live from Memphis

Last Friday we were driving with a couple (friends from our bike club) to a party. We were talking about New Years Eve, and the guy mentioned that he thought it'd be fun to go to Beale Street. As in Memphis, Tennesee. It's kinda like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, or the old downtown part of Nashville. He just said it casually, not really thinking about going. Well, Greg started egging him on and getting him excited. Then we saw another couple (bike club friends) at the party and Greg started talking about Beale Street with them. Within a couple hours, the guys were looking online at hotels. Sunday morning at 8am we left to drive on down to Memphis!

Monday we went to Graceland - I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but it was definitely cool, definitely the thing to do while we're here. Today we went to a famous store here on Beale Street, A Schwab. Then we girls went to an Underground Railroad museum - actually a house that was a major stop on the route. That was really neat, it was a guided tour, very informational. Did you know that the different quilt patterns had specific meanings to slaves who wanted to run away? Did you know that "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" was a song in code for slaves?

Our hotel is one block from Beale Street, so we walk over for meals at various hotspots. The "fun" part of Beale is only two blocks long, but it's packed with fun. They have the road closed to vehicle traffic all evening/night. There are lots of bars and restaurants and great blues music everywhere. We had deep fried burgers for dinner last night... today for lunch four of us shared a FOUR pound cheeseburger! So oops, the diet is really not happening on this trip. LOL

No pictures this time. We didn't bring any way to download from the camera to the PC. So photos have to wait until we get home. :-(

Happy New Year to all!! I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years Eve.

Spread Joy

I saw that phrase on Kal Barteski's blog and thought it was great. Not holiday or even season specific. Very appropriate all the time. :-)

So Spread Joy!

the boys

I was telling someone a while back how much my boys had grown, and she was asking about comparison pictures. Well, I finally have something that shows how much these guys have grown since we got them - they're laying on the same kitty bed in both pics. Well, ok maybe "on" is not the correct word anymore... Over? Near? LOL

February 2006

December 2008

With latest snow, this has been second-snowiest December

By Mike Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Dec. 21, 2008 12:20 p.m. (edited and abbreviated)

This December is already the second snowiest on record in Milwaukee, the National Weather Service said today. So far, 30.1 inches of snow have fallen at Mitchell International Airport, but that is still well off the record 49.5 inches that fell in December 2000.

Three snowstorms are heading Milwaukee's way this week, but it's still too early to know whether they will produce enough accumulation to break the record. The forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches on Tuesday, 1 to 3 inches on Tuesday night and 4 to 8 inches on Wednesday. McMahon said a snowstorm also could hit the area on Friday, but it's too soon to tell how much might hit Milwaukee.

Here are the top three snowiest Decembers, compiled by the National Weather Service:
• 2000, 49.5 inches.
• 2008, 30.1 inches.
• 2007, 29.5 inches.

for some odd reason

I really don't like to post here unless I have pictures. I guess I feel pics are more entertaining than just my blah blah chat. ;-) I do have pictures this time, but first...

It's been a wild December!

Snow, snow and more snow. As of this morning, this month ranks as the fourth snowiest December on record in Milwaukee!! omg, kinda crazy, isn't it? - the month is only 2/3 over. The rain and somewhat warmer weather this past week had melted just about all of it, and then BAM, Fri we got pelted with another foot. We're supposed to get 4 - 7 inches more tonight, and then the temps are going brutal, with wind chills to 30 below. What's up? Like last winter wasn't bad enough?? Ok, enough bad news...

Events and parties seem to be at an all-time high this year. We've been going just about every Fri and Sat night since Thanksgiving. Definitely lots of fun. One fun event was the Trans-Siberian Orchestra last Sunday - they rocked the house - and best light show I think I've ever seen at a concert!

