Finger Lickin' Fifteen!

I meant to post this almost a week ago, but you know how things go... So, my favorite series and author is releasing book 15 in the Stephanie Plum series. About a bounty hunter. I look forward to this time every year. They are always released in June usually sometime between the 21st and 23rd. This year it is June 23rd. 25 days! Each year I read the entire series prior to the new book coming out. There are so many twists and turns in each novel that I never tire of reading each book over and over again. And, the great part is that you don't have to start with the first book (one for the money), although it makes the series all the better. I think at the very beginning I first read book 5. Either way, you'll fall in love with Stephanie's bad luck and clumsy ways! I better get started, 14 books in 25 days!

Logan

This past weekend all of Chris' immediate family went up to visit his brother T and his wife up in Logan. None of us had seen their place since they got married and the only time I had ever been to Logan was with Perry, Amber and Clint to visit the University Inn. We all stayed at the University Inn, Bri managed to score an amazing deal of $25/night. On Friday night, Chris and I went over to their apartment and I made dinner for them. It wasn't very good which bummed me out. I need to have more patience baking potatoes, it always takes a lot longer than I think it should. Anyway, Bri has decorated the apartment and it is really nice. Probably the nicest married student housing cinderblock I've ever seen. And we met their kitty Roma and to quote Leslee "I liked her a lot, she was really cute, she bit me." I thought that was the funniest thing I've heard in a long time, but Roma really is a sweety. Just don't bug her past her bedtime! Then on Saturday Chris and I (as usual) got up early and we did a little historic walking tour of downtown Logan. There was a pamphlet/guide at the hotel front desk. The weather was perfect and it was fun to get out. Logan's most colorful history? They had a lynching once. Yeah that's it. I could also tell you a disgusting silk worm story that they talked about for the Logan Tabernacle. Of all the things to talk about with the Logan tabernacle and that was the best story? Anyway, after that we all went to this independent toy store that was a lot of fun and had awesome toys. Daniel's little girl ran around the whole time in a purple velvet cowboy hat that said princess. Very fitting. Then we went to the Logan zoo. It was a lot of fun, it's really little but since the only kid running around in Chris' family is 2, it was perfect. And, to break up the writing a little bit, here are the pics:

(Albino porcupine. He looks so cuddly!)

Then, we had a picnic lunch at the park next to the zoo. Daniel's little girl loved playing on the pink playground and the boys, Leslee and a couple wives played 500 with a frisbee. Afterwards, everyone wanted to rest for a couple hours. We then got free ice cream at USU's creamery which was really good and I got to see Daniel's little girl throw a temper tantrum for the first time. Which, being childless, I found hilarious. Dan and Christel- you can laugh at mine kids one day. She has the funniest vocabulary. Daniel had licked her ice cream cone to stop the melting and apparently, she felt like he had had too much of the ice cream, she kept screaming "IT'S NOT RIGHT DADDY! IT'S NOT RIGHT!" That has been playing in my head all week as I giggle. How many 2 yr olds say that when throwing a fit? After the creamery we went bowling and that was really fun even though I think I came in last both games.
After bowling we all went to dinner at Iggy's and called it a night. None of us really had plans the next day except to sleep in before we all had to drive home. At 2:30am Chris woke up to use the bathroom and I woke up too. We noticed a very loud dripping sound and neither of us could go back to sleep. So Chris went to look at the a/c vent where it was coming from. Sure enough, water was dripping down from the vent and the carpet was really wet. I had the a/c on high all weekend because I was really hot in the room (sometimes I think my body temperature will never be right again from taking some medication...) Chris and I were trying to figure out if it was possible to freeze over central air. Chris wiped the vent with a towel and all the sudden water started streaming down. I put a trash can underneath it and since we were both wide awake Chris suggested we just check out and drive home if we were going to have to pack everything up to switch rooms anyway. By 4am we were ready to check out and we'd already filled one trash full of water. The poor night auditor tentatively asked us if we had any water problems before I could tell him about the vent. Seems a pipe broke and their whole basement offices were flooded. Well, at least it wasn't me and my body temperature. I felt so bad for him because I could totally relate after working a hotel front desk. We found out later that Stuart was actually the one to tell the hotel they had some sort of water problem. When he woke up to use the bathroom, it was raining in the bathroom. That would have been far more interesting...

