tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207511452024-03-13T16:42:36.924-04:00What's next???Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.comBlogger782125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-80077453720947476152011-11-21T23:24:00.003-05:002012-03-04T00:21:41.153-05:00moving....I have moved. Here is a link to the new blog. See you over there! <a href="http://wnagain.blogspot.com/">What's Next Again....</a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-2527253001594858892011-11-06T00:05:00.003-04:002011-11-06T00:12:08.001-04:00weekend.<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L25-wZz4YAs&feature=related">They </a>still give me goosebumps. Every single time. Just having a good night listening to lots of U2 on the computer. LOVE the original version, but found this cool live version.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-64712530614957866432011-10-31T12:24:00.004-04:002011-11-01T22:44:51.370-04:00Halloween<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvGXrpl8oXPqpPG9iz89Bnk8CF1uAKBI7cQDwFzjCZjzzq-MlFEPZ504RLWyY4k9TUyoBC2riDLgrt5QdSPBrPlnccGeSO1tjErmX51ISMlQNThVEy1_JqlfORQmeVo-lNiBc/s1600/IMG_1089.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvGXrpl8oXPqpPG9iz89Bnk8CF1uAKBI7cQDwFzjCZjzzq-MlFEPZ504RLWyY4k9TUyoBC2riDLgrt5QdSPBrPlnccGeSO1tjErmX51ISMlQNThVEy1_JqlfORQmeVo-lNiBc/s400/IMG_1089.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669831432899110178" border="0" /></a>(I couldn't get many pictures. After a quick dinner of <a href="http://seakettle.com/?p=4433">mummy hot dogs</a>, these guys were ready to scatter and get the night started.)<br /><br />Today started out with some rain, which concerned me for a minute because I didn't even realize it was supposed to rain at all today. I was hoping it wasn't going to be one of those days where it was cloudy, cold and raining off and on. That isn't good Halloween weather! - BUT rain has moved on, and it is sunny outside. It's a pretty day today. Chilly and fall like, but pretty.<br /><br />This Halloween has a weirdness to it. Mike is overseas, Megan went to a Halloween party at a friend's house where the girls had pizza and then headed out to the neighborhood to trick or treat. Matthew went with his friend that he went with last year, (and made sure to stop at an old teacher's house who lives on Main Street who gives out cans of soda. Trust me, daily when we pass her house, somebody always says, "She gives out soda on Halloween!" and Trevor ended up going with a friend of his to our old neighborhood in Union. His friend's mom knows somebody out there (in the BIG houses with the full size candy bars!) So it was just me and the house. It feels strange...I love Halloween. I'm usually more into it than I have been this year. (I just pulled out the decorations yesterday!) This year though, with the kids all having plans, I don't need to be the mom walking around with them. Which I kind of miss. Although somebody needs to be here to hand out candy too.<br /><br />No matter what, it was fun to see the kids all come home with their buckets full of stuff and all the excitement that happens when you dump it all on the floor and start trading. Trevor had a friend who couldn't go out tonight, so he has a huge gallon size freezer bag full of candy for him. (The less around here the better so I don't get into it!)<br /><br />Wanted to add, because the differences in tastes is interesting:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Favorite candy</span><br /><br />Megan: chocolate. She dumped out her bucket at the party she was at and picked through to get all of the chocolate stuff out. Another girl there didn't like chocolate, so they traded chocolate for fruity candy. Her favorites (especially judging by the wrappers thrown back in after eating) peanut butter cups, butterfinger, snickers, twix and hershey's.<br /><br />Trevor: scored huge with full size candy bars, and is pretty protective of the several snickers ones that he got. He's pretty equal opportunity candy lover, but he really loves anything gummy, fruity and sour.<br /><br />Matthew: Still is in the habit of picking out anything with peanut butter or peanuts and gives it away. Poor guy. He asked me what a snickers tasted like and I told him the closest I could think of was a milky way, without nuts. I think he's always been afraid of milky way because he ate his first one this year. - AND loved it. He loves twix, kit kat, starburst (no skittles...lol.) and suckers. Plus the one can of soda that he purposely went to the teacher's house to get.<br /><br /><br /><br />I have been painting today. Nothing like company coming to motivate with something I have been wanting to do anyway. I have been working on the stairwell, which means that the ladder has come out. I noticed it the other day when it was out too....that this ladder is kind of a scrapbook in it's own way. We've had it for a long time. There are remnants of paint from so many places that we have moved to and tried to improve in our own little way. I always like painting. It makes things feel clean and like my own. - Plus I love tan. I know, right? Thrilling color. - But I love tan. There....I own it.<br /><br />So I notice all these different colors on the ladder. There is a bit of pink and lime green from Megan's old rooms. One pink is from the house on Bosal, and the other with the green is from Spur. Along with other Spur house colors.....red from Trevor's room, Blue from Matthew's room, Orange from the bathroom. Chocolate (the prettiest color I haven't been able to duplicate) from the living room and dining room in the same house. Along with several different shades of tan from several different houses.<br /><br />You know what though? I love it. In a way, it is the portable version of people charting the growth of their children on a door jamb. I can see the growth of my family in the colors that are left. I'll purposely have to paint a swatch of the new tan to add to it now.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-26226418468798877852011-10-28T22:32:00.004-04:002011-10-28T23:26:15.499-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyPLBpRa2HmGHUtzTcICgUJuniS33w3HO409sPdy-jZB61E2jVShX81ctcCF_BcZMBtDcVZ27EqkqTJXSE05L_FaZWUn1YjFtawwFBZZcjA10DgmRNRPH9JmQ4d_VteR4iYav/s1600/IMG_1072_edited-1.gif"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc1IWjDPAdYrUUS6RWa26NZ2zaWtg03Vp32Xec48L9YRKPEc1Z9rTXHCquLLQHDKrCp3JwcyfSU94wE4zjffgKGLDsk6CS7zmjVRzN8fHyP50ehGJ1-55vTcb5U65bSYQ4Lu4/s1600/IMG_1071.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc1IWjDPAdYrUUS6RWa26NZ2zaWtg03Vp32Xec48L9YRKPEc1Z9rTXHCquLLQHDKrCp3JwcyfSU94wE4zjffgKGLDsk6CS7zmjVRzN8fHyP50ehGJ1-55vTcb5U65bSYQ4Lu4/s400/IMG_1071.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668737627478585410" border="0" /></a>I wish I could get a picture of how pretty the backyard looked today. At one point the contrasts were so vivid, it was gorgeous. The sky was layered with a pretty red sunset underneath a layer of dark ominous looking clouds, with kind of lighter blue on top of that. - And the trees were bright yellow, orange and red. The grass was such a pretty bright yellow green. Man, hard to describe and get in a photo, but I'll never forget it.<br /><br />Today was airport day. Never one of my favorite days. Mike is on his way to Johannesburg. Every time I say that in my head, I hear Bono talking about a line in Silver & Gold from Rattle And Hum. Plus I think of U2 playing there.<br /><br />Megan and Trevor had a halloween dance after school today, and much to my surprise Trevor asked about going. I guess he did go last year, but I hadn't heard him talking about it at all the past couple of weeks, so I figured he wasn't really interested in going. He was meeting some friends, and Megan had her usual group that was going to be there.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Xyh-IcLDCKDPBiegdiU-Kp5mH-ecEWpBuOkAUGIAO8TqJG9OS_0RqsqmUJZtB-O8Mo3CERNwi7Biug30OZSswTSBQxOfsAZwFrygMW9znQmvEA5Xw2a_-NAzHHH5t3GNRE1d/s1600/13504505_eRHdr3dh_c.jpg"><br /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-8223991564516407842011-10-22T23:01:00.003-04:002011-10-22T23:12:57.627-04:00Random<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwhsxzRf4HrmvP5I0DJcwcqjJKD3DqaeGonUh3mM5IXHL9Wx8OcyMeqswxXqMh4J6MNJkpk1v9Ul1P1tCkZqCT7Mhzllgn8JSH3hpU5Y8E71FHEDnmp2-L7QkcZUNTgXCdZ8T/s1600/white-ghosts-wallpapers_11236_1280x1024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwhsxzRf4HrmvP5I0DJcwcqjJKD3DqaeGonUh3mM5IXHL9Wx8OcyMeqswxXqMh4J6MNJkpk1v9Ul1P1tCkZqCT7Mhzllgn8JSH3hpU5Y8E71FHEDnmp2-L7QkcZUNTgXCdZ8T/s400/white-ghosts-wallpapers_11236_1280x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666518111360222594" border="0" /></a>I love this time of year. I have no idea why I have put off decorating for Halloween. I saw this picture with the ghosts online, and just had to post it because it makes me smile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXP3dHsZFz8SRrJcwREgRhKoQlKBmJv0AI0VZ9ckWQomxqSjFhLgChFCjM2GMcn4m2jHQvz9tY8wMfXLkTN6x4LFegSw_kGABaOJlqHEDjEv7Oeyj9_ugu6q3fjcOQJSU-c90/s1600/fall+trees.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXP3dHsZFz8SRrJcwREgRhKoQlKBmJv0AI0VZ9ckWQomxqSjFhLgChFCjM2GMcn4m2jHQvz9tY8wMfXLkTN6x4LFegSw_kGABaOJlqHEDjEv7Oeyj9_ugu6q3fjcOQJSU-c90/s400/fall+trees.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666517848338894674" border="0" /></a>The leaves are so bright lately. I took a drive down one of my favorite roads the other day and there is a long row of bright red trees. They were so beautiful.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkJJICFA_qrXG7lA7jOIXsurPzW-X5_BtPnDOvc9G3n3vGWNUdiI4vB5MMC_avkOxWDcCJwGehcroPYSx4CaIrhmc2a5HBkytGt8TBqOCjyTwH2Hfpc4U-fw5r7P8OiiKEXMX/s1600/il_570xN.170226790.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkJJICFA_qrXG7lA7jOIXsurPzW-X5_BtPnDOvc9G3n3vGWNUdiI4vB5MMC_avkOxWDcCJwGehcroPYSx4CaIrhmc2a5HBkytGt8TBqOCjyTwH2Hfpc4U-fw5r7P8OiiKEXMX/s400/il_570xN.170226790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666517701597695650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm feeling crafty too. I don't know what it is....but for some reason I'm feeling a bit of domestic crafting is something I need to get into. I have a cool idea for a big subway sign that I would like to do for my stairwell. I also came across this dog thing, that I thought would be kind of neat to paint and do my own version for my kitchen. Maybe more along the lines of coffee....instead of maple syrup though. Who knows, in my mind it's only in design stage. Seeing as how I still have to finish painting the rest of my chairs for my dining room set, who knows when I'll actually get to this....but the planning IS fun right?<br /><br />It is cold tonight, and I plan on putting on some jammie pants, and getting out the horse blanket....and sitting down and watching The Soup.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-10114825954066099892011-10-21T23:07:00.003-04:002011-10-21T23:27:08.716-04:00Happy birthday Matthew!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWrIkLvo3jZ0W3zsFVDvYWpE9QYjVLD9cpTYh3PIneL6MyicDe9HAH_5AYgsU6TCvsXLVnPfCKATWx4uKDNrzTRlAUvVSJ1jJmXvTPU_y1Gm5HMBEBVGr8o1mjsBz21UbufD3/s1600/cookies.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oz11op2SfPf9r0Xk0XNZDZ9kTl6wA-GBpBB1xtyWIcieP2es62kGy-CeCQlVOXGoKwvhn3eDNcmLDfd-e55PzC2CtnJ0-T0yOFJfPCMB2ZZN08VVtcct-l3EoSYdcgsN2yTW/s1600/zombiecookies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oz11op2SfPf9r0Xk0XNZDZ9kTl6wA-GBpBB1xtyWIcieP2es62kGy-CeCQlVOXGoKwvhn3eDNcmLDfd-e55PzC2CtnJ0-T0yOFJfPCMB2ZZN08VVtcct-l3EoSYdcgsN2yTW/s400/zombiecookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666148103880511218" border="0" /></a><br />I saw these cookies online. They made me think of Matthew....who's birthday is TODAY. Nine years old. Plus, he loves zombies AND according to the updated version of the last date of the zombie apocalypse.....<span style="font-style: italic;">when nothing happened</span>.....the new date was supposedly today. Here I am in Kentucky, without my little zombie killer. (He loves to play some Nazi zombie game on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Xbox</span>.) Once again this dooms day date has come and gone. Whew. We did think it was funny since the last supposed one that the new date was on Matthew's birthday.<br />*<br /><br />He is in Phoenix today. I'm not used to <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> having the kids with me on their birthdays. Aside from when I had surgery on Trevor's birthday last year....I've always had them at home with me. Mike had to go to Phoenix for a funeral, and took Matthew with him since he is usually the one who misses birthdays because of work and being overseas. This was a nice opportunity for them to spend some time together and for Matthew to take a trip.<br /><br />It sounds like he has had a ton of fun. I couldn't let the day go by without posting a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little guy. Pictures soon. I love you buddy!Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-27110911728073504862011-10-12T22:54:00.002-04:002011-10-12T23:14:05.757-04:0013.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLL8wyNQpqCU1hiXOVItsVsNcCVnR6kYk3-gRayn9nAsIwjNGKcHvwWZ0H5aDMV8lmj3r1cLAmt7jPcH_dHlpH9ZJk3zx0Gbp5DoddaZHnNJZSO9SX18sJIuoIYWMgZkgx4Ke/s1600/IMG_0974.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLL8wyNQpqCU1hiXOVItsVsNcCVnR6kYk3-gRayn9nAsIwjNGKcHvwWZ0H5aDMV8lmj3r1cLAmt7jPcH_dHlpH9ZJk3zx0Gbp5DoddaZHnNJZSO9SX18sJIuoIYWMgZkgx4Ke/s400/IMG_0974.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662805657824614322" border="0" /></a>For a few years now, both Megan and Trevor's requests for birthday cake have been a bit <span style="font-style: italic;">non</span>traditional. That's ok. Trevor wanted pumpkin pie, and Megan asked for <a href="http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/view2/pumpkin_gooey_butter_cake">Paula Deen's Gooey butter pumpkin cake. </a>It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but anybody who had had it knows how good this thing is. Hello? Two sticks of butter? Cream cheese? Powdered sugar? Pumpkin filling and a cake mix? It is goooood. I made two, and we had one on standby that wouldn't come out of the pan....so this is the one that made it for candles and singing. (ha, and I just noticed how similar my photo is to hers on her site. My little pumpkins really do sit on this kitchen island this time of year....they just happened to be there.)