Dad

My little sister does these updates better than anyone, so please take a look at her most latest post: http://kerbyfam.blogspot.com/2009/04/latest.html

Since her post, he had an MRI today. He has a tumor on his brain. It is cancer, but it is very small and in a good spot, if that is possible. They are going to treat it with laser surgery. No going in and opening him up (thank goodness), but shoot several lasers at different angles and kill that lesion. The doctor was positively optimistic that it would get rid of that tumor and will not allow for any more to grow there.

I'm scared to be happy with this news because every time we get an answer about his cancer, two to three more questions get raised and they're always, "Let's see what can stump the doctors today" type of questions. Frustrating puts it mildly, but all we can do is remain optimistic and pray. Pray like we've never prayed before. Which is what we all do. It's what all of you are doing.

Thank you.

Quick Dad Update

So many people have asked me about my dad. Here's the most recent posting (she did this on Thursday, April 9, 2009) that my sister Cassie did (she lives in Utah about a block away from my parents):

Yesterday seemed like it was going to be just a typical day. I left my house at 7:00am to pick up my parents so we could head up to the Huntsman Cancer Facility for my dad's check up. It was actually to visit with the oncologist to figure out when his Chemo would begin again. Since his surgery 2 weeks ago he has been in more and more pain. Everyday it has gotten worse. To see your father's eyes well up with tears every time he has to stand up really gets to you after a while. Any how this was supposed to be a routine check up and I was going to be home at 10:30am. Well his doctor took one look at him and the amount of pain he is in and called in his other doctors and nurses. We had about 4 doctors and 4 nurses in his room. At that moment a decision was made. They needed to admit him ASAP and get him into surgery...Again. We had very little time to prepare. They got him all ready for surgery and informed us that it would begin in 15 minutes. My mom and I were very nervous. My dad really wanted a blessing. I was able to go to the front desk and ask if they could find two priesthood holders to come and administer a blessing for my dad. Sure enough about 10 minutes later two men in scrubs showed up to give my dad a blessing (definitely a bonus to living in UT). So surgery was performed and sure enough my dad's hip had filled back up with infection, the antibiotics apparently are not working. So he is resting up at Huntsman for now. The lab will culture the infection and if it comes back positive than the next step is major. He will have to have surgery next Wednesday to take out his hip and put in an antibiotic spacer and they probably would not put a hip back in. The doctor said that this is the last resort that they like to do but with the infection and pain that my dad is in it looks like it will be his best option. We continue to go day by day with this and again I cannot thank those who have helped me and my family out enough. We really are blessed!

So Dad is going back into surgery this Wednesday (April 15) to get his hip removed. He will probably go the rest of his life without a hip. Apparently this is possible, I just can't wrap my mind around it yet.

Luckily, I'm going to Utah this Friday to play Aunt Mommy to my sister's six kids, so I'll be close to my parents again and hopefully be some kind of help to them while mommy-ing my nieces and nephews.

Thanks for the kind words, notes, prayers, calls, chats, etc. I am surrounded by AMAZING people and feel the love and prayers you all offer on a daily basis. I have no doubt my parents are strengthened by you too.

Love you all.

The LaRue Family

With all the CRAP (sorry) going on with my dad these days, I've gotten a whole new appreciation for my entire family. One of the General Authorities in General Conference a few times back said Cancer is a disease of love. I couldn't understand/comprehend/grasp that phrase until it happened to us and Dad got this dreaded disease.

I have always been a fan of my family. I thank Heavenly Father every single night for sending me to this particular family. I'm even more grateful for them now - for who they are, for how they live their lives, for how we all love each other, for their support and guidance.

I am going to be a little indulgent here and share with you my family and who they are:

Allan LaRue is the patriarch of my family. He's my dad and I've never loved a man more. He has one wife, five daughters (no sons), and two sisters (no brothers) and is therefore surrounded by women who constantly mother him. He has more patience with the women in his life than anyone should have to have, yet it's what he knows and he loves us all. Dad has cancer and is in a lot of pain right now. He hasn't talked much during this time, but you can see the pain/frustration in his eyes and that's hard to see knowing he's hurting. Yet, true to my dad-ness, he says he's grateful this happened to him and not any of his family. He really is quite selfless. I love Love LOVE my dad.

