Merry Christmas to ALL!!

Wow what a wonderful Christmas! I have to say thank you to my two Sister-inlaws and their families for their time, effort and homes. You guys made Christmas wonderful. Thank You. I hope you guys like some of the pictures I took, I still have some to send. Meanwhile here are some I played around with.
I will try to post more often, I just find myself stuck to myspce...but blogger is so much cooler because you guys are here.

Larry and his Wife (my co-worker)

Curtis (another co-worker)

Beverly (my boss' wife)

Stanislaw B. (Kirby guy)

Heath and Hunter opening their present from the Chinese auction.

My boss playing Santa

Merry Christmas!

From the
MOOSE CLAN!

Another Christmas is upon us withthe new year fast apporoaching. We are finally moved into our new apartment and our tree is finally put up. We can finally give a sigh of relief (well as soon as I get into Anchorage for that one last gift)

We went to my company Christmas party the other night, which happened to be held in a chinese restaraunt. I had to laugh because of in the movie The Christmas Story they end up eating their Christmas dinner in a chinese place. Anyways the kids had a blast and I swear my boss gave us fifteen pounds of chocolate. GREAT. The kids also got a porceline gingerbread house that lights up.

Freak

I have a new step brother and friend. His real name is Larrykin, but I have affectionately nicknamed him Freak. He is a silver, grey and white Oci cat from Aussie. I gave him the name after seeing him several times just freak out. My mom has bamboo wood floors that are very slippery so it is quite humorous when he decides to freak out. He scrambles and try as hard as he might he just doesn't go anywhere. He is a very lovable cat who if any cat needed ritalin, he would be the one, not that I would because he is so hilarious. He loves chaos and disorder and infact he demands it. He has this habit of seeing anything sitting peacefully on a table he has to knock it off. This confused me at first because he doesn't play with the things he knocks off, he just can't stand it sitting there. Also when you wake up he has gotten into so many things that it is almost unbelievable. I am still trying to figure out how he got some of the things he has. He loves chili cheese fritos, popsicles, his toys and his step sister Snoop. He seems to know when you are sad and crawls into your lap to give you kisses and generally acts like a goof until you laugh at him. He has also proven that cats are not always graceful and they do not always land on their feet. He also has a mean back flip that I have got on tape for any of those disbelievers. I also think he might have a future in some S&M, for he likes his pets hard, and if you are not petting him hard enough he will show you how. I will post pictures of him when I can, but John's site has a picture that looks identical to Freak. Let Sissy know for she was asking what he looked like.
I have again changed my blog site to accomodate comments and I think I like this template better anyways.

hmm....

What a night…

We have been living in LA for several weeks now and every day I am reminded how small town I am. I have just now adapted to the traffic and the noise, and the commercial airlines taking off above my head don’t amaze me quite as much anymore. Just as I found myself getting use to the swing of things in LA, I found myself getting bored and needing to have some fun. Well as it turned out, I was not he only one who felt this way, my siblings also were looking for something fun to do. After several phone calls and planning we decided that we would have a fun night on the town. I will say that I am only partially guilty for the fun we had-had I known what my creative siblings planned for this night on the town…

The evening started off with us locking the kids upstairs. We did this with lots of goldfish, juice and movies. I would have to say that all 20 of them were munching safely by themselves by the time we snuck out.

Yeah, we had to sneak out the window. Which kind of scared me, I like to think of myself as an adult, so why was I sneaking out the bedroom window? No one seemed to hear my question though and we all piled through. I almost thought for one second we were busted. My butt would not fit through the window and I thought I was stuck, but I finally got through.

Safely free of the house and the horde of children, we went to this party that was supposed to be pretty elite and private party. Wow, I thought, I am finally moving in some good social circles. I mean some people live here for years and don’t get in with these social classes. I was so nervous about fitting in and not standing out, you know letting my country roots show. Not only was the party really exclusive, but I really wanted to fit in so I didn’t even question them when they gave me a hat to wear. I mean the thing was hard to pin on, but every one of my siblings did it with ease, so I just put it on and shut up.

