Karen's New Photoshop Work

Photoshop by Karen

Boy, that Karen sure is getting good at putting together photoshop special effects. The following are pictures of my niece, Emma, looking quite pale. Followed by Jennifer's ginger look.



Karen's picture finalizes her Photoshop work.

Everyone has one....And I...well, I have my own, too. My own Don.

You know sometimes you don't realize how much people you don't even know help make it easier for you through some of the toughest times of your life. And, those people don't know themselves. Well, I just want to go on record to say that the Eagles are those people who I am talking about. And, Henley, is the one guy who I am talking about. Fell for his poetry and voice back in the 70s and have not forgotten him, since then. Yep, he's older since the above picture, but that was the Eagle I fell for back in the 70s. Still love him today--even his mouth and activism that most hate about him. I wish I had the courage to say some of the stuff he is so at ease to say. Boy, I loved it when he put out his own platters. Didn't like all his songs on those albums (The End Of The Innocence being an exception), but the few I did like stuck by me. Here's to you, Don. Love you guy and thanks for being there. Wish I knew you personally to let me you know how much you have pulled me through some tough times in my life.


And, to the Eagles. Love you guys. Your wonderful music and lyrics was the one positive constant in my life, besides my family. Without much of your timeless body of work, it would have been a much more trying time. I lost myself for about 17 years, but I'm back and you guys still shine in my heart and soul. Stay with me....I won't forget you guys.

PS: This is one picture that Don isn't wearing his field boots, but a nice pair of black cowboy boots. I've always wondered why and I guess I'll always wonder why; unless, some else knows why.

My Girls and their dogs

Karen really loves her dog, Jinxie. And, Jinx is such a funny little sort. She loves to run in circles and yaps as she runs about. Jinxie is such a silly little dog.

Jinxie is also a con- and escape artist. She loves to escape under the small crack in the fence and will go to the front door and asks to be put in. She loves this playful little act. When she's not doing that, she loves to wrestle with one of the cats.

I wonder what Jinxie would look like, if she was groomed and shaved!

Claudia - The Hyper Dog

Jennifer's little dog, Claudia, is so funny as well. Claudia loves everyone that comes to house and wants to be the center of attention. She doesn't like to wait for the guest to make her acquaintance--she makes the introduction or says hello first.


Jennifer was given Claudia when Claudia was about 6 weeks old. We were visiting the Animal Shelter when some good Samaritan came in with the puppy that she scooped up off of I-30. Jennifer immediately fell in love with her and without have skipping a beat, the puppy was given to Jennifer without having to go into the shelter. Claudia is so sweet.

Young Womens Camp 2011

Well, tonight the girls and I went to the Stake Center and signed up for camp that will go from June 7th to June 10th up above McKinney, Texas. Can't wait. The girls saw some of their older YW sisters from their previous Arlington 4th Ward. Karen was especially ecstatic over Delia and Olivia coming up to her.

Both girls broke down into their levels and discussed with their YCLs and adult leaders their up coming trip.

Karen and Jennifer have had it pretty tough this last year or so as for personal reasons that kept us on the go from house to house, they attended at least three different Wards. From Coppell Ward to Arlington 4th and now we are in Arlington 2nd. We really prefer to be in the Arlington 5th because, according to Bishop Phillips, their Auntie Brenda will be attending that Ward instead of the 2nd where we are attending now. The girls just don't want to go to the Ward anymore and want to go back to the 4th. Such dilemmas for teens.

Anyway, the camping trip sounds exciting and I am hopeful that both girls do not back out because they will be quite busy up there. They are not allowed to bring any electronic devices. That will probably affect Karen the most because she has a blog (Cillian Murphy Tumblr Fan Account) and a twitter account (again which details Cillian's activities) that she updates consistently.

Hopefully, all will go well and both girls will attend and come back home with wonderful tales of their big adventure with their friends.

