I'm still here (but not always all there)

I have so much to write about, but I'm having a hard time getting it done! I have great pictures from the girliest tea party ever, I want to share about my new kitten, and TODAY! Oh, my, today we played in the most snow I've ever seen. My daughter sledded for the first time, and so did I!!!! Pictures coming soon . . .

Good ol' B-Town

***Disclaimer: Please don't judge me, or the entire town, by the stories here that make national news!***

Some of you may remember this story, about the gentleman who got creative while trying to remove stubborn tires. I still can't believe it made national headlines. Even talkshow hosts discussed him!

Well, as if that weren't enough, I just saw THIS headline on a national news site. The picture to the right is the actual photo of the display, only a few blocks from my home. My husband is a police officer, and we are well aware of the crazies who live here, but the news guys have to cut us a break sometime! It's actually a pretty decent place! (I think I should have named this post "So Embarrassed"!!!)

So embarrassed . . .

We talked too much to remember to take pictures while we were making our goodies. Then, we ate too much. You'll just have to take my word for it - everything was yummy.

Finally back to normal!

Well, surgery has come and gone and I am pretty much back to normal. Good news everyone - if you ever find that you need to be poked in the belly for some laparascopic surgery, you're going to be just fine! We're talking about two days of laying in the bed (and just sleeping because of the pain pills), and that's about it. I was still a little groggy for a few days, because of the anesthesia, I think, but the pain went away pretty fast indeed. I was so happy. :-)

We also got a new family member named Jasmin, the sweetest little kitten ever. I don't know WHAT did it, but my husband surprised me with the decision that we could get one. She came home the day after I had surgery. More about her later!

Tonight our very good friends are coming over and we are making Christmas goodies! We started this last year and swore it would become an annual event. I think it might be because we all want peanut butter balls, and you can make soooo many more if you have extra hands! Our daughters are going to make painted Christmas cookies, and we are going to make other yummies. Check back for pictures!

You might be Jewish if . . .

All night we've been watching History Channel specials about the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail and all that other stuff that has become so mainstream since "The DaVinci Code" debuted. It was especially interesting to me because I've been in somewhat of a spiritual undertaking for a while now, trying to get a grip on exactly what I believe. This has become imperative to me because when my daughter asks really important questions, I want to be able to answer her with conviction. Tonight I discovered that I might be Jewish. This might come as a shock from someone raised in the Bible belt, but not by a church-going family, and choosing on my own to become involved in a slightly charismatic, Pentecostal, very non-Jewish denomination. Well, I guess I'm probably not Jewish (the lily-white skin and Irish ancestry make it a genetic impossibility), but I'm intrigued by Judaism. I think I'll do some research and report back. I'll probably discuss it with a certain Hindu-Jewish-Buddhist-Christian-Goddess Worshiper-Naturalist-Native American Spiritualist (I might have left something out) family member of mine, too. She's bound to have some input.

Ick

Soooo . . . that surgery I briefly mentioned is happening tomorrow. I'm trying not to be nervous blithering, babbling idiot, but I can only promise so much. I will feel much, much better when it's all over. Wish me luck!

Winter fashions?

I want to find the person who decided that winter fashions should be sleevless and icicle-inducing, and STRANGLE them! I have a holiday party coming up, and it's a little dressy. Not formal, just nice. I would like to find a nice dress to wear. I will be recovering from surgery in the abdomen area, so it would be preferable to wear a dress than anything with a waistband! I started looking for some such thing (it's been a while since I've bought a dress), and I cannot believe what I have found! EVERYTHING is sleeveless, or, if you're lucky, has little cap sleeves. Even the materials are flimsy, and I get the shivers just looking at the mannequins with their bare arms and practically bare everything else! There are some really cute wraps that can be used, but they really have no warmth value. WHAT is wrong with people? I guess if I lived in sunny southern California this wouldn't be a big deal, but I need some Pacific Northwest inspired frocks!