Drinks were passed out and like a good little guest I drank.

I do not feel too terrible about that because every one was drinking. Some of the shot glasses they served drinks in were a little interesting, but more interesting was the effect the drinks had on us guests. Someone’s nipples actually changed colors,

while other guests were lured into lewd displays of public affection!

I have to think that there was a “special” ingredient in the drinks that would make several straight thinking, responsible adults act this way. There was even some little machine they would put on our heads and it made your head all tingly. Looking back maybe it wasn’t the drinks after all.

After that we got to watch, by my standards, a very weird fashion show. Several of the guests were displaying a popular brand of underwear. I guess I need to get some for they seem very popular with both guys and girls.

My sister in laws started fighting over them, one tried to rip the under ware off the other and ended up with a black eye for it.

After the strange fashion show we went egging. Yeah, I said egging. I thought that egging was just for racists and punks, but I guess not because we went. I have to say that egging is not easy and when you are hit with one, it hurts, and then you’re covered with slime that has the potential to either make you sick or kill you. Nice. Not only that, when people drove by they kept yelling obscenities at us. Most of the stuff they yelled could not be understood, but the stuff I could make out had something to with Gooks Clucks Plan and our white party hats. I am not for sure about what they are saying, but I do know for sure that I will not be moving into that neighborhood any time soon!

We returned to the party and consumed some more alcohol. At this time I remember thinking that maybe there really was something extra in our drinks, but I found myself not really caring. Shortly after that we started playing games. Well they started out as friendly competition but then turned ugly. The next thing I remember thinking, as marsh mellows were zipping over my head that this was war, and every man was for himself. Some how we were all under attack, being barraged with private parts, kitties, marsh mellows and a flying monkey.

Now this is really where my memory gets bad. If I recall the flying monkey actually kept landing in my sister-in-law’s cleavage and when he would unexpectedly launch himself across the room, he would make this kind of screeching and wailing cry! She didn’t seem to mind though, so we all kind of ignored it after awhile. I mean really, flying monkeys, what are you going do?

Some of us wore the proof of how vicious the fight actually was. The aftermath was even worse. I found marsh mellows in my purse the next morning. We then enjoyed some banana cream pie handmade by my niece. The pie while delicious was a little interesting. We had to drink it from paper plates? I am not sure why.

As the evening drew to a close those who were not covered in marshmallows or banana cream pie got completely covered in beer. Good thing my sister-in-law did not get pulled over on they way home. We had no choice but to go home and go to sleep at this point. With our heads light and swimming we decided it was time to go home. The next morning we had to face reality again, and that means dealing with a bunch of kids. That’s Great.

Wow...

Wow.

I Have a really cool story to blog about, but as much as I would love to tell all now, I have to think aout how I am going to present this story. So maybe tomarrow...
As for what will I post? Since I have not posted in awhile and my site has been under construction, I will post a few of my old pictures.

Ahh...what weird thoughts haunt me from the other night...

My Beach

I was looking through some of my photos decideing which one I was going to pst and I found this one. When I looked upon this photo I felt a little homesick. I really miss my beach and the way it was always in our lives. Our life as a family has always included the beach and the river. I guess that looking at this photo made me remember a lot of good times. It almost felt like we owned that beach.

Heidi's Web

Heidi’s Web

This picture is dedicated to someone who inspired the picture. While she may not realize it, she had given me a special gift. She had found something that to her was beautiful and she gave it to me knowing that when she did it was mine. I took the picture, but she saw the picture.
EH

PS
I am going to be posting some of my pictures for awhile and I would like some feedback. Also I would appreciate it if these were not copied as they are very special to me…