<br /><br />Most of the day I was getting things ready for tonight. Getting patties ready for grilling, blowing the leaves off of the deck so we could eat outside, cleaning, etc. Megan spent a lot of time sitting on the couch, drawing in a new sketchbook. I took a short break to land airplanes on my phone. (A mind numbing game that I am addicted to at the moment!)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij2mpKCj4Pmz6AiMccOqgxWTipQO0MhRLgmgO1lTYZ3ms95KzyVHAvqR4nqiu5aEwZ9JGasP_Lshk_U1wecZw4dlnzE544i1XNfCvOC35EQDUViOgQ5g16BaEgXOvsYi1mQaV/s1600/IMG_0983.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij2mpKCj4Pmz6AiMccOqgxWTipQO0MhRLgmgO1lTYZ3ms95KzyVHAvqR4nqiu5aEwZ9JGasP_Lshk_U1wecZw4dlnzE544i1XNfCvOC35EQDUViOgQ5g16BaEgXOvsYi1mQaV/s400/IMG_0983.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662805304215286338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSj1VXRJm0ZDZ8ZkGJvf1I6BYaeDXYaq7OYw4REU8kM2ipjNbxfve15otxdUS0j7KCNjet_3Rd40pI0JlVB1nRu6J7lZbs8_n0NTTvLh5HGzOkrUKUUpDKoad7zZ2txIU5z4y/s1600/IMG_0974.gif"><br /></a>At the moment there are several girls upstairs (being pretty quiet....) and so far they are all doing so well. This is a good group of girls that do everything together. No drama. They have all eaten, taken tv breaks, run outside breaks, and more eating breaks. Having a birthday fall during fall break is the best.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-43681566930277454222011-10-11T17:39:00.005-04:002011-10-11T18:05:24.953-04:00Last day of 12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh34DbjotfNGjGbweTYsAQ2jyxVER_Mkkf5h1fOOIE0o5VaM-8r8Uq6Be2uOr3Xyrsn6O1IOlR6IkOHtxNPLO5YZxtfcwKgNaMFWZ1osroQ0d1mDFDhz3VVexUr3ik7CJ0cPU/s1600/IMG_0956.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh34DbjotfNGjGbweTYsAQ2jyxVER_Mkkf5h1fOOIE0o5VaM-8r8Uq6Be2uOr3Xyrsn6O1IOlR6IkOHtxNPLO5YZxtfcwKgNaMFWZ1osroQ0d1mDFDhz3VVexUr3ik7CJ0cPU/s400/IMG_0956.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662355114349230930" border="0" /></a>Did I really just type that out?!? 13? My baby girl turns 13 tomorrow. An official teenager. I can't be the mother of a teenager. In my mind, she's still little Meggie Boom. - Today though, a few pictures of the last hours of 12 years old....<br /><br />A few weeks ago Mike and I went out to find Megan a new bike. The one that she had (it was actually the one that she had won back in Phoenix, in 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> grade.) was getting too small. This girl is full size adult<span style="font-style: italic;"> tall</span>, and the girl's bike was not working out anymore. The brakes were difficult to adjust and it was time for it to be retired.<br /><br />We started out with a super cute 7 cream, white and dark leather seat and handlebar, cruiser bike. Complete with cool chrome fenders. It was pretty. However, with the hills around here, 3 speeds were not enough. So we ended up taking it back.<br /><br />We stopped at<a href="http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/home/index.jsp?cid=PPC:google:DSG+-+Branded+-+National:Core:dick%27s:Exact&mkwid=s18r293uP&002=2348301&004=1579721516&005=17996145596&006=8891067356&007=Search&008="> Dick's</a> where she tried out a few bikes. She loved this one, and decided against the cruiser style. Honestly, with the hills and the few outdoorsy areas you have to ride through here occasionally, this one really is a perfect fit. Now she has the freedom of riding her bike to the library, friend's houses, and to the ice cream place on Main. Hopefully she'll get a lot of riding out of it before the weather starts to get too cold.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AlO4E_Yi6G1weX-Cy_b4-UWhGtsmhLbrZPYvtX476IuHuZ2Yz3755SNuLU3-sGXjJDZXJh5tpcT5hfz1jhNGr4en8knX7ZtqQJydmdYmpvfAX9CUR8seCcF1USp-77wI5AOE/s1600/IMG_0943.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AlO4E_Yi6G1weX-Cy_b4-UWhGtsmhLbrZPYvtX476IuHuZ2Yz3755SNuLU3-sGXjJDZXJh5tpcT5hfz1jhNGr4en8knX7ZtqQJydmdYmpvfAX9CUR8seCcF1USp-77wI5AOE/s400/IMG_0943.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662354594898220210" border="0" /></a>Below - We always need to get one photo like this....we like to make fun of the ridiculousness of that pose. - and can you tell that fall is in full swing here? Those leaves are really stressing me out. The driveway has already been cleaned of them already, and these are just from today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8YFZm_8Pru78qjRb_E3GHTKDzlO4V4ZkM_fTkCl4VI0SfSiqr3oNZf5VGwRUSjK6cDFL6l5kZoBumOR63xzJ9QQJ-QTh_y0NI1dGym8aMw7A1Q6Qner_d2lbOS7aJwGMd-cO/s1600/IMG_0945.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8YFZm_8Pru78qjRb_E3GHTKDzlO4V4ZkM_fTkCl4VI0SfSiqr3oNZf5VGwRUSjK6cDFL6l5kZoBumOR63xzJ9QQJ-QTh_y0NI1dGym8aMw7A1Q6Qner_d2lbOS7aJwGMd-cO/s400/IMG_0945.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662354545562333074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHiJqMnvXEBT-s9NTUOXFOTtX1KOCp2tnzXG4gGgc5f4TImXKnw8I5TzuxHOKtIdACacrekw_lx0AoBseBm8J0XZz7ECnq5WTH3zZn6K-7752Vn9hZmGXdiHcfIi01b4Z01H-/s1600/IMG_0956.gif"><br /></a>I also think it's funny when I load my pictures onto the computer to find out that the boys have borrowed my camera. Sometimes there are some interesting Lego pictures on there. Below: Clone skateboarding.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAvWHQh2Hv4x4DU1N-QC5o0GFYjo94XfKIX_AxnImKMR9RGcGnpBjWxxWvemQoPqg8gykiv_Sq1GuIxz4_RYoAEsfiBYdV-YNaDLw2dwPIzutIaOCguWU7xg73prJi6Y7J5ZI/s1600/IMG_0927.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAvWHQh2Hv4x4DU1N-QC5o0GFYjo94XfKIX_AxnImKMR9RGcGnpBjWxxWvemQoPqg8gykiv_Sq1GuIxz4_RYoAEsfiBYdV-YNaDLw2dwPIzutIaOCguWU7xg73prJi6Y7J5ZI/s400/IMG_0927.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662353001938734770" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-35891511891415053142011-10-06T22:48:00.005-04:002011-10-06T23:14:46.726-04:00Did I scare you?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX5mB9Z26n9sUwcTnxogCbUpVPSPW2uMRFbiUcTcoP1i9VuY5belQOwgLp7oM5yj1RSpJYQSAWXtRrQ1j57RVwer7SaK3PHAp8mP-W6hIHi4PA6ZM90Sm6Vlf21Usy2V-W0Mw/s1600/ocd-poster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX5mB9Z26n9sUwcTnxogCbUpVPSPW2uMRFbiUcTcoP1i9VuY5belQOwgLp7oM5yj1RSpJYQSAWXtRrQ1j57RVwer7SaK3PHAp8mP-W6hIHi4PA6ZM90Sm6Vlf21Usy2V-W0Mw/s400/ocd-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660582859149804162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />lol. That one square just hurts to look at.<br /><br /><br />Yeah, I have been a bad blogger again. Life gets in the way. When it's just me I always think, "When Mike leaves again for a bit I'll catch up on blogging." Only to not, and then think, "When Mike gets home I'll have extra time to catch up on blogging." It never works out. It seems that every day is in full steam. That's not always a bad thing, but that's the way it goes. Peppered in with some down days where the only thing I wanted to do was take numerous naps on the couch and think about things, wonder how I got here, or go to work, or whatever....<br /><br />Seasons are already changing around here. My driveway is a mess of leaves that makes it's own little alarm system when you hear somebody or something coming up to the house. I'll hear crunching noises. Sometimes it is a child, sometimes it is a squirrel, and mostly it seems to be deer walking around. There's nothing like having windows open (backing up to a cornfield too) and hearing sticks breaking in the dark. I wave thinking that if it is a person they think I see them. Then I close my blinds! It gets dark fast, sometimes I forget.<br /><br />A million things I could write about, but every time I think I need to recap I just end up ignoring this project and before I know it another day has passed.<br /><br />So I'll just jump in with today.<br /><br />I have two boys. Two super cool, awesome boys. (Yes, I have a great daughter too, but she wasn't around during time the camera was out.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm58WaL-Kf3H7R4Rb_BXgnXDgjl5KZ0yg-CwZk1yERZ0yRykaketV43zrxXOeeMvJAVS0QoyDSglH1dQoeyQc01z09B1vwGvJMOA9Gfyco77OgDNQLzLnG3w9JILfhl_FAGmEU/s1600/IMG_0920.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm58WaL-Kf3H7R4Rb_BXgnXDgjl5KZ0yg-CwZk1yERZ0yRykaketV43zrxXOeeMvJAVS0QoyDSglH1dQoeyQc01z09B1vwGvJMOA9Gfyco77OgDNQLzLnG3w9JILfhl_FAGmEU/s400/IMG_0920.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660581491238908834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2buB_2HA2o0Haa5o0CnmfWvL4QhhKDLE2aMekVWOEBDZLz9QKObV3_3sChGm0sgB6cc8jS7SB9EKJV19a15ROL2OAputCVpkOYuh_kMpyMZSXPL1qVzcMsgY6y-yPMvhdWoA/s1600/IMG_0918.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2buB_2HA2o0Haa5o0CnmfWvL4QhhKDLE2aMekVWOEBDZLz9QKObV3_3sChGm0sgB6cc8jS7SB9EKJV19a15ROL2OAputCVpkOYuh_kMpyMZSXPL1qVzcMsgY6y-yPMvhdWoA/s400/IMG_0918.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660581466372420674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcAsvIFPLgAt_zhwzKLqbGFm1_JgGOF5Ij1xJcdk8qo8stqSLggRkdVwxvZUUW7VtbVPbz1yt-0GTp5EiqmvZnJJFd_nO0M3C4x6UGXeidUOTgOi5WRCZXdoYjj3tV-9jiRCL/s1600/IMG_0921.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcAsvIFPLgAt_zhwzKLqbGFm1_JgGOF5Ij1xJcdk8qo8stqSLggRkdVwxvZUUW7VtbVPbz1yt-0GTp5EiqmvZnJJFd_nO0M3C4x6UGXeidUOTgOi5WRCZXdoYjj3tV-9jiRCL/s400/IMG_0921.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660581532165458354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Matthew and Trevor were out playing Call Of Duty with squirt guns. They hide from each other, but hiding places are starting to lose thier leaves. And let's be honest that if you are hiding up in a tree overlooking the backyard and there is a mom standing beneath it pointing a camera towards the top....your hiding place has been blown. I have to say Matthew's place is pretty creative. He has a branch he can also balance his gun out on.<br /><br /><br />And there is this one. The camera is not always their friend during this phase of 'tween-dom. But he loves me anyway and lets me get one once in awhile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVhHQwkrpUJEyNiNo8jLyT9BV66nRatziy9LD5i-MAhIUL1oSvllUIg7IxF2IzR5Kgb8-VP0cHp4S1Pje6CJKzb7Bnn89P3cMQoQXsMVRhYPTL5MguGvdAIIYvVoB7BbKLARR/s1600/IMG_0907.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVhHQwkrpUJEyNiNo8jLyT9BV66nRatziy9LD5i-MAhIUL1oSvllUIg7IxF2IzR5Kgb8-VP0cHp4S1Pje6CJKzb7Bnn89P3cMQoQXsMVRhYPTL5MguGvdAIIYvVoB7BbKLARR/s400/IMG_0907.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660580655440750530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfLWpE13-nE0dlTPot0hgWnIn-fehUHdhW4YgfR3PSGWzg7lrV7Lsc88LY8umEre0rGRrqCNwbAytVc9sssOVW8oWxESvnCtAT_F2gAYljjUEgkEDbPiiekZvyHz_T-ChbwMD/s1600/IMG_0903.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfLWpE13-nE0dlTPot0hgWnIn-fehUHdhW4YgfR3PSGWzg7lrV7Lsc88LY8umEre0rGRrqCNwbAytVc9sssOVW8oWxESvnCtAT_F2gAYljjUEgkEDbPiiekZvyHz_T-ChbwMD/s400/IMG_0903.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660580602984816514" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-16720119654637427092011-09-04T18:51:00.002-04:002011-09-04T19:26:27.033-04:00garage cleaning down memory lane.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLMMbIi1Kcx8GdN_LF3MMFeV4j622V7s_duNJZj-31KdrCa5MQOTviGJtg8MIbnXIlYbLfFS7tDXBb9IRle3YCrIU0rfxInFpKUF023qpVARfWOMhw-k8XUATBts_mavsAux7/s1600/garage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLMMbIi1Kcx8GdN_LF3MMFeV4j622V7s_duNJZj-31KdrCa5MQOTviGJtg8MIbnXIlYbLfFS7tDXBb9IRle3YCrIU0rfxInFpKUF023qpVARfWOMhw-k8XUATBts_mavsAux7/s400/garage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648641251150602242" border="0" /></a>No, this isn't my garage. Lol. But someday. Yes, someday it will look like that and it will even have the Volkswagen that is in this photo too. That was a total fluke when I was looking for an organized garage photo on the internet for this post. (Not ready to share a picture yet of ours, since it's still a work in progress.) Damn....we have A LOT of crap.
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<br />I mean A LOT. A lifetime worth. It doesn't help that we moved from a 3 car garage in Phoenix, then had a basement to store it all in, in the two houses we've lived in before moving into this one. This basement at this house is finished and is actually our bedroom. So everything has to be kept in the garage.
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<br />It was hard enough to get all of the stuff we had before into there and then Mike made room for the van about two rotations ago. So I have been able to park in there all summer.
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<br />Ugh, but wow. Where do you even start? The two biggest clusters of junk were all of Mike's aviation stuff and my scrapbook stuff. I figured once we both weeded through all of that we'd at least have a plan ahead of us. We bought plastic storage boxes last week, and started sorting.
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<br />At least now about a dozen boxes of aviation stuff (textbooks, manuals, charts, uniform stuff and chart cases) are down to about 3 boxes. Not to mention the several boxes worth of weird wires that Mike has collected and saved over the years, have finally been put into one box marked WIRES. You have no idea. This is 20 years in the making. The wires have always been one of those "when are you going to organize this?" things every time we've cleaned out ANY garage we've ever lived with. Thank you Mike! But.....I do admit that there are times when I realize this box of useless (to me) assorted wires has come in handy and saved us a lot of money. It's nice when he's setting up some electronic thing and he says, "Oh, I have that!"
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<br />Then my scrapbook stuff. I kept going through it and wishing I had the thousands of dollars that I had spent on the stuff that I was now sorting through. Most of it I am giving to a friend who does a big monthly scrap event at her church. I just don't use it anymore. I've gone digital for the most part. I also kept thinking, "Geeze, I used to have a ROOM just for this stuff. A craft room." I don't miss the room at all....but that just puts in perspective how much of this crap had and still have.
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<br />But in between the stacks of paper (some I still saved because it is too awesome to get rid of. I still LOVE pretty paper.) all of the chipboard pieces, rub on letters, Prima flowers, etc....I would find things. Photos that I tucked into places. Little mementos that I picked up here and there. Like finding an In & Out sticker, Mike's first pilot license, photos of my grandparents, our dog Katie, and pictures of my kids when they were babies, or when there was a time before each one was born. It's so strange to look back at a photo of just Mike, me and Megan...and think that Trevor or Matthew weren't here yet.
