It was time to get out in the Arkansas backwoods. We have not been able to enjoy the peace and quiet for some time now. It was a good time, not to cold (even though we were all dressed for the arctic!).
Now it's time to finish up getting ready for Christmas! Only 13 more days...
Pilot on intercom: "Uh, folks, I'm going to have the flight crew instruct you guys on how prepare for an emergency landing. This is just an extreme precaution. It seems we hit a coyote during our take off from Denver...All of our systems are indicating everything is fine, but we just want to be cautious. So, please cooperate with the crew and we'll make it to Portland just fine."
This happened on my recent trip to Portland. I thought he was joking. Not so.
We made it to Portland, bells and whistles ringing. The remainder of the trip was quiet; the return flight experienced no problems at all.
This was taken by a co-worker who had the opportunity to travel to Kalispell, Montana for training. Lucky dog.
Mitchell had his first football game last night. Unfortunately, we lost, but he did well. YAY #52!!! Now all we need (for the future) is some RAZORBACK RED in the picture!!
I thought this was an interesting story. You can see the full version here:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/08/24/frenemies/index.html
"Frenemy"..."The term has most often been used to describe females who tangle with their female friends."
Every friendship -- no matter how solid or tentative -- has mixed feelings of support and antagonism. Apter says that "among female friends there is also something else: a wish to offer support and see a friend thrive, on the one hand, and a fear of being left behind or out-shone, on the other." In essence, the "hate" part of a love-hate relationship isn't really hate -- it's envy or insecurity.
How to salvage a love-hate relationship:
1. Don't make things worse. If your friend's nastiness only surfaces at certain times (for example, when she is stressed), try to avoid her at those times; you don't always have to make yourself available. When she antagonizes you, consider defending yourself, but tactfully so as to avoid adding fuel to the fire.
2. Keep a support system. "Make sure you have, or that you cultivate, other friends who are consistently positive and loving so you can remind yourself that a friendship doesn't have to be a love-hate relationship," advises Yager.
3. Focus on the good. "If you really want to keep the love-hate friendship going, make sure you remind yourself of the traits about your friend that are loving and why you want to keep the friendship going, dwelling on the positive rather than the negative," says Yager.
4. It's your friend's problem. Even when confronting your friend, don't follow in her negative footsteps. Don't consider this situation to be your fault or let it lower your self esteem.
5. Don't let her get to you. Above all, don't let your friend drag you down. Instead, "maintain the positive, loving personality that you have despite her temporary or longstanding love-hate behavior," says Yager.
I don't have any pictures of him yet...so, you get to see the proud momma!
Congratulations Brent and Michelle!!!
Born on Wednesday, 22 August 2007
10 lbs, 3 oz.
The first day of school is today for some kids; later on in the week for others. And even later on in the month for more folks.
We are trying (hoping) to get Mitchell (Blu's son) into school today. We have an interview this afternoon. It's hard for me to comprehend interviewing for a school. Job, yes. High school, ??? I suppose this is where our society has put us nowadays.
I don't know why I opted for this picture on this posting. I suppose this is what some kids feel like when school starts. Especially when it starts while the heat of summer is in full swing. I hope things start to cool down...
Happy First Day of School!
It's finally hit the 'hot' time of year. We are expecting highs in the upper 90s this week, possibly hitting 100 a few days. It will definitely be into the triple digits with the heat index. I am thankful we have had a 'cooler' summer, with lots of rain, this year. I watched a comparison on the news last night--for the same time last year, we had 55+ days of hot weather compared to the 43 days (and counting) this year.
Yeah, I know...it's not a lot, but when you live in Arkansas during these hot summer months, you begin to appreciate what you can get.
For those who must be outside this week, drink lots of water, find some shade to rest in, and take care of yourself!
From www.weather.com :
Special Weather Statement
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN- CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND- CONWAY- DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON- GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING- INDEPENDENCE- IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON- LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE- MARION-MONROE- MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE- POLK-POPE- PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE- SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN- WHITE- WOODRUFF-YELL- 400 AM CDT MON AUG 6 2007
...AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF HOT AND HUMID WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF ARKANSAS THIS UPCOMING WEEK...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS FORECAST TO PERSIST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND ARKANSAS...THROUGH MUCH OF THIS WEEK. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE MID AND UPPER 90S...WITH A FEW 100 DEGREE READINGS POSSIBLE...EACH DAY THIS WEEK. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS...WILL PRODUCE AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES FROM 95 TO 105 DEGREES EACH DAY. PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MAY SEE HEAT INDEX VALUES EXCEED 105 DEGREES DURING SOME PARTS OF THE AFTERNOONS THIS WEEK. HEAT ADVISORIES ARE ANTICIPATED AT SOME POINT THIS WEEK FOR PORTIONS OF THE STATE.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REMINDS EVERYONE TO TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID THE HEAT... ESPECIALLY IF PLANNING TO BE OUTDOORS IN THE HOT TEMPERATURES. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS AND AVOID PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES. CHILDREN...THE ELDERLY AND PETS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE TO THE HIGH HEAT...AND PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO MINIMIZE THEIR EXPOSURE.
