Well...they spend the day out in the woods of west AR, ridin' 4-wheelers and tryin' their very best not to get shot as it is still deer season out there...and then they find the only mud hole in the state (seeing as how we haven't gotten a lick of rain in many weeks), proceeding to get 3 vehicles stuck in the mud. What a grand time! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to posting some interesting New Year's stories... :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
There is a list of folks I know, all written in a book,
And every year at Christmas time I go and take a look,
And that is when I realize that these names are a part,
Not of the book they're written in, but of my very heart.
For each name stands for someone who has walked my path sometime,
And in that meeting, you've become the "Rhythm of the Rhyme".
And though sometimes the list may change and not remain the same,
I really feel I am composed of each beloved name.
And while you may not be aware of any special link,
Just know that you have shaped my life more than you can think.
For once you've met somebody, the years cannot erase,
The memory of a pleasant word or of a loving face.
So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine,
Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between.
For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you,
It's because you're on a list of folks that I'm indebted to.
For be you a relative, a friend, or someone I've just met,
You happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.
And whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some way you have had a part in shaping the things I do.
And every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew,
The biggest gifts that life can give are knowing folks like you.
And may the spirit of Christmas that forever and ever endures,
Leave its richest blessing in the hearts of your and yours.
And as you read this message I send to you at Christmas time,
Know that I send you all my love, while you are on my mind. ---Anonymous
This poem was sent to me a while back, some Christmas' ago, and I really liked it. So, I share it with all of you who visit this blog site. Whether or not I have sent you a Christmas card...and I apologize if I have forgotten anyone (I highly recommend not moving in between Thanksgiving and Christmas because there really is no time!)...I hope you all know that you're in my thoughts this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!!!
As promised, here's some shots of the new canoe...Cat and I just couldn't resist taking a day to do some fishing and to break in my new purchase! Of course, it was windy, cold, and we didn't even get a bite. But it was worth it...Cat says my paddling abilities are more entertaining than fishing itself. Can't say that I care much for wind versus a canoe.
The motley crew shot are some very good friends of mine (minus a few missing souls) who helped me move over the weekend (L to R: Brent aka Nutz, Cat Funkalicious, Lance, Blu, Pappa Funk, Beck, Cousin Matt, and Amy). What a grand time! You guys are the best and I can't say **thanks** enough for all your help! They are also the folks who've "drug" me into paddling, so I have lots to be thankful there as well. To borrow from Nutz...you crackers!
So, now I've moved and it'll be unpacking for many, many, many days. I hope to have things settle before going to Ft. Lauderdale for 3 weeks...we'll see how that goes! Miss Kate loves to pal around with Rio and it seems Roxy (the cat) has got her bluff in with Rio.
Hope everyone is doing well and having a stress-free holiday season so far!
The truck finally has its' canoe rack...thanks to many friends (thanks Lance, Ken, Beck, Blu, Jaysson, Cat, and Andrea!) and their knowledge of assembling things of this nature. Also bought a canoe on Sunday. The day the weather decided to turn bad. These photos were actually taken Sunday morning, but by that afternoon, it was quite a different story.
We ended up getting 2 canoes in Ponca, AR (thanks to Buffalo Outdoor Center!) and had to travel down to Clarksville, AR to catch I-40 back to LR...keeping in mind no cell phone service in that area (roughly 40+ miles, all hills and valleys). Well, it was storming/raining/windy on the drive, but we never had a clue that we were driving on the edge of tornado warnings. Until we got to Clarksville (and cell phone service!!) and found out just what kind of situation we were in...many of us had guardian angels that night as there were a few traveling along the roadways. I have to say a HUGE **THANKS** to Cat for keeping me company on the drive home and for "saving" my canoe!!
I don't have any pics of the canoe yet, but those will soon follow!
What?!...Did you guys think that just because we're on hiatus for the PA Program that I would take a break from posting?? I'll keep posting throughout the year just because!! This past weekend we were all tailgatin' fools...The HOGS played in the Rock and although we are not having a great year, we still beat MSU on Saturday!! WOOOOOOOOOOPIGSOOOOOOOIE!!! GO HOGS GO!! There was a lot of people out on War Memorial golf course...good times! And there was no shortage of food and fun! That's Cat and Amy (the two "perfect" chicks in Central AR), in the shot above (with lil' Miss Kate, of course!) and yours truly with her spoiled little bird dog.
Kate sure did have a grand time and seemed to find many a lap to sit in throughout the entire time (from breakfast to lunch to afternoon naps!).
