the jolly: stuck

the jolly: stuck
Echoeve left a comment for you

I only have 7 followers signed up, but I know I have alot of stalkers, or lurkers out there. Because of this I think I need to explain these last two posts. The are both about a blog I follow called The Jolly.
Explaination:

Okay, as you can see I love to follow alot of blogs. I am not good at leaving comments. I just like to read the blogs. I find them very interesting. Anyway, the real reason I don't leave comments is because they always make me seem crazy, or stalkerish, or weird. So, I just read.

I really love most of the blogs that I follow.

Well I have been following The Jolly since August 2008. I like his writing style, and I find his life very interesting. I realized at the beginning of the week that I haven't seen anything from him in awhile, and I thought at first maybe some glitch happen and I lost his site. Then he posted something. I thought 'I am going to leave him a comment.' That is when I realized you can't comment him, email him, or contact him in any way. You could however create a link on his page. I thought if I did that and left the link like a comment he would get it. However, other links are on his page but mine is not. I have tried 2 days in a row with no luck. I hate this for 2 reasons:
1 he has all these followers you would think he would want some comments some time. I mean everyone like comments right. I am a loyal fan I don't understand.

which brings me to

2 maybe he doesn't care about the people that read his blog. I mean it is his blog. I don't know him or anything. I am a lurker.

This Jolly thing just keeps getting worse and worse. Maybe I just need to stop following him. I just keep sounding more and more like a nut. So, this is it. Not one more word about The Jolly.

the jolly: stuck

the jolly: stuck

Not really sure how this works. I was unable to leave a comment on your blog.
I have been lurking on your blog since I found your post about the auction: this could be you. I thought it was so funny, and it was a sweet thing as well. It was in Aug 2008. I was hooked ever since. I have read most of your old posts of well. I enjoy your writing alot. However, I do not leave comments. I wish I was a more commentie kind of person but I just don't.
I miss your posts. I hope the writers block will be over soon. I would really like an update on your family that was in the crash. I think about them. I am sure it has been a long, hard road.

Thanks so much for sharing your life with me, eventhough you have no idea who I am.

This sounds worse and worse as I go but I just can't stop myself. I am really not crazy, or a stalker.

Music Monday: Just You and I, and Time of Your Life

(Music has always played a big part in my life)
The end of February is always a very sad time of year for my family. It wasn't always a sad time of the year. For the first half of my life it was a very fun time of year.
My parents married on February 22, 1975. They were young and in love. One day I will post a picture of them on their wedding day, but that's another story. When we were children we really didn't help my parents celebrate their anniversary. However, when we were adults we used to take them out for dinner. Oh that's some good memories. I have some pictures somewhere of that, but that's another story too. On one of those nights out for dinner we ended up at Fireside to have an after dinner drink. There was a D.J. and my sister and I requested a song for the two of them. They never really had a song that I can remember. They never really had a big reception or anything like that. I don't ever remember my Mom saying 'our song is this'. So Harmony and I choose 'Just You & I' by Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gale. I think it was a perfect choice.
The reason that this memory is bittersweet for me is because for most of my life I remember seeing my parents in love. Total love. Then after 25 years of marriage they got a divorce. Don't get me wrong I think it is great that they are friendly to one another, and can get along. But, I still remember them dancing to this song and thinking to myself 'that's what I want one day'.

Just you and I,
Sharing our love together.
And I know in time,
We'll build the dreams we treasure.
We'll be all right, just you and I.
Just you and I
Just you and I
Sharing our love together
And I know in time,
And I know in time,
We'll build the dreams we treasure.
We'll be all right,
Just you and I.
Chorus:
And I remember our first embrace,
That smile that was on your face,
The promises that we made.
And now, your love is my reward,
And I love you even more,
Than I ever did before.
Just you and I
Just you and I
We can entrust each other,
With you in my life,
With you in my life,
They'll never be another.
We'll be all right,
Just you and I.
The second reason is because my Brother was born on February 24, 1979. He would have been 30 this year, but that's a different story. There are allot of songs that remind me of my brother for all kinds of reasons. I will post some of those at different times. Some are sad and some are happy. But today it's about the most saddest song ever. I know that my sister will agree.
My Brother and I shared allot of musical selections. We also didn't like allot of the same stuff. But one group for me that we both loved was 'Green Day'. I bought him there first album when it came out called Dookie. Anyway, there was a song called 'Good Riddance (Time of your Life)' that was very popular and very fitting for his death. He died on April 15, 1998. He was 19 years old. He was young, fun, and bad all at the same time. I miss him allot.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Photo Story Friday: Friday the 13th

