Just Returning from HP6...

YUP...

we nerds went to the Midnight Showing of

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6)...

Instead of waiting outside in lines (there was a heat advisory today) they allowed us to sit in the hallways in the movie theater (thank you very nice movie theater people!)!!! So we brought in our card table and chairs and played a game of groups and piles. Super fun. Then we (Fawn and I... our boys stayed in line waiting) decided to take the tables and chairs back to the car and go get dinner.

When we got back, they had been let into the theater (at 6pm) and got us the BEST seats! Now we had 6 hours to kill before the movie began. So we ate, played a game of 3-13's, visited and some tried to sleep. It was fun. I love the energy that is in the theater!!!

Look at us... we are FABULOUS!!!

Chuck, me, Fawn and Devon

Me and my hubby

Me and my Fawny!!!

Even Itty Bitty joined us! He was super good and slept through the whole movie!

We saw some weird dressers... some girls in too short of skirts that I cannot blog about. TRUST ME... it was awful!

And saw some people I haven't seen in FOREVER... like JR... can't remember his last name right now, but I graduated w/ him (he came w/ Devon's cousin... small world!).

All in all it was a great night!

Thanks for all who joined us

and thanks Mortensens

for being willing to go

to all the Midnight Showings

with us and helping us feel young!

We love you guys!

Goodbye Beautiful Blue Eyes...

Hello (soon to be) healthy eyes!

Today was a sad day in the life of KaraLyn Melser (that's me).

I went to the eye doctor assuming that I would be getting new contacts (blue, of course) and some cute new glasses. I came home with new clear contacts, no new glasses and a report that isn't so happy. For the past X amount of years (since 9th grade) I have been sporting the most beautiful blue (fake) eyes and today I was told that I have to stop wearing them due to the lack of oxygen my eyes get from wearing these non-breathing contacts. Since my cornea (the clear covering over the iris... that's the colored part) has not been able to get enough oxygen from the outside air, it has been getting blood vessels in it (it's suppose to be avascular... meaning without blood vessels) to try and get oxygen there another way. And now I have cornea edema (swelling in my cornea). The only way to fix this is to get rid of the oxygen depriving contacts and wear the best contacts out there that gives the most oxygen to the cornea. So here I go on a new road in my life... no more flirty blue eyes... this will take some getting use to, but it's the health of my eyes that is the most important. Now I'm condsidering Lasix or something of the sort when just last week there was no way I would do it because it meant giving up my blue eyes. So when I get my eyes back to normal, that may be in the future for my eyes! To me this is all very interesting and I wanted it all down to refer back to... plus for those interested in the anatomy and physiology of it, you could understand what's going on! Oh- I also had a retinal scan and I saw the back inside of my eyeball. In there I saw my optic nerve, and the blood vessels coming and going from it. It was awesome!!! No macular degeneration for me and he said condsidering what is going on with my eyes, I have no other problems. I have great periphreal view, no signs of glaucoma (whew... caz it is in my family history) and diabetes will do something to the nerve opening and it all looks good! So my eyes, besides the blood vessels invading my cornea, are in good shape! OK... this is forever long about my eyes... but it's super sad for me to have to say good-bye to my blue eyes...

May you rest in peace Beautiful Blue Eyes

1993-2009

A late night snack...

Nothing better than a late-night bowl of cereal! Trix is the one of choice tonight!

Had a great day... ran into Mortensen's at Costco... ended up going to their house to eat dinner and play games... decided to go swimming... got home a bit ago w/ WAY tired kids! I love it! Now... I'm off to finish my cereal, read "The Fire of the Covenant" and hopefully fall asleep soon!

A new focus...

You can't organize clutter; you can only get rid of it! - FlyLady

So that's what I'm gonna be working on. Go check it out if you feel overwhelmed with the tasks in front of you! Comment here if you already do FlyLady and it works for you... I would LOVE some pointers. My house isn't too cluttered, but when it comes to schedules I stumble... and Chuck is a total schedule/list person. So my "gift" to him is to get our house on a "schedule" (running on complete rigid flexibility) before I start school next semester (in just 7 weeks)!

Go check it out and learn to FLY with me!

4th of July... Part 1

So we started our fun celebration of 4th of July Fun with our Friday Funday... which, thankfully, got to include Chuck (YEA... no work for him today, it was their holiday off!) So last Saturday, Chuck went to the library where he secured a pass for 4 of us to get into the Arizona Science Center for free (so we paid for one kid only... can't beat that deal!). He decided we should use it for when he had off work (which was today... Friday).

We took the Light Rail over to Phoenix and enjoyed a ride on that (I've never been... but the kids and Chuck had been once). It was fun! Maddy enjoyed getting to stand up while driving.

(Thanks Macee for taking our picture)

When we got to the Science Center we had a great time going from exhibit to exhibit. After we were done we asked the kids what their favorite thing was...

Macee said, "The house... you know with the garden."

Maddy said, "All the hands on stuff."

Tyler said, "The thing with the pipes and balls."

I had fun sitting in the seat that you had to pull yourself up to the top using only your arm strength.

Chuck enjoyed the tug-o-war... such a boy at heart! I love it!

A few other fun things...

The Lego exhibit... all on a castle theme.

This screen they could go behind and "catch" the falling stuff... it was cool to watch it from the shadow side.

And one last favorite of mine was the computer program that had you take your picture right there at the computer and edit it! Don't Macee and I look CRAZY???

When we were done with the Science Center, we were hot, thirsty and hungry, so we found a Starbucks nearby and used the otherwise useless giftcards on some expensive water, cookies and a yummy smoothie (hey, but it was all free to us!). Everyone was happy again and off we were to catch the Light Rail back to the main station and head for home.

When we got home, Macee took a nap, I baked cookies and the others rested and played Tetris on the TV for the afternoon and then we went to the drive-ins with the Mortensens! We saw UP and The Proposal. It was super fun. What was really fun was the storm that blew in and we watched the movie from under easy-ups (one between the vehicles and one over the back of the Mortensen's truck). They worked out nice. Grandma Mortensen and Lance even showed up to watch UP with us! It was fun and we love to go to the drive-ins! You can't beat getting a family of 5 in for under $15 AND see 2 movies AND you don't have to smuggle your food into the theater in an over-sized purse!

So... pictures of everyone BEFORE the storm hit!

Jonny, Macee and Maddy

Jack, Fawn, Itty Bitty, Damon and Tyler

G-ma Mortensen, Lance, Devon and Gunnar

Me and Chuck

I think we tired them out today!

I know I'm tired...

and I have to be up at 630

to go to the Ward Breakfast...

I should go to sleep!