Ok, ok, already. You want pictures? Here's some pictures... well, first the story. Greg shouted from the downstairs to come down. I got halfway down the stairs, and he said "stop." I'm wondering what he's up to, and then I see a deer out the side window. And Greg's still saying "in front of you, look forward." Well there was another deer right by our patio. So we watched them for a while, I grabbed the camera and we took some pictures. They were chomping on the rose bush leaves, which was ok since I'll be hacking them back in spring anyway. One of the guys had his nose almost touching the house at one point. The deer were absolutely beautiful. Enjoy!

started a new scrapbook! :-)

This album will be fun!! It will be all about the "new thing(s)" I do every year. I am including all the "new things" that I've highlighted in our holiday newsletters over the year. I am also including other "new things" that didn't make the newsletter. So basically, I'm going through the old dusty memory banks (yes, my brain) and photos to find activities that I did for the first (and frequently only) time. It's been hard for me, deciding what is interesting enough to make the album. Hopefully since it's a mini, only 8.5 x 8.5, it'll go quick. I have three LOs done and 2 in progress. No photos to post tonight - I'll try to do that soon.

Now I'm off to bed - sweet dreams!

ok, so that one didn't do it

guess I'll try this blog color scheme... I've tried a few now, and I'm just not liking 'em. I may end up going back to my cool one that I "thought" I was getting tired of! ;-)

goin' girlie

wow - my new blog scheme is rather pink, don't ya think?! We'll see how long THIS lasts!

I haven't really been doing much recently. Work, watch t.v., cuddle with my boys... that's about it. Boring, boring. lol That's why not much for blog posts.

Well, I guess I shouldn't say life is all that boring. I'm actually in the planning stages for our next cruise. Or should I say next cruises. As in plural. As in more than one. :-) We already had our annual winter cruise booked, but then we saw that prices were dropping, and the price for the cruise right after ours was really good... and we couldn't resist! We're taking an 8 day and a 6 day cruise on Carnival Freedom, one right after the other. It's what they call back-to-back. Same ship, same cabin even!! We don't even have to move our stuff out of the cabin "between" cruises. The ports are different each week, one week is Eastern Caribbean and the other is Western Carib. So this is basically a 14 day cruise - omg!! I am SO excited, you just wouldn't believe. I love cruising so much, I wish I could just live on a cruise ship.

Anyway, most of the ports we've already been to, except Antigua and Tortola (we went to its neighbor Virgin Gorda). But there are so many things to see and do in most places that this is totally ok. Maybe this year we'll actually make it over to St John when we're at St Thomas! - that would basically make that a new port as well. Jamaica has a new tourist attraction that we think we'll do - if so I'll get my "new thing for the year" done and over early in the year again. When we were in the Caymans previously, our entire excursion was water-based, snorkeling and going to stingray city. So this time, we'll tour on land. ALWAYS love Key West - so no problem stopping there again - we can walk around, take the trolley.

so yay! I love to cruise and I have 14 days to look forward to.... :-D

let it snow,

let it snow, let it snow...

But not much, just a dusting please.

Can you believe?! - snow already?! Less than two weeks ago the temps were in the 70s; we actually had at least one high record day. And now... snow. I have a feeling it's going to be a rough winter.

who's that hottie?!

roflmao

This blondie ain't so blonde no mo'.
And dang, every time I try to go dark, it goes red too.
What up with that?!

go VOTE

The U.S. is a democracy... it is our right and responsibility to vote...

happy election day 2008!

blog followers

in general...

Something cool that blogger added a few months ago - it is possible to become a "follower" of someone else's blog. The absolutely best reason to me for this - blogger creates a Reading List of all the blogs that I follow - and any updates to any of those blogs are listed in my dashboard (look in the top right corner of your blogger Manage Posts screen when you're logged in). So I no longer have to go to every single blog I like to see if there were updates. I just goto my dashboard screen and see the list of who updated when, and I can click on a link right there to goto the new update.

For more info, see the blogger pages on Followers and on Reading List. This rocks!

