tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39150563911516786722023-11-16T10:25:21.554-06:00Catchin' UpLDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-23048683997150770812009-05-08T15:00:00.002-05:002009-05-08T15:55:57.563-05:00LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-89087796398080781362009-01-03T11:40:00.004-06:002009-01-03T12:33:06.321-06:00The NEW YEAR!!!!Okay, so we made it through the holidays! YAY!!! Now, we just need to make it through WINTER. For those of you who aren't familiar with weather-related things...it's COLD up here. The wind is crazy and puts Kirksville wind to shame - hard to believe, I know! My running outside had been very non-existant with -20 windchills! Anyway, things are going fine up here in the tundra. My job has become so much more enjoyable as I become more comforable with what I'm supposed to be doing. Jim's job has reminded us of when he first started to do appraisals....BUSY. He's having to stay some evenings and he's worked almost every weekend. Fortunately, he can take Julianne to the office with him if I can't be home. She just packs up a bunch of art stuff and he doesn't even know she's there. I think she likes going because he has all kinds of office supplies she can use - plain paper, the stapler, hole-punches, etc. <br /><br />Julianne loves kindergarten, but told us yesterday that she really likes the weekends, too. She really takes after her daddy in NOT being a morning person. I am just the opposite. Soccor ended and she is now playing on a basketball team of first graders and kindergarteners. She absolutely loves it. I uploaded some videos of her game this morning. It was their first one. One of the videos is of her making a basket during a little practice time just before the game. The other is of her actually making a basket during the game. She made a total of 2 baskets during the game, the second one -however- I wasn't taping at the time. :( <br /><br />I leave for Florida in a few days for my Goofy Challenge. I'll only be down there 3 days and I'm coming right back the night of the marathon. I'll be hurting, I know. But I didn't want to have to stay an extra night if I didn't have to. <br /><br />Jim and I will go to Nashville for a few days at the end of January. I will be attending the SCCM conference and he will come with me for the first few days of it. He will leave, however, on Sunday and I will be staying until Wednesday. It's a critical care conference thingy. I'm pretty excited about it. After that, I will be going BACK to Florida - to Fort Lauderdale this time - to help teach a critical care ultrasound course. I'm completely thrilled to be doing this and can't wait! <br /><br />We don't make it back to Missouri much at all. Jim spent the weekend down there a few weeks ago during Thanksgiving. Each trip planned seems to be ruined by freezing rain. I haven't even gone to Hannibal for Christmas! Supposed to freeze rain today again. We'll see about tomorrow. <br /><br />Well, that's about all I can think to update everyone on. Just living life up here. We've settled in a lot more in the last couple of months. Most of all this many of you have already read off my facebook page. Have a good day everyone!<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyMZjqyTKWzK5T1yx4NxKrfbN_zQkwM7xJwOGY5RAOCclw1Q9Anp2QkaTo9iGmON47GhbYbd877POzRQU4OSg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxWbiEckkP3hpJxB8aapeTCp7UdSZ4T8pRiG8xkr99Pc1XwBmxewimtQN2HSC5MgYox7cWFRK3DZ-fH8UCLFA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-77854389454417179332008-11-29T07:44:00.006-06:002008-11-29T08:11:05.139-06:00Decorating for Christmas....Worth it???<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfBEUnkS2IMdI6M7iDJlxsqdCjP3fbyAVpsB7PFurJtgRnp3pMMMq1sSQmXESELG23tA_YqPMI6IgdH0Ps8XcWI6vMqlfZKtNN7p7RIKVimWYmYw1Y7SfzMIjgLLnJp2VXkxU0x7n5Q/s1600-h/redtreeresized2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274080007109881666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 216px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfBEUnkS2IMdI6M7iDJlxsqdCjP3fbyAVpsB7PFurJtgRnp3pMMMq1sSQmXESELG23tA_YqPMI6IgdH0Ps8XcWI6vMqlfZKtNN7p7RIKVimWYmYw1Y7SfzMIjgLLnJp2VXkxU0x7n5Q/s320/redtreeresized2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERGTf-51IzuLkteJE5pyN__On5VhCOVg3Xyy2ITL0q2wjker2sSZ8RoEzmVbVxcPCl3t7G5-X0Kd_-v5hPYEAZGzOno3wePbGTigcUkSHV47cHMInawS-rIllQkgCZWyL2_eTzgSQXw/s1600-h/littlechristmasresized.