Have I been wearing it?

Why.....as you can see below, YES I HAVE! Everyday, with a few exceptions. (I have found out that Disneyland loves the shirt, the mall does not)

Here I am with Joe's mom. We are demonstrating that we can demonstrate! We did a demonstration for Prop 8 with her ward, my old ward, the Crestline Ward. (Have I said ward yet?) My hair is curled so as to look cute on the street corner. I did not factor in that my curls were framing my gigantic head complete with chipmunk cheeks. Ah, well.

Discussing our demonstration strategy.
Yell loudly? (YES) Wave signs frantically (when needed) Spit on people who swear at us? (NO) Lay down in front of the cars as prop 8 martyrs? (NO) Get excited and share the importance of voting yes? (YES) Go out in the street to hand out bumper stickers?
(Yes, until a cop stopped, and told us we couldn't do that anymore)

We did actually get naysayers. Notice the brilliant arguments written on their signs.
WHAT'S NEXT, SEPARATE DRINKING FOUNTAINS?
WE DIDN'T VOTE ON YOUR RIGHT TO MARRY!
(Not shown, but there) GAY PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE TOO!

My dear friend Kristie. She inspired me to go the next day as well. and a SHOUTOUT TO SANDI! She watched the kids so I could go. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Kristie and Melissa Andrews, one of my other favorite people in the entire world. Got to love people who are, without fail, always upbeat, cheerful, and willing to go the distance for the gospel. If she were crossing the plains, Melissa would have pulled her handcart faster, farther, and better than anyone else. She wouldn't brag about it though, she would just be sitting in a lawn chair as all the other handcart pioneers straggled in, asking what took them so long? No, she would have gotten up and helped them. Ok, this caption has taken a weird turn. Anyway,
I LOVE MELISSA!

Melissa and her equally cool husband Wes.


James and Susan Harris, and Crystle Hill. (For all who have heard the story, the other person rescued by a lifeguard at the beach with me and Corrinna on that fateful ward beach trip so long ago)

Sandi, wearing THE SHIRT! Doesn't she look great?!

Our crew! Looking good! For some weird reason, the lane closest to these people had the most swearing people. We called it, "The Hate Lane."

Ralph Somers, Melissa's Dad. Oh, and William Somer's Dad, too! He teaches at Hesperia High! Or, Sultana. Or the other one. He teaches in Hesperia. He is awesome!

The back of these signs said
"Don't drink coffee, it's bad for you!" Just kidding. Though, it was interesting to see where the people stood who were in the drive thru line for the coffee.

Proof that I was there. What a good friend Kristie is. Her and her husband Adam would have been pulling their handcarts right up there with Melissa.

This was so fun. I can't wait to do it again on Saturday!!!!!
YES ON 8!!!!!!!!!!!

Like oldest son Daddy, like oldest son son.

So, I don't have an older brother, but I hear it's pretty great.

Joe is the oldest of five siblings. Two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. He loves them so much, and feels so responsible for them all the time. Growing up, he was the quintessential older brother, you know, taking care of them, teaching them, and "occasionally" teasing them. Before showing the reason for this post, a pictorial oldest brother tribute to my stud Joe. Speaking of which, the following pictures are mostly of Joe being the older brother. The first one is just one where his non sibling (me) thinks,
"Holy moly, that guy is SMOKIN' HOT!"

Joe and Tennille, helping her over that rock

Joe, Suzy, and Tennille

Joe, Suzy, Tennille, David, and John

The reason for this post is to not only brag about my great older brother husband, but also to brag about my oldest child Kurt, who is the older brother to Cleve and Kyle, The other day, I had run inside to get my camera. Before going inside, Kyle had been trying in his baby way to climb onto the much too big tricycle. When I came outside, to my choked up sight, this is what I saw. Kurt had lifted Kyle onto the tricycle, and was pushing him around the yard just because he wanted to help his little brother. Just like his Dad, always looking out for his younger brothers and sisters. How wonderful and amazing is a sight like this to a mom! Joe's sibs know they always have an older bro to turn to, and now,
so do Cleve and Kyle.

This is how we roll

"This is how we roll" is an expression used fondly by my sister in law Suzy and her family. (variation, "We don't roll like that)

In our backyard, we do things a little differently.
In short,
This is how we roll.

