Living with a Labradoodle

When the kids take the camera...

2009-01-15T22:45:00.005-06:00

Earlier this week Amberly and her family came over for dinner and to see my new toys. I treated myself to a new home theatre system to accompany the PS3 my parents got me for my birthday... and this was the first major showing.

Abby Grace and Nathan had no particular interest in the TV most of the night and so here is what the budding photographers did to entertain themselves.

I promise they put themselves in there and could have gotten themselves out at any point.

Once they let themselves back out, they were off with the camera. The next morning I found these on my camera.

Not the worst picture of me ever taken.

Not her best side.

A cute pic of the almost five year old.

Brun's nose.

Pin art is always a big hit with this crowd.

He's Amberly's problem. :-)

Brun retreated to the closet for a few moments of peace and quiet and camped out on my pj's. Apparently he should have looked for a better hiding place.

Piglet might be blinded for life.

I love digital cameras. These pictures crack me up!

30... years old that is

2009-01-15T22:26:00.004-06:00

Last week I turned 30. I absolutely love birthdays and this one was no different. It was spent with good friends and family and it was shared with others who wanted to be there but couldn't. Even though gifts are not what a birthday is all about I got some great ones.

My aunt surprised me with balloons on my mailbox. Leslie bought me a great North Face jacket and even delivered to my house (over an hour away from her house!). Ashley got me some great soap, bags and hair/bath accessories from Bath and Body Works. My parents got me a PS3 that doubles as a fabulous blu-ray player, a new pair of tennis shoes and a cake from my favorite bakery in my hometown. Amberly and her family surprised me with an impromptu family birthday party including my very own cookie cake, a wonderfully warm new robe, a pedicure I am saving for flip flop season and another of my favorites... sweet tart hearts! Here is the cookie cake they made me.

Thanks to all of you who made my birthday so special! It was great!!!!! The most creative and in some ways best gift I will have to save for another post. :-)

Apparently you are supposed to feel older or different somehow when you hit a new decade. Well I don't and that's perfectly fine with me. 29 was a year filled with a lot of change - some bad, mostly good - so here's hoping 30 is a little more settled. At 30 years and 6 days... so far so good.

12... degrees that is

2009-01-15T22:23:00.003-06:00

Seriously?!?! Are you kidding me?? 12 whole degrees Fahrenheit is the predicted low for tonight. I live in Alabama for crying out loud! My brother is in Alaska for work (more on that later) and it is warmer there than here. This is so not fair. I can't believe I have to go to work tomorrow... I am so not going to want to get out of my nice warm bed in the morning.

If it is going to be this cold we should at least get snow out of it!

Mega Meme

2008-12-26T23:13:00.003-06:00

HAHA... I caught you!! You are still reading my blog... what is wrong with you?? :-) Just kidding... welcome back. Now that Christmas is over and the monogramming season should theoretically be winding down... I am going to try and blog more. And besides... I got a flip video camera for Christmas so I will have to share that with you all soon.

I thought I would try to get back in the swing of things by doing this meme that Leslie, Vader's Mom and some others did weeks ago.

1. Do you like cheese? Yes, a little too much. I don't like it on my hamburger but I like it with almost everything else.

2. Have you ever smoked? No but when I was in middle school my little brother started a rumor that my best friends and I smoked in the bathroom... I have no idea why.

3. Do you own a gun? Yep, sure do and proud of it. But I am a responsible gun owner and it is well secured and well hidden from small children.

4. Do you like listening to Christmas music? LOVE IT!!! The Christmas CD's are on permanent rotation the entire month of December.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes... therefore I just don't go unless my life basically depends on it.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Love them... especially when grilled on a charcoal grill. However, I really prefer the bright pink Zeigler kind. I know they are gross and NO I do not want to know what is in them.

7. Favorite Christmas song for all time? Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song"

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? water

9. Can you do push ups? Not really

10. Who is your favorite Grey’s Anatomy Character? Much to Leslie's dismay I really don't watch Grey's Anatomy

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? An antique white gold diamond and Sapphire ring my parents got me for High School graduation. It is very special and so I only wear it on Sunday's and on special occasions. Other than that I would say my plain jade ring that I got in Australia.

12. Favorite hobby? monogramming

13. Do you eat “exotic” foods? HA! NO! I will try most things once... but basically no.

14. Do you have A.D.D.? Not officially... but yes. As I have gotten older I have basically lost the ability to sit still or focus on just one task at a time.

15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? The fact that I worry too much.

16. Middle Name? Michelle

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? "I should really go to bed." "'Nights in Rodanthe' was really stupid." "I don't think I have anything I have to do tomorrow!"

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Nothing... it was Christmas. Today I bought some Hallmark ornaments, a 2009 calendar for my office and shower gel from Bath and Body Works.

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water, water and water. I cut out Cokes about three weeks ago so I currently only drink water.

20. Current worry right now? Lots of things... see #15.

21. Current hate? that I had to work today... on December 26.

22. Favorite place to be? With good friends/family.

23. How will you bring in the New Year? Watching Anderson Cooper ring in the new year on CNN.

24. Where would you like to go? NYC at Christmas time, Ireland, Scotland, back to Australia, the beach, a mountain cabin... anywhere on vacation is fine with me.

25. Name three people who will complete this? ummm... most everyone did it two weeks ago.

26. Do you own flip flops? lots and lots of them

27. What shirt are you wearing? a Woot shirt with a drawing of a mama dragon feeding a knight to a baby dragon

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? no... cotton all the way

29. Can you whistle? nope

30. Favorite color? blue

31. Would you be a pirate? nah

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't... I'm usually making a list of some sort in my head

33. Favorite girl’s name? Mackaleb

34. Favorite boy’s name? not sure

35. What’s in your pocket right now? $4 in change from going to the $1 movie

36. Last thing that made you laugh? the lameness of "Nights in Rodanthe"

37. Bed sheets as a child? Smurfs

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? the sun burn I got sitting at the Talladega races on Saturday one spring when I was in college. I had blisters and I still have the scars.

39. Do you love where you live? Alabama

40. How many TV’s do you have in your house? four

41. Who is your loudest friend? probably me

42. How many dogs do you have? I currently have one in my house and one who is gone but is still in my heart.

43. Does someone have a crush on you? not to my knowledge

44. Do you get embarrassed easily? pretty much

45. What is your favorite book? the Bible

46. What is your favorite candy? Christmas peanut M&M's

47. Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince theme song? no

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I can't really say I've thought about it... but I guess I would say a cappella church songs.

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? just getting back home from spending Christmas at my parent's house

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? "Who is calling me this early???" It was my mom who was already hitting the day after Christmas sales.

We Interrupt These Old Posts...

2008-11-05T23:30:00.000-06:00

I have to interrupt my "catch up" posts to let you know about a new problem. Beginning Monday morning we developed a new problem at my house. This...

Now this would not normally be a problem. This spoiled dog has the run of the house and if he wants to lay on my bed and my pillow he is more than welcome (he will move out of my spot when I am ready to get in the bed).

Problem is... this is about two minutes after I should have left the house to meet my carpool. Our normal routine is for him to to out on a leash and do his business and then come back in. When we get in the front door the leash comes off and be runs to his crate and waits for his treat. Ever since the weather turned cold he comes back in and the leash comes off he heads for the nice warm bed. The first morning I was able to trick him into his crate. The second day I had to drag him. This does not bode well for my mornings this winter. He and I are going to have to come to some understanding.

How to Prevent Sliding Off Your Cot When Camped on the Side of a Hill

2008-10-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

Last time I actually wrote a real post, I was camping. My dad and I were at Road Atlanta for the Petit LeMans Sports car race. We have been doing this almost ever year since 2001 and it's basically a week long event. The "real" race is actually a ten hour race on Saturday starting in the morning and ending at night. There are support races and practices throughout the week so we camp out for the week starting on about Tuesday. The camping is in the infield... but it's not the infield that some of your are picturing at Talladega or Daytona. It's basically the woods and hills overlooking the 2.54 mile road course. We always camp in the same general area but never seem to get in exactly the same spot.

We arrived this year on Tuesday night and started setting up our tent. It was dark by that point but we had a pretty good idea of where we were camping and thought we would be fine. We got the tent set up, set up our cots and put our sleeping bags on top of our respective cots. When it was time to go to bed, I crawled in my sleeping bag and immediately began sliding down my cot. Problem. It wasn't particularly cold at that point, so I got out of my sleeping bag, laid on the cot and just covered up with my sleeping bag. I still was not at a particularly comfortable angle... but at least I wasn't falling off the cot.

I woke up about 2 AM and I was once again hanging off the end of the cot and I was FREEZING!!! Note to self... it gets cold at night in North Georgia. (Yes Bryan and Wren, I realize this is nowhere close to as cold as the weather both of you have camped in.) :-) I curled into the fetal position in an attempt to stay on the end of my cot for the rest of the night. I woke up multiple times throughout the time falling off my cot and freezing. And about 6 AM I finally woke up and realized I could turn my cot at about a 30 degree angle... which helped.

When I finally got up for good and got out of bed I was not happy. I was not looking forward to falling out of my cot every night. So at some point later that day we went to Wal Mart and bought a rug pad. We also bought a pair of scissors and cut it in half... half for me and half for my dad. SUCCESS!! On Wednesday night, with a rug pad between my sleeping bag and my cot I did not slide off of my cot.

So if you ever find yourself camped on the side of a hill and sliding off your cot... find your nearest Wal Mart and buy a rug pad. Although... if you do find yourself in that situation, I am probably going to question your sanity. I certainly questioned ours.

Two Years (and One Month) Ago

2008-10-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Well I am officially one month late with this post... but two years and one month seemed like an appropriate time to post. On September 28, 2006, this little guy arrived in the world.

Recognize him? That's Classic Rock Baby aka my Godson and "nephew." I am a terrible Godmother and adopted aunt and I did not see him on his second birthday but rumor has it the garbage truck I got him was a big hit. Hopefully he enjoyed his copy of Robin Hood too... I know it has always been one of my favorite Disney movies.

I can't believe it has already been two years. It seems like only yesterday. While his parents might disagree sometimes :-), I think he is growing up too fast.

Since I didn't see him on his second birthday, I thought I would share one of my favorite pictures. This was actually taken back in May... right after his mom got a Wii Fit. CRB wanted to play too and he got the hang of it in a hurry.

So happy two year and one month birthday Classic Rock Baby!! Come see your Aunt Kerri soon!!!

And before I lose my rights as a sister, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today was my little brother's 28th Birthday. Happy Birthday Wren!

Hope you got your birthday card... and while you did not get a garbage truck or copy of Robin Hood, I hope you can use the Bed, Bath and Beyond Gift Card. Ashley said you needed to buy some stuff for your house and I thought that would be better than a food gift card. Please take Ashley with you to the store to pick them out. I'm not saying you have bad taste... I'm just saying Ashley has better taste. :-)

Posts You Should Have Read

2008-10-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

I am the laziest blogger around. I am not making any more excuses for it. I still want to blog... I just don't ever seem to make it that far on my to do list for the day.

So here are a few topics you missed that I should have blogged about.

"How to Prevent Sliding Off Your Cot When Camped on the Side of a Hill"

"Tony Kannan Liked My Shirt!!!!!!!"

"Has It Really Been Two Years Already?"

"She's Going to Hit My Car... Surely She's Going to Stop... SHE HIT MY BRAND NEW BEAUTIFUL CAR!!!!!!"

"How Am I Supposed to Label Eight Things with Five Labels... or... Why My Secretary Hates Me"

"I Gained Freedom and Got Sucked Back In (By Choice)"

"I Actually Updated My Website!"

"Where Did All These Leaves Come From?"

And hey... hopefully some of these posts will still show up. What do you care if these things happened today or a month ago. Most of you don't know the difference. :-)

I think I'll go write a couple of them now while I'm camped out at the computer.

Laundry

2008-09-30T09:14:00.001-05:00

I don't like doing laundry... But I can't say that I particularly dislike it either. But just being a single person with a dog and occasional visitors I can go a ridiculous amount of time without washing more than possibly a load of sheets or towels. I generally wait until I am out of a vital piece of clothing until I bother to wash.

When I was getting ready for my trip I realized I needed to wash reds so I would have a specific shirt I wanted to take. As I started digging through the red/orange section of my divided hamper, I found Christmas pajama pants. Nice. Yes that does mean it has been that long since I washed that color family of clothing.

Later on I was looking for long sleeve t-shirts and realized they must still be in one of those pesky boxes I never unpacked. As I dug through the boxes, I found clothes that were dirty back in March that had been packed by the movers... And they were not miraculously cleaner after sitting in the bottom of a box since March. I am pretty sure this is a sign I have way way too many clothes.

FREEDOM!!

2008-09-30T08:54:00.001-05:00

Last November I decided it was time for me to move on to a new job and a new city. With good timing, the Lord and some good friends on my side it all worked out. In February I quit my old job. In March I started my new one and shortly thereafter I moved and sold my old house.

This past Sunday, I finally breathed what is hopefully the last major sigh of relief related to this move. You see, ever since I left my old job I have been continuing to work for them on a part time contractor basis. I was happy to do this to help ease the transition, and the extra spending money has been nice too.

I have written several reports and training manuals and late Sunday night I emailed the last one off. While this work has not consumed every free moment of every night and weekend, having this sense of dread at coming home from work just to work some more has been nagging and paralyzing - keeping me from enjoying the free time I did have.

But now, FINALLY I have my freedom. My contract runs out today and no one has mentioned renewing it. AHHHHHHH!!!! I am so excited!!

I did love my old job but I left my old job for my own specific reasons and seven months of distance has not made me forget that. So the relief I have felt has been wonderful!!

I would say "what will I do with all my free time?" but I assure you that will not be a problem. I hope to be around here a little more. I plan to finish unpacking those last boxes I never unpacked in March. And the monogramming season for Christmas is just about to pick up. I can't wait to update my website and share some of that with you - my roughly 12 readers.

But first - a few days of camping, resting and relaxing that happen to coincide with my new found freedom. So if you don't see me around for the next few days, don't assume I have fallen back into my old ways - just assume my only Internet is via my iPhone.

Olympic Fever

2008-08-20T18:00:00.002-05:00

Every two years they come along and every two years I am mesmerized. I LOVE the Olympics. I don't know why exactly but I always have. I watch sports that I would NEVER in a million years watch under most circumstances including sports that I didn't even know existed... Trampoline?? Seriously??? But if they put it on (particularly in Primetime) I'll watch it.

There are some sports that I definitely prefer over the others and swimming and diving are at the top of that list. I have to say I have become a serious "Phelps Phanatic" over the last week. Sure I remember Michael Phelps from the Athens games and the record number of golds he didn't quite reach. And I remember being disappointed in him when he got arrested for DUI sometime between now and then... but I was completely drawn back in this year. His ridiculous athletic ability combined with being the little kid who got picked on and didn't fit in and add to it his obvious closeness to his mom and sisters and I was once again hooked.

I watched every race with rapt anticipation and was on the edge of my seat when it came time for the eighth gold on Saturday night. I was jumping around the room and clapping and screaming. The dog thought it was a great game... either that or he just thought I had lost my mind. It's been a bit of a let down this week now that swimming is over... but diving is picking up so that's exciting.

I have asked the dog if he wants to change his name to Michael Phelps and he seems somewhat in favor of that. Seriously... I asked. I'm not sure what it sounds like when I say "Michael Phelps" but he gets really excited. Maybe he just remembers the swimming from last week and how excited I got... but really he doesn't watch that much TV.

I'll keep you posted on whether or not I give him a new name. :-) It wouldn't be the first time it happened in our family. We have a dog that now lives with my parents who I named Rory. She's a girl dog but no one calls her Rory anymore... she goes by Ken Schrader. Sad but true. There was a NASCAR commercial several years back that is based on the premise of how big of a fan are you... and one of the questions asked, "Do you name your pet after your favorite driver?" In the commercial there is a little chihuahua type dog biting the mailman and the owner is saying "Down Ken Schrader!" So that's where her name came from.

So... we'll see. We may stick with Brun... but he doesn't really seem to answer to either name all that well. I'm off to watch some more of whatever sport is on at the moment.

The Past and the Desire to Relive It

2008-08-19T20:00:00.002-05:00

The past couple of weeks I have thought a lot about how I would love to go back and relive my college days. Not because I want to do them differently but just because I want to live them over again and enjoy them again. The six years I spent in school (particularly the four I spent in undergrad) were some of the best years of my life. I know you can't go back and there is no chance in the world I am thinking about going back to school, I just miss it sometimes.

I guess there are a few reasons I have had this on my mind. The first being that I pulled out a scrapbook from college a couple of weeks ago to help settle a debate among my college friends on Facebook as to what year a party was held that I attended. As I flipped through the pages, so many great memories and people I had not thought about in years came flooding back. I used to kid my friends in college (as I toted my SLR film camera everywhere) that ten years from then when they couldn't remember what we did in college, I would have the pictures to help them remember. It's funny how quickly I've forgotten and how much I remember just from looking at those pictures. For those just starting school, I'm so glad that digital cameras are everywhere and so many more people are taking pictures at every memorable and not so memorable moment they experience...

But I digress...

The other reason I think I have thought so much about reliving my college days is the fact that we just sold the house where I lived in college. This was my grandparents house and the greatest house a college kid could ask for. While this is not the house I lived the first 18 years of my life in, I did a lot of growing up in that house in the six and a half years I lived there. College was a great time for me, sure there were hard times and sad times and moments I would prefer to forget, but most of them were great and wonderful and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

To see the house totally empty a couple of weeks ago was sad. I haven't lived there in almost five years, but it holds a lot of memories from the time I was a little girl until now. It's hard to think that there are now a bunch of college boys living there who will start school tomorrow. But I'll save some of that mushy sentimentality for another post.

Catching Up

2008-08-19T15:20:00.002-05:00

Hello? Is this thing still on? Anyone still reading? Probably just those of you who stuck me in your bloglines or those of you who I emailed to tell you I finally blogged again. I can't believe it's been so long.

I won't say there hasn't been anything blog worthy... I've just been too busy and not in the mood to blog I guess. I have a few blog posts floating around in my head so I will try to put those together sometime this lifetime (one is already done and will be up later tonight... it won't change your life so don't wait with too much anticipation).

While I've been away here is some of what you missed:

Work (my current job)
Work (my old job I'm still doing work as a contractor for... I even went to Wyoming a few weeks ago for them)
And more work (my monogramming "business" that keeps me busy - hopefully more about this sometime soon)
I bought a new car (I love it... It's an Acura and it is probably the sportiest car I will ever have)
My neighbors called the police on a scary car parked in front of my house (that was interesting but nothing happened)
We sold my grandparents house which was the house I lived in while I was in college and the house my dad grew up in
I got a haircut (Which has been blogworthy in the past... but it is just the same ole haircut)
I got a new iPhone and I'm not sure how I survived without one (in fact I am writing this post from my iPhone)

So life's been busy and it hasn't left a lot of time or energy for blogging. I have blog posts written in my head for some of those things so I hope to get to them one day.

A New Low

2008-06-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

This week I reached a new low. My parents were headed off on a trip and they were flying out of the town where I live. So lucky me got the pleasure of taking them to the airport. Did I mention what time their flight was... 6:50 AM... which meant they needed to be at the airport at 5:20 AM. UGH!!! We all got up between 4 and 4:15.

So by about 5:30 AM I was done with my daughterly duties and had nothing to do. My work is about 5 minutes from the airport and my house is about 30 minutes. It was not worth going back to the house and I couldn't think of any place to go eat Breakfast... so I went to work.

Now I love my job but I did not have enough to do that I wanted to go into work that early. So at this point I reached a new low. I pulled into the parking deck, parked between two cars of apparently crazy people who were already at work, climbed into the backseat of my SUV and went to sleep.

I have slept in a car before when someone else was driving or when we were camping. I have put on makeup in the car, changed clothes in the car on a fairly regular basis (both while driving or in a parking lot) but today I actually went to sleep in my car while on company property. I slept for about 45 minutes until I got hot and decided to go on in the office. My windows are tinted, the parking deck is dark, I was parked between cars that were already there and I feel certain that no one saw me. I didn't tell a soul at work... but with you, I share. :-)

"Where's Brun?"

2008-06-06T22:49:00.002-05:00

This is a question I find myself asking several times a day. When Brun is not under foot I am usually worried he is getting into trouble. He rarely is... but still... he could be. Most of the time he can be found in one of several places. He might be laying in front of the front door in the foyer. He might be in my bed. He might be under my bed. But recently, more often than not he can be found here:
Do you see him?
Look a little closer... See that tail sticking out... what about the nose.
As you pull the clothes back... there he is... between between the navy skirt and the peach paisley skirt. Yep... he's in the closet hiding behind the clothes.

