We were young and dumb but it was fun!

Junior Prom for Reed 1985

6-7-86 Wedding day, he was 18 I was 17
Ah memories.  Stevi was sharing her moments from the concert with us last night and Jay and I were telling her a story of our years at 16.  My Mom would let me stay over at his house occasionally and he ended up moving in with us at 16...(we had bunk beds lol), but before we knew my mom understood how in love we were, we snuck around occasionally and lied.  Here's one of them....

I had a yellow 1979 Ford Courier, he lived over on 16th Street, I lived in Golden Valley.  One night we were up all night talking on the phone and came up with a GREAT idea.  The next night he was staying at my house, I was staying at his, (I know this doesn't make sense ) that's what we told our parents.  So the following night which must have been a Saturday,  we laid in the grass of the baseball field at Reed and fooled around looking at the stars until we got  chased off by the groundskeeper in a tractor or lawnmower?....We were trying to kill time till his mom went to bed, she was a night owl.

FINALLY , it became late enough so we drove down his street with my lights off, (I know cool right?) and opened his garage door slowly and as quietly as possible, about 2 feet.  He slid under the garage door without a flash light, I was quite impressed, and within around 5 minutes came out victorious with a bag! A tent!

We then drove out to Boca Lake.  We arrived around 11:30 pm.  It was freezing, we had the tent and a ,  sleeping bag, yes one.  What we didn't have was a flashlight or the poles for the tent!  So we tried what we could to drape it from the tree to tie it to my Side mirror and the tailgate of my truck, it got too cold and it was pitch black so we snuggled up in the sleeping bag in the back of me truck and froze our asses off all night.  I think we slept in shifts because it was so cold.

The morning sun woke us up roasting us because we were right in the middle of the opening of trees... so rise and shine!  We were a tad bit unprepared but pretty impressed with ourselves at that point.  We had spent our first night without parent supervision...mind you it was too cold to "Enjoy" it , but we accomplished the "Mission Impossible".

Now, no food, no matches, no poles, pretty much just my truck and a piece of fabric that is the tent...and a sleeping bag.   So Jay went in search of matches to make me a fire and I remember the nice couple who I'm guessing were in their 40's, our ages now, inviting us over and they fed us breakfast.

 We put the tent back in the bag and headed home around 9:30 to 10. So romantic!......Actually at 16 it was to us and we still laugh about that night.  We survived it and it was awesome.

Sorry Mom!

Give them a chance to show you they are trustworthy.

Daivee and Stevi in 8th Grade

Teenagers are teenagers.  We all were once, or will be someday.  I may not be as strict as most parents and I'm not as lax as others.  What we do have in this house is honesty.  She can ask me anything, tell me anything and she will get my absolute honest answer and opinion.  I always tell her I know she will make the right decision because I trust her to.  I have also told her very honestly my experiences and trials as a rebellious teenager and am honest to a fault with her, hoping she will learn from my mistakes and realize there is a reason why I tell her no, or call her friends, stalk them on Facebook, or speak to their parents when I feel it is necessary.

She has some amazing friends. Yes we have had a couple of them camped on the couch and we have had them come out of town with us, to stay with us and she has gone out of town to visit them.  Her friends also know they can be honest with me and I will tell them like it is.  There are a few that even text or message me for advise when they feel they can't talk with their parents.  Stevi thinks that is weird, I explain to her that all parents aren't as open minded as I am.  My son was given the same freedoms but they were also taken away because he didn't make wise choices, and he still snuck out the window and got caught (like I did) and got himself into situations that were less than desirable.  He knew he could always call me and I would come get him no questions asked so he'd be home safe, he would pay for his mistakes in the morning and get a consequence, much less than if he had lied to me (which he did at times)...although he knew, if he was thrown in jail, not to call me.   You get yourself in, you get yourself out.  That is a consequence.

Drake, Stevi and Taylor on our 4 day trip of Amusement Parks

Taylor and Stevi on our San Francisco trip at Ben and Jerry's

Cierra, Stevi and Alyssa Homecoming Dance

I'm sure I will get a lot of comments on this post but what I can tell you is, I know where my daughter is at all times.  Who she is with and what she is doing.  She and a couple of her friends have called me to come get them when a party is more that what they were expecting (even in the afternoon with parents home) and they feel uncomfortable.  I know I can trust her when her group of friends have their movie nights way out at a friends house who lives 40 minutes away and if they parents are too tired to drive them home, I know she is safe to sleep there in the living room.  Most of her guy friends , regardless of how they feel for her are like her brothers and I know they all watch out for her (her closest friends, I have a list of not o k boys) . I love these kids, I talk to them and say to the boys..."I'm trusting you to take care of my baby, don't make Daddy come over."  Jay knows everything that goes on as well and I often tell Stevi, ask Daddy and see what he says.

