Gotta be PINK

Alexis has been desperately needing some coo-kees. PINK coo-kees. Tell me YOU would have turned her down...

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The Cut

Last night I drove my route, picking up kids to take them to The Refuge...I feel like I can't explain to you what it's like to drive this 15 passenger van filled with kids....and then to share with you the things that they say, it almost sounds stupid to repeat it. Mostly because it's incredibly cliche' and if you watched it on TV, you would groan at such bad jokes....but when it's seriously coming out of a kids mouth it's AWESOME! So here goes....Cody is once again a part of this little story. He gets into the van and says to me, "I got cut from the baseball team today." I said, "CODY! I am sooo sorry. What happened? WHY???" He says, "There are people who are better than me, but it's ok cause I am the manager and I can still go on trips and get a athletic period." I still feel soo sorry for him so I say again, "I am so sorry that you got cut. That just sucks." Dallas turns around and looks him up and down and says, "Where did you get cut at?" AHHHH!!!! I died laughing. Cody gives her this absolutley WITHERING glare and said, "CUT from the TEAM."

Taking Cody home at night is everyones favorite ride. Cody lives down a loooong dirt rode that has HUGE potholes and they are one right after the other. So we drive to Cody's house and drop him off, and then the fun begins....all the boys get on top of the seats. They are actually laying on the back of the seats holding on tight and I drive as "fast" as I can (try 10mph) through the potholes and they see who can stay on....these are like 13-14-15 year old boys doing this....it's always something new or weird happening...keeps me entertained!

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I Can't Hear Yoouuuuu!

Someone is outside my front door. I know who it is too. I am not going to answer. They are still there and have been out there for about 5 minutes. I can hear them sneezing, talking to themselves and playing. I JUST got home and I am sooo tired. I just don't think that I am ready for my little friend. If I don't answer she will knock on every door and window of my house. Maybe I can out last her.

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You know you wish you could....do the CUPID SHUFFLE!

Doin' it at House of Faith - The Refuge! Didn't know we had so much fun did you? LOL!! I was on the stage making sure they did it right - you know....

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How could this happen in my neighborhood?

Wall across from San Jacinto school before

Big government: The term is mainly used to evoke criticism of a government which is believed to be excessively large and costly, with too many programs that interfere on too many areas of public life.

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2007/aug/22/council-plans-will-curb-graffiti-vandals/

“I was so devastated,” she said. “I actually became physically ill. I felt nauseated. My first question is, ‘How could this happen in my neighborhood?’”

Physically ILL?? How could this happen in my neighborhood? The worst part of that statement is that its focusing on PAINT. Not on the root issues that are causing and allowing someone to go and paint someones fence with “gang related” graffiti.

So the real issue is that there is gang activity in San Angelo. After several years of it being down, it is starting to resurface. I would say that is where you target all your time and energy.

Instead, there are LAWS that are trying to be passed like, “anyone without legal guardianship who provides aerosol paint to a minor — whether it’s a retailer making a sale or a friend passing a can — faces the same fine.” and “Under the law, private-property owners must sign the form and let the city clean the vandalism or clean the graffiti themselves within the 10 days. Otherwise, the city can declare the property a nuisance, levy a fine of $200 to $500 against the owner, and abate the graffiti anyway.”

Those are laws that make me as a private citizen nervous. What is considered graffiti? When is it ART? What is legal graffiti? What if I get permission to paint something on a wall and I choose to paint in a graffiti style?? I am now in trouble, I get fined, and my art is painted over. And why is it going to be against the law to allow someone under the age of 18 to use an spray can???? As a property owner if I choose to have something on my property I can be fined for not “cleaning” it up.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like bombings on buildings anymore than the next person, but I think that instead of trying to deal with it in that manner, we need to attempt to deal with it in another way.

Also, ask yourself this, what are you so afraid of? Fear of anything gang related has already given them power. Become a force in your neighborhood. What kind of neighbor are you? Are you the type that peeks out your window all day and watches those little “thugs” walk past your house? Do you shake your head at them in disgust? Are you the kind who looks the other way when they walk past you in the mall? Be a positive force in you neighborhood. Here is an idea, go by a 12 pack of sodas and put them in your fridge. The next time those kids walk by, ask them if they want a soda. Then ask them their names. Wave at them as they walk by. Let them know that you see them and are watching them. SMILE at the kids that you pass in the mall. Rather than disgust, why don’t you think about what they must be dealing with at home if they are out running the streets. Make a difference in a positive life changing way instead of being a whiner.

Before we start making rules and regulations lets make an effort to curb this stuff with different tactics like paying attention to the things that going on around us. And yes, by all means, PAINT OVER any vandalism on your property and remember: Darn kids?! Were you never a “darn kid”??

Wall across from San Jacinto school after

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That Thin Line....

It was a cool day in August….yes, it really was, and I was sitting on the front porch with the kids across the street. We were eating sunflower seeds and drinking sodas. Adrian found a cat and had been holding it prisoner in his house so that it wouldn’t run away. He and I were talking about how cats don’t like to be held prisoner…and that if he would let it go and keep food out, it would come back. Now this cat was very good natured. It let Adrian just flop it around all over the place. He decided that he would let it go. So as we were sitting there watching the cat walk away, Adrian asks me THE question….”So how do cats have babies anyway??” I sat there and I stared at the cat…and I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know, I guess they just hang around boy cats.” I sat very still and didn’t look at him……and we watched Suzie the cat play…..I could hear the sound of crickets suddenly…and the wheels in his head turning…..and then the loud slurping of his soda….and then Ashley showed that she had drawn spunch bop with her shalks.