I love scary movies. I love the jumping and screaming. I love how scared I am while watching them. It is so thrilling. However, I have always seen them at home. This way if it gets to intense I can just go to the bathroom. I can still hear the movie, but I don't have to see the movie. Trust me with my imagination I know exactly what is going on without seeing it. Well the new Friday the 13th movie came out and I wanted to see it really bad. Chris dug his Friday the 13th Tshirt out (that's how bad he wanted to see it.) Our 13 year old (Kelsea) really loves a good scary movie, but our 15 year old (Lynsey) hates scary movies. Lynsey is scared of Spiderman movies. So on Saturday the 14th Chris, Kelsea, and I went to see Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th was so scary. I was scrunched so far down in my seat that my back was flat on the seat. I can't even remember how many times I jumped. I just kept thinking oh my goodness. Anyway it was great fun. I would totally do it again. However, there was allot of killing, swearing, drugs, drinking, and nudity. Most of this stuff was really unnecessary, but it is what it is.If they ever play this movie on the Sci-Fi channel there will not be much to see. Kelsea was really embarrassed when the nude shots happened, her Dad was sitting right beside her. Hee Hee. The killing part didn't seem to phase her. I can't wait to get a mask and scare her. Hee Hee.
Anyway when we were leaving the theatre they had a guy dressed up like Jason. I asked if I could get a picture for my blog. Kelsea thought it was so gay. However, after I got one done I said to her 'Do you want me to take your picture for your myspace?'. She of course said 'yes'. Then all the teens that were standing around started lining up to get their pictures with their cell phones.
(our pictures were taken with my camera I had in my purse.) You really should click on the picture to get the full effect of how scared I was. Hee Hee. Kelsea is totally faking how scared she is. Hee Hee



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Who is this beautiful girl?

You might be asking yourself "Who is this beautiful girl?". Well believe it or not it is our Kelsea Alexis. Can you believe it?



These are the best pictures I have to date of her. She went to a dance at school. We had a rough time of it trying to find a dress. However, it was a good day with the girls looking. Kelsea is never very girlie so this was a big big thing for her. Aunt Amanda did her hair and make-up.

Music Monday: I Know Where I'm Going

All of my life music has played a very important role in my life.

When I was young my parents really loved country music. We lived in the country. The Judds were a really popular group in the 80’s. My mom really liked the Judds. I have the greatest hits and can sing just about all their songs word for word. A lot of their songs hold a special meaning or memory. The one I want to talk about today is from the ACM award show of April 1988. You know at that time the groups used to sing the new song out not the most popular. I remember trying to stay up with my Mom to watch those award shows. I didn’t see them do this song. However, the next day Mom filled us in on details of the show. I remember Mom half saying half singing ‘I know where I’m going don’t you want to come to’, and I said ‘yes where are we going’, she said ‘I got my reservation and I got one for you’, and I said ‘I want to go where are we going’. She laughed and laughed. You might think that the half saying and half singing part is made up, but it wasn’t. My Mom sang around the house a lot when I was a kid. To be honest it is some of the best memories of my Mother. My Mother would not have got up in front of a group of people and sang. But she used to sing around the house all the time. She used to mess up the lyrics and we would correct her and she would say shut up who is singing the song. I find myself doing the same thing. I change the lyrics to fit whatever is going on. The one my kids love the best is ‘My Bonnie lives over the ocean’. I always change the name. I have a lot of examples of this so I won’t bore you to death, but I do hope my children look back on this family kookiness with fondness and know that I love them just as I know my Mom loves me.

Television: Family Dog from Amazing Stories

When I was a kid we used to watch Amazing Stories. They were different every week. One week they had one called 'The Family Dog'. My mom had video taped it and we watched it all the time. I mean all the time. I used to try and draw the family. I could talk right along with the video. They turned it into a weekly seris called 'The Family Dog', but it never really took off. It just wasn't the same as the first one on Amazing Stories. I have most of it. I couldn't really find part one. I tried, but please ejoy what I did find. Does anyone else remember this?

I wish I could find part one but I couldn't so her is 'Where's Mary Ann'


Part two


part three

13 things Thursday: My thoughts on Nadya Suleman

These are not in any sort of order. They are just my thoughts. If you don't know who I am talking about click on her name Nadya Suleman.


