FISH

I want to try and post a video to this thing and see if it works.

When Mike and I went to Seattle, we went to Pike Place Market. There are shops and stores galore - we only had about 2 hours to wander around and that didn't even get us all the way through the very top level. However, I was able to visit the fish market where they throw the fish and make all sorts of comments. If you know me, you have heard me refer to the FISH video. When I worked at Worlds of Fun, as part of the orientation process, we had to watch the FISH video. It is all about having fun and making the customer's day. It is a great concept. However, after seeing it so many times, it just gets old. But, I just HAD to see this place in person. Well I got to see it and I got to see them throw a fish. Look at the video and listen to them chatter. It's a ton of fun!

Fish Video


I best get on with homework...

C'ya!

My Space

Wednesday - Hump Day...nothing exciting going on around here. It's raining (has pretty much been pouring buckets all day so hopefully the basement doesn't decide to fill up). I got an email from a friend of mine directing me to her MySpace page. I got hooked...I had to set up a page for myself. If you have an account, you can go on and request to be able to view it at http://www.myspace.com/176872611. It's nothing exciting but it is fun to be able to put some stuff up there and see what comes of it. I still like this site much better for blogging but it is nice to be able to try something different once in a while. The way I understand it, I can post videos and such to that site and then post them in here for easier viewing. I haven't tried it but I plan to...after I am done with school work for tonight.

I better get to it!

C'ya!

The First Summertime Photos

As promised - a few photos from the weekend:


Chicken anyone? The menu included BBQ Chicken wings, corn-on-the-cob, and Julie's most famous and wonderful potato salad!


We got out the golf ball horseshoe game and had a bit of fun. Her is Alyx trying her hand at it. They all had a ball with that thing (no pun intended).

Everyone was just hanging out chatting. The guest list included Chuck and Joy (Mike's mom and step-dad), Dale and Betty (Mike's sister-in-law's parents), Shawn (Mike's sister-in-law's brother), Carl and Bev (Kent's mom and dad), Erik and Julie (Mike's brother and his wife) and their son Josh, daughter Emily, and a friend of Josh's another Josh, Keith and his son Josh (Kent's brother) **Keith's wife and daughter were unable to attend because Ariel had chicken pox** Kent and Kim, Joe (Kim's son) and a friend of his Travis, Chris (Kim's son), Brandon (Kent's son), Amanda (Kent's daughter) and her roommate Katie and friend Austin, Mike and I and his daughter Alyx.

The girls (Betty left, Julie middle, and me on the right) hanging out chatting about life. Joy and Alyx are doing something in the bathroom in the background. I have no idea what but I figure I better tell you so you don't wonder.

Erik (left) taking a nap. Me and Topos listening to the conversation between Kim and Katie. Carl gave his two cents on what Deja Vu really is. I'll give you his number if you want to hear it.

Sedona wasn't too thrilled about all of the excitement of photo opportunities. Mike sat down on the lawnmower to listen to the conversations and she jumped right on up. In case you don't know, Sedona HATES the camera. All we have to do is unzip the camera bag and she does whatever she can to get away from it. She also hates thunderstorms - I wonder if the flashing light from the camera and lightning are related to her fear...

Even though the temperature outside was a mild 80 degrees and the pool water was a mere 77 degrees, the kids (and even a couple of adults) had no problem diving in. After all, what would the official kick-off to summer be if there wasn't swimming involved?

That is all I have for the birthday/Memorial Day Weekend get-together. It was a great time and maybe something we should consider doing every year. That is if we can talk Kent and Kim into putting on the show again.

I better get off of here. My next class starts tonight so I best get to it.

C'ya!

Summertime is here!

So after a gruelling week of cleaning my house from top to bottom (It is officially Mom-proofed so Mom...come on down!)...my husband and I headed out of town for the holiday weekend. Don't get too excited, we didn't go far. In fact, we went to Cameron, MO to spend the weekend with some friends of ours. We headed up Friday evening just so we could be there early enough on Saturday to be able to go horse-back riding (yes....Cameron is where Lady lives).

