Sunday, December 30, 2007

Corvette ZR1


Corvette ZR1
Originally uploaded by gm_blogs
ok. pay attention here! I WANT ONE OF THESE!!! holey moley folks. homegrown domestic demon! ouch. Lingenfelter? Hennesey? lets go racing!!!!

Saturday, December 08, 2007

happy kids!


happy kids!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
mo pix are up! dallas chopped down his 2007 christmas tree! it's an inch too tall too! oh well, we're not gonna do any more cutting on the thing! let's just decorate it! this time of year is just grand, is it not? i love it! baking cookies, bread and muffins! making stew! christmas music! snow! bare trees and crisp air! amazing sunrises and sunsets! awesome night skies! life is good.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Fall program for Luxemburg/Casco High School

hey family! Dallas' fall program is over and i posted some pictures! they are all dark and blurry since i could only handhold my camera and TRY to take pictures in the dark of moving subjects! ouch. it was so much fun though! Dallas did great and had a lot of fun too so we went to have icecream after the program... he is doing well in high school!

gotta go. don't forget to check out the pix!

njm

Monday, November 12, 2007

wear safety glasses when using power tools! idiot...

so it's Dallas' birthday today! he is 15! FIFTEEN! ouch. he's pretty crabby today though! kinda funny really. maybe it's the fact the the weather is pretty warm! mid november and 60 deg.? throwing us all for a loop.

well, yesterday, Sunday was action packed and busy for the Morales clan! we were all working hard outside putting up fence! i post pictures on a pretty regular basis now so don't forget to check even if i don't post a blog!

Dallas has received all of his birthday presents but he was expecting some more today! the ACTUAL day of his birthday! now he wants a laptop. a gocart. more video games. sure Dallas, no problem! jeez. next year he will be getting his DRIVING license! limited, but nontheless a bonafide driving license to maneuver a multiton vehicle on public roads. luckily there are plenty of back roads in the country that we can practice on! too bad that i don't have the mustang running! THAT would be interesting! he should learn to drive a manual transmission! oh yeah. but he has to 'settle' for a truck and an hhr. fun! he's driven at night and in the rain. he's driven large farm vehicles while living in Kansas too. he's doing pretty good. a little too confident at times but that is why he drives with an adult! settle down there! slow down! good boy.

the Luxemburg/Casco variety show was last night and, as usual, it was fun! Dallas participated in Act 7, In the Jungle, complete with grass skirts and cardboard shields! good job kids! i love watching them perform! speaking of performing, Dallas mentioned that he wishes to quit choir next year and take up A/V classes. he sings well though! don't quit! he really loves the a/v stuff though! he's put a few years in choir though and i like that he wants to try different things in school. you only live once! try em all! there's more to come!

i'm tired. we are all tired. we've worked hard and took advantage of the great weather and had tons of fun. the dog area is complete! THAT is a huge relief! what a big difference it makes already. money and time well spent.

the weather is finally coming down and settling into the 40's! snow is coming soon! all of the colorful glory of fall is pretty much over and the austere beauty of winter will soon be here. i can't wait! i'm taking tons of pictures with my KODAK DX6490 and getting a little better at it! i love photography! i love cameras and lenses! astronomy and telescopes! hiking/hunting and binoculars! the beauty of nature... awesome stuff. puts me in a great mood! so i want to capture those images and moments! my kids are growing up fast and i want to capture that too! yup, photography is the way to go. gonna subscribe to a photog rag. gonna visit a local shop regularly and ask questions. gonna keep uploading pix to flickr and getting feedback from the community. so much fun! i love it! now if i could find what Dallas likes to do... video games don't count!

good night all! Dallas is 15! Happy birthday Dallas!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

happy birthday Dallas!


happy birthday Dallas!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
this was the perfect weekend for Dallas' birthday so here it is... the one and only thing that Dallas wanted and he got it. good grief. so today, saturday, there are 10 kids over and we are all playing video games. the wii system is downstairs and the two xbox 360 systems are upstairs where six kids are linked up playing Halo3. this wii system is pretty cool! now Kim wants one for christmas. sheesh. i'd rather get the star wars lego 2 game for our DS systems! whatever.

