Baby got Book!

This video Bob found for me is just hilarious! If you were around during the time Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-lot was popular, you'd remember the whole tune. Well, this video is a Christian spin off called "Baby got Book". It's so cute and just so funny!! I just LOVE it!

It's by Pastor Dan Smith from Momentum Christian Church in Cleveland Ohio. He also goes by Southpaw, a Christian DJ. He's got a DVD and CD out too.

I just thought it was worth mentioning.....it's such an awesome video..and I love that it promotes Christianity! He would be an incredible youth pastor. Wonder if he'd be interested at my church? We are still looking for a youth pastor! haha

PBS Auction!

Last night was the first night of the annual Milwaukee Public Television (PBS) fundraising auction! I wait all year for this! It's a televised event on PBS starting April 28- May 6 where viewers can call in to bid on items that have been donated by either other viewers or sponsers of PBS. It's a popular and famous event here. I love watching it! There have been incredible items and deals...we bought a few of our wolf paintings from the auction. They have more than art though...they also have services, clothes, knick knacks, etc. This year one of the featured artists is Andy Goralski. They are auctioning off copied prints of his painting of the one and only Brett Favre! I highly doubt I'd be able to get one of these because they will be going for big bucks, but I will certainly try!

Anyway, I will be glued to the tv all week hoping to bid on something good and help support PBS!

Rummage Sales!

It's that time of year already!! Yay!

Yesterday Ryan and I went to my parents' house and then we all went rummage sale-ing all morning! woo hoo!! We actually went all the way out to Muskego because they had a huge 40 house subdivision sale. And I got to see my brother there too since he lives there. Great bonus! Ryan did great...just like last year. He loves going to rummage sales--yes, we are training him early!! haha He would find the toys at each sale and just sit there playing with them. There was one sale where they didn't have any toys and he wanted to leave because there wasn't any.

I have a feeling it will be trend this summer....we will probably be going every week!

Oh, and I didn't do too bad as far as purchasing things. I got Ryan 3 short sleeve shirts, a pair of jeans, a Blues Clues backpack, a stuffed cat, and a package of cookies. Gee, how did Ryan make out in all this and I didn't get anything??

It was fun. Poor Ryan was so wiped out though that he fell asleep in the car on the way back home from my parents. He woke up when we got home and was pretty cranky the rest of the night. Guess we have to ease into it! LOL

Writer's Wednesday 4/26/06

Here is a small excerpt from my book that I'm currently writing. It's just a narrative with no action or dialogue (I don't want to give much away yet!). Enjoy!

The crowd roared as the band stepped on stage. Becky stood backstage, a full view of both the band and the crowd. They started out with a crowd favorite. She watched Michael as he played his guitar, a smile on his lips that lit up his whole face. She watched the way his eyes danced. She admired how he still loved what he was doing, that he had the energy and passion on stage as he played.
As she watched the band play, memories flooded her mind. She remembered so many days of watching him from backstage, being his private cheerleader, his biggest fan. For a while, she was on tour with him. She would stand backstage, always cheering him on whenever he looked her way. She always got a shiver when watching his hands slide across the keyboard, or hearing his breath through the harmonica, or his fingers strumming the guitar. She was amazed by how many talents he had.
She felt that way now, as she was standing there, 10 yrs later, feeling like it was yesterday. A smile parted on her lips, her hands thumping against her leg, her body swaying to the music. She felt herself singing along with the words, like she was 19 again. It seemed like so long ago, yet it was like no time had passed at all.
Her heart danced when he looked her way and give her a wink. It was something he always did for her, as a sign that he knew she was there and he appreciated her cheering him on. Her face overcame with excitement, joining in the crowd’s applause. He put on a great show, both for the crowd and for her.

My man is back!!

Football man that is!! Brett Favre is coming back for his final season as the Green Bay Packers quarterback!! woo hoo!!! I'm jumping up and down in excitement! Here is the news story that came out today.