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<br />So, I did get some work done, but I admit both of us would stop every now and then and reminise about something we were holding. There are so many stories to things that we hold on to. Even recipts, or take out menus from places on the west coast. It's all a reminder of how fast life really does go by. Light speed.
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<br />While I am thinking about how fast time has gone by and the changes made over the past FOUR decades....(ugh) I meant to post this photo that I had been keeping in a folder in my computer since last year. I planned on saving it to use as a photo for a post about our anniversary. I never posted about it on the actual day (September 1st) but then was kind of mad at myself for not posting it after saving it for so long. Happy anniversary...21 years!! <3
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<br />Somehow what we were doing today kind of seemed relative to the photo below. How fast time has gone by....
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<br />21 years ago Mike and I were married. We've had our ups, downs, struggles and all that. Lots of good times and traveling to a lot of great places together. Three awesome kids. Everything that comes with life. It has all shaped who we are and made our love for each other unstoppable.
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<br />I remember this photo was taken in a photo booth just outside Memorial Colosseum at the AZ State Fair in 1988. (I think I still part my hair on that same side. Maybe time for an update.) and man, how I loved that 80's acid washed denim jacket.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-5uYQGAVwqc3IkEESNB4wBJp-BhqZGKTk-z5GzKlllXfu4foCj7Gc_1YyYppAUISuJz_SXIivl0i2jfFmmkLVXFYlKqmKPECANZkZGqT3Eetvb1MWzKnGa-yQU-RHYP_whDT/s1600/anniver..gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-5uYQGAVwqc3IkEESNB4wBJp-BhqZGKTk-z5GzKlllXfu4foCj7Gc_1YyYppAUISuJz_SXIivl0i2jfFmmkLVXFYlKqmKPECANZkZGqT3Eetvb1MWzKnGa-yQU-RHYP_whDT/s400/anniver..gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648641002102667746" border="0" /></a>Love you Mike!
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZeryXpv5dPKwE0NL9_GYapAumpPLh8TmuNnlRbOAxMXmgTYGPe2BfmZtbmCwU2-YxdWso4t0M4KhkpZ1O2OOMjeN-CiKvMjeW5U4_cGsKTtYMoPvg1dks2sfpQMzUhaD4waT/s1600/garage.jpg">
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-38967825680984547212011-09-01T23:37:00.003-04:002011-09-01T23:49:52.624-04:00Introducing video......<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyT1f-kVWTmbMiNcO_kenr5m1WG7aWhLGUAUNvSB82VlSMXdclbAVQ5YeAj1P5VbZjBmgdDatqeyzg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
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<br />I love my smart phone. I don't know what I'd do without it. It makes my life so much easier on so many levels, but was originally bought for being able to keep in constant contact with Mike when he's overseas. I can get emails as quickly as a text. Real time. It's nice. It makes our worlds not so far apart.
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<br />I also use it for a million other things. Days that I don't want to carry around my big camera, my favorite apps of sticky notes for the store, calorie counter, GPS on my walks, use as an ipod with all my music on it, a GPS for the car to replace my clunky box, among other things and games, and video camera. I need to utilize this much more. As much as I have always loved taking photos of the kids through the years, it always felt like it was an either/or type thing. If I was taking photos, I never took video. Now it's all in one small little thing. I love it.
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<br />So once I learn how to edit and post on here, there will more than likely be more video to come.
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<br />If you look in the lower right corner, in the grass but near the plant sort of....you can see one of the turtles. All of us were out front enjoying the weather the other day. Piper catches the ball in her mouth. She's running up the hill to our neighbor's house. That's what I love about the location of our house.....their yard is huge. - And super nice for us to look at. ;)
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<br />You can hear the kids out playing, birds chirping and the stupid cicadas that make it feel hotter than it really is. I hate those things.
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<br />With that, it's getting late and I'm going to bed.
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-16780151151236744422011-08-19T17:46:00.006-04:002011-08-19T18:02:07.483-04:00random<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5R3t4LNcB7vGVq269iv-LVdh9VgWYojmGXmsMLaUKtVByw7lNXd0z91LFOC-ywEFSW5vD-rC8UDqpNCoqBHdPXIavZltQKCXfXW-3rUmkMNRICGo0uqwIHcY8r_Jjf_fNAlM/s1600/IMG_0768.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5R3t4LNcB7vGVq269iv-LVdh9VgWYojmGXmsMLaUKtVByw7lNXd0z91LFOC-ywEFSW5vD-rC8UDqpNCoqBHdPXIavZltQKCXfXW-3rUmkMNRICGo0uqwIHcY8r_Jjf_fNAlM/s400/IMG_0768.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642688430532064658" border="0" /></a>Last night we had an amazing storm. Lots of thunder, lightning and rain. This morning when I was sitting out front with Matthew and waiting for the bus, I was sitting next to this grass plant that we have near the steps of the house. From where I was sitting, the drops left over from the night were catching the sunlight so pretty. I swear, I need to save for a macro lense, because the photo above does not catch what I could actually see. It was so pretty. Hey, but I tried and got a picture just to remember.
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<br />It was misty this morning too. Not ugly humid misty, but pretty. There is a very slight hint of fall lately. The mornings and night time can almost be chilly. - This is the view out from the front of my house. Across the street right there is a creek where you can see the darker green bushes and trees. Usually that patch of grass in front of it is kept mowed. It's a pretty view really. The creek runs under the road and comes out into a bigger creek area a few houses down.
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<br />So the bus passes our house and goes up that street to the left before it turns around in a culdesac up there and then comes back down to pick up Matthew before leaving the subdivision. I watched Matthew and took some pictures as the camera sat on my lap (so as to not embarrass him with me out obviously taking pictures of him....he's in fourth grade now....not cool to have mom take your picture as you get on the bus.) But I loved how he looked. He has a routine. He always smuggles a few Lego guys in his backpack to take to school. He plays with them as soon as the bus is out of sight....then pulls them out until he sees the bus come back down the hill.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLRTolSJPq7JCwMNKqHUh8ON_KbYwagsv632yhypBEog2etHIvYYPrJvV2TJ9wFvTYjq_spHyHIGtnLnbUh9kG58kL9DGHevqHhQIpj0DbaomKUxO7y-HMvqnIeRswFcczK1y/s1600/IMG_0776.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLRTolSJPq7JCwMNKqHUh8ON_KbYwagsv632yhypBEog2etHIvYYPrJvV2TJ9wFvTYjq_spHyHIGtnLnbUh9kG58kL9DGHevqHhQIpj0DbaomKUxO7y-HMvqnIeRswFcczK1y/s400/IMG_0776.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642688145604429202" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDolbwGHIxog991s3VyR-TCjeidPE0DIO9g-mOV9iQKJ5Hel6l7tttONuLVWh4XwxP1GYGwodaskYNeUCqc3kNd82EauzluvhkgHpbqfv2skI5bFUV55Y0NYRzxJQTyTKIttZX/s1600/IMG_0778.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDolbwGHIxog991s3VyR-TCjeidPE0DIO9g-mOV9iQKJ5Hel6l7tttONuLVWh4XwxP1GYGwodaskYNeUCqc3kNd82EauzluvhkgHpbqfv2skI5bFUV55Y0NYRzxJQTyTKIttZX/s400/IMG_0778.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642687881839944034" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi723RTq1nNNKtNfXEpQ7G3YXQ8T-NaAUoeDY9vB54p6VjuDHiNlGTCNtf3VrlhZrMLeh_2fJF2tunpje3ICwlbcn4KipiAuiINLl8cJUmraY_WGlKiNfuzQhBqaFNG7a9y4K2_/s1600/IMG_0783.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi723RTq1nNNKtNfXEpQ7G3YXQ8T-NaAUoeDY9vB54p6VjuDHiNlGTCNtf3VrlhZrMLeh_2fJF2tunpje3ICwlbcn4KipiAuiINLl8cJUmraY_WGlKiNfuzQhBqaFNG7a9y4K2_/s400/IMG_0783.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642687647463511042" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbRnWO5PaZ1FMEZX8pOUdXl82VRjv-SRD71s-n4SZqhB0jeRTTt_RtIXxaim5rGlrMje0D59l-psQKnQPBLAi4x803t7T4IipQb-8nzYWI1PNbgx8-ljrS2LK2hVVZSoB_jGh/s1600/IMG_0787.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbRnWO5PaZ1FMEZX8pOUdXl82VRjv-SRD71s-n4SZqhB0jeRTTt_RtIXxaim5rGlrMje0D59l-psQKnQPBLAi4x803t7T4IipQb-8nzYWI1PNbgx8-ljrS2LK2hVVZSoB_jGh/s400/IMG_0787.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642687393122704434" border="0" /></a>Then when the bus is in sight, he puts them back in and it looks like he's been standing there waiting the whole time.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-W6KbB_Rxz5KezAhbouW5Ah6MnK_RTV864BcwVl9lzO_05uL9MhNVUVdL3ETOEfArla4VSxe4j6u_PvkW-DKtfSRilK99fQI39bNwhKi9Lz2YmCUlD9-YBoWYWBsnOU3OTVL/s1600/IMG_0791.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-W6KbB_Rxz5KezAhbouW5Ah6MnK_RTV864BcwVl9lzO_05uL9MhNVUVdL3ETOEfArla4VSxe4j6u_PvkW-DKtfSRilK99fQI39bNwhKi9Lz2YmCUlD9-YBoWYWBsnOU3OTVL/s400/IMG_0791.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642687105671366578" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-4504469576704753982011-08-18T22:27:00.005-04:002011-08-18T22:51:02.095-04:00Happy birthday T!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiRzJNdcOJPmNdY33xon_NFT7-CyUACPwOSZEKy0VCYJpwsevjsQ8p3_Tv1YxiD2c2zXSj5ARCOvMAPEetqdavPk92exv5hEesKXhIdVZgBN-IUrSff23Noil-P91g8V7wI28/s1600/IMG_0745.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiRzJNdcOJPmNdY33xon_NFT7-CyUACPwOSZEKy0VCYJpwsevjsQ8p3_Tv1YxiD2c2zXSj5ARCOvMAPEetqdavPk92exv5hEesKXhIdVZgBN-IUrSff23Noil-P91g8V7wI28/s400/IMG_0745.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642389460093103330" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1D41cU7C3YIf9aYqNNHuUj2VBUrQ020yOsScZMvtrDfbwQ84K37aQHMG0O9IWgDFIJxZsZn5GWfZOO4lEaoEaInNE36H80BZk8CUhLcdEZwUDibDp2aqu7zs3Idsdb-Vryni/s1600/IMG_0745.gif">
<br /></a>11 years old today. I'm speechless. I mean, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">for real</span>. I don't know how time is going by as fast as it is.
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<br />Megan was home sick today (cold) so after getting Trevor ready for school I took him to McDonald's for his favorite hotcakes and sausage breakfast. We drove around a little bit while he ate. (Really, there are buildings in Kentucky....I just noticed how vacant the area looks behind him in this photo. This was taken right behind McDonalds.)
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<br />I have said it before, that I think the day the child is born is actually easier than the birthdays. So far we haven't even had a party (planning on one in the next week.) but last night I was actually wrapping two remaining presents in the back of my van because he was still awake in the house, this morning I went to Party City to get a few more things, then the grocery store to pick up a pie. By the time I came home, it was time to pick him up from school. Then Matthew got home, then Trevor had birthday money burning a hole in his wallet so we went to Target, then it was time to start making dinner. We had T bones (Get it? For T's birthday?) and Ceasar salad. That was the dinner he wanted more than anything....well, other than "toast" when I asked him a week ago what he wanted me to make for his birthday dinner and I said, "Something I am capable of making....." Toast was his smarmy answer. haha.
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<br />Then dinner clean up, then pie, then go outside and play with new toy...then inside to clean up and get ready for school tomorrow. It's been a busy day. But he's worth it. He's such a good kid.
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<br />below: playing with a remote control car, fresh from Target. That little thing is CRAZY fast, and rights itself when it falls over. He loves it. He's still saving the rest of his birthday money for a trip up to Kenwood next week with daddy. He plans on going to the Lego store and a game store.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZk9QQXITN77LpFiFAEBGOJU6fb0RszXitRFVYYaboUYYj8Z16W1lOINgQJ7TsqbKALs2JzC782KlB-K5CR86BjN-ZCj0Kq8AJV41Y6d88vqfvZx284uMX9ONnynuw4vNptxR/s1600/IMG_0761.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZk9QQXITN77LpFiFAEBGOJU6fb0RszXitRFVYYaboUYYj8Z16W1lOINgQJ7TsqbKALs2JzC782KlB-K5CR86BjN-ZCj0Kq8AJV41Y6d88vqfvZx284uMX9ONnynuw4vNptxR/s400/IMG_0761.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642388848712871778" border="0" /></a>below: one of his lego kits he got today.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGzGcdfbfeh-9DLQLW_W8uWk9woxqV05eVJ6Iaa_-rbukdRxBEyQqC7gC_bpckgs9yjnjEFJ2GAiwmgHRA1A55A9e4cGzxuUzakazbA7JAdS7C7vb3cp70DpLxyHD2cg4rdc/s1600/IMG_0752.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGzGcdfbfeh-9DLQLW_W8uWk9woxqV05eVJ6Iaa_-rbukdRxBEyQqC7gC_bpckgs9yjnjEFJ2GAiwmgHRA1A55A9e4cGzxuUzakazbA7JAdS7C7vb3cp70DpLxyHD2cg4rdc/s400/IMG_0752.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642388871455953074" border="0" /></a>Below: birthday pie. He loves pumpkin pie. There are a few pieces missing though. When he got home from school he couldn't wait for a piece, so we cheated and had a few small pieces out of it.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFiTbSS9tX___HsXA41LrCob8mL07JEJRlQ6Zer1wggPfiDIMKnHAjUirT8XR-SdVJF5QY8wtBqNspQftLhNyEEG3jsf57QgU0RrWY-6qfsHcQsPI_kyHmT9fRU_wZ_lNA8VX/s1600/IMG_0763.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFiTbSS9tX___HsXA41LrCob8mL07JEJRlQ6Zer1wggPfiDIMKnHAjUirT8XR-SdVJF5QY8wtBqNspQftLhNyEEG3jsf57QgU0RrWY-6qfsHcQsPI_kyHmT9fRU_wZ_lNA8VX/s400/IMG_0763.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642388376382504162" border="0" /></a>
<br />He also got an ipod touch today. Only I feel bad because I am so non electronic, I was able to get it registered but am having a hard time loading some things from the internet on it. Ugh, and usually Trevor is the one who can figure these things out! But.....Mike will be home on Monday if I can't get it worked out through step by step emails tomorrow.
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<br />Happy birthday Trevor!
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<br />Also, today marks one year uterine free. Yay.