Freedom of Choice

I enjoy having the freedom to choose. I take a lot of pleasure, actually, in activities that give me multiple options from which to choose - picking out paint colors, finding the perfect Christmas tree, selecting the ideal combination of wrapping papers to maximize the effect on Christmas morning, selecting a dessert . . . you get the idea. (The one thing this doesn't apply to, though, is clothes. I like them, and I like them nice. I just don't like to pick them out or *ick* try them on.)
All that said, I am GREATLY displeased when a choice is taken away from me. For example, I choose to wear contacts. I think my eyes are my best feature. Some people can look stunning and oh-so-suave in fancy specs, but I've never considered myself one of them. Today, I've had to face the fact that I just don't think I can wear contacts any more, at least not on a regular basis, and it's not by choice! I have this weird-o funky autoimmune thing called Sjogren's Disorder. It makes my body attack its moisture producers, so I have little to no tear film on my eyes, my skin is dry, itchy, and rebelling with eczema, and my mouth makes so little saliva that I have difficulty swallowing my food sometimes. It's completely obnoxious, and I'm feeling just a little whiny about it today. My eyeballs are simply rejecting the whole idea of contacts. Today was the first day I tried them in about 2 weeks, and I had to take them out after 2 hours. Oh, well. I will look for the silver lining . . . . at least I work for an eye doctor and I can get some good discounts on glasses! :-)

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!!!

TOM JONES is coming to Seattle in May. I LOVE Tom Jones. I realize this makes me a complete dork, but I just can't help it. How can you not love someone when the sound of one of their songs just makes you smile and want to jump up and dance like an idiot?

NOT a good day

Lots and lots of lovely snow fell over the weekend, and it was very pretty. Last night, all that snow falling became rain. Between midnight and 7:00 this morning, we had received just over 7 inches of rain. Are you following me? This is on ALREADY completely saturated ground.

This morning, I walked down the steps into my basement to get to the washer and dryer. I came off the bottom step with a SPLASH into freezing cold water, about 3 inches deep. Now, that will wake you right up, for sure. It wasn't too bad yet, because a few years ago we put a little board in the doorway and sealed it just in case this little area at the bottom of the steps got wet again (it only happens in really severe flood weather).

Fast forward a little . . . I took my daughter to school, my husband got called in to work because they need all the help they can get in this mess. In the time I was gone, the amount of water in my basement has at least doubled, probably tripled. Roads are completely flooded. People's entire houses are flooding. There are major mudslides. Keeping things in perspective, I shouldn't be so distressed about my basement. But I am. Because I'm here by myself, scooping it out using a trashcan, and I'm not even making a dent. Oh, and the rain hasn't slowed down at all, and it's not supposed to until later this afternoon. If you need me, I'll be wading around in my basement. Bring your lawn chair and visit a while, we'll need margaritas later.

See what I mean?

THIS is what they got less than 20 minutes up the road from me. I got nothin' but slush. Life can be so cruel.

This year, she has outdone herself. She managed to find another "crystal" star, this one slightly larger than last year, with a fancy spiral for hanging it on the tree. I think we've started a trend. I wish I could make these . . . . if only I knew someone who was really talented at beading . . . Oh, yeah! Hey, Grandma, we've got a project for next Christmas! :-)

My Favorite Things, Part II

Each year, Haleigh picks out a new ornament for the tree. It started with Christmas the year she was born. She actually arrived the day after Christmas, but we had already picked out a beautiful ornament and had it engraved with her name and the year. I just kept things going after that, picking up something to mark each year. About three years ago, she started selecting her own, and this child of mine has remarkable taste. Well, first she picked matching Dora and Diego ornaments. :-) Last year, she picked this beautiful beaded red & gold star. The beads (she calls them crystals) catch the lights in a way that looks so lovely on our tree. It has become one of my favorite ornaments, too.