Last night an opportunity came up for her to go to a concert with a group.  I know the boys, one of them pretty well, I am friends with a family member of his.  She called Daddy and asked if she could go..his shocking response to her was "I trust you, have fun."

When the boys came to pick her up, I told the Alpha male..."You know that shiny beautiful truck you got for your 16th birthday?  It's beautiful! I bet you love it!  If you loaned that perfect truck to a friend and they returned it with dents, scratches, a blown engine , flat tires, a broken windshield and a torn up interior you'd be pretty upset wouldn't you?"

His response.."Yeah I'd be pissed!"

Me.."I'm loaning you my perfect shiny truck, return it in the same condition, shiny and new or I will send my head mechanic , her Daddy to your house to pound the dent's out, you feel me?"

Him..."I hear exactly what you're saying....she will be safe..."

And they left.....................................without lying, sneaking and deceiving..........

Stevi making Cierra beautiful

Jordan, Stevi, Alyssa and Savanna at Disneyland for Cheer Competition, they took 1st place!

Stevi and Shannon at Scoopers

YOU'RE FIRED!!

"The names have been changed to protect the innocent."

At Urgent Care

 Today I went to see my General Practitioner as a follow up for my Physical I had around 6 weeks ago.  I have been going to "Dr. Peters" since I was 8 years old.  35 years.  He has always called it as he sees it.  No filter.  Some people probably can't handle it but I sometimes think it's comical, sometimes too much, but you always know where you stand.  Today he asked me what happened with my ankle so I went over the whole story.... was working out at CrossFit, getting in my monthly assessment , at the tail end of the hour, I was strapped to bungee cords that were anchored to the wall.  You run against them to reach a certain point and fight them so you don't get a sling shot backwards when you are at the end.  Believe it or not, he knew exactly what I was talking about, he used to train that way in England when he played semi-pro Rugby.

As we talked it turned more towards how I was healing and so forth.  My 15 minute follow up turned into a 2 hour appointment with him getting all my records from "Dr. Brand's" office , reviewing them and becoming more and more agitated as he reviewed my records from the Urgent Care to the Orthopedic Surgeons office.

I never saw the surgeon only the Nurse Practitioner  "Laura Danwick" and she gave me much better news than Urgent Care.  Urgent Care said I needed to see an Orthopedic right away because of my fracture and prescribed me 800 Ml. of Ibuprofen for the swelling and Norco for the pain.  That was a Saturday, I got in asap on that following  Monday.  My mom took me and we did another x-ray.  Laura said it was a fracture, put me in a boot, told me she wanted me to wear it for 6-8 weeks, no surgery is needed, no need to see Dr. Brand, told me NO anti-inflammatory medication at all it will help healing.  Ok.. There are two different directions, but this is coming from the Surgeons office so great!  Also I can walk on it when I am ready, ride a stationary bike for exercise when I feel ready and also I can sleep with the boot on or off, which ever I prefer.

My fab boot which should be a cast

I have been in pain this whole time. It was the worst the first 2 weeks but it still hurts.  I'm sure its because I haven't taken one minute off of work due to my broken ankle.

Dr. Peters listened to me and said that all sounded incorrect so he ordered my x-rays from Urgent Care and the Orthopedic Surgeons office and reviews all the notes.  He called Dr. Brands office 4 times because he couldn't understand why I hadn't seen a Dr. only a Nurse Practitioner.  I was in the room and I could hear his conversation as his voice was raised telling "Julie" on the phone that I should have seen the Dr. for a Fracture like this, not a Nurse and should have been casted right away, he told Julie I had a fracture not a cold.  Not told the information I was told and also, after the pharmacy faxing over my request for more pain medication...3 times ... they still hadn't gotten to it.  Yet , I couldn't take anything but Acetaminophen and NO anti-inflammatory.  My ankle is still swollen and in pain after 4 weeks in my boot, (which I've been taking off at night to sleep for the last 2 weeks because I thought that was OK)  Now apparently, the reason I am still in pain is because my bones that have fused haven't done so correctly because they are still moving around, haven't been stabilized 24 hours a day as they should have been.  Dr. Peters then yelled at me for going back to exercise and riding a stationary bike (which Laura said would be fine).  Now mind you, I didn't rest and take care of myself exactly as I was told, but apparently I was told things were not as bad as the Urgent Care had made them sound, so in the mean time, I've just been trucking along.

