Did you ever think of this?

S-N-O-W and R-A-I-N are four letter words. We have experienced an abundance of both lately in the Pacific Northwest. There are a lot of other words come to mind when I hear of snow and rain lately...of the four letter variety as well.

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The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least. And not in the fun or the curious genre. The record snow fall caught the public works powers that be unsure how to deal with the snow that just kept falling. I do have to give kudos to the "two Rons" that are the Public Works guys in the little burg where I currently reside. They worked Sundays and long days between breaks to plow and sand the best they could. We didn't have garbage service for 3 weeks. School closures before Christmas break really threw a lot of people off schedule.

Now...the snow has given way to rain. And lots of it. We are to the point of flooding in every low land area around us. The Interstate is closed in areas and towns are being evacuated all over the place. This isn't good.

Be safe out there if you are in the area. And, be smart. There are so many people that aren't when it comes to winter weather. Like the man driving at full speed in his tricked out Lincoln Navigator on pure ice pack and whining to the police after he totalled the SUV because his 4 wheel drive didn't "work". If anyone needs any fodder for the 2007 Darwin Awards, he should get an Honorable Mention.

Police Wives Online 2009 Calendar

CALLING ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT WIVES (BADGE BUNNIES TOO SINCE THIS IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE)

Just in time for the new year...the 2009 Police Wives Online (PWO) "You Might Be A Police Wife If..." Calendar! Click here: www.cafepress.com/PWOprograms

to see selection and style--there is an option to fit every budget!

100% of the sale proceeds from the calendars will be used for HUGS (a grief support program for the Families and Departments of our fallen Officers) and other programs currently in the developement stages, including the PWO scholarship.

If You Revamp It They Will Come...The Field December 2008

Here is a picture of the current state of our "yard".

Tell me I am strange (it wouldn't be the first time), when all this snow started to fall one of the first things that crossed my mind was being glad the field had been seeded, mulched and "put to bed" for the fall.

As I don't really have a baseball field in my back yard (I do however have a full batting cage with the works in my actual back yard) I have referred for the past few years to the Sam Brewer Memorial Vet's Field in Yelm, Washington as our "yard". Why? My husband assumed management of the field three seasons ago and we spend more time there working on that grass, combing the infield and anguishing over holes in the outfield than maintaining or being concerned about our own yard.

It still amazes me one league had exclusive usage of this field for nearly 20 years and the condition the field was in when my husband took over management was abysmal. Since my husband took this project on there has been a total upswing in the revitalization of this field. And, it would be very unfair for me to not clarify there are many others in our baseball circle that have given hours upon end to this field... Thanks to Farmer's Insurance and the Seattle Mariners this field was deemed the worst in Washington state in 2007. Because of that distinction a $10K grant was awarded to the field to revitalize the field and make it safe and playable for the kids. Embarrassment and pride aside admitting our kids had been playing on one of the most unsafe and run down venues in the state that grant was the shot in the arm the field needed.

This past year was the first year the field could be used to host tournaments. And, it was neat to see it take a life on of its own... The fresh paint on the dugouts, crisp white chalk lines defining the refurbished boundaries and festive bunting decor blowing in the breeze really gave the field a new purpose and validation. The tournament coaches started calling the field the "Classic Field". Being there on a warm day really does bring out the nostalgic feel of the neighborhood baseball field.

For now, the field is taking a well deserved break, as are we...so, if you are out there Shoeless Joe and want to take a walk on the field, go right ahead. I would rethink the "shoeless" part though...

Summer Baseball...

Thanks to my mother being in a bona fide state of emergency due to extreme weather in Gresham, Oregon, her boredom has forced her to learn how to load and send pictures from her digital camera. Who knows what pictorial treasures await us.

Here are pictures from our final summer baseball hurrah. Our entire baseball team made the trek to the Big O to play in the Trevor Haag Memorial Baseball Tournament. What a great tourney... Anyway, I digress. The stunning back drop for these pictures is the Clearwater River. We stayed at our most favorite place when visiting the Big O, the Lodge at Rivers Edge. Their patio makes for a wonderful staging area for photos, doesn't it? The beauty of these pictures were that they just about didn't happen...we were rushing to go the final day of games (third place was on the line here) and ran outside to click a few pictures.

So...Here's My Story and It's Stuck To Me

Hi and welcome to my blog. I admit I have been wanting to start a blog of my own for a long time. I blog for the baseball league I serve as a director for and also maintain a couple of websites as a volunteer, but I didn't have that blog outlet for myself.

What is a "Displaced Diva"? Well, it is me. I have detoured to Diva-ville along the road called life. Along that route I have picked up a husband...three kids...a couple of cats (well, 4 to be exact with 3 in heaven now)...a disabled father-in-law...an unexpected career path...and a pile of laundry. It has taken me many years and life experiences to finally come to the conclusion that it is OK if you don't happen to like me, because I actually don't give a damn. As a reformed brunette it took more than 12 steps to reach the core of the meaning of my life...and what a trip that has been...it is a wonder I am still here, but here I am.

I was born and raised in the tight-knight community of Orofino, Idaho. Though I don't live there any more, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish for some aspect of home--I miss my extended family there every day. Staying true to my Idaho roots, I graduated from the University of Idaho and married a fellow Idaho grad...what can I say, I am sucker for MARINES (Semper Fi, baby!) even though my husband-to-be at that time had really bad hair and was coming off a tour of insanity as a UI rugby player. I was thoroughly impressed though after I saw him play softball with the Sheriff's Office team and the rest continues to be a sorted tale fitting for a cable TV soap opera. I have been married for over a decade now. Beating those odds should have made me some Vegas-style money. It is hard to imagine sometimes that I have been married to Mark for as many years as we have been, but we have it good. I am very proud of my husband and everything he has accomplished for himself. He has been extremely successful with his career and continues to be followed by such success.

I am a mother of 3 wonderful boys. If you would have taken me 20 years ago and showed me snippets of my now-life I would have laughed my ass right off after saying no frigging way would that ever be me. Ask anyone that knew me when...I hated kids and there was no way in hell I was ever going to have ONE let alone THREE. And, the last two are IDENTICAL TWINS, so there was even more of a surprise.

We are a busy, active family that is NEVER home. I don't even list my home telephone anymore as a contact... My kids play a lot of sports and of course when you live at the baseball and football field you get roped into managing the baseball field complex or becoming the team mom. Currently I am an area director for a local national baseball league, which is an excellent league serving over 2000 kids. I have made some of the best friends through kids sports and appreciate people who sincerely volunteer their time and resources to make these things happen. I have also learned there are a lot of sorry-assed psychotic people that put their kids in sports to re-live the lives and experiences they think they never had.

We always have some sort of change or event going on in our household--that's our life. So, thanks for coming along thus far...