If you didn't know he was there I'm not sure you would see him... but apparently he thinks it is quite cozy.

My old dog Winston used to do the same thing... I guess they find it cozy to be in tight places when they are tired. Tonight Brun is pretty tired. We had a very fun night with Amberly and her family. I got a Wii on Thursday (because all 29 year olds with no kids need one) and on the spur of the moment, I invited them over to come check out the Wii and the Wii Fit.

Amberly provided most of the food, her hubby grilled the meat and we ate until we were stuffed. It was all delicious! Then we played the Wii Fit and decided we shouldn't have eaten all of that food and should apparently go on a diet... oh well. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed Wii Sports and Mario Galaxy.

The kids love Brun (except for Abby Grace who started out the night terrified of him and was hugging and kissing him by the time they went home) so Brun was well played with tonight. He is not quite used to the "noise" of five extra folks in the house and I think he just needed some "Brun time."

Graduation Day

2008-05-22T23:39:00.000-05:00

Eleven years ago this week (May 19, 1997 to be exact) I graduated high school. Here is Lindsey, myself and Keeley on the night of of my high school graduation:
While I am thankful for the great education I received, I hated high school and was ready to get out. Shortly after graduation, I went to Wrightsville Beach, NC with my family. Great trip… but if I had realized they were starting to film Dawson’s Creek (one of my favorite TV shows in college and still one of my guilty pleasures) I probably would have appreciated it more. But I digress.

Also right after graduation, I went with Lindsey and her family to Disney World as a part of my graduation present and to help watch Lindsey and her sister Keeley. Here is a picture of Lindsey and Keeley 11 years ago (sorry for the pictures of pictures)
This past weekend it was time for someone else to graduate. Someone who has grown up too fast and makes me feel old. I can remember what I wore, what was said that day eleven years ago when I graduated and when Lindsey seemed so small… and now Lindsey has graduated.

This past Saturday night, a few of us came to her family’s home to celebrate the occasion and wish Lindsey well. I didn’t take many pictures but here is a self photo Lindsey took of us (she does that a lot... and they really aren't the most complimentary pictures of me). : What can I say... she's a spaz but I love her. :-)
After we ate she told me she had something she had to show me. In her room up on her mirror she had two photos of us – this one that she took with my purse camera a few months ago...

...and another one I wouldn’t show you if I could. :-) It had to be when she was two or three and I was 13 or 14. This is not the picture but it would have been around this same time frame. And trust me my hair was even worse in the one she had:
She laughed and said we have come a long way – her from no hair and me from really bad hair. I could not argue with that.

Then on Sunday afternoon the big day arrived. I ran out of the auditorium before the ceremony started to see where the graduates were lining up. Was Lindsey nervous? Of course not. She was too busy posing. Graduation went off without a hitch and after the ceremony we found a very happy graduate.

So congratulations to Lindsey who is off to face the world. I am very proud of the girl who I have known since she was nine months old, who endured my babysitting for years, who still shares a pew with my family at church and in some ways reminds me of me and that more outgoing person I sometimes wish I could be. No matter where life takes us, she will always hold a special place in my heart. This fall, life will be taking her to college in Mississippi and a whole new, exciting phase in her life will begin. I know she is going to do great things and enjoy every minute of it.

I'm finally good for something

2008-05-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

I am in my hometown this weekend and this evening my parents and I were headed to a high school graduation party for Lindsey. We were on a small country road, dad was driving, we came over a hill and blue lights. Dad got pulled over by a state trooper. Whoops!

I think I have mentioned on here before that in my former job I met and trained every state trooper who patrols in the state of Alabama and trained them to use a program for writing tickets. The trooper walked up to the window and told my dad he was going 54 in a 40 (whoops) and asked for his license and insurance. I was sitting in the passenger seat and got the insurance card out of the glove box.

The trooper didn't notice me or recognize me and I didn't say anything... hummm... what to do. The trooper went back to his car. Well I happened to notice that I had two current insurance cards in my hand and figured I must have handed him an expired insurance card.

So taking my chances that I would not get shot by the trooper, I got out of the car and walked back to his car to hand him a current insurance card. When I walked back to his car he said "What's your name? Don't I know you?"

I sweetly answered that I was Kerri and that I had trained him to use that program he was using to write the ticket and that that was my dad I was with. He kind of fumbled around and said "Oh well I'll cancel this out. Just give the license back to your dad." I told him I sure appreciated it and told him that that was not why I came back to his car but that I would be sure to give my dad a hard time about it.

It really wasn't why I went back to his car but it happened to work out in this case. :-) As the trooper pulled away he told my dad that his daughter had saved him tonight. I just smiled, waved and thanked him again.

When I called my brother to tell him what had happened he said "Well you are finally good for something." I guess I am... and I would have to say my dad owes me. :-)

Corporate Team Building

2008-05-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind with this post but I half wrote it last week and I wanted to finish it up and share some pictures. The week of May 5th was not your typical week. On Tuesday night a bunch of folks helped Gary and Katie finally move into their new house. Gary works in my group, attends church where I did in the last town that I lived in and just made the same move that I made a month or so ago. He commuted over an hour each way for about two years. I did it for about two weeks and I was tired of it. They had a time getting closed on their houses but they finally did and were able to finally move into the house they were buying on Tuesday night.
Then early on Wednesday our group at work made up of about 20 people, left for our corporate team building retreat. Having never worked for a large corporation this was a new concept for me. I was put on the planning committee for the trip a few weeks ago and so I had a pretty good idea of what all was going to happen on the trip.

For Wednesday through Friday, our group would be staying at Chateau Elan, about 45 minutes past Atlanta. I had never stayed there but I had passed it may times as my dad and I made our almost annual trip to Road Atlanta. The two are only about seven miles apart and many who come into town for the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta stay at Chateau Elan.

Anyways, we left early Wednesday headed towards the Atlanta area. We were scheduled to stop on the way for a tour of a facility our company owns. Well thanks to extremely heavy construction and traffic delays, we were about 1.5 hours late. We finally made it for an abbreviated tour. Then we were back on the road. We got hopelessly lost a few times in some back roads in Georgia but we finally made it to Chateau Elan (CE) about two hours behind schedule.

The first activity was a grape squeezing contest.
CE is centered around a winery and so our first activity carried out that theme. I was helping to set up this activity so once we got checked into the hotel it was off to the Publix to buy a ton of grapes. Since I was partially in charge of the activity and opted to take pictures, I did not have to participate. What we did is everyone paired off and each pair had to race to see who could fill their plastic wine glass the fastest. We had two rounds and the wine of each round had to compete in a squeeze off. Our winners were Gary (yes the same Gary who moved the night before) and David. Their "prize" was a Lucille Ball wig and half a set of I Love Lucy DVD's. There is apparently an episode of "I Love Lucy" where they go to Italy and squash grapes with their feet. The group watched this episode while we were setting up the activity. Don't the winners look thrilled? By the way we did not make them drink the nasty stuff.I have to admit, I had given Gary insider information and told him he did NOT want to win this activity but I guess his competitive side and his desire for the activity to be over got the better of him and David. I had also given this inside information to most of the people in the second round so it was a pretty apathetic group of participants in that round.

They threw grapes, ate grapes and basically made it obvious they did not want to win. Oh well... I can't say I blame them.

After we finished up with the grape squashing, we went to dinner and then we hung out for several hours in a lounge area at the hotel. Since it was a Wednesday night we were basically the only ones there and so a lot of pool was played and I got a chance to talk to a lot of folks from our office. It was nice to be able to relax with everyone and talk to them on an informal level. To prove I was on this trip, here is a picture that someone else took of our boss Holly and I attempting to play pool. We were not good but the guys we were playing scratched and we won.
Holly and I have a lot in common and I enjoyed getting to talk to her a lot over the trip. She's fun to hang out with and I enjoyed getting to know her better on this trip.

The next day we had breakfast followed by a number of team building activities. We played a game similar to musical chairs where we had to ask questions of each other. Then we played a game similar to Clue and our group ended up winning thanks to a bonus question and my knowledge of who started Chateau Elan and how they made their money. The only reason I knew is because it is the same people that started Road Atlanta. Here is our group presenting the Clue results.

Then it was outside to the "Ropes" course. I'm not sure why they call it that because there is no rope involved but basically you have to get your whole team across five stumps with only three boards to go between the five stumps. You have to work together and move the boards back and forth to get everyone there. We did a really good job at working together and getting it done. Here is a bunch of people from our group making their way across the course. That's my manger Sean on the left. There are four people in my "sub-group," Sean, Gary, myself and Andrew. Andrew is the guy in the dark blue shirt and jeans (sorry you are looking at the side of his head).

Sean had on some funny looking shoes and everyone was making fun of them. Holly kept whispering to me "take a picture of his shoes... make sure to get a good shot of his shoes." I was trying to do this subtly and not laugh at the instructions. He claims they are going to be all the rage this summer... Holly wanted to make sure we had something to make fun of him with later on. :-)

Here is me making my way across the boards. I did not fall or make a klutz out of myself.

Once we finished up with the activities it was off to lunch and then our wine making activity. I don't drink wine and know absolutely nothing about it. I didn't really expect to get much out of this activity but it was fun I suppose. I was in a group with Sean, Gary and Craig.

Here is a shot of another group. The girl in the white is Angela, the guy in the dark blue is Andrew again, the guy in the stripes is Clint and the back of the head with the ponytail belongs to Alex.
Two of the five stations in this activity had to do with smelling. I have zero sense of smell so I was completely useless in those. One of the stations had to do with mixing up your wine. I was completely useless in this activity as well (as was Gary... who also does not drink) so it turns out our group did pretty terrible. Our wine was compared to Kool Aid and our label was described as boring. Oh well...

Here is (from L to R) Gary, Craig and Sean at the wine mixing station. I thought Sean was going to sling wine all over the room... but it all worked out.

Once we finished with the wine making it was time for free time. A bunch of the guys and one of the girls played golf. Holly and some others went to the spa. Since I'm not a golfer and I don't really do the spa thing, I decided to wander around and take some pictures of the beautiful resort and then take a nap before dinner.

Here is the outside of the winery. There was some driving event there that day and so there were lots of fancy cars around... hence the red Ferrari in the background.
Here is a cool stained glass window inside the winery.

Here is the vineyard. I guess at this time of year there are teeny tiny grapes... at least in Georgia. Beats me... I know squat about wine and grapes.
Here is the inside of the hotel/inn. It was a really nice place and I enjoyed our trip there.

Thursday night we all met for dinner but everyone was tired and turned in early after their busy afternoon and the late night the night before.

We all met back Friday morning for breakfast and then a guest speaker and then we were on our way home. We got caught in some construction traffic on the way back but were home by 2 or so and then off for the rest of the afternoon. It was a great trip and I enjoyed getting to know some of the folks on our team better in a beautiful setting.

Peer Pressure

2008-05-12T23:29:00.000-05:00

I have never had a problem with peer pressure... until I moved. I moved into a nice, small, well established neighborhood with lots of perfectly manicured lawns. Somehow it didn't quite occur to me that they don't stay that way by magic.

My next door neighbor's boyfriend has graciously offered to mow my yard when he mows my neighbor's yard if they can borrow my lawn mower. Since I already have a lawn mower that I don't want to use and she does not have one, I am perfectly fine with that arrangement. When I got home from work today, I had a note from my next door neighbor's boyfriend asking when he could borrow the lawn mower.

I was out of town most of last week and the weekend and my yard was obviously looking pretty rough. My next door neighbor's yard had all of the weeds pulled, all of the leaves picked up and looked great. Personally I would think it could wait another week or so to be mowed, and yet they are asking me when they can borrow the lawn mower. Guilt. Peer pressure. All feelings coming over me at that point.

As I looked at my yard, I spotted leaves, pollen thingies (what are those little brown curly things called anyways?), sticks, weeds approaching one foot in height and even a giant mushroom. My grass was the same height as hers thanks to my dad mowing both of our lawns a week or so ago but my yard still looked pathetic. So tonight I spent two hours using this awesome leaf vacuum (who knows what it is really called) that Leslie gave me to pick up all of the errant stuff in the yard and trying to make it look at least close to as good as my neighbor's yard. I even planted some bulbs that I bought on clearance last week (hopefully it wasn't too late in the season to plant them). It was a lot of effort... and now my arms are sore. If only it would stay that way it would be worth it. Unfortunately, most of the stuff will be back within a couple of days.

Maybe I can transform my yard to a rock garden instead. This is way too much work. But then again, moving again is WAY too much trouble so I guess I'll get used to the yard work.

My House - P.S.

2008-05-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

I meant to include this in the last post but I forgot to add it before I posted.

As I pulled away from my house for the last time on Wednesday afternoon, I passed Josh's house (two doors down from mine). I was very surprised to see Josh's car there and the garage door up. He still owns the house but he lives about four hours away now and just happened to be in town to take care of a few things. I pulled in the driveway and walked in the garage door as I have done so many times before. We talked for a few minutes and he showed me the pictures of the house he and Stacy will be buying at the end of May in North Carolina.

It wasn't a particularly meaningful conversation... but it struck me as memorable. Josh and I were there together the very first day in that neighborhood, back in May of 2003... tromping through lots... checking out houses under construction... filling our flip flops with dirt and mud and eventually rinsing them out in the cleanest puddle we could find. And now as I left the neighborhood for possibly the last time (at least for the last time as a home owner), he was the last person I saw there.

A lot has happened to both of us since May of 2003. I have moved an hour or so away and this summer he and his wife (my former roommate) will be moving about eight hours away. I am going to miss having a neighbor who I can just walk down the street and walk in the house any time I want. But life moves on and we are all better off to move along with it. Digging in your heels and staying in the past never got anyone anywhere.

My House

2008-05-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

I become attached to unusual things… not just to people and animals, but to things like clothing and apparently my house. Yesterday was a hard day for me. Yesterday I had to give up my house… my first house. I guess it was the final step in the move and transition I decided I was ready to make back in November.

Growing up, we never moved. I mean literally never moved. My parents still live in the same house that I came home from the hospital to. So moving is a big deal to me. But given that I now work and live over an hour away, it was not realistic to think I would keep my first house forever. And given the state of the housing market, I know I should be happy to sell my house and not sad. But that house will always be special to me. I know that now that I don’t live there, the memories come with me… but so many things in my mind are tied up with that house.

This is the neighborhood that my friend Josh and I picked out when we were finishing graduate school. He bought the house two doors down from the lot that I bought. This is the house that my dad helped me alter to get in all of the features that I wanted including the corner fireplace in the den, the bay window in the breakfast room, the raised ceiling in the foyer… and so many other features.

This is the house that I went out to almost every day during construction to check on the progress. This is the house that Leslie helped me to pick out everything from the brick color to the flooring, to the light fixtures and the paint color. This is the house where we had my impromptu 25th birthday party shortly after I moved.

This is the house where folks from my church tried to “take over” the neighborhood. Not only did Josh have his house, another couple bought the house next door to Josh and recently another lady from church moved across the street with her two little girls. It was cool to have so many people so close that you knew. This is the neighborhood with the cool lake… a lake we would walk around and the lake that Winston pulled me flat on my face one day when we were out for a run.

This is the house where my first dog Winston ate the apple tree that we planted when I moved in… that’s right he chewed the tree in half. It survived.

This is the house where I used the whirlpool, garden bathtub to wash dogs… and that I can count on one hand the number of baths I took in it.

This is the house where I found out that Winston had died. This is the house that I brought Brun home to.
This is the house where with the help of friends and families I learned to love Brun while never forgetting Winston. This is the house where Andrew came and played with my camera and took crazy pictures of Brun... ... and I took crazy pictures of both of them.

This is the house where Stacy and I played chase with both of my dogs inside and in the back yard.

This is the house where Stacy was my roommate for almost four years. This is the house where I found out Stacy and Josh had gotten engaged while in Italy. This is the house where I decided all people should elope instead of try to plan a wedding… well I decided that years ago but Stacy’s wedding planning only reinforced it. This is the house where Stacy and I had standing “dates” to watch Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill. This is the house where Stacy took care of a very sick Winston while we were in Australia. This is the house where Leslie, Leslie’s mom, my brother and others took care of Brun when I was in Alaska.

This is the house with the greatest master bedroom closet ever. A closet where both of my dogs liked to hide behind the clothes. This is the house with the shower where Winston would like to lay and hang out.
This is the house that has an ink stain in the master bedroom from where Winston ate a pen in the middle of the night. The new owners can deal with that. :-) This is the house where the fridge was covered in pictures but not ever filled with much real food (drinks and snacks – yes, real food – no).
This is the house with the curtains that my mom and Leslie made for the breakfast room. These are the curtains where we had three options for months because we could not decide which option looked best. This is the house with the cool pass through between the kitchen and the great room that allowed you to watch TV while cooking or doing dishes in the kitchen.

This is the house where we had hurricane parties. This is the house where you were quite likely to find someone sleeping on the couch on any given weekend (and sometimes weekdays). This is the house where we had a wedding shower for Stacy. This is the house where we had a baby showers for Leslie, Toolman and CRB.

This is the house where I invited people over for my gourmet dinner of spaghetti (which is about the only thing I can cook) and hamburgers (if Josh came down the street to cook). This is the house where it kind of snowed a couple of times.

This is the house where race banners from many American Lemans series races hung in the garage. This is the house where Josh mowed the grass and where his lawn mower blew up in my front yard one day… leaving a black spot I never thought would disappear. This I the house where Stacy, Toolman, my brother and I all nearly electrocuted ourselves before calling an electrician to fix the crazy wiring problem.

This is the house where almost no cell phone signal worked. This is the house where my stop on the tacky light Christmas tour came to be.

This is the house where I watched many a NASCAR races while eating my take out Chinese on Sunday afternoons. This is the house where I spent too many nights and weekends reading e-mail and working.

So I have walked through this house for probably the last time. I know that the memories and hundreds of pictures come with me… but I will always love and miss that house. I like my new house and the new life I am beginning… but over the years I became attached to that house and it’s not easy to say goodbye. I know it is an inanimate object and all of the belongings have already been moved out… but it’s hard to think that someone else is going to be making their own memories in that house, taking their own pictures and living their life there. No matter what, it will always be my house.

Sunburns and big grass fields

2008-04-28T23:04:00.001-05:00

If you have been around here very long, you probably know I'm a pretty big race fan. If it has four wheels and goes fast, you have my attention. So in Alabama sunburns and big grass fields can only mean one thing... last weekend was Talladega weekend.

I had not really planned on going to Talladega this year but my new boss Sean won tickets to the Saturday race and given that he is not a race fan and was going to be out of town... he offered the tickets to me. Whoo hoo!! So I got up on Saturday morning to cloudy skies and a weather forecast that almost assured me it was going to rain at some point during the race that afternoon. My spirits were not dampened... I headed out for the track and figured that if it rained... I would head home and watch the rest of it on TV. The trip is not a particularly long one and with free tickets in hand I didn't figure I had much to lose.

Sean won two tickets but I didn't really want to force anyone to go with me... and I actually kind of like going to races by myself. I like doing my own thing, keeping my own schedule, sitting where I want and listening to the scanner as opposed to explaining what is going on on the race track. I mean no offense to my friends and family.... that is just usually the way I prefer to watch a race.

In college, my friend Bobby taught me the back roads to Talladega. If you have ever been stuck in traffic on the interstate on a race weekend in Alabama you will understand how important this is. On Saturday I ran into no traffic and as I pulled up over the last hill on some two lane county road, the track came into view. (It's an awesome sight... and coming over this hill is much more dramatic than passing the track on the interstate.) I got as close to the track as I could and pulled into the grass parking lot I was directed to.

I got there in time for qualifying and after picking up a new hat and a few other things at the merchandise trailers, I headed for my seat. I called my dad at some point and he reminded me to put on sun screen. When I was in college, I sat at Talladega all day one Saturday with Bobby and came back so sunburned I had blisters on my shoulders and the tops of my knees. It was stupid and painful.

So this Saturday once I got settled with my scanner and camera I put on the sun screen... at least I thought. The rain never came on Saturday and I sat out there for about 6 hours. I had a great time and took lots of pictures of my favorite cars. I watched qualifying for the Sunday race and then the race on Saturday afternoon. By the end of the race, I was hot, sweaty and I realized my ankles were itchy. I didn't think too much about it and when the checkered flag flew on the race Saturday afternoon I headed for my car.