It will be a sad day when he finally does retire. He is what makes football worth watching. :D My favorite player on my favorite team!

Are you ready for some football?!

Go Packers!!

Song of the Day 2

Here's another song of the day...since I'm so into songs lately :)

Don't You (Forget about me) by Simple Minds.

This song is special to me because it reminds me of my senior year of high school and graduation. The words were perfect for the occasion, and when I signed everyone's yearbooks, I would always sign it "Don't you forget about me". I also remember (you know how you can have just little snipets of time stamped in your mind?) a moment at my graduation party when I had this song on and I remember looking at all my friends there, thinking how perfect life was at that moment and how it was all going to change. It was the start of the best summer I ever had. Great times. Great song. *sigh* oh the memories!

MOPS group

Here is something of interest:

My night time MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) is ending next month. Our season is only from Sept-May. However, last night the ladies and I were discussing how we have all become very close and don't want to go through 4 months without seeing each other. So we will be getting together at least once a month throughout the summer.

The next season starting in Sept, I will have a leadership role! I will be a Hospitality Leader for the night time group. I will be in charge of decorating, setting up/taking down, welcoming people, and the most important thing, food! LOL

I'm looking forward to it. Next year's theme is "Breath of Fresh Air", and I already have some ideas on keeping with the theme!

It should be exciting and fun! I'm so thankful to have this group.

quick update

I am sick yet again. It seems that once I get over some illness, I seem to get another one shortly after. I guess that's the joys of having a preschooler. You get to share their joys, tears, celebrations, and of course, germs.

I haven't felt up to writing much this past week. My book seems to be on hold at the moment. I've written a few paragraphs here and there since last week, but not much. Not being able to breathe tends to hinder the motivation for writing. Once I start feeling better I hope to really get moving!

My life seems to be on the boring side this week. Nothing exciting going on, which I guess is a good thing. Just doesn't lead to a very exciting blog! LOL

Stay tuned for (hopefully) more exciting things to come!

Cat dance

Bob found this video on the net of a cat dance. It's actually really cute, and the cat looks very similiar to Cally. It's Ryan's favorite video at the moment. You should check it out..and make sure you have your speakers on. The song is cute.

Click here for the video. Enjoy!

Writers Wednesday 4/19/06

Today I am posting an excerpt from a profile I did for my current project. As you know, I'm writing a novel. This is Becky's profile, the main character of the book. I am only posting an excerpt since the rest of it is talking about how she relates to the other characters in the book. This is to show how I make up a character. Enjoy!

Profile of Becky

Name: Rebecca Janell Casey, “Becky”, “Becca” Alias "Ashley Beth"
Birthday: Jan 23, 1976
Age: 30
Profession: Supervisor at Today’s Bank in Milwaukee, WI

· Appearance: Long auburn red hair, reaching down to chest level. Petite, small frame. 5’3”. Brown eyes, thin, pretty face. Carries herself with confidence.

· Clothing: likes to wear business suits to work, skirts, blazers, very professional. At home likes to lounge in sweatpants, t shirts, sweatshirts. Likes to dress trendy and find new fads/trends. Always styles her hair.

· Engagement ring from Anthony: white gold band with a solitaire round half caret diamond.

· Likes to wear jewelry, mainly necklaces. Has a favorite necklace she received from her father when she was little of a small garnet on a gold chain. She keeps it in a special red velvet bag in her jewelry box. It’s the only thing she has from her father.

· GED Tutored at UCLA

· Degree: BS in Business Administration, minor in Communications from Marquette University. Graduated in the top 5% of class.

- used to be a teen pop princess, went by the name Ashley Beth. Had 3 hit albums and won a Grammy award.

