December 31, 2011

2011 Recap: 20 Questions

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Swam with dolphins

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My resolutions for 2011 were to live in the moment and be truly joyful. That didn't happen as much as I would have liked. Sanity is my only resolution from here on out, though I should strive to be the healthiest I can be to take care of Hubby long-term.

3. What countries did you visit? Mexico and Grand Cayman

4. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory and why? August 7th - Hubby's accident

5. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving Finance class and creating a "package" concept at work that was published in our annual report

6. What was your biggest failure? Two: dropping out of Marketing class and getting an A- in Finance

7. Did you suffer illness or injury? Twisted my wrist the other day

8. What was the best thing you bought? Subscription to e-Mealz and Hubby's new titanium wedding ring

9. Where did most of your money go? Medical bills

10. What did you get really, really, really excited about? When confirmed Hubby would breathe on his own without a ventilator and when Sassy was awarded an academic/leadership scholarship for a third of annual tuition St. Catherine University (she's still undecided)

11. What song will always remind you of 2011? Moves Like Jagger and On the Floor

12. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise

13. What do you wish you’d done less of? Cry

14. Did you fall in love in 2011? Yes, it probably sounds corny but Hubby I fell in love again in a deeper, more connected way

15. What was your favorite TV program? That's tough. It would be Mad Men, but they didn't air a single new episode in 2011. I'm a little bitter. I can't pick a single one so I'd say a tie between The Big Bang Theory, Glee, The Good Wife and Vampire Diaries. A new favorite we just discovered today is The Walking Dead (marathon of seasons 1 and 2 on AMC).

16. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? The Kardashians - please make them go away

17. What was your favorite film of 2011? The Help

18. What kept you sane? Friends and laughter

19. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Kate Middleton like the rest of the universe I'm sure

20. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
We belong together now,
Forever united here somehow,
You got a piece of me
And honestly,
My life would suck without you

December 26, 2011

Scenes from Christmas

Sassy with classmates in her German class and their Gingerbread house -


Sassy and I on Christmas Eve -


Sassy on Christmas Day -


Chunky obsessed with setting up new iPod -


And the best for last!
Hubby in the Christmas spirit, opening gifts -

December 23, 2011

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

I've had these photos quite awhile and keep forgetting to post (nothing else going on you know). My BFF and family were in town 3+ months ago and the kids and I met them at MOA / Nickelodeon Universe.

Sassy took the little girls to see Sponge Bob and Patrick -


Then BFF's hubby volunteered to be 'purse boy' -


A great time was had by all. Good friends and laughter are the best medicine!

December 19, 2011

Our Kate

Kate has become a popular name - I suspect it will shoot to the top of baby girl name lists next year all inspired by Kate Middleton. We have another reason to love the name - Sassy was accepted to St. Catherine University. We'd love to have a Katie in our family! She applied to a couple of other schools (all local as she plans on living at home and commuting), but St. Kate's is her first choice. I hope we can make it happen :)

December 10, 2011

Sic 'em Bears



I am not a sports fan and I don't follow football, but I am loyal. The Heisman trophy was awarded today to quarterback Robert Griffin III from my alma mater, Baylor University. The Heisman is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Congrats RG3!

November 30, 2011

Tribute

Chunky had a Dia de los Muertos assignment for Spanish class earlier this month - create a tribute to a loved one. He decided to pay tribute to his Papa -


He included a a photo of the two of them, a drinking glass to represent the water Papa always had on hand, the 3M logo to represent where he worked for 35 years, fishing and golf hobbies enjoyed as a younger man, and the obituary published in the local paper.

I may be a little biased, but I think it deserves an A+++!

November 27, 2011

Getting Ready

We are getting ready for another delightful winter in the arctic. We've heard the snowfall could rival last year. Lovely We need a new throttle cable for the snowthrower and haven't been able to find one at any of the local hardware or home improvement stores. Our local ACE Hardware referred us to a power equipment store in a neighboring town. Of course it's not in stock so we had to special order -hopefully it will arrive before the first big snow. Chunky and Hubby are in the garage changing the oil in the snowthrower - Chunky's first time with Hubby supervising. I decided it was safer indoors. I found a fabulous product - Tibet Almond Stick - at ACE to take care of the many scratches in our wood around the house. This stuff is amazing and is't only $4!It's like a wood eraser. I've used it on doors, cabinets, floors, tables and chairs. No home should be without it if you have wood anything. The heater in the garage isn't working so I need to call local Heating & Plumbing shop to fix that. Between Hubby and home the past four months, I don't think I've ever made so many calls/appts in my life. Hard to believe it's been 16 weeks since the accident that forever changed our lives. No way to get ready for that, but we're finding our way as we go. Better go check on the boys.