Well it is hard to wake up today and not hear and see the lasting effects of 9/11. The stories of people who lives were forever changed on this day five years ago are playing on the radio and the T.V. I am drawn back to that day along with them. I remember waking that morning by my father-in-law calling to say that we were being bombed. Panic had me out of bed and searching the T.V. for any news that was about what was going on. That was not difficult. Even chanels that we had not paid for were coming in so they could broadcast to everyone. I found the news and the devastating image of the first tower. No, we were not being bombed, I remeber thinking, but pretty damn close. I woke my little girl up and as a family we watched the second tower get hit and cried as they both fell. All that day we were glued to the radio in our store and we listened to all the horror, hoping. I am not sure really what I was hoping for, but as the body count and destruction was being reveled over the radio, I knew our country was changed. Now I do not claim to be the most patriotic, but I have always recognized the sacrifices that have been made so I can enjoy my freedom. This life isn't free. Someone has spilled their blood for me. A wife has given me her husband's life, a mother has given me her son's or daughter's. The next day I felt my pride in my country grow as I tried to unsucessfully find a flag in our little town-there were none to be found. Every person had one flying from their home and sticker's on their cars. This terrible act woke our country up and united us, if even for a short while. Now five years later I have this sickening feeling that most who were not affected directly by this tragedy have forgotten. I honestly don't think I could ever forget...

Getin' Back to Bloggin'

As write this blog I have to relize how spoiled I am. After our move to LA I have been trying to get my computer on-line so I could finally blog. I have missed blogging so much. I have now rented a desk at the Wolf Cave and now I am connected with my computer to the internet. AHhh, it feels nice. My Uncle has offered to install a wireless connection so hopefully I will not have to use their connection for long. I really appreciate that not only have they let me connect my computer but also rented me a fancy desk. My very own.
We went to mirror lake yesterday and had a blast! The Woodpecker Clan served up some really good food and we had a lot of fun playing in the water.
I will try to get some pictures on as soon as possible.
We also caught lots of rainbows. You could not keep these guys of a dry fly. It was the perfect time at night when ll the bugs drop low to the surface and the fish are rising to eat them. Ah, nothing better. Hey we even caught some that were 3-4 inches, feisty little guys.

Blah Monday

Butch and Sissy are off to school. Butch got to make gingerbread men first thing this morning. Wow, I would love that. Smart teacher though. Anyways we are still waiting for them to get home so we can hear how their day went. It makes me wonder what Butch thinks of school. We were wondering if the Grand Poopa could bring the Brown dog and my pay check up with you when you come up for Sissy's B-day. It would really save us the drive for now.

Anyways, if the kids come home with something exciting to say, we will try and write later! We are going job hunting!

First day of School

Well Sissy has gone to her first day of school and Butch had his interview with his teacher. I can say I am completely satisfied with the school and the kid's teachers, what a big relief. Butch passed his interview with flying colors and the teacher seemed really pleased with his vocabulary and communication skills. Sissy, with some help form her auntie wolf and little cousins, was happily reading when I went and checked on her. She seemed like she was fitting in, but she still had this look like she was worried. I really hopes she blooms in this school and doesn't step back into the shadows like she did at Paul banks.
Here's a funny little side note. When Sissy was first starting school there was a devastating accident that befell a tiny kitten. I remember how I was trying to come up with excuses as my daughter retold the story of how the kitty was squished to her teacher. Today as Butch's teacher was askinghim some questions he suddenly asks her if she had watched jaws. She told him that no, she had not watched jaws because it was to scary. SO of course Butch has to go into this gruesome detail of a dead body they find in the movie. My sister, my husband and I all had to muffle our laughs as did the teacher. I did not find myself making excuses but instead found comfort in the belief that she had heard similar things probably that same day from some other overactive imagination. Few. I used to stress so much about what Sissy said. I guess I am getting Calloused!

