It's jail for dogs. At least it looks that way. This is where the girls usually go for refuge when they need it. As you can see, the door is open but it looks like they should have metal mugs in their paws, banging on the bars.
I had a wedding reception to go to this past weekend for the daughter of a close friend. I didn't get any pictures of wedding guests or the wedding couple for that matter because I was too busy visiting and eating. My, oh my, did I eat. I think this amount of eating has recently been featured on the news and referred to as "binge eating". I did NOT however partake in purging, although I probably would have slept better and felt better if I had.
Aside from eating, I did make time to get pictures of the scenery around Skelly Lodge where this reception was held. The view was amazing and you could see for miles, literally. The huge boulders pictured here were a photo opportunity waiting to happen, and many of the guests and wedding party took full advantage. Even though the trees had no leaves it was still a very picturesque place.
Since the weather had warmed up some and since Mojo was standing at the backdoor, I decided to let him go out and investigate the back porch.
He didn't waste anytime checking things out and making sure that things were as they should be in this outdoor space. He did a close inspection of the soil quality in one of my pots. I'm pretty sure I heard him say it was good to go.
Cody and I ventured out on Sunday to look for geocaches in the area. This was something that I've been curious about for the last couple of years after reading about it on an online news site. The appeal for me is that it takes place outdoors and I love to be outdoors if the weather is nice.
Just so happens, it was a very nice day and we had nothing better to do anyway. So with my camera and GPS in tow, we headed out and begin our day of discovery. The inside of trees make good hiding spots, especially when it is surrounded by broken limbs. Cody loved it and didn't seem as apprehensive about walking into certain wooded areas as I was.
Our first cache contained tattoos and other miscellaneous and very small items. We exchanged a tattoo but on the next few caches, we only left our name and the date of our discovery. I'll be going online to visit the geocache site to leave a comment about each place that I visited and to let others know that there is a geocache still to be found.
So Caitlin and I are leaving for Las Vegas and we have checked in at the airport, go through security and are waiting at the gate when an announcement comes over the speakers that our plane has arrived but it's at the end of the runway where it sits because the pilot noticed when he touched down that he couldn't control the steering of the plane. It takes them about 30 minutes to tow the plane up to the gate so that they can assess the problem and let us know when our flight would be leaving. The end result is that our flight was cancelled and they found a plane in Dallas to take us to our destination, but not until the next morning.
Caitlin will miss her first game in this tournament along with one other teammate who was also on that flight and since our team had a couple of other players that were unable to go on this trip, her team now doesn't have enough players for that game.
I hope things go better once we get to the airport this morning.
I received my Social Security statement in the mail this past week because it's that time of year when I get this reminder that my birthday is coming up in a couple of months.
Anyhoo...did anyone else receive their statement recently and compare it to last year's statement, only to find out that if you retire at the age of 67 you are now eligible for a lower amount of income than what the previous year statement indicated? Even though you have now contributed a whole year more of social security taxes? RaggleFaggleFrickinFruck?!!
Yesterday, I received a wonderful package in the mail from Jessica at A Moxie Mom. I entered a drawing on her blog and won!
It's a Dermalogica Skin Kit for that troublesome dry skin that many of us suffer from daily and especially during the winter months. I can't wait to use this kit. Thanks Jessica!!
I just finished reading "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon and I'm now starting on her second book in the series called "Dragonfly in Amber". I can't wait to find out what happens next with the two main characters, Claire and Jamie.
I also purchased an audiobook to add to my Ipod so that I'll have something to listen to on the airplane ride to Las Vegas that I'll be taking next week. There is a showcase soccer tournament there that Caitlin's team is attending.
Hayden's birthday is tomorrow and this past week I went shopping for the clothes that he asked for and I also ordered a few items online. Shopping for him is like shopping for a daughter. He likes clothes and likes the latest styles with a variety of color.
I wasn't able to do this for my oldest son, Dylan, because he wore athletic shorts and t-shirts to school every day all year round, no matter how warm or cold. And the only colors that Dylan would wear were white, gray or something dark. On one hand, this was a good thing because his clothes weren't costing us an arm and a leg; but it was also soooooo boring.
Remember when I sent in my gold jewelry to see how much it was worth? Well, it wasn't as much as I would have liked but then again, I know nothing about the value of gold. The day after I received my check there was a news segment on tv talking about how the value of gold is down these days and to wait until it rises again before selling. Too late!
I have the option to return the check and have my gold returned if I'm not ready to sell or to deposit the check and consider it a done deal. I'm considering my options.
Cody left one of his Christmas presents in the pocket of jeans and I washed it in the washing machine this past weekend. Dried it too. Ipods aren't meant to be washed.
I was sitting on the couch doing some work on my laptop when I looked up and took notice of my cats. One was to my left and one was to my right.
I just thought it was funny that they were both covering their eyes. They were almost perfect bookends of each other.
I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and she had a segment about a company that buys gold jewelry called Red Swan. You send in your jewelry and they mail you a check. If you aren't satisfied, you contact them and send the check back and they return your jewelry.