November 24, 2011

Thankful


We have much to be thankful for this season and we are not squandering one minute. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this - may you be as blessed as we are!

November 15, 2011

Attitude

Have you seen Diane Sawyer's interview with Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords? I highly recommend it - so touching. Of course it hits close to home - their love, devotion and determination resulting in a different yet rich life. When Hubby was released from the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute we were told our positivity and determination ranked us in the minority - Hubby went home earlier than most quadriplegics because we were motivated to learn, determined to be successful and supportive of one another in finding our new normal. To have the support and respect of professionals from a renowned rehab program means a great deal to us and makes us even more determined. I would love to believe that Hubby will walk again one day, but it doesn't seem likely based on medical expertise. I wonder if I should expect it though, be more determined. I wholeheartedly believe in miracles and modern medicine/technology has made tremendous advancements so you never know. We are determined to meet each day and every opportunity/challenge with a positive attitude for that is 9/10ths of the game.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

~ Charles Swindoll

October 29, 2011

Personality

Ever take one of those personality tests? One of the most popular is Myers-Briggs. I love taking tests. Seriously, I'm weird and I embrace it. Speaking of which, isn't the spelling of the word 'weird' weird? What happened to the "i" after "e" except after "c" rule? American English is odd.

Any whozzle, I was reminded of this test recently by a blogger I follow and it was fun to look up all the stuff related to my personality. Let's hear it for the INTJs!!! I'm so doing this with my kids and hubby!

INTJ: Strategist - Mastermind - Intellectual
Independent, original, analytical, and determined. Have an exceptional ability to turn theories into solid plans of action. Highly value knowledge, competence, and structure. Long-range thinkers. Have very high standards for their performance, and the performance of others. Natural leaders, but will follow if they trust existing leaders. Approach reality as they would a giant chess board, always seeking strategies that have a high payoff, and always devising contingency plans in case of error or adversity.

Hubby would call that last sentence the "what if" principle and was not so appreciative of it in the past. I am a total "what if" person and proud of it. It's paying off quite a bit now so hubby has changed his tune :)

October 23, 2011

When you love someone

Sassy and I attended the wedding of some dear friends last night. Hubby should have been there, but he will be home soon enough. The happy couple were thoughtful enough to pay Hubby a visit today so he felt included in the occasion. The setting was lovely, the food delicious and the ceremony touching. Simple, down to earth, very K&B.

Sassy captured the moment for us -


The setting was on a bluff overlooking the beautiful Mississippi River -


The happy couple -


The cupcakes were fantastic and the Magic 8 Ball was a very personal touch -


I think my favorite part was the reverend's reading of an Anne Morrow Lindbergh poem -

When you love someone, you do not love them all the time. in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet, this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love , of relationships. We leap at the flow of time and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible in life, as in love, is in growth, in fluidity in freedom. The only real security is not owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what it was , nor forward to what it might be, but living in the present and accepting it as it is now. For relationships, too must be like islands. One must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits islands surrounded and interrupted by the sea, continuously visited and abandoned by the tides. Once must accept the serenity of the winged life, ebb and flow, of intermittency.

October 9, 2011

Deep in the heart of ...

I discovered a deep wrinkle (line!) at the corner of my lower right-side lip this morning. It was not there yesterday. I know ... I thoroughly check every day. I consider myself moderately vain when it comes to my face so I've invested in good skin care products, I exfoliate regularly and use sunscreen daily. What the heck?! If you saw me you would probably say you could barely see it or it's small because you'd be being nice ... it's not small, it's a mini Grand Canyon on my face! My grandma P was right ... it's hell getting old. I think it could be related to my previous bad habit as a casual smoker. I quit weeks ago in preparation for a wellness screening at work which allows me to lower my health insurance premium by meeting specific goals like being tobacco free and cholesterol/blood pressure readings below a certain level. That was pretty motivating, but this, THIS is super motivating. I'm done - no more smokes or lines for me!