I have to hand it to blogger. When I started using their service in 2005, it was very UN-user friendly. Adding a picture at the top or sidebar was tough - I literally had to learn to do it in html. Making any change was very manual, including things as minor as adding another item to a list in a sidebar, or even having something in the sidebar - again had to do it in html. UG horrible!! But now... omg... now it has become super easy to do these things. And I'm really loving this new feature.

yes, it's all about the small things in life. ;-)

new toy

I finally broke down and bought a die cut system. What is that, you ask? Well... it is a way to cut alphabets and shapes quickly and easily. There have been many different die cut systems marketed towards scrapbookers in the past 7-8 years. But I never bought in. Just couldn't justify (to myself) spending the money.

The "early" machines required purchasing actual dies, which are expensive and take up lots of space, which were then pushed thru the machine with your paper to cut the shape. In the past couple years, new alternatives have cropped up . Some machines require a computer hookup, which is bad for portability, but great for flexibility, since all ttf's (true type fonts) can be cut with those systems. Some machines still require proprietary equipment (cartridges, memory disks) that hold the alphas and shapes that can be cut; these machines are great for portability since they need no computer. Machines come in a variety of sizes too, from one that cuts max 2.5 inches, to others that cut up to 23.5 inches.

Well, as I said, I finally broke down and bought one. And man, am I loving it! :-) I bought a Cricut Expression, (pronounced like the cricket, therefore folks call them Bugs) which "is a way to cut letters, shapes, and phrases from .5" to 23.5" simply by touching a button. No computer is required, just plug it in. Place your favorite cartridge in your Cricut and choose from hundreds of designs." So yes, there are proprietary cartridges that can be purchased at an additional cost - but wow! these cartridges have tons of options. AND... drumroll please... there is 3rd party software that enables the Cricut to be attached to a computer, to print any ttf. For folks who are really into this, it is even possible to create your own design or shape in other software and cut it with the Cricut.Two of my most recent LOs had assistance from my new Bug. I'm still in the basic usage state, but as I get more comfortable with it, I look forward to trying not only more fun and funky features, but also using that 3rd party software to cut fonts that reside on my computer.

post 200

woohoo!! ;-)

I hope my 4 blog followers enjoy my blog almost as much as I enjoy sharing my photos, scrap layouts, thoughts...

amidst all the political brouhaha

While I keep my eyes and ears on the presidential campaign this year, I'm still trying to get some scrapping done. I met up with a couple friends this past Saturday to scrap. We didn't stay nearly as long as I expected, so I didn't get much done. But I've worked a bit here and there since then, and have 3 LOs finished. woohoo!!

This first LO is based on a sketch from DYL (Design Your Life) online class. The subject was asymmetry. The sketch she created is a one pager - and is the basis for my G page. I flipped her sketch to create the M page. And of course the two LOs combined become a symmetrical LO. Isn't this fun?! lol

I had been planning on doing Greg/Marcia pages for a LONGGGG time. I've had that cool rockin' paper for at least a year, probably two. Greg helped me come up with some of the comparisons and helped choose photos for his page. The journaling:

YOU
love to motorcycle
want to travel the U.S.
play racquetball and golf
enjoy playing cards
like full-bodied red wines
prefer fruit pies
watch the news
are a practical realist

I
love to cruise
want to see the world
play volleyball
enjoy scrapbooking
like dark "chewy" beers
prefer chocolate desserts
watch sci-fi
am an imaginative idealist

This next one is all about the last bike, the one we got in Sept '07 and which is now toast. Greg spent many hours (and $$) adding accessories on the bike - for comfort, safety and just plain fun.

And the third LO is about the first Iron Butt ride we did. Ok... the only one I did. lol Greg has done several more. This particular ride, a special version of the "Saddle Sore" called the "Lake Michigan 1000," necessitates riding around Lake Michigan, for at least 1000 miles, in less than 24 hours. We did it in approx 18.5 hours. Why'd we do it? As we frequently say "Because we can."

I must be sick... very very sick

lol

I've continued my fall cleaning into the office. I found my desk under the pile o' crap - there was actually wood under there! hahaha And then I cleaned out desk drawers and my one drawer in the file cabinet. I actually have an EMPTY drawer now... not for long of course.