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-83152741597186385572011-08-11T16:26:00.006-04:002011-08-11T23:30:03.614-04:00Back to school....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiNZYBhkLsiIKv-SgzKBU2NBJvFk0cuRhucXtMJ3055xVyv7A8A4_hP6nOzUyoVvSoUvCeQPw2d5q0DU0IKgKn_BvGi0e9KbQCxyMLTJsBActfzA4SpLpjTBtQJ9Ae30PsEmU/s1600/IMG_0683.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiNZYBhkLsiIKv-SgzKBU2NBJvFk0cuRhucXtMJ3055xVyv7A8A4_hP6nOzUyoVvSoUvCeQPw2d5q0DU0IKgKn_BvGi0e9KbQCxyMLTJsBActfzA4SpLpjTBtQJ9Ae30PsEmU/s400/IMG_0683.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639699908705221890" border="0" /></a>Today was the first day of school. Kind of weird to start on a Thursday, but the bright side is that the kids all came home today really tired. We can make it another day and then it's already time for a weekend. It's like just getting our feet wet getting back into a new schedule.
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<br />Nobody slept well last night. They were all nervous, and even though Megan was the most excited about going back.....I think she still had a hard time getting used to going to bed before midnight.
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<br />Trevor - 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> grade this year. He is pretty excited that his homeroom is advanced math, and he has a top locker this year. He wasn't thrilled about returning to school, but it was nice to see him get out of the car and walk up to the door with some confidence this year. He knew exactly where to go and what to expect, so no middle school anxiety like last year. Plus he's just happy that his birthday didn't fall on the first day like has happened many times in the past.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcLc7Le05sNqb63zfL_HbHz69l_5K_4Lc48uvSOrT_rBFobRIgqF9LtOk9OTFxjYInCDLKD1NyZBs4PLa3CbPjXJhgSBJGH061EoNjsw1yujewgfBsAKjIYgXKEdHRZMAg_5j/s1600/IMG_0675.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcLc7Le05sNqb63zfL_HbHz69l_5K_4Lc48uvSOrT_rBFobRIgqF9LtOk9OTFxjYInCDLKD1NyZBs4PLa3CbPjXJhgSBJGH061EoNjsw1yujewgfBsAKjIYgXKEdHRZMAg_5j/s400/IMG_0675.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639699947303742466" border="0" /></a>Megan's new shoes. I love Converse. I had to get a photo of them.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETzS-4Qqc281MrI4pOvBEU_P05kgdUJKDzXVCcn6iDpJ92GYlIpkTBX7XxadlqMClGpszjZixlXBOhTlR9UNJK8yGuPi9WYkMdz8nfOMrdETGUdE94OyDJ8hn0q8GRPD8jRfa/s1600/IMG_0699.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETzS-4Qqc281MrI4pOvBEU_P05kgdUJKDzXVCcn6iDpJ92GYlIpkTBX7XxadlqMClGpszjZixlXBOhTlR9UNJK8yGuPi9WYkMdz8nfOMrdETGUdE94OyDJ8hn0q8GRPD8jRfa/s400/IMG_0699.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639699321119583730" border="0" /></a>Megan doing that heart thing that drives me crazy. She knows it, hence the sarcastic look on her face.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HdsFZ-0EOjLOLsvIFETR8t1YWzCtUdS4qh7nhNFt5eXxb01RRP-FIcannr2J0JiBfKeeB4O45fBKr9vZSHYXDMtg401oXldG4RhUUjDg_i4gL3FmRrE3kIFqO2TTP0BoCUxx/s1600/IMG_0713.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HdsFZ-0EOjLOLsvIFETR8t1YWzCtUdS4qh7nhNFt5eXxb01RRP-FIcannr2J0JiBfKeeB4O45fBKr9vZSHYXDMtg401oXldG4RhUUjDg_i4gL3FmRrE3kIFqO2TTP0BoCUxx/s400/IMG_0713.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639699280865019362" border="0" /></a>Accessory of the year is a pair of headphones. She had them with her everywhere this summer. Of course before getting into the car to leave for school she had to get in one more song while she could. She also was busy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">texting</span> friends about where they were going to meet once they got there. I wish I was able to grow up with that kind of technology! This girl is in 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> grade this year. Last year of middle school. Ugh, I'm not too happy about that.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhPGaJfwAe2io_oORdPrtOQr67WN3SV83zfRDq5B2qhEQ6zRb47eF_HIm4mdCgNjJBpHxTj3CAi85WBde58ASbcLDAeVutyB_FW83EOSlBKpbkRYFN6N0aIKQhxIGWleSHBfM/s1600/IMG_0696.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhPGaJfwAe2io_oORdPrtOQr67WN3SV83zfRDq5B2qhEQ6zRb47eF_HIm4mdCgNjJBpHxTj3CAi85WBde58ASbcLDAeVutyB_FW83EOSlBKpbkRYFN6N0aIKQhxIGWleSHBfM/s400/IMG_0696.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639699347921769938" border="0" /></a>We got to school and I dropped them off. They both walked in together and I'm sure found friends soon after that.
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<br />Matthew....wow. Fourth grade this year. The oldest grade in his elementary school. Top dog. As if it didn't hit me hard enough realizing that by the end of this school year, I will have a freshman in high school....I was thinking about how this little guy is going to be in his first year of middle school. I think he is going to love this year because he has one of the greatest teachers. I can't wait to hear about what he thought of her when he gets home.
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<br />Below: the "I'm nervous, but I'm too cool to show it" smile.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzZUiP4gxQHLqV7oOJClfeY2t3STHLOaHtDtkwwyQtrejts1xBknlX1bEry0d7gVnXSphHN0H1rr2pqqXh3H_if-WXRFy4YScAcc1vLIV-qUkezkgX0ecnVSPZL101w6jHPsl/s1600/IMG_0715.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzZUiP4gxQHLqV7oOJClfeY2t3STHLOaHtDtkwwyQtrejts1xBknlX1bEry0d7gVnXSphHN0H1rr2pqqXh3H_if-WXRFy4YScAcc1vLIV-qUkezkgX0ecnVSPZL101w6jHPsl/s400/IMG_0715.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639698390579031570" border="0" /></a>I drove Matthew to school today even though he's going to be taking the bus. I do enjoy our time together in the car when it's just me and him. He said that he didn't want me to walk in with him, and that he'd be fine finding his classroom. He's trying to be so grown up....and it's breaking my heart!
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<br />Last year he also decided that he was going to go by Matt at school. He's still Matthew to me, but even this morning the principal opened the door for him and said, "Good morning Matt!"
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL3rgv-MOuDa6kRGAaIr7jTAloFf_2yB-wV1pBA29XXTPfvjNjRDYgLaB_Uad9odPuGoJuRqA1BbYLMvMkjELT0X9qhESAuXwlHV1usswJP7018Y44nO3BDVnC4wDTZrwU_yY/s1600/IMG_0733.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvL3rgv-MOuDa6kRGAaIr7jTAloFf_2yB-wV1pBA29XXTPfvjNjRDYgLaB_Uad9odPuGoJuRqA1BbYLMvMkjELT0X9qhESAuXwlHV1usswJP7018Y44nO3BDVnC4wDTZrwU_yY/s400/IMG_0733.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639697877309136402" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogCaBBrZnkBZOG9F4Hr5ewso8pruaKgfLcjC1O5ZdFZlqlOG6KhyphenhyphenCnKykpwuQ3hV2CVE-2UD_2_k0hlrl21uOuXhwlA3yiZ-3X09snTBoCQrHuzXlrcFfp1Ww5HwY8H7Papvm/s1600/IMG_0734.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogCaBBrZnkBZOG9F4Hr5ewso8pruaKgfLcjC1O5ZdFZlqlOG6KhyphenhyphenCnKykpwuQ3hV2CVE-2UD_2_k0hlrl21uOuXhwlA3yiZ-3X09snTBoCQrHuzXlrcFfp1Ww5HwY8H7Papvm/s400/IMG_0734.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639697630616049010" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-51154345117318115902011-08-08T17:09:00.002-04:002011-08-08T17:13:42.343-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVRykhKxn58by86KddygfBYD0jM3f048e4UVb3QIoDZCSCqIw8PLGjmENPdoHEhSKJ2wWb0B81dxcxLhEyqlDSATftfcwdITbR8rTsfz_Y_z9Wkibx89Y3WOW_AP456elzO3e/s1600/edge_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVRykhKxn58by86KddygfBYD0jM3f048e4UVb3QIoDZCSCqIw8PLGjmENPdoHEhSKJ2wWb0B81dxcxLhEyqlDSATftfcwdITbR8rTsfz_Y_z9Wkibx89Y3WOW_AP456elzO3e/s400/edge_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638595220271836162" border="0" /></a>Happy birthday Edge. Yeah, you may not be reading my blog....but we're celebrating with some U2 around here.
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<br />Is he really 50? Huh? This man has been a part of my life for a long time. I once got to touch him. *heart!*
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<br />I loved this article too. <a href="http://www.atu2.com/news/50-things-to-love-about-the-edge-on-his-50th-birthday.html">Happy birthday Edge.
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-78942513042591479872011-08-01T16:48:00.005-04:002011-08-02T19:56:15.721-04:00TrevorI was going to post photos daily as part of my project thingie, but I think I am going to finish the layouts first and then post those. It takes a long time to post a bunch of photos in one post.<br /><br />I have to mention today. I may be the only one who is amused by this. Trevor. The kid cracks me up. Lately both boys have been trying to outdo each other with "Your mom" jokes. I know, they are childish and dorky...but I love a good timed one. It's all in the timing. You can't just throw out "your mom" all willy nilly.<br /><br />Megan is at King's Island with a friend today, so I took the boys to Hot Heads for an early dinner. (A version of Chipotle, only it's closer to our house.) On the way there, they were doing their usual back and forth. A couple of times they each got out a your mom joke that made me laugh.<br /><br />Then I tuned out. Like all parents do. Especially as conversation between them turned into a debate on legos.<br /><br />Then for some reason, I heard Matthew asking Trevor about Christmas, and why is it his favorite time of year, besides the obvious being because of the presents.....<br /><br />Trevor answers, totally deadpan: <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I don't know, the Christmas themed worksheets?</span><br /><br />That one was totally deserving of a literal snort from me and snapped me right back into listening to them. That kid is funny. It's his delivery that always gets me too.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-73785326161059969582011-07-22T21:47:00.006-04:002011-07-22T22:33:47.151-04:00Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxvhw0VVSJUUxyOyzhelgeWU2-qwnOvU9qsO8c07S5ODd51l54AJZ38TrUYPSIyxRfJer4Hbezc8godcuN5Z4vOtwGAvNh3RUS6ft4NroxIt3feFN4ZOvK_QMT2laUnKRbIM3/s1600/37567336_9R87YSKP_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxvhw0VVSJUUxyOyzhelgeWU2-qwnOvU9qsO8c07S5ODd51l54AJZ38TrUYPSIyxRfJer4Hbezc8godcuN5Z4vOtwGAvNh3RUS6ft4NroxIt3feFN4ZOvK_QMT2laUnKRbIM3/s400/37567336_9R87YSKP_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632368144935947362" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Above: That is not my photo, but something I had seen online somewhere and saved on my computer. I came across it again earlier today. I figured I might as well post it with my daily stuff since I love it.</span><br /><br /><br />Not a whole heck of a lot going on here, but still trying to keep up with my little project. I took a few photos from today, and will make my pages on them later this week. These are just a few of my favorites from the day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVg-r_pQe809gPLQNlp39dbSHW3GTssW5DXF3knsmIaX8b4X6z_EKRnrT2cU6anB8HShwIZqmPadIImV6ZvcRpMGkDcMnXPGHGZ8CuezwASpFysFulOg5-7z2djYeQCMCfTdP/s1600/IMG_0557.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVg-r_pQe809gPLQNlp39dbSHW3GTssW5DXF3knsmIaX8b4X6z_EKRnrT2cU6anB8HShwIZqmPadIImV6ZvcRpMGkDcMnXPGHGZ8CuezwASpFysFulOg5-7z2djYeQCMCfTdP/s400/IMG_0557.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632365199019729154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Last night I promised Megan that she could sleep downstairs with me. The boys went to bed and both fell asleep really fast. Megan and I stayed downstairs and I finished up my laundry (I had to wash a pair of pants I planned on wearing to work this morning, and of course waited until it was too late. So I had to wait up for the washing machine so I could put them in the dryer before going to bed.) She played her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DS</span> while I emailed Mike so he could have an email waiting for him when he woke up. There is a five hour time difference, so we usually plan to have an email to each other to wake up to.<br /><br />I know it may seem odd, and my kids will probably someday need therapy because you never know when I'll show up with a camera....but it was sitting on my desk, and while I was getting ready for work I noticed how Megan was sleeping. She used to sleep exactly like that when she was an infant, and all through being a little girl. As big as she's grown, seeing her face like that reminded me that little girl is still in there. Or is it that the big girl was always there and her expressions haven't changed at all? Which ever it is, it is very familiar to me and I love it when I see these little things that have not changed over the years as my kids have grown. She's also laying with her head on top of Bear Bear. She was given that bear by Mike's dad when she was a baby. I remember when it used to be bigger than she was. She sleeps with him every night, and the poor thing looks like it has been well loved with it's stuffing all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">smushed</span> down to one end of it, and it's eyes not as shiny as they used to be. I love that she still loves this bear. It's funny how each child has attached themselves to one animal in particular that they can't do without.<br /><br />A week ago, Piper ran underneath the deck for some odd reason and came back out with a big gash on her back. We've been giving her regular baths to clean the wound which is about the size of an egg, and putting antibiotic medication on it. She got another bath tonight. She's getting smart, and ignores me no matter where I am when I call her for a bath. I do it at different times a day, offer treats or try to trick her in thinking we are going out and I catch her by her collar. How can a dog whose breed loves water, and she used to love her baby pool on the porch, hate water as much as she does now? She's never been traumatized by it....but you wouldn't know that by that sad face. <span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192); font-style: italic;">"I reeeally hate this."</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1LBoYcRc-UqRUlrPWsEyxleYVelu6F3kJOiPmShT5gilVevtvA8EptuWHyMmm2hfavj4Z3FadprmFOuIw3_rbqxJglaq5ri8JwBmRs63_qocJRFZXXx35t2zZMLzWIlNKrkH/s1600/IMG_0575.