Kim and i have been working on the fence for part of the day today and we hurt! muscular pain and joint pain galore! ibuprofen is the name of the game. ouch. we've got a ways to go though. not looking forward to it! nuh uh. no way.

pandemonium! the kids are all switching places! eating cake and ice cream too!

i'll be back later! don't forget to see the pictures that i've posted!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Meeshee...


noble farm/guard dog
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
this is my beautiful mutt Meeshee. perhaps about 9 years young and full of spunk! i love this dog! best farm dog ever! ferocious guard dog too! just ask the UPS guy! the fed ex guy isn't fazed, he pets her. smart man. beware the person who is jogging or cycling though! heck, if a vehicle slows down, Meeshee will get her hackles up and start growling, if after two or three seconds you're still there, she'll take off after ya! look out! bad dog! NO MEESHEE! NO! too late. she's been hit by a car once already though obviously not too bad! scared me almost to death though! this dog came from Puerto Rico, where my mom adopted her. she lived in Orlando for a few years, first w/mom and then w/Kim and myself. Mom was working some seriously long hours and the poor dog was kept in a crate all day by herself. our first problem w/her when we brought her in? getting her out of the crate! Meeshee was very shy and skittish, unsocialized and scared. scared me too when she took off out of the house and just bolted away! where the heck was she going? yikes! Meeshee come back! bad dog! kim ran after her and i went to jump into the car to give chase also. it was all for naught as Meeshee came back w/Kim in tow. i started to scold the dog but next thing i knew, Kim was scolding ME!!! whah? huh? i have to praise her because she came back on her own? oh. i get it. sorry. good dog! you came back! it's been so much fun ever since! it took a year or so for her to settle in to her new and busy life. once i made the mistake of trying to 'catch' her by grabbing her tail and what did she do? she pee'd ,pooped & yelped at the same time! ooops! sorry Meeshee! don't scare the poor dog like that! i never did that again and she soon got over people touching her and her tail. she would go with us to dog shows and behaved very well! what a happy dog! tail up and smiling all the time! whenever she gets excited, she spins in a clockwise direction. so funny! i nicknamed her 'clockwise' because of it. cracks me up to this day. she also stands straight up, puffs her chest out, cranes her neck and head back and spreads her paws wide! i have yet to take a picture of that hilarious pose of hers! it's the best!
we soon moved to Kansas. out of the city and into the country! yeeehaa! wide open spaces! cows, cow manure, feed lots, barbed wire and plenty of stench everywhere! did i mention wide open spaces? yikes. our most excellent mutt though had formed a strong bond w/us by then and never wandered far. heck, there are coyotes out there! big eagles and hawks too! owls! jeez. danger everywhere. no problem for the brave farmdog! no longer just a pet and comealong companion! she started to defend her territory! hmm. interesting! good dog! it only took one skunk to realize that there are some things that you just leave well enough alone! ick. we lived in three different places in our three years in the Hays, Kansas area and this wonderful dog took it all in stride. we even started raising chickens, guinea fowl, geese, ducks and other what nots but no problem. Meeshee would guard them all. what a wonderful dog.
now we live in Wisconsin and Meeshee is still living strong! this dog has put in some serious miles! been there done that! she's great! i can't say enough about this dog! dogs have come and gone but Meeshee will always be here. great dog. my best friend. love her. long live my mutt! so noble. so proud. so naughty! crazy clockwise doggy. def. a keeper. oh yeah.

Meeshee...