Really?

People never cease to amaze me. Chris and I saw this on our way home from liberty park after our weekend in Logan. Was it really necessary to plaster this on your car? It reminds me of when I saw a bumper sticker that said "Warning! In case of rapture, this car will go unmanned." Bit presumptuous don't you think?

Earning her keep...

Many of you know that our dog, Sally, is a little nuts. We tease her that she's Perry's reject dog and she has an amazing ability to get out ANY enclosure, including her harness a few weeks ago at the park during our picnic. Well, one really great thing, besides all the love she gives us, is that we haven't owned a fly swatter since we got her. Yep, she kills flies, bees, wasps, yellow jackets, anything that buzzes really. And she does it faster than you could do it with the fly swatter. You'd think this wouldn't really be a big deal, but since my house is really hot and we have a couple windows without screens (odd sizes, love living in an old home...) this occurs at least a few times a week. At first when we noticed that she would go after them, I would get really nervous. I didn't want her to get stung. What is amazing is that I haven't seen her get stung yet. You'd think wasps would be smarter. I was really proud of myself this morning when I was able to capture it on video, enjoy!:

BIAU 5k

At 6:30 this morning I dragged Chris out of bed so we could do some good. I really wanted to do this race, but didn't make the final decision until Thursday night, so we were one of those annoying onsite registrants. This is a cause that I have come to believe in and has become close to my heart. My friend Meghan is fantastic, this year she was on the race committee. I used to work with her doing conferences at the U, and while I don't talk to her much since I left, she is one of my favorite people. In January of 2008 Meghan's happy, smiley, crawling nephew got an ear infection that turned into meningitis. After just 2 days of the meningitis he sustained severe brain damage. He spent over three months in Primary Childrens ICU. A blog was started so that friends and family could be updated with what was going on. It soon spread to hundreds of people falling in love with this little guy and receiving inspiration from him. Including me. If you want to check out his blog, it is charliecooperjackjack.blogspot.com.

Below is an exerpt from his blog:

This is a family assignment Charlie had for 2008- Rob thought I should include it...
Things I’ve (Re)Learned This Year

–Charlie Cooper- age 20 months

I re-learned how to see and to recognize what I’m seeing.

I am also working on re-learning how to move my eyes together and to the left. It’s sort of difficult.

I’ve learned that you can reach decibels never before known and it doesn’t even have to hurt your own ears.

I re-learned to lift my head to the right.

I learned to work hard because the littlest things can be really difficult.

I re-learned how to swallow and gag so now I get to taste some food.

I learned how to be heard not just seen.

I learned how to get my way and be held as often as possible.

I learned how many people love me.

I learned to inspire people without saying a word.

I learned I am a small and simple thing but I can make great things happen.

I re-learned to relax (my hands at least).

I learned to have great diaper blowouts.

I learned just how much my dad loves me by making him consider things he never would before (give suppositories & consider buying a van)

I have learned that happy hour is at 10pm not 5pm.

I learned to bite hard if something is in your mouth.

I learned that with a crooked smile you can melt anyone’s heart.

I learned to talk to the Angels.

(Christmas 2007)

(Primary Childrens Medical Center)

(Last year's BIAU 5k)

BIAU is the Brain Injury Association of Utah. It is a really small non-profit organization that does great things like bringing awareness & support to people about brain injuries. They also talk to local elementary schools about the Head Smart program, which talks to kids about the importance of wearing helmets during recreational activities. While Charlie's brain injury was unpreventable, 1 million children receive brain injuries each year and most are. To get more information, go to biau.org. I forgot my camera at the event, but took a couple photos when we got home. Sally joined us in the race and was great at the park around the other dogs.

Cowboy Birthday

Just before my cruise to Alaska we had a birthday party for one of my sister's kids. He turned 4. He wanted a cowboy themed birthday. He is very into cowboys right now ever since he watched an old western with his dad one day. He got a cowboy dress up outfit from Chris and I and a real cowboy hat and cowboy boot slippers from his parents. The outfit came with a real working canteen, which was by far his favorite part. He would ride his fake horse around the backyard for about 30 seconds and then take a drink, repeat. Below are the pics, pretty cute, although I am a little biased. :)

few more Alaska photos

I actually paid for a few of the photos that the ships' photographer took. I kinda liked them. I was way too cheap to purchase the CD of the them, so here they are - pretty crappy since I took pics of them with my camera. After many angles and camera functions, I had just finished getting decent pics when Chris informed me that my printer is also a scanner (sigh). Out of stubbornness I am posting these...

