Meako Butam, Okvolvo of Pentasa

Find out your star wars name here. i just recently figured out how to do hyperlinks and i am loving it! so what are yalls names?

the funny thing about this formula is i would only share a family name with one of my brothers. bryces last name would be butam but maxs would be buwic. interesting. but i would have the same last name as my cousin jay. hmmm...

adios amigos!

today was kevin and nikki's last full day in los angeles... well living here at least. prolly not ever to be in la. they move to berkley tuesday, which is right by san francisco. plans are in the works for a koci trip to the bay area soon, so stay posted for more details.

we went out to eat with the knoxes to celebrate/mourn. celebrate because they are moving up north to plant a mosaic site and it is super exciting and definitely what they are being called to do. mourn because they are the friends in la who have known us the longest and best and have been more like brother and sister and now they are gone. we had a great mexican dinner at casa vega (why do you think there is a tile mosaic with the letters cv on the wall?) on ventura blvd. it is one of kevin and nikkis favorite dining locations. they move tomorrow morning from the apartment that we shared with them when we first got to la - the villa colfax. gt gt... :) we will prolly get to see kevin again next week but nikki not until labor day. oh well.

knoxes - thanks for the memories...

!m!

load shedding

we are reaching the part of summer where los angeles institutes rolling blackouts in order to conserve electricty because everyone is running their air cons constantly. so today around 9 am, the power at work went out. and was out for over 2 ours. the nice things was that today was cecis first day back so we got to just sit and talk without feeling guilty because there was nothing else we could do. the bad things was it is monday and i actually had things to do. lots of things. so after lunch when i was finally able to start on my list i ran out of time. end of the month stuff is the most time consuming part of my job - there are three different logs i have to update and with the amount of kids we constantly have coming and going and how many IEPs we have this is very complicated. and accuracy is super important because these logs go with the billing so we all get paid. so tomorrow will be monday again.

in other news, we got to watch office space this weekend.

looks like somebody has a case of the mondays.

!m!

area

saturday afternoon jeremy and i went over to dan and bridget's now old aparment and helped them pack. wel really helped dan pack, because bridget was already in virgnia. we spent a couple hours over there and packed up quite a few boxes... after that, jeremy and i went home and sweated fr a while (air con still out) then i got ready to go out with lottie.

we went to changs for dinner, then headed to the hollywood hotspot area to dance the night away. it took us a while to get in, but once we mae out way to the front of the right crowd of people, we were "picked" right away. we went in - it is the converted museum so the lighting and architecture was cool. we made the rounds then settled into a good spot on the dance floor. i didnt even get into any fights! (arent you proud?) after observing the crowd, we came to two conclusions. #1 while both of us were dressed up, it was quite obvious we were wearing too many clothes and that we did not spend enough money on the clothes we were wearing (talk about the LA scene. sheesh! all the girls were wearing those dresses that you see on a runway model and think wow that is super cute but where on earth would i actually ever wear it? well to area of course!) #2 there are two kinds of people that "go out" in los angeles. young sexy girls and ugly rich guys. i was just happy that both of us had husbands that we love waiting at home for us because if either of us was single, we would have both fallen into a deep depression after surveying the pickins. SLIM!

but we had fun nonetheless. and we got home before we turned into pumpkins. thankfully the police didnt pull us over and realize lottie was driving drunk on a suspended license and she had borrowed my pants and they had my cocaine in them... oh wait that was my friend lindsay... just kidding. never mind.

to clear up a few things...

1. i really like card games. we went over to lance and kris's wednesday night for carne asada and cards. i re-learned mau... so not good at that game! during one round i "won" three different times but there was always some rule that made it so i didnt actually win. then we played nertz and i kicked ass. woot woot! thanks anna for teaching me how to play! that was very fun. we had a good time just hanging out with the ochsners.

2. i got to see my lottie last night for the first time in ages (well since she went to england) and she smelled good. also we are going to the beach tomorrow and hopefully to a celebrity hot spot club tomorrow night. yay!

3. the list of favorite things is by no means complete and all inclusive. so if you are not on it, or know of something that i like that isnt on it, dont worry! i cant list eveyone and everything. so dont get mad. and anna - you are a favorite friend... :)

4. pcs are so much better than macs. when i make cds of pictures on my computer, i can use it on any other computer except annas stupid mac. ;) also, anna, i hve a cd with those pictures on it that i have used on multiple computers so i will send that in your birthday box which will probably be late. just so you know. hopefully that one works in your dumb computer... :)

5. we have new people staying with us this weekend. i met them when i went home to let them in... they have a cute baby girl. she is smiley and chubby - two of my favorite baby characteristics.

