My grandma Nihipali and Aunties

Meet the Grandma and Great Aunty and My Auties...at least the ones that live in HI!

My grandma is the shorty on the left. Then my Aunty Kathy, Ruth Ann, then Emily - wait, it could be Emily and then Ruth Ann. Darn them for looking so similar. When I see them in person, I can tell them apart, boo hoo!

Below is Great Auntie Dot and her daughter, we call her Nani.



Doesn't that looks so nice and relaxing. Everyone has such a huge smile - but that's my family for ya.

Love 'em all to death...

Day long beg...

I left this AM with a few appts where I knew I was going to ask for sponsorships for the golf tourney but we went to a lot of places and begged from a lot of people. We think we'll get a full course but true sponsorships, we don't know.

It was really fun to hang out with jody for the entire day. She is so sweet and good to me.

Hugs, Sharon

TV inspiration...

It seems to me that many of my memories are jogged by tv shows. I'm watching Sleep on It on HGTV and this young family decides to sleep in a farm house to see if they want to buy land (12 acres and true farm house with chicken coop, et al) and it totally reminded me about moving out here.

The teaser before commercial break was "Will the kids go to bed hungry?" and they showed the mom on the phone asking if someone delivered. I just have to laugh because when I moved out to Amity, I soon learned that I'd better learn to cook (or at least microwave something) because NO ONE delivers to Amity and the grocery store is at least 20 minutes away. It is really an adjustment to move out to the country but I sure to love it...most of the time.

Just thought I blog that memory while I was having it before it gets lost in the hustle and bustle of life.

LOVE, ME!

Ken Jennings playback from Jeopardy

BEWARE: This post may not be suitable for readers younger than 18, lol!!!

Some random show had some funny clips on tonight and one of them was ken jennings on Jeopardy. The question was something like a long handled garden tool that could also be used for immoral purposes and Ken Jennings says "What is a hoe". The host, Mr. Trebeck (I'm sure I've misspelt his name) said, "Is that what they teach you in the schools in UT?" I cracked up at that...it's more likely that they DON'T teach you that sort of crap and that's why it's more funny. Ah...

I dropped my bishop's car back off tonight and walked home. it felt good except I was wearing slippers (for those haules those are "flip-flops").

Have a great night. I'm haning with my gal Jody tomorrow and going to a new opening of homes over a million dollars in McMinnville. This is the first time that a home has been listed for more than 1 mil in this town of just 35,000.

Hang tough, Sharon

Fire'n up the Grill!

Ok, so if you are reading this, you must know that I am single. And you probably don't know that I have a grill that would easily feed a family of 8-12 steaks nightly. So, tonight, I fired up the 'ole grill for just me and guess what I grilled? Zuchinni. Yep, that's it. Just zuchinni -- 6 entire slices. Normally I would've done chicken or a burger or something but I didn't have anything defrosted because I knew all day that i wanted to grill my ZUCHINNI!! Whose the big dork now, hunh, hunh?

But wait...in case you thought that was all for today. I was sitting in the temple last night realizing that I missed a meeting with one of my volunteers (who happens to be a bishop, not of my ward, not that it would matter much but I had to call his executive secretary to get an appt!) and no one called to remind me (I'm sort of juvenile that way) and so I was feeling pretty guilty. Sitting in the temple. Hummm...then I talked to the Mrs. and he wasn't expecting me because she

But last but not LEAST, I got my car back today!!!! It is totally sweet not to have to crawl on the ground to get in and out. To me, the brakes, the gas and the steering are all pretty sensative. I barely touch it and man, I'm all over the place. I also had to drop $1,000 to get the keys back and boy did that hurt but thank goodness for Dave Ramsey's emergency fund concept and that I followed it!!! I'm still broker than broke for the next 6 days but then it's NASHVILLE baby, NASHVILLE! I called my roommate (she's from another council) this afternoon and we will be just fine. she is a long time volunteer and short time employee but she's renting a car and I'm renting one after the conference. We'll have tons of fun and do a lot of stuff I believe on our own time frame. I'm totally excited. Plus, I'm a huge lover of country music.

Later gator,

Sharon

Sweet Southern Boy

So...folks. If you didn't know, I was in a car wreck (it does no good to claim it was an accident afterall) and so I've been borrowing various automobiles. One belongs to my bishop and his family. When I pick it up he tells me that it leaks oil and that I should check the oil when I fill up. I don't let the car get below 1/2 a tank so I struggled a little bit with checking it. But I did put it on the calendar and checked it just yesterday AM, after the car had been off all night. It looked fine so off I left for camp and then Portland. About 20 miles towards PDX the check engine light came on and I was like, uh oh. I pulled over to check the oil. I couldn't get the oil cap off. I went into a nearby restraunt and a nice young man came out to help me but he couldn't get it off either. He told me where the nearest jiffy lube was (basically I had just passed it) and so I pull in and am so embarassed but I can't get the oil cap off. Within about 5 seconds they have it off, have a good giggle about me and off I go to put oil in without them seeing me. yes, a little sneaky, even I admit.