My Favorite Things

I LOVE Christmas. Probably my most favorite tradition is trekking out to locate the perfect tree to cut down and bring back home. I love every bit of it . . . the agonizing indecision, walking out in the beautiful countryside with my family, getting the monster in the house (and in the stand!), and beginning the decorations. Every year, my husband and I have had Haleigh put her special ornaments on right before she goes to bed. Then, we turn on the Christmas music (always Martina McBride and Garth Brooks . . . . every single year), drink lots of eggnog and finish trimming the tree, and the rest of the house! This year Haleigh stayed up and put lots of decorations up with us. She's getting older now, so she actually likes this part a little more! Here's a picture of this year's winner.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This was our trip to Lowe's last night. The snow started coming down pretty hard yesterday. Haleigh and I were driving to Wal-Mart, and everything started getting very white. While we were inside, a winter wonderland was constructed. Wal-mart sits between some rolling hills, and when we came out they were beautiful! All the pine trees had a dusting, the ground was a solid blanket of white, and it was still coming down hard! Unfortunately at my house, it was not the same story, but that didn't stop these guys from trying their best to have some winter fun.

The snow never sticks very much at my house, but you can drive less than a mile up the road and everything will be covered. I have to say, I admired the persistence of these two . . . they were determined to sled before everything turned to slush!

Today the snow was supposed to be gone. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find everything turning white again! It has mostly turned to rain now, but my husband says that 4 or 5 inches fell just up the road. I might have to go check it out later! :-)

It's supposed to snow here tomorrow night. Hooray! :-) I haven't been out of the south long enough yet for the snow to lose its charm. I hope we get enough to turn everything white, even if it only lasts a little while.

In the Blink of an Eye

A few days ago, my husband was very late getting home from work, because he was the responding officer to a devastating accident. A family was going to have holiday pictures taken. A young sailor, just recently home from a very long deployment, was travelling on his motorcycle and his wife was following him in a car with her parents who were visiting.
He rounded a curve ahead of her, going too fast. She came through the curve and didn't see him. When she got to the on-ramp and still didn't see him, she turned around. When she got back to the curve, she saw his motorcycle. She stopped, and then she saw him, crumpled at the base of a light pole. He was taking his very last breaths as she approached him. The medics arrived and he was put on a life-flight to Seattle, but he didn't even survive the trip. She had to drive around, almost two hours to the hospital, just to be met with the news that her life had just been completely turned upside down.
He was 23 years old. She was 21. I can't get them out of my head. I wish, for just a moment, that I could take even a tiny bit of her burden just so she could have some relief and maybe a little peace and comfort. I hurt for his parents. I just don't understand why these things happen. I especially don't know how my husband processes the experience of being present at such an event, and I want to make it better for him, too. Sometimes, this world just doesn't make sense.

Dissecting Dissections

In an earlier post (which you can read here), I fretted over the fact that I was starting a Biology class that would require me to dissect things. Having never done this (not even a frog!) in highschool, I was filled with trepidation about what would surely be a disgusting, disturbing event.

Well, dissection week in the lab has come and gone, and I need to give myself a pat on the back. I not only got through the event without getting queasy or green, I did the actual dissecting of 3 of the 4 specimens. Our teacher, bless her heart, built us up gradually. We started with an earthworm, then a crayfish. The earthworm was a little gross, but being preserved, it wasn't slimy. You would not believe how much that helps. I was very freaked out leading up to the moment of the initial incision. After that first cut, though, it became fascinating! Once your specimen is splayed open on the dissection tray, it ceases to resemble much of a cuddly little creature (not that earthworms are all that cuddly), and you become so wrapped up in finding all the parts you're supposed to find that it's no longer very gross. The crayfish was pretty difficult to crack open, but it really wasn't much different from peeling a shrimp or eating lobster. If you like your shellfish with a yummy formaldehyde aroma, that is.

Dissection Day 2 in the lab proved to be a bit more difficult. I was prepared for the lovely odor this time, though. I brought Vicks Vaporub, and it was very effective. I learned that in an Alex Kava novel, apparently it helps at autopsies. :-) Our group had a large frog that we unfortunately referred to as "she" throughout most of the process until we moved enough fat bodies around to realize "she" was actually a "he". You see, the two important male parts are actually attached to the kidneys, and they're kind of hard to find. We managed, though.

Next was the most difficult of all. I maintain that if you can get past the initial incision, the whole dissection process becomes a piece of cake. It's just opening something up that presents a problem for me - I have learned that I have no trouble poking around the insides because THAT is truly fascinating. Our last specimen was a tiny little pig, and I was more than willing to let someone else operate. It turned out to be a great learning experience in more ways than one. I learned lots about organs and their functions, but I also learned that I can handle dissections! THAT is a big change for me, and I am pretty excited about it.