noble farm/guard dog
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
this is my beautiful mutt Meeshee. perhaps about 9 years young and full of spunk! i love this dog! best farm dog ever! ferocious guard dog too! just ask the UPS guy! the fed ex guy isn't fazed, he pets her. smart man. beware the person who is jogging or cycling though! heck, if a vehicle slows down, Meeshee will get her hackles up and start growling, if after two or three seconds you're still there, she'll take off after ya! look out! bad dog! NO MEESHEE! NO! too late. she's been hit by a car once already though obviously not too bad! scared me almost to death though! this dog came from Puerto Rico, where my mom adopted her. she lived in Orlando for a few years, first w/mom and then w/Kim and myself. Mom was working some seriously long hours and the poor dog was kept in a crate all day by herself. our first problem w/her when we brought her in? getting her out of the crate! Meeshee was very shy and skittish, unsocialized and scared. scared me too when she took off out of the house and just bolted away! where the heck was she going? yikes! Meeshee come back! bad dog! kim ran after her and i went to jump into the car to give chase also. it was all for naught as Meeshee came back w/Kim in tow. i started to scold the dog but next thing i knew, Kim was scolding ME!!! whah? huh? i have to praise her because she came back on her own? oh. i get it. sorry. good dog! you came back! it's been so much fun ever since! it took a year or so for her to settle in to her new and busy life. once i made the mistake of trying to 'catch' her by grabbing her tail and what did she do? she pee'd ,pooped & yelped at the same time! ooops! sorry Meeshee! don't scare the poor dog like that! i never did that again and she soon got over people touching her and her tail. she would go with us to dog shows and behaved very well! what a happy dog! tail up and smiling all the time! whenever she gets excited, she spins in a clockwise direction. so funny! i nicknamed her 'clockwise' because of it. cracks me up to this day. she also stands straight up, puffs her chest out, cranes her neck and head back and spreads her paws wide! i have yet to take a picture of that hilarious pose of hers! it's the best!
we soon moved to Kansas. out of the city and into the country! yeeehaa! wide open spaces! cows, cow manure, feed lots, barbed wire and plenty of stench everywhere! did i mention wide open spaces? yikes. our most excellent mutt though had formed a strong bond w/us by then and never wandered far. heck, there are coyotes out there! big eagles and hawks too! owls! jeez. danger everywhere. no problem for the brave farmdog! no longer just a pet and comealong companion! she started to defend her territory! hmm. interesting! good dog! it only took one skunk to realize that there are some things that you just leave well enough alone! ick. we lived in three different places in our three years in the Hays, Kansas area and this wonderful dog took it all in stride. we even started raising chickens, guinea fowl, geese, ducks and other what nots but no problem. Meeshee would guard them all. what a wonderful dog.
now we live in Wisconsin and Meeshee is still living strong! this dog has put in some serious miles! been there done that! she's great! i can't say enough about this dog! dogs have come and gone but Meeshee will always be here. great dog. my best friend. love her. long live my mutt! so noble. so proud. so naughty! crazy clockwise doggy. def. a keeper. oh yeah.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Dallas helping Mei Mei pose


Dallas helping Mei Mei pose
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
new pictures are up! it's hot out here in N.E.W.!!! yuck. feels like Florida. 80 degrees and 80% humidity. ick.

oh well. Dallas and I are putting up a permanent fence for us to play in! the agility area will be enclosed and therefore safer. the mini horse and goats can roam free there from time to time and the two outside dogs will live there permanently and not tied up anymore. happy dogs. i just need to paint the free doghouse that i picked up for them and put it in the pen too! we've been caulking windows, cleaning the barn and just plain getting ready for winter!

what fun.

Friday, October 05, 2007

caught a coworker doing good work for free!

Tracy, seen here just outside my Titan window, is an amazing person. she is very selfless and hardworking and i can now prove it! she left work early today, though i followed a couple hours later and this is what i saw her doing! why didn't she just go home? because she is not wired that way! this mess was two blocks away and i am sure that she saw it as she crossed the street and went north towards the mess instead of south to her cozy home. what did i do? kept on driving... i have a fence to put up fer crying out loud! my two kids to feed! horses to take care of! dogs to run! jeez. really. this gal is plain awesome. great nurse too! you'd be lucky to have her take care of you if were here in St Vincent Hospital cardiology! Way to go Tracy! Excellent work! Kudos to you!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

then and now


then and now
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
I've posted some more pictures folks! i've missed Dallas' football games but i'll have some of those too since Kim DID take a few pictures! way to go Kim! our kids grow up fast and i want you, our family, to see them even though you are so far away! love you all!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Ermey and Kim


