Warning....Political thoughts ahead!

Did you hear that?  That long lonely lull across Jessica World?  The sparkly purple dust devils as the bounce merrily along the desert landscape that is my blog?  Life (aka Softball) has been our focus since March and frankly, I've done good to get my house clean on a regular basis with everything going on.  But there is no more softball (at least until July 23rd) and as I sat reading the paper this evening two articles just...well to put it frankly...they pissed me off.  Those of you under the age of 15 who may read my blog, I apologize.  And I'll try to keep it to a minimum through out the rest of it.  But there is no other word that can strongly evoke the feeling that these two articles gave me.  I'm pretty sure the next few words are all I have to say to let you know that this blog will probably be a hotbed of feelings for others.  But, you chose to come to Jessica World and the rainbows, they are more smelly than pretty today.  Those words are: Toll Road and Abortion.

First...the dang Toll Road.  The Dallas Morning News placed it on the front page but first tried to lull me into a haze of happiness and satisfaction by placing a big lovely picture of Dirk at his hometown being greeted by the throng of German fans.  But....right below that...was THE article.  NTTA tolls to rise 6 PERCENT Friday.  Did anyone ask you?  I know I wasn't asked.  Nor did I get the chance to shrug off my civic duty and not vote.  OH NO.  They don't have to ask.  Let me repeat that.  THEY DON'T HAVE TO ASK.  They can raise rates as they please.  And in 2009 they elected to do it EVERY TWO YEARS.  FOREVER.  Or until they decide not to.  Which why would they?  They're reasoning is that they have to do this because they can't depend on traffic increasing to sustain their finances.  Um...do you know why?  Because it costs too damn much to drive on your stupid toll roads!  I know I know.  If I don't want to pay it, I don't have to ride on it.  And I don't.  But lets see how much business sense this makes:  You have less and less customers, so raise the price so you still make the same amount.  Which means you have less customers.  So you raise it again.  And you'll go on and on.  Their reason behind is because it costs too much to keep building the roads.  Um...so stop?  Why not, when you're building the dang thing (see, I caught myself that time) build with the future in mind?  You can't tell me that all of the brilliant mathematicians out there don't have some handy formula or algorithm that can project the population 50 years from now and what type of infrastructure would be needed to support that population.  The 121 toll road is a key thing.  You would have thought that COMMON FRIGGIN SENSE would have told the engineers "Hmm...maybe, just MAYBE, people might want to enter and exit from the Dallas North Tollway so we should add that to it while we're building".  Nooooooo.  Let's just make it more difficult, for even longer. 

But, we should all take heart.  Because the increase is only going to be 15.3 cents a mile and will only be $40 more a year for toll-paying commuters who drive 10 miles each day back and forth.  Did you know that you were only charged by the mile?  Because last I checked, I paid that damn $1.24 whether I drove all the way to I-35 or if I exited at 544 because I just wanted to skip the traffic at the lights at Josey in the morning.  And I promise you, that is not an 8 mile drive.  Maybe if they actually charged us by the mile, they'd have more people using it.  Because I'd pay 15.3 cents per mile, that's not that bad. 

Oh.. and did I mention that just below this article was the article stating the toll roads were rising was an article stating that they were cutting NINE BILLION dollars from our state education system?  Has anyone heard if they are cutting funds from our prison system?  Because that's who needs all the money, our felons.

Well...I think that's a great segway

So...here's some food for thought.  I understand pro-life philosophy and thoughts.  What I don't understand is why you would take funding away from women who need it!  Not just women who are choosing abortion.  But women who go out and bust their ass working a job that doesn't pay crap, much less offer any kind of health plan.  Those women who serve you your food when you go out to eat.  Or clean the toilet in the building where you work.  Or even clean the toilet in the home where you live.  How many of those women take advantage of free and reduced price health care at places like Parkland, Planned Parenthood and your local county medical offices?  And we choose to take it away.  Why not just make the way the money goes out more clear so that we can see where the tax payer money goes and that its not going to abortions?  Because abortions aren't going to stop.  Its not just some new thing that happened because of Roe Vs Wade.  That bit of law just helped the back alley clinics and women shoving a hanger into their cervix or pumping themselves full of lye in the hopes of terminating their pregnancy.   If, as a society, we were truly pro-life, there would be no children outside of a loving home.  No children that have to float through the system just praying that someone will take the chance to love them.  No children with medical issues that are just out there.  These are the children who are left behind.