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Cell Phone Pics by Ashley

So this is what it looks like on MOST days when we are hanging out with the kids. We all just chill on the front porch...yesterday, Ashley and I had about a half a bag of peanuts...you know the kind that are in the shells...we just sat there and cracked them and ate the nuts and threw the shells in the yard. Adrian came over this morning and told us that we made a huge mess....and we really did. Today I am going to have a watermelon day with them....I will be sure and take lots of pictures.

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What?

So we are driving home and see the kids outside playing kick-ball...wait..what?? It's kick the paper towel roll!! Oh yeah! We have all played that right? I ran inside to get the camera to take pictures and while I am snapping different shots, (btw, these kids are so used to me taking pictures of them, they don't even stop what they are doing anymore) I asked Adrian...uhhhh, does your MOM know that you are doing this? And he said no, so I was like, well won't she be mad at you if she finds out? He confidently informs me that she won't find out...about that time the paper towl roll busts out of the plastic and rolls onto the street. So now I am thinking how is she not going to find out?? So I ask Adrian (this in only logical) how is she NOT going to find out...he isn't answering me because he is too busy wrapping himself up in the paper towels like a mummy...I am still thinking....uhhh, when she goes inside and there aren't any paper towels she will know, but I don't have time to voice this because Adrian is telling me that his snake (from the previous post) is loose in his house. I get distracted by this bit of info and I ask him if they found it...he grins and says no, its still there....back to the paper towels...Adrian, how is your mom not gonna know that you are playing with the paper towels? She just won't is the reply.....and then his mom drives up....he takes off and she is yelling at him....as far as I know he survived the night. Did I mention that they are outside playing in their BOXERS???

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The snake....

Before I left for a meeting this evening I sat outside and watched the kids across the street swim in the street. I couldn't get any good pics of that to show you so I got the next best thing....them playing with their pet snake. They would put the snake in the water along the street and chase it as it tried to swim away. It got kinda cold so they were sitting on my porch messing with this snake...this is the same snake that had its eye popped out and then "got popped back in, I don't know how". I don't know how either, and as much as I HATE snakes I was really hoping that this one would be able to......run away....

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It just gets better

This morning we planned on getting up early to beat the sun and get these things (I still don't know what they are called) put on the roof to suck the heat out of the attic so the house will stay cooler. I open the front door and look across the street and what do I see?? The kids asleep on THEIR roof. Yes. I took a picture but I don't know if you can see them. Right above the basketball goal on the flat part of their roof. His little head is sticking up cause a really loud truck is passing by. So yeah, I really can't imagine what will happen next, but I am constantly entertained....aren't you?

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A Beautiful Day In the NeighborHOOD

I think that Carlos is getting what I had...poor guy. BUT after yesterday's 100 degrees in our home we were determined to do something about the heat in this house. We went to Lowe's and bought some things to put on our roof...I forget what they are called, but anyway, by the time we got home, Carlos was really sick. He decided to push through it and climb into the attic. The only way that you can get into the attic was through the hole OUTSIDE...and what does a ladder say to the kids in our neighborhood?? Why, that it is time to come over and visit! Bring the dogs and the cats! So Carlos is in the attic, we sit on the front porch and talk. Adrian occasionally climbs the ladder to "check" on him. This is all calm and sweet, but earlier today....about 10 kids were filling up water balloons and chunking them at cars passing by....of course that started something so 3 other cars kept passing by throwing water balloons at them, jumping out with water guns and chasing these kids....and from there it escalated to BB guns and paint ball guns....sigh...it is a BEAUTIFUL day in the hood!!!

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Cats and Neighbors....

So we just moved back to our old house. We brought Carlos' kitten that he found named Moses. Carlos' rescued Moses and we took him to the vet right away because he was very sick. $50 sick. It was totally his cat too cause it always slept on his records and knocked out when he was djing...The neighbors started to come over and visit us. Ashley and Adrian. They had dogs and liked Moses. Ashley soon gets a little cat of her own that she names Bella. And eventually I let Adrian "adopt" Moses with instructions on keeping him away from the dogs. I even sent him with a book on how to care for cats. He loved him and we were actually kinda relieved to not have Moses anymore (I feel guilty about this and you will understand why later). We were all happy...then last night we woke up and heard the dogs next door going crazy. I mean crazy. Then we heard Moses. Crying. Today I went outside and Ashley runs over and tells me the cat was lost. I knew right away where it was, so I decided to go and call for it. I went to the back yard and I saw him on the neighbors back porch. Whew! What relief!! I called him, and he moved quickly towards me...dragging his back leg! I was like oh my gosh! So Adrian jumps the fence, and I run inside to get a box. I dump out all the water bottles and take Adrian the box. We put Moses in the box and we all just stand around and look at the cat. He is just chomped on. I don't know how he is still alive. By this time there are about 5 different kids in our yard and we are all just looking at this kitten. We are all broke so going to the vet is not an option. I call my brother and he comes to pick up the kitten to put it out of its misery. We are all sad. Ashley, Adrian and I sit on the porch. Ashley is near tears and asks me if I want to cry. I say no and she doesn't want to cry either. I finally just want to go inside so I tell the kids by and tell Ashley DO NOT let your cat get near the dogs. An hour or so later I hear this screaming outside, so I open the door and look across the street and Ashley is standing in her driveway screaming "BELLLLAAAA!!!!" I yell, "Ashley, what is wrong?!" She tells me that Bella is gone, so I walk across the street and I am like what happened? She points to the tree and tells me that Bella is in the tree. So I walk back across the street, get a flashlight and we see Bella. Calmly sitting in the tree. (I think she liked it up there) Her brother Adrian comes out climbs the tree, then someone walking down the street comes up and asks us if we need help, and I say no cause I don't even KNOW this guy. Adrian drops me the cat, I give it to Ashley and leave saying, "Ashley, don't let the cat near the dogs!".....I have had enough of cats and neighbors...

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