Now I need more x-ray's , Dr. Peters says I should have been casted right away, so that is a possibility, if it needs to be re-broken first I don't know.  He canceled my appointment with Dr. Brand and told Julie I would no longer need his services unless he spoke to the surgeon himself, he would handle my ankle from this point on and make sure it is tended to correctly.  Now I am a little worried so here are the NEWEST Dr.'s orders that I will be following....

How I X-mas shopped with Stevi at Hollister

1. Boot stays on 24-7 till I see him on the 16th
2. New X-rays that morning
3. NO exercising until PT gives them to me and follow that first
4. I can take Advil for my pain and swelling.
5. It may need a re-break for the casting I should have had in the first place. He thinks a pin would be a bad idea at this point.
6.  I apparently am not drinking near enough water

Dyna forever standing guard of the boot.

My daughters heart makes her who she is, not her looks....

My Sweet Angel

I hear it all the time.  Your daughter is so beautiful.  I know she is.  I also know that she is smart , extremely athletic , goal driven, kind, giving, helpful, forgiving, talented, considerate, thoughtful, open minded and a hopeless romantic and believe it or not, extremely shy.  She is loyal to no end and will defend her friends no matter what wrongs they have done to her.  She wants to be an orthopedic surgeon. She is in honors classes and gets great grades.

Sometimes enemies can become your best friends in life.

Wow she has it all you may say.......What she doesn't have right now is a boyfriend.  This age is tough and looking the way she does makes it harder.  Boys only see her for her outer shell.  They think of one thing.  She often asks me why they can't have feelings for her without wanting just the physical part of her, why don't they want her as a girlfriend , why don't they have  feelings for her for who she really is?  She has been hurt many times by girls who hate her and have never even met her or tried to get to know her.   By teachers who think she's nothing but trouble because of how outgoing she is, apparently that makes her a slut.  She has thought the boy she is falling for her feels the same way only to find out if she won't put out she needs to get out.  

Just a girl with a huge heart.

People always judge us first by how we look. Fat, skinny, black , white, Mexican,  crack-head, old , young, slut, hot , gross, loser, gorgeous, stuck-up, tall , short , weird, gay ....I could go on forever. 

Her 3 best friends...amazing girls, love them all!

Don't we all just want to be loved?  And be loved for what we have to offer on the inside and how we treat people.  Imagine if we all looked the same , or were blind ?  Wouldn't that be awesome? Then and only then would we find our one true love for the right reason.

I ask you......Why can't life be that simple?

I have always taught her to love the inside first, the outside will always grow on you, who knew that most people love just the opposite?  So sad, looks go away and fade with age, but who you are and how you treat people, now that is how you are remembered...... 

Don't be afraid to love life with your friends.

Business is tough, time for me to be tough too....

Once upon a time, life was economically good, actually it was great.  I was working 12-14 hour days 6 days a week, doing hair shows, then owned my own small salon. I was making great money and on top of that had a nice 2100 sq. foot two story with room to spare, and in our garage and drive way, a nice newer truck for Jayson to drive, a new truck for Jay, a brand new BMW SUV for me and 4 Harley's.

Angie at the hairshow in 2008

Hairshow 

At that time and since I started to do hair I felt blessed enough to do my whole family and Jays family and the kids friends for free, yes $0.  Every now and then, they would give me a couple dollars.  My Dad always gave me $2, he insisted, he said I should NEVER work for free...(he was an accountant.  But felt that I was doing so well, I wanted to share some of that with my loved ones.

Well, the economy has dumped.  I am humbled now into driving a used, yet nice Honda, Jay has that same new truck which is now 6 years old.   We lost our house , I closed my business down and sold 2 Harley's then I got mine Repossessed .  I found a great Studio to work in and my supplies and rent to work have gone up while my clientele has gone down to 3 full 8 hour days if I'm lucky, but still pay for full time rent just in case...and yes that is lucky these days.

Yet, I still feel the need to do free hair? Even Joe, my mom's old hairdresser said "When you are in business there is no such thing as friends and family and never get caught up in trading, if you can't afford a service, you can't afford that 'free' space on your books."  23 years ago he gave me that smart advice as did my Dad.  Just in December alone, with my broken ankle, I did over $2000 in trades and family members.  My supplies cost me about that a month and my rent is $600. Our family is forever expanding, as are my friendships and my children's.  I give Stevi's friends 40% off because they are kids, My mom and Jay's mom always take me to a nice lunch which I need with the mom's so they are more than appreciated.