Whaddya wanna bet - some day soon I'll be looking for something and have no clue where it is, when I would have known exactly what layer of which part of my desk it was in before!

It feels amazingly good to have gotten rid of so much unneeded crap. It's like weight has been lifted. Literally!

spring cleaning

oops... wrong season. lol Is there a fall version?

I've been purging unwanted stuff (aka crap) from my studio the last few days. It isn't 100% cleaned out, but I put it back together and it looks lots better than it did. My projects actually have a little breathing space around them and can be seen easily! woohoo! I'll have to post pics in the next couple days. Too bad I didn't take some "before" shots.

The next purge/clean project will be my desk in our shared office. Now if THAT isn't a mini nightmare...!! lol But it has to be done, and quickly. I'm expecting my new scrap toy this week, and I'll be keeping it connected to my computer, so I need space on my desk somewhere. And right now there isn't even space for a memo pad!

sunshine... on my shoulders....

makes me happy.

And happy I was this past weekend. What absolutely amazing weather!! It actually broke the 80 degree mark on Sunday and was in the upper 70s on Sat. omg, unbelievable.

We rode to the Dells Fri - the group went out for fish fry, about 44 of us. Saturday we went to breakfast as a group - 82 folks! That's probably about 55 bikes. Then we split off into groups for different rides. Greg and I rode with one group from approx 11am - 4pm, then we split off. My back was killing me, so I needed some break/stretch time. So we slowly headed to our friends' place - another hour of riding. Then on Sunday when we came home, we took a meandering route that was about 4.5 hours of ride time. whew!!

Here are some photos of the bike event:

working for the weekend

yep, that's a Loverboys song. And yep, it's pretty much my motto. Well, or working for early retirement. But that doesn't fit the tune as well. ;-o

We're heading to the Dells this weekend for a GL1800riders event. What is GL1800riders? It is an online group of folks who love to ride, mostly Goldwing 1800s (the current model), but all riders are welcome no matter what their ride is. The GL1800riders folks put together events around the country, very loose events, basically get together, ride, eat, chat... There are now two events in the Dells, one in spring, one in fall. We've been there two or three times. It's fun to check out the bikes - almost everyone accessorizes their bike to some degree, and it's cool seeing the different ideas. And it can be fun talking to these folks, most are heavy duty riders, more so than Greg even!!

Anyway, we're heading up this afternoon in time for group dinner, spending the night at "the hotel," joining the group breakfast Sat and then going on one of the various rides. As far as I know we're heading home Sat night, but you never know. Things change.

I'm hoping to spend time Sun doing more studio purging (getting rid of no longer wanted crap) and working on more class assignments so I don't fall even further behind.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend... and that you have great weather like we're expecting - highs in the mid- to maybe even upper-70s!! omg! Fab for October!

starting a new class

I decided kind of last minute to join another online scrap class. This one is with my fave scrap "celebrity" Cathy Zielske. She has the Clean and Simple style, usually quite linear, that I love. It's a 3 month class called Design Your Life, a study of graphic design as it applies to scrapbooking. woohoo!! Since I started a bit late, I am already behind... and it's a pretty intensive class, so I'm going to have to work hard and lots to keep up.

Our first lesson was on symmetry. Basically easy, mirror image top to bottom or side to side, right? Well, yes and no. The foundation can be symmetrical, but you can use different things in those spaces, and it still works. Cool stuff.

Anyway, this is my LO for assignment 1. See how the journaling box is opposite a photo? - since it still occupies approx the same space, it is still considered symmetrical. And things like titles and embellishment don't change the foundation either.


CZ gave us a sketch that we were to follow. I'm not used to using large photos - I love how it looks, but that means preplanning pages so I know what size to print which picture. And THAT ain't gonna happen. lol I just print all my pictures 4x6 and work it out. (hehe - that's in my best Tim Gunn imitation - Project Runway for those who don't watch it) So anyway, I just printed this big boy at home - woohoo for inkjet printers!