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274080001431519842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERGTf-51IzuLkteJE5pyN__On5VhCOVg3Xyy2ITL0q2wjker2sSZ8RoEzmVbVxcPCl3t7G5-X0Kd_-v5hPYEAZGzOno3wePbGTigcUkSHV47cHMInawS-rIllQkgCZWyL2_eTzgSQXw/s320/littlechristmasresized.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGow40rN4_2mgXfK5iHyh-pzwCn0aT1E9dwl_5-JsJqt5bSr0rqYpvHbPuLFgfRx0SN9dbICdnicn9EC-HAGMT2bh2UkXbWmVHk743DWdRYG6GAQ9Mzyl7pwlfjCEuMhs_wX1rkrKMeA/s1600-h/kitchentableresized.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274080001335425874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGow40rN4_2mgXfK5iHyh-pzwCn0aT1E9dwl_5-JsJqt5bSr0rqYpvHbPuLFgfRx0SN9dbICdnicn9EC-HAGMT2bh2UkXbWmVHk743DWdRYG6GAQ9Mzyl7pwlfjCEuMhs_wX1rkrKMeA/s320/kitchentableresized.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUh4ujEkUT3Vbg7J5Zr2bSJqD6ecXVFwLdEqNqDvQg9X2J4x9UgWR-f8rhpYsl8JoBNpd06IMfEdU2jUxzgxj24D9pLrwfIsanExEC0nKhfb4UY0vAPhW95AwBmzQ_mIzvfYXc9ERIA/s1600-h/redtreeresized2.jpg"></a><br />So, anyone knowing me well enough to read this blog knows that I am a very practical person. Given that, each year I wonder if it's actually worth it to put up all the decorations for Christmas when it's just so much work to take them down and store them in a few weeks. Seriously, you have to set aside an entire afternoon just to UNdecorate! However, I decided to go all-out this year. Figured it may help me actually feel at home in my new home (isn't working yet). Plus, Julianne is at the age where she gets so excited about all this.....although I know she will make herself scarce when it comes time to take it all down.<br /><br />Anyway. Yesterday's tally included TWO trips to Hobby Lobby, one trip to each Walmart and Target, and trips to a couple other stores because shoes were on sale. I ended up buying a second tree for our family room. It's full-size: 7.5 feet tall. Our other tree we've used is small because our old house is small. I put it up too, though. I went with RED on the big tree. If your Christmas tree could tell something of your personality, I wonder what this one says. Seriously, it's entirely RED.<br /><br />I also decorated the banister with garland and then decorated the garland. I couldn't figure out how to hang the garland without putting holes in the wood on both the banisters and fireplace - so, I did the usual......I googled it. Once again, the love of my life (google) came through for me. Surprisingly, I already had what it suggested. I used the 3M strips that you can use to hang light pictures on the walls. It worked perfectly. I did have to get more when we ran back to the store though.<br /><br />I bought new Christmas placemats and a Holiday bowl to put in the center of the table with RED ornaments in it.<br /><br />So, Julianne and I started our adventure about 11am on Black Friday. The stores really weren't too bad. Target was a little crowded. Hobby Lobby wasn't bad at all. We didn't go to Walmart until the evening, and it was almost empty! It took us until almost 10 pm to get it all done, including cleaning up our mess.<br /><br />So, is it worth it to do all this decorating for Christmas? Honestly, I don't know. I guess if you truly ENJOY the act of decorating, then sure. I'm not sure I actually enjoy it. I don't mind it. Maybe now that I have a good base of decorations to work with, I will be more inclined to get them out next year....adding a few decorations each year until my Holiday Ensemble is complete. I would like to find a wooden train set to go around the tree.<br /><br />When I was little, my mom decorated for Christmas like nobody's business. We had a dozen old fake trees that she would take the branches off of and use them for garland to decorate table tops, chandeliers, etc. We strung popcorn every year and made paper chains. 90% of our ornaments were homemade. It was amazing. Our tree was always real. Anyway....