6. our air con is broken. hopefully our landlord gets right on that because i am DYING! it is so hot. so hot. so hot. is there an echo in here?

7. lots of people i know are getting married and having babies. not the same ones. some people are getting married (trishy poo - eek!) and lots of tother people are having babies or just had or are thinking of having. sheesh. just to let all of you know: we are trecnd setters not trend followers. no babies for us for a while. i am super content to play with everyone elses and be the favorite auntie. :)

8. any other questions i can clear up for anyone????? let me know and i will do my darndest to answer them.

!m!

i got to hold the baby!

yesterday i got to see three people that i never see...

ceci brought her babies to work, and i FINALLY got to hold baby javi.

last time i saw him i had a cold. this time i had to share him with all the people at the office, but it was ok because when someone else was holding him, his big sister valerie crawled up in my lap. seeing these two adorable babies makes me miss andrew and brookie ALOT! javi was looking at me really funny the entire time i was holding him - i dont think he sees very many white people in his day to day baby life. he is so sweet though! he was born when we were in kansas so he is about two months old. valerie turned three in may and turned into quite the little chatterbox!

after work i met kim and alicia at the mall to get our nails done. alicia is one of kims friends from ohio so i only get to see her about once a year. we had a great time... i love being pampered. my favorite part is the massage with the yummy smelling lotion.

then i went home and did 5 loads of laundry. we have people coming to stay with us this weekend so i had all those sheets to do, plus our linens, plus omre camping nasty smoky clothes... and the list goes on. the good news is you can actually walk into the closet again!

!m!

sequoia camping: crystal cave

we left the campsite after everyone else. we drove to lodgepole and went shopping at the gift store and bought tickets to see the crystal cave. we ate lunch then headed down there. we were behind the slowest minivan that would not use a turn off to let us pass him. the trip down the road to get to the caves took 45 minutes, and on the way our only took about 15. we will just put it that way. we got to the cave before everyone else, but there is a gate to keep people out without a guide. they call it spiderweb gate and it is pretty cool. the middle part of it spins... and it becomes a door in and out of the cave system.

when everyone finally arrived, we stood at the entrance and got the lecture about how you arent supposed to touch anything because the oil on your hands stops the growth of the formations, and keep up with the group, and follow the lead guide. all of which rules were rpomptly broken by the people in our group. parents let their kids run everywhere and touch everything... people were taking pictures and talking when we were supposed to be sitting in the dark learning about echolocation... and the list goes on. but the caves were amazing and we saw some really cool stuff. the cave was made of marble, so lots of the stuff we saw had the pretty marble swirls like a counter top. some of the formations have been there forever, and others were formed when they blasted part of it out to make the path for tourists like ourselves. they have discovered species of animals that only exist in this cave system. crystal cave is part of a system that is the 4th largest in california, but we were only exploring about one half mile of the entire system. it was so cool.

however, i learned that next time we go, we should pay the extra couple dollars to go on the ages 13 and up only tour. plus, it is longer. who wants to go with us next year?

sequoia camping: the wildlife

the view on the drive in and out. the sierra nevadas...

our neighbor the spider. he had just finished his web when i saw it. he was setting up his house at the same time we were setting up our tent. so we are like bff.


you can't really see it, but there was this deer that came to the campsite very night at the same time, sometimes with buddies (including an adorable fawn) and sometimes by itself. until lance tried to hit it with the frisbee. apparently jeremy bet him $100 that he couldn't, and lance was supposed to pay us $10 every time he missed. i think you owe us $30 lance. but it was a good try! valiant effort! keep up the frisbee golf and maybe next year!

sequoia camping: general sherman

saturday we woke up kinda early. jeremy, dan and lance went fly fishing somewhere far away, and the shivelys and their friends (don't know their last name?) went on a hike. the smiths were still asleep, so me and kris and bridget totally were the fishing widows... all lonely and scared and cold. ok we really werent lonely or scared or cold but it makes for a much more pathetic story doesnt it? when the boys FINALLY got back, with no fish i might add, we ate lunch and went to see general sherman. he is the largest living organism on the face of the planet. (yes, this also means he is the largest tree.) on the hike down, they have his foot print. jeremy and i are standing in it. we continued the hike down and there was a tour group in front of the tree, so we went around to the back and took a group shot. kim and ryans friends that i dont know their last name, were on a different trail... so they arent in the picture. but everyone else is, including the general! :) he is off to the side a little bit. you can fit ten blue whales in him, or enough water to supply an average household for 3.5 years. the biggest branch's diameter is taller than me or jeremy. he is one big tree. and tall too!