Piano Man

It occurred to me today that I have neglected to post about some pretty momentous events lately, so today I'll play catch-up. It's a good way to help me avoid all the cleaning and paper-writing I'm supposed to be doing, so I might as well. :-)

First - the Billy Joel concert. I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't think I would be able to go. My husband was planning to be in Georgia on the day Billy was in Seattle. We've been trying for nine years to see him in concert (we once considered flying to St. Louis), so that was quite disturbing. Because we are completely insane when it comes to good music, we ended up buying concert tickets and a one-way ticket back to Washington. Was it worth it, you ask??? OH, YEAH!

He's a little grayer, a little balder, and a little more plump . . . . but he sings like a 30-year-old man on his best night. It was incredible. He did every song that I wanted to hear live, including Downeaster Alexa, which is probably my favorite and I never expected him to do. He dedicated it to the crab fishermen in our area (have you seen Deadliest Catch?). Toward the middle of the show, his piano disappeared and he got out a guitar and did Purple Haze!!! He said while he was in Seattle he had to do some Jimi. He also had his guitar roadie come out and do Highway to Hell, which is certainly not what you expect to hear at a Billy Joel concert, but it was the only thing that got this, um, slightly-older-than-me crowd on its feet. His first encore was Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, which is practically an entire rock opera in one song, and he closed out the night with Piano Man, of course.

Did I mention that his piano rotated? Every couple of songs, the whole thing would start spinning so that he faced each side of the arena several times throughout the night. All in all, it was a phenomenal evening, and worth all the waiting! :-)

I LOVE turkey day!!!!!

I love Thanksgiving. I do all the cooking, and I have, with the exception of one year, since I was married nine years ago. I love to do it, because I love the food! We like having lots of folks over, and during our time in the military it was pretty easy to round up a crowd of sailors that were unable to make it home for the holiday. We have a much smaller group this year, but I can't seem to successfully scale back the amount of food I cook so . . . . hooray for leftovers! :-)

Our traditional meal consists of turkey, gravy, cornbread dressing, squash casserole, broccoli casserole (it's the only day of the year I get to have it), cranberry sauce (no berries, from a CAN!) and green beans. This year our friends are bringing mashed potatoes. For dessert we have pumpkin pie and I usually make a cheesecake.

This year I'm going to try brining my turkey because The Pioneer Woman says I should. You can find out about her method here. TRUST me, she's worth reading, both her regular blog and her cooking one.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Almost Royalty

Like many Americans (although the number is less in my generation), I am fascinated with the Kennedy family. Their stories -all of them - amaze me. There is so much drama, intrigue, ambition, and tragedy for one family.

Last night we watched Bobby, which tells the stories of all the other victims in the days leading up to Bobby Kennedy's shooting in the hotel kitchen. The movie was very good, but I was especially moved by the real footage of him and all the photographs shown during the credits at the end. He and his brothers (well, not so much Teddy, but he really is the oddball) are insanely handsome. It's not that they had classic good looks so much as they looked REGAL! You glance at these ordinary pictures of everyday events, and you realize that there was NOTHING ordinary about this family. They were the closest we've had to royalty.

So Cute I Can't Stand It

I'm supposed to be doing homework right now, but I had to take a break to blog about this.

We are babysitting tonight. We've had our friend's little 3-yr-old daughter most of the day, and things are winding down. My husband took over children duty so that I can get some homework done, and they are all in the living room watching a movie as I type.

Yes, picture this . . . . my 6-yr-old and the 3-yr-old sharing a cover on the big couch, and my big ol' husband sprawled across the loveseat . . . all mesmerized by The Little Mermaid. I went in to check on things and got shushed. I would take a picture to share, but it would just disrupt the cuteness.

The End of an Era

It dawned on me recently that this may be the last year of "Santa Claus" around my house. My daughter turns 7 the day after Christmas, and she's a pretty quick kid. If she's like me, though, she'll keep playing along just to make her mom happy! I was clued in to the fact she might be catching on, or that some older kid might have told her at school (the likely story), by a conversation recently.