Saturday was a day of family and friends as we celebrated my step-daughter's 13th birthday. The plan was to be able to go horse-back riding. Unfortunately, people didn't show up early enough to be able to do that and be able to eat dinner. Instead, we all basically hung out and visited. Mike's Mom and step-dad and his brother and his family were able to join in on the fun (in addition to all of our friends' family). It was a nice visit. My step-daughter opened her cards and gifts; most everyone gave her money since she is moving to Idaho this week and we promised her mother we wouldn't send anything big that needed to be packed! It was a very relaxing day with nothing to do and no where to be...

Sunday, Mike got up early and headed to the lake with the boat. I somehow got out of fishing and instead went horse-back riding! It was great!! She is so easy to ride and really makes me wish we lived much closer so I could do it much more often! We were out there for just shy of four hours. In that time, I walked, jogged, and trotted that horse all over the pasture. One thing I had never done before with a horse that I did this ride was to weave in and out of objects (I was using trees and telephone poles). Sort of like doing crazy eights around them but I wasn't being crazy! It was awesome! In the end, Kim decided I needed to learn to bridle my horse...not something I excel at...yet. I am sure with practice it will come - but for now...I just have to remember "My right hand is not necessary when bridling a horse!"

Today, Mike and I headed up to Smithville Lake for a little more R&R. We had a great time even though we caught very few fish (we brought one single catfish home...enough for dinner tomorrow night). However, two firsts occurred for me today. 1) I caught a Walleye. I have never done that before. Word of advice, you can't grab a walleye like you do a large-mouth bass... 2) My husband caught a snapping turtle. This thing was HUGE! We have pictures and video of it. I just haven't gotten them off the camera to be able to share. I'll see if I can't get that done and post a few pictures from the weekend for your viewing pleasure...tomorrow. The day ended with a brief but welcome rain shower. I'm so sun burnt right now...but I guess that is the official kick-off to summer!

I have got to go find some aloe to slap on myself....

C'ya!

For Mom - Happy Mother's Day!

A Child's Angel

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born.

So one day she asked God:

They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrowbut how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?

Among the many angels, I chose one for you.

She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.

But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile,

that's enough for me to be happy.

Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day.

And you will feel your angel's love and be happy.

And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me,

if I don't know the language that men talk?

Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear,

and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.

And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?

Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.

I've heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?

Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.

But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.

Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly:

Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.

Your angel's name is of no importance, you will call your angel: Mom

...Author Unknown

I Know...

I promised to add more to my story but I haven't gotten it done...I suck. I will do it but it isn't going to happen tonight. I spent the last week in Phoenix where the temperature was 1o4 on the final day I was there. Anyone that says to me "Yeah...but it's a dry heat" can KMA! It is still hot! What was really funny was when I landed in KC, I had to pull the blanket off the back seat of the truck to warm up because I found 60 degrees to be a little chilly. My husband was cracking up! I got home, climbed into bed, and pulled the comforter all the way up over my head. SWEET WARMTH!! I instantly fell asleep and woke up this morning well rested and ready to take on the day.

Any way, on to the post...The grass in our yard had gotten so long that I couldn't find Topos in the yard when he went out to do his morning business. I decided I had better spend the day cleaning it up so that at the very least, the dogs could go through it without getting grass seed all over their fur. Unfortunately, our lawn mower is currently out of commission. I headed over to Home Depot and rented a lawn mower. I should have thought about it while I was there but it didn't occur to me until after I got started that a push mower just wasn't going to do it. I should have taken advantage of a riding lawn mower. But who would have thought a yard the size of ours would take so long to mow! I got it done in about 4 hours...only 3 hours more than it usually takes me. When I took the mower back, the guy at the counter asked me if everything was okay. I told him the next time I can't find my chow in the grass, I'm renting a baler. He found that humorous. I'm not sure if that was because he couldn't believe this city girl new what a baler was or what. But he was laughing even after I walked out the door. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing more clean-up of the yard (trimming, spraying, washing). Finally, the moment that I waited the entire day for, my husband and I hooked up our laptops on the back deck and worked into the wee hours on homework. It's been great to be able to spend some time with him; even though we both have our heads buried into our laptops! I also like the fact that we CAN sit out on our back deck together - traveling can really take it out of you!

I suppose, I had better get off of here. I haven't seen my husband for a week you know *wink, wink*

C'ya!

Who Knew?

Okay, Scott yelled at me today because I haven't posted for a while. I've been so busy with work and school, I haven't taken the time. So, in order to provide my friend with some fantastic reading material so he can keep from working tomorrow, I'm going to post a little about my trip last week. Enjoy!

