current events

Random stuff going on lately in my little part of the world:

* I apply for the Surg Tech program next week. And find out if I've made it or not a week later. I'm not worried. I think I've got a pretty good shot at making it in and if I don't then it wasn't meant to be. The good thing about being selected for the program is than I'll have a degree and a better job in just 12 months. The bad thing is that for those 12 months I'll have to either work part-time or find another full-time job (evenings or midnights). I have a feeling things are going to be a little stressed around the house for the next year or so.

* I really wanted to read a few books before school starts back up. So far I've finished zero. I did start Prince Caspian about a week ago and have been slowly making my way thru it. I loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so I was looking forward to reading the second book in the Narnia series. It's been pretty good, so far. It just seems like I never have enough time to read, though. And I know I won't have any time this Summer, so I better get to reading.

* For some reason the Tigers have really sucked so far this year and I'm baffled as to why. I still watch every game and yell at the TV!

* I'm interviewing for my old job as a Respiratory Care Coordinator next week. This was the job I worked before I got reassigned. Well, one of the girls is leaving so her position will be open. I wrestled with the idea of whether or not to apply because I might have to go to part-time (the whole Surg Tech thing again), but the manager of the department specifically asked me to put in for it. I explained the school thing, but he said he could work around it and told me to apply. So I did. I think a few other people did, too, so there will have to be interviews, but I was pretty encouraged by Bob's words.

* Vic & I decided to paint the kitchen this weekend, which means we'll probably lay around the house and watch movies.

flowery weekend

I realize it's been a few days since my last blogging, but I needed an extra day to recover from my extra day-off! Vic & I stayed pretty busy the whole weekend working on the yard. This past weekend's project was flowers! We really wanted to add a splash of color to the yard, so we planted a rainforest of flowers!

This is a "before" shot of the flower bed by our patio. Pictured here is a nice assortment of Michigan weeds.

Ta-da! Much prettier! All the little flowers will fill-in nicely over the Summer.

Pretty Irises along our driveway.

The much-ballyhoo'd tripod shot everyone has been begging for.

A parting shot of Flea on top of our window air-conditioner. The nights have been really breezy, so hopefully we won't have to uncover the AC for a few more weeks.

There was also a bit of sad news this weekend. Gordon, our gecko, passed away. I mentioned in a previous blog that he was feeling a little puny. The gecko doctor said there was very little we could do and that he was at about "that age", so we just tried to make him comfortable. I think he knows he was loved ~ especially by the kitties! He's in a place now where geckos spend all day laying on rocks, eating crickets. Bye Gordo!

family

Isn't it odd, and at the same time gratifying, to be close to someone you've never met? Let me explain. I think I've made some really great friends thru blogging ~ people (and animals) I've never even met! I've been introduced to your families, cheered at your achievements, sent positive thoughts when needed, and wept at losses. Today I learned of the passing of Bonnie, a kitty that wrote a blog with her brother, Victor. As I read the tributes to Bonnie, I found myself sitting at the computer with tears just streaking down my face. And I've never even met Bonnie, Victor or any of their people!

I guess I've formed some kind of bond with all the other bloggers I read regularly. Reading of Bonnie's passing just broke my heart for Victor ~ I know that if something were to ever happen to Shannon or one of our kitties I would be a wreck. I also know that my blogging friends would reach out to me in some way and that really gives me comfort.

I've never been especially close to my family and I have no children, so my family is mainly comprised of people I'm not related to, but to people (and animals) I've been lucky enough to find and keep.

I like knowing you're out there, blogging friends. Thanks for being there and know I'll be there for you, too!

My Family.

pics of the trip

Today, I thought I would treat you all with some photos taken during the recent trip North. I try to take pics with the scrapbook in mind. It's nice to take shots of things, but a lot more interesting when you include people with the things. Enjoy!

Here Vic & I are in front of one of the cheesiest tourist traps in all of tourism. The much ballyhooed Totem Village turned out to be little more than a dollar store with plastic totem poles, popsicle stick teepees and rubbery tomtoms. They did have wild chickens out back.

This is a wonderful shot of us at Tahquamenon Falls in the U.P. We brought the tripod I bought specifically for this trip, but I think we actually like these "hey, let's take a picture of the both of us!" shots the best. For some reason, Vic always seems to be on the left.



We saw a lovely moose on our way to the Shipwreck Museum. We think he was a baby, but he was definitely the first moose I've ever seen up close & personal!

Here's another of those great "Hey" shots we like so much. This one is on the very windy ferry ride over to the Island. The Mackinac Bridge is just over my left shoulder. We only got about two dozen shots of it during our 3-day stay.

I saw a slanty tree and of course made Vic take my picture a la Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Here is the sweet Baboo at one of her many rest stop excursions. This is a great shot of her ~ she looks really happy. I think she enjoyed spending time with her moms. Sometimes it's nice to get away from all those kitties!