Haleigh: Mom, do you believe in fairies?

Me: Well, I guess.

Haleigh: But, are they real?

Me: Well, I think if you believe in something, it makes it real.

Haleigh: Do you believe in angels?

Me: Absolutely.

Haleigh: Yeah, me, too . . . (moment of silence) . . . well, and I believe in Santa Claus, too!

It's like she had to convince herself that it was ok to believe in him! It's a little sad to realize we are nearing the age where this one particular magic no longer applies. My husband told me that when he figured it out, his mom explained it in a good way. She told him that Santa Claus was based on a good man who gave toys to kids who might not have had presents otherwise, and the tradition of giving presents was carried on to honor him. I like it. I think it will come in quite handy when the day comes that Haleigh calls our bluff!

Chocolate Wisdom

I just had three Dove chocolates (yes, three, and my mother-in-law says that's ok). The wrappers said, in this order:

1. Read a book under the autumn leaves.
2. Gather ten different kinds of leaves.
3. Get lost in the moment.

Well, alrighty, then.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is easy. If you love somebody, and I mean truly unconditionally love them, it can be done. Forgetting is the tricky part. When somebody hurts you, it is a deep, deep festering wound. Honestly, real pain can only be inflicted by the people who matter, and it just rips something apart inside of you to have someone you love and trust turn on you. The world in which you exist is no longer the same, changed eternally, and you just cannot, no matter how much you want to, go back to "before".

Forgiveness is the magic. I don't understand how it works, really, but it is tangible. And it takes its own time. It absolutely cannot be rushed, you just realize one day that something in your soul has been soothed. It took a process to get to that point, and if it is a true forgiveness, then a new facet of your relationship has been created. You and your transgressor have reached a peace, and your relationship has moved forward. You accept that you are both only human, and you hope that you get the same grace should you ever need it. Then one day, some seemingly inconsequential random thing reminds you of that original hurt.

And it still hurts. Really bad. But you're not in the middle of it any more. And you realize . . . it's ok to hurt. It's ok to be pissed off that it happened. And most of all, it's ok that you ignored your stupid pride and remembered that the love you feel for that person is so much bigger than a mistake. It's ok that you forgave, in fact it feels really good.

Tis the Season . . .

Please add this address to your Christmas Card list:


1st TSC, Medical Transient Detachment
ATTN: Soldiers’ Angels, MaryAnn Phillips

UNIT 23203
APO AE 09263

*Remember: With the Soldier’s Angels one, you have to send your card unsealed… Send multiple un-sealed cards in one big envelope
AND PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!

Enchanted

Tonight, Jeopardy had a "Machu Picchu" theme. I wasn't paying much attention to the tv playing in the background, but I glaced up and saw Alex Trebec in one of the most beautiful, enchanting locations I've ever seen. Now I'm dreaming of a new vacation . . .

Dinner and a Cause

I LOVE Phad Thai with chicken from authentic Thai restaurants. We used to have one down the street, but they closed so I now have to drive a little ways to get the yumminess. Because of this, I decided to try a boxed version at home. I soaked the noodles as directed and stir-fried away. It was not good. The noodles should have been soaked at least twice as long, and there was absolutely no spice. It was, however, better than the last version I tried that only tasted like fish sauce. I guess I'll have to keep driving when I have the urge for this dish, or learn to make it from scratch!

The cool thing about this experience is that when I opened the box, there was a little rectangle of paper inside that said "Thailand's Turtles are in Trouble." There is a picture of the Mangrove Terrapin and an invitation to purchase a t-shirt or make a donation to help them out. It turns out that the company who makes the boxed dinners created a non-profit organization for this purpose. You can check them out here. There is a "project update" section of the site that is worth checking out. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to get a t-shirt, but I am going to learn more!

Going to the Dogs . . .

Today I took my older son to the vet. His name is Sam, and he's a large mixed-breed dog, mostly golden retriever/lab with a little bloodhound thrown in for fun (at least that's our best guess). He's a big boy, who has gotten a little bigger recently, weighing in at 117 lbs. He's just a whole lotta LUV!

