Have you noticed that when you're trying to be really cool, cool often slaps you in the face and calls you an idiot? I was slapped the other night. Bowling. Not that we're putting bowling and coolness in the same category though. I mean, let's be serious.....Just because you can throw a ball at things and it makes other things fall down does not indicate you're talented in any way. And besides that, do scores really mean anything? So what if I scored 55. That's right. I said it. And as anyone who knows me would agree, Lamunyons aren't competitive and often balk at keeping scores. (cough)

But it was the "before the bowling" incident that told me, "You are an idiot, Acacia." Let me just ask you this. Why is there a step up before the bowling lane begins. WHY?? To make me look stupid? Is that what it is?? And who trips while they're BOWLING? Does it really require that much coordination to walk these days? And especially when your bowling team looks on with admiration, respect, and jealousy. Or at least they did before they saw me trip, fall and slide down the lane.

Oh how I rue your day, bowling.
I rue it and I'll rue it again!

Grandpa Rosas 1921-1973

If I'm odd, do I attract odd clients?


Recently a client came in for therapy. We'll call him Bob. While working on Bob's calf, I noticed his foot wouldn't bend and there was a scar on his leg. So I asked him about it.


"Oh that's where my cousin shot me," was his calm response.


"Uhhh, your cousin......shot you?" I stammered.


"Yep. We were all out huntin' and he shot me. Told me it was an accident, though."


I was an echo. "Your cousin shot you while hunting and told you it was an accident."


"Yep. But then a couple years after that he shot his brother in the shoulder while we were all hunting. He said that was an accident too. But, a year ago, we were all huntin' again and he shot my uncle in the back. He disappeared after that. We never saw him again."


I had no response to Bob's story. What could I say? He was so calm about everyone taking a turn being shot. No one in the family seemed to mind. They continued hunting with "killer cousin" didn't they? And only slight suspicions were raised after the third family member was shot........


All these years, I've thought that our loud, latin family could have some fun parties! I'm just beginning to see what family entertainment is all about!

Where's my rifle?!

I have learned the most useful Spanish phrase ever! Are you ready??
"¿Tengo monos en la cara?"
It's the English equivalent to:

"What are you lookin' at?"
Do you know what it literally means?
The literal translation is........(drumroll).............
"Do I have monkeys on my face?"
You have no idea how much joy this phrase brings me.
I'm very happy, but also confused.
How could this sentence ever be a question??

Wouldn't it always be a statement?
Who wouldn't know if there was a monkey on their face?

Party photos from last weekend.




Note to self: Learn to hold the camera with your right hand also..........

This week I'm house-sitting. Chewie, which is short for Chewbacca, and I, are enjoying many walks in the park. Chewbacca is quite an appropriate name. His head is almost larger than mine, which is saying a lot. He drags me around the park and I look quite foolish. It's great.

I don't want to brag, but I'm a great house-sitter. You didn't know that, did you? Among the vast array of talents I possess, house-sitting would be at the top. Mind you, it's not an easily displayed talent. If I'm ever a Miss America contestant, having "House-sitting" as my talent would make it difficult to showcase.

You're probably thinking that house-sitting isn't a real talent, though, aren't you? You are so mistaken, my friend. Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong? DO YOU?
Things have gone wrong before. Very wrong. But those stories will be left for another day.

So why have my house-sitting services been retained so many times over the years? People trust me. They trust me with their houses. Their dogs. Probably even their lives, if given the opportunity. I wonder if there's some way to test that.....

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;
and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
- Audrewy Hepburn

No one enjoys being laughed at.
Seriously. When was the last time someone said, "I feel warm and fuzzy when people point at me and laugh?"

There were NO warm fuzzies during my Bible study on Tuesday, that's for sure. There was plenty of laughing and pointing though.

I usually love teenagers. I do. I love studying with teenagers. Just when I thought I was gaining their respect during the study though, the raucous laughter occurred.

So I asked them, "Ok, what did I say wrong in Spanish?" When the response was, "First of all..." I knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Um, you sound like a little girl whenever you speak Spanish. Also you have a lisp in Spanish." That was the best one. So I mispronounce words, sound like a child, AND have formed a speech impediment! Really?... Really??

I think they could see that the whole "lisp" thing got to me. Possibly because I was sobbing on their living room floor. So what was their solution to ease my pain?

As I left, I was handed two drawings of Sponge Bob Square Pants with "YOU DID GOOD" scrawled across the top.

I didn't feel tho bad after that.....thtill no warm futhies though.

I strongly identify with Ethan. Is it normal to be that easily entertained as an adult, though?

So here's a story you won't see in print any time soon.

During our first Spanish Language class, the brothers told us to immerse ourselves in the culture. Eat at Hispanic restaurants. Listen to the music. Get down and boogie, etc.

My father needed no encouragement to eat at a Mexican restaurant,so we all go. Brimming with enthusiam, Dad was overjoyed to see the restaurant was full of Spanish speakers. He offered tracts to people and was relieved when they took them and even started reading them out loud.

Anxious to practice more Spanish, he asks my mom, "How do I say I want two small boxes for my food?"

"Quiero dos cajitas," replies my mom.

"Quiero dos cajitas, quiero dos cajitas, quiero dos cajitas," my dad practices under his breath.

Finally the waitress approaches our table and my dad announces, "Quiero dos caquitas."

(Quiero dos caquitas = I want two poops)

Seeing the confused look on her face, my dad announces more loudly, "Quiero dos caquitas."