I traveled to the Southeast last week to meet with a few of the technicians at campuses in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Georgia is very pretty (I would love to spend just a little more time in Savannah some day). South Carolina is beautiful as well but I didn't get to spend more than a couple of hours checking things out. However, I drove from Charlotte, NC to Chattanooga, TN and I must tell you, it was well worth it. If you have never been to North Carolina, then I say you MUST plan a trip! I started out heading West out of Charlotte on a sort of 'side highway' (not a side street but not a highway). It was fairly straight and boring for quite some time. Then all of a sudden, I'm making hairpin turns and going up...up...up. It was fantastic!! Then, before I knew it, I was in Asheville, NC. Right in the heart of Asheville is the famous Biltmore Estate (http://www.biltmore.com/). I had been advised how beautiful this estate was and that I should check it out so I followed the signs and found myself at the gatehouse. I stepped in and decided I would check on the price of admission. Then I saw it...the sign that said you could go on a trail ride. I couldn't pass it up. I must admit, the price was a little more than I expected but I wouldn't trade it for the world! My horse's name was Storm and you can see by the photo that he fits his name (notice the lightning bolt across his face):

It was cloudy and a little rainy that day but that didn't stop the guide from taking us around the beautiful mansion and down through the woods and across the prairies. She had wonderful stories to tell us. She really made me think I want to quit my job and move to North Carolina to ride the trails all day. I could certainly handle having the estate as my backdrop every day:

I hated for the trail-ride to end but there was so much to see and not very much time to see it. I left the barn and headed on up to the mansion. Now, you can't take photos or video inside the building. You can get an idea of what it looks like by going to the web site I posted above. I will tell you that as soon as I can get all of those people out of it, I'm going to go ahead and move it. How can one pass up a house this size with two Brunswick Pool tables, and indoor pool and bowling alley, and servants quarters larger than my entire house??

Of course, I still had a ton more to see on my trek accross the state so I had to leave this beauty and head on to the West. I headed across the Interstate until I reached what is known as Maggie Valley. This area is in the foothills just before heading up into Smokey Mountain National Park. I found what I thought was going to be a shortcut up to the road that took me to the top of one of the mountains. It twisted and turned and went through countless tunnels. It was raining and just a little foggy but I managed to make it through. I hit the road to head on up the mountain and then I found out exactly why these are called the Smokey Mountains. I thought my head was going to explode by the time I made it to the top. It was impossible to see anything and the curves were simply wearing me out. I was really bummed when I reached the pass and my view was one of fog. I took a picture of the state line sign, just so you can see that I was there. I had to pull up within 5 feet of the darn thing:

Because I couldn't see $#@&, I headed on down to Gatlinburg. I must admit, the city was not what I anticipated. It was cool but just not enough time to walk around and check things out. Now, from here, I could have gotten on the highway and headed on to Chattanooga, but what would the fun be in that. So I stopped at a gas station, picked up a map, and found an alternate route. It was a beautiful drive through the forest on the mountainside. The first chance I got to to turn to head toward the highway was Townsend. However, I wasn't quite ready to head down and out. I kept going. Suddenly, I found myself on a one-way road on an 11 mile loop through Cades Cove. This area is a nice clearing in the mountain with rolling prairies, old log cabins, hidden churches, and wild-life applenty. I can't describe how peaceful it was even though there were cars and people everywhere!

Now, before I post any more photos, I must tell you it was at this point that I stopped in the little cemetary next to the church and cried. I felt so alone walking through the cemetary and looking at the beauty because I wasn't able to share it with my love. I tried calling him but I didn't have a signal that was worth a darn. I want to take him back to this area so bad because I know he would get as much enjoyment out of it as I did. Once I was done, I started heading back down the road. I then came to one of the coolest cabins. It was awesome because it was open for you to be able to go in and take a look around. However, people have done so much damage to it inside...

Unfortunately, it started to get dark on me so I had to finish up the drive so I could NOT be driving the narrow mountain roads (I'm not good in the dark especially on roads I'm not familiar with). I headed on out and toward the highway. The story does not end here. However, I have to finish up my school work for tonight so I will have to make this story to be continued.

C'ya!