The Vatican has issued 10 Commandments for Driving (for those of us who suffer from this road rage condition). I just thought I would share it with everyone. :)
'Drivers' Ten Commandments'
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.
As seen on www.CNN.com
Ok...so, I joined the bandwagon:
What were you doing 10 years ago? Summer 1997…I had just finished my sophomore year of college, lived at home with my parents for the summer, and was working some sort of menial job (for gas, for fun $$)—gee, I wish life were THAT simple again.
What were you doing 1 year ago? Last June…the first part of the month I went to visit my aunt in NJ. Also, I was part of a training program at work that had me going all over the United States (that month I was able to visit Philadelphia, PA and Huntington, West Virginia. While in Philly, we learned about storm damages to our beaches (what kind of erosion takes place and what is being done about it); took a field trip to Atlantic City (it was a very rainy and very long day that ended in taking a Greyhound bus ride back to Philly—my very first (and most likely last) Greyhound bus trip!). From Philly, we DROVE to Huntington, WV and wow, what an amazing drive. I highly recommend it if you ever have the time. We made a pit stop along the New River and did a day-long float trip (through some Class V rapids!). While in Huntington, we learned about inland navigation—something a little more familiar to us back in Little Rock!
When I finally made it back home to Little Rock, we had a ribbon cutting ceremony for a project that I had been working on since I started with the government. It was a very exciting and busy month!
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Stacy’s Pita chips—especially the Parmesan/Garlic ones! (Dang you Tallgirl!)
2. Fruity Cheerios (and/or other cereals within reach)
3. Cheese
4. Marshmellows
5. dark chocolate
Five songs that you know all the lyrics:
1. Manic Monday—The Bangles
2. Wide Open Spaces—Dixie Chicks
3. Bring on the Rain—Jo Dee Messina
4. Baby Girl—Sugarland
5. Stand by You—Carrie Underwood version
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. build the house I want on at least 10 acres of land
2. pay off all debts (house, trucks, school loans, etc.)
3. put money away for rainy days (invest for future endeavors—retirement, college for kids, etc.)
4. would still work, but less hours (because I can’t be idle for too long)
5. travel
Five bad habits:
1. procrastination (yeah, I do it)
2. caring too much what I look like when I go to work
3. road rage
4. being lazy
5. chewing the inside of my cheek (my mom always told me it would cause cancer??)
Five things you like doing:
1. reading—anything and everything
2. photography
3. camping/canoeing/ATV-ing (generally, if it’s outdoors, I like it)
4. sleeping
5. spending time with my hubby (even though it's hard to find that time)
Five things you would never wear again:
1. high waisted jeans/pants
2. anything with polka dots
3. skorts
4. high top sneakers
5. those big poofy hair clips; banana clips
Five favorite toys:
1. my truck—2004 Nissan Titan
2. 2006 Suzuki Ozark (250)
3. Ipod
4. my canoe (even though I haven’t been able to use it much!)
5. Our new TV
Seven Random Facts About Yourself
1. My dream job would be a photo-journalist for National Geographic (hey—where else can you travel the world, write, and take pictures for a living?). Now if only I could earn the pay I do now for THAT job!
2. I want to take a road trip across the United States someday. At least 3 months.
3. I am a book whore. I overspend on books to the point that I have enough reading material to keep me busy for the next 2 years.
4. I am getting tired of the way our medical system works. From the Doctors to the Insurance folks to the Pharmacists out there. They all suck. What ever happened to customer service? It no longer exists. What happened to the doctors working for you to help you figure out why you’re feeling bad? Instead, we now have to WAIT for THEM to see US (sometimes the wait can’t wait…).
5. I still love the Dixie Chicks. I respect and admire their musical abilities. 5 Grammys and a successful comeback album can’t be all that bad. They exercised their 1st amendment right and were crucified.
6. I never agreed with this war we are currently involved in. Bring our troops home safely. We miss them and we need them here, at home.
7. I still think about my mom every day. Sometimes I miss her so much it’s hard for me to function. And I’m scared that I don’t have my best friend to talk with anymore to keep me sane.
I went to Washington DC last week for a meeting with work; while I was there, I was able to visit a good friend of mine who now lives there. This picture was taken from her balcony...it almost looks like a far off castle in the sky. I believe it is the National Cathedral located north of the actual town part of DC. I thought it made for a pretty cool picture.
Anyway, DC has this magical arua around it for me. We stayed in Old Town Alexandria, again, and it really is just a unique place for me. I like to think about how it must have been so many years ago--what it was like to live in our nation's capital when it was just the beginning.
I didn't get to go to any of the memorials or visit any of the museums this time around, but we did get to visit some of our old haunts from last year...Las Tapas for their Sangria mix (gotta love that fruit on the bottom!) and of course, Murphy's for their ICB's and great atmosphere. It was a good trip.