Personality

· Outgoing. She loves to go out and have a good time, likes to go places and try different things. Gets bored quickly with repetition.
· Spontaneous. Enjoys spur of the moment activities, loves the thrill of not knowing what’s going to happen. Impulsive.
· Open-minded. Is open to many different things; doesn’t mind people that are different from her, takes an interest in others opinions.
· Self reliant. Has a lot of confidence in herself and what she does.
· Independent. She’s had to grow up fast during her youth. Though her younger years she was very dependant on others, she learned to become independent and now never relies on anyone for things she can do herself.
· Assertive. Will stand up for what she believes in
· Socialable and attention seeking. Loves to be the center of attention most of the time, unless she feels threatened. Prefers to be with others in a group than be by herself.
· Carries grudges. Doesn’t forgive easily.
· Loves hard rock music, going to concerts, parties, likes to drink occasionally. Loves to dance. Prefers to go out to a good dance club and eat a basket of chicken fingers than going to an art museum or seeing a ballet.
· Prefers to have a night out on the town if given a choice.
· Likes a good football game once in a while. Still cheers on the Green Bay Packers now and then.
· Doesn’t feel it necessary to get married. She has seen the damage in her parents’ marriage and is turned off by marriage. Afraid she may get hurt.
· Doesn’t see children in her future anytime soon. Would prefer to wait a while before having children. Doesn’t see herself as a family type of person.

Family

Felicia Casey- mother. 52.
Henry Casey- father 55
Hunter Casey- brother 33
Mother and father divorced when Becky was 5 yrs old. Henry was an alcoholic and had an affair. After years of fighting, he finally left the marriage. Becky hasn’t seen her father since he left when she was 5. She has few memories of him, but still has the only gift he gave her, the necklace. She learned the truth of her father when she became a professional singer when it came out in the tabloids. She was upset that Felicia didn’t tell her about it years ago.

Felicia did the best she could as a single mother. She worked 2 jobs. The neighbors watched Hunter and Becky most days while Felicia worked. Becky has few recollections of her mother from childhood…she spent more time at the neighbors than with her mother. When she was 14 she saw an ad for Talent Search, offering $5000 as a prize. Becky convinced her mother to sign her up so she could win the money for her.
Becky has a decent relationship with her mother. Felicia was always more protective of Becky due to being a single parent. She didn’t want Becky to make the same mistake as her…didn’t want Becky to get into music biz, but since there was no stopping her, Felicia made sure she was the manager and oversaw all aspects of Becky’s career and life. Would drive Becky nuts. Hated her back then, but now has a much better relationship with her mother.

Hunter was a troubled kid from the time Henry left the family. Hunter took it hard and started drinking and smoking at age 10. He fell into the wrong crowd and by age 13 he was stealing cars and running from the law. He was arrested at age 16 for drug dealing and accessory to murder. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to 20 yrs in jail. He is up for parole next year. Becky has very little contact with him. She sends him a birthday card and Christmas card each year. She feels he abandoned the family and is no better than their father.

She has always been determined to make something of herself since no one else in her family has. She thought being famous would make up for the lack of family she had. Once she left singing behind, she believed going to school and having a normal career would make her successful and happy.

Felicia didn’t like Michael back when she met him, when Becky did a duet with him and the band. Didn’t want Becky to get caught up in that lifestyle…afraid she would turn out just like her father or brother. Becky fought with her to do this.
Becky didn’t tell her mother she was dating Michael until she turned 18, so Felicia couldn’t say anything about it. Felicia was upset at first, fought with Becky, but didn’t stop her.
When Becky left her singing career to be manager of Black Ice, Felicia moved back to Wisconsin.

Relationships

· Michael Lowrance (31)
He is her first serious relationship. She meets him at Grammy Awards when she is 17. (Feb). She collaborates on a duet with him and band during the summer, and she starts dating him Aug. She turned 18 in Jan and tells her mother, who isn’t thrilled.
Michael and Becky get engaged when she’s 20. Throughout the time Felicia and Michael end up liking each other since he’s not the typical rock star. Becky helped Michael kick his drug habit when she first dated him.