It's now Thanksgiving week...where does time go?? I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We'll start back up with PA stuff in January...but I may sneak in a post or two between now and then...so keep checkin'!
I can't believe it's been almost two weeks! In a way, it's gone by quick; but, it also feels like forever since I've been home! These last two days we've been learning about Tribal Affairs. I can definitely say this course has been a real eye-opener and I go back to Little Rock District with many quesitons.
We had lunch today at the famous Gus' Pretzel place near the brewry. Stuffed pretzels (your choice of bratwurst, italian sausage, etc.), cinnamon pretzels, and/or Ted Drewe's frozen custard (and they really mean frozen!). It wasn't quite the sit down place, so we walked a couple of blocks and found this gorgeous park to eat lunch--the weather was absolutely beautiful (not too cool out yet!). And on our way back to the hotel, we drove by old Busch Stadium--"deconstruction" started the other day and we were able to watch a few "strikes" by the wrecking ball. It's supposedly a 24-7 operation...with the 2006 season starting around April, they don't have much time to mess around!!
Our last dinner in Arch town was at the famous (or should I say infamous) Cheesecake Factory in the Galleria mall. I really don't want to see another cheesecake for a while...food was great and many thanks to the folks who waited in line for us (our group of 20), since they wouldn't take reservations. And the dinner conversation topics were even better...but what happens in St. Louie, stays in St. Louie :) (Hey Joanie...we will hold you to your promise of bringing rum balls to Ft. Lauderdale!!)
Most of us take off early in the AM tomorrow morning; I hope everyone has safe travels and there will be many more adventures and stories to tell in Florida!
After a full day of Tribal Affairs, and after staying late tonight to work on additional points for our HOBB, a few of us decided to hit BB's Jazz and Soups for dinner. Food was ok, music (and of course, beer) was even better. So, if you're in the area and have a need for some beers and blues, try BB's on Broadway!
Tomorrow's the last day of our first meeting and I must say, it's been a great experience so far. It can be a bit overwhelming, at times, but we've had some really good instructors, not to mention one heck of a facilitator! We started out as many strangers, but I think we are all quickly becoming fast friends. Next stop is Ft. Lauderdale, Florida...3 weeks of teambuilding.
Ya'll keep reading out there, and I'll keep posting! Take care!
It's as if we're back almost 200 years...this is part of the group atop one of the bigger mounds at Cahokia. This site is located across the Mississippi River, but you still get a great view of St. Louis if you look back to the west!
Today started out really cold and very windy, but in the end, it turned out to be a pretty decent day. It was our first of many field trips. We visited the settlement of Cahokia, which in its' prime rivaled in population cities like London, England and Paris, France. The mound we climbed up to this morning was thought to be a very sacred place, probably considered a temple. The surrounding area was filled with smaller mounds, which other structures would be built upon (shelters, storages, etc.).
This afternoon we visited Ste. Genevieve, about 60 miles south of St. Louis. This was also a very early settlement, which was moved a few times in history due to flooding of the Mississippi. It's a very quaint town, almost New Englandish in a way. Perfect with the changing of the leaves!
Tomorrow, we'll be back in class...the next two days will cover Tribal Affairs. I'll keep posting!
Here we are, at the brewery...post-tour watering hole. This was actually my second time visiting Anheuser-Busch and I have to say, it is one of the highlights of St. Louis. Plus, got to see 3 places listed on the National Historic Register, which fits in quite nicely with what we've been studying these past couple of days in Cultural Resources Management.
That was Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning was spent working on taking the Myers-Briggs test (I'm a ISFJ!), our book review, and starting up our HOBB (home office back brief). Saturday night we went to dinner at Lombardo's, a really good Italian place (but be warned...if you order appetizers and a salad, you won't be able to eat your main course!!). We had a pretty good storm roll through the city last night; I hear we didn't get much rain back home in LR!
Sunday was a day of sleeping in, shopping, and hockey! Oh, and also catching up back home with all the phone calls--I have to say thanks to Cat, Andrea, Cherilyn, and Karyn...you guys rock and thanks for calling!! I must say, I had a grand time shopping today with our course facilitator, Judy Morrison; most of you know that I don't like shopping, but at least this experience was enjoyable. I was able to get some really good buys at Eddie Bauer, the one store I would max a credit card out if ever given the opportunity.
The hockey game was a great time too--my first professional hockey game! I hate to say it, but the Blues lost (to a really good team, though--the Red Wings). No big fights and really no bloodshed, so maybe in the rabid-hockey-fan world, it wasn't such a great game. I had fun, though, and would go again if I had the chance.