Weeding is a dreaded task. For a while, I got really into it, and spent hours in the blazing sun with my pink Breast Cancer sunhat on. I felt very proud of myself until I realized I had spent two hours weeding a 24 inch by 12 inch section, and there was still about an acre of waist high weeds to pull out. When I bemoaned this to Joe, he smiled sagely, and said,
"Melanie, in our yard we don't weed with garden tools!" (Duh!) When I naively asked what we do use, he smiled and said, "I'll handle it, baby"
Below is Joe, preparing to "handle" the weeds. Still not sure what that is? Scroll down. In our yard, we burn our weeds with a blowtorch! Of course, we do this safely, notice Kurt standing by with the water hose.
Our garden is our pride and joy. As with all pride and joys, evil beings seek to destroy them. Gophers (as evidenced in the movie Caddy Shack) LOVE to make a grass grower's life miserable. Today, while on the phone with Jill, I sighed as I noticed yet another Gopher hole.
This is a sight you will also see in everyone else's yard.

Then, still on the phone with Jill, I saw something else. Yeah, this is our yard, so we don't grow just your garden variety (pun intended, haha) gophers. We get MONSTER gopher holes! Now, I know we probably don't have actual monsters in our backyard, but all I have to say about this hole I am about to show you is-

WHAT. THE. HECK.
So, if anyone wants to comment on what they think this hole is, please do, because,
holy cow.
And one final picture. In our yard, we have the usual tricycles, bicycles, scooters, etc. The difference about our yard is that they are all abandoned, because, as per my children's new favorite toy, in our yard, this is how we roll.

Jocelyn Tahauri

I love baby girls. I love my boys more than life itself, and (but) I ALSO....LOVE BABY GIRLS!!!!
This is our bishop, Jeff Tahauri, with his brand new baby girl,

Jocelyn (Tahitian middle name which I cannot remember) Tahauri

Isn't she gorgeous! ALL of these pics would have looked MUCH better in black and white, but I cannot figure out how to do that on my computer, so here they are in TECHNICOLOR!

Hooray!

On Saturday, Joe's family and I got to go to the temple to do David's (Joe's brother) temple work!
It was a beautiful, and special day. I love the temple very much. So much that despite having just gotten my temple recommend renewed, and losing the wallet that contained it, I have no embarrassment whatsoever about going to the bishops office next Sunday and telling him that just a week later I need another one. I can't wait to go back! (to the temple, I mean, though I do like my bishop, too)

Even Tennille was there in spirit. She went to a session in Logan Utah at the same time we did. Eerily, there was a woman in our session who looked VERY similar to Tennille. She was Tennille by proxy. Families are Forever!! Viva La Family!!!!!!

The earthly item that will never, ever, EVER get lost

Sigh. In the last two months, I have lost my keys, the cordless phone, and now, my wallet. Actually, my wallet's days were numbered as this is something like the 36th time I have lost it, and now it is really, and truly gone. Eaten by the house. We, Joe and I, have lost remote controls, birth certificates, titles to our cars, and-gulp-children. We have lost sweaters, movies, receipts, money, grocery bags full of food, cars in parking lots, more keys than I can count, shoes, and on, and on, and on and on. The saying you can't take it with you should have an explanation underneath it.
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
-Because it will be lost before then.
The item below is original to the house. It is 25 years old. My bathroom plug is the same age as I am. Somewhere, when my mom was giving birth to me, a bathroom plug was also born, and instilled in our home. When we first moved in, we were told the plug had never been lost since first arriving here in its (then) brand new home. Ha! I thought. Knowing Joe and I's penchant for losing things, I smirked, knowing the tub plug was soon to be gone without a trace. After Joe and I searched for my wallet yesterday for a combined total of 7 hours between us, (no, the house has still got it) it occurred to me that despite losing so many important items, (we have lost pretty much everything we own at least once) and despite having mentally DARED that piece of plastic to stand up to the Bermuda triangle that is our home, here we are. 4 and a half years later, and our BELOVED quarter of a century old tub plug is still around. Never to be lost. Ever.

Who says boys can't acessorize?

My boys can definitely accessorize. With absolutely no prompting from me, this is what Kurt and Cleve do with spare vacuum belts that they find. Don't they look like little fashionistas?

I am starting a tag!

