Monday, December 29, 2008

From one of my heroes...

Thank you to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice... in this interview she confirms what I've been hoping someone would say.

While President Bush has received some rather low ratings, ok dismal, but anyway - while he was highly criticized Ms. Rice confirms what I suspected. We'll eventually find out all the crap that's been throw his way that we just aren't privy to.There is a place to draw the line on the information you share to justify your decisions. Pres Bush can't share much - and rightfully so.

We don't want to have a President who puts all the details out on the table - just so we can confirm he's making the right decision. To dumb it down - we don't have the same top secret clearance. We want a President who can keep some things in confidence. We want a President who will think about the future of the American people - not just today and what would "feel" better.

I'm happy to hear from Ms. Rice that the leaders she has worked with, first hand, appreciate our President. That they still hold our country in high regard as they trust our President.I'm confident we will read more of these types of interview snippets over the next several years - which will serve the purpose of justifying some of Pres Bush's actions. He shouldn't have to do that himself.



Thursday, December 18, 2008

Another crazy "Lori story"...

For those of you who've known me for years this is just another story... but for those who haven't heard these crazy stories... this is just par for the course. I often have rather strange things happen in my world (like a homeless lady who was sleeping in the elevator in the parking garage at work. the door opened and she didn't move - i thought she was dead and i started screaming! she woke up MAD and she started chasing me through the parking garage!) ... well here is today’s crazy story … it has a good ending. But it all seemed very ominous as it was happening.



Yesterday morning driving to work I saw a tow truck parked on the side of the 56 freeway (on the opposite side of the freeway) with its hazard lights on and I could see there was someone sitting inside. But it looked like his head was hanging forward - like he was taking a nap in his truck at 5:30 am or something… I don't know what he was doing - but I noticed he was sitting there.

Then when I left work yesterday afternoon I saw a tow truck, with someone sitting in it, in the exact same place on the freeway - no movement inside the truck... with its hazard lights on, etc. At that point I was slightly concerned, if my phone was working, I would have called CHP and asked someone to check on the truck driver to make sure he was OK. But alas, my cell phone is very dead currently. (And I was hoping the truck driver wasn't dead also.)

So, fast forward to this morning - tow truck AGAIN in the same place on the freeway, with someone sitting in the cab, hazard lights on, etc.... and my heart started racing. Immediately I think to myself - "I HAVE to go check on him to see what's going on here. But I don't have a phone. If he's not responsive I'm going to have to flag someone else down to stop and hope they have a cell phone so we can call for help." In the meantime, I got off the freeway and back on to circle around and park behind him… I stopped with my lights on, lighting up the back of his truck.

My heart was racing.. And I was praying for this individual... and praying that I wouldn't find a dead person in the cab of the truck.

Keep in mind... it's 5:30 am and it's still dark outside. I walk up to the door, looking for any movement inside the truck, and all of a sudden a head pops out!

Thank goodness he was making eye contact with me or I would have freaked out for sure! OK – he's alive! I take a deep sigh and start laughing at him.... he looks confused. I explained to him the whole drama that was unfolding in my creative imagination and we had a good laugh together on the side of the freezing cold freeway at 5:30 am. He thanked me for stopping...



No this wasn't a dream... this is just the world I live in…
As to WHY he was sitting there... looking back on it now, I don't think it was the same tow truck or same guy sitting there the entire time. Maybe it's just a place for tow companies to sit while they wait for service calls?! I don't know... then again, it could have been the same guy... I didn't ask. That's his business...


Monday, December 08, 2008

I love living in San Diego

San Diego = America's Finest City

These pictures should tell the story just fine... I was downtown to take some family pics and took some of these shots as we mosied about town. I just love this place...








Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving '08

Thanksgiving was really cool this year... we had food (that was a given)... and we had a sing along (that was the "cool" part). Our "friends" Paul and Cheryl (really, it's my Uncle and Aunt - but they won't let us call them "uncle/aunt" because it makes them feel old) hosted dinner and we brought a few things... we had about 20 people there and a friend of theirs brought his guitar. We laughed, we ate, we sang... we had a good time. Thanks for hosting - we had an awesome time!















Sunday, November 23, 2008

"If Democracy Doesn't Work, Try Anarchy" - by Chuck Norris

THAT Chuck Norris?! Yes, THAT Chuck Norris. See more here ... wanted to share what he wrote. It's the message I've been wanting to share - but couldn't find the right words. Thanks buddy, Chuck... you're my hero. And I'm not talking about your movies...