· Jered Smith (21)
Becky’s tutor when she decides to get her GED during the summer she’s 20. Brown hair, muscled frame, 6’0”, 170 lbs. Hazel eyes. Very nice looking. Becky is smitten at first glance. She flirts with him and he flirts back. She loves that he’s paying attention to her. She has sex with him a month into the tutoring, she takes her ring off so he doesn’t know she’s engaged. She leaves Michael for him. The relationship lasts a few more months. Jered is using her for the sex and fame, thinks she’s easy. Once he is bored with her he dumps her.

· Gabe Peterson (23)
Met in college. He was a Marketing major, she met him in one of her classes. He also knew she used to be a singer, but wasn’t using her for it. They dated for about a year. It got serious toward the end. He graduated and received a job offer in New York. He asked her to marry him and move out there with him. She turned him down…she still had another year of school left and refused to give up her life for a man ever again. They never saw each other again. She was upset but moved on quickly.

· Anthony Perozzi (30)
Met at the bank where she works. He came in to switch bank accounts and she opened up his account. It was love at first sight. They dated for a year and then he proposed to her on Christmas in front of his family. She felt obligated to say yes so as not to cause embarrassment. She loves him but is unsure of the whole marriage idea. She’s doing it mainly because she thinks this is what a “normal” life is supposed to be like.

· Sabrina
Becky’s best friend. They met at the bank where Becky works. Sabrina was hired shortly after Becky was. Sabrina is an accounts specialist, working alongside Becky. They became friends quickly. Sabrina is the first female best friend she’s ever had. She tells her everything. Trusts her with anything. They both have similar personalities, like to do the same type of things. Get along really well, compliment each other.

Wouldn't be Easter without family

And of course, there's the egg hunt at grandma and grandpa's. He's all dressed up in his Easter suit, looking for eggs.



Every year he gets presents from grandma and grandpa on Easter. He didn't care too much for the clothes.



But grandma made up for it when she gave him a bubble machine. It was kinda cold out so we did it in the basement.

Easter morning

Here is our egg hunt on Easter morning. Ryan did great finding the eggs..had some trouble finding his basket though. We had to help him on that.





Here he is with his Easter basket. Along with those books and a few cars, he also got a little bit of candy, some fruit snacks, granola bars, and chips.

Church Easter Egg hunt

Ryan has been spoiled with Easter this year. He's been to 3 egg hunts! Here is the egg hunt we went to with my church Bible study. It was so nice out we decided to do it at R's house rather than at the church. She has a huge yard with a nice swingset and plenty of toys, so the kids enjoyed playing outside. Most of them didn't mind waiting for their turn to hunt. Here is Ryan waiting his turn by just "hanging around."



Here he is hunting for eggs. Each child was allowed to find 12 eggs a piece. He had lots of fun with is this year.

How much is that kitty in the window?

Last week when it was so nice out, we've been opening the windows in the house, trying to get some fresh air circulating. Cally just loves open windows. The second the window is open she is right there. Here is a view of her from the outside.

Song of the Day

I'm sitting here listening to my Yahoo music (which I'm horribly addicted to) and I have listened to so many older songs that I'm going down amnesia lane. I have my own custom station that mainly plays many of my favorites, so of course I'm bound to hear many songs that have some meaning to me. I'm huge into songs....I have a song for just about everything. I have a song for every boyfriend I've ever had, along with every boy I've ever even liked (there are lots there), songs that remind me of certain times in my life, certain situations, certain people. I'm a sentimental sap I know. :D

The song of the day is Miss you in a Heartbeat by Def Leppard. This song has special meaning to me as is my song with an ex-boyfriend (Mike). I met him back in college...at Lakeland. He didn't go to school, but I met him a dance club I frequented. He came up to me during this song and we danced to it. That was how I met him. We only dated for 2 months (I ended up leaving him for Bob), but the song still reminds me of him. We usd to go to the dance club together. It was nice to have a boyfriend that loved to dance as much as I did.
Now, even though the song still reminds me of him, I still love the song. I think it's one of Def Leppards best songs.

