As Promised!!

OMG!!! Look at that hair... She's fabulous and perfect, and check out those rosy cheeks.. Mommy and Daddy did good... And Ryan now has an adorable baby sister to protect!!

We LOVE you all.. Can't wait till we see u all in person...

SHE'S HERE!!!!

No, we don't have any pictures yet, but Miss Annie, (Ann Elizabeth Colby) entered the world today at 1:41 PM. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz, was 20 1/2 inches long, and had lots of curly dark hair...

Mommy says that once they got Miss Annie cleaned up, her hair dried much straighter, but is almost long enough to need her first hair cut, ha-ha... Anyway, both the Colby gals are doing great and will get to go home Thursday... We love you Annie...

Pictures will be posted as soon as we get them...

Anniversary Tradition????

Yes, I'm way behind in posting again... And I have a lot to post, especially since we just got back a week ago from Texas where my sister Jeannie got married after more than 27 years of being single after her first marriage... (Pics and more on that to be posted soon)...

We had a quiet day, spending the day in Bakersfield for Movies and dinner. He bought me a really pretty hand-blown cobalt blue glass heart pendant with large flecks of gold in the heart... There are also 2 clear beads, one on each side of the heart full of floating gold flecks... It was quite the surprise as he has never bought me anything so vibrant in color before... What's cool about it is u can wear it with a fancy outfit, yet fits right in with a pair of jeans as well...

After reading, first Cori's blog, and then Christine’s... (Both also recently having a Wedding Anniversary) I figured since John and I just had our 16th anniversary September 30th... I should comment on ours as well... Thanks to Cori, (her friend, and Christine, this may become a tradition… so here goes…

Some Facts about John & Michelle's marriage u may, or may not know, but soon shall :)

1. What is his name?... John, Sgrbare to me, Honey and Babe

2. How did I meet him?... I was a fire Dispatcher in Ontario, Ca, and one Saturday, I took my daughter to Red Mountain for BBQ ribs, only to find out they had closed the little family restaurant due to illness... so we went to Randsburg to check out the antique shops and the old store with it's old fashioned ice cream counter... Due to Cori's curiosity about why my pager suddenly went "OUT OF RANGE" and how far we would have to go till it went back "IN RANGE", we ended up in front of the fire station. Being a fire dispatcher, I collected Fire Patches, and went in to see if I could get one for my collection. The Engineer went to get the Captain for me, who came out in biker shorts and a tank top as he was working out... I was immediately smitten... the rest is history!!!

3. Who said I love you first?... I honestly can't remember...

4. Who kissed who first?... He kissed me first, but I think I may have been the one to keep it going...

5. Who proposed?... John, on his knee in front of his parent’s house in the driveway on Thanksgiving Day...

6. What are his best qualities and features?... His best qualities are that he is very caring, helps ANYONE who needs his help... Will do just about anything for friends or family, even if it interferes with his plans... He's a Best friend to all of his friends... Has a great work ethic, is honest and loyal... His best physical features are his gorgeous smile, buff arms and cute little tush (I love that he actually has one that's NOT flat) and I recently noticed at the airport while renting a car, and wearing 501 jeans, u could see well formed calves, (very sexy!)

7. Guilty pleasures... Doing art work when I should be doing house work or putting away laundry... Eating out every chance I get, and only being happy eating popcorn that has hot tamale candies mixed in...

8. Who eats more?... He eats more, but chooses healthier food (most the time) but I "LOOK" like I eat more!! (How fair is that??)

9. Who cooks more?... That's a hard one, because we rarely eat at the same time, we both just makes ourselves something when hunger hits... If we have a REAL meal together, He usually cooks the meat, (if it can be done on the BBQ) and I do the side dishes... so probably pretty equal...

10. Who's the most sensitive?... Wow, does this mean sensitive as in who gets their feeling hurt easier?? if so, then me. If u mean more caring, I think we are fairly equal with each other...

11. Who is the first to admit they are wrong?... Oh dang, who thought of THIS question?? As much as I hate to admit it, Probably John...

12. Who does the laundry?... I do, however, he normally does his uniforms, as he likes them done by themselves... and he often does them at work, so they are already done before he even comes home... (he sometimes helps me put them away since I don’t mind sorting, washing, folding and hanging them on hangers, but I HATE putting them away... (probably because we have more clothes than space to put them)

13. Who does the dishes?... The dishwasher... I'm usually the one who put's them away, though not always... For some weird reason I hate putting away the silverware, so he usually does that... As far as dishes that need hand washing, we each normally just wash them as we use them...

14. Who is more stubborn?... It really depends on what it's about, though as a rule, I would say me... but if he feels he's right, I don't stand a chance...

15. Who pays the bills?... He does, and for this, he's definitely my HERO...

16. Who drives the most when we are together?... Definitely John...

17. What side of the bed do we sleep on? I sleep on the left side of the bed, John sleeps on the right, but when he's at work, I sleep on his side... (yeah, don't ask me why, I honestly don't know...)

18. Who wears the pants in the family?... John... Though he ALLOWS me to wash and repair them... except uniform pants, (see # 12)

19. Who has more siblings?...Me.. 2 sisters, 3 brothers, He has one of each

20. Who makes more money at their job? Most definitely John, not only a 56 hr a week (minimum) Fire Captain, he works as much overtime as possible, as we are hoping to see him retire soon... I'm retired, but have started making more money with my artwork... I would love to be a known artiste in my choice of media... but I'm not holding my breath in making more than he does...