I have snuck this moment to write a quick note in my blog. I really have missed writtting and it makes me think of how at first I thought blogging was silly. I find myself rating things that happen to me every day or wierd things I see. Is that blog worthy and if so how blog worthy was it?
Anyways we have made our big move. I think I have hear it referred as LA? Anyways we are staying in our friends mobile home or if we must speak truthfully, really long trailor. I guess it is ok for now . I t is clean and fully furnished and the neghbors aren't that bad. We just have to really watch the kids and the dogs because the nieghbor has three or four pitbulls. They seem to be nice and get along with our dogs, who are behind a fence. So the kids are not allowed to leave the fence without mom or dad and we stand outside if the pitbulls are out. Other than that I am still getting used to the traffic and airplanes.
The upside? I went down and registered the kids at the same school that the little wolfies go to. Sissy will hopfully start tomorrow with only missing two days, Butch will have an interview and starts Monday. Sigh. I think that the size of the school is nice and not to much more than the kids are used to, plus Sissy is excited about walking with the Wolfies.
Papa moose has been looking for work. We thought looking for a job would be easy considering the amount of work but it is almost overwhelming that amount of jobs. He has applied for three jobs and will go meet in person tomarrow. Double Sigh.
Well better go for now ...will write again soon...

Reading everyone's blog this morning, I was left without much inspiration. Not that they were bad, I did enjoy readig them, it was just that like Grand Poopa said, some had spiderwebs. I decided to wipe of the webs on my site and write again, realizing that I still need to finish the dragon story and knowing I have to write something political...everyone else is doing it. I will try to write something...

We Think We Are So Smart...

I had to share this little story with everyone, it is funny but comes with a good lesson.

Today we started waching the Jeff Corwin Show on Animal Planet. He was doing this segment on this jungle in Borneo and the wildlife that lives there. As the camera zooms in on this monkey in the distance Heather announces that it was the Proboscus Monkey. She had watched another animal planet show and it had this monkey on it. Heath told her that she was wrong laughing at her. She looked at him and told him that it was the right name and returned to watching the show. She remebered that one small fact. And we think we are so smart.

Hmmm...What to blog

I have read everyone's blog this morning. My, My, My. If you all were my kids I would deffinately send you to your rooms. Just joking. I enjoy Stan picking on someone else, that way he is occupied and will leave the rest of us alone. (for awhile)
Anyways I have a long day of beng unemployed to waste. It will not las t long I have another job starting tomarrow.
I will write more later.

Muscles, Midnight Boat Ride and A Bonfire

I am really sorry I have written in awhile and I still haven't fixed my site so people can post.

Anyways life has been really exciting this past week, really keeping us busy. I would like to first point out that while you are all joking about mowing your lawns, we have actually got green grass-ready to mow. No joke. There is no snow aroung our house for about 20 ft. The last few days were so nice and hot I walked through town and was sweating even though I had on only a light jacket. Ha.

Wednesday was my 26th birthday, Thank you to all who sent their best wishes. The day started out very normal for us. Heath and I took my sister and Avery out to breakfast and then she watched the kids for the rest of the day so Heath and I could go fishing. As I said earlier the weather was so nice it was a perfect day.

We started out Rueger, Koda, Heath and I from the harbor and went to halibut cove lagoon and saw some really cool marine life. After exploring the lagoon we dropped our lines and tried, unsucessfully, to catch a king. We ran up the side of the beach tothe tip of Glacier spit where a few years earlier we saw an eagle's nest. I talked Heath into putting the boat on the beach and we walked to where the nest was when we were last there. We did not find the nest (it was on the ground) but we did spot two eagles near watching us (and the puppy) and I found several really pretty shells. I also got Koda leash broken and he no longer goes for drags.
While walking I discovered a bed of mucsles and decided that since we did not get a fish we would eat these instead. Heath stated that he did not like them so I was picking them up for myself. heath kept with the oat because the tide was going out. He decided he was going to leave me on the beach while I gathered and I would meet him down the beach. When I got down there, the entire beach was realy flat and covered with lots of muscles. Heath came up and told me that we needed to be quick because the tide was going out and fast. We walked back to the boat to see that it had started to go dry. I realized several things within the next two minutes. First, while boats are really easy to push while in the water, when on dry land they are not. Second, because the beach was really flat the surrounding area was pretty shallow for quite awhile and when the water decided to go out it went out fast. We were completely dry within a minute. The third thing that I came to realize yesterday as we tried to get the boat back in the water was that it is quite amazing the things you are capable of in times of trouble. Yesterday, as the boat was going dry we pushed the boat in the hopes that we could get in back into deep enough water to float. We both pushed with everything that we had. It was to late. We decided to go the beach and start afire to stay warm beside and dry my feet. We spent the next several hours gathering wood (lots of wood) and watching for the tide to turn. After it got dark we were runniong out of wood and we could no longer see the boat so we decided head back tothe boat. I was telling myself as the water lapped around the side of the boat that I was as good as home. It was not until we started moving did I start to get panicked. It was dark last night, there was no moon, and the breeze that had gone away earlier that afternoon was back. The ride home was slow and rough. I clung to the seat like it would actually do something if for some reason the boat went down. When we finally reached the harbor Iwas so thankful to be back, I felt like it was over...Then the engine died. My heart sank so much. Turns out the hose got crimped on the bench and the fuel was cuttoff, it was an easy fix and pulled into the harbor at 11:16 pm. I had a wonderful b-day with a bonfire fresh muscles amd a midnight boat ride under the stars: All with my hubby.