Friends Forever

Yesterday I spent the day at a friend's house (a friend I have known since high school). Ryan had spent the night at my parents' house and I drove the 80 miles to D's house. She has a 6 yr old and 3 yr old special needs twins who just had surgery 3 weeks ago. I was supposed to be going to help her out, but she really didn't need any help. The twins are doing better and she seemed to have things under control. But we spent the day talking and catching up. Because she lives quite a distance away, we don't get to see each other much anymore. It was a nice day.

Alleluiah He is Risen!

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him'. Now I have told you." - Matthew 28:1-7

PRAISE THE LORD!! HE IS RISEN!!

The Songwriter

About a month back I had written a song for my book. As I had mentioned before, I talked to my producer contact about it.

I wrote the song in about 2 weeks and then sent it to him via the yahoo group. He mentioned to me that it might take him a while to write the music since he was going through some personal problems at the time. I opted to let it go for a while--I didn't want to push it and it's not a huge deal if I don't get the music for this. It's just for a book anyway.

I had pretty much thought he had forgotten about it until this morning, when I received a message from him in the group letting me know he finished writing the music for the song! Holy cats!! If that isn't exciting enough, not only did he finish writing the music, but he's going to be working at a recording studio today and will see if he can get a few hours booked so he can record the music!!! Then he wants to get two singers (it's a duet) to sing it!!! When it's done he'll send me copies on CD!!!!!
He even believes we may have a "hit" on our hands!! haha

I'm just so excited about this!! My first song I've ever written...and now there will be music and singers to it!!! I wonder if I should go into songwriting for a profession? hhhmm, new career option! LOL

Now I'm visualizing my book being published with a CD! Not only can you read the book, but you can then hear the song that goes with it!

I'm now even more motivated to write this book and get it published!

Comments

Comments are always welcome to any/all of my posts! Please feel free to write to me! Just click on the word "Comment" on the bottom of each post and type in your comment! If you aren't a member of blogger, you can just put yourself as "anonymous".

I'd be more than happy to read your comments!!

Writers Wednesday 4/12/06

Last One


A dream love
A stolen kiss
A broken heart
A fatal attraction

A love taken from a dream
Nurtured into reality
A neverending passion
A desire burning of fire

A kiss stolen from another
Someone else's owned lips
Forbidden yet desirable
A love ungranted

The truth unknown
Becomes a crime of passion
A heart breaking in the night
He shall never love again.


By: Brenda J. Branski
4-8-93

Writers Wednesday

I'm doing something new. Every Wed will be Writers Wednesday. Since I am inspiring to become an author, I feel I should write more, along with promoting myself some more! haha Anyway, I thought it would be fun to start a writers Wed. I will be posting various things I have written. Maybe a poem, a story, maybe even an excerpt from my current writings. I may also post one of my favorite poems or stories written by someone else. Enjoy!

You know it's Spring when...

It's a sure sign it's Spring here when the birds start building their nests on our outdoor light! We get these birds nests every year. Two years ago we bought a different light that would be harder for them to build on. But every year they still try. For the next 2 months we will be taking down the beginning of nests on our light!

Spring Fever!

Spring is in the air here! It's 70 degrees today, and Ryan and I celebrated by taking a nice walk and working in the yard. We both really enjoyed the nice Spring weather! Here he is helping me clean the yard by raking.



Here he is in his new sunglasses, just hanging out with me on the deck. No furniture yet...it's still a little early here to get out our deck chairs, but we didn't sit down much anyway.




Here is Ryan "fixing" his lawnmower before the beginning of the season. He had to make sure it worked before he decided to cut the grass.

Per request

Alright. I got a request to see some "old" pics of me back in my cheerleading days. Just to warn you, I don't have a scanner, so I had to take pics of pics. Not the best quality, but you get the idea.