October 2, 2011

Leavin' on a jet plane

While visiting hubby this morning I decided to check my bank account online to confirm recent activity while he took a short nap. I was surprised to see a charge for $1,000 to Southwest Airlines and several others for online dating services (match.com, hotornot.com, etc.). I wonder where I'm going and with whom? I contacted Wells Fargo and they pressed into action. It took a little while to walk through everything and find that I had almost $2,000 in charges I didn't make! I'm confident all will be reversed though. When I returned home there was a voice mail message from Southwest Airlines asking me to authorize a $1,000 gift card. The thief hadn't bought a plane ticket, rather a gift card they could turn around and sell. Some peoples' kids!

October 1, 2011

Make this now!

I awoke at some ungodly hour this morning. After I watched the remainder of the 'Project Runway' episode I missed when I fell asleep last night, I channel surfed and landed on Cristina Ferarre's 'Big Bowl of Love' on the Oprah Winfrey Network (remember John DeLorean? she was married to him!). I'd never watched it before, but she made an Udon Noodle Bowl soup that I was absolutely compelled to make. After my 7:30am oil change appointment, I went straight to the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients. I love it! I changed up a couple of things: added diced raw chicken while heating stock, added a package of frozen edamame I bought on a whim in lieu of peas, added carrots and scallions while cooking and omitted the cilantro. It's delightfully fresh and comforting. I'm pretty sure it's super healthy too! The only things I'd change would be to cut the udon noodles (I'm sure slurping the long strands adds to the charm and authenticity, but the small puddles of soup everywhere put my OCD on high alert) and add cilantro at the end for freshness and a bit of crunchy texture (in addition to sesame seeds - a must!).

Photos a la P-Dub!

September 26, 2011

Feeding the soul

I did something tonight I haven't done in 7 weeks ... cooked dinner from scratch. It was heavenly and exactly what I needed. Hubby had a minor procedure today that went off without a hitch. Once I confirmed he was resting comfortably and would likely be sleeping the rest of the day, I decided to head home to get some work work done. It felt so comfortable and "normal" to be home doing something I've done a hundred times before ... something I haven't felt in a long time. Then I got to thinking the only thing better would be to smell something cooking and eat a family dinner I prepared ... flank steak with potatoes and herb butter. It was amazing if I do say so myself. The only thing better would have been a homemade dessert, but a spoonful of Nutella out of the jar will have to suffice.

September 17, 2011

In sickness and in health

Alternately titled - Marriage: the good, the bad and the hospital

This is not the post where I tell you I have it all figured out. To the contrary, most days I don't feel like I have anything figured out. I do the best I can with what I've got and try to gain what I can to improve. I've received much advice about marriage over the years (mostly good) ... keep a sense of humor, compromise, don't sweat the small stuff, don't go to bed angry, make yourself comfortable in the B&N Self Help section, etc. Throw in kids, finances, friends, family, work, life changes, politics, religion, hobbies and many other things in the mix and you've got a firestorm. Some people just seem to "click" and coast through life on the marriage front. Hubby and I have rarely been on "autopilot". We have to really work at it and sometimes one was working when the other wasn't. Good times. We have a lot of love, tenacity and general stubbornness which has gotten us this far. However, recent events have changed our outlook on life ... and our marriage. Every day is a gift and every day with the one you love is an even greater gift. Other than physical/mental health, putting your spouse first in life is job #1. This is our golden rule now.

Marriage is hard ... we know this first hand. Marriage while one spouse is away is hard ... we know this first hand too as Hubby traveled extensively for his job. Marriage when one spouse is not in good health is very hard ... we're learning this now. Conducting a marriage while one spouse is in the hospital is brutal. There's limited time/space for privacy (and that's putting it mildly), intimacy is redefined, the non-hospitalized spouse bears more responsibility, etc. The focus has to be on the health of the hospitalized spouse; however, the rest of the world goes on ... bills must get paid, children need tending, the house needs cleaning, etc. I feel like I have one foot in two worlds ... the hospital and everything else. The hardest part is thinking about Hubby when I'm not at the hospital and thinking about everything else when I am with Hubby. It pales in comparison to what Hubby is experiencing. We know there are many adjustments on the horizon ... individually and together. We've decided we're still in it, in sickness and in health.