sequoia camping: the arrival

we left around 9 am on friday for sequoia. we made really good time ( i only had to stop for 2 bathroom breaks - go me!) and got to the park entrance around 12:30. we started up the side of the mountain... it is slow going because of all the switchbacks, but me were moving right along until we hit the construction. part of the road narrowed to one lane so they had a pilot car taking one way of traffic, turning around and bringing the other way, then the construction guys working for 40 minutes. we hit at the perfect time that we had to wait for an hour. just sitting there with nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no idea how long it would take. sheesh. after that, when we finally pulled into dorst, our camping companions who had arrived thursday night were out on a hike. so we just unloaded and set up our tent and explored the campsite. we were staying in a super cool place, set back from the road and away from other tents. it was a great spot (nice going kris!)

this is the tent i found for jeremy for christmas... it is big. and it has a front porch. and a doggie door. we like it.

we also had to put anything that has any odor in the bear boxes that locked with a key. that way the bears cant get to the stuff and leave us alone. the fundamental flaw i have found with this idea is: i wake up, wash my face and put lotion on it. then i put the lotion in the bear box so the bears dont come eat it. but what about the lotion on my face????? should i keep my face in the bear box too?

(you should smear honey on your head. bears like honey head kids. gentle ben, wheres bobby?)

cadaver calculator

i found out today that if i keeled over this second, jeremy could sell my body to science for $4425. i have no idea if this is a lot or a little bit. i need some basis for comparison. how much is your body worth?

http://mingle2.com/cadaver-calculator

time flies...

rex went in for his first oil change this week. our baby is growing up so fast! we have put just over 5000 miles on him already! sheesh! he is excited to hit the open road with us this weekend on the way up to sequoia...

we got a custom fit sun shade while he was in for his check up. yaris windshields are kinda funny shaped compared to most cars so we decided to get the toyota one. he likes his new shades and it really does keep the car cooler.

in this heat... who could ask for more?

!m!

is it time to go home yet?

while at the gym i was wering shorts. and i was looking at my legs (which i receive compliments on from strangers... men and women... interesting side note since i hate them - my legs not the strangers... although does anyone want to be in the i hate the strange man at the grocery store who like my legs club? anyone?) and i noticed that i have bruises all along the right leg. at the height of my dresser, my desk, and the coffee table. apparently i only have issues turning right, when i turn left i am ok - my left leg is bruise free.

i am just not an ambi-turner.

!m!

just waiting on jeremy to pick me up. this is what i am reduced to. rambling about my legs. like you actually care.

why oh why?

went to the gym last night for the first time in oh about two months. yikes. today my lower half hurts everywhere. but it will only make me stronger right?

two more days of work then CAMPING! we are headed to sequoia again but staying at a different campsite than last year. some of the same poeple are going too, and some new. so it is exciting. jeremy bought a fly fishing pole and a california fishing license and is SUPER excited to get on with it already. me, i am just excited to sit around the camp fire and roast some marshmallows except i don't really eat sugar anymore. so maybe i will roast a piece of ezekial bread. somehow it just doesnt hold the appeal of a smore. i will think of something.

hopefully i am not too sore by the time this weekend rolls around. i am looking forward to seeing general sherman again and swimming in the icy cold water...

!m!

pool honeys!!!!

yesterday the directors and backstage managers from mosaic had a pool party/bbq at ron and lynn's house. it was fun to meet some of the other people in this ministry from the other locations and just relax and spend some quality time with everyone. this group picture is everyone that was there except me, jeremy and ron... the girl in the front some of you might recognize as one of the new interns on grey's anatomy... she has a small recurring character that she has been shooting for recently. (she was also in the season finale last year). hopefully it turns into something really exciting for her!

the cool thing about mosaic is the opportunity to connect with people who are wokring in the industry and living for christ at the same time. we have met so many people like that during our time in los angeles, and it is super cool!

this picture is me and sarah, my "boss" at mosaic. she is the producer for all the services and is SUPER cool... she threw the party for us and bought us all books. it was a good time.