I hope you enjoyed my mini pictoral essay of our trip North. We all had a great time and now we can start planning for our next trip. I'm pretty sure it'll be to Canada in August to attend a Celtic Festival, but there's also an Irish Festival in Cleveland in July, so it'll definitely be a Celticy Summer!

return from the vacation, part 1

Vic, Shannon & I had a great time up north! The drive up took about 4 hours ~ we probably could've done it quicker, but we stopped every hour or so to let Shannon stretch her legs and pee on a dandelion or two. The rain I was afraid of encountered never came. Well, it did drizzle a bit at night, but during the day it was bright & sunshiney. There was a bit of a breeze at times, but still great "walk around being a tourist" weather.

Mackinac Island was really nice, but I think I enjoyed the ride we took to the top of the U.P. best. Along the way we saw deer, moose, sheep (I love sheep), cows and a bald eagle! We've already decided that we'll be going back again. If we had the time, we'd both like to do a lighthouse trip. Michigan has a ton of lighthouses, though, so I think we'd need a lot of time (and money!).

I'll include pics of our adventures tomorrow. I wanted to cut the grass and do some laundry today and now I'm pooped! I just don't feel like uploading anything right now. I think I'm going to take a quick shower and watch the Ugly Betty we recorded while away.

vacation

Just sitting here, waiting for Vic to wake up so we can start our vacation. I slept in this morning (until a whopping 8:30!) and then couldn't take it any longer. Vacations are exciting ~ especially when you're going to someplace new! I love exploring new places. And this will be Shannon's first vaction with the moms, too.

Vic & I do surprisingly well traveling together in the car. We usually keep each other pretty amused and I make sure to pack plenty of snackies, so we eat fairly well, too. This trip, I'll be bringing along the new Budget Travel book I received in the mail this week.

It's a compilation of some of the stories submitted to Budget Travel's True Stories section in their magazine. They sent me a free copy because one of my stories is in the book ~ page 66. I'm now a published author ~ sort of. This is the story that won Vic & I a trip to London!

Mackinac Island and Michigan's Upper Peninsula is our destination this time. I keep checking the weather, and it looks like we may have a little rain while we're there. I hoping for overnight or early early morning rain. Neither of us have been to the U.P. and I haven't done any extensive planning. I wanted this to be more of a discover it as we go kind've vacation. There are a few sights we definitely want to see, but otherwise nothing is really planned out. A definite first for me!

See you on Monday!

weekends, past & future

This last weekend was really not interesting enough to even write about. We did a little yard work on Saturday and did the Mother's Day thing with Vic's mom on Sunday. Blah.

This upcoming weekend, however, we will be in chilly, partly rainy northern Michigan. Yea! The best thing about being up north in the rain will be that we won't be down here at work. Yea again! I've started making lists of things to take (I love making lists) and gathering and laundering needed items. We haven't told Shannon yet because we want her to be surprised ~ although, she'd be happy just to drive up & down the driveway as long as she could hang her head out the window!

The weekend after we get back is Memorial Day weekend. This will be one of the first times I've actually had a holiday off because it was a holiday and not because it just happened to fall on my day-off. Vic and I are going to either A.)plant, plant, plant all over the yard or if it rains, B.)lay around the house for three days doing nothing but watch movies. Yea!

new camera

I really didn't realize how much I missed having a camera around until I didn't have one around. I think I've learned how all the new bells & whistles work and will now just have to practice taking shots around the house with it. Our vacation north is only one short weekend away!

Here is a lovely shot of said camera.

I promptly took photos of things to show off in my blog.

Here are the lovely tulips we planted.

And this is our equally lovely Japanese Maple treeling.
(I've named him ChopSticks.)

I also purchased a little baby tripod for our new camera. It seems like Vic & I have dozens of photos of the two of us from the forehead up. Or with half a nose each, because we have to hold the camera at arms-length.

Baby tripod.

Photo of me without new baby tripod.

Photo of me with new baby tripod.

(I think Vic will like the new tripod.)

And a parting shot of Emily napping on my chair.

I Thought You'd Like To Know...

My booby is fine (thanks for all the positive energy & thought sent my way!) I have dense overlapping breast tissue, which is medical terminology for "We're squishing you twice a year now instead of just once." It's nice to know that everything is working well booby-wise.

The Canon guys couldn't fix our camera, so they sent us an upgrade! The biggest differences are the color (black instead of silver), more buttons for the more features available and it takes a memory card different from the three we already have. Blogging photos soon to appear here.

Vic & I have a weekend ritual we started a while back. Every Saturday we move the living room coffee table to the side, blow up our air mattress and plop it in front of the TV to catch up on things we've DVR'd previously that week. It was great when it was cold and snowy out, because we'd make a fire and some popcorn get all snuggly for the night. It's still nice even now that the weather has warmed up!

Shannon's visit to the vet was uneventful. Expensive, but uneventful. Gordon is still hanging in there and Caleb, one of our kitties, has taken to farting whenever you pick him up. He's such a boy.