September 6, 2011

1st Day

1st day of Senior year -

Is it me or does she look like she's being patronizing?

1st day of 6th grade -

Is it me or does he look less enthusiastic than Sassy?

September 5, 2011

The Assistant

Sassy had her Senior Pictures taken the other night downtown Minneapolis by the amazing Emily. The Mill City Museum was closed for a private party so Emily took photos outside with the Museum and Mill Ruins Park as backdrop, as well as inside The Guthrie Theater. I had fun playing assistant, aka holding extra clothes/shoes and taking pictures of my own.




Afterward Sassy and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Sassy had been once before years ago, but I'd never been. It was delizioso!

September 3, 2011

Transition

Summer has unofficially ended - yesterday was the kids' last day of summer break and Labor Day is in two days. Our summer was full - baseball, college visits, new dryer, new car, up north, summer romance and spines. I'm ready for a fantastic fall - I won't be returning to grad school for obvious reasons, but I'm still hoping for great weather, time to try some new recipes (tomato water martinis, zucchini chips, tomato/corn/zucchini tart) and a little gardening. Of course we're hoping to have Hubby home before the snow flies as well.

August 30, 2011

Spines 'R Us

Sassy had a consultation with neurosurgeon yesterday (partner of fabulous neurosurgeon who did Hubby's surgery insert shameless plug for HealthPartners Medical Group about her Scheuermann's kyphosis. He told her he can't do anything for her surgically - both a relief and frustrating. She has a 48% curvature (normal is 40%) and they don't begin to look at surgery until over 60% as risks outweigh benefits ... Dr said he often doesn't do surgery until at least 90%. Her discs are what's causing her the most pain and surgery doesn't fix those. He told her chasing her pain with meds is a very slippery slope and that the best thing she can do is to stay active, even though it hurts. He suggested yoga, accupuncture and chiropractic. He also suggested a routine for sleep ... this is one of the biggest impacts aside from constant pain ... work out, bath with aromatherapy, warm milk, etc. Unfortunately we don't know if the disease is progressive or if this is the worst it will be for her ... she will need to know her body and determine if the pain is worse over time and then investigate cause. No answers but we appreciated the Dr's candor. We continue to make lemonade over here at Spines 'R Us.

August 21, 2011

Cupid Flying


Our good friends from Indianapolis offered to host Chunky for the last few days of summer vacation. Chunky fell in love with their daughter up north last month. I'm praying a chastity belt isn't needed. He leaves on the 31st and returns the day before Labor Day - his first airplane trip alone. Anyone traveling from MSP to IND those days - beware!

August 19, 2011

One day at a time

Any blogging I've done is over at Hubby's CaringBridge site so posting here will be sporadic for the forseeable future. Hubby is doing well - making slow but steady progress (some unexpected - exceeding expectations). No news yet on function - we're prepared for doctors' best case scenario which is use of arms only while praying for every miracle God grants us. Thank you for your kinds thoughts, words and prayers!

August 10, 2011

Surgery #2 **updated**

**Update 12:00 pm**

Surgery has been postponed until probably Friday (2 days) due to case load. I spoke with neurosurgeon and he explained that surgery timing is not critical - if it was he would have done already. Also, some choose not to do posterior procedure but he feels it would be best to provide additional support and room for spinal cord to heal from massive bruising/swelling. They are doing a trachestomy now and have put in a temporary feeding tube (oral) until they can do the peg after second surgery. He needs to keep up his fighting weight!