Sharon LaRue is the matriarch of my family, my mom. I went to Utah a couple of weeks ago and spent some really good one-on-one time with my mom while my dad had some more surgery. She and I are a LOT alike in so many ways and it was comforting to share with someone the strange quirks that I have. I love my mom and I love how much she loves us and especially loves my dad. This cancer has put us all through the ringer, but most especially my mom. She sits all day in Dad's hospital room, just needing to be near him and near his doctors. It's inspiring to see the love that is between them.

Leslie LaRue Julian is my oldest sister. She lives in Colorado with her husband Jason Julian, has 3 boys (James, Jake, and Jackson Julian), 1 girl (Jonni Julian), 1 daughter-in-law (Tabitha), and 1 granddaughter (Olivia) (my sister is a grandmaw, can you believe it?!?). I believe she has coined the phrase "Suck it up," or if she didn't come up with it, has used it more than anyone else on this earth. She not only says that phrase, she believes in it wholeheartedly and applies it to her life as she expects others to apply it to theirs. She's one of the hardest workers I know and really loves her family. I think she's happiest when they are all together at a wrestling tournament of some sort. I really love my sister Leslie.

Stacey LaRue Johnson is my 2nd oldest sister. She lives in Utah with her husband Kirk Johnson and her two sons Travis and Dylan Johnson. Stacey has discovered how to paint. And man alive does she do it well. I get so excited to see her new masterpieces - usually one a month or so, and feel privileged that I have one of her originals hanging on my wall. I'm proud to display it in my bedroom right now and can't wait to have a house some day where I can show it off a little more. Stacey is Switzerland in our family. She's always been neutral in arguments, fights, skirmishes, etc. that the LaRue girls seem to occasionally have. I love Stacey and am grateful she's my sister.

Andrea LaRue Derrick is my sister that is just 18 months younger than me. She is married to Ron Derrick and has seven children (6 girls, 1 boy): Bryndee, Porter, Torie, Kymber, Abby, Ellie, and Taralee Derrick. Andrea and her family live about five miles away from me and I get to share in their lives. Their home is my home and I'm so grateful to be a part of their family. Andrea loves to cook and is a part of a line of fabulous cooks: my grandma, my mom, and Andi. All of my sisters are fantastic cooks, but because Andrea lives near me, I get to experience her cooking the most, and she's excellent. She loves recipe books (sits down and reads them like they're novels) and loves to try new things. I love Andrea. She's my best friend and I'm grateful that she's my sister as well as my friend.

Cassie LaRue Kerby is my baby sister. Cassie is married to Chad Kerby and has 3 boys (Tyler, Andrew, and Max Kerby) and 3 girls (Raegan, Kalli, and Sydney Kerby). Cassie is Supermom. This girl can go Go GO better than anyone. She's happiest when she's on the move, whether it's carting her kids around town, helping my mom and dad with their massive amounts of doctor appointments, being a bishop's wife, going on fun excursions (Disneyland, Boston, Guatemala, New York, etc.), and being one of the most embarrassing parents in America (anyone see Rachael Ray?). I love my baby sister and am inspired by all that she does and accomplishes.

I love my family and appreciate you taking a moment to get to know them a bit better. I think they're pretty terrific and am humbled to be able to call them family.

Just be happy.

I found this in the October 2008 Real Simple magazine and I loved it. I'm going to type it up word for word so you can get the full gist of this article. I've been asked by several people lately to update my blog a bit more frequently (though I'm not sure what to say other than, "Yes, I'm still in debt" and "Yes, I'm still working on it"). So I'm going to start posting a bit more on more random things and I hope you forgive me if you're looking for straight up me-getting-out-of-debt info. That's important and I'll update/post whenever something happens on that, but will sprinkle in other things too.

10 WAYS TO BE HAPPIER

How happy are you - really? If there's room for improvement, then Gretchen Rubin has some suggestions. After spending a full year studying the art - and science - of true contentment, she found her bliss and some surprising nuggets of wisdom.

