OK - QUICKLY, I want to post these pics before I'm off to bed so I can get up early in the morning and drive up to the mountains and play in the snow!!

Went to see Twilight with Melissa & Lacey a couple of weeks ago. . . LOVED comparing the book to the movie . . . 

I'm NOT a "reader" but I was looking for an audiobook to listen to on our MANY, MANY hours of driving back to OK, MO, TX . . .  so after Melissa and my cousin Jessica both suggested I read Twilight . . . I decided to listen to 12 hours of that book on the way back home.  Remember, I'm not use to reading anything except Biology, The Bible, The Power of a Positive Mom, etc - so this was a new experience for me.  I think it really did help the time go by faster as we drove . . . but I was pretty tired of hearing adjective after adjective being read at me in describing HOW totally irresistible Edward was!!  lol!!!  : )  I was like, OK!  I've got it already!!

(Don't mind my crazy hair!! lol!)

Lacey & Melissa showing how many times they had seen Twilight

My favorite part of the whole thing was being able to compare the movie to the book . . . remember, I'm NOT a "reader" so this is a first for me!  I think I might try it again with another movie!  I'm open for suggestions!  : ) 

So my favorite part of the book was where Bella and Edward touch for the first time in the meadow and the movie didn't EVEN portray that at all!!  What do you think? 

I also thought the bases on the "baseball field" should have been way further apart . . .  

I also thought James was WAY CREEPIER in the book that he was portrayed in the movie - almost like Jack Nickleson in Silence of the Lamb of something . . .

Melissa's main peev is that the movie made it look like Edward came SUPER close to losing control when sucking Bellas blood to keep her from turning  - she feels like his true character loved Bella so much that it wasn't that hard for him  . . . is that right Mel?? 

OK - this was also one of my FAVE parts!!!

OK - lets discuss amongst ourselves . . .   : )

So we've been having a good visit out here in Missouri, visiting Monte's family. No snow yet - looks like we probably won't get any . . .

We had a good trip to Branson and got in just enough shopping (found more for Ainsley than for me) and got to eat at Landrey's (yummmm).  Oh yah, also got to eat at Panera Bread for the first time with my sis-law Dana, and LOVED it!  Wish we had one close to us in CA!!

So in the mean time we are back at Monte's parents so thought I would take this time to update with some more pics I had already uploaded at home.

This time:

DISNEYLAND!!

Here is Ainsley eating with her CHOP STICKS at PF Chang's across the street from our hotel in Anaheim.

I have been wanting to eat at one of these ever since I would hear Lyndsay talk about it being her fave place to eat! It was great!  Although VERY busy and very LOUD!!

Here I am AFTER rideing SCREAMIN' OVER California!  Ugghgh! I was sooo sick . . . we don't even want to discuss the details!  I'm such a pansy!  I use to be able to ride the Tidal Wave 7 times straight at Great America!  OK - that was like 20 years ago I guess!

Yeah!  It's Mickey!!

My mom, me and Ainsley with yummy treats from the bakery @ CA Adventure

Ainsley & I at Minnie's dresser

Ainsley hugging Koda (I think)

Ainsley & Monte wet after riding the Grizzy River Rapds!!  . .. yes, it was somewhat cold being wet in December but it didn't stop us!

Our chowder and Gumbo - YUM-EEE!

This was taken just a little before midnight after we rode the Winnie the Pooh ride 2 times in a row without getting off and BEFORE we got on SPLASH Mountain!

Monte & Ainsley in front of "It's a Small World"

Grandma Barbara, Ainsley & Monte playing in the "snow" after the fireworks show in front of the castle

Seems like just us Xanag girls keep Disneyland busy, huh?  : )

So our 6th Annual Rook Tourney was a blast as usual!  I laughed and laughed - a lot of it was thanks to ANDY!    OK, and Uncle Myron too.

We drew for partners again this year so that is always fun to see who you're going to get to try to win the whole tournament with!  Monte goes to great lengths and pains to do up a tournament bracket that works for the number of players we have:  here is the product of all of his hard work this year.

This was most of the gnarly crew that hadn't already left anyway . . .

The BIGGEST LOSER team was my friend Kriste from work and my sis-law Jill (who is preg-o)
Their prize was a BIG pen or pencil with note cards that said "THINGS TO DO" and I wrote in: "Learn how to play Rook BETTER!"  lol!!