**ORIGINAL POST**

Hubby is comfortable and adjusting well. He's communicating via light head nods and alert when speaking to him. Rest is the best medicine now (along with prayer!). Posterior surgery is scheduled for 6:30pm, but could be later. It's late in the day so we're hoping he doesn't get "bumped" to tomorrow while understanding there may be others with greater need. Surgery is great news - it means he's stable enough for procedure and it will provide long term neck support he needs. Next step after surgery (tomorrow?) will be "trach" and "peg"procedures to get him proper nutrition and breathing. Next big hurdle will be to wean him off vent. MRI results showed spinal cord is fully intact - lots of swelling however. Breathing on his own would be a blessing - everything else is icing at this point. We are not giving up hope for a miracle, but remaining realistic and diligent about one day at a time.

August 9, 2011

Oops

This is what Hubby said when I arrived to see him in the intensive care unit of Regions Hospital 36 hours ago.

He was in a motorcycle accident about 8pm Sunday (it's now almost 8am Tuesday). He was not speeding or acting crazy, it was a freak fall. He was airlifted to a local trauma hospital within an hour and a half. A CT scan confirmed he broke his neck at C4. They didn't keep him in ER long- he went straight to ICU. He had surgery at 1am - corpectomy C3 to C5 anterior cervical fusion with cage and plate. The neurosurgeon came out about 4am and said everything went as well as could be expected and that he was very healthy. He'll need posterior fusion later in the week. He did not have any feeling from chest down when he came in but Dr said it will take several weeks to know long term and the conditon of his spinal cord is critical. We're waiting for results of MRI. He is receiving awesome care - steroid protocol for spine profusion, cuffs on his legs and a filter implanted to help prevent blood clots, pain management, etc. Breathing is the primary concern now and though he's on a vent he is 'over' breathing a bit on his own. That's good, it shows he's a fighter and will come through this with a fighting spirit. He desperately wants the tube out so they keep him partially sedated. He is alert now and then, able to nod up and down or back and forth to indicate if he agrees with questions. He's not in any pain. I rub his forehead and scalp with a cold rag. I tell him how many people - a virtual parade - have been to see him (not everyone makes it back to his room so we've often had a mob in a hallway) and that everyone is pulling for him.

August 6, 2011

Going strong

Chunky's summer romance continues ...

August 1, 2011

Sequence

I do not heart math. I am however drawn to sequence - I heart logical order. This may be one of the reasons I'm not good at "regular" math, but love statistics - organizing numbers! insert need for therapy here Somehow I managed to major in stats (along with econ) for my undergraduate degree despite the fact I have a hard time figuring out which number goes where to determine increase/decrease in percentage value.

I was fascinated by the Bing homepage image yesterday which showed a cross-section of a chambered nautilus. This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I treasure a beautiful nautilus shell someone gave me as a parting gift when I left my last company.


I researched nature's magic algorithm a bit and found there is something called the golden rectangle or Fibonacci numbers.


I can't recall if I learned about this in school, but I heart the beauty in sequence.

July 28, 2011

Diagnosis 2 -OR- Lemonade out of Lemons

Chunky received his diagnosis about three months ago. Now Sassy has one. We definitely weren't expecting this.

Sassy has been having back issues for the past several months. The pain is mostly between her scapulae - thoracic region. She is in some degree of pain 24/7. It got really bad when she was in Europe four months ago and I made a Dr appt for her when she returned. They gave her high dose of ibuprofen, muscle relaxants and physical therapy. Unfortunately the therapy didn't make her feel better, in fact she felt worse so I told her to stop going after 8 appts. She went back to the Dr last week and they took x-rays. They called the following day to say they found something and scheduled an appt with orthopedist four days later (earlier this week). Orthopedist saw 7% curvature with a tool he used in office - one shoulder blade higher than the other (mild scoliosis), but was really fixated on what looks like left outside part of vertebra lower than inside (closest to spine) in a couple of places - causing "wedged" discs. He mentioned a condition I'd never heard of - Scheuermann's disease. She had an MRI later that day and two days later she was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease, also known as juvenile discogenic back disease. We don't have all the details re: severity, if it could get worse, treatment options, etc. - orthopedist is contacting spine Dr to see if bracing will help her become pain free. Not knowing what's next is the worst. Dr did confirm no more competitive volleyball as they don't know if it will cause further harm and the pain alone is enough reason for her to discontinue. She's bummed her volleyball career is over - May 1st was her swan song after all. She has a positive attitude though - already been in touch with athletic director at her grade school about coaching opportunity for girls grades 5-8. That's my girl - making lemonade out of lemons!