This entry is in refrence to the Grand Poopa's recent post and even though I don't usually agree with you, you are so right. I remember that morning still very clearly. We were asleep when the first plane hit, but were woke up by you for the second. I woke H up and we watched and cried as the second plane hit. I felt bad for exsposing h to the horror but I also felt that she needed to see it. She needed to know that we are not safe here and that every thing is not ok. There are people out there who want to hurt us.Another thing that I remember is siting at the shop and listneing to the radio and the stories that were unfolding. I remember listening to our presidents speach and having this feeling of relief wash over me. I felt like he could lead and protect us. To this day I have not lost this feeling and he has done or is doing what he promised to do that morning. One other thing I clearly remember is that by later that afternoon you could not buy a flag anywehre in town. It is amazing to see a nation pull together so quickly, but it is sad to see it seperate even quicker.

***Also as i previously posted I watched the movie WMD. In it they show the footage of the towers being struck and then falling and the emotions still are just as strong. It is amazing that after a few years it stills makes me cry. Such and instant loss of inocent life.***

I am sorry that I haven’t written much lately. I have been just running around like crazy this past week. I had decided that I wanted to quit Safeway. The drama builds at work as the store gets even further into the remodel and the “little kids” around the store stir the crap in the pot. Stress levels have been getting really high. I fid myself constantly on edge, which surprisingly I handle really well, but I warned my boss already. The thing is I am really nice at work and everyone thinks I am always sweet and polite. When I told my boss that if things did not get any better I was going to loose what little patience I had left. He laughed at me, which tells me that he does not know me very well.
Anyways I finally went to the head store manager (absolutely adores me). I was originally was going to tell him that I was quitting and give him my notice. Then I found out someone just quit and started feeling guilty about leaving. So I told him that I needed to take some time off or I was quitting. I explained that the stress and drama was getting to me and I wanted to use my 5 vacation days. He gave me one extra day off with my normal two. UURRG!
Recently I have been really enjoying reading everyone’s blog, and I have made reading them a daily routine. Sometimes it is the first thing I do when I get up and the first thing I do when I get home. I think this is a fun and cheap way of keeping us together even though we are apart. I love the humor and the trivia. I love that people read my site and even more excited when they leave comments. I have given my blog site name tom mom who will be giving it to my family down south so they can see pictures of the kids and our life. This also makes me very happy because I have not seen any of them since 89. And just to let you all know how much it means to me, the people I left down there were part of one the happiest times I ever had growing up. I miss them lots and can not wait until I can see them in person and they can meet my kids.
Anyways, back to blogs. While I was reading the Grand Poopa’s site, I saw that there has been a new rule added to the Clan Laws. Please read below for the law as was written by the Grand Poopa himself…