21. Who holds a grudge?... Wow, another unfair question... I can't even pretend I don't know. It would be me... I think it's a family trait from MY family's side... though I've finally gotten a lot better at it... even hubby has noticed... and lucky for me, in about 5 minutes, he's forgotten what he was upset about...

Is our marriage perfect?... I'm sure people on the outside may not always see it, but as a couple, it works for us... he says we compliment each other. We know each others faults and quirks, and realize that loving each other in spite of them, makes US perfect for each other...

Pondering on Friends and Friendships....

I recently helped a friend with some of her scrap booking, and she wanted some poems or sayings about friends... I came across a couple I wanted to share...

A REASON FOR EVERYTHING

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there...to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know that every moment they will affect your life in some profound way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles, you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless -- the people you meet affect your life.

The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whomever you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before and actually listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
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PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON...

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done, The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other
relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Why can't we update our blogs by Osmosis?

Ok, so I thought I had a good idea, and was going to update my blog by going back month by month, but as u see, hmmm, not so good, so I've decided to go back to August, do a quickie on each part up till now, AND then if I get the chance, I will go back to other tasty morsels of my life..

In August, Christine and I FINALLY got to go on our bi-annual Las Vegas trip... No hubbys, no time schedules, no worries...

We stayed at the Paris Hotel and Casino, someplace different for a change, and it was nice.


My plan, hang out at the pool, read a book and veg!! (Oh yes, and gamble a little, its Vegas baby!). Christine's plan, go on a mission for squashed pennies... Hmmm, not quite the same plan, but it turns out, her plan was actually a lot more fun... though more tiring... I can't really complain though, because I rented a scooter to trek around Vegas, while SHE walked a gazillion miles in flip-flops!!!

At the end of each day, on our way back to the hotel, we had to watch and collect the nubs of her toes that fell off as she walked all over Vegas... I think we retrieved them all before we left, but BOY was I glad I had rented the scooter

We spent a lot time rushing around, finding cool and different things to eat, and COLLECTING pennies.... Of course we fit some gambling in, though not much shopping this time, although I did get John an M&M race car candy dispenser at the M&M store (Christine's suggestion) for his birthday, and he loves it... and a few other odds and ends that I don’t recall except the usual t-shirts, a Hawaiian print shirt for him and key chains...
Christine had a nasty Staph infection her shoulder which meant pain for her, and playing nurse for me... My part was easy and actually enjoyed doing it for her... I love forensic shows, so right up my alley... But riding the bus and such was painful for her, and though she didn’t really complain, u could tell it was taking a toll on her... You couldn’t really tell much though, as she was still as full of spunk and "Let's go" as usual...

I have collected squashed pennies before, like in Disneyland with Christine, and then a few other places with hubby on vacations, but Christine got me started. I can't say I had much of a collection before Vegas, and will never catch up to her, but now I can actually lay claim to a collection, because as far as I can tell, if u have over a hundred, it's a collection....

I can't remember everyplace we went, but a few of the places were the Rain Forest cafe', NASCAR cafe', Dead body exhibit, the M&M, and the Grand Canyon Experience... Christine, if u remember the others, feel free to add a comment...

By the end of the trip, I was as bad as she was and just HAD to go to the NASCAR Cafe to get our small stash there... How we beat our time schedule fitting that in, I will never know (except maybe Christine's organization) but we did...


We went to the Casino, (The name of which has slipped my mind at the moment, Christine, do u remember the name?) where they have dead bodies to get the PRIZED pennies from the exhibit there, only to find out that u had to go thru the exhibit to get to the gift shop to get them... Well, neither of us wanted to spend like $32 or whatever it was JUST to get a few pennies. She had seen the exhibit before and besides neither of us were up to spending that much at the moment... So, crafty as she was, we talked the guy in charge into taking her up to the gift shop up some back stairs to the gift shop. She was only allowed to get our precious pennies there, but who cared? That was the only reason we went anyway...

I think I would like to try to make it a yearly trip, if we can work it into our schedules, as I get the free rooms anyway... The only thing is, though I really had a great time, I think if u plan to do a week trip in 2 days, we need to plan more together... though I have to admit, although her plan was more tiring, especially for her, walking everywhere, it was far more fun once I got into it... And collecting between 40 or 50 pennies to add to the collection didn’t hurt either...

Ok, now March...

Ok, so it wasn't only a week like I was hoping, before I updated for the next month... But I AM getting better...

In March, We went to Vegas, twice... The first time was just for a couple days to get away... You know how u are just tired and need a few days away?? Well, it worked...

We barely got back in time for our 10th grandbaby to be born...


Welcome to the family Baby Sarah...


What a cutie! .
Finally, after 4 boys , another girl!!




And what could possibly make the day any happier??? Well, how about on the same day as our new Sarah is born, Cori found out She's gonna be a mommy again.. WOW, How great is That??? And Cori keeps having Odd numbered babies.. (Ryan was #9 and this will be #11) That is definately cool...










Hmmm wonder who's gonna be #13?? Now we all KNOW, that's gonna be ONE special baby too, huh????


(Maybe we should have #12 FIRST!!)





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Our 2nd trip to Vegas was to use up the rest of our time share for that time frame... We were too lazy to call in and bank the points... and besides, can u really have too many holidays?