Ermey and Kim
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
yup, Dallas missed the man himself. we had a great time though! maybe next time though! meeting him made the trip sooo worth it. don't know R. Lee Ermey? hmmm... what can i say? i dunno too much about him either but he's a hell of a motivator! a marine and the star of his own show "Mail Call". great show. actor, activist and firearms safety advocate. hell of a man. look him up! good times.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

i remembered my password!

i'm such a dork. so i wrote it down in my little black book of passwords. duh.
of note, Dallas starts football practice tomorrow! as a FRESHMAN!!! what? why so fast? geez. have you seen how tall he is lately? i need to clean and start up our extra fridge now! ouch. we thought that he was eating a lot up till now.
Mei Mei is learning, in earnest now, to potty train. hates it! funny thing is that she'll go to her potty on her own, and then complain, rather loudly, I DON'T WANNA GO POTTY!!! so funny! she's getting the hang of it though. cracks me up.
dad will be here tonight! Him and Migdalia, but not Sylvi. she's busy starting up this next semester of college and work. dad's doing well so far and i'm glad that i took the day off tomorrow! why did i take the day off? kim and i celebrate another anniversary! woohooo! what is that now? seven years? mhmm. 7. good times folks! good times. Dallas will go to Florida for a week at the end of this week to visit friends and grandparents. the dynamics of the family change quite a bit when one of us is gone. feels weird. he'll have fun though and it'll be good before he starts highschool.
oops, mei mei just pee pee'd. gotta go clean her up.
c ya

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Dallas pushing Mei Mei


Dallas pushing Mei Mei
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
this weekend we went to Door county again but this time we were there for a party! One of the physicians that i work for is turning 40 and his wife put on a surprise party for him which included his colleagues and families, my coworkers and families, his families friends and families... big shindig. oh yeah. we ALL had a great time! we went on a two hour river cruise and when we returned, had a trolley ride to his property which was very picturesque. the road was very scenic with its old homes and mature trees and the property that he owns is quaint, to say the least. there are three varieties of apple trees, there are grapes and raspberries too! the front half of the property was where the big tent was set up so the food could be served, the band could play and we all could sing, dance and eat to our delight. the little (octagonal) cottage was set back in the trees, not too far from the shore amidst the hardwoods. we were all immediately put at ease in that setting and the children gravitated to the rock pits which held white sand and plastic toys to play with. the other rock rings, which were fire rings, were stocked with plenty of wood for a great bonfire at sunset! mmmm.... loved it. Dallas and Mei Mei played hard! we all had a great time and as a result, this weekend went by entirely too fast. wow.

summer is going by too fast! dallas is headed to florida for awhile to visit friends and family and upon his return, promptly will begin high school. yikes. good times.

good night for now!

i am anxiously awaiting dad's visit next week!

Friday, August 03, 2007

HHR damaged by 30lb coon


slight offset picture
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
I was on a night call and i was going at least 60 when the racoon ran in front of me... to late. ouch. it was gross but i couldn't stop! someone was dying that night and i had to get there NOW! ouch.

on a better note, dallas is headed to high school folks! can you believe it?! HIGH SCHOOL!!! football! girls! dating! homework! proms! school trips! good times! time will tell. both children are growing up so stinking fast! slow down! enjoy life a little! dallas will be wanting his own vehicle soon because he needs to go on a hot date! he still denies the girl thing though. i saw him in action at the local fair one night though and he really isn't interested in dating. i wish that i could've had some video of him! what a goof! he wants to have fun and i'm glad for that. him and some of his friends are starting a game called Warhammer and they are building their repective armies. this requires lots of patience, glue and paint. i'd rather him do that than spend all day on the tv and xbox! he is getting pretty good shooting the recurve bow that was given to us by a coworker too! dallas is very talented and very good at what he puts his mind to. so proud of him!

anyone watching Kat on LA Ink? neither am i.

wisconsin beers are very good! just thought you'd like to know...

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

SCORE!


SCORE!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales
so i can't log in to my blogger account and i am only posting from FLICKR. that's all well and good.

just wanted to say that all is well at the Morales ranch! summer is going great and the kids are having a ball! Kim and I are working hard but loving our jobs. every so often we go and take a hike along one of the local trails, with or without some dogs in tow! we have yet to take to a trail on a horse but we will! Tristian, our Fjord horse here, is for sale though. he's so cute and well mannered! but like any warmblood horse, very curious and naughty! they are very funny and FUN!