Readers in Random Countries

I like to go back and check out the stats from my posts.  They are extremely modest when compared to other blogs but still kinda cool when you look at all the info behind whose reading (without actually knowing who's reading).  And there are some random countries that people read my blog in.  And I have no idea how they found my blog.  Although, I am hoping that its my cousing (Holla DJ!  You should get the wifey to read so I can be read in the Phillipines, lol ;~D) but if not, it will be left to my imagination....

Imagine thats its JK Rowling!  She saw on my FB page that she's one of my heroes and that HP has been read so many times in my house by the two of us that one of our books is falling apart and we have to replace it because the pages are falling out.  She saw one of my links and decided "Hey, I'm bored today.  What is one of my fans thinking?"  and found her way to my slice of unicorn butterfly pooping sparkley raindow universe.  And found that she liked it here!  And made the ulitmate decision to marry Albus Severus off to a beautiful American born witch named Jessica.  And they went on to have children, one of which was actually a Dark wizard, lured over to the Dark Arts by tales of what happens in the Department of Mysteries...and whose cousins have to hunt him down and convince him to repent!  Their story is told in a three book arc that sells millions and millions of books.  And a percentage is given to me (small, small but still) as the inspiration!!!

OR...well I have to go to class and frankly I can't imagine anything more awesome than that.  So I'm going to leave it at that.  And maybe jump in again tomorrow.  Cause I remembered that I like writing down whats in my head. ;~)

LFGN

Learning....and then learning some more

 BeI don't know why, but I am always amazed at the different ways I can learn and the events that teach me.  I have learned when I was expected to, in a classroom setting or when trying something new.  Those are some of my favorite places and types of learning.  I know when I walk in that my brain will gain a new wrinkle and possible more useless facts to pull out of thin air to amaze others with what I know.  Sometimes I act like the kid from Jerry Maguire "Did you know a baby bunny is a kit?  That Six Flags is named that because its about the six countries that have been over Texas (that's a good one to pull out with someone who isn't from here)? That the guy from Dirty Dancing played Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast? (Something I did not know until today!)"

And now you get to laugh at me.  Its been so long since I blogged that I figured I'd come by and do a brain dump.  Which is when I found this lovely beginning to a blog.  Except I have no idea where I was going with it.  And I totally tried to pull it off and finish it so none of you would be the wiser.  But I didn't.  Cause I couldn't.  Which makes me a little sad because it read like a really good one!  Oh well.

Anywho...which is a website, did you know that?  You can go to anywho.com and find phone numbers or find out who a phone number belongs to.  Its fabulous.  But I took another left again.  Got to be careful with those lefts or otherwise we'd just end up in a square.  And square's can be boring and box like.  Not like triangles, which can make for a great base or fill up a corner.  Or diamonds, which hello, are a girls best friend.  And yes, I am totally distractable and there is a reason why Aleisa is very naturally like Dori from Finding Nemo...ooo a butterfly.

To finish up, I learned today that the President is a citizen.  WOW...so glad that was finally cleared up.  Now we can focus in on what kind of underwear he likes or maybe even....gasp...does he wear white socks?  Or black socks?  Or even...no socks?  Which means he has stinky feet!  Or maybe we could think about our budget.  Or education and how we are at the bottom of the totem poll in regards to the industrial world.  Countries I've never even heard of before are better educated than we are.  And I bet their kids know where the United States is on a map.  Granted, we're like, totally huge and easy to find.  But still.  Do you know which country in Europe is which?  And no, Italy and England don't count.  A big ol boot and an island are gimmes.  And yes, I realized I just called myself a tad bit unlearned.  Shocking I know.  But there it is.  Now I'll have to go find some really cool looking almanac and find those countries.  Or I could just challenge you to a game of Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy.  Either way....

LGFN! 