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Siamese Sedona
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Pistachio Peanut Butter
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) MSeg
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Fish
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Renee Almyra
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Segme
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Green Diet Pepsi
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) David George
9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Romance Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Ann Scott
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Peterson Pittsburgh
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Autumn Rose
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Watermelon Jeansy
14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Chex Jacaranda
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, weather element+ Tour") The photography blizzard Tour
I thought this was fun. Ok, I tag Kristie, Jill, Liz, Melissa, Angel, and everyone else!
Melanie

Joe's birthday chair!

IT'S HERE! YAAAAAAAAAY!!!
Many moons ago, I planned on getting a chair for Joe. I love my man so much. He works so hard! But at the end of his long, hard workday, he would have to come home, and relax on a tiny, very uncomfortable sofa made of vinyl. Vinyl is not comfy or cozy. So, I plotted, and schemed, and made a trip to the local Lazy Boy, and waited, IMPATIENTLY for his birthday to arrive! Well, Joe turned 35 without the chair, as we had to wait a few more days (still a surprise) and finally, as of this morning, look what Joe gets to come home and snuggle up in!!!
It is MUCHO comfortable!!! And when I lose a few more pounds I can snuggle up with him!
Happy birthday my love of eternity!

I picked out this fabric because the saleslady told me it, being tapestry, would last through the millenium. She told me that with its lifetime warranty, and the chairs lifetime warranty, the day my kids leave for college, the chair will still look the same as today. Of course she sold me at that statement, its what she does. I am helpless against sales techniques. But even so, isn't it gorgeous? Look at the stitching! All of the detail on those leaves are raised stitches!!

YAAAAAAAY!!!! We have an iconic piece of furniture!

Halloweentime at Disney!

Disneyland, baby! Heck yeah!

This is my very dear friend Kristie and her two kids, Devin and Analise. She, and Denise Pedroza and her son A.J. (they couldn't come this time) make up what I have dubbed, "The Unofficial Disneyland Mommies Club", or T.U.D.M.C. Tudmac. We all have passes, and used to go at least once a month, usually twice, sometimes thrice. After a long dry spell in which both Denise and I had babies, we are all no longer preggo, and Tudmac is back! Anyway, the following pics are of Kristy and our kids. She is so awesome. Our friendship sort of crept up on us. We met when William and Angel were driving me to Utah to go live there. She and Adam were also making the trip and we met at that gas station when I was 18. Needless to say, I did not stay in Utah, or these pictures would not be here. Anyway, over the course of the next 7 years, we kept on hanging out through church callings, and moments of inspiration where we'd think to do stuff together, and now we talk on the phone nearly every single day (for at least an hour) She was at my wedding (where she wore the same dress as my mom, haha, Kristie will hate that I put that) and now we have five kids between us! I once delivered cupcakes to Kristie on her birthday, and then was brutally verbally attacked by her antimormon neighbor while Kristie watched, horrified, from her deck. Once, we were in the temple, and the lady in front of us had a giant spider crawling all over her! In vain, Kristie and I sought to brush that spider off, but as we later discovered, sitting behind her, we had failed in our attempt. We have commiserated on illnesses, food storage, potty training, and tantrums. We have shared thanksgivings, and baby blessings.
Kristie is the best mom I know. She is so much fun, so happy, and always there for me. And she is so faithful, and has such a strong testimony, she really inspires me.
Anyway, to reiterate,
TUDMAC IS BACK!

Too cool for school, baby.

THE ADORABLE MOODS OF INSANELY CUTE DEVIN

...happy...no....joyful...

...silly....

...contemplative.

Disneyland has underestimated one of their most popular attractions. They are unobtrusive, unadvertised, and to every child on the planet, irresistible. The guardrails in every line. See the few pics below, and trust me, they are only three guardrail adventures of about, oh, a hundred.

Climbing on the decorations guardrails....

...climbing on the tortilla factory guardrails...

........"Stop climbing on the guardrails!!!"

stop climbing on the guardrails? Yeah right.

Kurt and Analise, (straight from his mouth, folks) "the best girl on Earth"

For anyone who has ever or never been on the DCA Ferris wheel, it's vomit inducing fun!

"Kurt's the rootinest, tootinest, cowboy in the wiiiiiiiiild west!"

Happy Halloween!