I understand times are tough, but my name is Bubba and it's time for me to be tough.  I am the CEO and founder of my own company so to speak, but I still love and feel the need to take care of my family.  Joe even charged his wife at a discount he said!  I was appalled but as this has gotten out of hand and there have been day's I have paid to work so even Jay, Stevi and Jayson will be paying for services... Funny I know, but I'm killing myself and paying to work when I run a business and that is not o k. So I'm sorry family and loved ones dear to me.  But I feel this is fair....

My baby Peepers

Mom's... Lunch (I can't give that trade up)
Trade's...Even Steven either of us pay the difference if it needs to be done (I can't give up my exercising, it is all I do!!)
Family...60% off all services, which is cheaper that just about anywhere in town.
Best friends of family 20% off all services unless you are under 18 then 40% off.

Mom working it!

Me and Christi

Professional discount to co-workers 50% off.

I'm sorry if this doesn't fit into everyone's budget, but unfortunately, the freebies aren't fitting into mine.  I love you all but I need to start acting like a business woman and quit feeling I need to take care of everyone else first. 

Im Scared by Fear has never stopped me before...

Today is the day I will go back to CrossFit.  I am a little scared, mainly because last time I went it REALLY hurt.  4 weeks is long enough.  Did you know it only takes 72 hours for your muscles to atrophy?  Nice huh? It took me 10 hard weeks of 6 days a week training to feel amazing, take my muffin top off, lose 4 yes 4 belt hole sizes and lose 4 lbs. (which doesn't matter to me as muscle weights much more than flabby fat).

I hobble around with my boot for now, didn't follow Dr.'s orders because when you are a hairdresser during the Holiday season, you are a machine, not a human being, although I do have to say 99% of my clients were very sympathetic to me and more than helpful.  Funny, last year I got mainly Starbuck's Cards, this year.... Alcohol.  Guess they could see I needed it.  

For 10 weeks my therapy was exercise, running 3 days a week, CrossFit 3 days a week and a weekly hike with my Mom of usually 10 miles to substitute a day for more "us" time.

Needless to say, I won't be running, hiking or snowshoeing for awhile but I can walk, I can do modified exercises at CrossFit and hope that after my January 16th appt. with the Orthopedic Surgeon I can start Physical Therapy rather that having to re-break it and put a pin in it and start over, since again "I didn't exactly follow Dr.'s orders".

I have been needing Vicodin, which I ran out of a few days ago and have been relying on Advil and Tylenol, which I now know are absolutely no comparison.  I've been to the Chiropractor twice and was in extreme pain due to relying on my right side of my body to do all the work.  I woke up with a little bit of pain in my back but for the first time in 3 days, I CAN MOVE MY NECK!!!

So Im off to work, I will have my coffee with a little something to help the pain in my lower right back, but at 5 pm tonight, you will not be able to reach me for an hour.....I will be with my Mom and Kat Baltierra at my new Zen Zone...Cross Fit of Sierra Nv. 

Make Today Count.

I will.

2011

2011.....

What a year. A year a lot of people couldn't wait to end.  It was economically tough.  It was emotionally painful.  It was humbling.  I am glad it's over.  Not sad to see it go.  But what I can tell you is that I learned a lot.

I learned that I can run, and I actually love it.  I also learned that one small moment  can take that away.  

Jay and Lisa Forever...

I have learned that my marriage , although imperfect at times to others is perfect to me.  We love each other for who we are, despite our imperfections, we are perfect to each other.

I have learned that I really like my 15 year old daughter.  She is a teenager, tough, intelligent and learning.  She is kind, reliable and helpful when I really need her.  She's not perfect, neither am I, and that is o k.

Stevi Loves her Aunt Liz

I have learned that my Mom is my best friend in the world and always has been.  She loves me regardless of who I was, who I am and who I am turning into...(her) .  And I am thankful for that.

I have learned that behind every good man is a great woman...my son has grown into a man I am proud of. (Thank you Guoda)

I have learned that when my husband and daughter are gone, I do get lonely, despite all the times I wished for time to myself.

Karaoke at the Pirate Crawl

I have learned that some friends merely take up space and some people who you think of merely taking up space are really your friends.

Our 2nd Annual Gingerbread build off!

I have cried a lot this last year, and had some laughter too.  But I have learned that despite being broke, we still have each other and that is good.

I have always thought of myself as being optimistic, but lately I haven't been so much, I will get that back.  Life is what YOU make it, it doesn't make you.

I have learned this year that taking care of me first helps me take care of every body else much better.

So 2012 is for me, I will learn to love me.  Despite my broken ankle and spirit, despite my empty bank account and my muffin top.  I have more love than is imaginable  within my family.  That is who I am, that is who I chose to be.

Thanksgiving, Jay was sick so they sent us this pic.

Yup, those are my kids and I love them!