Randomness...Part Trey =)

For some reason, I just love that we call my BIL Trey.  It's not his given name, just what he's called because he's a III.  I keep trying to come up with a cool name should he have a IV, but words for four don't have any good rings to them.  Four, Quatro, Cetiri, Fire (I promise it's 4 in Danish), Nelja.  Although Quatre is 4 in French and that could be kind of cute.  But he'd probably have to become a boxer because he might get teased.  And just yesterday I came up with a name for my next daughter (should God bless me with one)....Marchelle.  I love MLPs real name, Marshal, but he dislikes it.  But I love it.  So with Marshal and Rachelle (my middle) she'd be named after both of us and have something different and unique.  PLUS I could again name a girl after favorite aunts in a way.  One of my favorite aunt's middle name is Marie and then one of my daughters' aunts is Michelle.  So it works.  If I had my way, I'd have a son and MLP would let me have a Jr and then I could call him MJ and he'd be named after both of us too.  But I did mention previously that he isn't all in love with his name.  But a girl can hope....for a son to name. =)

Another thing thats been going through my brain is people who don't turn right on a GREEN light.  I'm telling you, yesterday this lady sat there for a FULL MINUTE while the light was green before she turned right.  I was thiiiiiiiis close to honking my horn at her when she finally went.  And no, it wasn't because she wasn't paying attention because she kept looking to the left and right at the cars to see if she could go!!!  THE LIGHT IS GREEN LADY...GREEN MEANS GO!  In almost any language or culture... I know because my humanities teacher told me so. 

Speaking of Humanities, I am really hating that dang class.  Which is very upsetting to me.  Thats supposed to be a class that is right up my alley.  But all she is concerned about is some damn hero model complex friggin project.  I didn't even get to talk about how the author of the text book should have mentioned that without Marius or Sulla, we'd have never gotten a Caesar.  Marius and Sulla gave their soldiers a reason to be loyal to their general and not necessarily to the State.  But noooo.  She does have some interesting music videos that she's made.  And she's really knowledgable about it, which is more than I can say for that last class I hated.  I just hate this stupid hero project. 

Thats about all I gots.  Maybe later I'll drop more randomness...

LFGN!

My Next Thirty Years

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

The lyrics from this song are so spot on.  As I sit here on the morning of my last day at 29 (I refuse to stay 29 forever), reflecting on life so far, I think I might be ok with it.  I've been known to say in the last year "You can't call me a baby anymore after this.  I've had my big girl panties on for quite some time and dang it, I'm not a baby!".  To which all those who consider me a baby/youngster/kid, fondly shake their heads and pat me on mine.  Not physically, but I can totally see it in their eyes that that is what they want to do. 

To give a quick recap, my first few years were eventful and gave me cause to be a little adult in very many ways (sometimes I thought I was waaaay too big for my britches.  Thank you for parents who reminded me very quickly I wasn't.  I've made better choices as a grown up because of it).  I'm an only child to parents who were young parents too.  I'm the second oldest grandkid on both sides and I am blessed to have had some of them grow very close to me, so I did get to experience bits and pieces of having little brothers and sisters.  (And yes, I am still very mad that you two made me get me clubhouse taken down just because I didn't want you to come play with me.  And sorry if I freaked you out because I told you there were dinosaurs under the bed ;D )  I was kind of boring as a kid because I liked to read...A LOT.  But I had my moments, no worries.  Fast forward to 17 and.....commence big girl panties.  Aleisa came along and changed everything.  My Mom was there for the first 6-10 weeks or so and then she went back to work with my Dad and it was just Lance and I.  Alone being parents.  Thank you sweet baby Jesus for letting Aleisa live through that!  Although....maybe that fall from the couch has something to do with....nevermind. ;~D

Lets fast forward again, through living in our first apartment, my first telemarketer job (I think almost everyone should try it at least once. You'll still give them crap when they call but it will be funny crap instead of mean), working at the daycare...I think I'll stop here for a minute.  This job probably did more to prepare me than any other.  I learned that sometimes, you're kid can be a brat.  And it's ok to admit that.  It has nothing to do with you as a parent and you shouldn't get defensive and try to say "Not my little Johnny".  Every child on the face of the planet has been a brat at least twenty times.  They're kids, it's what they do.  I learned a LOT of patience.  Sometimes talking softly gets you further with a conversation than yelliing (now is that something I practice a lot...um NO).  A wooden spoon can strike enough fear to qwell any rebellion (Thank you Melissa and Jane!).  Anything can be learned in a song (Go poopoo in the pooootty, go poopoo in the poooootty sung to the Blue's Clues song was the hardest to sing with a straight face and at the mall bathroom).  Check lists are a MUST.  Plan, plan, plan.  Start Monthly, Go Weekly and the days fall in place.  ALWAYS have a back-up plan.  A good game of kickball can do wonders.  And most importantly....shaving cream cleans anything ;~). 