July 25, 2011

Frown

Summer is officially half over :(

July 24, 2011

Two 1sts

Chunky's baseball team won their tournament and first place in the league! It was a very exciting final game with a hit from Chunky turning the tides in his team's favor in the fourth inning when they were down by two runs.


Here's my baby running home -


You made it!


I thought these shots were cool and I'm pretty proud of my typically poor picture taking self. In the first one the ball is just above the roof of the house. In the second one it looks like it's inches from his hip.


One of his coaches told us he should keep with it as he he's a good hitter. He needs to work on consistency and catching. We're going to look into one of the nearby batting cages for the off-season to get ready for next year.

Congrats Chunky Monkey and the Knights!

July 23, 2011

Gil been berry, berry good to me

Say the title with a Latin accent for '70s SNL nostalgia

Gil got me through one wicked winter and has been my commuting companion for three years. However, the times they are a changin' ...


Hello Dolly! and I don't mean Sassy's Tawny Kitaen car pose


Isn't she lovely?! She's a 2011 black amethyst Krom edition Rogue. I got an awesome deal and the dealer couldn't wait to get their hands on reliable, gorgeous Gil (evidently Altima's have great resale value). "Dolly" is probably not her permanent name - we're toying with "Adele", 'cause she's smooth, sultry and pleasantly PLUMp. I'm diggin' Dolly/Adele in a big way - she even has a back up camera which means I can't give MIL a hard time about hers anymore.

It's so nice to have you where you belong!

Too Cute

This post from The Spohr's Are Multiplying is too cute not to share!

I love this blog - tender, sweet, funny, real and stimulating. They lost their first daughter, Maddie, a couple of years ago so some posts are related to their loss and grief, honoring Maddie's life, wonderful insights and of course, the Amazing Annabel. Check 'em out - amazingness all around!

July 22, 2011

Out with the old ...

Our six year old dryer went to heaven. Good riddance!


They sure don't make things like they used to. Oh my gosh, I sound like my grandmother!!! Anywhozzle, we decided not to sink any more money into the old girl and went shopping for a new one. I didn't want the same brand as we've had many problems with our current washer/dryer so I knew going into it I would no longer have a matched set. What I wasn't prepared for was the lingo and new fangled options. I was very confused by the question, "Do you want front or top loading"? Did you know a dryer that's made as a companion to a top loading washer is called a top loading dryer even though you load it from the front? Mylanta! 6.7 capacity vs. 7.2 ... steam or no steam ... five cycles or ten or thirty-five? My head was spinning! Finally we went to our trusty appliance store and got a front loading dryer should do the trick.

Look - it has a window!


We have gas so hubby will need to hook it up tomorrow. I'm curious if it will be "level" with the washer. I'll get over it if it isn't (maybe), but it sure would be sweet if it were! Ah, the simple things in an OCD person's life I've never been so excited to dry clothes in my life!

July 21, 2011

Play Ball

Baseball season is almost over! Oops, did I say that out loud?


July 20, 2011

HP Recap

Saw this and had to share - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43756803/ns/today-entertainment/

We're hoping to have a Harry Potter marathon over the weekend to get fully prepped for the final movie. Chunky has a baseball tourney - one game each day - so that and the weather will dictate our final plan.

July 17, 2011

Friend or Foe?

Sassy's boyfriend won her a goldfish at the county fair - Stefan I wanted Friedrich - I thought that was a better fish name but I lost that one. Sookie the cat is VERY interested in Stefan the fish.

Stare down -


I started to get nervous when she put her face in the bowl -


Then REALLY nervous when she stood up and looked like she was going fishing!



We put a plastic lid on Stefan's bowl (with holes of course). Sookie guards her new "friend" faithfully -

July 16, 2011

The Land of 10,000 Lakes

Has a new lake!


We have urban flood warnings from rain over the past two days throughout the metro area (which is in addition to the deluge of rain we've seen the last three months). Some spots have seen nearly 7" since yesterday morning. Overnight a complex of storms dropped an additional 1" to nearly 5"and our county was the hardest hit with 5.44" falling in a neighboring town in four hours.

This is the view from just a mile away from our home -


Look closely -