1. WIC. You know that if she is in school, and has 6 kids, and gets food stamps she qualifies for WIC. That means while she is pregnant she gets milk, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, cheese, ect. For herself. She gets formula for infants until they are 1. Then for every child between the ages of 1 and 5 she gets milk, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, cheese, ect. This is all factored in when she gets her food stamps every month.


2. Health Care. If she has no job, is in school, and there isn’t any father in the picture who is paying for all the children’s health care. Now I understand that she says in the interview that she paid for the IVF all herself. I am not talking about that. I mean they get sick and need check ups. At some point 3 of them had to see specialists to be diagnosed with ADHD, and autism. Even if she went to the health department because she didn’t have insurance and they based her health rate on her income (which is nothing) then the government is still subsiding her health care.

3. Health Care. I hate to say this one again but I need to address something else about it. Nadya has private pay membership to Kaiser; which covered her prenatal and birth care. Kaiser is submitting a bill to Med-i-Cal for the remainder care of the infants ....the estimated 1.3 million that we've heard quoted before.

4. Home. When she talks about living in her Mother’s house and paying rent, but she knows her Mother could get more rent. I wish they would have asked her more about this. Does she receive HUD assistance? If she does who pays for that? We the people do. She is talking about moving to a bigger place, but where? I mean she can barely afford what she has and she doesn’t pay what it is worth?

5. Income. The income really bothers me. She has $50000.00 in student loan debt. She has to actually pay for school with that(4 years). She states that she has been living off some disability that she gets but that has stopped. She also gets some disability for three of the kids, and she gets food stamps. There is no way that she as that many kids with that kind of debt and didn’t get any more assistance. I mean the numbers just don’t add up.


6. Doctors. I know that Doctors have to make a living and all. However, I thought that fertility people wanted to help people who couldn’t have children have children. If she really went to the same Doctor every time then that Doctor would know what was going on. Right? I don’t understand why the Doctor kept doing it?

7. Daycare. So she talks about how she was still going to school and the kids went to the daycare at the University. Well you know that the daycare wasn’t included in the tuition so who paid for that. I think she got daycare assistance. Yes there is such a thing. Who do you think pays for that?

8. Kids. I know you are thinking I am judgmental, and that is A-O-K because I really am. You are thinking Echo there are a lot of woman who find themselves in situations where they have a lot of kids, and a dead beat Dad/Boyfriend. Yes you are right. You say Echo sometimes woman get pregnant and have more than one baby daddy. Yes you are right. You say Echo look at you you are your husbands 4th baby Momma. Yes you are right. And this is what I have to say about that. I will admit that maybe it wasn’t smart, but I love my kids. I will admit that we used some assistance from time to time to get through some rough patches. But the difference is having your life circumstances change unexpectedly and having trouble is one thing. Going into a situation that you know you can’t afford is irresponsible and shouldn’t be rewarded.


9. Large Family. Some are upset because people love shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8, and the Duggers, then talk smack about this lady. Well I think it is completely different. I love these shows on TLC. It is amazing to me how they live. I wish I could do it. Not have so many children, but run such an organized house. If you still want to know what the differences between these families are I just can’t help you.

10. Government. I don’t want the government to tell anyone how to raise their family. I don’t want any new laws made about IVF. What I do know at this point is the government is going to give them, and give them, and give them. Because in the end the children are here.

11. Child Services. You know that Child Services will most likely step in and do an evaluation. For no other reason except to make sure that the children are taken care of. I don’t know if the children should stay with the Mom that isn’t for me to decide. And they don’t take children away from their parents just because they can’t afford them. If they can’t afford them they just inform them of what government assistance can help them.


12. The interview. The interview with Ann Curry is what I am referring to. I thought it was a good interview. I wish Ann would have pushed harder. I read the interview and watched the interview and I have to say ‘there seems to be something really off about this woman’. I think she loves her kids, but there is just something not right.

13. Myself. I am mad at myself for caring about this junk. I mean I have a lot going on in my life. I don’t want to care how she handles her life. I just can’t look away. There is no correct answer.


I know that this is a very controversial topic to be talking about. I hope that yall will leave some opinions on the situations. Or maybe you can offer some solutions. Or maybe you will just trash talk my judgmentalness. I don’t care which I just like comments.

13 Thursday :Movies That Make You Cry!

One of the blogs I follow is having a giveaway. You should check it out.
http://myremodelednest.blogspot.com/2009/02/giveaway-time.html

To enter you have to name a movie that made you cry. Well when I started writing them down I realized I had 13. Perfect.