A few years ago, on a morning like any other, I had a sudden realization: I was in danger of wasting my life. As I stared out the rain-spattered window of a New York City bus, I saw that the years were slipping by.

"What do I want from life?" I asked myself. "Well...I want to be happy." I had many reasons to be happy: My husband was the tall, dark, handsome love of my life; we had two delightful girls, ages 1 and 7; I was a writer, living in my favorite city. I had friends; I had my health; I didn't have to color my hair. But too often I sniped at my husband or the drugstore clerk. I felt dejected after even a minor professional setback. I lost my temper easily. Is that how a happy person would act?

I decided on the spot to begin a systematic study of happiness. (A little intense, I know. But that's the kind of thing that appeals to me.) In the end, I spent a year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and tips from popular culture. If I followed all the advice, I wanted to know, would it work?

Well, the year is over, and I can say: It did. I made myself happier. And along the way I learned a lot about how to be happier. Here are those lessons.

1. Don't start with profundities. When I began my Happiness Project, I realized pretty quickly that, rather than jumping in with lengthy daily meditation or answering deep questions of self-identity, I should start with the basics, like going to sleep at a decent hour and not letting myself get too hungry. Science backs this up; these two factors have a big impact on happiness.

2. Do let the sun go down on anger. I had always scrupulously aired every irritation as soon as possible, to make sure I vented all bad feelings before bedtime. Studies show, however, that the notion of anger catharsis is poppycock. Expressing anger related to minor, fleeting annoyances just amplifies bad feelings, while not expressing anger often allows it to dissipate.

3. Fake it till you feel it. Feelings follow actions. If I'm feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I'm feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective.

4. Realize that anything worth doing is worth doing badly. Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. People who do new things - learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places - are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well. I often remind myself to "Enjoy the fun of failure" and tackle some daunting goal.

5. Don't treat the blues with a "treat." Often the things I choose as "treats" aren't good for me. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt and loss of control and other negative consequences deepen the lousiness of the day. While it's easy to think, I'll feel good after I have a few glasses of wine...a pint of ice cream...a cigarette...a new pair of jeans, it's worth pausing to ask whether this will truly make things better.

6. Buy some happiness. Our basic psychological needs include feeling loved, secure, and good at what we do and having a sense of control. Money doesn't automatically fill these requirements, but it sure can help. I've learned to look for ways to spend money to stay in closer contact with my family and friends; to promote my health; to work more efficiently; to eliminate sources of irritation and marital conflict; to support important causes; and to have enlarging experiences. For example, when my sister got married, I splurged on a better digital camera. It was expensive, but it gave me a lot of happiness bang for the buck.

7. Don't insist on the best. There are two types of decision makers. Satisficers (yes, satisficers) make a decision once their criteria are met. When they find the hotel or the past sauce that has the qualities they want, they're satisfied. Maximizers want to make the best possible decision. Even if they see a bicycle or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can't make a decision until they've examined every option. Satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers. Maximizers expend more time and energy reaching decisions, and they're often anxious about their choices. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

8. Exercise to boost energy. I knew, intellectually, that this worked, but how often have I told myself, "I'm just too tired to go to the gym?" Exercise is one of the most dependable mood-boosters. Even a 10-minute walk can brighten my outlook.

9. Stop nagging. I knew my nagging wasn't working particularly well, but I figured that if I stopped, my husband would never do a thing around the house. Wrong. If anything, more work got done. Plus, I got a surprisingly big happiness boost from quitting nagging. I hadn't realized how shrewdish and angry I had felt as a result of speaking like that. I replaced nagging with the following persuasive tools: wordless hints (for example, leaving a new lightbulb on the counter); using just one word (saying "Milk!" instead of talking on and on); not insisting that something be done on my schedule; and, most effective of all, doing a task myself. Why did I get to set the assignments?