Young Women's Camp

Tonight, both Karen and Jennifer went to the Stake Center to sign up for their summer camping trip up near McKinney, Texas. They are excited because they will be having fun with their former fellow YW group from the Arlington 4th Ward. We are now in the 2nd Ward and the girls are having a bad go at it. They are really tired of changing Wards and they really miss their friends from the 4th Ward.

In the last year, because of personal reasons that were beyond my control, we were members of the Coppell Ward, Arlington 4th Ward and now we are with the Arlington 2nd Ward. I wish that we were in the Arlington 5th Ward because my sister, who just got here from California, will be going there and she helps bring some stability to church life. Oh well!

Anyway, the girls leave on June 7th and come back on June 10th. Almost a whole week without cells, IPODS, mp3 players and other electronics. Boy, Karen will be suffering the most as she runs her blog about Cillian Murphy on Tumblr.

I personally can't wait for them to leave for camp. I know they will enjoy it and it will keep them real busy that week....the first week out of school! So, here's to them....happy camping when it finally gets here!

Brenda Finally Gets Her House

Well, my little sis, Brenda, from California has finally made it to Texas. She and her two lovely little girls (my youngest little nieces) stayed with us for the last two months while she perused the various neighborhoods looking for the right place to set down her family until they are able to repurchase a home in the area. Eric will be leaving at the end of the month to join his family. It is wonderful to have her in town. I had missed her immensely this last year and half, since I moved here from California. Sisters share a special relationship. This is what I try to express to my own two daughters.

Speaking of her two little girls, Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Emma, they love school a lot and are happy to see their two cousins, Karen and Jennifer. They love to spend time on the webcam making loads of funny faces, often times involving their dog Claudia and Jack the cat.

What is Karen trying to say?

Poor Jack. He has to put up with a lot.

Jennifer and her masks!

Another silly Jennifer and her poor pooch, Claudia.

Elizabeth, Jennifer and Emma mugging in front of the webcam.

We all can't wait for the summer. We all have a lot of things planned. Baseball games, picnics with Granny and to Joe Poole Lake, Six Flags, etc etc.

Catch-Up Time For Karen and Jennifer

Well, yesterday was the day that I started back trying to keep this blog going and up-to-date. It has been a very grueling year, which saw us move three times to get to where we want to be. Well, anyway, in the right area. I have made a long-term commitment to the girls for their high school years and I hope it will be the right one for them. I do feel confident that it is, as it is a top-ranked school in the area and in some areas of academic study, especially, theater arts, a top-ten in the state. Next year will be Karen's first year in high school, so the friends she befriends at junior high will be joining her in high school.

Two weeks ago she signed up for her ninth grade classes and she and I went on an orientation and tour of her new high school. It is quite a school with over 3,000 students going there. Hopefully, it won't be too overwhelming for her. She's attending a top junior high in the area to prepare her for her new high school.

Both girls go to a very good and highly honored junior high. They win a lot of awards a year in various sporting events (this year the basketball team took first place) and their band just won the local sweepstakes award. This year Karen was on the cross country team, but had to drop out because she had to prepare for her math TAKS test, which measures her aptitude in the subject and allows her to advance to the ninth grade. Since the girls had basically no previous year of school, due to a degradation of my marriage, they have done surprisingly well. But, they have their problems when coming to math because of the missed skill building they woul d have had in the previous grade. Yet, outside of that and being in a very academic challenging school, their efforts are paying off and I believe (and hope) they will succeed and be able to continue on. However, there may be summer school ahead of them to get them on equal footing in the math department.

Outside of academics, they are doing quite well in making friends and keeping busy. Karen has made a wonderful friend named Andie. Karen also runs her own blog on her favorite actor, Cillian Murphy and does it quite well. Very professional looking.

Jennifer continues to excel in media editing and scriptwriting. Both girls, along with Andie, do a lot of filming and uploading on You Tube their various creative pieces they create on weekends. And, of course, Jennifer is still actively involved in her dogs, Claudia and Audrey.