The journaling reads: Of all the pictures I took on a swamp tour, my favorite is the one with a splash of color among the greens and blues. Using an artsy filter made it even more interesting... way better than a big ol' ugly alligator!

another biker LO

wow - it seems so hard for me to do layouts for bike weekends and events. A couple months ago I had 17 sets of photos from all different events to scrap - and the last four were all bike event weekends. But that's ok - only two left! Time to do another big photo printing order - pita (pain in the a**) that is!

Anyway, I did this LO combining a sketch I was following with a challenge from my class:
create a 2 pg LO
Use something heart shaped
Use action shot photos
Use something clear
Use at least 1" of ribbon
Mix up your title

And I did it!! woohoo!! Got it all in.

Glittered brown heart on the photos of G and I
Action shots of cooking and eating
2 clear buttons backed with patterned paper
Blue with brown dot ribbon (by title)
Two types of letters in my title

:-)

a biker LO

Here comes a little of my yin/yang. I just did a layout about a motorcycle trip. So yes, the biker bitch scrapbooks. After years of doing both, I STILL think it's funny! Ok, so I'm easily amused. Guess I'm tired too... blathering on... and on... lol

I started this LO thinking I would create something I could use for class. But then I got going and I liked my direction so much that I didn't know how to change it or what to add to make it fit one of our class themes. But when I was just about done, I decided subtlety could work.

So THIS bike gang layout has glitter. Now if THAT isn't funny.... roflmao


oh, and sorry about the nasty flash, indoor lighting sux for photographing LOs.

scrappin' about scrappin'

lol Sounds funny!

I put together a layout yesterday about a weekend retreat that we "girls" did last year in the Dells. Somehow, with a large group of scrappers, there were very few pictures. I (shame on me) did not take ANY pics!! :-o

Anyway, this layout was somewhat inspired by the online class I'm taking. The current theme is stickers. wow - that is tough for me cuz I really don't use much for stickers except alphas for titles. But in this LO I used 15, count 'em, fifteen stickers!! I cut them, inked them, doodled on them, layered them, and even used a couple as a photo mat. hmmm.... I may have to use stickers more often!

fun pics from ScrapFest

the obligatory group shot - frog and all...


At the Rain Forest Cafe, I was fascinated by the guy who was making balloon shapes. So Bobi had him come over and make one for me. :-)


The 4 foot eel at the Rain Forest - thanks to the really nice staff guy, we saw this eel do his nightly 2 laps around the tank. Very cool!


this new ride is awesome - you go straight up - IN BETWEEN THE CEILING BEAMS - then straight down... plus the usual rollercoaster curves. woohoo!!


Saturday night crop - none of us accomplished much that night. lol

late night fun

I was up way late last night, as in 3:30am.... I cleaned my studio, put lots of stuff away, woohoo! And then, (drumroll please), I did a layout. I'm such a freak, I just can't scrapbook in a messy area.

I created the layout based on ideas from week 2 of an online class I'm taking: Product Playground 2 from Big Picture. Week 2 is all about the Softer Side - stuff like felt, flocking, fiber, fabric and floss. So my big idea was to use a felt frame - my first try at using felt anything! Well, I love how it turned out!! Not only did I use the reverse of a black felt frame (the outside part that was meant to be thrown away), I also used foam alphas for the title, and (not relevant to class) I painted the paper to create my photo mat - first time for that! Ain't this just SWEET??!! lol


As a side note, the purple and green layout I posted Sept 8 was also for this class. Week 1 focused on edges - meaning papers with decorative edges, lace or cutout paper, decorative edge scissors, etc. So I cut the beautiful floral paper to have scalloped edges and I used my very old scallop edge deco scissors to trim my journaling box.

pics of ScrapFest projects

Here is the cool project I made in Tim Holtz's class, this'll fit oh so well into the downstairs when I redecorate:


Here are the cards, mini books, candy bar wrap, and layout I made at the Make n Take booths:



I almost always use patterned paper in my layouts... so this is a great reminder how nice solid cardstock can look! (fyi- the green sheet will be used to mat a photo, and will get cut to the right size then.)

fun times

at MOA. yep, fun times indeed. Scrapfest is so much fun.