WHAT?!?!?

this morning i was driving to work (in rex) with the radio on... an ad came on and i wasnt really paying attention so i let it play, even though i usually switch the station as soon as the music stops. anyways, the ad was for lipozap which is a shot that you get that is supposed to dissolve fat or some such nonsense (try getting off the couch once in a while is my opinion but whatever). the best part of the ad came at the end.

as an incentive for going to your free consultation, they will give you a $25 gift certificate to the cheesecake factory.

oh the irony!

that southern drawl

this week we have had some people staying wioth us from mosaic. the husband is an intern, which is a ten week program. all of the interns live in an apartment complex and in close quarters. so when his wife came to visit, they needed some where else to stay. so they came and stayed with us. they are from b'ham alabama... and you can tell. i love a southern accent! jamie (the wife) has a much stronger accent than kris (the husband).

they arrived sunday night after i was already in bed. all day monday i was thinking how funny it was that people were staying with us and i had never even met them. just walked out the door for work and left them with all of our stuff. monday night we get home, and they are out. once again, they got home after i was asleep. so finally by tuesday i am beginning to think they are a figment of my imagination. but tuesday after work i finally got to meet them and we went to kung pao for dinner.

i had the basil lamb.

it was delicious.

we stayed up too late talking... yesterday was a hard day at work, partially because i was exhausted and partially because my boss is having a really hard time with some personal stuff and has been out most of the last three weeks. and my other boss just had surgery. and ceci had a baby. so it is me and greg, doing the work of five people.

if you see me and i am grumpy, thats why.

!m!

we hang out in cemeteries for fun!

we went to the hollywood forever cemetery last night with al and lottie. every saturday night in the summer they project an old movie onto the side of one of the masoleums. last night's film was fast times at ridgemont high. it was filmed at canoga park senior high and van nuys senior high, both of which are close to us. we waited outside for about an hour then everybody paid their ten dollar donation and went in to find seats. oh wait except the people in front of us. they totally tried to just walk in. the girl at the gate was like "there is a suggested donation of $10" and they just kept walking. she asked if they had anything to offer and the girl pulled one dollar out of her bag and gave it to the girl for both of them. the nerve of some people!
we found our spot and ate our picnic. then the guy came out to announce the movie and brought on stage his special guests. one girl was the director of the film, which was cool, and the other girl was... drew barrymore. yeah she said she goes to the cemetery almost every week to watch the movie and relax with her friends. it was cool. i tried to get a picture but it was too dark and she was too far away.

we enjoyed the movie (except for the 20 minutes i was asleep) and then drove home. it was a grerat night under the stars, with friends, a "classic" film, and drew barrymore. i mean, shes friends with et. how much cooler could you get?

the babies...

they sleep all day, being nocturnal, but when we come home from work they usually wake up and say hi. it has been so hot in the valley, and we just have a small window ac, so they are pretty warm. but they still sleep cuddled together in the corner. cosmo was sleeping on her back all stretched out and i thought she might be dead, but when i got closer i could see her tiny body breathing. roxy wasnt terribly excited about being woken up for a photo op, but at least she didnt bite me.

this time.

!m!

at target of all places?!?!?

we were at the target in the empire center after work today getting another fan (seriously it is SO hot here!) and some hamster food and jeremy spotted this person. (good eye brian!)

yep. chandra wilson, of grey's anatomy fame. shopping at target with her two (very cute i might add) kids. she was wearing an al hat (floppy fishing one) to try and disguise herself but jeremy wasnt fooled. after i spent agonizing moments "drooling" over the organic 600 thread count sheets i could oh so casually figure out who she was. all jeremy said was go look at that woman but be cool. i did my best. at least i didnt run up to her and say oh my gosh you are like so my hero... can i take a picture on my cell phone and send it to all my freinds? because thats what i really wanted to do. two days in a row of self restraint. you guys in cyberland should be quite impressed.

!m!

Independence Day

yesterday was the 4th of july, so to celebrate we did what all angeleans did. went to the beach. zuma wasnt too crowded, but the parking lot was a nightmare. after one narrowly avoided fight over a parking spot, we found one waaaaaay down by lifeguard station 9. so we relocated for the day. al and lottie joined us and we chilled for a few hours.

we went to their house for a cookout. dan and bridgit ate too, and eric and christina came for dessert. we had burgers (our second to last package of koci beef :( ) and fruit and PECAN PIE with cream. yum. im still full. we bascially stuffed ourselves silly and somehow this represented our independence from the british, which is funny because lottie is english and she was the hostess. although she is almost an american so its cool. i guess since we ate off of plates with old glory on them we were appropriately patriotic.

this picture says july 5 but that isnt true. i dont know why and i would fix it if i could access the meu on our camera but i cant since i cracked the lcd screen. oh well. can you tell christina is going to have a baby? yay! also i am slightly toasty from the beach. but that is the red part of my red white and blue outfit and i am working it! woot woot!

!m!

it is HOT!