Kriste's husband, Randy and Muriel were the 2008 CHAMPS!!!  They had never met before!  Goes to show that it is just pure TALENT that gets you to the top!  ha!  They received goodies along w/a Starbuck's gift card : )  The Championship game was over @ 1 am!

My nephew Cole and I were partners.  This is the scorecard of how bad we got beat by the champs!!    MAYBE if Cole wasn't TEXTING while we were trying to play - we might have done better!?!!? 

Well, we are in Missouri now and I hope to be seeing a lot of you at the OKC NY Meeting soon!  Maybe I will have time this week to get some more blogging done w/my pics.  But FIRST we will be going to Branson tomorrow to hopefully get in some good SHOPPING!!!

Now we're off to the 7:30 services at Field Stone on Sunday night!!!  Can you believe that??  They STILL have 7:30 Sunday night services!!  : ) 

It's 15 degrees here - what's the temp at your house??

Happy 30th Birthday Megan!

Cheryl & Megan (mom & daughter)

Rosemarie & I (I guess I have a "sleepy" eye, huh?)

Cindy, Logan and Mary (Logan is Mary's)

Rachel (my sis) and Hannah

Ruby Jean & Nan enjoying their high fructose mochiotto's!  : )  (Melissa's favorite drink - except WITHOUT all the suger -right?! )

Olive Garden . . . when you're here - your family! . . . and FULL!

And we "celebrated" Andy's 30th b'day at our Rook Tournament Friday night! 

Well, really, we just sang to him and that seemed to be far too MUCH by the expressions on his face!  lol!

Rendi & Andy

I will post more pics of our Rook Tourney, Disneyland, Thanksgiving etc in a "next" post soon - I hope!  We will be leaving in just a few DAYS to drive to Missouri!

I've enjoyed looking at everyone's pics and their "goings-on" - sorry I haven't had time to comment on them!

Here are a couple of "fans" at the Branches Harvest Party the other day.  One Texas fan and one  Dodgers fan.  Let me know if you  can figure out who they are (IF you weren't there!)

This is definitely one of the funniest things I have seen in a LONG time!!  LOL!!  And I want to hear all of the "grief" from all of you Texas fans so I can pass it along!!!

Hope you enjoy this half as much as we all did at the party!!!

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 

Ainsley & Cousin Kendra leaning on Uncle Greg at Kendra's soccer game

Kendra, Ainsley, Deja and Madison with their HUGE Costco-size cupcakes after the game

Parent Day at Ainsley's school.

Ms. Brandee asked me to come in and talk about what I do as a nurse and to wear the "garb" so I found my nurse hat we only wore for graduation and my Dr. Seuss scrub top.  I brought in all sorts of things for them to have a "hands on" experience and then let them "use it" on their teacher!  ha!  I think their favorite was the tourniquet and putting it on Ms. Brandee and trying to find veins . . . or maybe it was the pill cutter and cutting a candy corn in half - they ALL wanted to be the patient and receive the medicine! 

Raggedy Ann just got back from Grandma Barbara's with a "surgical note" on her so I HAD to bring her in to share about her surgery and ask them what they knew about the word.  Dr. Grandma Barbara had done a reattachment of a severed arm!!
 

Ainsley brought one of her Sassy dogs to school to show and tell for the week of letter "D"

Deja's 8th birthday party!! 

Deja's mom Ruby, and George (a lurker) cookin' up the pizzas!

Such cute outfits!!  Ainsley was Daphne from Scooby Doo if you can't tell!  : )

Got my FIRST pedicure with Rosemarie!!  (Even though this French manicure doesn't do much for my Flintstone toes . . . it felt soooooo good!!  They did tons of massaging on my feet and calves and then did a warm stone massage after that!  I can't believe I've never had one of these before!!!  I am definitely going back!!!  And the CHAIR that I sat it was so awesome!  it gave my back a GREAT massage! Not use to those expensive kind that really WORK I guess!  lol! 

And to top off my day I ALSO had an hour full body massage at a different salon!  One of Monte's old student's just finished her schooling for massage and she is doing $25 massages right now so she can get enough under her belt to be certified . . . she did GREAT!!!