Mei Mei is in her new daycare and doing well! Dallas is about to hit highschool! life is travelling by pretty fast! it's fun being a daddy and husband!

Kim's home now so we'll have dinner. grillin and chillin! mmmm.

Monday, May 28, 2007

a path off the beaten path


a path off the beaten path
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales
the past few days have been nothing short of amazing... at least from where i stand as a father, husband and well, ME! the interaction between two siblings is always amazing and the fact that i have two to watch 24/7 provides plenty of excitement and at time, heartbreak. this weekend provided both. i am amazed at my family and love them so much! they are so much fun! next weekend, Dallas and i will spend a couple of days in Elkhart Lake watching the superbike races! (step)father and son at the races. oh yeah. one day i hope to take him to the races to actually race, well, IN a race! whew!
anyway. i tend to go off on tangents. i'm watching the Star Wars programming on the History channel. good stuff!
what the heck did we do the past few days anyway? they all blur together! i was lazy. i got busy. i worked hard and i ate icecream as my reward. i watched part of the F1 race in Monaco and part of the Indy 500 too. missed the NASCAR race though completely! that didn't sadden me as much as the fact that i missed the SPEED GT race! now that the Trans Am series is not running, the GT and Touring races really get me! you know! those are exciting races to watch! kim and i got a chance to have dinner together alone again too! our plans for the house are finally moving forward. we purchased some roof caulk to patch some cracks and buy us time to save the money to replace the roof. we will be selling the two Fjords also as we are more involved w/the dogs and do not have the facilities or wherewithall to cope w/the horses anymore. kims last fall finally took its toll on us. i borrowed a reel mower to help start mowing the grass as our riding mower is still out of commision. i purchased and installed one of the drive belts on the deck but noticed that one of the fuel lines had cracked and was spewing fuel on every crank. oops! i'll fix THAT tomorrow. the push mower got quite the workout too today. we took a walk and we grilled food outside. we purchased a couple of chaise loungers for the outside and a small pool for Mei Mei. we then enjoyed those outside today as the temps were in the low 70's and sunny. a good book accompanied me and Kim clipped the poodles. now if only i could get to working on the Mustang! i did buy the 14 nuts that hold the headlamps in place though! it's a start, right?
i need to go to bed. it's almost 10 on Monday night. this week will be long even though it's a bit shorter! we'll be very busy at work, that's for sure! what a great weekend it's been though. no regrets. even our adopted Sharpei had a great time! he's so cute! love that old man.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

from the back side...


from the back side...
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales
aaaaaah, spring. i love it! love the fog. love the still, cool weather! love to hang out w/the family! this is very calming for me. i was just out feeding the outside animals and wrangling the two Fjords and i couldn't help but to pause and look around. i love to just listen and watch my surroundings! last night, the moon was out and Venus was close by... the sunset itself was pretty spectacular too! mmmm... spring time...