10. Take action. Some people assume happiness is mostly a matter of inborn temperament: You're born an Eeyore or a Tigger, and that's that. Although it's true that genetics play a big role, about 40 percent of your happiness level is within your control. Taking time to reflect, and conscious steps to make your life happier, really does work. So use these tips to start your own Happiness Project. I promise it won't take you a whole year.

(You can check out Gretchen Rubin's blog at www.happiness-project.com.)

Nicely-Nicely

I wanted to show this video to my family, but didn't have a forum to upload it to except my blog, so those of you who don't know who this kid is, my apologies.

Family/friends, take a look at Porter and his performance as Nicely-Nicely in Guys and Dolls last week (and I do apologize - I don't have the steadiest hand). Absolutely ADORABLE. (Porter - you rock and I couldn't have been more proud. Torie, you were darling in your town girl's outfit and your dance number. I loved seeing both of you up there!)

2 Down, 2 More To Go

Guess what?!?

The credit card I opened in order to get my teeth done last spring still had a $1,422.50 balance. My MasterCard that I've been slowly paying off still had a $1,793.73 balance.

I received my AZ state and Federal refund deposit into my bank account this week.

The health credit card now has a big, fat ZERO balance.

The MasterCard now has a big, fat ZERO balance too.

I still have my Bank of America LOC (I know - that surprises you [smile]) (I owe $32,159.95) and my AZFCU car loan (I owe 5,480.68), for a total of $37,640.63.

But I eliminated ALL OF MY CREDIT CARDS. The last time I didn't have any credit card debt was in the summer of 1988, right before I started college at MCC and applied for my first credit card. That was only 21 years ago (zoiks). Crazy huh?

ANYWHO, That is still a lot of money that I owe, but eliminating two more accounts is such a huge deal for my mental health and working on this debt snowball just got a whole lot easier!

Life is seriously good right now.

I'm goin' to Mexico!

My wunnerful employer Infusionsoft has a President's Club that is for all of our sales team. If they exceed their goals and/or quotas for the year, they join the President's Club and get to go on a spectacular trip.

This year the trip is an all expense paid trip for two to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on May 13-17, 2009.

Each year, the President's Club invites one person from each department to join them for this trip. They announced the winners this past Friday and one of the names they read was Tara LaRue.

How 'bout 'dat?

I've never traveled out of the country and have never done something swanky like this and I simply CAN NOT wait! I've invited my sister Andrea (mother of seven children) to come along as my guest. We're both like little kids in planning for this thing.

Funnily enough, Andi used this as a teaching point for her kids. She and I shared a bedroom our entire lives, since her birth (1972) until she left for college in 1990. We still like each other a whole lot and enjoy being friends as well as sisters. Andi told her children (particularly two of her girls who share a room and don't really enjoy it) that if they would get along, maybe one of their siblings would taken them to Mexico some day. Not sure it stuck.

But it sure cracked me up.

And hey - I'M GOING TO PUERTO VALLARTA!

Wow, I've Got The Blessings!

I woke up this morning feeling incredibly optimistic. This is after spending this week down in the dumps, having no motivation to do anything, having a less than wonderful conversation (AGAIN) with Bank of America, having no desire whatsoever to get up and go to the gym, having no desire to stick to my diet, having no desire to be pleasant to anyone, not having much desire to even get out of bed.

But this morning, when my eyes popped open around 5:30 (and I SO should have gotten up then to run to the gym, but bad habits are horribly hard to break), I laid there thinking about the week, thinking about the future, and realizing I am so lucky and so incredibly blessed and to just get over myself. Yes, I'm in an unbelievable amount of debt, but the problem was recognized, a plan was made, and I have been working on it for well over a year now and now is not the time to just forget about everything I've done.

I have so many people rooting for me, praying for me, loving me through this and it has made it bearable. I have a fantastic job at a fantastic company that supports me and pays me well and helps me pay my bills every month. I love going to work every morning and how many people can actually say that?

My family are my favorite people. I have lots of sisters, lots of brothers-in-law, two fantastic parents and lots of nieces and nephews who are just plain cool and funny and talented and pretty dang awesome. People I am thrilled to be related to. My best friend is my sister. How many people can say that?