Being that you have all by unanimous consent, which is only right considering my stature, selected me as the Grand Poopa, I will be making an official proclamation for all clans; in that all "adult" members of the clans shall wear bra's. Being the sensitive new age guy that I am, I feel that it is only right that no differences exist between the attire of female and male members of the clans.
It will be permissible to decorate the bra in any manner the individual desires!
Now I would like to say that I think it is a Grand idea, believing that we are all equal and if I us females have to wear them-so do you men! I only find a couple of problems with the idea. The Grand Poopa has decreed that the spouses will wear matching bra sizes to camp. I wear a 34c (yes, they are shrinking I am thinking of getting a free boob job, but hat is for another story) I also have a narrow rib cage which allows me to wear a small bra size. While my husband could probably stuff the cups to fill them in, I think he would have a hard time fitting it around his chest. I would also like to point out the leaders of the bison clan, could you see them sharing bras? The female bison’s bras would barely fit around the male bison’s head.
Also you have not declared what kind of bras they have to be. Are we supposed to under wire or pushup? Do they have to be worn on the outside of the clothes or under?
I would also think it would be great to have fashion contest during this next summer. Great laughs for all. I got a new camera…

I would also like to use this post to promote a movie to open all eyes. WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction. This movie is the counter version of Michael Moore’s Farenhieght 911, except it takes a different approach than I thought it would. This film depicts what life was like in the 30+ years that Sadam Hussien terrorized people. Not just any people, but his own people. This film shows why we are over there. When you watch the movie you are made sick by the things he has done and angry at what his people went through and the fear they felt. Could you seriously imagine in one half hour period a bunch of men invading your town taking all the males old and young, killing your children and raping your young women? These tales come form the people themselves. I will warn it is not for the faint of heart just because they show what he did and it was horrible. Men, women and children it did not matter. Thank you to the owner of the Video store for ordering this insightful film. I will be recommending it to everyone I can. I would also like to point out that this film was way less biased than Farenhieght 911.
I will leave you all with these thoughts. Sorry if it is long winded. Till next time…

Hear are some more pictures. I grabbed a few of my favorites, I hope you guys enjoy them. I am using hello from picasa I like it so far.
I want to take one of the eagle pictures and have it framed.
The sunset was taken on my way to Anchorage and still captivates me. I love the fact that it looks there is a wave coming up on the sun...pretty.

Over the last couple of weeks I have began to think that GS sucks. Do not get me wrong, I still believe that what the GS stand for is good, I just feel that somehow we are missing the point.
When I look at my sister's troop, I see the connection and I see the bond. That is what I thought GS was all about. Well that and to offer these little girls some good influence in life. I have hard time explaining to people why I can not jus quit. At first I thought it was because they didn't understand, but now I am wondering if it is because I can not think of any reason to stay.

Yesterday at work two GS troops showed up to sell cookies. Two parents/leaders to about 10 juniors. The thing about juniors that I am learning is they are in a very awkward phase. Stuck between a big girl and a little girl, their emtions are constanly up and down. Plus they are loud and little like drama queens. ( I say this with love-I have a very emotional girl right now)
Anyways, GS set up two tables and were there for about two hours. The entire time the girls giggled and had to be told to be quiet. The leaders tried but the girls were running around the store and it was very busy ( I am not passing judgement on the leaders-my girls can not sale at the post office this year because how they behaved last year.) Now Safeway has decided not to allow the GS to sell cookies at the store until the end of May. They just eliminated GS #1 selling site. So many troops depend on that store for booth sales.
Also...I HATE LIVING IN A DUPLEX!!!!!!!!!!
I HATE LIVING NEXT TO MY LANDLORD!!!!!
Ahh... feel so much better. My landlord keeps asking for a rent check we have already paid her. We have reciepts and bank statements. Yesterday she came over and we told her we needed to talk to her dad. We told her, again, that we have paid every thing owed. Not only that we were just gong over our monthly bills and since we have moved in we are paying over 450 a month for porpane ,that does not include the 700 we first put in the tank because it was empty when we moved in. Yeah that was nice, woke up one morning and had no heat. COOOl.
We pay over 120 a month in electric. One shower does not work so we use the kids...YUCK! Thier friends park in our spot. We have been stuck in our driveway for hours at a time. Can not wait to move....