So I've decided to try it. I have a couple of pieces of old jewelry that probably aren't worth much but I'm curious to see what I can get. Plus I'm not attached to the jewelry that I've chosen to send in. I haven't worn any of it in over 20 years. One piece is a necklace that an old boyfriend gave to me and then I have a ring that had the tiniest diamond in it once but the diamond came loose and I lost it. Those two pieces along with a gold chain is what I've chosen to send in and see what happens. The people at Red Swan will probably open up my box and laugh when they assess the value or they'll be mad that they paid the postage to have me waste their time. Ha!
I have a nice pair of earrings that I considered sending in but I'm too attached, even though I don't like to wear gold jewelry. Afterall, silver is "da bomb" these days. I also can't part with my "add-a-bead" gold and lapis bead necklace because it was such a popular trend when I was in high school and I remember returning to the store often to purchase more beads everytime I had enough money. Do you remember doing this? Anyway, this necklace stays. What if I need this piece of jewelry as proof that certains things in my life really did occur when I'm old and reflecting on my past.
I just had to post this picture of my Mema. I haven't seen her in many years and I've been asking for a picture for a while now, but since my dad doesn't own a camera it has taken some time. He took this picture of her with his camera phone last weekend. She still drives her car and gets it washed each week. Her and her sister(good genes in that family) take trips together when they can and she reads so much that I'm sure the library is having a hard time keeping her in books. She is pictured here working on a crossword puzzle which she starts and completes daily. All of my childhood memories of her are special. When Tanya and I were little girls, we LOVED staying overnight with her and my Pepa on their farm. This special woman also turned 98 years young this past January. I think she's incredibly special.
Have you ever had a coffee that was so strong tasting that after you took a sip, it tasted like you just smoked a cigarette? Ok so it wasn't a coffee, it was one of those coffee type drinks with added flavor and a fancy smancy name. Anyway, I had that happen earlier this week when I was sampling a Caramel Latte. Uhh...thank you, McDonalds?
The ice storm came in waves. It started with a slight coating of ice on the cars. But then as the frozen rain continued and temperatures dropped, our streets and roads were coated as well. Sleet fell through the night and there was a layer on top of the ice. This was a blessing in disguise because it supplied the traction needed on the roads so that those who needed to get to Lowes… could. :-)
By the afternoon, we were well coated with sleet and snow and the roads were a slippery mess mostly because of the surface being abused all day. This picture was taken with my cell phone... while driving. I call it multi-tasking. Some call it risky. It was a little more harrowing getting home and there was some slippage and fishtailing involved here and there. Fun to some, I’m sure, but NOT to this gal. We have too many hills to climb in this area and midway up one of them I questioned whether I was going to make it. Ray says he did the same thing.
We have a pin oak in front of our house that is clinging to it's leaves from the previous summer and will probably hang onto them until the new ones begin to emerge in the Spring. It's an ugly object to view all winter but now with this nice new coat of ice, it's a look that seems to work.
All of the foliage in the area takes on a new look and as much as I despise the ice, I am in awe of the beauty it supplies.
There's an ice storm in our forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Not the news I wanted to hear when those are the two days that I report to work this week. Not only will I drive to the other side of town over slippery, icy roads but I will also trek across an icy parking lot that is free of any hand holds if by chance I might lose my footing.
It seems that the more I hate winter, the more I become a target for this frigid abuse. If I'm being punished for my strong hostility towards this colder season then I'm willing to change for the greater good. From this day forward, I will "adore" winter.
Winter creed:
I'll embrace the prickly coldness of its winds and envelop the stings of its icy rain. I will laugh at it's playful attempts to bring me down on my rear. I will prevail.
After all, it's only 54 days until Spring.
I went to a local pub/grill last night, called the Fox and the Hound, for a dinner with several local bloggers. We were expecting around 20 women and actually had about 15 show up, so it was a really good turn out for this event. note: If I get any names wrong in this post, please forgive my memory.
Some of my "getting aquainted" time was spent with these girls, Jerri Lynn, Georgie and Dawn. Jerri Lynn and Georgie live in the Tulsa area and Dawn lives in Owasso, closer to my neck of the woods. You can't see it but Georgie is wearing a shirt that says "I heart Dawn" made by her daughter. We all love Dawn for putting this event together. I found out that Jerri Lynn is from Ft. Worth so with both of us being from Texas, we talked about things that Texas has that Oklahoma doesn't have like good mexican food, barbecue and Dairy Queen. And what a coincidence that we both have family in Midland.
Here is Dawn with Michelle and Jessica. I enjoyed meeting Michelle and finding out how her and Dawn became friends. Both of them love blogging and photography. Jessica was very nice and I look forward to reading her blog.
I was also able to visit with Melinda and Maggie who are pictured here with me. I'm the one who looks awkward because I'm the most unphotogenic person. But I digress.Hayden informed me that he needed a new pair of shoes because his were feeling too small. So after school, we went to our local shoe store and found him a nice pair of athletic shoes. We threw away his size 6 shoes that were too small with a hole forming in the toe area and he walked out of the store wearing his new, size 9 Adidas. Yes, I would say that his shoes might have been feeling a bit small.