Another thing my friend Bobby taught me in college was that the other secret to avoiding Talladega traffic is to leave as soon as the race is over so that you can beat out all of the people who dilly dally around after the race. So once I snapped a few pictures of the winning car, I took off for my car.

Remember that grass field I parked in when I arrived six hours earlier... it looks a whole lot like every other grass field surrounding this giant race track dropped in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say, six hours of sitting in the sun and my complete lack of a sense of a direction left me a bit turned around and lost. I finally found my car after wandering around lost for a little bit.

As I headed for home I looked at myself in the vanity mirror in the car... whoops... looks like I didn't get every spot with the sun screen. After I made it home, a shower was the first order of business. I'm not sure about you but after I have been in the sun, my sunburn really shows up after I have showered.

I have the most uneven crazy looking sunburn you have ever seen! I apparently forgot the front of my neck... so I have a v-neck red spot. I also missed the top part of my arms... not my shoulders but just below my shoulders. I missed my right hand and the inside of my left arm. And the worst part is the inside of my left leg. Apparently I sat for a lot of the day with my left foot propped on my right knee. So one side of my left leg is terribly red from my knee to just above my sock line.

Awesome!! I had a great time and I don't regret going... but next time maybe I will do a little better with actually applying the sun screen. And I guess I'll just have to put a homing device on my car. One day maybe I will learn.

Priceless

2008-04-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Annual Exam and Shots for Brun - $142.50

Amoxicillin Antibiotic to keep him from getting an infection - $19.40

Surgery for a cut ear - $276.50

The devotion, affection and unconditional love of a four legged friend - Priceless

There is no question that I love Brun more than most people... but it's been a hard couple of days for him. He got no less than four shots and had surgery.

When I got to my parents house this past weekend, they told me that he had cut his ear either on a fence or on the mouth of another dog. This is not the first time he has done something like this and since it did not seem to be hurting him, we did not worry about it too much.

I brought him back to my house and on Monday night I gave him a bath. His ear was quite gross and bleeding a lot. So on Tuesday night we went to the vet. Since it was time for his annual shots they went ahead and gave him those and told me he would need to have surgery to have his ear stitched back up.

So on Wednesday I dropped him off at the vet on my way to work and he should be as good as new before too long. But for now, he is quite wiped out from the drugs and pain medicine they gave him. Poor Brun... maybe he will feel better by tomorrow. That was not quite the way I planned on spending over $400 this week but I would pay many many times over that in return for all that he does for me.

If you have Photoshop

2008-04-12T19:39:00.000-05:00

I have a full blown version of Photoshop thanks to my old job. When I left, I asked if they wanted it back and they said "not right now." Whoo hoo!!!!!!

I know very, very little about how to use Photoshop... it's really quite a shame because I know it is a very powerful program that you can do lots of things with. It's not the easiest program in the world to use and so I have not devoted the time required to learn how to use it.

When I saw that Pioneer Woman was going to release some actions for Photoshop I was very excited about them. If you happen to have Photoshop, I highly recommend going and downloading these. They are totally free and as best I can tell very cool and open up lots of options for editing photographs while continuing in your lack of Photoshop understanding. They apparently do not work with Photoshop Elements but she is planning to release some actions for that soon.

I started playing with these actions this afternoon and I thought I would show you my first shot at it. I didn't have any cool photos with me that I wanted to mess with at the moment, so I stole this beautiful picture of Sarah from Amberly's site (I didn't ask permission... I hope she won't mind. :-)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this picture straight out of the camera and I would love to print it off just as it is. But when I started playing with it I came up with this. I may have taken some of it too far but like I said it was my first attempt.

I hope to find some time in my schedule to start messing with Photshop a little bit more. I have always known it was cool but if someone does most of the "hard stuff" for me, that makes it that much more appealing.

One Sunday Afternoon

2008-04-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

I know I am super late with this post but the pictures were too cute not to share.

My Sunday afternoons are usually filled with a nap and some NASCAR watching. Sunday afternoon before last (so almost two weeks ago) I had a much more eventful afternoon. Amberly had just had her surgery and with her hubby out of town for the afternoon she had asked if I could take Nathan to have his baseball pictures made. I was happy to help out and get to experience the zoo that is dozens of six to eight year old boys running around and just generally being six to eight year old little boys. They were not being bad at all, just being kids. We successfully got Nathan's individual and team picture made and were back to the house in about 30 minutes. I don't think the official pictures have arrived yet but the team picture should look something like this (but in better focus and from a better angle).

After I dropped Nathan off at home and played kitchen with Abby Grace for a few minutes, I headed back to my house. Shortly after I got home, Leslie, Toolman and CRB came by. They had been in town to run some errands and to try and get Leslie's car fixed. Well CRB has always loved Brun and that Sunday was no exception.

Now I love CRB, but as most 18 month olds tend to do, they like to find trouble. When he headed for Brun's food bowl I could see Science Diet Lamb and Rice poop in his diaper future for days. Well Brun, who never wants to miss anything that might be going on in his house, was close on the heels of CRB.

Contrary to what I feared, CRB didn't want to eat the dog food, he wanted to feed it to Brun. So morsel by morsel, he picked the food up out of the bowl and put it in Brun's mouth.

Not once did Brun bite too closely or "snatch" the food from CRB. He gently took each bit, gobbled it down and waited patiently for the next one. When CRB dropped one morsel in the water bowl, he quickly fished it out and gave it to Brun anyways. CRB must have decided that Brun liked his food a little mushy because at that point he began dunking each bite in the water before he fed it to Brun.

I am pretty sure the two of them might have done this all day but the fun was cut short when I had to get ready for church and Leslie, Toolman and CRB headed for home.

I'll take my nap and NASCAR any Sunday afternoon but days like this one were a lot more special and more memorable.

Almost Forgot

2008-04-12T18:41:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that Amberly, Sarah, Abby Grace and their Grammy came over last Sunday. Well I forgot to tell you about the sweet House Warming present that they brought me.

In case you can't tell what it is, it is a basket filled with kitchen towels (that I am sure I will monogram very soon) and a big serving fork and spoon. There was also a pretty white pitcher/vase filled with flowers and a smaller pitcher/vase that Abby Grace picked just for me.

It was so nice of them to bring me such a sweet and thoughtful gift. I am sure I will find the perfect spot for them in my new house.

12

2008-04-08T21:24:00.000-05:00

No that is not how many readers I have lost due to the length of time since my last post. That is approximately how many boxes I have left to unpack. YEA!! Unfortunately I am down to boxes that I moved from my old old house four and a half years ago or boxes that I don't have a good spot to the stuff in them just yet. I am thinking that means I have AT LEAST 12 boxes too many.

I have been moved for about two and a half weeks now and things are finally starting to come together. I have found my shoes (which all but three pairs were lost for the first week). I lost all my dirty laundry until yesterday. Fortunately I (being a single person) can get by with doing laundry about once a month as opposed to once a day. :-) It is found now and I really should have run the washer tonight.

I never realized how much stuff I have until the movers dropped off all of my furniture and six million boxes. Good grief there were a lot of boxes! I should know... the broken down empty boxes are still sitting in my garage. It is times like these when I remember why my family never moved in all of my years growing up. Quite simply, we are pack rats and it's way too much trouble for pack rats to move.

I fully intend to get rid of at least a few things as I get everything settled but at this point I am still trying to get it all put away so I can get all of the boxes out of my house... and I will figure out what to get rid of later on.

I promise to put up some pictures but if I put up pictures now you would all just think I was a very poor housekeeper. The place is pretty dirty. Cleaning has not taken a priority since I moved and it is almost embarrassing. Amberly, Sarah, Abby Grace and their Grammy came over Sunday night after church and I was so happy they came but felt kind of bad that (a) the place was so dirty and (b) that I had not been to the grocery store since I moved.

Hopefully before too long I will be able to improve my role as house keeper and hostess...

Job Update - Two weeks down...

2008-03-17T00:07:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here and I'm sorry I haven't updated you all on my job situation. Things are getting better every day. I have read more in the past two weeks than I have probably read in the past year. When I look bored or ask if there is anything I can look at, I get something new to read. Yippee. I realize that is the only way to get background information but I find it rather boring. I'm not much for sitting still and when you are reading that is about all you are doing.

But last week I did have a few tasks and I was taken to a few meetings... so things are looking up. Most people would find the tasks rather mundane and boring... but I was just happy to have ANYTHING real and tangible to work on. I have no clue what tasks I will have this week and hopefully that doesn't mean there is nothing for me to do. I knew from the start that I was coming in at a slow time but I don't think I have ever been this un-busy at a job in about ten years.

Oh well. The people are still great... the subject matter is interesting and I know that eventually they will give me more to do. They did hire me for a reason right? :-) In all seriousness, my boss told me that there is going to be some shuffling of duties around the first of April and after that I will have more responsibilities. So until then I just have to keep trying to impress him and make sure he realizes I can do it and would really like something to do. :-)

On the other side of things... this is going to be a busy week. I closed on my new house in my new town last Friday and I will be moving in this Friday. I am getting more excited (and stressed) about it... but I will share more about that as it gets closer to the end of the week.

First Day

2008-03-03T20:16:00.000-06:00

Do you remember your first day of college? I do. I know it hasn't been that long ago (only 10.5 years ago) but I remember it vividly. I remember what I wore. I remember the car I drove to class. I remember where I parked my car and walking to my 8 AM Chemistry class. I remember breaking into a sweat and starting to panic when I could not find the building for my Chemistry class. I remember stopping someone on the quad and asking them which building it was (I am sure they thought I was a moron). I remember losing my footing on the stairs and sliding down about five stairs in my sandals. I remember being so glad that I did not fall on my rear end when I did that.

I made it through my Chemistry class and as soon as class was over I went back to my grandmother's house (where I was living and where my parents were still were helping me get settled). I went to my room crying because I wanted to go back home. I had changed my mind... I didn't want to go college... I wanted to go back home. I couldn't do it. Fortunately my parents did not let me do that and I adjusted... and I loved college so much.

Well today I felt a little bit like that. I was not late and I did not get lost (well not really... I did overshoot and go down the wrong hall on my way to the bathroom). I made it through the day without crying and I did tell my boss that I would be back when he jokingly asked if I was coming back tomorrow. But there is some part of me that wanted to run back to my old job and see if they would take me back. Nothing went wrong particularly, in fact the day really went okay. I just don't like change.

For the better part of ten years I had become the expert in my office on everything. Well not everything... but I did know most everything that was going on in the office. And today I walked into a world where I know nothing. I mean absolutely nothing. There is not a single thing about my old job that translates to my new job... except my ability to use a telephone and a computer. Seriously. I guess I should feel flattered that they think I can learn the new information... but for today, I am a bit overwhelmed.

And I'm not going to run back to my old job. The people in my new job are very, very nice and they don't expect me to know things yet. They are going to help me learn them but for now I am just going to have to accept being the dumb blond who is lost in a fog.

Fortunately I do have a friend from church and from graduate school who has worked with this group for about two years. He came in my office/cubicle this afternoon and said "has anyone even explained what we do?" I just smiled and just shook my head no. He took me to his office and for about 45 minutes I felt like I was not a moron. He explained things so that I understood them and while I am sure I did not retain all of the terms he threw at me, I was very thankful for him taking the time to explain some things to me.

So I made it through the first day. I am going back for day two and hopefully I will make it to day three. :-) I will keep you posted.

The End of an Era

2008-03-01T13:38:00.002-06:00

Well "era" is probably too strong of a word... but Friday was my last day at my job. I have been there for four and a half years and almost ten years if you count the time I worked as a student. It has been a great experience for me but I have decided to move on. There are some parts of me that thought yesterday would never happen and I know that many of my family and friends were not sure I would ever leave... but I did leave... and Monday starts a new phase in my life.

But let's back up to Friday first. Friday was time for my going away party! I really do not like being the center of attention, so I was a little nervous about the party. I got even more nervous when people started asking me what I was going to say in my speech (you mean I have to give a speech?!?!). And my nerves reached a new level when they closed me in my office and said, "wait here until we come and get you."

When they did come and get me I was brought into a room filled with people who I knew and who I had worked with over the past ten years. Most were faces from my immediate office area, others had traveled several hours to be there. I was blown away!! I was expecting a small party with a few people, maybe a cake and maybe a small gift. They totally exceeded my expectations.
This was the most unexpected face that I saw.

I'm not sure if anyone remembers this post from last December but this is my retired trooper friend, Captain K, who I was so surprised to see at the conference last year. I did not squeal this time... but only because I had a room full of people staring at me. He traveled several hours just to be there yesterday, just for me. That made me feel very special. It was so thoughtful of the people who organized the party to think to invite him and it was so sweet of him to make the effort to be there.

My best friend Leslie was of course there...

I know I will see her plenty even after I move, so yesterday is certainly not going to be the last time I see her.

Over the past year or so, I have gotten to be very good friends with our Administrative Assistant Elizabeth.

I am going to miss her a lot and I think she is going to miss me as well. We are right about the same age and so we have had no trouble finding things to talk about and laugh about at work. I am sure we will stay in touch after I move as well.

I don't have pictures of everyone but I do have one more to share. This is one of my professors from undergrad, Dr. Dan. I have known him since I was a little kid and he was friends with my grandparents. Whether he knows it or not, he has been a big influence on my life over the years.

The folks that organized the party totally outdid themselves. Here was the cake that they got... it was huge and quite tasty.

Given that I work with a relatively small group, there were lots and lots of people that came to the party and I was happy to see each and every one of them.

I got two beautiful gifts from the group. I got a beautiful Lenox crystal vase and I will think of them every time I see it. I think I already know the perfect spot for it in my new house. I also got this great framed print.

It is a notable landmark on campus and it will look great hung with my college diplomas. Leslie also got me a sweet Willow Tree figurine of two friends. It is very special to me and is already sitting on my fireplace.

I did make it through my speech, although it was completely off the top of my head. I should have prepared a little more for that but it turned out okay. The party was a lot of fun and for the record, I did not cry. I almost cried during Dr. Dan's speech and during Captain K's speech but I held it together. There are certain things that will always make me cry but apparently this is not one of them. No one is dying, no one is sick, no ones dog died... I am just moving on. It will of course be different but I feel like I will see all of these people again one day. And with the world of communication where it is, staying in touch is so much easier than it was even a few years ago.

So on Monday morning, I won't be going to the same office where I have been going every day for the past four and a half years. I won't be seeing the same faces I am accustomed to seeing. Here are a few of the faces I am accustomed to seeing every morning. These are some of the programmers that I have worked with.

I am sure I will see them all again, but for now I will have to make new friends, find new people to laugh with, new people to bounce ideas off of, new people to complain to, and new "work" friends to have adventures with. I will be the new girl who knows nothing, knows no one and won't even know where the bathroom is. It's a little scary... and a little sad... but I think it is for the best. At least I sure hope so.

Ch... Ch... Ch... Changes

2008-02-09T21:18:00.000-06:00

I am not a person who likes change. In fact, I DISlike it and typically avoid it. I like the rut that I tend to live in. But change is not always a bad thing... and the past week has certainly been a week full of changes.

Last Friday I got a job offer that I had been hoping for in a town about an hour away. It's all been a blur since then. Last weekend I made pro and con lists for both jobs and both cities and eventually decided to take the new job.

Monday was definitely the worst day. I thought I was going to throw up on my bosses desk when I walked in to turn in my notice. I did not throw up and I felt about 1,000 times better after I finished telling him. Then I was able to call and formally accept the new job. I spent most of the day on Monday telling people what I was doing. None of them were easy to tell but I felt a lot better when it was over. There was nothing anyone could say that was going to change my mind at that point, so it was just a matter of getting it over with. By Monday afternoon, I had called a real estate agent to get my house on the market. We made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon so I spent hours and hours Monday night trying to get my house cleaned up, straightened up and de-personalized.

On Tuesday afternoon, I met with the real estate agent and talked things over. We made another appointment for Thursday afternoon for him to take pictures and get it on the market. By Thursday night, there was a sign in my front yard and my house was officially "For Sale." It makes me kind of sad. I love my house. I have lived here for four and a half years and I have a lot of great memories here. But it is time to move on. And so we are.

I have started looking for new houses and while I am not sure if I have found the perfect house quite yet, only time will tell. I hope to go look at several next weekend. While I need to sell mine first, I am hopeful that that will happen quickly.

So it has been a busy week, with almost every spare moment spent cleaning something or straightening something or hiding things in the closet or under the bed that you don't want a potential buyer to see. :-) The next few weeks are going to be filled with more changes and more decisions, but hopefully they will all be for the best. I am excited about this move (both professionally and geographically) and I think it is going to be great. There are sure to be bumps along the way, but hopefully there won't be anything that cannot be overcome.

Wrapping Up Last Week

2008-02-03T19:14:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to take a second to catch everyone up on the events of last week. It wasn't a particularly busy week but it was a great one.

On Monday I headed up the road an hour or so to a neighboring city to meet up with some folks and see a concert. I haven't been to a concert in quite a while so it was a nice change. The show was Tim Reynolds and it was a fun time.

I don't remember anything particularly note worthy on Tuesday through Thursday. I taught training classes for work on Tuesday and Thursday... but nothing else terribly exciting went on.

Then came Friday. I hope by tomorrow or the next day I can tell you all about the events of Friday... but for now you will all just have to wait with bated breath. :-) Let's just say it started out well and only got better.

After I got off of work on Friday afternoon, I headed back up the road to that same neighboring town and went to a singing at the church where Amberly and her family attend. The singing was wonderful and very uplifting. It was an amazing event and I was glad that I got to be a part of it. I can't remember why but I missed out on it last year, so I was glad to be back this year.

After the singing, Amberly and her husband opened up their home to what they call the "Young Professional" group from their church. And while I am not very good at meeting new people, I was glad to be invited and get to meet some folks from this group. They seem like a great group and I hope to spend more time with them in the future. It was a late night and I got back to my house about 1 AM.

Then Saturday it was once again back to that same town to see a traveling Broadway show. My parents and I have season tickets and this weekend we had tickets to see "The Rat Pack." It wasn't my favorite show but I love that era of music and so I enjoyed the show.

While I was leaving the Civic Center I was stopped at a traffic light. I looked to my right and low and behold there was John King (one of the CNN reporters) standing outside. So me, being me, grabbed my camera out of my purse and took this quick shot. It is not the greatest shot but I was actually pulling away from the red light when I took it.

Alabama is one of the "Super Tuesday" states and so they were doing some broadcast related to candidates showing up all over the state yesterday. Now if it had been Anderson Cooper I might have pulled over (or stopped right there in the middle of traffic) and gotten out of the car... but fortunately for him, he was probably off in Afghanistan or something.

I guess that about wraps up my week. I hope you all had a great one.

The Rolex 24

2008-01-27T12:57:00.000-06:00

If you thought I was excited about the Barrett Jackson auction last weekend... you should be at my house this weekend. This weekend it is the Rolex 24 race. What does the 24 stand for? That's right, 24 hours! I love it! Fox and Speed TV broadcast about 18 hours of it and I have watched most of it. It's the unofficial start to the race season. There are somewhere around 60 cars and each car has three or four drivers that rotate throughout the 24 hours. In the end, the winners get a Rolex

As opposed to last weekend, I am feeling much better so I have done lots of of other things (like reorganizing closets and my guest bedrooms) while the race was on... but I can still pay enough attention to the race to enjoy it. I have actually been to the Rolex 24. My parents and I went in 2001 for my birthday present that year. It was my first sports car race to attend and we didn't know what we were doing, but I really wanted to go because Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were racing with the Corvette team. The weather was absolutely miserable and my mom caught pneumonia while we were sitting out in the cold and rain all night. That's right.. we sat out in the rain all night... like I said, we didn't know what we were doing. Now when we go to sports car races, we camp in a tent... and mom stays home.

But I was still very excited to be there. I didn't get to meet any of the drivers like we do now when we go to the races, but I was glad to have been there. The #2 Corvette won the whole thing and the Dale Jr #3 Corvette team came in second in class and fourth over all! It was also one of the last races that Dale Earnhardt was in before he was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500. That year for my birthday I also got a die cast car just like this one.

My dad ordered it before the race but the production was delayed and so it didn't come in until after the race. Because Dale Earnhardt died just a few weeks later, it is a pretty collectible item and I am very glad to have it. For now, it sits in a box in my closet but one day I can hopefully display it somewhere.

The race technically just ended but I have not seen the end yet. Since I was at church this morning and didn't get up at 5 AM or whenever the coverage started back, I have about seven hours of coverage on my Tivo waiting for me. Yes I know I need a life... no need to e-mail me and tell me that. :-)

Fun Stuff This Week

2008-01-26T12:12:00.000-06:00

I've had a chance to hang out with some of my favorite people this week, so I thought I would share with everyone. On Thursday, I took off of work at noon and headed up the road an hour or so to take care of a few things and do some errand type things.