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1LBoYcRc-UqRUlrPWsEyxleYVelu6F3kJOiPmShT5gilVevtvA8EptuWHyMmm2hfavj4Z3FadprmFOuIw3_rbqxJglaq5ri8JwBmRs63_qocJRFZXXx35t2zZMLzWIlNKrkH/s400/IMG_0575.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632364324848156578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It is sweltering. I am not fond of that word, but honestly.....it is just that, in the truest sense of the word. Damn sweltering. We are in the middle of a heat wave, and when I talked to my sister the other day she said something that made me laugh because I had noticed it but hadn't really thought about it....the big red area that has been making the weather on the news lately that covers most of the eastern part of the US? We are right in the middle of it. Usually we have some hot days and our weather changes so fast that we know some relief can happen in a day or two. Not this time. I don't know when this is supposed to end, but it is awful.<br /><br />I was sending a text yesterday while I was waiting for Piper in the yard. My screen was fogging up while I was trying to swipe the letters with my finger. Today when I opened my car door to walk into Kohl's, my sunglasses fogged up. That is something I'm not used to since I have never had to endure wearing glasses.<br /><br />The thing is, it LOOKS so nice outside. It looks like it should be nice and happy, and when the sun goes down you should be sitting outside on your deck. Only it is HOT. (Still makes for some pretty sunsets though.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeGxMfzWRghRa1noB7YybUPfYPCAWfU_Xip5WE6SDxSPsqoiTEqPYpq-bm04TGDH6KQdqHFuuuVO8QRL2N8mx4-I8JFVSsnlP5L7mswsIESUqBm1p-x_yPE0ry3GMyqvLwvOt/s1600/IMG_0565.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeGxMfzWRghRa1noB7YybUPfYPCAWfU_Xip5WE6SDxSPsqoiTEqPYpq-bm04TGDH6KQdqHFuuuVO8QRL2N8mx4-I8JFVSsnlP5L7mswsIESUqBm1p-x_yPE0ry3GMyqvLwvOt/s400/IMG_0565.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632361020650706642" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-20878797637072148402011-07-22T00:16:00.003-04:002011-07-22T00:40:56.817-04:00Success! School shopping<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIRbVZwZvUsOBxlCF6kM4P5f2GO3CPsyeijllnskT39t0mw8b-guNOobsYx-vhe3hRcuQgvqNDbu3s7HHaMSZ0Vt6oWUfy2w2w1PRtEaQ9j_7LU5PWDFaPmKURfZNlK6in7MA/s1600/IMAG0522.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIRbVZwZvUsOBxlCF6kM4P5f2GO3CPsyeijllnskT39t0mw8b-guNOobsYx-vhe3hRcuQgvqNDbu3s7HHaMSZ0Vt6oWUfy2w2w1PRtEaQ9j_7LU5PWDFaPmKURfZNlK6in7MA/s400/IMAG0522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632026229602614098" border="0" /></a>I'm going to do a project this week that involves taking photos of random things throughout my week. Most people are starting their project on a Monday, but with summer, we really have no idea what day of the week it is anyway. Add to that, we are in a transition from one type of schedule to another when Mike is away....which comes before a big transition of the first week of school. Right now, this is our normal.<br /><br />Megan had been asking me about a girl day since last week. I figured the day after Mike left would be a good one since I had the day off and knew I'd still be in full blown anxiety weirdness. (It always takes me awhile to level out.) and I figured a day out shopping would be a good thing to keep my mind busy since I didn't have to work. Plus the bonus of a paycheck that fell on this day with the added sweetness of some holiday pay in there too!<br /><br />The boys stayed home - trust me, they wanted to - a few hours of uninterrupted video game playing? Why not? I did end up bringing them each a little Lego treat for being so good. Megan and I walked around the mall and stopped in a few stores. We found some perfect jeans at Aeropostale, and a few shirts. The man that rang us up noticed that when I put the non fitting jeans back into the display that I put them in folded and sized. He gave me an extra $10 coupon since we were brothers and sisters of retail.<br /><br />Then we went to another of Megan's favorite stores. Abercrombie. Or AberZOMBIE as Trevor and Matthew call it. . We found a dress, and two shirts that she LOVES. So we have a small amount of things to start the new school year off with in a few weeks. Plus she knows that mom brings home some goodies once in awhile from my job so they are never out of clothing!<br /><br />Afterwards we went to Panera Bread for lunch. I had a salad and Megan had a bowl of soup and a ceasar salad. It was too hot for something big. This was perfect. We love chick food.<br /><br />Then we went over to Target and picked up the things I still needed to pick up for Matthew that were on his school supply list. All three kids are shopped for and done. The only thing left is getting fees paid next week and getting new schedules.<br /><br />We found out Matthew's teacher just the other day. We couldn't have been happier. She's the one we had requested since she was Trevor's teacher in 4th grade. Matthew had had a rough year last year. His teacher should have retired last year. Her heart wasn't in to the class at all. I've since found out from parents from other children that have felt the same way. But we felt like Matthew was a bit lost last year. He would try to be good, be funny, be a part of things. He wanted nothing but to be a part of the classroom and have his teacher proud of him. I feel he fell through the cracks a bit. He came home sad a lot. Mike had gone to bat for him with the principal a number of times. Long story short, we made sure we could have a better year for him this year. It's so hard once you lose a child to feeling like "what is the point?" and they start to not enjoy school to help them find the way back again. Not this early....that shouldn't be happening in 3rd grade. So we are very optimistic. This new one is so sweet. She can be strict, but I already know I like her.<br /><br />Megan is looking forward to school starting again. Trevor is cautious about it, and Matthew could not care less. I think that will change once he gets back in the swing of things again. Plus he's top dog fourth grader when the school only goes up to 4th! That's pretty cool.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1Td_YCpGfcubSMXKfVIC8FF-6bktQuXJReoLV9Ke5PIOiJs8iXuXPCH5Fr82JcaaA79ytd8rAevyWdDKpuJJAgwWgifAj5Y-I3D-4oSxqTnkpSpLqYwr5-7HEnkIXwTIS-m1/s1600/IMAG0529.gif"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjfy4vppA-2V8U0CT13R3bVUMm_rAtATIcqhdnoMT1mTUzXw5ZmNpNRDge29HedLEU0Nf78Ml4Dox1BWlQercl6ZSvshSmJqfm7aVt2S0sdZ1LgPWiMopITOk_6jLmtV_0Sea/s1600/IMAG0520.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjfy4vppA-2V8U0CT13R3bVUMm_rAtATIcqhdnoMT1mTUzXw5ZmNpNRDge29HedLEU0Nf78Ml4Dox1BWlQercl6ZSvshSmJqfm7aVt2S0sdZ1LgPWiMopITOk_6jLmtV_0Sea/s400/IMAG0520.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632026256657192610" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-46979311841827854642011-07-20T10:59:00.012-04:002011-07-20T15:11:27.556-04:00catching up....again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7dOX8y1cHZEMk4T1GvnZRsgISsSdN0nh43vfroFO3G6egyZrqKRobS4mDx8IGZuobHRK-Tp4_Z03zKUN7mk6E4fwTbzU6KreI3U-HdM4diS3eyPncQYB5zveVWMe4IU0dDB9/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7dOX8y1cHZEMk4T1GvnZRsgISsSdN0nh43vfroFO3G6egyZrqKRobS4mDx8IGZuobHRK-Tp4_Z03zKUN7mk6E4fwTbzU6KreI3U-HdM4diS3eyPncQYB5zveVWMe4IU0dDB9/s400/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631506567687410002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's hot. Plus I'm trying to avoid going upstairs because that means we will be leaving to take Mike to the airport. I didn't think that he'd be able to come home this rotation, so each week that passed was a bonus. - But I really hate departure airport day.<br /><br />We did have a nice mini vacation that was MUCH needed. It started one night when I said something to Mike about U2. I was bummed that they were going to be in Chicago, but at that time it was scheduled for when Mike was probably going to be gone already. I figured my chances of seeing them on this tour were pretty slim.<br /><br />He surprised me and found a way for us to go see them in Detroit. Plus a road trip, plus take the kids to Cedar Point. We were all happy! <span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);font-size:85%;" >(click on image to enlarge.)</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFyb1we8w5sfHCY_ijeIEm61DaC6KkCTvAzL8nlZ9tZwMhdj8e3w4Ku27ioXX62rMxP7XllpPAC0Lc_TEk6XUFPGAja7sg1GRosEtvrNcAY1qAIPHRLd2kefyZSAD3m4_tAOt/s1600/family-cedar-point.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFyb1we8w5sfHCY_ijeIEm61DaC6KkCTvAzL8nlZ9tZwMhdj8e3w4Ku27ioXX62rMxP7XllpPAC0Lc_TEk6XUFPGAja7sg1GRosEtvrNcAY1qAIPHRLd2kefyZSAD3m4_tAOt/s400/family-cedar-point.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631505773638855730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The road trip was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I love road trips. Seeing Detroit was pretty neat. Where we stayed was beautiful. I would have liked to have spent a few days there. However we had one night. Driving through was neat, I love industrial stuff. I loved seeing the car manufacturers. Those places are huge. Hard to describe <span style="font-weight: bold;">HUGE.</span><br /><br />Where Mustangs are born:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9-mid0jt8w6YA1dCP04pP9_-9SSZOQ05SlcPJf18R-shyAuTvGcB4G3jEzh8i-xaoLzek4fmbo7efZnHN46Hnpg4IcPXwwrHbywzrokuGPuU-EOXzCtvMPGcpOcIod2DyBWB/s1600/IMG_0340.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9-mid0jt8w6YA1dCP04pP9_-9SSZOQ05SlcPJf18R-shyAuTvGcB4G3jEzh8i-xaoLzek4fmbo7efZnHN46Hnpg4IcPXwwrHbywzrokuGPuU-EOXzCtvMPGcpOcIod2DyBWB/s400/IMG_0340.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631505342302564002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The concert was, of course, awesome. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Love.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCR-XIYRbZBSUDYpEWCM1U1ow28tv-rEV050DmMRm9JxJcRsgRwqSRBA2vfmNCtQSR-elyWitr-rgzPtaILtu1MzbshJ8vx4iaF4EMVzhs7Gufi-3Tobiiu46sLOMQILKT-Fq/s1600/Datenight-at-U2.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCR-XIYRbZBSUDYpEWCM1U1ow28tv-rEV050DmMRm9JxJcRsgRwqSRBA2vfmNCtQSR-elyWitr-rgzPtaILtu1MzbshJ8vx4iaF4EMVzhs7Gufi-3Tobiiu46sLOMQILKT-Fq/s400/Datenight-at-U2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631504815476229298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The next day we headed back towards Ohio and up to San Dusky. We got to the hotel and I kind of wanted to drive over to see the lake, and walk along the waterfront.<br /><br />We found an area to park and walked out towards the water. We walked around, and the boys jumped all over rocks. We found a park that had things for the kids to play on and get out some road trip energy.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDyNTlbbrE-1z-DI37_7Fzq0dmlpoiXR5rHox4SGTdZKStOPeWQBqH6zJAiVz9YpAHgAKitjQUAmk5uRtq1MdbshR13euCuP2_jCqNyrdIgTzYiRNvZiqTFKqbre9V6kYhCzN/s1600/IMG_0358.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDyNTlbbrE-1z-DI37_7Fzq0dmlpoiXR5rHox4SGTdZKStOPeWQBqH6zJAiVz9YpAHgAKitjQUAmk5uRtq1MdbshR13euCuP2_jCqNyrdIgTzYiRNvZiqTFKqbre9V6kYhCzN/s400/IMG_0358.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631503284545859762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZQD0Vhyphenhyphenzff9Vo5Yi5d_RxN5qwgj6w-BvSL7NJ2Dzj-apaMRKo9uohxHC8xZNWXK5wqgs_Np1hQ1mFesmvYgQ5QSUdW5cz5deubXW4-1r9svBm4hZ1u_FJfpPzvLOtJ-V74ZR/s1600/IMG_0389.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZQD0Vhyphenhyphenzff9Vo5Yi5d_RxN5qwgj6w-BvSL7NJ2Dzj-apaMRKo9uohxHC8xZNWXK5wqgs_Np1hQ1mFesmvYgQ5QSUdW5cz5deubXW4-1r9svBm4hZ1u_FJfpPzvLOtJ-V74ZR/s400/IMG_0389.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631503255963879810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm4y8kz06A342bbUwErTDjpI4AkU3HRW_Y1VZ4GCZbaICoHBxNsGMb7PtegJJV9u1OrXqYLo9zpH3z16xUEPXYn72g5GR9cRBvYSc18ifti5zvYzM1X4LNW0hdEewCKpo_RDe/s1600/IMG_0341.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm4y8kz06A342bbUwErTDjpI4AkU3HRW_Y1VZ4GCZbaICoHBxNsGMb7PtegJJV9u1OrXqYLo9zpH3z16xUEPXYn72g5GR9cRBvYSc18ifti5zvYzM1X4LNW0hdEewCKpo_RDe/s400/IMG_0341.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631503324307271202" border="0" /></a><br />Pretty flowers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UrhCXypqqlhA-vnFUJPtbAQT6t8Im4auzTQHnESUdtj-6CU3wrvpCdU0KHGY-SXzxAhCG-zpLS84rCLgAFM6l7Qgwv5lLJ3kwxCwv8e2Tp0UiOQkLCsNEuBsO3qsrrtZPkxs/s1600/IMG_0398.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UrhCXypqqlhA-vnFUJPtbAQT6t8Im4auzTQHnESUdtj-6CU3wrvpCdU0KHGY-SXzxAhCG-zpLS84rCLgAFM6l7Qgwv5lLJ3kwxCwv8e2Tp0UiOQkLCsNEuBsO3qsrrtZPkxs/s400/IMG_0398.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631459759244221906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Graffitti that I thought was actually kind of cute. Nom nom nom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6NftMU3riE_mqIjNybBVxDtGRDqTb8qsyplUJFZ2Y7HjoaIvqG4VU-MmBoJ7VYKWzlcqz3XTkfLAygn62aeWT5FIbzhl0l2BRZchacPWKaj2HnJhJeEK0rHXhFU1sMpJydT0/s1600/IMG_0397.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6NftMU3riE_mqIjNybBVxDtGRDqTb8qsyplUJFZ2Y7HjoaIvqG4VU-MmBoJ7VYKWzlcqz3XTkfLAygn62aeWT5FIbzhl0l2BRZchacPWKaj2HnJhJeEK0rHXhFU1sMpJydT0/s400/IMG_0397.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631459052454366130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Pretty boats:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQIYCym7MwS9IR1TMshNkyadG2jXDJimVqKPi2Y1b6rvKYbc-K9-fe-yh3fNnPqkFD3CH76zV1oOfrSG804wDykr71KQj7MpbJMZjM_VFx3HhMpXfmmMEGxDqHmAPHNY5OIDm/s1600/IMG_0391.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQIYCym7MwS9IR1TMshNkyadG2jXDJimVqKPi2Y1b6rvKYbc-K9-fe-yh3fNnPqkFD3CH76zV1oOfrSG804wDykr71KQj7MpbJMZjM_VFx3HhMpXfmmMEGxDqHmAPHNY5OIDm/s400/IMG_0391.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631458292676011778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These geese were walking across a parking lot, all in a row. You can't tell from this photo. It looked like mom geese and their awkward preteen geese babies following them. They still had baby fuzz on them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNqFMD4fWnLkPNsR9xxs1AczDd6dQLPMK5g1awzxd_wM8A4pMIaXUu8ZT_mCrxREv7rXK2fN_QCX-R95VeT_Re9VhSsAzeC89DWS_Yu4gQdUNRJU8t_PyLKHsgZ9_3WVfLOxj/s1600/IMG_0426.