<br /><br />So...here are some pics of our hard work. I will dress the little one up one day soon and take her picture with the tree. We may include Fred, the guinea pig, in photos this year. :)LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-44271504606120233952008-09-14T18:21:00.003-05:002008-09-14T18:30:32.613-05:00Big Day Around Here!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bbec7Q3Au6_jefMV7ufwnKeXqq5asYS_BVzocqbbgt6KxYqeDE-dYkM0NCIOwwvpFUi3g_S8vPmpKb6RIa4-LRDcIVp14e5LtMD3XKgtAIrtEDs1M-T-EV_xdjpG-1IbdSOQ5Uc7SQ/s1600-h/losttooth1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bbec7Q3Au6_jefMV7ufwnKeXqq5asYS_BVzocqbbgt6KxYqeDE-dYkM0NCIOwwvpFUi3g_S8vPmpKb6RIa4-LRDcIVp14e5LtMD3XKgtAIrtEDs1M-T-EV_xdjpG-1IbdSOQ5Uc7SQ/s200/losttooth1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246023134745620050" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gLMgmfJWCHUrtLBIMY3l717vWrwQ63ENABwymeTiXoi7nAYRsv7jjooAXFWRWJx9wKavs40vSmyiYy5SsgdAmBpBiOixMd2nB7yW_G_FFsXSsQLwbuLeJihfUEjn8Ykwzszncqrm7g/s1600-h/losttooth2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gLMgmfJWCHUrtLBIMY3l717vWrwQ63ENABwymeTiXoi7nAYRsv7jjooAXFWRWJx9wKavs40vSmyiYy5SsgdAmBpBiOixMd2nB7yW_G_FFsXSsQLwbuLeJihfUEjn8Ykwzszncqrm7g/s200/losttooth2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246023138985077282" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BKk6kXPorIgF5Cqg-IIFSGXWsiVfCO73Dqe7CQ2jNLBLYaRCXsk4N7N-tRz6BCkVLZRp-EUmjGMnz6TUGjF6Xi7Q7gABwgz7W7Bc8fojJLNTPa5rDRFv4t03YVLG1HqU3e7EryLV1w/s1600-h/losttooth3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BKk6kXPorIgF5Cqg-IIFSGXWsiVfCO73Dqe7CQ2jNLBLYaRCXsk4N7N-tRz6BCkVLZRp-EUmjGMnz6TUGjF6Xi7Q7gABwgz7W7Bc8fojJLNTPa5rDRFv4t03YVLG1HqU3e7EryLV1w/s200/losttooth3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246023140223893410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4-hv9MVhfx98vm-GHGZADm7dyjA0DTOEy08mpbtbW1K2n1P3Cmaf5P5ycYUpPJcNTnzPwoZta1BAeYonVdgD8rBIp3IAfRS0rk723gVem-Bs4PXJEUquwsbYv91JMitMwm7RRjgy_w/s1600-h/losttooth4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4-hv9MVhfx98vm-GHGZADm7dyjA0DTOEy08mpbtbW1K2n1P3Cmaf5P5ycYUpPJcNTnzPwoZta1BAeYonVdgD8rBIp3IAfRS0rk723gVem-Bs4PXJEUquwsbYv91JMitMwm7RRjgy_w/s200/losttooth4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246023144898379618" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsskSuu2KmELiLGjbI27vxYbDS1_LtTaPNDqUBIL9WIAbkSVCHEKo-pvh_WrmpN2Idi7JSLr2HnAByyN3xYbT6ISR_Ekr4hWLOKLJvYhVVUv8zGs3NR3t2tOznPn8ijiq9N7nj969ow/s1600-h/losttooth5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsskSuu2KmELiLGjbI27vxYbDS1_LtTaPNDqUBIL9WIAbkSVCHEKo-pvh_WrmpN2Idi7JSLr2HnAByyN3xYbT6ISR_Ekr4hWLOKLJvYhVVUv8zGs3NR3t2tOznPn8ijiq9N7nj969ow/s200/losttooth5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246023149864791122" /></a><br />Julianne lost her first tooth today. I am so thankful I was here for it! I was on the treadmill when I hear her yell "daddy, my tooth came out"...I about fell off. Sure enough - her tooth was gone. It's been loose for a few days. Evidently, she was chewing on her shirt collar and it must have caught on the loose tooth and pulled it out. She didn't even know it happened until she went to feel her loose tooth and it wasn't there. Then she noticed the blood and looked for the tooth. Sure enough - found it on the chair. <br /><br />Not sure if this is a big deal, but Jim and I felt like it was. So glad it wasn't one of those traumatic tooth pullings - like when it's hanging by a string and the kid won't let you pull it out. So, she assumes the tooth fairy will be visiting later tonight. She drew a picture of the tooth fairy a few days ago and hung it on her bed. I read a news article not too long ago that teeth are a big business nowadays for kids...getting $5.00 and up! Do they not make quarters any more?<br /><br />So, you can see the pictures below. Will also post some on my facebook page. I had to turn some to black and white because the blood was all over her face and it looked pretty bad. <br /><br />I don't know whether to be extremely excited or to cry....She's getting so big!LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-61302039701025312542008-09-14T16:17:00.003-05:002008-09-14T16:24:26.403-05:00Julianne and Lainee<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIebJ7ZX8XwQrjgAZjqbu2UoceiYnAZYFJUPkfffpOc_FwnYsccOPEySO_hbOci095eWyjXcT8qcLh7XPSLnmmLbRG_SYM5Pc533oqJYHaFtiq7AnZhvoKESGzoAj2is1MPq4BatZvgw/s1600-h/P1060382edited.