600 AM PDT TUE JUL 3 2007 ...HOT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK... STRONG HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO BRING HOT WEATHER TO MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE INTERIOR...FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL RISE TO BETWEEN 95 AND 108 IN MOST LOCATIONS IN THE VALLEYS AND AT LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH HIGHS BETWEEN 102 AND 110 IN THE ANTELOPE VALLEY. ALTHOUGH THERE SHOULD STILL BE ENOUGH OF A MARINE INFLUENCE TO KEEP THE COASTAL PLAIN SOMEWHAT COOLER TODAY...INLAND PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN WILL LIKELY HAVE TEMPERATURES AROUND 90 DEGREES. LOCATIONS IN THE HILLS JUST ABOVE THE COASTAL PLAIN...SUCH AS BEVERLY HILLS...HOLLYWOOD HILLS AND THE FOOTHILLS ABOVE SANTA BARBARA COULD EXPERIENCE TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 90S TO NEAR 100 DEGREES. IN ADDITION...NORTHERLY WINDS COULD PUSH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 90S ACROSS PORTIONS OF COASTAL SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AS WELL. ON INDEPENDENCE DAY AND THURSDAY...IT WILL LIKELY BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...AND HIGHS IN THE HOTTEST SPOTS IN THE ANTELOPE VALLEY COULD APPROACH 115 DEGREES. IN THE VALLEYS AND ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN...MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ON INDEPENDENCE DAY AND THURSDAY WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE REACHED TODAY. THE COMBINATION OF PERSISTENT HEAT AND DRY CONDITIONS LIKELY WILL KEEP FIRE DANGER AT CRITICAL LEVELS MUCH OF THIS WEEK. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES...VENTURA AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES...AND FOR THE ANTELOPE VALLEY...AND THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR THE SOUTH COAST OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY. SOME COOLING SHOULD BEGIN ON FRIDAY...MAINLY ON THE COASTAL PLAIN... WITH MORE WIDESPREAD COOLING PUSHING INLAND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. IF YOU PLAN TO ENJOY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TODAY THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEK...BE PREPARED FOR VERY HOT WEATHER...EVEN IN THE MOUNTAINS. TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE HEAT. REDUCE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IF POSSIBLE...AT LEAST FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WEAR LOOSE FITTING LIGHT WEIGHT CLOTHING AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SHADE AND AIR CONDITIONING IF AVAILABLE. NEVER...EVER LEAVE CHILDREN...THE ELDERLY OR PETS IN ENCLOSED AUTOMOBILES...EVEN FOR THE SHORTEST TIME. TEMPERATURES QUICKLY RISE TO LIFE-THREATENING LEVELS...EVEN IF THE WINDOWS ARE PARTIALLY OPENED.

and it is only july 3. can't wait until august!

!m!

my dad is funny

look what he found:

the hills are alive...

with the sound of music sing along!!! last night several of the girls and i went to the hollywood bowl to watch the sound of music and sing along to all the songs. but first...



kris, her sister bekah, bridgit and i rode the subway to hollywood and highland and met up with lottie, her friend kelly, christina, her friend hannah, debbie, kim, jessica and rebecca. we ate sushi and shabu shabu which was SOOOO good!!!



then we walked up the hill to the bowl. the "concert" was sold out so it was packed and it was all women and gay men with a few families thrown in. there was a costume contest before hand. "moonbeams in your hand" won - the first prize was a cruise!!!! we decided we are dressing up next year and i am not telling you what as because you might steal our idea. also, kris, bekah and i will sing as part of our costume so you know we are gonna win.



the movie started and the words showed up at the bottom of the screen for all the songs so everyone could sing along. whenever the baroness or the nazis came on the screen everyone booed and hissed and when the captain (gaorge??? who names their kid gaorge???) and maria kissed for the first time everyone set off firecrackers.

this was the most fun i have had with the girls in a loong time. the boys were all at lance and kris's house playing poker. most of us rode the subway home and they picked us up at the station.

at church today we had a fire drill. i think this is only the second time i have been in a public place (i.e. not a drill or kid pulling the alarm at school or in the residence halls) and the fire alarm went off. the first time was in march in vegas with shane and darci. i was in the bathroom (of course!) and freaking out, trying to hurry and i come out and everyone is still at the tables and slots, like it was only someone hitting the jackpot and not mortal danger. i do not know what set off the alarm this morning, but thankfully it was when we were there early and not actually during the service. i dont think there was an actual fire. dana and sabrina sang again (yay!). tomorrow: back to work, which after graduation two weeks ago, is rather boring. but i think i am going swimming st lunch with emily. so thats something to look forward to!

!m!