So, the vet asked how much we feed him, and I guessed about 3 1/2 to 4 cups per day. It's a pretty good guess, we are responsible pet owners and we use the little scoopy thing that came with the food containers. The vet suggested that we use an actual measuring cup and cut him back to 3 cups per day, and we will probably ease him into less than that! I'm thinking to myself "are you looking at this hunk of doggie? How can he survive on such meager portions?" The vet must have sensed my concern, because he explained to me that our dog food is statistically way too high in calories for what they actually need. He said "the trends of our society are unfortunately reflected even in PET FOOD!" Now, that is just sad. Must we make our dogs fat and unhealthy, too? I assure you I will follow my vet's advice. I love my Sam, and I want him to be around for just as long as I can keep him!

It really is the "little things"

Every Thursday night, my husband relinquishes control of the remote. He even tivo's "The Office" because it comes on at the same time as Grey's Anatomy, and he understands that Grey's Anatomy is practically a religion for me. As silly as it is, this little act of kindness really makes my night.

Anxious

Today was the big surprise 70th birthday party for my husband's grandmother, who we call Dee. Without getting into too much detail, just trust me that it was a HUGE deal for my mother-in-law and Dee's husband to keep this a secret. My husband and his brother both came to town to surprise her, which is especially momentous because my husband hasn't been back to Georgia once since we moved across the country 5 1/2 years ago!!!!

Tonight, I am DYING to know how it went. I tried to call my husband earlier but he's not answering. I'm sure everyone is having a good visit and I'll hear something eventually, but COME ON! I want details!!!! :)

Another reason to love fall

The decorations! I love hay bales, pumpkins, scarecrows, the whole nine yards! I have a raised flower bed in front of my house that refuses to be pretty. I've tried so many different flower combinations only to have it turn hideous again just to spite me. This time, I decided to go a different route and use it as a stage rather than as a garden. I like it! I have to bring the cute kid inside when the weather gets bad, though. :)

Things, Part 3

Things I love: Bicycle rides on pretty days with my family

Things I do not love: INSOMNIA!!!!!!!

Good day

Today was a full day. I had class this morning, I volunteered at the Book Fair at my daughter's school, and we had parent-teacher conferences after that. I would like to take a moment to brag on my child (this is my blog, so I can do that!). She is above and beyond everywhere she is supposed to be academically. The BEST part, however, is that she is really doing well in the behavior department. I am thrilled. There is really no better feeling than having someone spend 30 minutes saying positive things about your kid, and it was a moment of validation as a parent that I will treasure.

Tonight, I am putting together treat bags for her soccer game tomorrow. It is my turn to bring the snacks, and I will admit that I was so excited when I got the Saturday before Halloween! I absolutely LOVE little projects like making little treat bags for holidays. The girls will have a nutritious snack of grapes and goldfish at half-time, but they get super-special goblin goodies after the game! Haleigh helped me pick them out, and I can't wait to hand them out tomorrow and share the fun!

When I don't like to write

RESEARCH PAPERS!!!!! Agghhhhhhh, the agony! I really enjoy writing. Possibly because I really enjoy talking, but writing gives you the convenience of taking your words back and correcting yourself. :-) When it comes to research papers, though, I physically hurt. My English class this quarter is all about research and documentation. Fortunately we have a pretty good professor who gives us very interesting topics and direction, but all the TEDIOUS takes out all the FUN! Oh, well. A few more weeks to go, and at least I can blog for my creative outlet!

I have no idea why . . .

but the more I look at my tree picture down there, the more it reminds me of the trash heap on Fraggle Rock. Was my spiritual tree moment really just a repressed familiarity with a favorite childhood memory? Hmmmmm . . . . . .

Natures's Treasures

I was so busy trying to stay upright, carefully watching the ground for slippery roots hidden by the leaves, that I almost missed this treasure. My husband pointed out this tree stump to me, and asked me if I knew what the holes were for. It turns out, this tree was harvested waaaay back in the day when two men using a double-handled saw would work together to fell these giants. They made the holes in the trunk and stuck two-by-four's in them to stand on while they worked.