As a part of my day, I made a stop in to see Amberly and her family. I had not seen them since before Christmas so we exchanged Christmas and birthday gifts. Since I had seen them, I had a birthday, Sarah had a birthday and Abby Grace had had a birthday. So between the Christmas and Birthday gifts, we turned Amberly's house from clean to chaos in about two minutes flat! I think that the kids all liked the presents... Abby Grace in particular. :-) They got me a beautiful picture frame that has a quote about friendship. I can't wait to get a picture of all of us to put in it.

I ate dinner with them and Amberly prepared some of Sarah's favorites that we were supposed to have last Saturday but didn't get to because of the "snow." Everything was delicious and I might even have to try making the Pioneer Woman Mashed Potatoes sometime myself. I had a great time with them on Thursday but I had to head home before it got too late.

On Friday, Leslie called to tell me that her Wii had come in! We weren't expecting it until next week but it surprisingly arrived via UPS on Friday afternoon. Around 7:30 last night I headed over to her house to experience Wii for the first time for myself. I had heard great things about it and it was all true! We had a lot of fun playing tennis, bowling, attempting to play baseball (not very successfully) and a bunch of other stuff. I was surprising how tired it makes you and I think I threw out my shoulder playing tennis. :-) Just kidding... but you do make all of the motions just like you would if you were really playing one of the sports.

Today Brun and I are taking it easy at the house. We made a trip to the vet this morning for a nail trim and got to meet another Labradoodle!! I was much more excited about it than Brun was but it was cool to meet another Labradoodle in town.

Snow?

2008-01-19T14:41:00.000-06:00

For at least a week they have been predicting we would have snow this weekend. Sometime Thursday I really started believing them and got my hopes up that we would have a Winter Wonderland on Saturday morning!

Ppphhew!!! It was lame! Brun woke me up at 3:30 AM (as usual) and I saw rain... no snow. That didn't surprise me since it wasn't supposed to turn into snow until around sunrise. I woke up again at 7 AM and saw this:

I was not particularly impressed and neither was Brun. There was snow on the wicker rocker and the patio chairs but nothing on the grass and nothing falling out of the sky. But it seemed like it was going to snow more and wall to wall coverage on the local news indicated that more was coming. So we went back to bed until about 8:30.

This time when we got up it was finally snowing!! Really snowing... well sort of.

Here is Brun being brave in the blizzard. Trust me... it seemed like a blizzard to him.

It actually kept snowing for quite awhile... really picking up at times and starting to stick to the grass.

Here it was at about the maximum accumulation of snow. It wasn't enough to make a snowman or even a snowball really.

It really built up on the fence for a little bit so I guess I could have scraped off enough snow to make a snowball but I opted to just look at it and take its picture instead.

It probably stopped by around 11ish and was melted by about 12:30. They say we got half an inch but I think it is pushing it to say that we got that much at my house.

It was certainly far from the winter wonderland I was hoping for. It was just enough to get everyones hopes up and to derail the plans for Sarah and Abby Grace's birthday party. When it came time to make a final decision about driving a little over an hour to the party, the snow was really coming down and they were talking about icing starting on some elevated roads and bridges. So I assume that some version of the party went on without me but I hate that I missed it. Hopefully I can deliver the presents and visit with them next week.

It doesn't take a lot to get people in Alabama excited about snow. It's been at least six or seven years since I have seen any... hopefully it won't be that long until we see some more.

Barrett-Jackson Auction

2008-01-15T19:51:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my 100th post that some day I would like to go to the Barrett-Jackson auction and buy a car. Well this week is the week for those who, like me, are easily amused and don't have anything else to watch on TV. :-) I also don't have anything to blog about so I am blogging about this.

Tonight Speed TV started their 6 days and 39 hours of coverage. I love it!! :-) I will likely become bored with it in a few days but I have been somewhat sickly since one day last week and have been getting worse as opposed to better. So this is perfect lay on the couch and do nothing TV watching. It doesn't require any brain power and it's fun to watch people spend ridiculous amounts of money on cars. The high dollar cars (like $1 million and up) won't be until this weekend... the ones earlier in the week are much more reasonable.

So if you like cars, have nothing to do (or don't feel like doing a whole lot) and nothing to watch on TV, I highly recommend the Barrett-Jackson auction. I blame Leslie for getting me started watching it. A few years ago she came over to make Valentine's Day wreaths and she asked "Have you been watching this stuff?" At the time I had no idea what she was talking about but now I look forward to watching it every year. I do not know enough about it to be able to predict how much the cars are going to go for... some things that look like pieces of junk will go for more than $50,000 and some that look beautiful will go relatively cheap. It's crazy... but I enjoy it.

I honestly hope that you have more going on this week than I do and don't have time to watch Barrett-Jackson auctions for 39 hours... but just in case... I thought I would throw this out there. :-)

Happy Belated New Year!

2008-01-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

Well my "Happy New Year's" post is about six days overdue but I thought I would say it anyways. Not a lot to report from around here. Things have been busy but good since Christmas. I think that 2008 is going to be a busy year, maybe with a few big changes coming... but it's still a little too early to tell exactly what the year holds. Only time will tell. :-)

I don't tend to make New Year's resolutions but I am trying to do better with reading my Bible and getting in shape and staying there this year. Hopefully I can re-resolve to do that every week instead of waiting for the new year to make the resolution again.

This week I had to go back to work after having been off of work since December 21. It was hard to go back but good to return to a more normal schedule. The worst part of the whole thing was that when I got there on Wednesday morning there was NO HEAT!!! The boilers had broken down and the high was less than 30 that day. It was miserable... but since it was the first day back it was busy, busy, so busy that I ended up staying late... but fortunately the day passed pretty quickly. I wore my coat all day and went to Home Depot at lunch to buy a space heater (which really helped).

My former roommate and her husband (that still sounds weird to me) came into town on Wednesday afternoon and it has been good to hang out with them some. Thursday night we went to dinner and then came back to the house and watched the wedding video, watched the Orange Bowl and just talked. Friday night several of us went out to dinner and to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I don't watch a lot of movies and so I actually have not seen the first National Treasure but I really enjoyed the second one. It was good to hang out with all of them and get my mind off of things for a few hours.

Today I have been a slug. All of the weather changing this week has made me feel kind of rotten. While I am glad that it has warmed back up this weekend, I just wish the temperature would regulate. 40 degree temperature swings every few days are doing me in.

I hope everyone is having a good start to their new year!

Christmas Tour of Homes

2007-12-18T19:50:00.000-06:00

As usual, I am late for the blog party... but I will play along anyways. Welcome to the "Living with a Labradoodle" household and all it's Christmas decorations!

I hope you arrive at night so you can see the front yard in all of it's glory. It really does qualify for "The Tacky Light Tour" but I enjoy it. :-)

The snow globe is having some condensation problems... so in case you can't tell that's Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Let's go inside...

When you first come in the front door, you will see a small table filled a little village. Next to it on the floor is a Christmas tree that I painted a few years ago and a stuffed Snowman from the Hallmark store.

I have placed house ornaments and some of my favorite car ornaments on the table... along with a few other ornaments that didn't have a good spot. One of my favorite houses is this one that I have dubbed "The Tacky Light Christmas Tour House." It lights up and plays various Christmas songs.

As you make your way past the front door, you will likely notice the fireplace.

It is covered in singing Snowman and has a stocking carefully hung for both Brun and I. On the hearth are some glass blocks filled with lights that I made last year. Just to the right of the fireplace is a cool card display that my mom got for me this year.

If you try to sit on the couch to enjoy a little TV, you won't have much of a place to prop you feet. The coffee table is covered in decorations as well.

Need a snack? Well I haven't had time to prepare anything for you, but if you make your way into the kitchen you are welcome to ohh and ahh over my dying poinsettias and the gingerbread house that my roommate and I made Thanksgiving night. The poinsettias are not long for this world but I do think the gingerbread house turned out quite well.

The next to last stop on this event is a bit unusual.

Years ago, my grandfather built this covered bridge. He was a Civil Engineer and loved the covered bridges of Alabama. This is a perfect scale model of one of the bridges here in Alabama. Well when we were cleaning out my grandparent's house this was one of the few things that I really, truly wanted. It sits on the top of the bookshelf all year round, but I think it is such a neat piece and so this year I made it a part of my Christmas decorations.

The last stop is the main event... the Christmas tree.

This year I actually had time to get all of my ornaments on the tree. I am very particular about the tree. I only allow Hallmark ornaments on the tree and they all have special places where thy have to go. Ornaments that have wings, involve space travel or are meant to be in the sky must go at the top of the tree.

Ornaments that have wheels or are meant to travel on land or water in some way must go at the bottom of the tree.

Then my favorite ornaments go on the front middle. These are primarily the dog picture ornaments as well as some Snoopy and Pooh ornaments.

Thanks for joining me on the tour. Be careful as you leave. Brun likes to sleep with his head under the tree.... so try not to wake him.

I hope you all enjoyed the tour of our house. Thanks to BooMama for hosting such a great event! I can't wait to come and see all of your decorations!!

Christmas blog

2007-12-17T09:58:00.000-06:00

Most everyone posted this awhile back... but I thought I would join in the fun.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper... a bag might sneak in every once in awhile for one of those oddly shaped gifts but I love wrapping presents in lots of pretty paper.

2. Real tree or artificial? Always artificial... I am allergic to the real.

3. When do you put up the tree? I used to be a strict purist and refused to put it up until the day after Thanksgiving but now I have changed to closer to the first of November... I know it's too early for most but I want to enjoy the decorations longer. And besides... with being gone for 12 days in a row, if I don't put it up early it won't get up at all.

4. When do you take the tree down? I try to get it down by the first of the year.

5. Do you like eggnog? No

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I can't remember one specific one... there were lots of good ones. Santa always did a good job of bringing exactly what we asked for and more. One year there was a Walkman, one year a Barbie Dream House, an American girl doll, a bike... lots of good stuff.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No

8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents or Leslie... they all have everything they need and buy the things that they want. :-)

9. Easiest person to buy for? Maybe I just put too much thought into people's gifts but I can't think of anyone that is an easy buy.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? As much as I loved my grandmother she tended to give some bad gifts.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't like a lot of the traditional Christmas movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" but I love a lot of the trite and predictable Christmas movies on channels like ABC Family and the Hallmark Channel. I have been filling my Tivo with them the past couple of weeks. They are great to watch when you are wrapping presents and things like that.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Summer... whenever I find the "right" gift for someone.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably but I can't think of one off hand

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mocha Squares... I will post the recipe sometime this season.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear... but I really do love colored ones.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have four Christmas albums that I love. Either of my two Harry Connick Jr. Christmas albums, my Kenny Chesney Christmas album and my Jimmy Buffett Christmas album. I have all four of them on repeat. I also love the XM Christmas channels.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Go to my parents part of the time and stay at my house part of the time

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A Santa with angel wings from Hallmark

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Traffic!

23. What I love most about Christmas? Seeing everyone, giving fun gifts, the pretty decorations ...

The Wedding

2007-12-16T13:30:00.000-06:00

I am not a big fan of big, fancy weddings. Personally, I think people should elope and save the money for something more practical. But I realize that that is my viewpoint... and others see it differently. My roommate (now former roommate) Stacy is one of those people. Ever since Stacy and Josh got engaged this summer, it has been a non-stop wedding planning extravaganza around here. Well last weekend, everything all came to fruition in a beautiful, fairytale wedding. If you will, allow me a moment of nostalgia. Stacy has been my roommate for the past three and a half years and is really the only roommate I have ever had (that wasn't a family member). You could not ask for a better roommate. She is a sweet person who never has a bad thing to say about anyone. She loved Winston and she loves Brun like her own. The house won't be the same without her. Stacy came to be my roommate when she moved to Alabama from Tennessee to be near Josh. In fact, if it weren't for Josh I don't think that Stacy and I would have ever crossed paths.

I have known Josh for the better part of ten years, first through church, next through graduate school and then when we bought houses two doors apart from each other four years ago. We have become good friends over the years... particularly over the past six years or so, through good times and bad times in our lives. We went through the MBA program together, worked on group projects together, even took dancing lessons together when it was required for one of our classes in graduate school... and he has been one of the best guy friends that I have. We may not always see eye to eye on things but he is a great friend. He has always been a good person to bounce ideas off of, to get help with school work on, to go to lunch with and to discuss church and religious issues with. When Stacy was looking to move to town to get closer to Josh, my house (two houses away) was a perfect fit for all three of us.

When Josh FINALLY proposed in Italy this summer (after they had dated for over four years)... I knew that things were about to change. I don't think it really hit me until last weekend how much things were going to change. The house is quieter and the neighborhood won't be the same without them. And while I am very happy for them and their future together, I am going to miss them both a lot.

Enough with the nostalgia... on with the pictures. :-)

Last Friday (Dec. 7) my parents and I headed to the Knoxville area. We made it just in time to check into the hotel and allow me to head to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was good to see a lot of people, including Josh's friends and families, many of whom I had not seen in quite some time. The rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner went without incident and everyone was ready for the big day. I sat with the ring bearer, his mom and her boyfriend. Here is a picture of the ringbearer... what a doll!

Saturday we awoke to dreary but warm skies and a persistent drizzle that lasted most of the day. Stacy picked me up from the hotel around 9:30 that morning and it was off to the chapel/bed and breakfast where the wedding was to be held. We spent the morning getting ready. The ring bearers mom is a great hair dresser, so she did most everyones hair and makeup. Notice the white jacket thing Stacy is wearing... I embroidered her new name and wedding date on it. You can't really see it too well but I thought it turned out really cute. I also made her veil and her garter (with some help from my mom). Who knew I had these skills!! Not me, that's for sure.

Things were going okay... and then the first crisis (if you don't count the rain) hit around 11 AM. Stacy had her dress on and was getting ready to have portraits taken. At that point we realized there was a big problem. When they hemmed Stacy's dress they hemmed the dress correctly but all of the under layers were just kind of gathered up near the waste and were sticking out and causing a line to show through the dress. I don't know how to explain it... but it looked bad. So without her taking off the dress, all of the bridesmaids and the others that were there held the dress up while we investigated the six thousand layers of tulle and satiny stuff under there. We couldn't get the gathered fabric to lay down on their own. Tape was attempted... but failed miserably... and I had a thought. I found the wedding coordinator and asked her for needle and thread. I used my rudimentary sewing skills to tack the gathered fabric down to the six thousand layers of tulle and satin. I did this while Stacy was still wearing the dress and while the other bridesmaids held up the dress. Everyone (including Stacy) stayed amazingly calm. I stabbed myself a few times but it worked perfectly! At some point I became worried I might have tacked it to her slip... but she didn't care... she just wanted it fixed for all of the pictures and ceremony... and that was accomplished.

At that point pictures continued and the time for the wedding finally arrived. I was the last bridesmaid to walk down the aisle and as I walked towards the front, everyone was crying... including Josh. I didn't have any problem holding it together... until the next crisis. Right before Stacy was supposed to walk down the aisle, two of the groomsmen were supposed to walk to the back of the chapel and roll out a paper aisle runner. Well they walked to the back, picked up the runner and proceeded to rip the runner as they started to pull it. So then they walked back to the front of the chapel empty handed. At that point I started crying because I was trying so hard not to laugh. It was really funny.

The wedding proceeded... everyone was crying... Stacy's dad gave her a handkerchief and I think half the wedding party passed it around. Stacy's dad used, Stacy used it, Josh used it, one of the best men used it. At some point, it became funny to see who the handkerchief would get passed to next. As you can probably tell, I tend to get distracted during weddings. This one was no exception and I enjoyed watching the flower girl and ring bearer. The flower girl was waving and doing a little dance and I thought the ring bearer was going to take a header off the stage. He didn't, but he was teetering mighty close to the edge of his step. Watching them was a lot better than listening to Josh and Stacy getting choked up during their vows. Listening to that would only make me cry. Here is a not so great picture from the ceremony that my parents took. It was a beautiful chapel, perfectly decorated for the Christmas season. My parents were sitting close to the front and were too polite about taking distracting pictures so this is really the only one I have. Stacy had two photographers so I am sure there are some beautiful pictures out there somewhere.

Then came time for the reception... and everyone seemed a little more relaxed. Josh and Stacy ate cake and neither of them shoved it in each other's face. I was pretty surprised at that... my guess is that Stacy threatened Josh's life if he did it. :-)

Here is a picture of me and Stacy. At first I wasn't sure about the bridesmaids dresses... but they really worked well with the holiday decor and the holiday season.

Here is a picture of Josh and I.

The reception was very nice... but eventually it was time for that to end... and it was time for the bride and groom to be showered with rose petals...

And then, they were to ride off in a horse drawn carriage. The horse had other ideas. He was apparently not in a good mood and really had no interest in picking up additional passengers. I didn't think the horse was going to stop to let them get on... but it eventually did. They both looked a bit uneasy and the horse really didn't slow down long enough for pictures. As they were pulling away Josh yelled back "pray for us!" He wasn't referring to praying for their marriage... he was just hoping they would survive the carriage ride. I did talk to them last week so I do know that they survived the strong willed horse. :-)

As they went off on their carriage ride, we all started to head out and the wedding was over. As much as I don't really like weddings, it was very beautiful and I am very happy for them. While some of the planning and Stacy's easy going nature made me, as a compulsive list maker and planner, a bit crazy... the whole thing came together perfectly.

Sorry for the extremely long post... I'm sure some of you are bored out of your mind at this point.

Santa in Alabama?

2007-12-11T20:00:00.000-06:00

Sometime in amongst my travel over the past two weeks I was at my parent's house on a Sunday. Well Sunday night after church we went out to dinner with some friends (as we typically do). As we were escorted to our table, I noticed one of Santa's helpers sitting at a table that happened to be just behind us. This made me smile but I didn't say anything, thinking he probably gets tired of everyone looking at him and saying "There's Santa."

As we were waiting for our food, Santa came over to our table and started talking to the little girls who were with us. One of the families we were eating with has three young girls and two of them were thrilled to be eating at the same restaurant as Santa Claus. The youngest one slept through the whole thing but the two older girls sat on Santa's lap and even posed for pictures.

"Santa" was so nice to come over and spend some time with the sweet little girls at our table. He certainly did not have to do that. This particular helper of Santa is stationed at the mall and sees children all day long. I think it is safe to say that our "Santa" that night understood what he means to children and made the day of two special little girls.

Home

2007-12-11T19:45:00.000-06:00

This is my bed. I love my bed. It is a beautiful, antique bed that used to be my mom's. It's such a comfortable bed. I've missed my bed. I've missed my Ralph Lauren sheets and poofy comforter.

I have been gone from home for 12 days straight. Yuck!! Part of that time was spent in hotel rooms and part of it was spent at my parents house... but no matter what I do to make it more comfortable, it's not the same as my bed. I am so happy to be home and sleep in my bed for a few nights.

I still have some blog catching up to do. I have to tell you about meeting Santa Claus and our family Thanksmas and then the big wedding event last weekend. I will try to catch up soon!

Maybe Al Gore has a point?

2007-12-11T19:39:00.000-06:00

I know I live in Alabama but this is ridiculous!! This is what my car thermometer read yesterday on December 10. This was not right after I got in the car mind you... I had been driving around at least 30 minutes... so it should be pretty close to actual temperature. I actually put on a pair of shorts last night it was so hot.

By this weekend they are predicting there could be snow flurries. Gotta love Alabama weather.