13 Thursday: Movies that made me cry!
(Not in any sort of order)
1. Terms of Endearment – I remember watching this with my Mom, and crying like baby. She died so young. Just a check up, and a lump was found. Cancer. I remember her not having enough money to pay for groceries. This is a must see movie. A memorable quote. Emma is dying in the hospital and her sons come for a last visit. The boys are really young and Emma says ‘I know you like me. I know it. For the last year or two, you've been pretending like you hate me. I love you very much. I love you as much as I love anybody, as much as I love myself. And in a few years when I haven't been around to be on your tail about something or irritating you, you could... remember that time that I bought you the baseball glove when you thought we were too broke. You know? Or when I read you those stories? Or when I let you goof off instead of mowing the lawn? Lots of things like that. And you're gonna realize that you love me. And maybe you're gonna feel badly, because you never told me. But don't - I know that you love me. So don't ever do that to yourself, all right?’

2. The House of Sand and Fog – This was a different kind of movie. Very heavy drama. Jennifer Connelly is very depressed and looses her house. Ben Kingsley who is Indian buys the house. Jennifer wants the house back. I really liked the drama. Ben Kingsley is praying for his dying son “Please, God, don't take my joon-am. I make my nazr. My nazr, hear me, please to hear me. I will give everything to one who is less fortunate. Yes! I will make it for the broken bird. Please, God, I'm making nazr to this woman. To Kathy Nicolo. And I, to you I promise, if you heal my son, I will return her father's house. I will also give to her all the money I have. My God, Khoda. I make nazr only for my son. Please, I want only for my son. I beg you. I will do whatever is your will. I will purchase ten kilos of the finest seed and I will find an American mosque and I will feed them to all the birds outside. I will let the birds cover me and peck out my eyes! Please, God, my nazr is in your hands!”

3. Beaches – Best Friends through it all. I refer to this movie a lot in my life. I even have the soundtrack. Bette Midler is wonderful in this. I cried through a lot of it. Some are happy tears and some are sorrowful. But, the most came when ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ is playing and Hillary is dying.

4. What Dreams May Come – From the time of the double funeral, to his own death, to trying to save his wife I cried and then cried some more. I don’t know if heaven is really like that or not. I think not, but the story line is really good. When Christy is saying good-bye to his wife because he cannot save her from hell. ‘Thank you for every kindness. Thank you for our children. For the first time I saw them. Thank you for being someone I was always proud to be with. For your guts, for your sweetness. For how you always looked, for how I always wanted to touch you. God, you were my life. I apologize for everytime I ever failed you. Especially this one...’

5. Eye For An Eye – When Sally Fields is on the phone with her daughter, while a bad man does bad things to the daughter. Oh my. The tears just come. Sally Fields is so helpless at that moment, and so was I. I just couldn’t even imagine. Wow.


6. Titanic – The part that really gets me is when Rose says ‘Put your hands on me, Jack.’ Watching the Mom putting the children to bed knowing what was going to happen. Even though it doesn’t show you know.

7. Million Dollar Baby – Maggie becomes a prize fighter. Frankie trains her. She never did anything great in her life until she became a fighter. There comes a time in the movie where she is paralyzed from the neck down, and she wants to die. She wants Frankie to kill her and she says ‘I can't be like this, Frankie. Not after what I've done. I've seen the world. People chanted my name. Well, not my name, some damn name you gave me. They were chanting for me. I was in magazines. You think I ever dreamed that'd happen? I was born two pounds, one-and-a-half ounces. Daddy used to tell me I'd fight my way into this world, and I'd fight my way out. That's all I wanna do, Frankie. I just don't wanna fight you to do it. I got what I needed. I got it all. Don't let 'em keep taking it away from me. Don't let me lie here 'till I can't hear those people chanting no more.’ He tells her he can’t do it. She bites her tongue off and tries to choke to death. It is a very gut wrenching movie.

8. Schindler’s List – This was a very moving movie. Although I cried, and held my breathe through a lot of it the scene that haunts my memory is the end. Oskar Schindler is leaving the camp and all the Jews are free. He turns toward them and starts talking about how he could have saved more if he would’ve done this or that. The Jewish people are grateful for all that he was able to do, but he thinks it is not enough. It is a very long movie but worth it.

9. The Passion of Christ – I can’t give you a quote. If you haven’t seen it, don’t. The images will haunt you forever. I don’t think I needed to see it on film to really get what happened to Jesus. My biggest fear in thinking about that time period is this ‘would I have been crying, or would I have been yelling?’ I have always considered my self to be a smart girl, but the people who where yelling days before loved Jesus. I like to think I would’ve been crying, but I just don’t know.