I live with a roommate who is pretty terrific. She's such a good friend and confidant and she doesn't charge me an arm and a leg to live under her roof, making it possible for me to really work on this debt problem. She's incredibly supportive of this adventure for me, and has total empathy for me as I'm going through this.

My friends are phenomenal. I don't know how many of you are Facebook users, but I can't believe the amount of friends, old friends that I've known for most of my life, that I have found or who have found me on Facebook and how wonderful it has been in reconnecting with them. It's incredible! Thank you friends (past, present, and future) for enriching and blessing and touching my life. I am grateful for you.

This is fairly random after what I wrote above, but I need to mention that Dave Ramsay's latest post is awesome: Thoughts on Obama's plan - a great read for a great day.

Lastly, I'm grateful I got to wear my cute shoes I bought in Chinatown in San Francisco last summer:

How fun are they?

(Smile) I had to end on a fun note, but seriously, THANK YOU to everyone for being my blessings and being my support and strength through this frustrating and obnoxiously difficult time. I couldn't do it without you! I wouldn't want to do it without you.

For those of you that I don't know that blog stalk me, thank you too. It's fun to think that perfect strangers can related to what I'm going through. That in and of itself is also a strength to me.

Love to you all!

STILL

I am still alive.

I am still in debt.

I am still trying desperately to get out of debt.

I still despise Bank of America more today than ever.

I still fight discouragement every single day.

I still believe I will conquer this!

It's Recipe Time

Happy 2009 everyone! I apologize for not blogging sooner and I'm certain I'm probably not busier than any of the rest of you out there, but this is the first time I can actually think about writing anything. So I thought I'd start the year off with a good recipe that's not too expensive to make. I'm all about being cheap as you well know by now.

I have to tell you about a wunnerful recipe I tried last night that turned out divine.

You take a roast (I used eye of round - not a lot of fat on it) and put it in the crock pot. Next I added two small jars of whole peperoncinis to the crock pot (if you can find a 32-ounce jar, then only one is needed). Dump in the peppers and juice. Next add a single packet of dry Good Seasons Italian salad dressing. THAT'S IT. You don't need to add water or anything else.

Turn on the crock pot to low and let it cook for 12 hours. I started it last night and when I woke up this morning it was done (and the house smelled amazing).

The peperoncinis and juice give it a great flavor, it's not too spicy, but it has a nice kick.

I shredded the beef with two forks, added some of the "juice" to it to make it moist (the whole peperoncinis are too rubbery to use at this point because they've been cooking too long - I wouldn't recommend adding them to your meat), and it filled a large bowl. I plan on freezing some of it to have at a later time.

It's really good on rolls that are toasted (even better when they're garlic toasted). For the "glue," mix equal parts mayonnaise, mustard, and sour cream (just a spoonful of each one will go far and low fat mayo and sour cream will work just fine) and a lot of cracked black pepper. Spread just a little bit on the roll, add the shredded beef, and enjoy. Andrea tried the meat on tortillas with a little cheese and it makes for a tasty wrap.

So much cheaper than eating out, it makes lots of leftovers (at least for a singleton like me) that I actually will eat (not a fan of leftovers in general), and it just tastes better than anything out there.

Try it. Let me know what you think!

A personal note to 2008:

GO AWAY!

GOOD RIDDANCE!

YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED.

(2009 don't let me down!)

You grew up in the 80s in Phoenix if you...