This one is when I was a football cheerleader at Lakeland College in Sheboygan WI. I was only at that school for a year, and only a cheerleader for the one football season. It was my first time being a cheerleader. I never even had to try out for the squad since they had such a low response, and we weren't a "professional" squad at that point. We were the Lakeland Muskies (yes, a fish). The camp we had when I first got there was so much fun. It was the best time I've ever had being a cheerleader. It wasn't a professional UCA camp...it was just a camp for us on the squad held on campus. It was held the week before classes started, so we had virtually most of the campus to ourselves. We spent most of the days working out, learning routines, learning about each other. I made some good friends that way and we really built up our loyalty and friendships.
The cheering itself was so much fun. I learned so much about cheering and football! haha When I was a cheerleader there, I didn't even know what a first and ten was or anything about football! haha Now I love football! Anyway, when I think of cheering, I usually think of this one semester where I had the most fun. Here is a pic...I was 18 yrs old on this pic, my freshman year at college.




Here is the picture from my cheering days at Cardinal Stritch University (College at the time..they changed to University status after I graduated). I attented there for 3.5 yrs, and cheered for 3 of those years. We didn't have a football team, so we cheered for basketball and soccer. We were the Stritch Crusaders. It was fun for the first few years. We went to a UCA cheer camp for a week. However, I wish we had a personal camp like Lakeland did it. I think we didn't gel very well as a squad...there were quite a few big egos, many non-dedicated ladies, and some that were in it just for the status. We were all also on different cheer levels too. It was hard and at times very frustrating. I finally got so fed up with it I ended up quiting my senior year, 2 weeks before the end of the season. I could have finished out the season since we only had 4 games left, but I was so fed up with the big egos I couldn't stand it anymore.
Anyway, at times it was fun. I still do miss it. I also still have the uniform...they were getting new ones the following year; they changed the colors and the name of the team since they were switching to unversity status. I doubt I can still fit into it though. LOL I was about 21 when this pic was taken.



There's your blast from the past! Hope you enjoyed it!

"Without cheerleading, it's only a game."

Boogie Nights

Last weekend Bob, Ryan, and I all went to Bob's cousin's wedding. It was the first time we took Ryan to a wedding (other than Julie's when he was a year old...but he was pretty easy maintenence back then LOL). It was--interesting. He was reallly good until about dinner time...when we had some issues. I won't go into those at the moment though.

Anyway, it's a good thing I had him practicing at home all those days with dancing. He had so much fun dancing at the reception! He didn't dance like normal 3 yr olds...who normally just run around the floor or jump up and down. Instead he danced just like an adult does! It was the cutest thing. He loved dancing so much, he would have a tantrum every time we had to leave the dance floor for slow songs or the bouquet toss. We ended up leaving at 9pm (an hour and a half past his bedtime mind you) because he just was getting too tired. But he had a great time!

Here is a pic of Ryan and I dancing...sorry you get the back of me! LOL



Here is a pic of me ready for the wedding. I rarely wear make up..so it's one of my better pics I guess! haha

Cheerleading

I was talking last night with a friend of mine about cheerleading. I used to be a cheerleader back in my college days (way back when), and sometimes I miss it.

Well, almost as if it had been planned, I turned on the tv this afternoon and the UCA cheerleading competitions were on ESPN! I haven't seen those in ages. It really reminded me of my cheer days. Grant it, I wasn't anywhere near the competition level (neither was my squad), but it sure brought back some memories of cheering and the cheer camps I had gone to. It was so nice to see the competitions and relive a bit of my past.

Jesus Take the Wheel

If any of you have had a bad day (like me today), here is a song you just HAVE to hear. If not hear it, at least read the lyrics. It always brings me hope and makes me feel so much better. It's my song of hope right now.

"Jesus Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat
Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline
It's been a long hard year
She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
She was going way to fast
Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was sooo scared
She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock
And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life
I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Oh, Jesus take the wheel
Oh, I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
From this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
Oh, take it, take it from me
Oh, why, oh

I'm still here...

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still around. Just haven't felt up to writing any updates lately. I haven't had much time to write my book recently, so any extra time I have to write I have been concentrating on the book.

I promise to update soon!!