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNqFMD4fWnLkPNsR9xxs1AczDd6dQLPMK5g1awzxd_wM8A4pMIaXUu8ZT_mCrxREv7rXK2fN_QCX-R95VeT_Re9VhSsAzeC89DWS_Yu4gQdUNRJU8t_PyLKHsgZ9_3WVfLOxj/s400/IMG_0426.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631456087511635154" border="0" /></a><br />That's about it from here. Off to fold.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-13058823090913951442011-07-07T23:44:00.012-04:002011-07-08T01:05:05.712-04:00Lake Erie/Marlblehead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyjrdgmMwgNFcHMxy6AElSV7RfBejhL144UXEV48XKS2pD56EftvfzHNU0rel2nBYihl9QENn_FmhkmPe_eDy0Hda-FqedPygtMQipTnRY051qBFnXiAuiwlh3vMnhBpYQgCN/s1600/IMG_0477.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyjrdgmMwgNFcHMxy6AElSV7RfBejhL144UXEV48XKS2pD56EftvfzHNU0rel2nBYihl9QENn_FmhkmPe_eDy0Hda-FqedPygtMQipTnRY051qBFnXiAuiwlh3vMnhBpYQgCN/s400/IMG_0477.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626841964588345250" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IcrV_1NS_jCfIhGq07Yn7yM_r4eg5eUWB0kSCBz8vB9l7Ku34F1pC1ccH2zmunE_80dnWiCfuk39rgiBipcfOw0xrmHF7GTAnLO2NNF8TYMcL1mtHWPfIGRH20W9laUhcqP8/s1600/IMG_0477.gif"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Trying to get caught up on some blogging and some photos. I will be posting these backwards so they will all be in order when all vacation posts are done.)</span><br /><br />On our last day we woke up without any real plans. We were going to wake up and take our time getting back home. We decided to take a scenic route, which was so nice and ended up being my favorite part of the whole trip. Aside from U2 of course, this was my favorite time with the entire family.<br /><br />We passed all sorts of farms, most of which were open for selling produce. It reminded me a lot of what early Chandler looked like, and also reminded me of a story my mom told me when she was out here last summer....about how when her and her mom would travel in Ohio they would stop at a place and buy a tomato or something and eat it along side the road. I saw one sign for a place selling homegrown peaches that said, "Take a peach to the beach." We passed farm after farm, and things that seemed so Americana. It was so nice to not be in a hurry.<br /><br />I saw a sign that said something about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Marblehead</span> lighthouse/state park and we decided we'd drive along and find it. The sign said that it was about 10 miles. We wound through a neat town that I would LOVE to go back and spend more time in. It had the neatest downtown area, with pretty old restored buildings, neat little art stores and antique stores, and local restaurants. We plan on going back and maybe spending a week or so there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTR16JQRS9HLdfn8n8NeCSsBAtv-30uZOiPU_SzToioBbh4MpGSg3bl5MBpkkGz2HKi6dCLZdz9ciSogKbvPbk2g5pEewxk1SN5Y3jCO1IHpeCsaOK7X885GyoYOWk62NLm-s/s1600/IMG_0449.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTR16JQRS9HLdfn8n8NeCSsBAtv-30uZOiPU_SzToioBbh4MpGSg3bl5MBpkkGz2HKi6dCLZdz9ciSogKbvPbk2g5pEewxk1SN5Y3jCO1IHpeCsaOK7X885GyoYOWk62NLm-s/s400/IMG_0449.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626841145528651442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />First we stopped at a little place along the side of the road to look at Lake Erie up close. Where we were, you could see Cedar Point across the water in the distance. We were taking pictures of the kids and letting them jump around on the big rocks. There was a woman and her husband sitting in chairs, reading magazines under a tree and enjoying the breeze coming off the water. She asked us if her husband could take a photo of all five of us. It sounded like a good idea, but seeing that he was down in his chair with a magazine I hated to have him move. He wasn't the one who offered, but I know he wouldn't have minded if we said yes. I just thought it was funny that she was the one who offered for him to take the picture. I've done that with Mike before.<br /><br />After we had been there for about 10 minutes, another car with two older women pulled up and they got out and walked near the big rocks to look at the lake. Mike offered to take their picture together. It looked like a mom and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">daughter</span>, mom being in her early 80's maybe. Mike started a conversation with them after taking their photo together. They talked about the state of the world, jobs going overseas, and how her husband had spent his whole life working for one of the auto manufacturers. She also told us how she had spent summers over at Cedar Point, long before all the 'scary' coasters. They were so sweet. I wish I could remember their names.<br /><br />Then the other couple got up to walk around a bit and we started to talk to them. Same kind of small talk, but they were so proud telling us about their retirement home that they built and about their kids, and how they sail on the lake. They were really nice people, and it was really nice to talk to people and make friends. The kids enjoyed us being sidetracked since they probably thought we weren't watching and were throwing rocks into the lake, and watching some bird who kept diving under the water and coming up with fish.<br /><br />We got back into the car and drove on to the lighthouse. Even though we really weren't in a hurry, we didn't have as much time as I really would have liked to have spent at the lighthouse. The weather was BEAUTIFUL. The park was pretty big, and people were running, playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">frisbee</span>, and eating outside. Unfortunately the lighthouse was closed for the day, but I wanted to just sit at the side of the water and love on the breeze. I could have spent hours here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrfxnczMo5x9wl4kyceBCa_NvmVdoUDQrynSRXk0BOgQqLWmEMboIJIFH9NloCa1VwN5s6ttSGoJN1OM9QwgJL5GqnSwOel1Rw3Pn-n3TKoNz6ViL7ZOqV57b3XHXgbzhokys/s1600/IMG_0480.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrfxnczMo5x9wl4kyceBCa_NvmVdoUDQrynSRXk0BOgQqLWmEMboIJIFH9NloCa1VwN5s6ttSGoJN1OM9QwgJL5GqnSwOel1Rw3Pn-n3TKoNz6ViL7ZOqV57b3XHXgbzhokys/s400/IMG_0480.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626830272614549730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0CSoXJ0WTkwGl8hXR8Lt2XAohwhz49eemnBNEndT1iDiHQp7fWLCcqq0ylliQx1gsahsUmwMXE6ClC_VmnbnQUVQF0l4IPV5W5-wATHJKuJhjLWGtOZhul3s5sIYmMxn_RVD/s1600/IMG_0524.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0CSoXJ0WTkwGl8hXR8Lt2XAohwhz49eemnBNEndT1iDiHQp7fWLCcqq0ylliQx1gsahsUmwMXE6ClC_VmnbnQUVQF0l4IPV5W5-wATHJKuJhjLWGtOZhul3s5sIYmMxn_RVD/s400/IMG_0524.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626830313284070850" border="0" /></a>I have to admit to not realizing the scope of how big the great lakes really are. I knew that they were like oceans, that you couldn't see across them because of their size, but I've never seen one up until now. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">definitely</span> want to spend more time near them, and go back often.<br /><br />The boys LOVED the big rocks. They jumped all over them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcoaeABFPSxEz5SkKy_R4vMuSBy6GlcHwtm00td4yC2HBnE0pZIs-Ua_ndPvfwhgR9eWDfKa5n8yPOkqnH1iD4reVYM58E6cF0IduZU0VrW0UAtMEncqRfCyyg_DQg4WHR02h/s1600/IMG_0485.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcoaeABFPSxEz5SkKy_R4vMuSBy6GlcHwtm00td4yC2HBnE0pZIs-Ua_ndPvfwhgR9eWDfKa5n8yPOkqnH1iD4reVYM58E6cF0IduZU0VrW0UAtMEncqRfCyyg_DQg4WHR02h/s400/IMG_0485.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626829667331500658" border="0" /></a>Of course they had to play and try to dodge the water as the waves came up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oZYoDxElgR9SHzXSjqB69lectJRfQrDJ8guI-rCcADWj4feAKId9k9BkvPM0AhajiD6JP21_2yFLlPKkACpi5bzd2EGCngN15ia-LfoNcuWxHJa8wDMaEiVb2wO6sVwoZypW/s1600/IMG_0488.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oZYoDxElgR9SHzXSjqB69lectJRfQrDJ8guI-rCcADWj4feAKId9k9BkvPM0AhajiD6JP21_2yFLlPKkACpi5bzd2EGCngN15ia-LfoNcuWxHJa8wDMaEiVb2wO6sVwoZypW/s400/IMG_0488.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626829379000003554" border="0" /></a>Which of course resulted in very wet shoes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVqdQO566uL8mD11MTFFGCpxsD4zoC9s9GEOUnX_KZvQyiyuF6SYxnR5au5FUAAskP9-qmqmp3Pe3U2Fh87uJjFQCwF_x5zAPQr-egKbMEGdwK5S6LdJ3uZuwybMbvCvTqSZo/s1600/IMG_0489.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVqdQO566uL8mD11MTFFGCpxsD4zoC9s9GEOUnX_KZvQyiyuF6SYxnR5au5FUAAskP9-qmqmp3Pe3U2Fh87uJjFQCwF_x5zAPQr-egKbMEGdwK5S6LdJ3uZuwybMbvCvTqSZo/s400/IMG_0489.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626828130065996066" border="0" /></a>Megan brought her sketch book with her and found a good spot to sit for awhile. She was busy sketching the lighthouse and ships.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDbPWR4DQPVTDM2L6yfB9uD-JlIAnhC2oVG34CPDQHjwMYV-t8EkH5PqNNC_luJc7SuvH3OzQAir0mxmNZGsINB5q5cKQ_kzxnDpDoPoqTEgsi2TphfiFe6wOggXo_z8aEgTv/s1600/IMG_0511.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDbPWR4DQPVTDM2L6yfB9uD-JlIAnhC2oVG34CPDQHjwMYV-t8EkH5PqNNC_luJc7SuvH3OzQAir0mxmNZGsINB5q5cKQ_kzxnDpDoPoqTEgsi2TphfiFe6wOggXo_z8aEgTv/s400/IMG_0511.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626827758517507266" border="0" /></a>With a perfect view like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkAUDUTEOml7rgPUW-o7mNQDBNDJR1KvJ3cglsxXnAOJmyZJwsoDm209AnJTlCaLnB6urQn3EC1R6wBwfcGbBFqLQhT0HmmcWOfXCZfI_qQfZedt1J1r9G8bKH_UdPb-fe3pv/s1600/IMG_0504.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkAUDUTEOml7rgPUW-o7mNQDBNDJR1KvJ3cglsxXnAOJmyZJwsoDm209AnJTlCaLnB6urQn3EC1R6wBwfcGbBFqLQhT0HmmcWOfXCZfI_qQfZedt1J1r9G8bKH_UdPb-fe3pv/s400/IMG_0504.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626827037049484146" border="0" /></a>The residence at the lighthouse:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqytgSik1cjLThffFTVtuuB08l-hcRXuitu4Ce7-hHJPB0EGWQX1Oc77SfoXfgXSs0a6VEHBZjWX63PHGzXVTOK4uqe9dUAQ8ObDKCPZja6lVgH5p51XoJWsbHETnu8i9C3cSp/s1600/IMG_0511.gif"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJ1wCJAhsr5qyUptndPTJBu-SvCamg6uXojcr8MWXvh7zskpJ0NeMUHEkvcAfs4wjfV9IQw6AES871XklVffYZRiADmhvjFPDTrZzeH4Z7licesQWtHDJJ212EWVAiWM4QFX1/s1600/IMG_0532.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJ1wCJAhsr5qyUptndPTJBu-SvCamg6uXojcr8MWXvh7zskpJ0NeMUHEkvcAfs4wjfV9IQw6AES871XklVffYZRiADmhvjFPDTrZzeH4Z7licesQWtHDJJ212EWVAiWM4QFX1/s400/IMG_0532.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626824731709215842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAerLeaOJ9R6Tr16vSVpw1XnQvNOduWeTOUzFRfRvA29Fjj8lqUyBriXWW6zxNat3pAPzEr82IltUVf52Op8ELIbpnMteXYKTaO_QptjLtgbcKYCuFM3FTrpc9abDKPFBMVCdP/s1600/IMG_0529.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAerLeaOJ9R6Tr16vSVpw1XnQvNOduWeTOUzFRfRvA29Fjj8lqUyBriXWW6zxNat3pAPzEr82IltUVf52Op8ELIbpnMteXYKTaO_QptjLtgbcKYCuFM3FTrpc9abDKPFBMVCdP/s400/IMG_0529.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626824698709960978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwUtVLn9BrWrfe-kYQdV4NdIHjpOzjRHVdZJ2IeIE4-ILgu7vj2epzHuwi9-lYDN9wNd1MyKNL2wsvlJqUuTtMctpPAcEQOM_3XhVZam8rzCHeh29DE5kIpcu1bXb_nWuQIt/s1600/IMG_0531.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwUtVLn9BrWrfe-kYQdV4NdIHjpOzjRHVdZJ2IeIE4-ILgu7vj2epzHuwi9-lYDN9wNd1MyKNL2wsvlJqUuTtMctpPAcEQOM_3XhVZam8rzCHeh29DE5kIpcu1bXb_nWuQIt/s400/IMG_0531.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626824766374955346" border="0" /></a>We got back into the van and started to head home. Along the way we spotted a few of the Ohio Bicentennial barns. I love barns, but these are fun to find on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">road trips</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUnPUXXptskJwN2kQesO_39kpIekrOpqEAEC9QYjagy-RnItkQ1knC3b-82AQ1ce12VvDwzJnF4AHEP9QUJ3GaVouesHq7WVfmkfTX3cHt5ohjZEM7S1-BwONZUPZ_dGPGOoS/s1600/45287533.Barn104.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUnPUXXptskJwN2kQesO_39kpIekrOpqEAEC9QYjagy-RnItkQ1knC3b-82AQ1ce12VvDwzJnF4AHEP9QUJ3GaVouesHq7WVfmkfTX3cHt5ohjZEM7S1-BwONZUPZ_dGPGOoS/s400/45287533.Barn104.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626822521228688738" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-91783560517151795392011-06-25T15:08:00.002-04:002011-06-25T15:14:34.999-04:00Forgot to add one....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRNk5J9YfEWKrnUVBMrKd7ULPgI3kcsU3H5feO16L9SF3uF5WZ_vikkc1w4SyrKQepgEg9dP-61QKwYCX-0Kp70PS8M5iBHHfI1NpGUF-dcDbz-V7j_ZMOC6NIugQa81SK8O7/s1600/IMG_9977.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRNk5J9YfEWKrnUVBMrKd7ULPgI3kcsU3H5feO16L9SF3uF5WZ_vikkc1w4SyrKQepgEg9dP-61QKwYCX-0Kp70PS8M5iBHHfI1NpGUF-dcDbz-V7j_ZMOC6NIugQa81SK8O7/s400/IMG_9977.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622236502121305826" border="0" /></a><br />Forgot this photo. The kids thought that this was a funny name. I kept hearing giggling next to me when I was reading something else across from where this plane is parked inside. When I got home and was looking for a link about something else, I came across <a href="http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/oh/air_force_museum-4.cfm">this.</a> Oooo. Maybe it wasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">MY</span> kids giggling. I always find out about these 'haunted' things after I've seen them.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-57685925850176365202011-06-22T15:11:00.013-04:002011-06-22T21:32:34.555-04:00Mother's day (I'm catching up....)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgxxEPzoD45Eo1aaPi00Ad1X64kcH0nxLgvKd0JwSJ1klqM6EgYnhtH4GToTcVDzgEQOaK8arQ20sD-8k140hDXb8h64WOFUicpwtJT9Gi4y4lfzqLJUysH1AURm0jRqF8k8g/s1600/IMG_0039.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgxxEPzoD45Eo1aaPi00Ad1X64kcH0nxLgvKd0JwSJ1klqM6EgYnhtH4GToTcVDzgEQOaK8arQ20sD-8k140hDXb8h64WOFUicpwtJT9Gi4y4lfzqLJUysH1AURm0jRqF8k8g/s400/IMG_0039.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621158752345818658" border="0" /></a>I had a post started for this the other day, and now it is gone. UGH. So I will try to remember what I had before.