If Democracy Doesn't Work, Try Anarchy
(11/18/2008 )

Protestors of Proposition 8 in California (the marriage amendment) shoved aside a 69-year-old woman who was bearing a cross. They reportedly spit on her and stomped on her cross. They then aligned themselves in a human barricade, blocking the media from getting to or interviewing the woman.

Prop. 8 supporter Jose Nunez, 37, was assaulted brutally while distributing yard signs to other supporters after church services at the St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto.

Calvary Chapel Chino Hills was spray painted by vandals after they learned that the church served as an official collection point for Prop. 8 petitions.

Letters containing white powder (obviously mimicking anthrax) were sent to the Salt Lake City headquarters of the Mormon church and to a temple in Los Angeles. (Thankfully, the FBI said the substance was nontoxic.)

The 25-year artistic director of the California Musical Theatre, who also happens to be a Mormon, was muscled to resign because of his $1,000 donation to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California.

A pro-homosexual, pro-anarchy organization named Bash Back marched into the middle of a church service and flung fliers and condoms to the congregants. They also hung a banner from the balcony that featured two lesbians in provocative positions at the pulpit.

And lastly, the tolerance-preaching activists also have taken their anger to the blogosphere, where posts have planted ideas ranging from burning churches to storming the citadels of government until our society is forced to overturn Prop. 8. You even can find donor blacklists online. The lists include everyone who financially backed Prop. 8 -- even those who gave as little as $46 -- with the obvious objective that these individuals will be bantered and boycotted for doing so.

What's wrong with this picture? Lots.

First, there's the obvious inability of the minority to accept the will of the majority. Californians have spoken twice, through the elections in 2000 and 2008. Nearly every county across the state (including Los Angeles County) voted to amend the state constitution in favor of traditional marriage.

Nevertheless, bitter activists simply cannot accept the outcome as being truly reflective of the general public. So they have placed the brainwashing blame upon the crusading and misleading zealotry of those religious villains: the Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and especially Mormons, who allegedly are robbing the rights of American citizens by merely executing their right to vote and standing upon their moral convictions and traditional views.

What's surprising (or maybe not so) is that even though 70 percent of African-Americans voted in favor of Proposition 8, protests against black churches are virtually nonexistent. And everyone knows exactly why: Such actions would be viewed as racist. Yet these opponents of Prop. 8 can protest vehemently and shout obscenities in front of Mormon temples without ever being accused of religious bigotry. There's a clear double standard in our society. Where are the hate-crime cops when religious conservatives need them?

There were many of us who passionately opposed Obama, but you don't see us protesting in the streets or crying "unfair." Rather, we are submitting to a democratic process and now asking how we can support "our" president. Just because we don't like the election outcome doesn't give us the right to bully those who oppose us. In other words, if democracy doesn't tip our direction, we don't swing to anarchy. That would be like the Wild West, the resurrection of which seems to be happening in these postelection protests.

I agree with Prison Fellowship's founder, Chuck Colson, who wrote: "This is an outrage. What hypocrisy from those who spend all of their time preaching tolerance to the rest of us! How dare they threaten and attack political opponents? We live in a democratic country, not a banana republic ruled by thugs."

Regardless of one's opinion of Proposition 8, it is flat-out wrong and un-American to intimidate and harass individuals, churches and businesses that are guilty of nothing more than participating in the democratic process. Political protests are one thing, but when old-fashioned bullying techniques are used that restrict voting liberties and even prompt fear of safety, activists have crossed a line. There is a difference between respectfully advocating one's civil rights and demanding public endorsement of what many still consider to be unnatural sexual behavior through cruel coercion and repression tactics. One thing is for sure: The days of peaceful marches, such as those headed up by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seem to be long gone.

The truth is that the great majority of Prop. 8 advocates are not bigots or hatemongers. They are American citizens who are following 5,000 years of human history and the belief of every major people and religion: Marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman. Their pro-Prop. 8 votes weren't intended to deprive any group of its rights; they were safeguarding their honest convictions regarding the boundaries of marriage.

On Nov. 4, the pro-gay community obviously was flabbergasted that a state that generally leans left actually voted right when it came to holy matrimony. But that's exactly what happened; the majority of Californians -- red, yellow, black and white -- voted to define the margins of marriage as being between one man and one woman. California is the 30th state in our union to amend its constitution in doing so, joining Florida and Arizona in this election.

Like it or not, it's the law now. The people have spoken. "



Sunday, November 09, 2008

Words to the Wise...