This year Bobi, Dawn and I did some Make n Takes on Friday while Carrie was in class. I usually don't do MnTs (small free projects where we play with vendor products and tools) because the lines are always so long at each and every vendor booth... but it was nice and relaxing and fun, hanging with the girls, chatting - it didn't even seem like we were waiting to do something. We made numerous cards, a couple mini books and a full size layout. As usual, I gawked at Tim Holtz for while - I adore watching him while he does show and tell - the man is so super talented - it seems like total second nature for him to create beautiful cool items.

I had three classes on Saturday - so it was another leisurely day. I've been too pressed for time at previous Scrapfests, so I opted to slow it down this year. The only class project I finished (being slow with my finger injuries) was my Tim Holtz class - a cool framed mirror that we decorated as travel themed. My other two classes are super cute projects that I just couldn't keep up with. One class was with Me And My Big Ideas - omg, MAMBI was so very generous with product!! And that is very smart for a vendor, because scrapbookers love to play, and if we love what we play with we buy more. And of course we tell our scrapper friends about the cool product we played with, and how generous xyz company is, and then they go buy from that vendor. So it is a total win-win for vendors to be generous with their product giveaways.

We four girls opted to only attend one evening crop this year, so we... um... had a few beverages Thursday and Friday nights at the Cantina. hehehe 'Twas fun, even tho the music sucked. We enjoyed a fab dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. And then after we finished dining, one of the workers told us about the eel in one of the fish tanks. Whoa - this was cool. He told us that the eel comes out of his hiding spot only once a day, at 9pm, and he does two laps around the tank and goes back into hiding. It was 8:52, so we decided to wait. At 8:58, the FOUR FOOT eel came out and did his two laps. Cool - talk about creatures of habit! lol So we thanked the worker guy for the info, and he talked to us at length about some of the fish and the tanks and stuff... very neat and very interesting!!

So then on Saturday night we went to a crop sponsored by Little Yellow Bicycle at the Roseville Archivers. LYB gave us each a packet of stuff to make 3 cute projects - it was their brand new Christmas line - sweet! Then they gave us each a cool rockin' tote bag with more Christmas stuff, plus their new Halloween line and a little of one of their current lines. And they had lots of prize giveaways too! We were super pleased with the quality and quantity of their freebies - LOVE IT! :-) And then the Roseville Archivers was generous too - everyone received a bag of goodies, some older stuff, some more current stuff, but definitely good overall packages. Plus they had a grand prize giveaway at the end - and CARRIE won it! woohoo! We think we definitely got our money's worth from going to that crop - always a good feeling. And I am now totally in love with LYB product - I can't wait to see their next lines - hoping they are more generic in the future, as I don't generally scrap holidays.

So now hopefully in the next couple days I'll take and post pictures of my MnTs and finished class project... and also soon finish up the two other class projects!

scrapfest '08

yay - by this time tomorrow I'll be in the Twin Cities for Scrapfest '08! Most of the event is held at the Mall of America, including classes and Make n Takes (mini free projects). It's sponsored by Archivers and has been fun in years past - this will be my third annual.

I have taken lots of classes in previous years, and not left myself with enough time to enjoy my friends and the MOA. So this year I only have 3 classes. I should have plenty of time for R&R, chatting, window shopping, etc.

hmmm... it was pointed out

that I hadn't updated my blog re: my work status.

As usual, things have changed. I will not be returning to my last client. :-(

Instead, I'm staying on this team project longer than originally expected. :-)

another quick pic

Tonight I finally finished a layout I've been working on this week. yay!


I have to apologize - all my LO pics have been a bit blurry, some worse than others. I'm looking forward to getting another "good" digital camera to replace the one damaged in our accident. The old camera seems to be having problems...