Tomorrow we're off to Cahokia, one of the oldest settlements/burial sites in North America. It's our first field trip and I'm looking forward to actually spending some time out of this hotel! We should have good weather for it too.
Well, that's about it for now. Gotta get some sleep. Take care all and talk with everyone soon!
OK...it's really late and it's been a long day, but I wanted to send out a quick update (I'll have another post with pictures soon!).
We finished our Cultural Resources section of the class on Friday afternon; tomorrow, we'll be working on our first HOBBs (home office back briefs) and also a book review. I think there may be a push to go see the Arch in the afternoon...but I believe it might be raining, so we'll see what happens. Tonight, a group of us went to the movies; some went to see the 2nd Zorro movie, while others went to see Jarhead. I went to the latter and have to say it was a very good movie. Without giving away too much detail, it was a great representation of what a person can go through in a situation like that; I can only begin to imagine...
We actually have Sunday off; I know in the evening we'll be headed to the Blues and Red Wings game, (my first professional hockey game!), but I think I may be sleeping otherwise!! Although, someone mentioned checking out Missouri wine country...so much to do, so little time!!
As always, hope everyone is doing well!! Good night!
Well, here we are...smack dab in the middle of the Hyatt lobby. Take a good look because these are the people I'll be spending most of the next 11 months with! Today was a fairly good day--lots of info shared. One point they told us was to keep our "homes" updated on the activities we do and what we're going through...I think this blog is great for doing just that.
UPDATE...A lot of people have requested a who's who, so here's the list of the group and where they're from, left to right, BOTTOM ROW: Randy Campbell; Barbara Blumeris; Dana Needham; Joan Lanier; Maria Chin; TOP ROW: Jason Needham; Alicia Kirchner; Martin Gonzalez; Clarke Hemphill; Vechere Lamply; Shawneen O'Neill; and Jeremy Weber.
We had our 1st group dinner tonight at one of St. Louis' brew pubs called Schlafly. If you're interested, their web site is www.schlafly.com
Good food, but I didn't try any beers. Well, it's been a day of firsts. Hope everyone is doing good and I'll keep on posting (although, I wouldn't be expecting a post every night...a girl's gotta get some rest, ya' know!)
Hi guys! Just wanted to say that I made it to St. Louie all safe and sound! It's a bit dreary up here...lots of rain and it's cold! I guess it's good Halloween weather. I don't have any pictures to post...yet. We'll see how that goes!
I have to give a special shout out to all those who helped me keep busy this past weekend and kept my mind off of this trip; just a bit of nerves (it's like the first-day-of-school jitters). So, thanks to the Funks (Cat and Jaysson), Cousin Matt, Brother Blu, Joel and Chloe, Beck and Amy, Bill...and anyone else (who am I forgetting?? Sorry if I forgot anyone!) You guys are the BEST and I'm looking forward to March and the PBC!! :)
Everyone take care and I miss you all! (Can you imagine what it's going to be like when I have to go to Florida and DC, each for 3 weeks?!)
Welcome to the wide world of work...planning work! I'm new at this, so you'll all have to bear with me, but, like the description of the blog states...I am creating this so that everyone can watch as I try to kill myself by going through this PA program.
What is the Planning Associates Program...well, it's "... a program for Planners that broadens the competencies of high potential journeyman planners who will guide complex planning studies...and who will provide water resources technical and professional leadership in the future."
And here's a list of where I'll be and when:
November 2005, St. Louis, Missouri
January 2006, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
March 2006, Washington D.C.
April 2006, Tybee Island, Georgia
April 2006, Vicksburg, Mississippi
May 2006, Davis, California
May 2006, San Francisco, California
June 2006, Philadelphia, PA
June 2006, Huntington, West Virginia
July 2006, Kansas City
July 2006, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA!! (Watch out, Salmon fishies...here I come!!)
August 2006, Rock Island, Illinois
August 2006, San Antonio, TX
September 2006, Washington D.C.
Pretty neat, huh?? It's starting to look like a bunch of tour dates to me! And if I'm in your neck of the woods, you'd better believe you'll be hearing from me!
As for the title to the actual blog site (not this posting)...some of you Planners (and former Planners) out there know what it means! I think I've definitely been "drug" into this one!
Well, "it's a start!" and keep checking back every now and again for more updates (and hopefully pictures, if I can figure out how to post those!!).
