This Cat Is Brilliant

Hi, Mom,

Thank you for our gift. We will think of you every morning. Tia tries to make Grandma get up at 6:00 a.m. for treats but she just pretends she's sleeping. Tia won't let her get away with it though; she just hits her on the cheek with her paw. But Grandma still doesn't move until she feels like it.

Grandma says you're coming home in a couple weeks. We can't wait! Can we go home with you? Grandma and Grandpa make us do our chores. It's hard work leaving all my hair all over the house. They just don't understand. Tia likes to stretch out on Grandma's lap but if she is always gone to the cabin who's lap can she use?

I really got Grandma good last night. They finally came home from THAT CABIN and I laid on her lap. I showed her. Go away and leave us! I made her pet me and left her lap full of hair!

I'd better go before Grandma catches me typing this. I'm going to take a nap. If I just lay around she's going to make me clean the litter off the toilet seat.

Love,

Gandalf

The Cali Girls

Some of my girls in California at our friends Josh and Brittany's wedding in Simi Valley: Lena, me, Emily, Crystal and Jessica.

Another Fifteen Minutes

I don't mean to get on TV now. It just happens. [Smile]

My friends Sonya and Erika came out to visit me in L.A. last weekend. We had a real good time. I got tickets for us to go to the Thursday afternoon taping for "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." We got to Studio 3 around 3 o'clock and already there was quite a line. It was bloody hot standing out in that sun.

After we'd been standing there for about an hour, they started letting people in - first, those on the guest list who didn't have to stand out in the sun, then all us lucky folks who did. They give out more tickets than they have seats for the show and we almost didn't make the cut-off. The line got to about a dozen people in front of us and they stopped it. The NBC people would radio back and forth, "Send in 10." So, then it was the couple in front of us. They got in. "OK, send in the three." YES!

We get inside and the production guy points to an usher and tells him, "Third row." In we walk and get the three seats in the third row right in front by the "Tonight Show" band. Rad.

So, as John Melendez is doing his opening stuff to warm up the crowd and they do "Strange Audience Member Talents," the police officer that apparently is stationed there for the taping comes over to me and says, "Let me give you a tip. When the band starts playing, go right down to the front by that step and you'll get to shake Jay's hand when he comes out." I was like, "OK! Anything to spice up the fun here." The girls couldn't hear him so we decided they would just follow my lead.

So, the show starts and the officer taps me on the shoulder and says, "OK, go!" The band starts playing so I get up and go to the stage. Erika and Sonya are right up there, too. Jay is introduced and he comes out from backstage and does his "shake hands with the audience" bit. It's not really a handshake because he's moving so quickly - it's more like a side high five.

It happened so quickly that it was over when it started. I don't even remember seeing the camera. So we went back to our seats and enjoyed the show. It was fun!

Afterward, I called Beth and sent some text messages to people about us probably being on the show. Erika and Sonya called a bunch of folks, too. So, we head back to Pasadena to get some dinner and look around Old Pasadena, do some shopping, etc.

Just after 10:35 Central Time, I start getting texts: "I saw you!" I was updating my Facebook/Myspace statuses with the fact that we'd been spotted and say Beth's update that she had also seen us. So, I called her. She was in the middle of typing up an e-mail about everything that had played out. It's pretty funny:

FROM: Beth Allison
TO: Jacqueline Chapman
SUBJECT: Cutest Thing EVER!

So much just happened in the last 3 minutes! Let me give you a play-by-play!

All of the kids piled in my room to watch you on TV. Luke asked if it was the Oscars. Ha!

We saw the three of you right away – well, we had trouble seeing poor little Sonya! But we ran it back several times and watched. The one thing that stuck out to me was that Sonya got DENIED. It made me sad!!! She stuck her hopeful little hand out and he just walked on by. Sadness!!! The other thing that stood out was the conquering look that Jackie gave the camera just after shaking Jay’s hand. So cocky!!!! Must be the hair...

Luke said “Why is her hair short?”

Abbey and I were screaming and yelling excitedly and I yelled for Aaron to come.

He was in the playroom hanging pictures. He came running upstairs holding his head. Apparently when we screamed for him to come here, it scared him and he hit his head on the ceiling. I asked him if he was ok and his response was a grumpy “I’m hurting. What is it?” He wasn’t as excited as we were to find out what it was...but once he saw you all he was really happy. :-)

He left and Abbey and I were laughing and running it back and all of a sudden a guttural growl came from the bottom of the bed as we hear Lincoln say “Don’t laugh at her!!!!” We are like “WHO??” And he said “Jackie! Don’t laugh at her!” We explained that we weren’t laughing AT you, but just excited about what was happening. Ha!