... cuz you know it can't be operator error. roflmao! (rolling on floor laughing my a** off)

way fun

Last weekend, as in the weekend before Labor Day weekend, I had a super fun time with "the girls." We rented a retreat house for scrapping - it's a fabulous place called Bridge Creek near Eau Claire. I didn't expect to get a lot done, since I still don't use my left fingers... but wow! I proved myself wrong. I finished 12, count 'em, TWELVE layouts! woohoo!!! I almost ran out of stuff to do, and that would have been a first! lol

Without further ado, here are snaps of the LOs I did:

cool beans

A work update - my company, Jefferson Wells, has me in the office working on a team engagement that deals with a business continuity plan, so a bit different work than I've been doing since starting here. BCP is interesting - basically a lot of "what ifs" - ie, if a tornado goes thru your facility, is there a plan that allows work to continue, perhaps at a different location? Are there backups of computers and data offsite? Lots of variables.

This will only be for a couple weeks because one of the team members is shifted temporarily to different work on the same engagement and I'm taking over what he's been working on. Then he'll shift back to his role, and I'll go back to my last client when another budget deadline is coming up and they have more work for me.

So yay! - I don't have to deal with first day at a new client jitters. I have work to do and am billable. And I get to go back to my last (peaceful) client and learn more about Retrieve and essbase while working on budget/forecast, which I enjoy. So this is a cool, rockin' win/win/win/win - for me, Jefferson Wells, and two clients!

is there such a thing as being too efficient at work?

I was really enjoying my work at my new client... I was learning a bit about Hyperion Retrieve and Essbase, great skills to have. I was working a lot with budget and forecast spreadsheets - fun stuff also.

But I kept surprising them by finishing my work/projects so quickly. (and still accurately!) And they just never seemed to have enough work to really keep me busy.

So they let me go this week.

I'm sad, because I enjoyed working there, in a quiet peaceful environment without shouting and f-bombs flying around faster than mosquitos in a swamp at dusk, doing interesting (if not overly challenging) work. I'm puzzled, because there is usually a bit more notice than just a "sorry we don't have enough work for you, please don't come back tomorrow." I'm nervous, because I don't know yet who my next client will be - where I'll be driving and what type of work I'll be performing. I always get first-day jitters, wondering if the new manager and co-workers will like me and my work, if I'll be proficient at the work (I can't handle being only mediocre, I must excel! lol).

But I have to remember that I took my job with Jefferson Wells over eight (yes EIGHT) years ago because I like to job hop, have lots of variety, learn new things. And wherever I go, it's only temporary - there is always a light at the end of that tunnel. So I'll be fine. I will be ok.

the Olympics

omg, I have been spending almost every spare moment watching the Olympics... gymnastics, volleyball, beach volleyball, synchronized diving, and of COURSE - swimming. WOOHOO Phelps!! Show those naysayers up! I am in absolute awe of Phelps' ability. And way to go to our guy gymnasts who pulled off the bronze after both Hamm brothers pulled out of competition. And yay to our stellar gal gymnasts going one, two in the all-around. Of course our gal beach vball players May and Walsh are phenomenal, so fun to watch.

I am so proud of our U.S. Olympians, doing so well against all others in the world, including the Chinese. I abhor the practices of the Chinese - in particular, how they take 3 year old toddlers away from their homes to train in gymnastics. That is their life, that's it. No family. No friends outside of their teammates. No playing like children should. From the age of THREE. The Olympics committee should put an end to this barbaric practice!

I have supreme respect for our U.S. (and other countries) individuals who train intensively for the Olympics and other huge competitions OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. To have a goal that they are so focused on that they spend hours upon hours every day practicing, exercising, etc... whatever they can do (legally) to enhance their performance - amazing, absolutely amazing.

You Olympians set a shining example for the world!

wordle... what's that?

Saw this on a blog, kinda cool, so thought I'd make my own...

Go play and have some fun HERE.

no turnin' this off!