1) Would have done anything for a Ladmo bag.
2) Tired to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
3) Can still remember the words to the hepatitis song.
4) Spent way too many summer days in a mall.
5) Remember KZZP.
6) Went ice skating at Metrocenter.
7) Get irritated when people say "yeah, but it's a dry heat."
8) Have red burnt cheeks in ever childhood picture.
9) Had a pool in your backyard.
10) Vacationed in San Diego or Rocky Point.
11) Know what it feel like to come out of an icy cold movie theater into 110 degree heat - I miss that feeling!
12) Saw your mom drive with potholders.
13) Know what "tubing" means.
14) Have been "ice blocking."
15) Have a T-shirt that says "I survived the hottest day in Phoenix history" referring to that summer day in 1990 when it got up to 122 degree in the shade.
16) Consider yourself a "Zonie."
17) Ever put Christmas lights on a cactus.
19) Burnt the bottom of your feet running out to get the mail because you were too lazy to put on shoes.
20) Know some Spanish even though you never studied it.
21) Won hot pink scrunchies at Metro Midway!
22) Enjoyed making song requests at Organ Stop Pizza.
23) Got in trouble for leaving crayons in the back seat of the car.
24) Are not intimidated by a Super Big Gulp.
25) Your heroes were Kevin Johnson (KJ), Mark West, and Tom Chambers.
26) Had to pay full replacement price for the rented VCR tape you left in your car.
27) Shopped at Goldwaters, Broadway Southwest, Federated or Diamonds.
28) Remember Dave Pratt the Morning Mayor on 98 KUPD.
29) Can count the number of times it snowed in Phoenix on one hand.
30) Stood in line to watch movies at the original Cine Capri.
31) Snow Cones and brain freezes made summer worthwhile.
32) Cried when Wallace and Ladmo went off the air
33) Went to Pistol Pete's pizza, ShowBiz pizza, and can recall Tex Critters at MetroCenter
34) Thought Streets of New York had the best pizza in Phoenix at 19th and Northern
35) Remember Gemco
36) Ate at Furr's Cafeteria
37) Shopped at Mervyn's
38) Saw your first concert at the Arizona State Fair
39) Remember the Madhouse Macdowell (Purple Palace)
40) Remember Suns Fever
41) Recall Thunder Dan
42) Mourned the loss of Cotton Fitzsimmons
43) Believed in the 100 year flood
44) Did the hokey pokey at Great Skate.
45) Cruised Central, Metro or Mill Avenue.
46) Worried about drive by shootings at school.
47) Remember only TWO freeways either the I-10 or I-17.
48) Remember who Rose Mofford or Evan Mecham is.
49) Know what Sonoyta Motors is.
50) Know what Price Club is (and when there was only 1).
51) Had Dimension Cable.
52) Know what the Phoenix Gazette is.
53) Went to Legend City or Compton Terrace.
54) Know what Yellow Front, Lucky's, Smittys, AJ Bayless, are.
55) Suffered with a swamp cooler.
56) Went boogie boarding on irrigation day.
57) Fished in the canal.
58) Went to the hot air balloon races at Thunderbird.
59) Thought 19th Ave and Cactus was in the boonies.
60) Speaking of the boonies - drank in the desert with the rest of your high school friends until the bright light of the helicopter came blaring down.
61) Were ever excited about your appearance on "Pets on Parade."
62) Suffered the consequences of leaving your sister's favorite vinyl record in the car.
63) Remember your parents voting (or not voting for) for the monorail.
64) Thought Big Surf was Rad!
65) Danced at Club Rio.
66) Remember Tex Earnhardt and his "No Bull commercials"
67) Attended a birthday party in a railroad car at the McDonald's on Bethany Home and 23rd Ave.
68) Remember the Dr. Demento show on KZZP every Sunday night.
69) Burned your hand trying to open your locker at school.
70) Locking your car doors as soon as you got south of Bethany Home.
71) Wished you lived in California.
72) Didn't believe that High schools actually had indoor halls and full size lockers like they do on TV.
73) Didn't go to the park until AFTER dark.
74) Sweatband were not just a fashion statement.
75) Your Hypercolor T-shirt was permanently a different color under your arms.
76) Knew not to shoot at a Saguaro because it could fall over on you and kill you.
77) Thought Flagstaff was REALLY cold.
78) Always saw at least 10 people you knew on Mission Beach (San Diego)
79) Knew who worked on Van Buren.
80) Remember when the Roadrunners were the only hockey game in town
81) Remember when Buckeye was BFE
82) Wore jellies in the summer even though you had really bad feet sweat.
83) Went to see Santa @ Westridge Mall (that was the best one with the whole set up).
84) Remember when Ahwatukee was a retirement community half way to Tucson.
85) Remember 50 cent movie Tuesdays at Valley West Mall
86) Have a scar on the back of your thighs from the 3rd degree burns sustained from the metal clip your seat belt clicked in to. No protection given from the OP short ,shorts.
87) Remember the orange trees planted all the way down the middle of Black Canyon Freeway (Now called I-17).
88) Ever get your butt and legs burned by metal slides at the Whataburger across from Metrocenter? (What sadist would put metal slides on a kids playground in Phoenix????!!)
89) Remember when Sun City wasn't connected to the rest of the valley?
90) Ever have brunch at Mother Tuckers?
91) Remember when it only took 2 hours to drive to Flagstaff
92) Going to slide rock in Sedona and hoping it wasn't closed due to high levels of bacteria in the water!
93) Remember when Terminal 2 was the only passenger terminal at Sky Harbor and you had to walk on the tarmac.
94) Got free tokens at the Valley West Mall arcade for good grades on your report card
95) Celebrated a birthday at Ed Debevick's
96) Thought Bobby McGee's was the coolest restaurant ever
97) Ever rode the "crack the whip" ride at Encanto Park.
98) Ever got attached by a jumping cactus
99) Know what to do when you hear a rattle in the desert.
100) Used to shop at LaBelles, eat lunch at Liberty Bell Pizza or get soda at the U-TOTEM on Cactus.
101) Remember the commercial about Valley Fever..."Dustyyyy, dustyyyy, dustyyyy"!
101) Remember when you could get 2 tacos and a small drink at Taco Bell for $2
102) Had hot air balloons land in your backyard when you lived on 75th Ave and Bell by the orange groves known now as "Arrowhead Mall"
103) Witnessed the shock when the "art" on the 51 when installed. (Referring to the lovely toilet and large silver sphere.)
104) Had the bell run for their birthday at Farrell's (Christown)
105) Remember going to the Phoenix Firebirds baseball games
106) Remember Dewey Hopper-the weather guy who always wore school t-shirts,
107) Watched World Beyond on Sat. mornings.
108) Ate at Bob's Big Boy.