Alaska

My new found freedom has brought a few blessings. It has been a tough road the last couple months, but I was absolutely, without a doubt, blessed to go on an Alaskan Cruise with my mom and great aunt. My great aunt, who is 80, has been the closest I have had to a grandma for the past 20 yrs. She has been so wonderful since her sister died (my grandma) to try and fill those shoes yet honor my grandma. She really wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise with my mom. When I was laid off, my mom offered to pay for me to go, if I painted her house in return. I still think this was a great trade.

I had a really great time, I will most likely never get that time with my mom and aunt again. Norwegian Cruise Lines, stinks in absolutely every way possible, but I'm not going to go into that here. Alaska absolutely took my breath away. Many of you know, I hate nature in just about ever sense of the word (getting attacked by wasps on a hike, Girl's camp hike where we got lost and 5 miles turned into 10 and we all had to sit and pray we'd figure our way back, picnicking at Joe's Valley Reservoir and getting my shoes lost in the mud, picnicking in liberty park a couple weeks ago and getting bird poop on me, should I continue?) I can get every outdoor fulfillment in Liberty Park (minus the day of bird poop), but I am telling you Alaska is hand down the most amazing place I've ever been! It is so beautiful and I am so glad I got to go. I really want to take Chris there (we'll be going Carnival Cruise lines, cruising is a great way for me to go because I got to see all this amazing scenery and still use a normal bathroom and have a comfy bed void of bugs) Below are my pics:

Side note, some interesting Alaska animal facts- Alaska is the only state where the bald eagle is not endangered, there's like 50,000 of them in the state. Puffins only have that colored beak during mating season. ("Hey baby, check out my colorful beak") And finally for that random guy on the cruise that didn't believe me when he was asking where the penguins were: there are no penguins in Alaska. They are native to Antarctica, ha- I was right, I just had to get home to check the facts (Not sure why I care so much, the guy thought this picture of a puffin was a penguin, not the brightest...)

Juneau:

(Above: awesome Juneau Public Library Architecture)

(Above: Chris and Charity tradition of the random heads vacation pic)

Ketchikan: Now for some fun Ketchikan facts. I'm sure Juneau is just as fun, but I didn't take a tour there. Below you will see Miss Dolly's house of "ill-repute" as they call it. Back when Dolly came to Ketchikan the ratio was 100 men for every 1 woman. She paid that house off in 3 MONTHS! The men were lonely and she was a smart business woman. Prostitution in Alaska was legal all the way until 1956. In Ketchikan it is now 4 men for every 1 woman. Ketchikan is on an island, the only way to get supplies to the city is either by plane or boat. The island is also solid granite. This means there is no underground plumbing system, the residents catch the rain water to use. Good thing it rains an average of 176"/year. If there is no rain for more than 14 days, it's considered a drought and they have to buy bottled water from the grocery stores. Also because Ketchikan is solid granite, it costs upwards of $30,000 to bury someone there, they literally have to blast out the hole for your grave. Quite the thought when you realize that Alaska has the highest suicide rate in the nation. So, most people choose to be cremated. But Since there is no crematorium in Ketchikan, the bodies have to be shipped up to Juneau and then the ashes are shipped back down. Hearing all these facets, I am torn. This is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. We could open a crematorium there and make lots of money, but I am pretty sure if there was a natural disaster of some sort, Ketchikan would be the first to be wiped off the map. No water, no supplies....

Miss Dolly's House of ill-repute, Ketchikan:

(those flowers on the shower curtain are made from condoms! The first condoms were made from silk. When Dolly realized they weren't really useful in that regard, made them into flowers.)

(Old red light district in Ketchikan.)

(This is the first thing I saw when I walked off the ship. They really are happy bears...)

(This tunnel is in the guiness book of world records. It's the only tunnel you can go through, around, over & when the tide's low- under.)
Cruising Alaska's inside passage (these pictures don't even begin to do it justice):