Anyway, congratulations on your brush with fame. You all three looked FABULOUS!!!!! I’m so proud.

Love,
Beth

So, I've only seen the online version. Beth is going to burn it to a DVD for me so I can show my family. And for the record, I didn't catch the camera with a cocky look. I don't even remember seeing the camera.

And it's funny that Beth saw Sonya get denied by Jay because that's exactly what Sonya said: "I was denied." That became the weekend's joke. "Well, at least I was denied by Jay Leno."

But that's the story!

The Importance of Understanding Pink

My niece Elizabeth will be 2-years-old on July 31. I cannot wait to celebrate with her. And I know exactly what to get her - something pink, anything pink. Pink will do nicely.

My brother is rather beside himself as he realizes that his daughter believes all should be pink. He recently came to the realization that she's not confused when given something purple or green and she calls it pink. He realized (or maybe he was told?) that she would actually prefer whatever is purple or green to be pink and tells him so. "Pink." As in "Dad, I would like this green Lego to be pink. Make it happen."

Ah, sweet Elizabeth, we shall have fun in a few weeks, torturing your dad with all things pink.

I told Jason not to worry. When she reaches her 30's, all things will be green or blue. At least those are colors this aunt loves now.

A Week Off

This is my week off in between quarters. I start summer quarter next Monday, June 23. I'm actually looking forward to it because I'm doing IDLs rather than actual on campus classes so I'll be studying at my own pace for about 13 weeks. I just need to turn in all my work by September 19. We'll see how this works out...

Only five weeks and I'll be traveling to Michigan. I'm going to be there for almost three weeks (!) which is an extremely long visit for me. I'm sure it'll be great though. With a two-year-old niece to play with, how could it not be?

I can't believe almost six months has gone by since moving to California. Time flies. And I'm doing my best to make sure that I'm taking it all in, applying the lessons, writing down the lessons and just all around wondering where this all leads...

Today's good news: I got an A in New Testament: The Gospels.

New Haircut

It's official...summer is here...or something like that. My hair is now officially the shortest it's been in 12 or more years.

My babies

For those who don't know, my parents are watching their "grandcats" while I'm out in California (no pets allowed in campus housing). I periodically get notes from the cats and pictures from what must be the proud grandparents. Here are my babies, quite literally:

Gandalf napping in the baby bassinet:


Tia napping in my niece Elizabeth's crib:


This one is not staged. Tia will actually jump up and sit in Elizabeth's high chair (she must be hungry; her tongue is sticking out):


Tia helping Grandma with eBay:

He was in a band

I was sitting outside Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf reading for class. And this guy looking all rock star came out to a table next to me. He set his coffee down and took off his aviator sunglasses to clean them off and one of the glasses popped out and clanked around on the sidewalk.

He tried so hard to play it off and be real nonchalant about it which made it even better. He casually bent down and picked it up, sat in his chair and put it in his lap while he cleaned the other lens. I didn't see it fall out - I just heard it and thought I wonder? So when I looked up, sure enough, I could see the two pieces in his lap.

Then I couldn't help but overhear his LOUD phone call - he's in a band.....

Wishing someone was there to share the moment. It brought a smile to my face all day. That was what I call real funny.

Rabbits

The boys have rabbits - or a rabbit family.

This is Luke and Zoom.



This is Zack and the rabbit family.

What's the word?

I had an funny and interesting 'talk' with my friend Jessica out here in Cali. I posted a status update on Twitter/Facebook: "Jackie has decided that honey yogurt is 'blech.'"

Jessica whose first language is not English (she is from Honduras) sent me a message on Facebook:

"What is blech? couln't find a translation.
this is the definition, but...was that what you meant...

Blech
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

A blech (from the German by way of Yiddish word for tin or sheet metal) is a metal sheet used by many observant Jews to cover stovetop burners (and for some, the knobs/dials too) on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), as part of the precautions taken to avoid violating the halachic prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath by stirring the fire."

HA! I answered:

"You're the best. 'Blech' in my mind is more of a sound effect that means gross. :) When I gag on something that doesn't taste good, I stick my tongue out and say, Blech.

It works with the sheet metal definition, too. Eating honey yogurt would be like eating sheet metal."

I have taught Jessica a new 'English' word.

Blog Redesign

I figured after three years it was time for a new look...kind of like what I have in store for myself later this week....

I'm still tweaking the colors, trying to decide what I like best (for now). Overall, my whole motto is, keep it simple.