From me to you:

I won't have access to the Internet for the rest of the week, so I just wanted to say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

My Favorite Radio DJ

I am one of those people who enjoy listening to the radio in the mornings for the TALK portion of it, not necessarily the music portion of it

Every morning I have looked forward to Dave Pratt and his cronies on KMLE Country 108. They were funny, he's been in Arizona in forever (so he had great stories that I could relate to growing up here myself) and I just enjoyed him and his humor and everything about their morning show.

KMLE fired their entire morning show on Thursday (12/18) afternoon. Merry Christmas to them, huh?

I think the timing was pretty rotten and am severely disappointed in KMLE for their thoughtlessness. And I'm royally bummed that I don't have a morning crew to listen to any longer. I really and truly liked and thoroughly enjoyed these guys.

Dave Pratt, Stacey Brooks, Shappy, Dooley, et. al., you are awesome and I hope to find you on the air again soon.

In the meantime, any suggestions on who to listen to for my morning ride to work each day? KMLE has lost a long-time listener. Shame on them.

To Billy or not to Billy:

If you know me at all, you know that I love, Love, LOVE Billy Joel.

(Love him.)

He's coming to Phoenix with Elton John on March 26, 2009, for their Face-To-Face tour. I saw this show in Las Vegas (with Thelissa and Holly) in 1995 and loved it. Watching them together on stage was incredible, especially when they were sitting at their pianos - man I LOVE the way they play their pianos. I do remember thinking there was too much Elton, not enough Billy, but I'm certain a lot of that was because I love Billy so much.


I've been in a quandary since I saw this ad. Tickets go on sale this Saturday the 13th. I've never missed a Billy concert since I "discovered" how much I loved him (late 80s, early 90s).

Getting out of debt doesn't really allow for non-important things such as concert tickets. I've been incredibly good at avoiding presents for myself for the most part, and find myself talking me out of things I would normally absolutely buy all in the name of "but I'm being so good."

Just today, several people have told me I should get a ticket for myself for Christmas. I deserved it and would truly enjoy/appreciate it. And I really would. Man, I REALLY would.

