Summer Vacation 2007

I went to Oregon the first part of July. To visit family and to give my soul a bit of rest. It's been a tumultuous year, with many ups and unfortunately, many downs. It was a very good vacation; I had never visited Oregon and it is everything (and more) that people talk about. I was very surprise about all the farmland.

We took a drive along part of the Oregon coastline; I love the ocean and got my fill of fresh, salty sea air. And just outside of the sleepy town of Silverton, we managed to hike 5 miles to see 8 different, but each very beautiful, waterfalls. We also took a quick drive through the Columbia River Gorge, and caught a Portland Beaver baseball game.

Quite a bit of adventure for one week. I can't wait to go back.

News about road rage

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

The stuff that's going 'round...

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.

Aloha Garrett Noel!

We celebrated with a baby shower this past weekend; we are all very excited to welcome Garrett Noel in August!

Our furry-legged family members

They are so loved.

What to do on a sunny, lazy Sunday afternoon

The backyard got picked up, the dogs got a bath, and the kids did some fence-walking (and no trips to the ER...thank goodness!). The cat got to watch it all from the window--a much safer place to be.

And in this corner...

Our nephew, John Mark, had his very first boxing match this past weekend (in the red). In a enclosed cage, in front of lots of people. Very intimidating, but very cool. We had a good time with the family, cheering him on.

He's very brave.

In a land far, far away...

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.

Night at the Museum

Last week, I went to a work conference in Oklahoma City, OK. One of the nights we were there, we had dinner at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, OK. I have never had dinner in a museum, but I absolutely loved it. I have an affinity for museums to begin with, but this was an absolute treat! We had a great time, both at the museum and back in OKC for the conference. OKC is about a 5-hour drive from Little Rock--a fairly good road trip.

Farmin' and Birthdays...

Well, another farming weekend has passed...we had the opportunity to take care of the cows and their calves firsthand. The boys did well.

We also celebrated a certain someone's 10th birthday...another milestone birthday. Fun was had by all. It was a good weekend.

The new Hollywood "It" Girl

Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful...

Katie-Girl got her hair cut for Spring/Summer. She's much happier with the shorter 'do' and not having me brush her hair all the time.

Adventures on the Family Farm

We certainly had a big ol' time out on the family farm (aka 'deer camp') this weekend. Kate got her first visit with the cows--she was a bit timid. Zip just wanted to do his 'job' and herd, but with all the newborn calves, well, I think he was being herded rather than vice-versa.

Adventures in 4-Wheelin'

Sigh. My washing machine got an extra workout on Sunday after the boys' adventures on Saturday. They had fun; it was a beautiful day, albeit a muddy one!

The Cat Loader

Roxanne, aka "Cat Loader" as so affectionately nicknamed by my former roommate, Karyn, has taken up some not-so-desired habits. Of late, she prefers to drink her water from the dogs' water bowl (never mind that we went through several 'water bowls' for her before finding out she originally preferred drinking from her own ceramic bowl, not a plastic bowl as most other felines do)...the dogs are not finding this amusing.


She has also taken to making 'nests' in our fake trees. But, we still love our "Na Na". It could be worse; she eats her *nibble* with no issue and is regular with her box--I can't complain. She's just so darn cute at times; I have to share it with ya'll.


As the old saying goes, "...one extremely spoiled feline lives here with two neglected canines." Yeah, right.

Celebrate 60

We recently celebrated a good friend's (and really, part of our extended 'family') birthday. Celebrate 60. I got to thinking about it and that really is a milestone (Personally, I think all your '10-year' birthdays should be milestones).

A lot happens to a person in ten years. At 10, you're just starting to figure out what 'it' is all about (we're about to celebrate a certain someone turning '10' and I think it's going to be a big step for him). At 20, you think you've got 'it' all figured out...but you'd better start re-thinking that position (something is bound to happen to you to make you at least consider that you might not have that 'infinite' knowledge you think you have). At 30, you've just gotten to the age where you realize you don't have 'it' all figured out and well now, at least you've got some experience behind you and hopefully some time to get 'it' together.

I don't know what happens after 30...I haven't gotten there yet. To be truthful, I haven't quite made it to 30 yet, but that milestone will fall for me later on this year. So, I think I can safely state my thoughts without too much repercussion.

To celebrate your 60th birthday means a lot. I am really happy for Poppa Funk and his family. They are wonderful folk and I wish him many more '10-year' celebrations. But, for now, I hope we can all just 'Celebrate 60'.

First Snow!

We finally had our first snow of the year (first snow in our new home--see picture; and first snow for Katie to go run and play!). I love the snow. I love the quiet it creates, especially when it happens overnight and when you wake up, there it is. I love it before people start driving around and making things slushy. I was happy to snap these shots early in the morning on Friday (2 February 2007)--if you look close, you can still see the moon.

I also have good news to post. I married my love, Blu, over the weekend in a secret, hush-hush elopement ceremony. We ran away to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and it was absolutely beautiful. We didn't want a big production and this was just so special to us.

I think 2007 is going to be a grand year.

What it means to be content...

We love our furry-four-legged-family members. These pictures were taken on a rainy Sunday afternoon. You can tell they just love their "naps". We love them for be so cute, cuddly, and just down-right A-DOR-ABLE.

On another note...I was taught how to change from taking color pictures to now black-and-white pictures. I love my camera...wish I would have known I could do this a year ago!

RAIN!

When the weather maps look like this, you know it's a good plan to STAY AT HOME! Expecting 8+ inches of rain...

There are talks of possible canoeing on Sunday, but with rain like this, we may need some rafts!

My Best Friend

A tribute to a beautiful soul.

March 22, 1942 - December 19, 2006. We will never forget you.

Catch ups...

OK...so I missed posting some pictures from earlier this year and I just wanted to share them while I was thinking about it.

This past spring/summer was a mix of traveling, airports, road trips, lots of fun in the sun-type activities, more traveling, more airports, etc. I know everyone has been reading about all the travels with the program, but while I was at home, I did get to enjoy some outings with friends and family including trips to the lake, fishing, 4-wheeler riding, and even a baby shower (Good luck Annie and Lance! Can't wait 'til she's here!)!

Kate has just grown up right before my eyes--she is such an amazing dog, but has just an touch of the nugget of evil in her. She's become very best buddies with Zip; when there's one around, you're never too far from the other! And Roxanne (aka "cat loader") has adjusted well to all my travels, getting along with Kate and Zip, and now having me back at home full-time.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their love, support, and understanding while I was away. Going through this program was a great experience for me, but I couldn't have done it without all you guys. It means so much to me to have such wonderful, kind, caring, and loving folks in my life...ya'll are the BEST!!

I hope folks continue to read 'cuz I'll keep posting about what adventures happen next! (Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner! Plus it's DEER Season!).