I told him those holes looked like eyes to me, and this tree was a woman. Look closely at her, and you cannot deny she has a soul. The method of her harvesting indicates that she's been here quite a while, gathering her wisdom. If I had been alone, I probably would have chatted with her.

SUN, glorious SUN!

After the insanity in the weather for the past few days, today was a welcome treat. It was GORGEOUS! The sun shone brightly, there was a lovely breeze, and it had to be almost seventy degrees out. I felt the force of nature, calling me to commune with her. As luck would have it, we had already planned to go for a bike ride today. The picture here is the beginning of the trail we took. My husband had been out once before, but this was my first experience on the trail. It was so lovely, such a satisfying day. It is hard to imagine this peaceful, serene place tossed into turmoil by our recent windstorm, but the evidence was there! We had to climb over one collection of tumbled trees, one of them a gigantic pine whose entire root ball was up in the air! It was worth it, though. On the way out, we even saw little bear tracks in the mud!

It is so cleansing to get out into the woods, and spend some time listening and looking. When we finished our ride, we stopped by the beach that I love so much to watch the waves. It was a perfect day, all around.

What the HAIL?????

It is hailing again . . . tiny little ice balls that sound like someone pouring old-fashioned popcorn kernels into a hot pan.

As it turns out . . .

This was more than just a "little" windstorm! I was worried about all the leaves being blown away, when I should have been worried about the trees themselves! If it had kept up much longer, I would have had an unobstructed water view. As it was, two very large trees fell down across the street from my house. Fortunately, they fell into the park rather than across the street, and noone was walking their dog under them!. There were others falling a little further away. I was trying to finish my homework and every few minutes we would hear "ka-boom" and feel the floor tremble. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least.

Today, we thought we were finished with the bad part . . . right up until a house and tree got struck by lightning in the middle of a hail storm this morning! My goodness, fall is here in all its fury!

It's a good thing

that I took pictures of the trees already since after today, they won't have any leaves left! We are having a little windstorm. The grass at the park is almost completely carpeted in gold leaves. Small branches have been falling all day as well. I went to pick Haleigh up from school, and we came back to see an entire tree (or at least a majority of it) rolling across one end of the park! One of the trees closest to my house has snapped to pieces as well. It is a little frightening, but there are positive points - it is BEAUTIFUL to watch all the whirlwinds of leaves, and Ozzy really liked all the extra sticks he found to chew!

Hey, Dad . . .

Could I come up there, please? See how cute I'm being?

I just want one little smooch, then I'll get down, I promise.

Well, maybe just one more.

Observations (about me)

1) A good book is like crack for me. I cannot put it down. I develop insomnia and find myself staying up waaaaay past my regular bedtime to read it. I start avoiding what I should be doing - studying, writing a research paper, cleaning up, taking the dogs out, taking a bath. Okay, maybe not the bath part, but that's just because I can take the book in there with me. I begin to feel guilt about neglecting everything around me, but I must . . . finish . . . this . . . book! "Just one more page" becomes my mantra, until, 287 pages later I'm delirious and force myself to get some sleep. I need a twelve step program. I'm going to blame my mother-in-law for my latest relapse. She sent me a BOX FULL OF GREAT BOOKS! I need rehab.
2) My daughter is growing into a young lady before my eyes, and sometimes it catches me off guard . . . and scares me a little.

Observations (about other folks)

Gum should probably be banned. Breathmints would seem to be a better alternative, since they aren't to be chewed. Chewing is a big problem for some folks - that whole "keep your mouth closed, don't smack" idea just seems to escape them as soon as they pop a minty fresh piece into their mouths.

Needle phobia

I got to my biology lab two or three minutes late on Thursday, and the teacher had already begun speaking. I made my way to my usual seat which happens to be right next to where she typically places all of her things. I put my purse down and began taking notes on osmosis. I could see that we would be using the microscopes again, and we would be studying osmosis in plant cells, starch solutions in dialysis bags, and blood. Then I noticed what was sitting next to me - a BOX of alcohol wipes, a BOX of little round band-aids, and a BOX of lancets. You know, the things used to jab your finger and squeeze out blood for some barbaric reason. I know, I know, it's necessary sometimes. This time, I was afraid we were all going to be required to look at our own blood. WAIT! Hold the press! Bring on the fetal pig for dissection! Anything to save me from a puncture wound.