life is good.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

pretty flowers

Today, Wednesday, Mom and Louis came over and I took the day off. Thank you very much Christine! (she's my boss) I had a great day! Although Dallas was at school and could not come w/us, we all had a great day. They arrived last night and slept in their Freightliner RV. Funny that on Monday, the temps were hot at over 80 degrees fahrenheit! yuck! now that they are here, the daytime temps are hovering in the low 60's and very windy. mom and Louis were cold! our trip to Door county went great though and we all had a great time. our trip started here in Luxemburg and we headed due East to the historic town of Algoma, right on lake Michigan. we then travelled on the local roads alongside the lake to see as much as we could of the local scenery and take pictures. we ended up at the northernmost point of Door county, at the end of highway 42. we got out of the car and braved the elements to take some pictures and take in the sights. as we headed south, we then jumped on highway 57 to speed home and have lunch! we ended up at a Pizza Hut and enjoyed some cheese pizza and Sierra Mist soda. Mei Mei ate more than mom did though! so funny! see my pictures!
When we arrived home, mom and Kim started cooking for dinner and Louis and I fixed the roof of the barn. well, Louis fixed it and i watched and learned as a pro took over and made it look easy! amazing! where i would take a few whacks at the nails and bend them all to death, he drove them straight and true with minimal fuss. believe me when i tell you that i am very thankful! he gave me some very helpful tips about nails, roofs and windy conditions!
finally, we all met at the dinner table (Dallas had arrived from school by now) and ate some wonderful chicken and rice that mom had tought Kim to make. thanks mom! our previous experiments to make rice w/something in it turned out a little bland. Mom and Louis ended up leaving just before 7 to head back down towards the Chicago area where they will spend the night before continuing on to Michigan where their latest project awaits them.
I can't wait until dad takes his trip up here too! his plan is to come around in late summer and spend some time here w/us and w/his daughter Silvi in Michigan. i believe that he will drive the car that he is going to drop off for Silvs and the fly back down to O-Town. i certainly hope that he is in good enough health to undertake such a trip! he is out of the hospital cancer free but he needs to take some time to get his immune system bolstered up again! i'm very thankful that he was never a smoking and drinking kind of man! he used to drink tons of coffee though! now he is a vegetarian and better off for it too as his arthritis does not affect him like it used to when he ate red meat and drank caffeine. way to go dad! i'm right there behind you! i too have modified my diet and am benefitting from it already. whew!
like i said, i am very thankful that i had the day off today! i had an absolutely wonderful time. i am going to make some coffee for Kim and myself now and cuddleup w/her and just relax. i will be on-call for the next 5 days and won't be able to do much! perhaps i'll climb on the barn roof again to practice nailing things down more efficiently! it's almost time for Mei Mei to go to bed, Dallas to feed the outside animals and Kim to manage the inside gang. i'll prepare the coffee and finish cleaning the kitchen. what a great day this has been! i love it!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

drooling!


i was drooling!
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.
Dallas and I headed to a small local car show where we spent the better part of an hour just drooling over all the nice vehicles show today! what fun! i absolutely love muscle cars, old and new. i want that '82 Vette back there in the background! it was so clean and very well taken care of and for sale for only $12,500 bucks. what a riot! the owner was great to talk to also, unlike some of the others that i tried to talk to. i would love to get my own '92 Mustang GT back on the road again! it's time to do some serious DRIVING!!! oh yeah. Dallas and I had a great time.

Friday, May 04, 2007

friday 5/4/07

playing around with my blog layout and whatnot. don't know how well this is going.

our appaloosa, Legend, went to his new home today... he'll be well cared for! not bullied by the two Fjords either. he's such a good boy.

Dallas went to a friends house for the night to 'camp out'. what are 8 teenagers gonna do out in the woods? they say that it's a birthday party thing. kids.

Kim is feeling better, though she is sad today, for the very horse that threw her is now gone.

my dad's health continues to improve! have i mentioned that already? good! i love that!

my wife is the best! best friend! best wife! best mom! the bestest of the best! so beautiful! rrrr

i love my family. i love my job. i love spring and the great north! trees! wildlife! streams, rivers and lakes! great weather! great food! lot's of family stuff to do!

i'm ranting now aren't i? i need sleep. being on-call does that to ya. nuts.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Mario looking longingly at the ring

so this weekend has pretty much come to a close and we are all pooped! two days worth of showing can leave one exhausted, just ask Mario! anyone that has ever participated in these events or gone to a auto race will know what i am talking about! heck, ANY day long show will leave you tired! we absolutely love it. Mario even racked up another point towards whatever Kim is placing him in. a Championship here, a Major there. i don't know. i'm still learning all of this stuff but i'll keep you posted!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Mei Mei learns the ways of the longbow!