100 Things About Me

2007-12-06T15:14:00.000-06:00

It seems to be the tradition on most blogs to post 100 things about yourself for your 100th post. It has taken me from March to December to make it to 100 posts... but here goes. here are 100 interesting (and not so interesting) things about me:

1. I have lived in Alabama my entire life.
2. I was born on January 9, 1979.
3. I lived in the same house from the time I was born until I went to college. My parents still live there.
4. I have a miniature labradoodle named Brun (pronounced Brew-n).
5. Brun was born in Missouri and came from Missouri Doodles outside of St. Louis.
http://www.missouridoodles.com/
6. Brun was born on December 16, 2005 and came to live with me on March 17, 2006.
7. Before I got Brun, I had a wonderful standard labradoodle named Winston.
8. Winston was born on August 14, 2003 and died on February 21, 2006.
9. Winston was one of the greatest dogs to ever live. No matter how much I love Brun, I miss Winston every day.
10. I have an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering.
11. In college I was in a co-ed professional Engineering fraternity called Theta Tau. While it was a little more social than some professional fraternities, it was one of the best things I did to help me get through college. I made a lot of great friends through that organization.
12. In the past I have typically had more male friends than female friends. I probably have more female friends at this point in my life than I have ever had before.
13. I have a Masters in Business Administration.
14. I never planned to live in the town where I currently live. In fact I declared in a graduate school class that I would not live there. You can see how well that worked out for me.
15. My job title is Assistant Research Engineer. As best I can tell, that means I do a little bit of everything.
16. I have naturally curly hair. It used to be naturally blonde but now I pay for the blonde. :-)
17. I wear a size 10.5 shoe. Trust me, that is not an easy size to find.
18. I am five feet seven and a half inches tall.
19. Even though I am almost 5’ 8”, I like to wear high heel shoes.
20. I have no sense of smell.
21. I have never been married and I have no children (unless you count Winston and Brun… which I do).
22. I love to sing.
23. I love to take pictures.
24. I only sleep about 5 or 6 hours per night. I find sleep to be a waste of time. :-)
25. As a general rule, I prefer TV programs to movies. I love my HD Plasma TV.
26. I don’t like to shop but I like to shop at outlets.
27. My favorite restaurant is a local Alabama restaurant called “The Fish Market.”
28. I have to travel a lot for work. A lot of my travel for work is to my hometown.
29. I do not like to travel for work if I have to go somewhere other than my hometown.
30. I take my pillow with me everywhere when I travel. If I can’t take my pillow, I take a pillowcase from home and the sleep sack that Leslie got me for Christmas last year.
31. The only countries I have ever visited are Canada and Australia.
32. One day I would like to visit Scotland, Ireland, Italy (particularly the island of Capri) and go back to Australia.
33. I have been to 30 out of the 50 states, including the biggest and smallest states.
34. My favorite cities to visit are New York City, Washington DC and Chicago (so far).
35. I am a huge NASCAR fan. In fact, I love pretty much any motorsport.
36. I love to camp.
37. Christmas is my favorite Holiday. I love to decorate for the season. It borders on tacky at my house at that time of year. :-)
38. My first car was a Saturn… it was a stick shift.
39. I love driving a stick shift.
40. I did not get my driver’s license until I was 17 because I didn’t want it.
41. I don’t like to read. My attention span doesn’t usually tolerate it.
42. I come from a family of Civil Engineers. My grandfather, uncle, mom and dad all have degrees in Civil Engineering.
43. I have one brother named Warren (we call him Wren) who is 21 months younger than me.
44. Everyone thought that Wren and I were twins when we were growing up.
45. Wren has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and supposedly will have a Master’s degree in it eventually.
46. I tried to take flying lessons a few years ago but I kept getting sick so I had to quit.
47. I don’t sit still very well… I need to be doing something most of the time.
48. I know how to smock
49. I know how to knit.
50. I have a semi-professional embroidery machine and am trying to get a small in home business going on the side.
51. I am an extremely picky eater.
52. I eat in order. I eat all of one item on my plate before I move on to another item. I save my favorite item for last.
53. I take Flintstone vitamins instead of adult vitamins.
54. I do not like Cheeseburgers but I love cheese.
55. The only pie that I like is homemade apple pie… preferably made of apples from the trees at my parent’s house.
56. I love watching Barrett Jackson auctions on TV. One day I would love to go to a Barrett Jackson auction and buy a car.
57. A hotel qualifies as a good hotel to me if it has Speed TV included in the channel lineup.
58. I hate sleeping in hotel rooms… I usually do not sleep very soundly.
59. I think that men who are prematurely grey or partially grey (like Anderson Cooper and Taylor Hicks) are extremely gorgeous.
60. I have painted toenails throughout the year but rarely paint my fingernails.
61. I wore braces for a year and a half in middle school. I now have very straight teeth.
62. I love to make lists.
63. I took piano lessons from second grade through seventh grade.
64. Even though I was fairly successful at fooling my teacher, I did not practice like I was supposed to.
65. I played the flute in band for a few years in elementary and middle school. I was never very good.
66. In middle school and High School I was in the following musicals: Oklahoma!, Sound of Music, West Side Story and Guys & Dolls.
67. I had a solo in West Side Story. I sang “Somewhere.” On the first night of the production, a young child from the audience got away from their parents and ran across the stage during my performance. I had trouble not laughing.
68. I was the editor of my high school newspaper.
69. I was in the chorus in high school.
70. I was also in chorus in college my freshman year.
71. My favorite high school extracurricular activity was Science Olympiad.
72. My favorite elementary school teacher was probably my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Atkinson.
73. My favorite teacher in high school was Miss McConnell who was my Biology teacher in 10th and 12th grade… once for regular Biology and once for AP Biology.
74. My favorite teacher in Middle School was probably Mr. Hayes who was my 9th Grade Physical Science teacher.
75. I hated Middle School.
76. I really didn’t like High School either.
77. I loved College.
78. I went to private elementary, middle and high school. I got a great education.
79. I lived with my grandmother for 2.5 years when I was in college. She unfortunately passed away Christmas 1999.
80. I do not like meeting new people or making new friends.
81. I could probably be described as verging on anti-social when it comes to most social situations.
82. I used to be deathly afraid of speaking in public but I have gotten over it since I started working.
83. I could probably live the rest of my life only eating bread, nuts, cheese and coke. I would be malnourished but I would enjoy it. :-)
84. I have been described as a perfectionist and OCD about some things.
85. If I don’t like the way you put dishes in my dishwasher, I will take them out and put them in the way that I want.
86. When I am purchasing something at the store, I almost never take the front or the first item. I don’t know why but I will move it aside and get the second one instead.
87. When I get gas the total dollar amount must end in an even nickel amount. For example, if I have 30.01, I will get $0.04 more worth of gas to make it $30.05.
88. I don’t like change – and by that I mean things becoming different, not pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.
89. When I go to a particular restaurant, I almost always order the same thing.
90. My perfect Sunday afternoon consists of takeout Chinese food, a NASCAR race and a nap.
91. I order the same thing so much at my local Chinese restaurant (almost once a week when I am in town) that they know who I am and what I want when I call without me even telling them.
92. I once tried out for Teen Jeopardy. I did not make it past the first round.
93. I get told fairly often that I look like Drew Barrymore. I can see it but I don’t think the resemblance is that great.
94. I like a wide variety of music. Some of my absolute favorites are The Beach Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Kenny Chesney and the fabulously amazing Harry Connick Jr.
95. I try to forget bad memories but at the same time I worry that I will forget the good memories.
96. I love God.
97. I love my family.
98. I love my friends.
99. I love my dogs.
100. I love my life.
101. I am thankful every day for the fact that I have been blessed beyond measure.

So there you have it. Somehow I ended up with 101... oh well.

Old Friends

2007-12-04T15:47:00.000-06:00

One of the hard parts of being a "younger" member of the crowd at work is that when you start getting attached to people, they retire. This happens with friends (even non-work related ones) that move and things like that but today I was reminded of how good it is to see old friends... even "work" friends. :-)

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to work with every state trooper in the state of Alabama and two of the head guys retired this year. This made me very sad as I enjoyed them on both a professional and personal level.

Well today I am at a conference for work in another part of the state and I heard one of them talking as he walked in the room. I turned around and literally squealed I was so excited. He gave me the biggest hug... so big that he literally picked me up off the ground. I had not seen him since the summer and I have missed working with him and talking to him so much. He was my partner in crime for the best time I have ever had at a NASCAR race... and I feel quite certain that I will never again have that much fun at a race again. He looked out for me at conferences and made sure I was having a good time and is still someone I will always look forward to seeing.

Then not 5 minutes later the other trooper walked in. I was once again thrilled! Even though they have retired to other jobs and new adventures in their life, they had decided to come over to our conference to visit everyone. In the back of my mind I had hoped that they would but I didn't really expect that they would.

Oh how good it is to see old friends. It makes me want to look up friends from college and go visit them too. It's so easy to forget how much you miss some people until you see them again.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2007-12-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

I know it's been awhile but I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I personally am not a big fan of this particular holiday. I don't like Thanksgiving food... and by that I mean I really don't like any of it. I don't like turkey, dressing, stuffing, most casseroles, cranberries, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, etc. etc. On top of that it seems like bad things always happen around Thanksgiving. I have known too many people that have died right around Thanksgiving and known of so many other bad things that happen.

Don't get me wrong... I enjoy spending time with my family and I think we should be thankful all of the time... not just on one day (or even one month) of the year. So personally, I try to focus on being thankful all of the time and bypass the Thanksgiving holiday altogether. Seriously, I am happy to just ignore the day, enjoy it as any other day off from work, watch the Macy's parade and the dog show and eat whatever I feel like on that day.

This year my parents did come into town and we (along with my roommate... who had to work the day after Thanksgiving) had a Thanksgiving meal of ham and some vegetables. However, it was very low key and enjoyable.

But that being said, the time after Thanksgiving until New Years is my favorite time of the year. Our extended family gets together for Thanksmas sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and that is always a lot of fun. We had Thanksmas last Saturday and I will post about that soon.

I love decorating for Christmas and I love enjoying other peoples decorations. I love buying gifts for people. I just love the whole season. Even the rushed craziness and the traffic don't bother me too much.

I am happy to say that my house has been completely decorated inside and out for the past week or so. The presents are not all bought by any stretch of the imagination but I am making progress on it. I can't believe there are only 23 more days until Christmas... it all passes by too quickly.

I hope you are all enjoying this time of year as much as I am. In amongst all of the craziness, don't forget to take time to slow down, be thankful and enjoy the many blessings you have.

My Car is Going to be Famous!!!

2007-11-27T21:56:00.000-06:00

Okay... not that famous. But if you live in the state of Alabama, you can check out Discovering Alabama on Alabama Public Television on Wednesday night. I think it is on at 7 PM. The subject that night is White Tailed Deer and they called me about videoing my car after the deer jumped on it. I haven't seen it yet but supposedly my car will be on.

Just thought you might want to know. The guy that came to film it worked hard to make it dramatic. I think he was a bit disappointed with the lack of destruction on my car. :-)

Meet Nessie

2007-11-26T21:08:00.000-06:00

In amongst all the animal killing that happened with my car a few weeks ago I never got a chance to blog about the craft fair that I went to with my mom that Saturday. It's a great arts and crafts show right outside of my hometown that always takes place on the first Saturday in November. Years ago, my parents had a booth and I would make a few things during the summer to sell. Last year, Amberly and I had a booth and had a great time. This year we just went to shop and although I didn't find much, I did find one item I particularly like. Meet Nessie.

Nessie is a four piece concrete sculpture that I picked out. The people that I bought him from said it was a worm... but I have declared it to be a Loch Ness Monster. :-) Nessie currently lives in my front flower bed... and at the moment is actually covered in colored Christmas lights. The picture above was taken before I rolled out the Christmas decorations. Here is what he looks like now:

I didn't find too much at the craft show this year other than Nessie... but I thought he was a pretty good find.

On a related note... my car is STILL at the shop. The damage done by the deer was not THAT bad (only about $2,200 worth) but they are still waiting on a side view mirror to come in and apparently they are never giving my car back.

How can you forget something like this...

2007-11-12T21:26:00.000-06:00

Last week I was helping my roommate try to find music for her wedding. She is getting married in December and so there are lots of little tasks to be done. As she started talking about music for the wedding and the reception, I volunteered to help. I started digging out CD's and had a field day of my own.

I guess it was this summer when I stopped listening to music as much. It wasn't intentional but I was doing a lot of traveling and so I began listening to CNN on the XM satellite radio in the mornings and talk sports radio on the XM in the afternoon. Aside from that, I kept a couple of CD cases in my car and never really rotated any new CD's... so I listened to the same 20 or 30 CD's over and over again. I never really thought of this as a bad habit, but I forgot how much I miss music and I forgot how much I missed my old CD's.

I like most types of music... but I really love soundtracks and scores and old music. By old music, I mean music from the 40's, 50's and 60's... and music that sounds like it is from the era. I have about a bazillion CD's and I had forgotten about so many of them. I don't claim to have great musical taste but they are my taste and I like them. :-) I was so happy to rediscover so many CD's and add them to my ipod.

I guess we accomplished the original goal of finding the music she needed for the wedding... but more than that, I found lots of great CD's and didn't have to purchase a single thing!

The weekend that went from dreaded to bad to worse... and isn't even over yet

2007-11-04T00:11:00.000-05:00

So it is no secret I have not been looking forward to the lingerie shower tonight. I have been dreading it for weeks (that's where the dread part of my title comes in). Then yesterday, I hit an animal of some sort and messed up the front bumper of my car (that was definitely bad). Well tonight, I was headed back to the town where I live for my roommate's lingerie shower and I HIT A DEER (that was way worse)!!!!!!!!

This road is notorious for deer but I have never had a problem... until now. I saw the deer on the side of the road and I had time to slow down a little bit. Then it jumped and I swerved and there was nothing I could do. It hit square on my windshield and resulted in this.

Two teenagers were in a car behind me and stopped. They said that when I hit the deer it flew up in the air as high as the tree tops! They were impressed. They walked back and found the deer. Unfortunately it was suffering. :-(

I am nothing but an animal killer this weekend. My parents call the Conservation Department for me and they said that since it was deer season here in Alabama someone would probably pick it up for the meat. However, they were going to check it out. Note to self... I need to add that phone number to my cell phone.

I called the state troopers and they were tied up and it was going to be awhile before they got there. It was getting dark and it is a pitch black road... so it's pretty scary. So with the suggestion of my parents and "permission" from the troopers to fill out an accident report later, I drove on home. I was only about halfway home... and within 10 miles of where I had the animal incident on Friday night. I could only see out of about 20-25% of the windshield and there were shards of glass all in my car. I cut my hand a little trying to wipe glass out of my seat, but it is nothing too serious.

All in all I was once again very lucky. The windshield is obviously shattered, the side view mirror got knocked off and there are a couple of dents... but that is it. If I had been going a little slower, it would have messed up the front of my car... if I had been going a little faster it would have likely hit the side or top of my car and could have done a lot more damage to the car and me.

Here are a couple more pictures of the car. In the first one, you can see the missing side view mirror and the dent on the front panel. It also appears there is a footprint on the passenger side door. In the second one, you can see the fun new angle of the rear view mirror from the inside along with the shards of glass.

What a weekend!! I don't think I will be going home via that route any more. There is another way that is longer... but it is all interstate and I will be going that way from now on.

I hope tomorrow is less eventful. By the way I did survive the lingerie shower (when I finally got there) and the bridal tea tomorrow should be much more my speed.

Poor Animal, Poor Car

2007-11-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

I BROKE MY CAR AND I FEEL SURE I KILLED AN ANIMAL!!! On the way to my parent's house tonight, I hit an animal of some sort... and I'm afraid it was a dog. I didn't see it until I was right about to hit it and there was nothing I could do. It was darting across the country road and I was going about 60 mph. It was very dark on a two lane road... and there was a good bit of traffic at the time.

I didn't go back because there was nothing I could have done. I feel terrible and am still concerned about the animal. A little further down the road I stopped to look at my car. It fared better than the animal I'm afraid but it's pretty messed up. The bumper is pretty broken and dad thinks I knocked a duct off right behind the bumper.

I think I am going to take it in tomorrow morning and see if they can fix the duct (which could be important to it's existence) and give me an estimate on how much it will cost to fix it.

Poor car and poor dog/animal. :-(

Fun Thursday, Weekend So So

2007-11-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Thursday morning I did make it to my meeting and thanks to my mom saving the day, I did not have to wear my pajamas to the meeting. It was a fairly typical meeting for work... but it was one of those non-confrontational yet productive meetings... my favorite kind. I met with a group of law enforcement officers who are typically a lot of fun. They like what they do and they are making a difference in the state... so I enjoy meeting with them.

After the meeting I headed to lunch with one of the folks that we work with. By the time we were done with lunch it was still too early to head to Amberly's house. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded but I felt like I should get some work done before I played for the rest of the day. So I camped out in a conference room and worked for a few hours.

Then it was off to see Amberly and her crew. I always have so much with them! They fed me dinner and kept me entertained all afternoon and evening. No matter how tired or stressed I am, they always brighten my day. This is the second time I have gone to see them since they moved. Hopefully I haven't worn out my welcome quite yet and they won't get tired of me any time soon.

When I finally left them alone to let them try to return to a normal nighttime routine it was fairly late. I got back to my house after 10... and then the non-fun part of my day started. I had to finish cleaning the house for the lingerie shower some of the girls are throwing for my roommate tomorrow night. I am not looking forward to this shower but apparently I don't have much choice but to show up since she is my roommate and I am in the wedding. I have considered not showing up... but that would probably hurt my roommate's feelings. I'm still considering my options. :-) Call me prudish, but I am not a fan of that type of shower. At least it will all be over soon enough.

This week's somewhat crazy travel continues. Tonight I head back to my hometown to go to an annual arts and crafts fair in the morning. Last year Amberly and I had a booth but this year my mom and I are just going to browse and shop. The weather should be great and that should be lots of fun! After that it will be back to the town where I live for the lingerie shower. Sunday there is a bridal tea for my roommate... but somewhere in there I'm going to need a nap!

Packing Woes

2007-10-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

I travel a lot... I would say on average about once a week (sometimes more, sometimes less). Some of that is for work and some of that is personal... and most of it is for one night or less. This has been the case for the past couple of years and it has never been a real problem. Well within the past few weeks I have apparently lost the ability to pack!!

This afternoon I headed from the town where I live to my hometown. I have a meeting for work in the morning about 25% of the way here, I realized I had my shoes, I had my bag... but this time, I had forgotten my dress clothes. Not again!!! Remember... this just happened a few weeks ago.

I called my mom, frustrated with myself and ill about the fact that I was going to have to turn around and go get my clothes. Well my wonderful mother offered to go buy me a new outfit. I haven't seen it yet but she says she found a great deal at Kohl's. We usually agree on clothing taste, so I'm sure it will be fine.

Who knows what I will forget on my next trip! One day I will remember ALL of my stuff. You wouldn't think it would be that difficult...

haircuts and other tidbits

2007-10-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

I'm pouting. This afternoon I called to schedule a haircut with my wonderful stylist. I need to have my hair cut and highlighted before my roommate's wedding in December... so I thought I would schedule it in advance so I could get a convenient appointment. Well guess what... my stylist is gone again! If you remember back in May I was so happy to have found my stylist again.

I'm starting to take it personally. This has happened twice now with no sign of where she went. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. I hate with a passion attempting to find a new hair stylist. I'm so picky about my cut and color that it makes it a very stressful situation. I have had so many bad experiences with very expensive hair cuts coming out very, very bad. Fortunately I have a little bit of time to figure it out.

Other than my latest hair crisis... there is not a lot to report around here. Last week was rainy and dreary... which I enjoyed until it turned cold. It's not that cold... but it seems cold in the mornings and at night. I have a little bit of travel for work this week. I am hoping to spend some time with friends in another part of the state on my way home from the travel. :-) This weekend is going to be a super busy one with too much pre-wedding craziness. I will save that for another post... but let's just say I am looking forward to it being over.

A moment of Nostalgia

2007-10-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

18 years ago today, one of my favorite people on the planet was born. I have blogged about L. before when I talked about my first job. Well today is her 18th birthday.

Her family did not live in my hometown when L. was born so I haven't known her quite 18 years... but they moved into town when she was around 9 months old... so I feel like I have known her her whole life.

I'm not always sure why people come into your life and stay there but I am sure glad that L. is a part of mine. When she goes off to college somewhere next year I will miss seeing her and sitting with her at church when I go home... but maybe there is still some chance I can convince her she should move to the town where I live so I will get to see her even more often.

I was so proud of her this past Monday night. She competed in the Junior Miss Contest (they don't call it a beauty pageant... but a scholarship contest). She didn't win but she did a great job, had a great time and looked absolutely beautiful. Here is a picture of both of us Monday night.

Happy 18th Birthday L!!!

When you go on a trip...

2007-10-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

When you go on a trip there are a few things you should always take. 1. Your suitcase. (Who would forget a suitcase?) 2. A pillow... also important (at least to some... including me) 3. Toiletries (very important for overnight trips) Here is a picture of these three things sitting in the entrance to my bedroom... not in my car... but in the floor of my bedroom:

So on Monday night when I got to my hometown (where I had a big meeting for work on Tuesday) I had none of these three things. That's right... I left them sitting right there in the entrance to my bedroom. I literally had to step OVER them when I left my room.