This one was also taken by Heath, and is probably my favorite.

Heath took this pic. i absolutely love the detail

Turnagain arm.
turnagain arm sunset

The Story part two

The next morning the little girl woke up very early. She slipped put of bed and got dressed quickly, forgetting a button or two. She slipped on her jacket and rushed out to the door to meet her dragon.
She got to her Tree and sat beneath the branches just as the sun came up over the horizon.
Once agian she watched and listened to the tree and the shadows it cast, everyonce and awhile her eyes drifting beyond the branches and their shadows, searching for a familiar shape.
Sitting beneath that tree the little girl's faith in dragon's never faultered. Even as the shadows moved across the ground and she knew that soon her grandma would be waking up and would have to get back to the house, she never gave up believing that she could see a dragon.
The Tree explained to the little girl that the morning needs to be colder. If it was colder dew would form on the Tree's branches catching the morning sunlight and this would attract any dragons that might be near. The Tree assured her that the next morning would be the perfect morning for sure.
The little girl thought that this would be a great idea. she closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the dew would look like sitting and rolling on the branches of the tree.
Eventually she stood up and told the tree she would be back thenext morning, ready to see the dragons. Heading back to her grandma's house she had a mile on her face.
Dragon's love sparkley stuff, they would not be able to resist the reflection from the dew drops.
The day seemed to dragged by very slowly for the girl. She had a wonderful secret and could not tell anyone which was very hard for her. She tried to play with her brother but was to distracted. She tried to color pictures but could not get them right.
Then it was finally time to go to bed, and she fell asleep quickly, her bother by her side.
Dragons filled her dreams that night.

I am writting tonight to vent. I will aplogize now for anything I write below that might offend in any way, anyone. I feel I must write this though.

I arrived at work at 10:30 this morning which is really strange for me. Our store is going through a severe remodel right now and our counter was moved last night. I was in early to help arrange the counter and cover the breaks. The morning started out really bad. The phone at my counter is the main line into the store and we could not put any calls on hold. Also we could not page anyone in the store. this meant that every two min. or so we would get a call, put the phone down and then run to the registers. The person recieving the call then would have to run all the way to our counter to pick up the call. To really explain the chaos I would also like to mention that five rows of shelving were in the process of being moved and it was senior day.
I was not in a good mood.
I heard the first call for 911 very clearly. I do not know how. There was a bobcat working all day in the store, but I heard it. I made two attempts to dial the number, but it would not go through. I handed the phone to my coworker and told her to dial 911. I went knowing that even with my emt 1 cert having lapsed alomost five years ago, I am way more qualified than most of my fellow employees. There is maybe one person on shift at any given time that has maybe had cpr training at one time.
Arriving where the call came from I saw the man on the floor. My heart sank. I sold coffee to this man every morning shift that I worked. We had just talked yesterday.
There was another guy just bending over him getting ready to help. Another employee showed up also. It was strange. In that one minute or more we were the only ones at first.
I never got the first man's name, and even though I have heard people say that, it really matters some how. It turns out that he had just finished his cpr training.
The employee was a young guy who was actually taking his final emt test on Friday.
When I got to him I knew it was serious, but I do admitt I did not know what was wrong with him besides the obvious. A third employee who happened to be an emt 3 arrived andwe all took positions. The man quit breathing and his body had curled up making it hard to open his airway. The young guy next to me was in charge of blowing breaths intot he man' s mouth, and he did it. The anonymous guy was in charged of getting the pulse, and he did it. I was in charge of keeping his airway, and I did it. The other employee not only put the energy into giving the man chest compresions, but she led three unexperianced people.
Not one of us falterd. We would get him to take a breath and get a puslse and then it was gone. We all sat above this man and tried to help him never stopping even though we did not have a pulse.
The man died in our hands on the concrete floor of safeway.
I honestly feel that the man died when the first employee and I arrived. He was making noises and trying to fight. I will forever remeber color of his sin and his eyes. I will never forget looking to my right and seeing the kid next to me and the anonymous man, and then looking to my right and looking up to the women at my side.
I don't want to sound melodramatic, but a few things struck me as odd after the emts arrived. People were backed up both ways down the main ilse of safeway because of where he had fallen. Strangley people just shopped around him. They had to push a lady away grabbing for a can of corn when they were going to shock him! People could not believe they had to walk around to the next ilse.
The next wierd thing is all three of us employees had a man die in our laps. This is something that does not happen everyday to a checker. Our mangers never asked how we were doing, they just made sure that we got back to our counters. We did not get a break or chance to collect our selves. I am most worried about the kid next to me. He asked me what he could of done better. It was his first death and no one seemed to really care about how he was handling it.
I sit here now just tense with something that is not quite anger, almost fear, a litte saddness and a lot of disgust. I constantly replay certain parts but it still all seems unreal.