I met so many wonderful people working there and my life was changed in ways that I'll probably only realize as I'm reflecting again after my next thirty years are the beginning of the next twenty.  I am where I am because I met them.  Because of the J's, I'm a firm believer that, other than transporting, it IS easier with more kids.  Transporting....eh not so much.  A car plus 4 kids...someone pass me a bloody mary from the Casa (not that I ever had one, but I have it on good authority that they are the best!).   If not for the R's, there are some weeks of life that would have been so very difficult to manage.  Some very special non-birth children that I'll probably always peek in on: MN, EJ, SJ, JJ, JR, JR and TB; Miss Jessica will always have time to sit down and give you her full attention to whatever you have to say!

Skip to the loo a little bit and we're back to 29!  MLP and Miss A have made life an adventure.  Granted sometimes that adventure has taken me to Hades but we always make it back.  Miss A has shown me that it's ok to be outgoing and talk to strangers.  Because I promise you, I was NOT like that when I was her age.  The Me I am now is very different.  I took the saying "Fake it til you make it" to heart.  Plus I realized that so what if you don't like me.  I probably don't like you either.  If you're not in my realm of caring, then well...I don't care.  It can be harsh at times but its so much easier to be happy with yourself when you don't tether that to what others think. 

So...to do list for the next thirty:
1. Graduate, possibly to a Masters
2. Watch Aleisa graduate from college
3. Walk where Jesus did
4. Walk where Caesar did
5. See pyramids
6. Jump from something really high and try to get over my fear of falling
7. Finish one of my stories
8. Speak Italian
9. Create the perfect holiday dinner
10. Perfect a recipe that is all my own
11. Do the splits
12. Shake hands with a President
Thats enough for now =)

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Finish raising my family and being a wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
*Thank you to Phil Vasser for writing this great song and Tim McGraw for giving it the vocals needed for impact!

LGFN!

WW: 2/11-2/13

This weekend wrap-up isn't really a whole weekend wrap-up, more like a 2/3 kinda deal.  Friday sucked.  Really sucked.  And thats all you need to know. =)

Saturday started out not to much better.  My car has decided to throw a fit which put me behind even further on the three projects I have due for school.  That and I had to be ready for our VIP Movie Premier party and still had lots to do for that.  I totally remembered this weekend why we don't do big birthdays every year becase 1.) Its really frigging expensive  2.) Its takes way more time than you think  3.) Its mentally draining.  BUT...while it didn't go like I planned (neither of the cameras for the papapparazzi worked, time ran out and we were running late and not all of her besties came) it turned out really well.  The girls basically just chilled in the room before the Justin Bieber movie, eating munchies and listened to his music.  Then People Magazine came (aka Tiffany) and took lots of great pics on the "red carpet".  We also got some pics with the Biebs himself...well himself being the door poster that I bought but whatever.  I heard phrases of "best party ever" so that made me happy.  The movie was really sweet and I get why the girls are so lala over him.  He is PRECIOUS and very talented.  That kid plays four instruments, he can sing, he can dance (man can that kid dance), he's athletic...basically in 10 years, he could make me a cougar, rofl.  But according to Miss A, he'll be my son-in-law.  Which is cool because he'll make someone some beautiful grandbabies one day.  His story is pretty incredible and his Mom is awesome.  Tiffany and I both loved how often they prayed together and their faith showed through all the time.  While I didn't like paying $10 to go watch a True Hollywood Story, for a music documentary it wasn't half bad.  More like half great ;~)

Miss A just loved everything about her birthday this year.  From breakfast at IHop (probably her favorite joke every, spell it out loud a couple of times, you'll get it) on her actual birthday, to all the snow days around it, completely totally awesome invitations (THANK YOU STEPHANIE!!!) and a great time with her friends, she is one happy twelve year old.