How dumb can you be? Apparently just about that dumb. Fortunately I have some things at my parents house... but I was missing vital things like dress shoes to match my suit, the proper undergarments and my shampoo... but it all worked out. Fortunately after my initial panic I realized my mom had just bought me a new outfit that would work perfectly for my meeting and that matched the shoes I had on my feet... and I could borrow or make do without everything else.

When I got back to my house this afternoon... I found my three trip essentials were sitting in the floor of my room... disappointed that they got all packed up for no reason at all. Just wanted to share my dumb blond moment for the week.

Good Weekend

2007-10-01T18:12:00.000-05:00

I usually try to have a good and relaxing weekend but I would say that this one was particularly good. On Friday night my parents came into town for Classic Rock Baby's first birthday party. This was the first time that they had been out of town since the accident so I was very glad that they felt up to the drive involved with coming to the town where I live.

During the birthday party we actually got a picture of our whole family. It turned out pretty good so I thought I would share.

That's me (with particularly fluffy hair that night), my mom, my dad and my brother.

The party was a lot of fun as most first birthday parties are prone to be. I don't want to spoil Leslie's post so I won't go into all of the details but there was definite cake wearing involved before the party was over. I am pretty proud of the gift that I got him. It his own baby sized chair from Pottery Barn kids with his name on it. I got the idea after a friend got one for her nephew a few weeks ago for his first birthday. I thought it was the perfect gift so I quickly ordered one for CRB.

He already took a couple of head dives off of the chair but hopefully he will get the hang of it. He really seemed to like it. Here is a picture of him trying out the chair towards the end of the party. He was getting tired and had already been stripped of the cake covered outfit he started the party in.

On Saturday we didn't go out and do a whole lot but we watched a lot of football. Dad went over to my grandparent's old house to do some work but mom and I stayed at the house most of the day. I made four of the aforementioned apple pies.

On Saturday night my parents headed back home with Brun in tow. My dad and I are headed out Tuesday night for a little camping/racing vacation so mom is on puppy sitting duty. They have informed me that he has a lot of energy. I'm not sure why they thought this was news. :-)

Sunday was filled with church, a nap, lots of laundry and the start of packing for my trip. I am so looking forward to getting out of town. I didn't go on a real vacation this summer so these few days will be my vacation until the Christmas holidays.

Apples, Apples Everywhere!!!!

2007-09-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

After my parent's wreck the only thing that mom was really worried about was the fact that she had all of these apples that she was planning to do things with that were going to go bad before she felt like dealing with them. You see, they have apple trees on their property and for whatever reason they had TONS of apples this year. Given the dry summer we had, none of us thought that there would be any apples but we were wrong.

I wanted to do what I could to help mom after the accident so I offered to take all of the apples to my house and take care of them by making, and then freezing and/or giving items away. Well that was over two weeks ago and there are STILL apples all over my house!

As of right now I have made 12 apple pies... totally from scratch... including the crust.
Here is a picture of one of them:

I have also cooked and frozen a good many apples to go with meals throughout the year. I enjoy the apples and I LOVE apple pies... and I am happy to be able to do something to help but I think these things are multiplying in my refrigerator. Is that possible? :-) They are still filling my fridge and I feel like I am never going to get them all cooked.

Hopefully I will get to all of them before they ruin. Anyone know any good apple recipes? :-)

Two Weeks Ago

2007-09-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago tonight something pretty terrible but pretty miraculous happened. I was in my hometown for work and started to head back to the town where I live following church that Wednesday night. When I was about 10 miles out of town I got one of the worst phone calls you can get. It was my dad telling me that he and my mom had had a bad accident and that I needed to come back. Fortunately I could hear them both talking so I knew they were relatively okay.

I drove as safely and quickly as I could about 20 minutes back to where they were and came upon this:

That used to be a 2000 Honda Accord. There wasn't much left of it after they hit a pickup truck that my dad never saw. They were driving home on the interstate and ran up on the back of a pickup truck. We have yet to piece together all of the story but the truck was apparently traveling very slowly with either no tail lights or at best black out tail lights that looked like this:

Here is a better picture of the truck that they hit and another picture of their car (these pictures were taken the next day at the junk yard):

Anyways, back to that night... my parents were both taken via ambulance to the hospital and we spent the next five hours or so in the ER. Dad was released with only bumps and soreness but mom was kept for the next few days. She had a broken sternum (breast bone) and two broken ribs. She also has a herniated disc in her neck... but it doesn't hurt and they aren't even sure whether or not it might have been there prior to the accident.

The whole incident was terrible and scary but my parents were so lucky. All of their injuries were from their seat belts and the airbags. That in and of itself was a miracle. While they are still sore and mom won't be completely healed for at least three months, it could have been SOOO much worse.

Fortunately I was able to drop everything and stay in town for the next few days to try and help take care of things. I've been playing a bit of catch up ever since and I haven't had much time to blog but I feel very lucky to still have my parents here.

Just wanted to share with all of my "blog friends" and let you know why I had been MIA. I am still getting caught up and getting ready for a little vacation next week but hopefully I will be able to check in a little more.

Time Travel Tuesday: First Job Experience

2007-09-12T00:18:00.000-05:00

It's technically Wednesday here but it is still Tuesday in some parts of the country and the world, so I am going to go ahead and participate in Time Travel Tuesday.

My first "real" job experience was the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I was a file clerk at a local construction company and while I worked with very nice people I was bored out of my mind most of the time and there isn't much to tell about that job.

But I'm not going to talk about that job experience. I want to talk about the job experience that I had the summer after my 7th grade year. I guess that would have made me 13 years old. A family from church that had moved to town about a year and a half before had a little girl named L. who was about two and a half years old. Her mom was working that summer for the company where my mom was working and so I had my first real babysitting job.

I can't remember how many days a week I babysat and I don't remember exactly how much money I made... but it seemed like a lot to a 13 year old. I remember that with the money I made I bought my first CD player and my first CD's. The first CD I bought was the Greatest Hits of the Righteous Brothers. I know... that's not what most 13 year olds would get but I have always loved Oldies.

I think I was a pretty competent babysitter but the summer did not go without incident. That summer I was also taking some enrichment classes at a local college. I don't remember exactly what I was taking... but it was probably something like etiquette or acting or something like that. Well on the mornings when I was taking those classes, my younger brother would watch after L. One day when my mom was bringing me back to the house, my brother came out the front door to meet us and shut the front door behind him... accidentally locking the door.

There was then a confused child inside the house and a freaked out babysitter and her brother outside the house. L. could not unlock their complicated front door lock and so my brother and I had to wait until her mom could get back to the house to unlock the door. Fortunately they had a window in their front door and we could see L. and she could see us. We kept her occupied and it all worked out just fine.... but it was pretty scary.

One way we kept her occupied was by singing the theme song to The Elephant Show. The lyrics were as follows:

Skinnamarinkydinkydink. Skinnamarinkydoo. I - Love - You!
Skinnamarinkydinkydink. Skinnamarinkydoo. I - Love - You!
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon.
Skinnamarinkydinkydink. Skinnamarinkydoo. I - Love - You!
Skinnamarinkydoo, I - Love - You -- Too!. (Boop, boop, ee-doo)

There were little hand motions to go along with it too. I don't know how many of you ever saw The Elephant Show... but think Barney only with a giant elephant instead of a purple dinosaur and you have the result of a somewhat less annoying tv show. We watched a lot of Elephant Show that summer.

I also got hooked on the soap opera All My Children that summer. I would spend the night with their family sometimes and L.'s mom watched All My Children. This was long after L. had gone to bed but I would watch it with her some nights. This was the days when the characters of Haley and Brian were on All My Children. Who knows what became of the actor who played Brian but Haley was played by Kelly Ripa.

I was also not the greatest cook at the time (who am I kidding I am still not the greatest cook). Anyways, L. and I ate a lot of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that summer. This still constitutes a well balanced meal in my house and apparently it does for L. as well. She told my mom not long ago that when she got married she was going to have it at her rehearsal dinner. She's not getting married any time soon so she might change her mind between now and then... but I say go for it! :-)

I can't believe that L. is now a Senior in High School. Obviously we both survived the summer and lived to tell about it. It was a great experience for me and L. is still one of my favorite people in the world. I love her to death!

So depending on your definition of a job... that was my first job. For more Time Travel Tuesday participants, visit Annie at My Life as Annie.

Catching Up

2007-09-06T23:25:00.000-05:00

Anyone out there still reading? I wouldn't blame you if you weren't. :-) If blogging was a job I would have been fired long ago. But once again I am resolving to do better. I even have a few blog topics I am putting in reserve for the moment.

But before I move on to any of those topics I thought I would share a few events from last weekend. Last Friday afternoon, my friend Andrew and I took engagement pictures for my roommate and her fiance. Andrew ended up taking most of the pictures and I became more of the photographers assistant... and the getaway driver. :-) We went to a couple of fancy areas of town (including a golf course and yacht club) where we weren't technically supposed to be... and we certainly couldn't just park in the grass... so I drove around part of the time while they took pictures. Here is one of the pictures that I took.

Not the greatest... but not terrible. The ones that Andrew took are much better. I have a very nice camera... but I have serious lens envy. My lens is not bad... but it is not as nice as I would like either. Here is Andrew's lens... and Andrew.

I have already added it to my wish list on Amazon. Now I just need to come up with the $600 and the justification for purchasing it. :-)

We took photos for probably two hours in different places in town and in several different outfits. It was a lot of fun and I think they got some great pictures to use.

On Saturday my parents came into town and my brother offered my parents tickets to the home opener for my college alma mater... the University of Alabama. My mom wasn't interested in going so my dad and I went to the game. We won 52-6 so it was not the world's most exciting game but we had a lot of fun.

I hope everyone else is having a great week. On top of being post lazy I have also been comment lazy... but I promise I am still reading.

Weekend Reflections

2007-08-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Annie noted how quiet the blogging world had been and I would have to agree. I know I haven't blogged in way too long. Hopefully I can do a little better this week.

Last week was a super busy one filled with late working hours and not a lot of fun. I worked from home until about 2 AM most nights and until 4 AM Thursday night trying to finish up a report for work. Fortunately I finished it on Friday and so that late night working from home should be over. From the end of the Summer up until the end of the fiscal year (end of September) is always a busy season for us but getting this report out is one of my main tasks, and it is taken care of.

On Wednesday evening I got to go to my hometown for work... which was nice. I had meetings down there on Thursday. The meetings were somewhat stressful but overall they went well.

Saturday was probably the most exciting day of the week. My parents came to the town where I live on Friday night and on Saturday morning myself, my parents, my brother and my brother's girlfriend all went to an academic symposium on the debate between government controlled space exploration and privatized space exploration. I am showing my true "dork colors" by telling you that I went to a symposium on a Saturday morning... but I am even more of a dork when I tell you that it has been on my calendar for at least six months.

One of the organizations that I was involved with in college sponsored the event and so I had been notified of the event and the speakers that would be there for quite some time. When I saw on the agenda that Burt Rutan would be there I knew I had to go. If you don't know who Burt Rutan is, do yourself a favor and click on the link above and read a little bit about him. He's an absolute genius and was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People of the World" after winning the X Prize for his work with Space Ship One .

I had the privilege of hearing him speak at Osh Kosh a couple of years ago and even got to see Space Ship One and Global Flyer fly that year. I was very excited to hear him speak, get a chance to meet him and even get his autograph on Saturday.

I did skip out of the afternoon part of the symposium. After staying up until 4 AM on Thursday night I was still pretty tired... and asking me to sit still and listen to people talk all day is asking a lot. My ADD tendencies kick in after about an hour. :-)

So this week I am thankful for lots of things. As always, I am thankful for my family and Brun. I am thankful that my report is finished and late work hours should be over (at least for now). I am thankful that I got to meet Burt Rutan and I am thankful for the rain we got on Saturday. We are suffering from record breaking heat and drought here so the rain was a welcome reprieve.

I hope everyone else had a great week!

Weekend Reflections

2007-08-19T22:57:00.000-05:00

I haven't been very diligent with participating in Weekend Reflections recently but I will try to do better.

Last Sunday night I was talking to my friend Andrew at church and he asked if I had heard about the meteor shower that night. I had not but I told him that he and whoever were welcome to come over to the house later and watch. I live a little bit out of town and have a relatively big yard for us to hang out in. Andrew came over about 9 and a few other friends came over around 10:30. Andrew and I laid in the lounge chairs in the back yard for three hours. We only saw about 10 meteors in those three hours... but oh well. It was fun and Andrew and I got a chance to catch up. It is not very often that I take three hours to relax, talk and enjoy the beauty of God's creation... I should do it more often.

On Monday, I got some great news. I was happy to find out that my Uncle was able to go home from the hospital. He had been in the hospital for about a week but was finally doing well enough that they let him go home. I have been really worried about him but he is continuing to do better.

Tuesday night I headed to my hometown for work. I was there for meetings and to teach a class on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday after I got home I had a lot of work to do. I have a major report due this week and so I worked on that until about 2 AM. Friday we had visitors so I got to go out to a nice lunch with people from my work.

This weekend no one was at the house other than Brun and I. Fortunately he let me sleep in Saturday morning and to "reward" him I took him to the vet to have his nails trimmed. He hates going to the vet so he was mad at me the rest of the day. Saturday morning and afternoon I worked on lots of sewing projects that I had been putting off. I also went to a wedding shower on Saturday afternoon for a couple at church. Overall it was a productive and relaxing day... my favorite kind of day.

This week I am thankful for friends that are coming back to town after being gone all summer. I am thankful that my Uncle is doing better. I am also thankful for the rain that we got yesterday... it was much needed. I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflection, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Photo Hunters: Two

2007-08-18T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of two of my favorite boys... Brun and CRB. Don't worry... we didn't leave them separated for long.

For more Photo Hunters participants, visit TN Chick.

Friday's Feast

2007-08-10T11:34:00.000-05:00

I don't usually participate in Friday's Feast but I liked the questions today so I thought I would play along.

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of pie?

The only kind of pie that I eat is my mom's homemade apple pie made with apples from the trees in their yard. It's the best!! Even better when it's made with green apples (apples that are too little and too tart to eat by themselves).

Soup: Name something that made you smile this week.

Brun always makes me smile. No matter how tired I am or how ill I am at him for shoving his ball under the couch for the 100th time so that I have to stand on my head to get it out... he can always bring a smile to my face.

Salad: What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?

Pay Alabama Power lots of money to keep my house cool... and try to be thankful that I have central A/C and can afford to keep the house as cool as I want it.

Main Course: You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?

Hummm... that's tough... I like the way my house is right now. I would say maybe my bedroom... I might paint it a different color... but what I really want is a new flat screen TV for that room and a new piece of furniture to put it on. That would definitely blow the $1,000. :-)

Dessert: Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.

My head says trust in God, but I worry about things more than I should.

This was fun! Let me know if you decide to play along.

Fun Book Contest

2007-08-09T22:37:00.000-05:00

I don't read as much as I should or nearly as much as most of you in blog land seem to but this is my kind of book giveaway! Go on over to Jill's and check out her cookbook giveaway.

This and That

2007-08-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot to participate in Weekend Reflections last weekend but last week was a good week. I was sad to find out that Amberly and her family will be moving away from my hometown but happy for them at the same time. But the other big news of last week was that it was my last week on the road. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sure I still have some travel for work but my eight weeks in a row (or whatever it was) of being out of town for the majority of the week is over. I like traveling, but I am happy to be home and believe it or not I am even happy to be back in the office.

I have started a new schedule for myself this week as well. Our work schedule is a bit flexible and in the past I have arrived to the office at about 8:30 and worked until 5:30 or 6. But for several reasons, I have decided to go in earlier. The main reason being... Brun is still half asleep when I go to work in the morning but he is ready to play by the time I get home. So the earlier I get home the better.

I am not a morning person but so far I really like it. I am trying to go in between 7:30 and 8 and leave by 5. Almost no one else gets there that early so it is nice to be able to get some work done before people come in and start wanting stuff. And even nicer is getting to leave at 5 and have more of the evening to myself. I have had to go to bed a little earlier but hopefully I can stick with the schedule.

That's about it for me this week. I am spending some more time at my brother's house painting and cleaning this week. It is really starting to look good. My brother moved out last weekend so it is pretty empty but the progress you can see is certainly a good thing. Tonight I cleaned my brother's bathroom. I called him after I finished and told him when he comes to visit he can't use that bathroom any more... he has to go to the service station up the road. :-) It's so clean I might even use it now.

I never win anything... and today is no exception

2007-08-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

This coming Sunday night in my hometown there is a pretty impressive rock band coming to town. I was not impressed enough to buy tickets but I was fairly interested in going. So a week or two ago I entered a contest online for free tickets. I never win anything... and so I entered and really never thought about it again.

Well I was out of town all of this week and when I got back to my house in my hometown on Friday afternoon I checked my answering machine. Sure enough I had won the tickets to the concert! Unfortunately I had to pick up the tickets in my hometown by Thursday afternoon. I am so dumb... I don't know why I didn't give them my cell phone number instead of my home number. They called back on Friday and left another message and said that they were going to have to go on to another name on the list.

So now I am pouting about winning the tickets but not actually getting the tickets. :-( From now on I will give people my cell phone number when important things like concert tickets are on the line.

Weekend Reflections

2007-07-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

Well my week was basically taken up with my trip to St. Louis for work. It was a good trip and just in case you missed it, you can read the recap of the trip here.

I arrived back in the town where I live Thursday evening and basically unpacked and rested Thursday night. On Friday it was back to work. I felt like I spent the whole day chatting with people in my office… but for the most part it was not social chatting. After being out of the office it was good to catch up with everyone and find out what they had been working on during the week. Friday night I chilled at home and did some things around the house.

On Saturday morning I got up and ran errands and went over to my grandparent’s old house to paint more ceilings. My arms are still sore but the ceiling looks a ton better. My brother and dad came in while I was there after arriving home from their trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA AirVenture event.

So this week I am thankful that all of us (me, my dad, my brother and his girlfriend) had safe trips to and from our destinations. I am thankful for all of the cool things I got to see and do while in St. Louis. I am thankful for my mom who kept my doggie while I was gone. I am also thankful that my summer travel season is nearly over.

I hope everyone else had a great week. Go on over to Judi’s to read about everyone else’s week.

St. Louis Trip

2007-07-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

My trip last week to St. Louis turned out to be a great trip. I typically dread trips for work because they don’t allow any time for fun. However, this one was different. I’m not sure why… possibly because of my flight times… possibly because my constant whining about never getting to do anything fun has caused the folks that I work with to loosen up. :-) Regardless of what it is, it resulted in an enjoyable trip.

On Sunday I left for the airport at about 5 AM in order to catch the only flight to St. Louis that day. That put me in St. Louis by 9:30 AM with nothing to do. I was at the hotel but it was too early to check in. I had no car so I was somewhat limited to the things that were within walking distance of my hotel. Fortunately my hotel was in a great spot and so I took the opportunity to walk down to the arch.

The night before (Saturday night) some folks got stuck in the arch for a couple of hours but I decided to take my chances. I went on in and bought my ticket to go up in the arch, the ticket to watch the movie about the building of the arch and my ticket to take a one hour riverboat cruise. First was my movie… as a Civil Engineer I found it totally fascinating. After that it was my turn to go up in the arch. I didn’t find it scary at all and the view was amazing. Here is a view looking out the small windows at the top of the arch. The tall round shaped hotel in the foreground is the hotel I stayed in all week. The Cardinals stadium is just behind it.

After I got down from the top of the arch it was almost time for my riverboat cruise. It was a nice and relaxing ride that allowed me to get some pictures of the arch like the one below in my Photo Hunters: Creative… Revealed post.

When I got off of the riverboat I still had a little bit of time before I had to meet up with the people from my work. I decided to walk over to the courthouse where they held the Dred Scott trial. For those of you who have forgotten your history lesson, he was the “famous” slave who sued his owners for his freedom. The courthouse was gorgeous. Here is a picture of the rotunda area.

On my way back to my hotel I got this great shot of the courthouse with fountain in the foreground and the arch in the background.

Later that afternoon I finally got checked into my room. The rooms were very modern looking… a little small but plenty big for one person. Given that the hotel is cylinder shaped, the rooms were rather pie shaped… which was a bit odd. The view out the window wasn’t anything great… just a view of the interstate and a view of the right half of the arch if you craned your head way to the left. Here is a picture of my hotel room… it’s somewhat difficult to tell that the room was pie shaped.

Sunday night and Monday were boring work stuff but Tuesday night myself and two of my colleagues were able to go to a Cardinals game. They played the Cubs and they lost but I really enjoyed the game. The stadium is absolutely beautiful and there is nothing better than enjoying a nice summer evening at the ballpark.