So we had a little watch party for the Mizzou game on Saturday night since they haven't beaten Nebraska at home in like 30 years . . . and my husband was pretty confident they WOULD this year!!  : )

Ainsley & I made cookies decorated with some of the players numbers . . .

 

We also made MIZZOU stickers and put them on everything we could think of!  We labeled the cups with our guests names  . . . granted - most were a little crooked, thanks to Ainsley's sticker skills . . .

I figured this was probably the best shot of me anyway . . .
Our little "tiger"

Did I mention we put stickers on everything we could think of?  : )

And Ainsley made Mizzou hats earlier in the day:  Monte is sporting the "visor" style and Cousin Cole is wearing the classic party hat style  : )

And since MIZZOU was NOT playing OU - Kendra even got into the spirit and drew her version of a MIZZOU TIGER!
Her's is on the left and the other 2 are Ainsley's interpretation of Truman the Tiger  : )

We had lots of food and fun and we were even able to talk quite a bit during the game since MIZZOU was winning by such a large margin! 

MIZZOU 52 - Nebraska 17

We had an impromptu dinner for Nan's b'day (just a little late) at the new restaurant in the mall parking lot (BJ's)
The menu was huge - but when we finally decided on what to eat, everyone was happy with what they got!

Here's Nan w/her Pizookie!  (We all shared it)
For those of you that rated Nan #1 on the "most scary face" contest for "CherryCarly" - I thought I would try to help even it out by posting a GOOD picture of her! She IS beautiful INSIDE and out and is a great friend!
 

We had a great time chit-chatting about everything! 
Ainsley said "When you left it was daylight and now it's dark!  WHAT could you do for THAT long!?!"  LOL!!

Me, Rachel, Nan, Brenda & Pam

  A couple months late but . . . .

ANNOUNCING Mr & Mrs. Jace DeGough!!!

Ainsley looked up at Jace and affectionately copied his pose : )

The beautiful bride Bethany 

Jace's mom Nan & his new wife Bethany

Bethany and her sweet mamma, Daretia 

What a TOUGH job Ainsley had walking with these two LOOKERS!!!
Adam & Eli Frie (the bride's brothers)

Ainsley helping clean up the extra flowers!

It was a beautiful wedding with beautiful people, inside and out! 

AINSLEY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

I am so happy how things turned out for Ainsley as far as school. . . when a brand new Kinder Care opened down the street all of my questions were answered of WHAT to do!

Ainsley just missed the deadline to start K-garten this year since her b'day is December - but K-Care has a new K-garten program that they let me put her in!!!  So because it is a private school (and I'm PAYING them!  ha!) they let her be in the K-garten class with the rest of the kids that are in half day K-garten at a public school and then come to K-Care for the 2nd half of the day for more curriculum and play!

We only signed her up for two 4 1/2 hr days a week, but she is really wanting to go more!!!  So I don't know . . . we'll see how much money we think we can really spend on this! 

It is so weird having "child care" though!  She has only gone for 2 days, but I got so much done while she was in school - it was crazy!  Since I'm already up and ready I can go do those things that I really don't want to do . . . because I'd have to "get ready"!  ha!

Thursday after I dropped her off I went to visit my G'pa in a rehab facility, my mom was there so visited w/her for a while, then went to walmart and did all of that kind of shopping and when I was done it was only 11 am!!  That's usually when I get up (I work nights)!  So since I didn't have to pick Ainsley up until 12:45, I went ahead and ate ALL BY MYSELF at Fresh Choice and it was GREAT!!!  I kept thinking . . . "wow!  This is the life of a mom w/kids in SCHOOL!!!"  ha!

Eating the orange roll that daddy made for her for breakfast

In her new Hello Kitty outfit, bought special for this day!  : )
The facility is brand new, along with the toys & supplies so everything looks so fun!!  .... just waiting to be played with!  : )

Sitting at the computer and EAGER to use it!

Playing with the puppets

Ainsley and Ms. Brande - she just loves her teacher . . . and so do I!  She is very energetic and ready to teach!  She just taught K-garten to her daughter last year for homeschool, plus she use to teach K-garten at Big Valley Grace so I think she is perfect!

Of course, Ainsley didn't want to go home when I came to pick her up since most of the other kids get to stay. . . . oh well, I guess it could be worse!