Sunday was a good day.  MLP went off to do his thing on a pool (yay money! lol) and Miss A and I got to have some hang out time.  We also cleaned a bit...just a small bit, come on you all know me.  Once MLP got done, we went out to the Mack and had Sunday dinner with the in-laws, which was yummy (brisket, asperagus and Sal-ad).  That is a situation that I am always apprehensive about so I love when it goes well.   My MIL looked so much better and has gained some weight (Thank You Jesus!) so the treatment is working.  Again, thank you Jesus!!!  We made plans to go to Arsenic and Old Lace (oh crap, I just realized that I forgot to call her...better do that later) which I am looking forward too.  Oh and btw Miss T...you're going too!  How'd you like finding out this way? ;~) lol

All in all, while not the most exciting of weekends I was much happier Sunday than I thought I could be when I hit the sheets on Friday night.  Hope this Valentine's Day gives you the chance to tell those in your life that you care and love them.  Yes this day has been completely commercialized, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing to get their undivided attention and make sure they take in just how much you adore them!!

LGFN =~)

WW- Weekend Wrap up

Well this weekend was a mixture of laziness and accomplishments.  Friday Miss A had a school fun night at our local Main Event so I headed over to one of my most favorite places in the whole wide world....Barnes & Nobles!  I spent a blissfull hour and a half browsing and doing some research for my hero project for Humanities.  During class I looked at a table mate and said "A or B?"  They looked at me a little like my head was on sideways before they said A.  They didn't know that A was Alexander the Great and B was Boadicea (a leader of the Iceni tribe that was in modern day Norfolk/Suffolk region of England).  Both of those are interesting to me (he left such an impression upon the world that it influenced leaders for centuries to come; she was a strong female leader that overcame adversity) but I couldn't decide which.  But anyways.  Miss A ended up getting to go have a sleepover and didn't make it home til around 5ish on Saturday.  I spent Saturday doing a mix of housework and watching the telly/reading books.  Took Miss A to our local kid hang out and got to spend some time with MLP watching the movie Knight and Day.  Which is a good movie IMHO. 

Sunday was a good day.  We went to Mass as whole family and then went out for breakfast.  I had a craving for pancakes but when we got to IHOP it was waaaaay to busy.  So we decided to hit Golden Corral.  This place is a little bit of a waste for me to go to (I've been trying to just split something with L or A anytime we go out to eat) but it was nice to be able to have a little bit of anything I could want.  Ironically, I did NOT have any pancakes.  But their cheesey hashbrown casserole was sooo yummy, it is definitely going on the menu for one day in February.  After breakfast we headed home to do some much needed cleaning.  Thursday is the Chinese New Year and for good luck all year long, you should sweep out all the dust and disappoitments by midnight on February 2.  If you lift even a Swiffer, you'll sweep all the good stuff away.  Also buy something new and make sure its red.  So remember that, go shopping and NO CLEANING ON THURSDAY.  Or you'll not have any good luck.  Thats my story and I'm sticking to it ;~)

My big thing for this weekend was to start having Sunday dinner.  Now yes, we always eat dinners on Sundays but now I want to start making them seem like the Sunday dinners that I remember.  We didn't have anyone coming over to eat with us (which will happen on other Sundays) but I did have some yummo ideas for what we were eating: Turkeyburger steak (ground turkey, diced onions, brown gravy mix, breadcrumbs and an egg), Asperagus au gratin (asperagus with provolone and parm) and cubed potatoes (basically a peeled potatoe cubed and baked with olive oil and sea salt).  Unfortunately, when I told MLP what time I wanted us to eat (around 4 pm) he balked a little bit and said I should just start cooking around 4.  Which doesn't give us the time that I want us to have for Sunday dinner because A has to be at Youth by 5:30.  So by the time I finished getting everything ready we had about 20 minutes to eat.  Which is NOT a Sunday dinner in my mind, thats a normal everyday dinner (rushing to eat to get somewhere).  But we enjoyed having something different, I got a head start on making a new recipe and my house is CLEAN!!!

Next Sunday won't count because its....Super Bowl!  But we are going to open our house up, so feel free to stop by for football, food and fun!  Pending nasty weather, we'll have some fun outside stuff to do, the game going on our screen (digital TV with digital cable) and the Wii available in the back room to send the kids away as needed.  My menu will also depend on the weather, because I am NOT going to stand outside by the grill unless it is over 40 degrees outside.  This girl doesn't mind the cold but does mind being IN the cold!

What are your Super Bowl plans?  Any ideas to share?

LGFN!