For Wednesday night I had quite a treat. When I arrived at the airport Sunday morning I saw an ad for something called “The Muny.” I had no idea what it was or where it was but I saw that they were doing the musical, “The Pajama Game” that week. As a big Harry Connick Jr. fan I really wanted to see it. No Harry wasn’t in it in St. Louis… but he starred in the revival on Broadway last year. So after doing a little research earlier in the week, I found out that The Muny was reachable via their subway type system and so I decided to go.

I didn’t get to take a picture of the stage but it was amazing. It was this huge outdoor theatre that held about 10,000… and it was phenomenal!!! The actors and actresses were fantastic and the whole thing was such a treat. One of the supporting actors was Joe Farrell who was the host of Trading Spaces: Family a few years back. He had a great voice as did the rest of actors and actresses… most of them had been in things on Broadway very recently but were spending their summer in St. Louis. The four block walk back from the subway station to my hotel in downtown St. Louis at 11:30 at night was a bit scary but I survived and it was worth the risk.

Seeing the play did make me sad that I didn’t get a chance to see Harry Connick Jr. in it on Broadway but I was so glad to get to see it in St. Louis. It now goes in my list of top four favorite Broadway musicals.

So that was my trip… I definitely enjoyed the city of St. Louis more than I thought I would. Thanks for indulging me by reading about it.

Photo Hunters: Creative... Revealed

2007-07-29T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well Lauren was the closest on her guesses of what the Photo Hunters photos were actually pictures of.

Lauren guessed Photo #1 exactly right... it was the St. Louis Arch with the sun shining off of it.

Photo #2 was in fact a picture of a bridge as Lauren suspected. It was a closeup of some of the trusses in the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.

Thanks to all of you who indulged me by looking at my "Creative" artsy photos. I guess my background in Civil Engineering allows me to be fascinated with large structures such as bridges and arches. :-)

Photo Hunters: Creative

2007-07-28T09:29:00.000-05:00

I tend to take random "creative" photos from time to time so I thought I would share two of those pictures with you for this weeks theme of "Creative." See if you can figure out what either or both of these pictures are of.

Here is "Creative" Photo #1:

Here is "Creative" Photo Number 2:

Leave me a message if you think you know what they are. For more Photo Hunters participants, visit TN Chick.

Greetings from St. Louis

2007-07-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I know I promised to post my Weekend Reflections on Sunday, but I was having Internet issues and wasn't able to do that. Last week was a busy week but a good one. I was very thankful to be home all week with no travel and thankful to make as much progress as I did at my brother's house.

Things here in St. Louis are going pretty well. The work part of things is not all that exciting but I have managed to squeeze in a few fun things as well.

I was very brave and went up in the arch on Sunday morning. I didn't get stuck and there was an amazing view. Tonight we are going to a Cardinals game and I am thinking about ditching my group and going to see a play at the outdoor amphitheatre in town on Wednesday night. They are doing "The Pajama Game" and somehow that sounds more fun that eating at the snooty revolving restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.

I am ready to get home but I am here until Thursday. I am currently booked to come back Thursday afternoon but I am currently debating whether I want to take the early morning flight. It's awfully early but I would get home about five hours earlier.

I will post some pictures from the trip once I get home.

What I've Been Up to This Week

2007-07-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

As I said in my one sad post from earlier this week :-) this is the first week I have actually been at home and in my own bed and my own office all week in quite some time. So I took it upon myself to try and make some progress at my grandparents old house. It is the same town where I live and I lived there for six years rent free while I was in school. My brother lives there now but he will be moving shortly and we need to sell it.

As is usually the case, I tried to do more than I could possibly get done but I did make some progress. I cleaned and cleaned... some of the stuff probably hadn't been cleaned in 10-20 years! I bought new curtains for three rooms and cleaned windows to the extreme. I also cleaned my old bathroom and installed new hardware there.

Here is my favorite accomplishment. This is the dining room at the start of the week. I had already taken down one of the two curtains when I remembered to take the picture.

Here it is today after my brother moved all of his junk out... after cleaning the window... Scooba-ing the floor (think Roomba that mops tile and hard wood floors)... cleaning the baseboards... putting up new curtains from Target... cleaning the chandelier... borrowing a rug (that is somewhat too small) from my Study... and borrowing my brother's Ferrari print (because it matched the color scheme). It didn't take a huge amount of work but it looks a ton better.

I am officially threatening the life of anyone in my family who messes this room up! :-) I spent today painting... and I may fire myself as a painter. It did not go as well as planned. I was hoping to show you a picture of my old room with it's newly painted wall (an accent wall painted with Ralph Lauren River Rock paint) but it is going to need a second coat.

The giant living room is on it's way as well. I painted the ceiling (which took a whole gallon of paint) and replaced the curtains today. I'll save the before and after of that room until it's a little more complete.

I'm exhausted and have to get up about 4:30 to get on a flight to St. Louis in the morning. I will post my Weekend Reflections tomorrow.

Did you know the popcorn bag has a warning in Chinese?

2007-07-19T21:13:00.000-05:00

At least the Publix brand popcorn does. I was eating a bag of popcorn for dinner last night... for the fourth night in a row... and I noticed that there was a warning about the fact that the bag contained potentially hot contents in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. I can't say that I've ever noticed that before.

I know I promised to blog more this week... but I have barely had time to turn around. This is the first week in at least six weeks that I have been in the town where I live for the whole week. I will be gone again for the next two weeks, so I have been trying to be very productive this week. Every day after work I have headed over to my grandparents old house (where my brother currently lives) to do things around the house. He moves out in a few weeks so we eventually need to sell the house. I have been cleaning, straightening, replacing curtains... just generally trying to make things look better and move things along. Hopefully I will have some before and after pictures for you eventually.

I have worked until 10 or 11 every night with no break for dinner... so by the time I have gotten home I have been too tired to cook or stop to buy anything. Therefore I have eaten a bag of popcorn and a coke for dinner. What a healthy alternative!

Hopefully my eating habits will improve next week while I am in St. Louis. I hope everyone is having a good week and one that is slightly less busy than mine.

Weekend Reflections

2007-07-15T22:04:00.000-05:00

I have not been very bloggy lately but I am going to try and do better this week. It has been a summer full of travel and this week was no different. I fortunately was able to spend the week in my hometown with my parents… so that made the travel not nearly as bad.

Sunday morning I was in the town where I live but on Sunday afternoon, Brun and I headed to my hometown. On Monday I had meetings for work in my hometown and then Tuesday through Thursday I was working in Selma for my fifth week. Only one more week to go… but that final week has been delayed for a couple of weeks. On Friday, I had meetings in my hometown. Friday afternoon was not what I originally planned and resulted in the first tow truck ride for Brun, mom and I.

The three of us eventually made it back to the town where I live. Saturday morning it was off to the Hallmark store for ornament premiere weekend… yes that’s right… Christmas ornaments. This is when Hallmark releases most of their ornaments and offers lots of incentives for you to come in and buy your ornaments early. My mom has always collected ornaments and now that I have my own house I collect them as well. We both bought an embarrassing number of ornaments. I love Christmas, so I don’t mind getting in the mood early.

After we finished up there we did a little more shopping and headed to my brother’s house (which is actually my grandparent’s old house). We picked bunches of blueberries and did a little work around the house. Eventually we are going to sell it so I am going to do some more work around there this week. Saturday night my parents headed back to my hometown with Brun in tow. I fly out to St. Louis next weekend for work… so I went ahead and sent him back with them. I am really going to miss him this week.

So this week I am thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful for good fortune related to the tow truck incident. I am thankful for the fact that I am nearly finished with my busy summer travel schedule. I am thankful for my parents… who not only take care of me but do such a great job taking care of my puppy.

I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Brun's First Tow Truck Ride

2007-07-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged much in the past couple of weeks... simply because there hasn't been much going on. Things have been busy... but just the typical work and travel routine I have been living this summer. Apparently I should never complain about the same old, same old because tonight I definitely have something to blog about.

This is my old car getting pulled onto the rollback this evening.

This is Brun who was scared to death of the rollback.

Let me back up for a minute and tell you how I got to this point. I have been working from my hometown and in Selma all week this week... and tonight, my mom, Brun and I were planning to head back to the town where I live. My dad headed up here yesterday and we were supposed to meet him this evening. I went to pick my mom up from work about 5:15 and a few minutes before I got to her office the car started making a terrible noise. Mom and two other folks from her work (Brooke and her boyfriend Charlie) were standing outside and apparently they could hear me coming.

The four of us (minus Brun... who was sitting in the back seat chillin out on my pillow) started investigating the problem. We checked lots of fluids and levels and eventually determined that it seemed to be very, very low on oil... so low it was reading empty on the gauge. Charlie was sweet enough to crawl under the car and potentially ruin his shirt in an attempt to see if anything looked unusual or loose. Dad had just changed the oil Thursday so we thought he might have forgotten to tighten things properly. It wasn't loose... and after several phone conversations with my extremely patient brother we decided that we needed to go get oil to add to the car.

Charlie and Brooke (who are 18 or 19 years old and certainly had better places to be on a Friday evening) were sweet enough to take me to the parts place while Mom and Brun waited outside for us.

When we got back we added several quarts of oil to the car but when we cranked it we realized oil was pouring out. After some more conversations with my brother, we decided to give up and call a tow truck. When I called the tow truck company that my mom's boss recommended, I asked if the dog could go with us. The dispatcher didn't know and said she would have to check. The answer to this question was a deal breaker... but she came back a couple of moments later and said "yes... but he will have to ride in the car." While that wasn't ideal I decided we could roll the windows down enough to get a breeze and he would be okay.

We finally got Brooke and Charlie to go on with their plans for the evening and we waited for the tow truck. It came very quickly and when Phillip our tow truck driver arrived Brun became a nervous wreck. Every noise the truck made scared him to death! He cowered behind me, pulled on his leash trying to get as far away as he could and even tried to jump in the garbage can. :-) As Phillip observed this behavior he told me that Brun could ride in the cab of the truck with us. I was so relieved to hear that.

Phillip got the car loaded up and the four of us (Phillip, Mom, Brun and I) all crowded into the cab for the ride back to my parents house. This ride was certainly a first for Brun and it was actually the first tow truck ride for mom and I as well.

So... all's well that end's well I suppose. We did finally make it back to the town where I live. We had to swap cars and were greatly delayed for our original ETA... but no real problem there.

While it is a bit early for Weekend Reflections... today I am thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful that Brooke and Charlie were so sweet and helpful. I am thankful it wasn't raining or dark when this happened. I am thankful that we discovered the problem in a parking lot as opposed to on the side of the road with no cell phone coverage. I am thankful that I have another car to drive to work next week and I am thankful that the nice tow truck driver allowed Brun to ride in the cab of the tow truck.

Wordless Wednesday: Have a happy and restful 4th of July!

2007-07-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more WW participants!

When I grow up...

2007-07-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

Leslie tagged me for this meme earlier today. The question is: If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices?

1. A PR Representative for a NASCAR team - for several years I have always thought that this would be one of the coolest job in the world

2. A singer on Broadway

3. A photographer for a travel magazine - I have always said that if I had all of the money in the world and could do whatever I wanted I would sing or take pictures...

4. An intern for Southern Living magazine focusing in decorating... not because I have these skills but because I need them

5. Intern for Anderson Cooper 360. I'm not sure I would want to go to some of the dangerous places that Anderson goes but working on the show would be awesome!

And as Leslie said, we really need to open a doggie day care one day so we can quit our other jobs and play with doggies all day!

I am not going to tag anyone else for this one but let me know if you play along so that I can read your job choices.

Weekend Reflections

2007-06-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

Well it’s been another good… and of course busy week. Last Sunday was Father’s Day. I was blessed with a wonderful father who puts up with my whining, and who along with my mom always gets to see my worst side. We have had a lot of great memories over the years and I am very lucky to have a father who loves me so much… despite all of my faults. My parents were in the town where I live on Sunday and so we went to church and then out to lunch. Mom left to go back home Sunday afternoon and Dad stayed until Monday.

On Monday, it was a typical work day and then my dad and I headed back to my hometown. On Tuesday, I was back in Selma for Week #3 of my work in Selma. On Tuesday evening we also went out for my mom’s birthday. Her birthday wasn't until Thursday but since I was in town we celebrated on Tuesday night. We went to a great local seafood place and ate some awesome shrimp.

I mentioned that I have a wonderful dad… well I also have a wonderful mom. I know we may all but heads from time to time, but I love them both so much and I am very lucky to have them as a continuing part of my life. For my mom’s birthday, my brother and I went together and got her a Scooba. Like the Roomba, it is a floor cleaning robot… but this one mops for you. She was very excited about her gift.

Thursday I finished Week #3 in Selma (halfway… yea!!) and headed back to the town where I live. I left Brun at my parent’s house and even though I miss him a lot, I know he is having a great time hanging out in the country with their dogs.

Thursday night I tried to catch up a little around the house and then Friday it was back to work. I made an eye appointment for Friday afternoon because (a) I am out of contacts and (b) by making an appointment on Friday afternoon I forced myself to leave work early. The eye appointment went fine and then I came home, took a nap and hung out at home Friday night.

Saturday I didn't set the alarm and since Brun wasn't home I got to sleep as late as I wanted. I still got up by 9 or so but it was nice to be able to sleep in. Saturday was filled with laundry and cleaning and errand running.

This week I am very thankful for my wonderful parents who love me, put up with me and are two of my best friends. I am also thankful that I am halfway done with my trips to Selma. Finally, I am thankful that Brun can hang out with his grandparents and “cousin dogs” while I am busy traveling for work.

I hope you all had wonderful weeks! For more Weekend Reflections, be sure to visit Judi.

Photo Hunters: Shiny

2007-06-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I took two summers ago at the Oshkosh EAA AirVenture event in Wisconsin. I have no idea who's plane this is... I just thought it was a cool shot.

For one week each summer, this airport that most of you have probably never heard of in Central Wisconsin becomes the world's busiest airport. There are hundreds of thousands of people there and thousands and thousands of small airplanes that people fly in to the event.

My dad and I went in 2005 and 2006. Unfortunately, my work schedule will not allow me to go this year but there's always next year.

For more photo hunters participants, click here.

Brun and the Roomba

2007-06-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

So I mentioned last week that I wasn't sure how Brun would react to the Roomba. I ran it over the weekend and it all seemed to go fairly well. I didn't get any pictures but he watched it very closely as it moved across the room. He didn't hide on the other side of the house but he wasn't quite sure what to think about it. Hopefully he will get more comfortable with it as I continue to use it.

I am on the road again until Thursday but I am sure that I will get a chance to try it out again when I get home.

Weekend Reflections

2007-06-17T21:55:00.000-05:00

Well it's been another busy week on the road.

Last Sunday was a good day. Our small group at church had a bible class after church Sunday night at one of the member's homes. It was a good class... very thought provoking.

Monday was a typical Monday in the office trying to get ready to be on the road for most of the week. Monday night I headed for my hometown in preparation for my three days in Selma (Tuesday through Thursday). Brun had stayed with my parents last weekend so I was very happy to see him when I got to their house.

Tuesday was Day 1 in Selma... nothing too exciting there. Wednesday morning I had a meeting back in my hometown so I was a bit delayed getting to Selma. That was okay with me that meant that I didn't have to stand outside all Wednesday morning. Thursday finished up Week 2 in Selma (1/3 complete) and I headed back to the town where I live with Brun in tow.

On Friday I was back in the office trying to catch up from being gone. Friday afternoon my parents came into town for the weekend. Even though I had seen them for most of the week I am always happy to see them. Friday night we went out to Logan's with Leslie, ToolMan and CRB. Friday night I had to give Brun a bath. He has a lot of fun at my parents house but he comes back FILTHY! I should have washed him on Thursday but I was too tired to worry about it.

Saturday was my "catch up" day. I took Brun to the vet to have his nails cut. That sounds rather girly but he spends enough time inside that I take him to the vet to have them trimmed fairly regularly. After that I started running errands including purchasing a Father's Day card and present and looking for a new purse. Leslie met me at one of the malls and that is when we found our FitFlops.

I spent most of the afternoon running errands and then came home for a late afternoon nap. I must have been pretty tired because when my parents called at 8:15 to see what I wanted to eat for dinner they woke me up and I wasn't sure if it was morning or night. :-) They brought home some dinner and we watched some TV. Saturday and Sunday was the 24 Hours of LeMans Sports Car race so I stayed up way too late last night watching that.

So I guess my week was pretty boring. I am thankful for the fact that I have completed two weeks in Selma (only four more to go). I am thankful that I am able to squeeze in a much needed nap from time to time. I am thankful for my parents who let me stay with them when I am on the road for work, who take care of my dog while I am traveling and who still take care of me.

I hope everyone had a great week! Be sure to visit Judi for more Weekend Reflections.

FitFlops!!!

2007-06-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

So today Leslie and I were out shopping at our local mall. We wandered in Bath and Body Works looking for this bag that we thought they might have on sale. As we walked towards the back of the store I might have screamed (or at least gasped) when I saw these!

In my Photo Hunters from last week I mentioned these shoes but at the time I didn't think that any store in my area carried them. I was totally shocked when they actually had them and they actually had them in my size!!

Of course Leslie and I had to buy them. They were only $40... $5 less than most places online. It is more than I usually spend on flip flops but if it's foot wear and a work out all in one you can't beat that. :-) Check out their website if you want to read more about them.

I plan on wearing them this week while I am teaching class so hopefully I will have nice, skinny legs in one week or less. :-)

Photo Hunters: Hair

2007-06-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

Brun's hair has made quite the evolution over his one and a half years of life. Here is his hair on the day I brought him home:

Here is his hair at one year:
Here is his hair today (and no his eyes don't really look like that):

His hair today doesn't look all that different from his hair at one year old but it does have more light colored, softer hair in it. For more Photo Hunters participants, visit TN Chick.

Time Travel Tuesday: Vacation Memories

2007-06-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Over at Annie's site we are traveling back to our favorite vacation memories. A lot of others seem to be traveling back to several vacations so I thought I would do the same. Unfortunately I am traveling again this week and so I do not have access to any pictures from any of these vacations. So imagine with me if you can...

*When we were younger my family used to go camping at the beach over Columbus Day weekend. We didn't camp ON the beach but we would camp at the state park near the beach. I still love camping and so I remember that being a lot of fun. The weather in October was cool and I much prefer going to the beach that time of year. We didn't really "rough it" too much... I remember one time taking a lamp, TV and Nintendo. :-)

*When I was growing up my dad had a trip in Washington DC every January. My mom, brother and I went with him twice on these trips and to this day Washington DC is still one of my favorite cities to visit. There is so much to see with all of the museums and historical locations.

*My first plane trip was to New York City the summer of 1996 after my Junior year in high school. I went with a bunch of people from school to see plays and tour all the typical New York sites. We even went to appear on the Today Show. That year we got to see Beauty and the Beast and Moon Over Buffalo (with Carol Burnett). I went back to NYC the next year on the same trip. That year my whole family went and we saw my all time favorite musical Jekyll & Hyde. I know we saw two other shows but at the moment I can't remember what they were.

*Probably my most memorable and favorite vacation was our family trip to Australia in the Spring of 2005. We spent a week in Brisbane where my brother's girlfriend was studying abroad for the semester. During that week we toured a rain forest, visited the Steve Irwin zoo and snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef. During the second week of our trip we flew to Sydney. It is an amazing city with so much to see and do.

*Another favorite vacation is the yearly trip that my dad and I take to Road Atlanta for the American LeMans sports car race in September or October. We camp out for a week and have a great time. I usually come back more relaxed and rested after that trip than anything else I do all year. We started this in 2001 and we try to get over there every fall.

Well thanks for indulging in my trip down memory lane to some of my favorite vacation spots. There are so many more great trips that I could talk about but for now I will spare you. :-)

For more vacation memories, be sure to visit Annie's site.

Roomba's First Run

2007-06-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

This is my new "friend" the Roomba Discovery. If you remember my Weekend Reflection post from a couple of weeks ago, I bought him on in the most recent Woot Off. Given how much I have been gone from home, I finally got the chance to run him last Saturday. I thought I should be home the first time it ran just to see how it worked. It was actually faster and quieter than I thought it would be.

It ran into no major problems and it returned to it's base to charge itself when it was full or when the battery was low... whichever came first. It doesn't have a terribly large bin for the stuff it picks up but I was still thoroughly impressed! So impressed that I did not feel compelled to run my Dyson to pick up any remaining dirt when it finished its run. I am not a big fan of cleaning but vacuuming is one task that I don't hate.