So off I go. i get maybe another 10 miles and I realize things are not at all well in Saturn. So I pull over at a gas station and buy more oil. Put it in, but I want to wait until the car has cooled down a bit so I can accurately see the level and all that jazz. So...I'm sitting waiting for the car to cool down and a nice man comes up to me and asks me if I've got things all figured out. I tell him what I do and don't know and he begins checking all my fluids, etc. He adds more oil (2 more quarts) and tells me I'm lucky that the car didn't explode. The odd thing is that I didn't think that the oil was low at all bc I checked it that morning. Anyway, he was so sweet (the nice southern boy who stopped to help me) and at first I thought that maybe he worked at the gas station. So I asked he did or if he was a good samaratin and he said a samaratin and that if his Mrs. was in trouble, he would hope that someone would stop to help her. He wasn't going to give up any information about himself so I wrote down his license plate a phone number from his truck and called the number and left a message. I hope it gets to him or he gets lunch out of it for sure.

Hugs,

Gratitude is understated here...

I am so thrilled out of my mind to have friends and volunteers like I do. I was basically up all night trying to figure out how to get something accomplished and it turns out that Jody and her son worked it all out yesterday and she is all ready with it this AM. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for her talents and skills.

Ciao - I'm off to buy buns...something like 20 cases and I hope they fit in my little car!!! Seriously.

~Sharon

Geico squirrels

Have you ever seen that Geico commercial with the two squirrels who stand up in the middle of the road and cause a vehicle to veer off the road to avoid hitting them and then they high five each other? Nope, not that one.

Maybe this one?


I totally saw this squirrel up on his hind legs, chillin' in the middle of the road after camp on Monday. I mean, this thing was so stick straight tall that I thought for a few seconds that the squirrel had been killed and stuffed by a taxadermist and placed there to freak me out!!! I mean, I was probably inches from it before it clapped it's hands and ran away. I was laughing soooo hard that I had to pull over in order to not crash!! That could not have been better choreographed in my opinion.

Well, we've survived two of five days of day camp. It's way too disorganized for my liking and I'm scared shirtless of the reviews that we are going to get. It is just insane that it's this bad...but my leaders are sooo awesome. One mom came up to us today and she said "the boys are having a great time!" That is what really, truly matters. They don't know that they weren't supossed to be doing one thing and not another.

Oh, just a quick note - I don't think Rob is into me at all. Sort of a bummer that we played house, lol...being engaged and all.

Hugs to all~
Sharon

Riding Again...

Oh, it's been way too long since I rode my bike. I LOVE bike riding and Wed. was the way. Tuesday night I went to a group therapy session and a girl ride her bike there - that was it. All the motivation I needed to get my bike out, dust it off (a year in the garage can do that to a nice bike) and get some air in the tires (again, garage was the cuplrit).

I had found a country road route that was 5 miles one way and I think that this is a great goal for me. I rode out about 1 mile, saw the first hill and turned right!!! It was another 1 mile and I pulled over and did some gentle stretching. I rode a little bit further and came to a small hill and went to the top, but didn't want to coast down bc that means you have to come back up but I know I did about 4.5 miles.

Today I rode, went up that first big hill (it was so much easier than I thought it would be?! Why'd I freak so much on Wed?) anyway...and went down and then back. Then still took that right and down and back so I went probably 6-6.5 miles today. The only complaint I have is that when I went to get on my bike, I realized my butt was not ready for this. I know from experience if you want a nice PO [behind in German] that you need to just DO IT and it will be a rock hard PO before you know it. Ah, the thrill of screaming down that long hill was dang fun. You don't really work on the down side so next time Ill know I can go a little further.

Alright folks...I did take a picture of myself with my bike on my phone but it's disgusting so you'll have to just wait.

Later peeps!

After the accident but during camp...

My office got redecorated...(just in time for me to move out!) with new carpet and then some choice volunteers got thought they'd get rid of the awful green that I did when I first moved in. Little by little, we are going to transform that little office to something the Scouts can be proud of.

I should've had a before but I always think of it when it's like 2/3 done...same thing with yard work. No one would believe how high the grass was and that it took me 3 days to

 

Puppy love?

 

Hi Everyone!!! This is my fiance...his name is [to protect the innocent] Al Alley and don't we look cute together~!!!

Just a quick post to let u know what's been going on with me.

Accidental $1000 giveaway~

 

Ok, so this is one pic...more to come of the accidental $1000 giveaway. This is the result of driving while tired and having an emergency fund that can be drained in one moment of sleepy eye time.

My friends gave me a gift - a bag full of toothpicks (to hold my eyes open), 5 hour power energy drink and no doze! I do love my friends and their sense of humor.

I

The truth of the matter is that I was thinking to myself, man, I'm tired. I should pull over and before I had a chance, I hit the dang pole. I should also admit here that I was jealous of my friend, Bonnie, who always gets to sleep when we ride together because she can't drive and IMHO, has severe sleep apnea and can't stay awake anyways. I always get a bit grumpy because I'm just as tired (or more so) and yet I can't just snore for the 1 1/2 hr drive home. I can't blare the music loud enough or make it cold enough. So, I give away a grand and have increased insurance rates...ah, living the American dream.

I'll blog later about my office.

I do want to note here that I've reconnected with a guy from about 18 months ago named Rob who lives in UT (probably the only bad thing about him)...and I like it.

Hugs to all~