celebrity fad? Wanna be yuppy-hippy fad? Was it to discover some deeply embedded truths about my relationship with food? Was it to create emotional closure for that time in the 2nd grade when Sissy took my sembe from my lunch kit? Who knows. The real question is, what would Beyonce' do?

LC Day 2 &3: superhydration

Day 2 was hard, I was a little weak and by 7pm I was slurring my speech. I got a little bit of the shakes and gurgles, but as soon as bedtime drew near I was better.

I woke up to day 3 in cheerful spirits and have been feeling fine all day. I'm not starving mind you. I just miss being able to sit and chat and chew. Wayne and I went to Oleai's at lunch time and I got to watch him eat some delicious looking quesadillas. I am now making mental note of everything I want to eat next week, if I make it that far. Definitely those quesadillas, spam kelaguin at Dr. Jack's, poke at Naked Fish, Chili at Wild Bill's, a Ruben at Bobby's, ice cream from Himawari, and so on.

I lost a few more pounds according to my liar liar scale, which is nice even though Its mostly water. Speaking of water, I've never been so hydrated in my life! I'm usually defunct in that area, can never get my 8 glasses of water in, but I'm a drinking machine now. Food's been appearing out of nowhere lately, like some cosmic jinx. A friend gave me a couple of squid and lobster he just caught, there are suddenly more snacks in my office than ever before. Shoot, how much you wanna bet the theater has nachos?

Lemon Cleanse Day 1: Cayenne sounds a lot like

I did it, woke up this morning feeling good and surprisingly 3 pounds lighter. My scale is old and busted, and the babies like to jump up and down on it, so even though I saw I weighed in 5 lbs. less than I was yesterday, I still don't believe it. I made it through Day 1 with nary a scratch, save a little nick in my index finger from cutting up lemons. That made squeezing them a little tricky. It took about 10 medium sized limes to make 10 tspns of LC. Preparation is quicker when you have good measuring tools, especially a bottle already labeled so you can mix the main ingredients, juice, maple syrup and cayenne. I put the water, already measured into a larger container and just poured the mix in, shook and that was that.

I keep the big bottle in the fridge and then pour it into two little ones all day. If I alternate the little ones, one in the fridge and one in the freezer, I always have a nice cool drink. I like a little bit more cayenne in my LC than the recipe requires. It reminds me of the way I like my tequila shots. Pepper in my salt, salt on my lemon. Yum! No people, there's no tequila in my LC. It's weird, I feel very lightheaded, but not dizzy, just like I'm in slow motion. My heart rate is usually pretty fast, and I'm always warm, but today I feel real mellow. I may start singing some Olivia Newton John soon.

The hardest part about this is not having my coffee and red bull in the morning, but I'll live. I've also noticed that my ciggy's taste yucky, then I remembered that the last time I did this I could barely stand to smoke. Hmmm..maybe this'll help me cut that nasty habit out. It was also very hard to make dinner last night. Not because I wanted to eat, but because I couldn't taste the food I was making for my family. Buckwheat noodles, cut up pieces of leftover fried chicken, veggies and spices. Hope liked it, Sommer said she hated it, Peyton opted for a tuna sandwich, and Wayne said it was really good. When you can't eat a thing, food is always in the way. I went to get my keys in my purse and my hand grazed a snickers bar. It was like touching hot coal. We took our kids out for ice cream yesterday and I lusted over the green tea ice cream. I keep telling myself it's just food and food will always be there. I take a sip of my LC and feel the kick of the cayenne. Say cayenne ten times as fast as you can. It sounds a lot like I can!

You What? What do you mean you ate your purse?

I'm doing it Brad and Kat! I'm going to start the Master Cleanse this Sunday. I'm a little apprehensive about it, after all, I've only really lasted about 4 days each time I've ever attempted it. This time I'm shooting for the full 10 days. I want to see if I can't clear the toxins out of my body, plus it'll be uber cool to refuse food and drink. I envision myself whispering behind my dark shades, "No man, can't, detox you know".

I'm not pigging out before the cleanse, but I am giving myself some flexibility in eating. I remember enough to know that even if I get all my favorite foods out of the way, any bit of food will "lead me into temptation". Hell, the leather on your purse starts to smell like prime rib after a while. Since I won't be eating anything for 10 days, food seems to have an alluring effect on me. I've been taking pictures of lunch, dinner, snacks.

Egg Corn Soup
warm and creamy, sweet and smooth
warms the belly, soothes

Ma Po Tofu Szechuan Style
Named after a pockmarked old lady who didn't have much to cook with,
but you make me happy enough.

SPAM, beautiful SPAM!
never looked and tasted so good!
This is dedicated to Ed.

I started to take my camera out of my purse to take the picture when I looked over at Wayne. Without skipping a beat he arranged the shot for me. I think it has superb balance, don't you? That's when you know someone's a keeper, when they actually think your goofy stuff is adorable.

Margarita

It has lemon and water in it. OK, and tequila. This is my pre-cleanse easing in drink.
The only difference is I'll be adding some maple syrup and cayenne. Hey, do you think I could do a margarita cleanse instead?

I walked in to the office one morning to find a brand new Starbucks travel mug and some See's candy! Someone knew I was starting the cleanse and made my day with the treats. I'm going to miss my morning coffee and Red Bull most of all I think.

Another addition to my Starbucks mug stash. Angelo brought me a collector's Hawaii City Mug. It's my first and I think I'm going to be starting a Starbucks sub-collection now. If you're visiting a city with a Starbucks, please remember me.

Tonight I'm having some rocky road ice cream, just a bit, for taste. For some reason, I really want some Korean barbecue too. Wayne? Did you hear that? P.S. Wayne's going to be my partner on the cleanse. Wish us luck!
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Reasons to start the cleanse
- to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion in the body
- to cleanse the kidneys and digestive system
- to purify the glands and cells in the entire body
- to eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles
- to relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries and blood vessels
- to build a healthy blood stream
- to keep youth and elasticity regardless of age

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Peyton started missing school the very day it ended. When she didn't have homework, she used to make some up herself. She started the first grade reading 6.5 words per minute and ended it with an astonishing 136 WPM! She can't wait for 2nd grade, the buzz of the playground and surprisingly enough, reading and writing. She's been antsy ever since. So, she went to Summer Camp at Fiesta, after weeks of begging. See that smile? Camp ended today. I was reminded how many friends she made and how lovely it was. What to do with the next four weeks is going to be a challenge. Anyone got any ideas?