But I'm still in debt. I got myself into this mess because for my entire adult life, I've always had the attitude of, "But I deserve it because [insert excuse here]." I don't deserve it. Not this time.

Sigh. Bye bye Billy.

Black Friday Confession...

I bought...

NOTHING!

You'd be so proud! I went shopping with all of my sisters and the only thing I bought was breakfast at Mimi's that morning. That's it. I even carried around a shirt I wanted to get and I asked my sister to tell me to not purchase it. She did. I put it back. No regrets (though it was a really cute shirt).

Can you believe it?!? I'm quite pleased if I do say so myself.

Now I gotta share with you some picture memories of Thanksgiving 2008:

(This is the first time I've seen my nephew Jackson [16] in a while. He gives the BEST hugs and I've really missed him.)

(I have the extreme privilege of living near Andrea and her family. She's always saying I'm her kids' second mom - which I absolutely love hearing. Because of this, I asked to get a picture with them and here it is. [Kymber is front and center, then from left to right is Porter, me, Taralee, and Ellie with Abby standing behind Ellie, then the back row is Bryndee and Torie.])

(Here are the original LaRues: Mom and Dad [Sharon and Allan], with from left to right Andrea [4th], Leslie [1st], Tara [3rd], Stacey [2nd], and Cassie [5th].)

(And finally the entire LaRue clan [minus oldest nephew James who lives in Virginia with his wife/child and couldn't make the trip, as well we Jake who is on a mission to the West Indies]: front row is Sydney; 2nd row is Torie and Raegan; 3rd row is Ellie, Jackson, Porter, Mom holding Taralee, Dad holding Max, Andrew, Tyler and Dylan; 4th row is Bryndee, Jonni, Abby, Kymber, Tara, Cassie, Kalli, and Travis; 5th row is Andrea, Ron, Leslie, Jason, Chad, Stacey, and Kirk.)

WHAT A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY! Happy Thanksgiving and now Christmas to you all!

The ugly, almost naked guy

I have a neighbor that works out in his yard, all day and night long, in only his underwear. Not sure why he thinks this is okay, but he does it and it brings all sorts of giggles and chuckling by anyone who either lives near him or has heard about him.

My friend/neighbor who has the privilege of living across the street from him got some pictures a while ago and posted them on her blog.

Take a look.

I'm all about saving money, so here's your free entertainment!

Needs vs. Wants

I've written in the past about need vs. want.

I just read a blog post by Seth Godin that I thoroughly enjoyed that brings that point to home a bit more. He writes for small businesses/entrepreneurs, but I think his words can be applied to all of us personally as well. Take a look: HUNGRY

A tip from me to you:

Are you one of those people who gets email after email about safety issues, ways to gas your car up properly, what to watch out for, etc.?

I get those kinds of emails ALL THE TIME. I usually don't read them (sorry if you are one of the ones that send me those kinds of things).

But I did end up reading one that gave suggestions on how to get better gas mileage for your car. For whatever reason, it "stuck" in my brain and the suggestions seemed good and made sense.

It says to fill your car up in the morning when it's still cool outside and to not put the "lock" on the highest setting - you know, the thing you set on the gas pump that makes it so you don't have to hold it the entire time. It tells you to put it on the slowest setting instead of the highest setting.

I tried this the other day and would you believe I got 75 more miles out of this tank of gas? Granted, because the gas pump was set on the slowest setting, it was REALLY slow (I was able to go into the convenience store, fill up a soda, wait in line to pay for it, pay for it, then walk back outside and it still wasn't finished) - but it didn't produce any vapors as a result and it filled my tank up completely. I have just a dumb little Ford sedan, so 75 miles is actually quite a bit more for this car.

Maybe the cars with bigger tanks will get even better gas mileage than I did if you try it. Let me know how it goes for you. Seriously - I wanna hear about it!

Book Recommendation

Anything by Shannon Hale is always great. I just read her book The Princess Academy and was completely satisfied with it.



Run to your library (don't buy it - save money and get it from the library) and check it out. It's fantastic!