No way...

As I sit here and right this I am deeply saddened by what has happened down here in Homer. I just can not imagine a world where a child's life is not of any value. Not to mention the many innocent people in the surrounding area...It scares me to see that first a PARENT would put there child in that kind of danger, but it also scares me to kow that THEY were so careless in the many choices they made. So very sad.

THE STORY

The sun was warm. The tree she lay beneath whispered to her. Things only she could understand. The thick branches swayed above her, fanning her while casting beautiful designs on the ground. Sometimes she pretended that the reflections were other worlds. She could spend hours playing in those worlds. She had seen many things in her short life. Pretty amazing and unbelievable things. She remembered every single one of her adventures. And she charished them all.
Just like the reflections the tree cast, the little girl's thoughts were always changing.

One day her Grandma gave her a present. The little girl thought it only only fitting to open such a special gift beneath her tree. This was not hard for the tree was very close to her Grandmother's house. Once settled beneath her tree, the little girl open her gift. Sitting beneath that tree the little girl fell in love. The gift her Grandmother had given her was a book about dragons. She read the book from front to back, learning everything she could. When she was done she asked her tree about these dragons and why hadn't she seen them before. The tree confessed to knowing of such creatures and began telling the little girl all it knew. Which was quiet a bit because the tree was old and wise and quite frankly, liked to talk. The little girl listend though, from begining to end. She learned everything she could.
She sat at the base of that tree for some time. She did not speak and did not move. The tree stood over her, gaurding over her while she thought. The tree knew what the girl would ask next. She asked the tree how she could see a dragon.
The Tree told her that she needed to do a lot to see a dragon. She had to learn about them and understand them. She even had to learn to speak to them. She had to love them. Most of all she had to Believe in them. The little girl nodded and said she could do all those things. So she said farewell to her Grandma and her Tree, and went home.
Most little girls would have forgotten about their promise, but not this little girl. She went home and did everything she said she would. She found many books and she read them all. She watched videos, t.v. shows and surfed the web. Her wall began to fill with dragon posters. Her floor became lined with Dragon toys and stuffies. Her growing love for dragons even flowed into her school work. Every piece of art or story always had a dragon somewhere.
Even though she had learned so much and had devoted so much, one question still remained. Did the little girl actually believe in Dragons?
Oh, yes she did. Absolutely with all her heart.
So she went to her Grandma's house for a visit. After having lunch and tea with her Grandma and brother, the little girl went to her Tree.
As usual she sat beneath the tree and listend to it's whispers. She began to tell the tree all that she had learned. As she spoke the Tree listend not entirely to what she was saying, but how she was saying it. The Tree felt her love as she spoke. The Tree saw her face innocent, but sure. The Tree knew she believed. The tree told the girl this.
This made the girl very happy. So happy that she begged the Tree to tell her how to see Dragons.
The Tree could not resist her. The Tree asked the little girl what dragons liked. The little girl thought for a moment, then said Diamonds. The tree told the little girl that anything sparkly will attract the attention of any dragons nearby. The Tree also told the little girl that the best time to see dragons was early morning. Since there are less people up at that time, there is not so much disbelief in the air.