I'm hi-jacking a topic from another blog again... this time it's Cathy Zielske's blog. As she says, "I have a confession, which is neither deep nor scandalous in any way, but I believe it definitely says something about who I am: there are certain movies that, when they come on the television, I cannot NOT watch. Period. No matter what scene I'm joining in on, be it the first, the middle or the last. I simply cannot turn away." Oh, how true!

Here are some of those movies that I cannot NOT watch:
1) Twister
2) Volcano
3) Dante's Peak
4) Starship Troopers
5) Con Air
6) any Austin Powers movie
(hmmm... a trend of stupid movies!)
7) any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy
8) any Terminator movie
9) any Star Trek movie
(and a trend of sci-fi, of course)
10) Forrest Gump
11) Braveheart
12) The Shawshank Redemption
13) The Hunt for Red October
(finally, some serious stuff!)

I'm sure there are a ton more, but I'll just leave this at lucky number 13. So what about you? What movies are YOU not able to turn off?

back 2 work

yep, I'm finally going back to work this Monday. I don't know yet what I'll be doing. I've given my office warning that I am limited in what I can do. I still can't use my left fingers, and probably won't be able to for a while. And I still have minor issues with my right wrist and elbow. So it's hard for me to type (essential for an accountant), drive (essential to get to work), and, well, lots of other things. But I guess I'll go in and see what's up. For those folks who saw my earlier wound pictures - these show how much I've improved:


My fingers will take the longest to heal completely, since they were definitely the deepest. I believe that's the hand I used to try to stop myself from rolling down the road. They are still considered open wounds and are barely touchable.

My wrist looks fabulous, and should have no scarring. At least, that is, if I continue to be cautious with it. It needs to stay really moist/moisturized, and I need to be careful how much I bend it, so that the new tender skin doesn't crack in the joint crease.

Even tho we had some "road rash" and bruises and wear and tear, we were SO VERY fortunate.

The sheriff who was first on the scene told Greg that we were his 3rd motorcycle accident in the past week. In the first, a guy lost his life. In the second, a guy with only 2 weeks experience was driving with his girlfriend on back - she was in shorts, a tank top and flip flops - they were just screaming from the pain. The officer couldn't bring himself to tell the girlfriend that she had lost her toes.

About two weeks ago, a member of our bike club put his bike down. His ribs were fractured 17 times, he had a collapsed lung and a ruptured spleen. He is expected to have a full recovery - but it will take months.

Makes me happy to be alive, walking and talking. :-) And that is precisely how Greg and I have felt from the moment we picked ourselves off the pavement. Happy and oh so fortunate to be alive!

what's in your suitcase?

My good friend Carrie posted a question on her blog, from an online class she's taking. The question is "What's in your suitcase? What are your traveling must-haves?" I'm hi-jacking that question, cuz I think it's pretty fun...

Out of necessity (motorcycle trips) I have become quite a minimalist while traveling. For example, for this last 8 night trip we just took to Canada, Greg and I COMBINED had one carry-on duffle bag, a laptop bag, and my shoulder bag. That was it!

I always have a camera when traveling, and am getting used to taking my cool Clix2 mp3 player. I take at least one book plus a mag or two for "downtimes." I need my Mary Kay face products and a brown eyeliner. And my hand lotion - Suave Natural Oatmeal. Plus typical toiletry items, including both Advil and Aleve. Other than that, it depends on what type of traveling I'm doing.

For biking, I need appropriate clothing, such as rain gear, leathers, gloves, protective eyewear, riding boots, etc. Sunscreen is also a requirement.

For cruising, I need nice clothing, including formal wear, for evenings onboard. I need comfy but nice-looking clothes for shore excursions. Plus a swimsuit with coverup for lounging on the deck during at sea days. Sandals and tennies are required. And I need girly stuff - more makeup, hair product, jewelry, etc.

For scrappy vacations, all I really need are comfy clothes plus my scrap tools and supplies!

misc. Canada trip pics

Takakkaw Falls in Yoho Nat'l Park


another bear sighting! - really near the road this time. :-)

Hell's Gate tram and suspension bridge