October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness is everywhere during October. It's like Pink rather than orange is the official color for October. The View advertised a Pink Laptop/TV/DVD player for something like $300. If the proceeds go to breast cancer research, I'll take a whole houseful of pink please. Hmmm...I think.
Christina Applegate appeared on Oprah too. That was one program I didn't want to miss. I did shed some tears during that program for sure.

I have my own October update. Before my sister passed away from breast cancer I promised her I'd get an MRI. She had told me every year that it was great I was getting mammograms, but wouldn't I please get an MRI. So this is my 2nd year in a row getting my MRI. I got a treat and not a trick when I went to see my doctor today. My MRI is negative AGAIN! My mammogram looks good and I wanted to share that with you all! I even have a cool CD from Tripler with my own digital record.

Don't forget your annual mammogram ladies!

Do you like Pokemon?

Pokemon is all the rage in our house. Between Pokemon games for the DS Pokemon characters, cartoons, and card trading the kids can't get enough. My favorite Pokemon item that we have is the book that has all their info like their type, what they evolve into, special powers, and such. It keeps me in the loop. Mer drew this while watching a Pokemon video.

Mer's art

What a Doodle!

Good Luck

When we moved a couple years ago we drove from WA to SD before moving to HI. On that drive we didn't have any car trouble. Our car "waited" until a couple weeks after we got to SD and timed it's repair needs to just a couple weeks before we were turning it in for shipping to HI. I had gotten a flat and our locked lug nuts on all our tires and no tool for the lug nuts meant they couldn't change the tire. Even the spare was "locked". (Why? Well it was an E-bay purchase and we just didn't realize the lug nut thing.) We unfortunately didn't have road side service which is like $4 a month with USAA. But USAA took pity on us since we had had it previously and then had a lapse in our service because we'd stored a vehicle and been overseas and just didn't follow through. But we'd never not had it! So they gave us a free courtesy road side service and resigned us back up. The toe truck couldn't change the tire but he gave it a quick fill and I raced to my dad's mechanic. I barely made it but I made it! P picked us up and we went to have a Margarita and eat Mexican food. The mechanic broke off all the lug nuts and yes we needed not only new tires, new non locked lug nuts but come to find out our brakes were BARE! So I guess we were really lucky we made it from WA to SD! He fixed the car and we thanked our "lucky stars" that the timing had been perfect. I was so shook up about our good luck realizing that we could have had this happen in the middle of nowhere and the grades we'd come down through the mountain passes had been steep! It had only been a matter of timing. When you have your entire family luggage, animals, hot weather and an itinerary set a glich like that could be down right disasterous. But we were lucky which made it easier to swallow the dreaded bill. That's why I'm remembering this story. I just spent a bit of money again on the car, but I feel lucky. Continue to today...

Here we are ready to ship our car out in two weeks. This time we're not taking a road trip but I couldn't stop thinking about the above events about 2 years ago! So this light comes on in my same car and I have no idea what it is. There were a couple of other things wrong too. So I was thinking I should take it in. JB(from church) clued me in that J's door might not be working because of the child lock. She was right on. I fixed that. I was able to WD 40 M's door and it's sliding well again now. But that light could be brakes... right? So maybe a little brake fluid would do. I decided an oil change and fluid top off was in order. Maybe that would turn off the pesky light. Jiffy Lube suggested a brake check. Great, the light is because of the brakes! I took it in today to the NEX Auto Port Pearl Harbor and they are awesome! My back brakes were metal on metal and in need of pads before there was some serious damage or danger. We also had a hydraulic fuel leak... When I left after reading magazines and doing cross word puzzles all day the light was still on. That didn't make any sense! I went back in and said the brake light was still on. But guess what? It was a light that symbolized there was a burned out light bulb. I couldn't believe it! So, they changed it, My big clue that my brakes were bad had just been a LIGHTBULB? I guess not knowing what the light meant was the "lucky star or sign" coinciding again with a need for brakes and keeping our family safe.

Do you believe in coincidence or do you believe in Good Luck? Maybe I get "Good Luck" points to make up for the excess worrying I do...

By the way, congratulations to my friends who just arrived to VA to their new home. I enjoyed following your travels on your blog and that your only car trouble was the amount of bugs collected on the front of your license plate! Sorry about ES bonking his head at the rest stop.
Glad the MnM's idea helped! :)

Piano/sans recital pressure

Last year at Christmas we had a great opportunity to get a non recital piece. Here Mer plays This Little Light of Mine and sings and then J wants in on the action so he starts singing. We keep promising to make these video moments available to family and friends so this is a great venue.
Notice on the time of postings, we are 3 hours behind! So it is actually only 9:39 PM.

Ninja's or Frogs?

J got a camera this year. Too bad they're silent film. Are they ninja or frogs? You decide!
This is just for you and you know who you are!

Just a thought

I am trying to follow my friends travel blog. It's funny when you start to follow a blog because the last thing is first. I always read today's information before I've read yesterday's. I know I can scroll down and work my way up but it feels weird. It's like driving on the left side of the road in Japan. Eventually you get used to it. I really really like my friends blog. So if you want to check it out. Here's the link.
http://blunoz.blogspot.com/
Don't forget to scroll down to where you'll find pictures of yes US! They are on their way to their new home on the East Coast and we do miss them. It's been Boring with a capital B for all now that they've left. We have new neighbors across the street and plenty of kids to play but they're not replaceable. Ahhhh....

J's turn!

J can't be left out of the piano loop. He was supposed to play his piano song twice, but he decided to do it only once. He actually is playing with two hands at the same time now, but this is what he wanted to perform and it is nice and simple. You'll notice how he starts to swing his legs after he hits a wrong note and goes back and plays it correctly. Good job adorable J! (says the totally biased mother!)

Piano Recital

Mer had a recent piano recital. I don't think she even glanced
at her music. We are usually plenty nervous for her but we
never let it show. M works one camera and I work the other.
Proud parents!

Mer's Art

Mer loves to draw. It relaxes her and she's good at it. Here are a couple of her sketches.
I am amazed by her talent. We have around hundred of these various pictures. Mer gets her inspiration from stuffed animals, real animals, cartoons, and things she is passionate about. We are passionate about her art! Also, did you notice the "electric" pokemon style tail she gives to
the dog?

Blog namesake

I have blogged in the past and took a one year hiatus.
With M going away soon for longer deployments we will be posting again.
In honor of the blog title our first picture will be Copper.
He is a one year old Tri-Red Australian Sheperd. Here's Copper
when he was four months old and one with Mer at age one.
Aussie's are smart dogs so M takes him to dog school. He's a fast study.