<br /><br />Mike had been asking me what I wanted to do for mother's day. One of my favorite places to go that is relatively close to be able to do in a day, plus constitutes as a road trip, is the<a href="http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/"> Air Force Museum</a> in Dayton. It is such a neat place. The weather was ideal for being able to see things outside too. It really was a perfect day. I was asked by two separate volunteers at the - not busy - museum if I chose the destination for mother's day. I think they were surprised when I said that I actually had. It was really nice since it really wasn't busy.<br /><br />Below: a photo I found when I loaded the card onto my computer. Matthew had my camera for awhile and was busy taking pictures. He must have taken 100 photos of planes, plus any strange looking mannequins, or some things I simply could not figure out why in the world he would take a picture of them. Apparently it meant something to his little 8 year old mind. This one below made me laugh. Only Matthew would find some random statue and take a picture of it's butt. So I did have to include it in my post here.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nGTIYHKNRVT45GJdT_xr98QOpfLoP23fsgNhFS0mZzTXlEebjjaTC9LD8xT5Aif2neCDli-5cCeL3sKnjHwRFzq6YOtt7HRNpG3kZWZ6AuhxUPyOSIEC7uGerBmjwo1OrHPO/s1600/IMG_0010.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nGTIYHKNRVT45GJdT_xr98QOpfLoP23fsgNhFS0mZzTXlEebjjaTC9LD8xT5Aif2neCDli-5cCeL3sKnjHwRFzq6YOtt7HRNpG3kZWZ6AuhxUPyOSIEC7uGerBmjwo1OrHPO/s400/IMG_0010.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621158140078097554" border="0" /></a>We started outdoors and walked around for awhile. I really didn't take too many pictures on this trip because I really was more interested in being a part of the goings on. Plus I was into reading a little more this time. The last time we were here, Matthew was 6. He wore out a little easier, (which meant the "I'm bored, I'm tired, I'm thirsty and all that comes with a smaller child at a place like this.) Plus that meant harder to keep track of. This time he was very into what we were looking at. He would look at something for a long time and read about it. Then look at it some more. I could see his little mind at work.<br /><br />Also this time around we really concentrated on the WWII stuff. The place is so big, you really cannot see it all in one day. I'd really like to have several days in a row of seeing things.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuZgmjbkLg2XErQAPBA6qk2xGaJvfJuUpReLeLcEycxp-5ZNANrlA_bwq2-ZPBcct7eAnDEljuVezbXof_NlxXqfBscVAcW0xRD1O0r5EkesfY3EuS0qhvzvEmZoAmtweIopM/s1600/IMG_0039.gif"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyw-WI_BswfKkonyQxY2X50g98tWlC_FL69WdI9qtR4M3SzM0SK6hPq9L8PWsE1ZYl4zjiWqImEU5ppGAVYE-KnfeyT2wiNuIxw62zG2qWIa8dvIYKrP4R-PWOWuOdw_RMpmvP/s1600/IMG_9961.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyw-WI_BswfKkonyQxY2X50g98tWlC_FL69WdI9qtR4M3SzM0SK6hPq9L8PWsE1ZYl4zjiWqImEU5ppGAVYE-KnfeyT2wiNuIxw62zG2qWIa8dvIYKrP4R-PWOWuOdw_RMpmvP/s400/IMG_9961.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621157660740561282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDHD3fB0mtHXsYSFVAYGlgdrThXUNBLxM5XPL9IDvm1Nopg3Gma15pXpP0UAsmgqOxUmfjj2GRP7U_fssUDxbORhSKJXKV69cEFXN1AUzzqfnanaapGkD7wvfw8sNXX6elkfo/s1600/IMG_9959.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDHD3fB0mtHXsYSFVAYGlgdrThXUNBLxM5XPL9IDvm1Nopg3Gma15pXpP0UAsmgqOxUmfjj2GRP7U_fssUDxbORhSKJXKV69cEFXN1AUzzqfnanaapGkD7wvfw8sNXX6elkfo/s400/IMG_9959.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621157695362546098" border="0" /></a>One thing that was really neat this time around is that Matthew is obsessed with anything about WWII. Especially weapons. He had already known that the museum was home to the <a href="http://awesometalks.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/bockscar-the-forgotten-plane-that-dropped-the-atomic-bomb/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bockscar</span></a> and was really excited about seeing it. He could tell you all you wanted to know about it and Fat Man before going to the museum. Being able to see him actually looking at this in real life was pretty neat.<br /><br />I didn't get a photo, but near the plane was a case that had some things from the crew of the plane. One thing in particular was a pair of darkened goggles that had been worn on the flight over Japan. Maybe I think too much when I'm looking at things like that, but I stood there in amazement just thinking of exactly what was witnessed through those very goggles. It's so different than seeing a photo in a history book and feels so humbling.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLSuLpGywfHmGAxZgxsjLWyXV1S4_Pe53RKEjrN2T-irWzdtAt1sG5AE96PUe-4x2pUYczBfxOgu-Z8aQBbInkMbqYmJmzGMnOJo9vAGN8yMhlDpUqSH6A-9ZX30gIqehqMCx/s1600/IMG_9962.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLSuLpGywfHmGAxZgxsjLWyXV1S4_Pe53RKEjrN2T-irWzdtAt1sG5AE96PUe-4x2pUYczBfxOgu-Z8aQBbInkMbqYmJmzGMnOJo9vAGN8yMhlDpUqSH6A-9ZX30gIqehqMCx/s400/IMG_9962.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621157072390204994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuQm2A9rzmxLUgOwkwhjtCWSHcpWEKzZJ4F_pCEQxrXnoDTfA43qu26PUX5M0GhouL52ZKdMOqS1nv7kaTOhmcyhj7_fERqB-GXmBVt7oZ5ijU3dB5RnW7BfJ2YzTHlyBp5lp/s1600/IMG_9964.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuQm2A9rzmxLUgOwkwhjtCWSHcpWEKzZJ4F_pCEQxrXnoDTfA43qu26PUX5M0GhouL52ZKdMOqS1nv7kaTOhmcyhj7_fERqB-GXmBVt7oZ5ijU3dB5RnW7BfJ2YzTHlyBp5lp/s400/IMG_9964.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621156698905048610" border="0" /></a>Below: I don't remember seeing this section at all the last time we were here. I was probably a little odd when I was younger, but I loved Jimmy Stewart. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Loved him.</span> I found a display with a story about him during the war, and there was his jacket. I just thought it was SO COOL. It was interesting to read about him, and to looking at the photograph on the left above the jacket....and be able to compare small things like a crease in the leather in the photo to the jacket below.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9gu2Jygs50CmbC7UTP3_Ygu1bKPhcrCO7-M9unuOpv6Vd6SfY74DlO3iH0TvLmVYBIAb66wnJT7VohwianIdwFN740D6a4Pc_7NlikhQqoZ2Nt_Qnu0h46jIk5hk6E11cbZM/s1600/IMG_9972.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9gu2Jygs50CmbC7UTP3_Ygu1bKPhcrCO7-M9unuOpv6Vd6SfY74DlO3iH0TvLmVYBIAb66wnJT7VohwianIdwFN740D6a4Pc_7NlikhQqoZ2Nt_Qnu0h46jIk5hk6E11cbZM/s400/IMG_9972.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621156290567579490" border="0" /></a>If you didn't think that my love of Jimmy Stewart was strange....I came around a corner and heard some familiar music. My mom has to know where this is going. A display of Glenn Miller stuff, including one of his trombones. The photo of it below also has a mouthpiece above the one in the instrument. The one above is the one that Jimmy Stewart used in the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" in which he used one of Glenn's trombones. The mouthpiece in the instrument is Glenn's. I still love Glenn Miller. After reading more about him here, I think I love him even more now. It was such an interesting time when he was around, and I always thought what he did with his talents for the troops of that period was neat. It was really nice to see a lot of his memorabilia in a museum instead of lost in a private collection somewhere. Seeing this really touched me, and brought back a lot of my own memories. Honestly Glenn.... (for you mom!) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lol</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBD4gw1ZL-CFqiTfQurMPm1tot2Hzpva225JR5gpcCLNIx39ivq4WHGGte6NKbTi20CywGsUSXdy3S6TGA7EwtuhovKh7gKDcrcHBEBch7zZlXFRBFuIKwu2L0oVssAFHl9NL/s1600/IMG_9973.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBD4gw1ZL-CFqiTfQurMPm1tot2Hzpva225JR5gpcCLNIx39ivq4WHGGte6NKbTi20CywGsUSXdy3S6TGA7EwtuhovKh7gKDcrcHBEBch7zZlXFRBFuIKwu2L0oVssAFHl9NL/s400/IMG_9973.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621155936292629266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyilbITRSFhUishKcScnGDjVmod6PDdzC8bavkzHOEZoFJBZKAImoNkw7ZgBDcaCb4vTmraPK9WjEMCaYdGQxluGMX2un4byK09Ruf0-n9P97i6GhS6K8j04d5BGU13FNaHUc/s1600/IMG_9975.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyilbITRSFhUishKcScnGDjVmod6PDdzC8bavkzHOEZoFJBZKAImoNkw7ZgBDcaCb4vTmraPK9WjEMCaYdGQxluGMX2un4byK09Ruf0-n9P97i6GhS6K8j04d5BGU13FNaHUc/s400/IMG_9975.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621155893861663602" border="0" /></a>Below: click on the image to enlarge. This letter was really neat to look at. For historical value, the fact that it still exists, the fact that it was written and signed by GM and mostly that it was typed out on a real typewriter. I kind of laughed trying to explain a 'typewriter' to the kids. Let alone this being the old school type before electric ones. We had a manual typewriter at home when I was a kid, and even though it wasn't as old as the one that typed this letter, I will always remember the sound that it made when you would type with it. - Also, if you read this letter, it is<br />what became my favorite part of the movie.<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpQytAWi8HI"> St. Louis Blues march</a>. <span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">I have no idea why those goofy letters come up during that video. Definitely not part of the movie!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdl-St0-73buIjtwyGR53gp-XFHrT3qbD0WCFJh9lxYRdb_htN9VpYJxX-6nJqLIt_8fhvfmDiuwn_lCCUDjvxHH4gH7q5WaHCVhHnDiFcq8c5BNKzdkNKLD22yu99jHh2gJ2n/s1600/IMG_9974.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdl-St0-73buIjtwyGR53gp-XFHrT3qbD0WCFJh9lxYRdb_htN9VpYJxX-6nJqLIt_8fhvfmDiuwn_lCCUDjvxHH4gH7q5WaHCVhHnDiFcq8c5BNKzdkNKLD22yu99jHh2gJ2n/s400/IMG_9974.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621155970631908050" border="0" /></a>Then we moved over to the POW camp part of the museum. I stood here for a very long time looking at the things in the case. It's so easy to forget what people have gone through for you to have the life that you are used to now. When I would look at these items and wonder what the person was like that carved a small piece of wood into a box, or made a working clock or stove out of the little bits of metal they would collect from tin cans, etc. The things that they would do to pass the time or survive. It's another humbling part of the museum. I can't find the words to explain how it feels to be looking at something like what they have displayed here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNLqARa_92qnmIkouwSxr3EJPx6gGah56ysBt55eUfKEa_A8n89_aK3-mF_56BwFAlkt2LDKwRezR5DoRjSPO20tsvJZiSiDAGW8bl-RDV9-c3mf0y0RACu6AnUfNie69YFvH/s1600/IMG_9978.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNLqARa_92qnmIkouwSxr3EJPx6gGah56ysBt55eUfKEa_A8n89_aK3-mF_56BwFAlkt2LDKwRezR5DoRjSPO20tsvJZiSiDAGW8bl-RDV9-c3mf0y0RACu6AnUfNie69YFvH/s400/IMG_9978.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621154993494787986" border="0" /></a>My favorite in the case was this small journal made out of cigarette package wrappers. I would look at it and wonder about the person the handwriting belonged to. What was his story.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXlPX29D2a5IgYaRMfzWEVquapJ1z_mMMDRIObZ9vAdvib_KaJAstrAzMriFyeAftcSf_-_cUVkAyTgbG_jpSg14sEefAfoBLU-NyPtQKJxFKXGAOc0T6tcPC4qDjiCZIq653/s1600/IMG_9981.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXlPX29D2a5IgYaRMfzWEVquapJ1z_mMMDRIObZ9vAdvib_KaJAstrAzMriFyeAftcSf_-_cUVkAyTgbG_jpSg14sEefAfoBLU-NyPtQKJxFKXGAOc0T6tcPC4qDjiCZIq653/s400/IMG_9981.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621127522439080802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31wpwKc9m37p0zeHeQ1HSdXGygB6TjeGRwQQwcvC1NEtSatTrHI1TM0bJN2BmLqeQ7fINm8SvsgL4Cz5O9lmEVPkc0cEj4_hhj7JcnSYJhrYED2A_YKGcE-yWuL5vFr7pL0R4/s1600/IMG_9982.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31wpwKc9m37p0zeHeQ1HSdXGygB6TjeGRwQQwcvC1NEtSatTrHI1TM0bJN2BmLqeQ7fINm8SvsgL4Cz5O9lmEVPkc0cEj4_hhj7JcnSYJhrYED2A_YKGcE-yWuL5vFr7pL0R4/s400/IMG_9982.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621127483576212050" border="0" /></a>Below: funny carvings. I also loved the box that was made out of scrap tin and woven together.<br /><br /> I thought I had gotten a picture, but there was a small collection of molds made from hand carved wood. They would take tin and pound it into the mold so that they could make wings like the pins they had on their uniforms. The designs were so tiny and intricate. You can actually see one of them in the bottom left of the 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nd</span> photo down from this one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmmay3LfwwkixQ0o6JgDc1rPhx-rlq5n8MKA-QSCb0Grud-nw9pAJSs-q9tQn5lI2zcW1ZUwF7G4dO22jwG38Gnfy8cBqx9FQWn6sTuhmJuq1cjhxZkv8yow1DXGKvTdyC6hc/s1600/IMG_9983.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmmay3LfwwkixQ0o6JgDc1rPhx-rlq5n8MKA-QSCb0Grud-nw9pAJSs-q9tQn5lI2zcW1ZUwF7G4dO22jwG38Gnfy8cBqx9FQWn6sTuhmJuq1cjhxZkv8yow1DXGKvTdyC6hc/s400/IMG_9983.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621127452145994930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ3cYkiWezxM3UCj6FT-2PFzydwFv9RKf-zTSHdbj6M_gT66vrC_e2ma0tsu6mN5xMOtAUqe0wL74XWACPdTOB1mttYMSHzZUKRJ_IztgYrSfxFtarWWL2FVBBz0G47F52CO_/s1600/IMG_9980.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ3cYkiWezxM3UCj6FT-2PFzydwFv9RKf-zTSHdbj6M_gT66vrC_e2ma0tsu6mN5xMOtAUqe0wL74XWACPdTOB1mttYMSHzZUKRJ_IztgYrSfxFtarWWL2FVBBz0G47F52CO_/s400/IMG_9980.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621127563026772002" border="0" /></a>This is another part that I think is interesting when we go, and I have a photo from the last time we were there. I'd like to find it and compare to the one below to see how it has changed in two years. It appears that there are a lot more cups turned upside down then I remember from before. Here is an <a href="http://www.doolittleraider.com/the_goblets.htm">article</a>, but obviously outdated since the case has been moved to this museum in Dayton. I hate to think of the amount of people from this era that the world is losing every day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws8SmAwYqZTYg6dq3hEqUT9TJr8gQs6AbNdBAFcgnxloMmoZpMKO4Hs22Qb-9g9s2VKVuYdd-bC44eH-RmjrPViaQEoYjXSkP1Jz8o9tGkqAa2ULWB-CmwA2m8YdmtaJ42lOz/s1600/IMG_9984.