Wow - I wish I would have seen this before. Not because I would have voted any differently ... but because I could have shared it with others as a challenge of why they just simply shouldn't have voted. To quote the friend who shared this, "I would never have thought there would be a video that more clearly illustrates my point that it's important to know who and what you're voting for."




Monday, October 27, 2008

Enraged with the liberal media...

I picked up my cell phone last Wednesday, a very busy day for me, and my brother asked "Hey look up this guy - Orson Scott Card. He's a democrat but he wrote an open letter to the liberal media that you've just got to read!"

So I made a mental note to self to check it out...

While I was reading his article I had the sudden urge to find a blow horn and go out on the patio and read it to the entire neighborhood. He really dealt a blow to the media who swear up and down that they are "just delivering the news". But his point is that they've lost all honor and are only showing one side of the truth.

Since then I've shared the article with many friends and asked them to pass it along. From my personal searches I cannot find any mainstream media willing to print this article on their websites. So I wonder if they have read it.

Then I just about jumped for joy when I saw this post on the Fox Forum about a Florida TV station which has been banned from the Obama campaign because of their direct questioning to Biden about his running mate's stance on the "spreading the wealth" topic. journalist Barbara West - you are my hero of the day!!! See the Biden interview here.

Biden's reaction to the Karl Marx question... classic!


Sunday, October 26, 2008

My name is Lori and I'm an addict...

Yes, you read that correctly. I'm an addict. For years, I mean YEARS... I've been addicted to adrenaline. Not the type of adrenaline that makes people base jump or eat poisonous foods or play "chicken" with trains. Although... from what I understand the amount of adrenaline running through my body is nearly the same as those odd balls.

No, my addiction has to do with being rushed... being pushed up against a deadline, lots of expectations on me and a lot to deliver ... working off of a deadline typically makes me finish a project. I've discovered over the years that if I have all the time in the world and 3 projects in front of me... I will inevitably put them off until they reach "must do" status. This addiction is in-line w/ being a workaholic and over-committing myself to doing tasks that I feel I need to do.

Yesterday I jokingly asked a new acquaintance if my love of crafting was an addiction and she asked me a very direct question that rang so true... without a smile on her face she asked "Is your life in chaos because of it?" Happily I can now answer that question "NO!" Last year I could not answer the question that way.

Now, I will use some condensed steps to healing that were cited in an article recently by Glenn Beck, a recovering alcoholic, for something else altogether... healing our cracked Country. But the steps also work for the cracked life I was living.

Step One: Admit we are not powerless.
Step Two: Believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
Step Three: Decide to take our power back.
Step Four: Make a complete and fearless moral inventory.
Step Five: Admit our wrongs, and our rights.
Step Six: Be ready to remove our defects.

In Dec '07 I admitted I had a problem. I made a decision to slow down. And it's taken until today to be hit with this epiphany: I am aware of my adrenaline addiction.

Yes, it's now October. Yes - it's taken over 10 months to hit the first step... you know, the first step is admitting you have a problem. Yes - I'm now coming out with my problem.

As I think through the healing I've gone through in the past 10 months, and previous addictions I've conquered (and others that I still battle), I'm happy to report that I feel more whole than I've ever felt before.


Monday, October 20, 2008

I love harvest time....


This time of year is my favorite. I simply love the feel and smell of fall... from the warm fragrances of yummy candles (and yummy food)... to the feeling of "settling in" to cooler nights and time with friends and family. Maybe it's because my birthday is in October? Whatever it is... I love harvest time.




And I love crack, too! (The identities have been blocked to protect the innocent.)




Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Moving right along...


This is the back of the house. Our house is perched up on the side of a hill and the back of the house it up on concrete wall/stilts while the front of the house (road side) is at ground level. Underneath the house at this point there is a crawl space. But my favorite thing about the back of the house are all of those windows. This is my craft room... and I get to look out those windows onto the tops of all the trees in the neighborhood and enjoy a kickin' view. Lucky me!



Just below those great windows are some vents ... which were in pretty bad shape. So this new structure for those vents was finished today. Doesn't it look neat? I wish I would have taken a "before" pic... 'cuz they were B-A-D!

Notice - directly under where the clapboard ends, there is a concrete wall. When we painted we decided to have him continue the paint all the way down the wall so the concrete color matches the clapboard. Hope we like it when it's done!



This is the west side of our house... right next to our tandem driveway. Just another view...



This is a detailed shot of one of the binding sections for that old clapboard. Apparently it was quite the project to sand down the rough edges and fill in the gaps. But once it is all painted those edges will hardly be noticeable.




And here is a pic of our kitchen window and the outside of the house (the road side of the house). Yet again, just another view of the progress so far.