spring is in the air! so beautiful... i was just out feeding the outside animals and i simply had to stop and take it all in! so amazingly beautiful! a lone airplane was sending contrails into the stratosphere, the moon was visible, geese were flying in their peculiar 'v' formations and the local dirt track was kicking into high gear!!!! such delicious sounds! the sun was setting in a brilliant display of red hues that was simply astounding! we all took a long walk to get some fresh spring air and exercise! mario came along too, of course. he's growing up so fast! just like the rest of our children! what fun! i love it!
so dad is doing pretty good! i text him a quick message everyday to make sure that he knows that i love him and that i am thinking of him! send him a picture every now and then too! perhaps he may not be able to talk due to being tired or his mouth is really sore but he can still read by golly! i love that man! just wanted to let you know...
my diet modification is going pretty good too. i plan on bringing my cholesterol from 240 down to at least 150 or less! i'll get retested in 3 months and i am really hopeful that the results will be on a downward trend! i am eating oatmeal in the morning instead of eggs, cheese and bacon! more veggies and fruit! less sugar and milk! more water! whatever it takes. too bad that my allergies don't respond to anything that i try though. i was born sneazing so i am not surprised! just kidding. it just seems like it sometimes. allergy shots are too cost prohibitive for me right now unfortunately. so is a chiropractor! yes, i actually went to one for a consultation. i must be desperate.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Dallas on Easter morn...


Dallas on Easter morn...
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so dallas brought mei mei down this morning around 0800 but he sat on the couch and promptly fell back asleep! we were up until almost 2 this moring watching 'Batman Begins'. i really liked the movie! we then woke him up again because mei mei was finding eggs on her own w/out being prompted to do so! they had a good time looking for the various goodies that were strategically placed around the house. i posted a few pictures so don't forget to click on the link! i hope that you all had a good weekend too! there are races to watch today! F1 and CART are the only ones that matter today though...

Sunday, April 01, 2007

stuff

so Dallas had a 'dance' at school on Friday! did he dance? no. was the music cheesy? yes. did anyone dance? yes. did you like it? sorta. nice to have this conversation w/you Dallas! so funny. if i were to ask him about the latest xbox game though, watch out! he'll talk your ear off! hey mom, what did I like at that age? what did I talk about the most? what a total crack up.

on Saturday, Dallas put together his new desk and shelf system for his study! he did a great job and even looked at, and followed, the instructions! hurray Dallas! looking good buddy! Kim and i worked on Mei Mei's room upstairs and took down the beads that were hanging in the closet entrance. the beads were replaced w/a softer toned curtain. the curtains across the windows were replaced also to start to make her room more Mei Mei friendly. the previous occupant was a highschool girl and she went nuts w/the sponge treatment, including the ceiling. her friends all wrote in big bold black marker in her closet. everywhere. we need to transform that room into a room that is fitting for a toddler! my princess. a room worthy of Catarina!!! Saturday night, we went to a Families w/Children from China meeting here in Green Bay and there were 26 families (I believe) w/probably perhaps 50 children running around amok! I was enthralled, Mei Mei was apalled. poor girl clung to Dallas for a good 20 minutes before warming up to the noise and finally running around w/Dallas too! initially, we didn't know anyone there although i did meet the family that first emailed us about this event. it was nice to finally meet them. we ended up seeing two people that work at our hospital, i had no idea that these two had adopted children or that they were both in the children's center! fabulous start! i love meeting other families w/similar stories and experiences! i want Mei Mei to know her culture and i want to learn Mandarin! eat some good food! what fun!

today was all about working in the barn. we sent Dallas to a friends house for a few hours and Kim and I shoveled for a couple hours until we filled the bed of my truck to the brim. my arms are shaky! since its been raining off and on (our basement is very wet), the truck got stuck as i went to the south side of the barn to dump my load. nice. i picked Dallas up and had him help me shovel the contents of the bed out and try to unstick our vehicle. no luck. we then shoveled tracks behind the tires to be able to get a good run and retreat semi gracefully. no way. how does a four wheel drive truck get stuck in a seemingly flat piece of grassy land? well, this was the low point and the truck was heavily laden w/wet poop. heavy load. wet poop. what fun! anyone interested in some excellent compost? not me. i should sell the stuff. but YOU can come and get it! sheesh. Dallas and i finally extricated the Titan but layed some serious tracks in the process! you should see the ruts! our yard will never be the same. i shoulda taken some pictures. wasn't in the mood though folks. no way.

gonna go out there again but this time it's to feed the critters. our work never ends. Mei Mei is calling from upstairs too. DAAADDY! so heart wrenching. go to sleep my little princess. i love you. we've said our prayers, i'll see you in the morning! buenas noches! wan an!