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws8SmAwYqZTYg6dq3hEqUT9TJr8gQs6AbNdBAFcgnxloMmoZpMKO4Hs22Qb-9g9s2VKVuYdd-bC44eH-RmjrPViaQEoYjXSkP1Jz8o9tGkqAa2ULWB-CmwA2m8YdmtaJ42lOz/s400/IMG_9984.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621125869209762482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNgV5oR6wZ4-IoKwBw5chcHKnjvdJt7U-9wS0iIqpP0VzD5jxo-63kMpS5gmZionlsu2rYjC1nb0Vc8J_3SwkMBnO4bYnDCTwgjrMLtI-ig_ANuYWkf85Q0Q2wpAyf0-R8mHk/s1600/IMG_9985.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNgV5oR6wZ4-IoKwBw5chcHKnjvdJt7U-9wS0iIqpP0VzD5jxo-63kMpS5gmZionlsu2rYjC1nb0Vc8J_3SwkMBnO4bYnDCTwgjrMLtI-ig_ANuYWkf85Q0Q2wpAyf0-R8mHk/s400/IMG_9985.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621125402728490802" border="0" /></a>Below: Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour.<br /><br />We really didn't get to spend too much time outside the WWII hangar because we did end up going to see an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IMAX</span> movie about space that we had to be at, at a certain time. By the time the movie was over, it was getting close to time for the museum to close. We did get to see this below. Hopefully next time we will be able to spend some more time in some different areas. I would like to go back and see the space stuff. There is so much to see, from so many different eras.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiQ8IMAb1Oapl4CAFsJqsGVsMtqfEfD-4eNWiA8q6ya1EnnWzUXLuGsGkOJp9lYPuRQY1kAeawrMfcDRyFeOWyPeeysDZCk8gaZJAHfWXsy6iW_WNbXMT7N8Rrlz5MlmWetsA/s1600/IMG_9998.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiQ8IMAb1Oapl4CAFsJqsGVsMtqfEfD-4eNWiA8q6ya1EnnWzUXLuGsGkOJp9lYPuRQY1kAeawrMfcDRyFeOWyPeeysDZCk8gaZJAHfWXsy6iW_WNbXMT7N8Rrlz5MlmWetsA/s400/IMG_9998.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621124234065760562" border="0" /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-23948959781237226012011-06-13T20:27:00.003-04:002011-06-13T20:45:08.323-04:00Today we....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLkIe70PtUhT9SHw2jYFMUWm82NF5QSyWV6Bc-_LqZxK6nb7X53nNFm2d9wyAJyJv6dOJZH8JxsQhqdkARQPMfFPsyGabozNqm5lVfnidRMzbNmtxyvWzlQJKrSepoLxiI0Xn/s1600/IMG_0141.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLkIe70PtUhT9SHw2jYFMUWm82NF5QSyWV6Bc-_LqZxK6nb7X53nNFm2d9wyAJyJv6dOJZH8JxsQhqdkARQPMfFPsyGabozNqm5lVfnidRMzbNmtxyvWzlQJKrSepoLxiI0Xn/s400/IMG_0141.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617866121273567362" border="0" /></a>I really don't have any creative titles for my posts anymore. Hey, it's summer. As silly as it seems to blog about everyday, non exciting things.....I spent some time going back to past years on my blog the other day. It's interesting to see what was so 'everyday' back then, compared to now. That is the stuff that is the most fun for me to remember anyway. What a normal day was like for us.<br /><br />This morning I worked. I was up early to get ready (well, early for what has become a habit of sleeping in until 9 or so.) I had to go in at 8:30. I was up late talking to Mike on IM. It was 4:30 am his time. He couldn't sleep and as I was checking my email I heard the IM chime on my computer. I never expect to hear from him at that time. He wasn't feeling well and had a fever. He couldn't sleep. He was going into the doctor as soon as they opened in the morning. So before I leave for work I get a message from him that he's back from the doctor and he has malaria. He has one more week before he comes home, and he's on bed rest at his hotel all the way in Africa right now. :(<br /><br />I talked to him after I got off of work. He still wasn't feeling well, but he's armed with a lot of medication.<br /><br />The weather outside is beautiful today. I decided I was going to look for something to do outside. Especially since I had already worked and didn't care if I got dirty. I started to mow the lawn, but Trevor came out and asked if he could learn how to mow. He took over. At one point when I thought the hill was getting tough for him I asked him if he wanted me to do a little bit for him. With all this confidence in his voice, like he's been mowing lawns forever he says, "Nah....I'm good. I've got it." I have to say, for his first time doing an entire yard, he did a great job.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOayNFayNPvTZFZqCl2DQTHAdBTwgzOyKd34Zy1vtBfnsh6mbKu-lAInYdY-gGus_YodjPrAJyjt_K3RiVEB0rJWhBR6lnhkrDup3bwSFGYVj1bEKW52KZ5REQ3N74S46KRJmJ/s1600/IMG_0145.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOayNFayNPvTZFZqCl2DQTHAdBTwgzOyKd34Zy1vtBfnsh6mbKu-lAInYdY-gGus_YodjPrAJyjt_K3RiVEB0rJWhBR6lnhkrDup3bwSFGYVj1bEKW52KZ5REQ3N74S46KRJmJ/s400/IMG_0145.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617866154474633698" border="0" /></a><br />Then while I was at it, I vacuumed out my car. It's happy now. I'm happy. I like a clean car! I even bought it a new air freshener when Matthew and I went to the store afterwards. (My sister's favorite Kroger. It's not the same without her.)<br /><br />I had some other photos from yesterday and even a bunch that I want to catch up on from Mother's Day, but blogger is being picky today and only let me post a couple. Even these two took several attempts and a long wait. I hope to get the others on later tonight.<br /><br />Tonight we are making homemade pizza and then settling down to watch America's Got Talent.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-91620907446066716232011-06-08T23:29:00.005-04:002011-06-08T23:49:42.874-04:00Today we...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKf0RYfVgu-V2rRf3Ag62tEoffzWRpVycUKcrHduDlNTnnRGoAGB12MfoKhP5DM8NjzagsyaeAlJmPIlR10SnPmBTNKPifGMYjwzFvIEA2tC5w6QKwcr2pjx-V72sBWCZATod/s1600/1000488_FHTFPSMLXL_B_600.jpg"><br /></a><br />Today we slept in. I love that about summer vacation.<br /><br />Then we went to the library. It's funny how the kids each have certain things that they look for when we go there. Trevor didn't have much luck this time as most of the books he likes to read are really popular books in a series of some sort. So he usually has to put his name down to have something put on hold for him when it comes back in.<br /><br />Megan found some books on cartooning and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">anime</span>, and a how to book on computer graphics.<br /><br />Matthew found a funny mixture of things. He loves 'comic books' but they aren't flimsy comic books about super heroes like you would think. They are always in a section called "graphic novels" and are stories that are drawn in boxes....like traditional comic books. He found a cool one on Pearl Harbor and then some goofy ones about Lunch Ladies and things like that. He also picked up a few picture books on WW2 and the Lusitania. He is just like a little Mike. He still likes to spend time watching the military channel. Every now and then something will record and I'm like, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WTH</span>? Who did that?" It may have a weird title or something, but it's usually some military thing he has recorded. He even recorded Kelly's Heroes....yeah, with Clint Eastwood and Telly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Savalas</span>! He wants to watch it with me, but has watched it already. He can't learn enough about WW2 right now.<br /><br />Then we stopped at a nursery and bought a few plants, some potting soil and some mulch. I am hoping to get those in the ground in the next few days. I started a bit of a project near the front door in an area that <span style="font-weight: bold;">was</span> full of weeds. Photos soon...I promise. I wanted to get the front looking nice before I took any photos.<br /><br />Then we came home and made some homemade minestrone soup.<br /><br />And totally random, but these things popped up when I was looking through garden stuff trying to get ideas on some plant placement in my front yard:<br /><br />If these are not the <a href="http://www.meijer.com/s/flowerhouse-floating-turtle-pot/_/R-134155">cutest things......</a> I swear I want that little one because seeing it sitting in a bowl of water, with little flowers coming out of it's shell....how can that not make you totally happy?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd_Pe15bWQBEUDKrsjvroA_WigPKFzACcWG08F6ZZoUjQqbVkj5F6_ILzKvQ8mkHHchCPnI6Y6ST7vBhnAvojFnIQhyphenhyphenLP8OIL5tSRIenaFoMJzvb28l8pdzOfiSvI9axXEhlD/s1600/1000488_FHTFPSMLXL_B_600.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmd_Pe15bWQBEUDKrsjvroA_WigPKFzACcWG08F6ZZoUjQqbVkj5F6_ILzKvQ8mkHHchCPnI6Y6ST7vBhnAvojFnIQhyphenhyphenLP8OIL5tSRIenaFoMJzvb28l8pdzOfiSvI9axXEhlD/s400/1000488_FHTFPSMLXL_B_600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616059983136478114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaYj4B31tTX0_5LJIOwrVuSTX49uoNmcr4DRSbYH_QkIfJedy_duIk2s4SY1SJ5uzHfRMC-9Oz1SaO9C1sXqn4pS1_ElSNc7-sjKftw-dEjb4pZYNjGxSE9cZX0chiC7TjDmQ/s1600/1000488_FHTFPSMLXL_D_600.jpg"><br /></a>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20751145.post-48974625814892401222011-06-02T23:13:00.008-04:002011-06-03T00:05:45.901-04:00Today we....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrFgMobXa4jiq3JsRZti-9pzEmGstN_9BVc9u_nfNFfu52ncJ0VjQxNkPSu7ed2HJa0yQfX6W5UIYbI692KM9Kg_HjLeuQ1oG0EiJl4ngUXmYUzF7Lvqr6Py0mgVlNYFxDu7O/s1600/IMAG0368.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrFgMobXa4jiq3JsRZti-9pzEmGstN_9BVc9u_nfNFfu52ncJ0VjQxNkPSu7ed2HJa0yQfX6W5UIYbI692KM9Kg_HjLeuQ1oG0EiJl4ngUXmYUzF7Lvqr6Py0mgVlNYFxDu7O/s400/IMAG0368.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613837196931372434" border="0" /></a>As I was working out in the front yard today, and Trevor was sitting on the steps watching the turtles roam....he said, "We have been out of school for one week today." It is strange, I look forward to the first part of summer vacation. I love having the kids home, and there is so much promise and potential of "what should we do?" But....it feels longer than one week too. Mostly, and this is a good thing so I am not complaining, but the kids have been pretty busy. Lots of social stuff going on and me driving them back and forth to places. I sometimes wonder if my new neighbors wonder why I come and go so much. So one week down, and I think everybody is pretty happy.<br /><br />Today we went to Rabbit Hash. Oh and how I WISH I had thought of charging my good camera battery. The weather was perfect today, and the lighting was ideal. I did get a few photos with my phone, which is good in a pinch but not really great about photo quality.- But now I have plans to go back (maybe next week) and take some more photos. It is so pretty around there right now. I don't know what it is about the place, it is just cool. There are flowers everywhere. It has become somewhat of a tradition to drive there a few times during the summer. Even in the dead of winter one of us will say, "I wish we could drive to Rabbit Hash. I wonder what it looks like with snow." It's our summer thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUnrcfUUK3H5NhYCAIX_YPCPVl1CGiRsqxHOQdhG1TR3LJudhQLZfpOqVhK0-Ub8bJhdC6eGip0594XeePs754ogjLzYgQj88DfmANsZO11qv57bj7lqudvqOH9kcdA_RpqPK/s1600/IMAG0361.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUnrcfUUK3H5NhYCAIX_YPCPVl1CGiRsqxHOQdhG1TR3LJudhQLZfpOqVhK0-Ub8bJhdC6eGip0594XeePs754ogjLzYgQj88DfmANsZO11qv57bj7lqudvqOH9kcdA_RpqPK/s400/IMAG0361.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613836510396149426" border="0" /></a><br />We did our usual. Picked out some sodas from the store, sat near the river and pet the german shepherd that followed Trevor around the entire time, looked around at the "old things and antiques" and took the long way home through all of the tall trees and farms. It was a nice, simple day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JhgHLby7IAjFu5KT4NpDuDI1x770naIdvoWO9fcTHuoxc24tYiFFMY1Dd6bxSiLOfiUQaWdfOxstSRcsB4-KdSPNX8tzgiroo5lRm9vswKF6tCCUrFkd2FVg0ZCtAziAQKNg/s1600/IMAG0370.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JhgHLby7IAjFu5KT4NpDuDI1x770naIdvoWO9fcTHuoxc24tYiFFMY1Dd6bxSiLOfiUQaWdfOxstSRcsB4-KdSPNX8tzgiroo5lRm9vswKF6tCCUrFkd2FVg0ZCtAziAQKNg/s400/IMAG0370.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613836519518802242" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(Looking at this photo....that line of sun in the grass in the back is the only sun the yard gets during dinner time. All of the rest of the yard is shaded from the big trees around us. The neighbor's tree actually creates a canopy over our entire deck.)</span><br /><br />I made chicken enchiladas and we ate out on the deck with both umbrellas up. It makes it feel like a party. :) While we were eating I got a call from Mike in Africa. That was a nice surprise.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfamOMPDP__j3klKlrm9VHQ7q5yk_y_7TN-j6YG7STl4OvkDP09FYRghzGeavHqUrIxHWpqw-Pr8_hGNW_xsjdzUz19i7El4XlfIW2zU52eMo5lK3PGi7IH5PEoDZwZ3fgB-Q/s1600/IMAG0341.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfamOMPDP__j3klKlrm9VHQ7q5yk_y_7TN-j6YG7STl4OvkDP09FYRghzGeavHqUrIxHWpqw-Pr8_hGNW_xsjdzUz19i7El4XlfIW2zU52eMo5lK3PGi7IH5PEoDZwZ3fgB-Q/s400/IMAG0341.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834815204724690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Photo thanks to Trevor</span>.</span></span><br />I mentioned the turtles. They were so happy out in the yard today. There are plenty of things for them to eat. One likes to see how far he can make it up the hill before somebody goes out to retrieve him and bring him back. He's always been an escape artist. I don't know where he thinks he is going or even why. He has it pretty darn good at our house. Jet....she's funny. You wouldn't think they have much in the way of personalities, but they do. She likes to stay close. I had to keep stopping my yard work because she likes to climb on my foot and stand there. I move her and she comes back. Or sometimes she'll find a spot in some long grass and hunker down and stick her head in the air. They are pretty cool.<br /><br />Finally, tonight was so pretty. After dropping Megan off at a friend's house, I took Piper for a walk while the boys played Legos at home. I saw the season's first fireflies. An official sign of summer.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05035262233445442670noreply@blogger.com0