10. Armageddon – This movie is AWESOME. It is one of the ones on my list I know my husband has at the top of his. If I brought this movie up to him today he would go looking for it to see it again. I love the music, the actors, and the plot. I laugh, I cry, I just love it. As I am writing this I am thinking about them singing ‘I’m leaving on a jet plane don’t know when I’ll be back again. My favorite quote is when Bruce Willis (Harry Stamper) says ‘You go take care of my little girl now. That's your job. Always thought of you as a son. Always. But, I'd be damn proud to have you marry Grace.’

11. Saving Private Ryan – A woman looses 4 sons to the war. The fifth son is still in battle. A group of soldiers is sent to ‘save private Ryan’. At the very end of the film an old Private Ryan says [addressing Capt. Miller’s grave] My family is with me today. They wanted to come with me. To be honest with you, I wasn't sure how I'd feel coming back here. Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me.’ The part that really got me is when he turns to his wife and says ‘Tell me I have led a good life.’ And ‘Tell me I’m a good man.’

12. Dead Poets Society – The young man dies. A teacher is fired. The teen boys find themselves. At the end they stand on top of the desks ‘O Captain, My Captain’. I haven’t seen this movie in a really long time, but I really like this movie.

13. Stepmom – The moment when the stepmom and the mom meet for drinks to talk. The stepmom says ‘You know every story, every wound, every memory. Their whole life's happiness is wrapped up in you... every single second. Don't you get it? Look down the road to her wedding. I'm in a room alone with her, fixing her veil, fluffing her dress, telling her no woman has ever looked so beautiful. And my fear is she'll be thinking, "I wish my mom was here." And the Mom says ‘And mine is …..she won’t’.

This posting as been a lot of fun to put together. I really enjoyed looking back at some of my favorite movies.
Do you have any movies that make you cry? Have you seen any of these?

Gingerbread Man

This happen when my daughter was in kindergarden. It was Feb. 2007

Bethany's teacher was Mrs. Gloria Borrow.

So my daughter comes home from school and says to her Dad

“Today at school we made a gingerbread man. We put him in the oven.
Then he kicked the door open and ran away.
We looked and looked for him and we couldn’t find him anywhere.”

My husband says ‘the gingerbread man isn’t real.’

My daughter says ‘no he is really real daddy I saw him’

My husband ‘he isn’t real.’

My daughter getting upset ‘no he is real. We put him in the oven and he kicked the door open.’

My husband ‘you didn’t see him kick the door open and he didn’t run.’

My daughter now crying ‘ I did see him and there were crumbs.’

So my husband calls me at work and tells me that Bethany has a story to tell me.
She gets on the phone and she’s crying and I can’t understand a word she is saying.
Then when she calms down she tells me “today at school we made a gingerbread man. We put him in the oven.
Then he kicked the door open and ran away. We looked and looked for him and we couldn’t find him anywhere.
And Daddy won’t believe me.”

My husband is laughing in the back ground. She starts yelling ‘It’s not funny I saw him. I SAW THE CRUMBS.’


I say ‘Bethany its okay. I believe you saw the gingerbread man and we’ll talk about it when I get home.’

She said ‘I couldn’t find him anywhere.’

I say ‘maybe he went to find his mommy’

She said ‘he doesn’t have a mommy we didn’t make him one’

I say ‘maybe he went to candy land to the gingerbread forest with all the other gingerbread men.’


When I get home she meets me at the door to tell me the story again.
After I asked a lot of questions I found out what happened.

The children in the class made a gingerbread man. They took him on the cookie sheet to the cafeteria.
They told the cafeteria ladies don’t open the oven door even if it smells good. Then all the children went
out to the playground to play. They went back to the kitchen to get the gingerbread man out and the oven door was open.
The children asked the cafeteria ladies where is our gingerbread man? The cafeteria lady said the gingerbread man kicked
open the oven door and ran outside. There was a trail of crumbs going out the door to outside. So they took the kids outside
to find the gingerbread man. The children looked and looked and yelled and yelled but they couldn’t find the gingerbread
man anywhere.

Bethany was really upset about not knowing were he was.
We think he may be in the gingerbread forest in candy land with all the other gingerbread men.
She really wasn’t buying into this answer until we got the game out and looked athe pictures on the
game board. Then after we talked about it for a little while she said "We really wanted to eat him." I asked her
"well if a bunch of little boys and girls wanted to eat you what would you do?" She said "I would run away to."