The waitress and my mom start laughing quite hysterically as they realize what he's requested. The waitress then tells my mom in Spanish, "Tell him that if that's what he really wants then he needs to go to that little room, called the bathroom."

We made some pretty sweet memories that day.

Mi Abuelita
Esther Rosas 1925-2007

So I've attended my first two official spanish meetings and my first spanish class. Hello! Have I been missing out or what?! Hispanic people are awesome!

Wait. I'm Hispanic.

Ok, so if you love to kiss people, this is the place for you. We kiss as we're entering the hall AND as we leave! If I'd have known, I would have moved much earlier to Spanish. Scheduling is the key, though. How far away is the door and how many people am I kissing on my way out? Will I include an "adios" or do I have time for an "hasta luego?"

And besides all the kissing, guess what?! In Spanish, people think I'm funny! Who knew that I had to learn another language to become witty? It helps to know at least one spanish joke. Preferably a joke about a dog named Joke. Not laughing yet? Oh, never mind.

It's quite possible that we've been laughing at all the wrong things in English.

Is it a waste of time to see how many spanish words I already know and start writing them all down?

Is it even crazier to compete with a fluent spanish-speaking co-worker?

Um......YEAH it's crazy! And that's exactly why I'm doing it!

We started with the letter "A." I came up with 44 words. She came up with 91.

Is that good or bad? I have no idea how to rate either one of us. Shouldn't she know more than 91? And I'm not sure but I might be a genius for knowing 44.

Pretty sure I won. Maybe I'll make some kind of medal to wear to work. Oooo! We could start a new medal-making competition!

Do you think we have too much time on our hands?

chihuly glass painting

For those of you with too much time on your hands and a bizarre desire to live inside my head, here's a little of the past. Be wary and tread lightly.........http://al_dreamtree.blogspot.com/

good mornin' glories

Don't we live our whole lives thinking that we'll never grow up to be like our parents? We think we're completely unique and so far apart from how they act, right?

So what happens when we grow up and realize we're exactly like our parents?

Part of my daily routine at work is to hide personal belongings of my co-workers. It's my little way of boosting office morale. Ok, ok, it may not improve anyone else's morale, but is my morale any less important??

If you ask me, everyone is just a little too selfish. "Waah! Waah! I just found my purse and cell phone and Ipod in the refrigerator!" Oh come on. What a whiner. We're a team, people! If one person's laughing, we're all laughing!

Back to my point about becoming my parents. Wednesday was an average day. I hid about six cell phones and purses around the clinic. My parents came in for their appointments late in the day and received their massage therapy as usual in my room. Everything seemed normal and they left. During my last appointment of the day, though, I realize my father had hidden all of my business cards and turned every single massage school certificate upside down on the wall! Who does this guy think he is?! Does he have any idea how irritating it is when someone messes with your stuff? I think I'm going to sit him down for a little talk.

Sincerely,



"Little Mikie"

Chihuly exhibit, St. Petersburg



I'm moving to Spanish!

The exclamation point proclaims my two emotions regarding this event!
Excited....... and crazy nervous!

Excited about the challenge and the productivity in the field.
Crazy nervous about.......... the challenge and the productivity in the field.
I mean, how does one start conducting Bible studies when one has no clue what one is talking about? Wait a second. I already do that in English.

I just might be ok folks....... I just might be ok.

I don't want to brag or anything, but my Spanish is coming along "excellente," if you know what I mean. ("Excellente" means excellent. I looked it up.)

The other day at work I was trying to practice my spanish with the "real" mexicans, as they like to call themselves, since I'm only half, you know. I thought I was asking them why they call me pale. Nope. Instead I asked them why they thought I was a popsicle. It was quite a confidence booster when the "real" mexicans started laughing their "real" mexican laughs and pointed their "real" mexican fingers at me.

Laugh it up ladies. Laugh it up.

There's definitely some "non-excellente" days coming for you.

The Pale One

So, mummy and daddy.....

Since you two will be my faithful readers....what do you want to talk about? Your daughter leaving the nest again? **gentle birdsong heard in the distance to the tune of "I believe I can Fly." ** More on that later, before we get all squirty.

You know I never thought I would get to the place in my life where my parents would be at the top of my "Amazing Friends" list. Oh yeah, you didn't know I had a list? It's tattooed on my......oh never mind. But don't we all have a "Top Five" list? You know what list I'm talking about. Those people have seen you at your loveliest and at your worst-erest and they still love you! AND, they're not even paid. Ok, well a couple are, but the others, well, at least one is definitely not paid.

On that list there's usually constants. The ones you're not surprised to see on the list year after year. But who knew that my parents would be swimming around in that top five. And I don't even mean metaphorically. They both really like to swim.

How many years did I bemoan the idea of "hanging out" with my parents? Or what if someone saw me eating dinner with them after an assembly or convention? What in the world does it say about me now if I'm actually competing to fit into their dinner schedule? Should I check into therapy, or shock of shocks, am I actually growing up? I think I just gasped. out loud. No, it wasn't out loud. Sounds just really reverberate in this huge head of mine.

Where do I go now in this awkward conversation?

macy and ava

Do I really have any idea what I'm talking about? My friends would probably tell you no.

Ok, so a couple would tell you I'm a genius, but those are the people who get a check from me every month. Yes, that's right, mummy and daddy.

Possibly this frenzy of blabber will be just that. blabber. On the other hand, maybe in the midst of all the banal goo, there will be a couple of coherent thoughts. Makes you all tingly inside waiting to find out, huh?