Turns out, she just needed one volunteer, and we all looked at her blood cells. Whew! Crisis averted.

Exciting moment!!!!

Soooo, in an earlier post I mentioned that I was helping promote one of my favorite singers by putting posters up advertising his upcoming show. There is a contest going on, and we are to take pictures of ourselves putting them up, then send them in to his website. WELL, one of mine just got posted! It's at http://www.patmonahan.net/. At the bottom left of the page there's a blurb about joining the "street team". Click on that, then fan photos, and mine is currently the last photo on the 5th page of pics. We were trying to figure out the best place to hang them at my eye doctor's office! You can't actually see my face, but I'm ok with that. Check it out!

Why is it that when someone shares a big dream with us, something that seems impossible or at least unreasonable, we tend to shut them down? I remember when I was in highschool, all I wanted to do was sing. I had big plans to move to New York and make it on Broadway. I knew I had the talent, I just had to work really hard for the opportunities. It seemed that whenever someone asked me "what I wanted to do", they never wanted to hear the real answer. With the exception of a very few people, most folks just thought it was a "pipe dream". They smiled politely and said things like "that would be nice" while they thought (and some even asked!) - but what are your REAL plans. WHAT? I just bared my soul to you! I just shared with you my greatest desires! Who are you to act as if it can't be done? Shouldn't I be the one to determine that? Haven't I managed to accomplish everything else I wanted up to this point? Why question me now?

See, I have another little dream for myself right now. It involves what I would really like to "do", but it scares me to death. It would be risky, but oh, so rewarding, and I'm pretty sure I would never ever get tired of it. It also involves me taking complete control - and therefore complete responsibility - over my success or failure. I haven't talked much about it, ever, because I'm afraid of those types of reactions I've experienced before. If people realize I'm serious about it, for some reason the conversation turns to how difficult everything will be: "well, funding can be a problem; rent prices are crazy these days; are you sure there's a market for that?; you would need help; and the kicker THAT's A LOT OF WORK!" Well, I KNOW that!

So, for now, I'll keep it to myself for a little bit longer and chew on it a while. Then, when I get ready, I'll just DO it without running it by anybody!

Food for the brain

Mmmmm . . . whole wheat English muffin drizzled with honey and an Asian pear this morning. Good fuel for my poor brain before it has to go to class and try to comprehend proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

My day

Today has been such a pleasant day. It's just one of those where everything flows together and nothing is any harder than it has to be. I took Haleigh to school and came back to have a cup of coffee with my husband before we parted ways. He went for a bike ride with co-workers and I had posters to hang. I found some great locations, and they were all easy to get to. I even found a nice guy to take my picture hanging one of them. Then my camera ate it, but that's another story. After finishing my rounds, I decided to go to Goodwill to look for red dishes for a party my mother-in-law is planning. I had no luck with dishes, but I DID get a brand new pair of Old Navy pants and an almost brand-new pair of Gap jeans for a grand total of $7.28. Bonus!

And now, the best part - I got to walk up and down the street and admire the pretty colors. Lucky for you, I happened to have my camera. :-) This red bush was so striking I just grabbed a close-up. It sits in front of an empty house in an ugly yard, but its beauty alone brightens the place up.

This one is a nice colorful shot of some of the prettiest trees . . .

and this little guy caught my interest because he is just beginning to show his colors. I'll have to keep an eye on him and get a "full bloom" shot later!

More love for fall

This is the back corner of the park across the street as of yesterday.

. . . and this is how it looked just about a week ago. It's amazing that you don't even notice the trees by the water line that are now such a vibrant pretty orange.

I've been taking pictures of the trees lining my street for the past few weeks as well. When they erupt into their full golden glory, I'll post a series. I love fall!

Adventures in Ice Skating

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture of your kid once she figures out how to do it?

Speaking of puppies

It's hard to believe MY "little" bulldog has gone from this

to this

to THIS!