Stay tuned for some more riveting updates on our big renovation for 2008!



Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Let the projects begin....





And this ol' house, built sometime between 1900 and 1930 is getting a small face lift. No MAJOR renovations... just a paint job on the outside... tidying up of the kitchen cabinets... removal of some acoustic on the ceilings... some new lighting fixtures and other similar tiny fixes.

The first day of work kicked off with cleaning up and spraying down the house. This wasn't just a spray - this was a jet of water! I'm telling you! These old windows don't have any seals on them... and I found water splatters INSIDE the house 4 feet away from the window. This sure was fun cleaning up after!

Stay tuned... more to come... this is just the beginning...


Monday, September 15, 2008

Big project on the horizon ...


We are thinking about putting our house on the market (mostly because we want to take advantage of the buyers market and upgrade at a discounted rate)... and we know this ol' house needs to get painted, spruced up a bit, etc. We've been interviewing contractors, paint guys, landscape dudes... you name it. I've just about memorized the Better Business Bureau directory... and am already tried of having large trucks parked in front of my house.

But hey... it is what it is. I want this place to get fixed. And the wood on the outside of the house has been screaming about a new paint job. So we better JUST DO IT.

Today our contractor (Jason Shiels) brought over some equipment and cleaned up a bit with the plans to power wash the house tomorrow and start working on the outside paint job.

More to follow...



Thursday, September 11, 2008

A visit with my Mom's Dad






My parents came into town for a visit... and they didn't even stay with us! No, instead they stayed w/ my Mom's Dad... my Gramps, and his wife Maryann.

My Dad helped w/ odds and ends around the house (yes, he's making a 'stinky face' because he was working on his vacation) ... and Mom did some cooking and grocery shopping and helping out as well during the week they were here. On this night,Lee and I went down to visit for an evening of chatting and catching up... and we had some dessert together. Really nice visit.

As our family learns about Alzheimers we spend as much of this time as possible with Gramps... talking through the stories he still remembers and reminding him of our names every now and then but most importantly telling him we love him.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

a day in the life...


Today I had the pleasure of receiving some surprise guests... my best girlfriend Debbie, and her most adorable daughter Karina, stopped in for a visit.

This warmed Auntie Lori's heart... I needed some girl time today. So I was glad to have my two favorite girls in the house...



Monday, September 01, 2008

Happy Birthday Brooky!


A happy birthday to Brooklynne... she shared with friends... she opened gifts and got silly... and it was another reason for us girls to get together and be crafty with some card stock and ribbon. But we cannot take credit for the stunningly adorable cake. That's was handcrafted by her Grandma Aldous... who packed up the needed kitchen gadgets and shipped them ahead so she could make this cake once she was in town.

CUTE!!!


Monday, August 25, 2008

Hanging with the Graffs...




Shortly after Karina came in to the world I took a few days off of work. I waited until her Mom went back home... gave super-mom Debbie a day or two on her own (to remind her of how much she still wanted help)... and then came up for some half-days to create some diversions for Ian, chase after him and help w/ dirty diapers... oh yeah, and I brought dinner a few times. Just being good ol' Auntie Lori again. (How dare I?!)

We had to take a drive one day to get out of the house... so we saddled up and got on the road. Here's a few pictures for proof...

Ian ... really, she doesn't have cooties!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Weird spiders and my brother's birthday!



This is apparently a Goldenrod Crab Spider. And it freaked the heck out of me... but mostly I loved the contrast of the bright yellow against the side of my truck... so wanted to share the images here.

And not that the spider has anything do w/ my lil brother (ok - he's not so little, but since he's younger than me he'll always be my "lil brother"). Today is his 32nd birthday... and I'd like to share an embarrassing story about him! It's a story from 1987... so I think it's fair game now... HA! I recently found an old journal of mine. I haven't re-read the entire journal... but I'll tell you that at the top of all of the pages it reads "I love XXXXX" (the individual will remain nameless so as to protect his identity.) Anyway... I ran across this entry and had to share it....

"It's Wednesday.
Mom, Loren and I went to Sizzler for dinner.
Loren ate so much he got sick and threw up."

And that's all I wrote.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUD! Wish we could have shared a piece of cake.... hope it was a good one!

Copyright

All images are © Lori Tisdale, 1990-2011 unless otherwise noted. Images are posted for your personal inspiration only and may not be copied/pasted into emails to share with anyone else, posted on other sites, copied for publications, contest submissions, or monetary gain. I'd have to track you down and who knows what would happen then?! Thank you for being considerate.