However, I don't have time to vacuum as often as I would like and I think that the Roomba is going to be the perfect solution! All I have to do is hit one button and it will run while I am out and about. It even gets under things like the Love Seat that I can't easily get under with the Dyson.

I left it running Sunday morning while I was at church and it got caught on a bad spot on the carpet. That wasn't the Roomba's fault and it just waited for me to come home and attend to it. I tried again Sunday night while I was at church and it ran with no trouble. It was safely resting on it's base waiting for it's next adventure.

I love gadgets so this one is right up my alley. It helps keep the house cleaner and it requires little work on my part. It's really cute too. :-) It plays a little song when it starts and it has a little rotating brush that helps it to know when it has run into a wall or a piece of furniture. Now I just have to come up with a name for it... any ideas?

I'm also not sure how Brun is going to react to it. He is terrified of the Dyson and goes to the opposite side of the house and hides. This one can "chase" him around the house so my guess is that he will hate it. I may have to limit its run to times when Brun is outside. I'll report on that next time I run it when he is around.

Weekend Reflections

2007-06-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well it has been another busy week (I feel like I say that every week). Last Sunday my parents were in town and so it was good to have them here. We went to church and I napped all afternoon. I try not to nap all afternoon on Sunday's but some days it just works out that way. Then after my nap it was back to church. We had singing last Sunday night. I love to sing and so I enjoyed that.

On Monday it was a fairly typical day at work filled with lots of meetings (as most Monday's usually are) and preparing for the rest of the week. On Monday night it was off to my hometown with Brun in tow.

On Tuesday my summer of travel for work really got kicked off. I have been dreading it but the sooner it starts the sooner it will be over... right? On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week I had to work in Selma, Alabama. During those three days I am helping to train and deploy law enforcement officers on a computer program. It's a cool computer program but working with them for three days straight and spending time outside for half a day on Wednesday and half a day on Thursday in the near 100 degree heat is completely exhausting work. This was week one... I have five more weeks of it. So from now until mid July (except for the week of the fourth of July) I will be spending more time in Selma than in my office.

The good part of my time in Selma is that I do get to spend time with my parents in my hometown. I have opted to stay with them since they live close enough to Selma that I would rather drive back and forth every day as opposed to stay in a hotel. If you remember, I HATE hotels.

On Tuesday night I went to Amberly's with my mom and dad to "help" with the sewing project. I don't really know how to sew so I was much more useful playing with Amberly's girls than trying to help with the sewing. And I honestly probably enjoyed hanging out with them as opposed to trying to be useful on the sewing front. :-)

Thursday night I came back to the town where I live and accomplished absolutely nothing. I was so exhausted that I just sat/layed on my couch and watched TV. On Friday I went back to the office and tried to catch up from being out of the office for three days. I had to stay until 7 pm trying to get stuff done.

However, Friday night and Saturday were just for me. I cooked dinner Friday night and tried to catch up a little bit around the house. Saturday I worked on a number of different projects (including cleaning my messy house), watched a lot of racing, wore my pajamas all day and honestly never left the house. It was wonderful. :-)

So this week I am thankful that one week of my travel to Selma (16.67%) is over. I am thankful that my house is relatively clean and will hopefully stay that way while I am out of town this week. I am thankful that I had Friday night and Saturday to "catch up" on sleep and on projects for me.

I hope everyone had a great week. For more Weekend Reflections participants, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Photo Hunters: Shoes

2007-06-08T23:21:00.000-05:00

I hate shoes... possibly because I wear a size 10.5 and have a lot of trouble finding shoes. But given that I still have to wear shoes (most days) these are my favorite shoes. If I could wear flip flops every day, all year long I would be just fine with that.

I just read about these shoes this morning... I think I might have to order me some. :-)

For more photo hunters, go here.

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Glasses

2007-06-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom or the Wordless Wednesday hub.

Weekend Reflections

2007-06-03T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well it's been another busy week. Sunday was a good day filled with church and lots of race watching. I was very happy with the outcome of the IRL and NASCAR race so it was a nice day.

Monday was a holiday for most of this country but for some reason the institution where I work does not recognize it has a holiday. I find that very tacky and really quite disrespectful. A number of people from my office did take off but those of us who were in the office were probably not as productive as we should be... we were all a bit miffed at the fact that we were working on Memorial Day.

Tuesday was another work day but I don't remember anything all that spectacular or memorable. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at midnight the fun began... it was time for another Woot Off!!! Some of you might remember me talking about the Woot monkeys I got at the last Woot Off. The Woot off started at midnight and when they start you have no idea how long it is going to last... they last at least 24 hours and can go for 72 hours. Well this one turned into a 72 hour marathon and I spent way way WAY too much time constantly watching Woot. I did buy a few very exciting things but given the amount of time that I wasted watching Woot I really did not buy that much.

I did buy a roomba for floor vacumming. It was a great deal and it actually arrived yesterday. I haven't used it yet but I hope to use it later tonight. I also got an emergency car kit with things like jumper cables, flashlight, air compressor, etc. It was $13 and places like Kohl's have them for about $60... so I thought that was a good deal. I also kind of accidentally ordered a portable heater for my car. I didn't know it was for your car and I had to jump on the offer before they ran out... but I'm not quite sure what I will do with that. It was only like $8. I also bought a DVD player that you can mount under your counter or use as a portable DVD player. I probably really didn't need that but it was a great deal and I wanted it... so I bought it. When the Woot Off FINALLY ended on Friday night they didn't have Woot monkeys... this time they had a Woot T-shirt. So I of course had to get one of those.

The Woot Off was fun but the novelty wore off sometime in Day 2 and I was glad to see it end. I stayed up way too late every night watching for what the new item was going to be. I was happy with the stuff that I was able to buy for a good price but there were several other things I would have liked to have gotten that they didn't have... oh well.

Saturday was a busy, busy day. I got up early to run some errands and to finish monogramming some towels for a Wedding Shower present. Around 10:30 (after I finished the present and got it wrapped) I made it to the Wedding Shower. The towels were a big hit so that was nice. After the shower I went to work for a little while to finish some stuff up that I didn't finish during the week due to my excessive Woot watching :-). Then I met my parents for lunch and headed over to the house where my brother lives to help do things around the house.

We are still working on trying to get it ready to sell but we hopefully helped with the curb appeal yesterday. I pulled vines and weeds that were the size of small trees for several hours. Some of the vines were evil with extremely painful thorns. I was not dressed appropriately (I was wearing shorts and a tank top) so I look like I got in a fight with a pack of cats... my legs and arms are all scratched up. But, the two areas we worked on looked SO much better after we finished with them... so it was worth it. We pulled enough out that we made a pile on the street that was as big as my SUV!!!

So this week I am thankful for the Woot off and the cool new things I was able to purchase... I am thankful that the Woot off is over... I am thankful that we were able to make some progress at my brother's house yesterday and I am thankful that I did not have to travel this week.

I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Happy Race Day

2007-05-27T23:57:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my Weekend Reflections that I planned to park myself in front of the TV and watch racing all day. Well I pretty much did just that. Given that church and a brief nap were also a part of the day, I am just finishing up with some of my race watching.

Now I am the first to admit that it doesn't take much to make me happy but tonight I am very happy. I have actually met both the Indy 500 winner and the Coke 600 winner!

I know most of you couldn't care less :-) but Dario Franchitti won the rain delayed Indy 500 this afternoon. (And for those that don't care about racing... he is also married to actress Ashley Judd.) I actually got a chance to meet him at the Osh Kosh air show last summer and again at the Sebring race this past Spring. Here is a picture with him from Osh Kosh last year (we were under a yellow Klein tools tent so that's why we both look rather yellow).

And then Casey Mears won the Coca-Cola 600 tonight. I met him at an autograph session at Talladega a few years ago. I was by myself so I don't have a picture with him but here is a picture of him.

When I watched the end of the Coke 600, I was bouncing around the house clapping and acting goofy which only caused Brun to run around and act silly so now we are both out of breath.

Okay well I was just happy so I wanted to share... now it's off to bed.

Weekend Reflections

2007-05-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

It has been another crazy busy week filled with lots of travel. Last weekend I went to my hometown and attended a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. The baby shower was so nice and the couple got lots of cute things for their baby. While I enjoyed the shower I missed getting my Sunday afternoon nap. :-)

After church Sunday night it was back to the town where I live. I was so tired I came home and went almost directly to bed. Monday was a normal day of work and then it was back to my hometown. On Tuesday I had to work in my hometown and then drive back to the town where I live. On Wednesday it was work back in the town where I live and then right back to my hometown again. Thursday morning was a meeting for work in my hometown and then it was back to the town where I live.

So given that each trip is about 2.5 hours each way... I was in the car 12.5 hours. YUCK!!

Thursday night after I got back to the town where I live Brun had a bath. He had been at my parent’s house all week and even though he had a great time he was filthy!! He loves spending time with my parents and his “cousin dogs” but he comes back quite nasty.

On Friday I had a normal day of work in the town where I live. My dad rode with me back to the town where I live on Thursday afternoon and then my mom came into town Friday night. Friday night we ate at my house and did some stuff around the house.

On Saturday Leslie and I hung out and she and Classic Rock Baby came over and we worked on some sewing projects. I am so amazed at how great Brun is with the baby. He can be an absolute looney toon when we are playing but he is so sweet to the baby… he lets him pet him and squeal at him and he just plays along. Saturday night, my parents and I went to dinner with Leslie, ToolMan and CRB.

The week was filled with lots and lots of travel but it all went well. So I would say my week was pretty tiring and the weekend was definitely the high point. This week I am thankful that I had safe travels in all of my driving. I am also thankful for my family and friends who I spent time with during the week. And I am thankful that I do not have to do any travel next week.

Finally, I am thankful for the fact that this coming Sunday is race day. Being a big racing fan I can start my day with the F1 race, watch the Indy 500 after church Sunday afternoon and then finally finish up the day with the Coca-Cola 600 after church Sunday night. I will be very tired of watching cars drive around in circles (or on road courses in the case of the F1 race) by the end of the day Sunday but I love it. :-)

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi.

Photo Hunters: Colorful

2007-05-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken out at the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago. The picture doesn't fully capture the amazing colors I saw that day... it was absolutely breathtaking.

The Meme About Me

2007-05-23T22:08:00.000-05:00

So Leslie tagged me for The Meme About Me.

What were you doing 10 years ago? May 1997: I graduated high school on May 19, 1997 and a couple of days later I headed to Disney World with some friends from church. As soon as I got back from that trip I went to Wrightsville Beach, NC with my family.

What were you doing 1 year ago? May 2006: I was on a cruise to Alaska with my parents and about 20 other people that we knew from church. One year ago tonight I was texting Leslie from Alaska to find out who won American Idol.

Five snacks you enjoy: nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pretty much all of them), Double Stuff Oreos, M&Ms, popcorn, cokes (I know this is a drink but I tend to make it a snack)

Five songs that you know all the lyrics: "If I Had $1,000,000" - Barenaked Ladies, "Old Blue Chair" - Kenny Chesney, "Someone Like You" - Jekyll & Hyde, "California Girls" (and pretty much every other Beach Boys song), "We Are in Love" - Harry Connick Jr.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire: buy my dream house (or at least a bigger house), start a doggie day care where Leslie and I could work so we could ditch our current jobs, figure out something to buy for my parents... maybe an RV so they could travel, take my family and friends on a big trip, donate the rest to organizations doing good things for animals

Five bad habits: Not answering personal e-mails, not listening for comprehension when other people are talking to me, checking my e-mail too much on my pda, staying up watching tv when I am already tired, not using my elliptical trainer as much as I should

Five things you like doing: spending time with Brun being lazy around the house, watching Nascar, embroidering with my new embroidery machine, whatever other craft project is my latest craze, napping on Sunday afternoon

Five things you would never wear again: I have learned to never say never but I will say probably my prom dress (although I wore it not that long ago), my cap and gown, pantyhose (I think I have managed to not wear these for over a year... so maybe I can keep it up), blue eye shadow, high waisted pants

Five favorite toys: my embroidery machine, my Tivo (even the fake DVR TiVo wanna be), my flat screen HDTV, my cameras, my phones

This was harder than I thought!

I'm not going to tag anyone else but let me know if you play along so I can read the answers.

Time Travel Tuesday: My First Blog Post

2007-05-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

Well I did not participate in Time Travel Tuesday last week... I might have to revisit age 18 another day but for this week I am going to get my act together and participate. This week we are supposed to revisit our first blog post. Well for me that really wasn't that long ago... only March 22 of this year. But in case you missed it the first time or just want to read it again, here it is:

Welcome to my blog

Who needs a blog? Apparently I do. Seems like everyone I know has a blog so I figured I should have one too. I don't have any kids to blog about and my life is not all that interesting, but I do have a miniature labradoodle named Brun. He's a great dog who used to be brown... hence his name (which means brown in French). He is now more of a silver color but he won't answer to Stirling... so we still call him Brun.

Brun came from St. Louis and weighs about 45 pounds. Some would argue that 45 pounds is not miniature but he's just right for me. He is a little over a year old and he's a lot of fun. For those of you who don't know what a labradoodle is, it's a mix between a Labrador retriever and a poodle.

So sit back and enjoy this blog. There will be lots of tidbits and anecdotes about Brun and about my life in general. I can't say that it will be interesting or riveting but if you have read this far hopefully it will keep your interest for at least a little while.

So why did I start a blog? Well I had been reading Amberly and Lauren's blogs on a daily basis and I was talking to Leslie on the phone one day and we just decided we needed blogs. Some days I'm not sure that my life is interesting enough to blog about but I have enjoyed it so far... even in weeks like this past week when I have been pretty blog lazy. So given my enjoyment level so far, I hope I keep it up for a long time.

For other time travelers, visit Annie's site.

I'm still here

2007-05-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have become a lazy blogger over the past couple of weeks. In fact this weekend when I saw Amberly, she said with a smile "You have been slacking on your blog." I know she's right but I'm not sure why I've been such a slacker. Things haven't been that much busier than normal... I guess there just hasn't been that much interesting going on.

I will try to do better this week. Tonight I am back in my hometown for work tomorrow and then I will be back again Wednesday night for work on Thursday... so it's going to be a week on the road. That doesn't typically make for interesting blogging but I'll try to do better. :-)

Just wanted to let you all know that I was still alive. Now it's off to watch the end of "The Bachelor." Why do I watch these completely mindless reality TV shows?? :-) Talk to you soon!

Weekend Reflections

2007-05-13T23:37:00.000-05:00

Well I am once again very late with my Weekend Reflections but I think it is a beneficial thing to reflect on the week that was and so I am going to go ahead and take a shot at it.

The first of last week was fairly routine with work on Monday and work half a day on Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon I was headed to Atlanta for work. More often than not I dread trips for work that force me to stay in a hotel... but I was actually looking forward to this one. I love Atlanta and while I don't think I would ever want to live there, I do enjoy visiting and it had been a long time since I have been over there.

Because of the way my schedule worked out I traveled alone and met up with some people from work when I got to Atlanta. Call me crazy but I actually prefer to travel alone. I can listen to what I want on the radio, talk on the phone to whoever I want and stop (or not stop) whenever I want... and best of all I don't have to worry about awkward silences between me and whoever else is in the car. :-)

So I arrived safely in Atlanta Tuesday evening and met up with several folks for a wonderful steak dinner at a local restaurant called Houston's. Wednesday was filled with relatively boring meetings but overall they weren't too terrible. By the time Wednesday night rolled around everyone else from my group had headed back home and so I was left in the city by myself. My hotel was in the downtown Buckhead area and so I walked next door to the mall and shopped around a little bit before time for church. I had not been to church in Atlanta in about two and a half years but it was good to see some old friends while I was there. One of them got married and had a baby since the last time I saw him... which was a huge surprise but an exciting one.

After church I made my way to the Cheesecake Factory (one of my absolute favorites) where I enjoyed my sandwich but was disappointed to find out that they were out of the dessert that I love so much. I don't eat cheesecake at all but they have a brownie and ice cream dessert that is wonderful! Since they were out of that I passed and went back to my hotel. Oh well... I didn't need the extra calories anyways.

On Thursday I did not have to be at the meeting until after lunch so I slept in and piddled around the hotel room until lunch time. After my meeting was over I headed back for home. On Thursday night I met my parents and aunt and uncle in Birmingham for a Collector's Club meeting. This is a monthly meeting for Hallmark ornament collectors. I am the youngest member of the club but it's fun to go and they have cool door prizes. On Thursday night my mom, aunt and uncle presented the meeting on their collections... not of Hallmark ornaments but other things. My mom and my uncle both collect old watches so they had a beautiful collection on display for everyone to see. My uncle also collects old wood planes... which are used to shape wood... and so he brought a bunch of those.

After the Collector's Club meeting I finally got back home to my wondeful dog Brun. He was very happy to see me and I was very happy to see him. My roommate is so sweet to take care of him but I still miss him and worry about him while I am gone. My parents also came back to my house for an extended weekend to do some things around the house where my brother lives.

Friday was possibly the least productive day I have ever had at work. :-) I had been out of town for two and a half days so it felt like everyone wanted to visit and catch me up on what I had missed. A lot of it was work discussion but not a lot of real work got done... oh well. Friday night I worked on some sewing projects and ate dinner at home with my parents.

On Saturday morning I didn't accomplish much. Saturday afternoon I went to my brother's house for a very brief time to help my parents do some things around the house and then it was time to head to the wedding.

So it was another busy week but a good one. This week I am thankful for exciting big cities like Atlanta (that I can visit but don't have to live in), old friends who I can catch up with from time to time and for happy couples like Bryan and Haley who find each other.

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Wedding Bells

2007-05-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

No they most definitely were not my own wedding bells... but tonight it was time for a wedding. I have to start by saying that I really don't like weddings. I certainly support the institution of marriage, but the idea of big, fancy weddings is just not my thing. I mean no offense to those of you had that had a big, fancy wedding but they just aren't for me. I tell my friends quite often that if they will just elope I will buy them a nicer present because I don't have to worry about going to the wedding. No one has taken me up on it yet. :-)

But as the calendar turns to May it was time for the first wedding of the summer. I do have to say that this is the first wedding in a long time that I wasn't completely dreading attending. The wedding was for one of my brother's best friends. My brother, Wren, and Bryan, the groom, have been best friends since they were little boys... probably 20 years or more.

Bryan's father is a pilot and so they moved around fairly often, but his career path brought them to my hometown several times when we were growing up... and most of our younger years were spent living in the same town and going to the same church. Our families were (and still are) good friends but Wren and Bryan have done a better job keeping in touch than the rest of us have.

There is no way to describe the relationship that Wren and Bryan have other than total love for each other. I have so many great memories growing up that involve Bryan as he and Wren spent many, many days together. I remember the days when Wren and Bryan were about six years old and Bryan didn't talk (at least not around my family) and Wren had to talk for him... I remember spending time at the various houses that they lived in in my hometown... I remember helping them pack and unpack as they moved around... and I remember when Wren and Bryan roomed together their first semester in college.

Bryan and his family have held... and always will hold a special place in my heart. And so tonight I wasn't dreading the wedding. Bryan found a very special girl named Haley and I am sure that they are going to be happy together.

Earlier today I found this picture (Bryan is on the left and Wren is on the right):

And later tonight I took this picture (Wren is on the left and Bryan is on the right):

In some ways it is as if no time has passed between the two pictures... but alas, 20 years have flown by. And while Wren and Bryan will still love each other as only best friends can... Bryan has found Haley and has chosen to love her and devote his life to her. I wish them only the best as they begin their life together.

Photo Hunters: Five

2007-05-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of five of Brun's favorite toys. This was not an easy picture to take by the way... when I started moving the toys around Brun wanted to play with all of them.

Number 1 is Pink Dog. Pink Dog was his first toy and it is probably his favorite. Leslie brought him over to the house on the night that I brought Brun home. Pink Dog is currently in the dog toy hospital as Brun has ripped his head open... but he has been repaired once and he will be repaired again.

Number 2 is Eggplant. Eggplant has been repaired numerous times and is now missing his arms and his "stem." I love eggplant because instead of the normal high pitched squeak that most dog toys make, eggplant makes a grunting noise.

Number 3 is Purple Elephant. This is a fluffy favorite that came from Wal-Mart I believe.

Number 4 is Froggie. Froggie is technically a beanie baby toy for dogs and he is a favorite around our house.

Number 5 is Green Bear. Green Bear was another gift from Leslie in Brun's Easter Basket last year. You can tell from his dingy color that he is well loved.

Brun has bunches and bunches of toys... more than any dog could ever need but these are his five favorites.

For more Photo Hunters, click here.