Monday, March 19, 2007

chugging along...

yup, that's what we are all doing... just chugging along on the river of life. Mei Mei is asking the eternal question: "WHY?". all day. everyday. constantly now. wow. Kim and I are making plans to replace the roof, fix the basement leaks and add A/C to the house. oh yes, rewire the house to modern specs too! you know, small cheap stuff. home equity stuff. value added stuff. i have a headache.

i'm trying to cook dinner, clean house (vacuum, sweep, p/u toys, etc), help Dallas w/homework all before Kim arrives in about half an hour. where's the 'EASY' button? i swear that i saw it somewhere... may have been the T.V. though. too bad.

our Afghan just pee'd and pooped in the house. gotta go.

i oughta write a book! instead i jot down my blogs. life is good.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

2nd in group! - puppy match


2nd in group! - puppy match
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

so our computer is back in action and i can finally post again! we have been pretty busy, as usual, with family life, dog stuff and work. Dallas is in his spring break right now, i am on-call, mei mei is playing w/her play-doh, the horses are cavorting in the snow and our dogs are lounging inside. life is good! we are finally getting some snow! now we need a plow or some sort of snow moving equipment! good grief. i posted a few pictures of Mario and Kim in their first puppy match, check them out.

it seems like we are finally in the clear w/the whole identity theft thing! we can start saving! again! what a pain!

well, i am out of words! i've had so much to say but right now, well, i am at a loss... sorry gang! i'm going to check out my friends blogs instead! perhaps update myspace too. whatever. make a snowman! the snow is perfect!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Duped

i thought that i would never be 'had' like this but, i did. now we have no money in the bank and tomorrow, monday, is MLK day. nice. i receive emails on my yahoo account all of the time concerning this account and that that i may or may not have and that includes paypal. they're all bogus, ya know!? I KNOW! like, DUH! well, i received one of those alerts on my hotmail account and when i read it, well, it was different enough and sounded real enough that i did it. i signed in to paypal and gave them all of my information. SINCE WHEN DOES PAYPAL REQUIRE ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION JUST TO LOG IN???????? idiot! wtf and omg. i did not click on a link through hotmail, i used another IE window and typed in the paypal address myself and noticed the 'https' portion pop up when the first page popped up so i didn't think anything was wrong at this point. again, they reiterated the fact that several unauthorized and unsuccessful attempts had been made to my account and so please enter all of this private info to make sure that all records matched and to verify my authenticity. OF COURSE THEY MATCHED! idiot! that was not paypal! legit companies NEVER ask for this info just to log in! that is even mentioned in their official emails to you! it's plastered all over their websites too! unbelievable. i blindly went ahead and entered all of it since i had used another browser window and typed the address in myself. same computer though. at work. nice. nicely screwed we are now though! as you can tell, i am not happy. Kim actually mentioned the cause and effect to me since i did not put two and two together. i had mentioned to her the fact that paypal had requested this stuff of me when we noticed our money missing due to a California initiated Western Union transfer. good lord. lot's of damage control to do now. be careful kids. let this be your public service announcement. amazing.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

happy boy


happy boy
Originally uploaded by KDCNMorales.

oh yes. Christmas morning. Dallas and his white troll. seriously folks! it's what he REALLY wanted! there it is. see my little farm dog in the corner down there? she's come a long way baby! doesn't do so well out in the chilly air any more! being hit by a car will do that to ya. i love my little yellow mutt! anyway, Dallas and Mei Mei absolutely loved Christmas! they had a dashing time indeed. it was funny to watch Mei Mei at first because she didn't know what to do with her package! "what is this thing?" her little beautiful eyes implored! big brother dutifully came and showed her exactly what to do and how to do it! MINE! she screamed! no Mei Mei, that one is not yours! try again! everything is hers! even the moon. the next couple of hours the two of them spent the time putting together their toys, throwing out their trash and just plain having fun! the kids were happy and therefore the adults were happy. good times were had by all.
now Dallas is back in school, Mei Mei is going to daycare every day and life has returned to its usual state of morales 'normalcy'. we are supposed to finally get some snow too! sheesh. good times.