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIebJ7ZX8XwQrjgAZjqbu2UoceiYnAZYFJUPkfffpOc_FwnYsccOPEySO_hbOci095eWyjXcT8qcLh7XPSLnmmLbRG_SYM5Pc533oqJYHaFtiq7AnZhvoKESGzoAj2is1MPq4BatZvgw/s320/P1060382edited.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245990972626008690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RJLqF7lu3KS2cL9gv41Wg6LBKfCfO5HaXuiJlBhBJYWJV-wxyOjk8aosoZHnlEKu3RuOehkRmiJNUan3-q1KjDBRd2Qyu_BzkVyEGNmsOJXxIxGpeWW9lcasjWZB2qASfz09bWsLCg/s1600-h/P1060372edited.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RJLqF7lu3KS2cL9gv41Wg6LBKfCfO5HaXuiJlBhBJYWJV-wxyOjk8aosoZHnlEKu3RuOehkRmiJNUan3-q1KjDBRd2Qyu_BzkVyEGNmsOJXxIxGpeWW9lcasjWZB2qASfz09bWsLCg/s320/P1060372edited.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245990977737868434" /></a><br />I took Julianne and Lainee to the Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, MO last weekend. These photos are on my facebook page, but I thought I would put them here too. I'm not sure they were very impressed with the cave - but they were certainly impressed by the number of bats we saw flying around in there. The tour takes about 45 minutes or so. We spent the night at Aunt Denise's house (Aunt Nee-Nee, or Grandma - which ever). There, the bonfire got rained out, so smores were done in the microwave. The picture of the two of them in the tub is the next morning after the smores - and I am ashamed to say....that really is slept-on-smore on their faces. They crashed the night before while watching Hannah Montana and there was no way I was going to wake them up to go wash up. Anyway. Lainee is about 14 days hounger than Julianne I think. Both started kindergarten several weeks ago, and both are sick of talking about "how school is going".LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-28335919744038003142008-09-04T07:52:00.002-05:002008-09-04T07:56:36.133-05:00Jumping Rope!!<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-1c06692182b6c4f9 height=266 width=320 contentId="1c06692182b6c4f9"></OBJECT><br /><br />Picking up Julianne from sitters yesterday. She's been working on her jump-roping for a week now. Hopefully the video will play!!LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-56194486872865718582008-08-30T22:00:00.002-05:002008-08-30T22:10:18.307-05:00Our First IOWA Football Game!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNstMmPMP__n8zrV4alHyTKLQ0WaWYYkwRl9QQa-Be2CZRKIkdKrnuzHTK7l5SMWEyawN7KPU5UMzWa_2MD0s1gDDdtYtGKk3KMpdQINthF1h4Wtak70seTEGGocIZasV2k0EZFfwOHQ/s1600-h/gamededited6forweb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNstMmPMP__n8zrV4alHyTKLQ0WaWYYkwRl9QQa-Be2CZRKIkdKrnuzHTK7l5SMWEyawN7KPU5UMzWa_2MD0s1gDDdtYtGKk3KMpdQINthF1h4Wtak70seTEGGocIZasV2k0EZFfwOHQ/s320/gamededited6forweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240513828918452354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3Q-VrN2pynDMB9qrHghTXguY0gOGAxqcEiPSeNfncOzpoFckP_sjQD8GzsXacVndEzVeBazqh5alQtr0Hzbvp4orzhuTiNYwzCs7jWrJ6gXg50eoSx__vWSVS-vEBoRFmAFas8phQg/s1600-h/gamededited8forweb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3Q-VrN2pynDMB9qrHghTXguY0gOGAxqcEiPSeNfncOzpoFckP_sjQD8GzsXacVndEzVeBazqh5alQtr0Hzbvp4orzhuTiNYwzCs7jWrJ6gXg50eoSx__vWSVS-vEBoRFmAFas8phQg/s320/gamededited8forweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240513825875815586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze42L0A8dNer5cAip-i0wf4eFH5W2LlwxfOHROrS3nVui8MSFCF3k2W3nW0EgjDGk8rx9xcD9RyKWdpWieZHClZqP0XA5mFAKYO4ju4t3tL7h4F991IJ6yP4ByfGaZpTQDJLHZtuBjQ/s1600-h/gameedited1forweb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze42L0A8dNer5cAip-i0wf4eFH5W2LlwxfOHROrS3nVui8MSFCF3k2W3nW0EgjDGk8rx9xcD9RyKWdpWieZHClZqP0XA5mFAKYO4ju4t3tL7h4F991IJ6yP4ByfGaZpTQDJLHZtuBjQ/s320/gameedited1forweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240513830439036594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk83AeVbPmc1KM3j1KHDQRBUlSCMQ91q_XFo9hpzvgCWm49huqz5wvryBu53wQOBZSGOWEVxy5vyt990DKSSPy3h4Znvvf_rZaq6_0CkrGFJm61X_UbvojH5-t3pHYJHST0egtpRILEQ/s1600-h/gameedited4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk83AeVbPmc1KM3j1KHDQRBUlSCMQ91q_XFo9hpzvgCWm49huqz5wvryBu53wQOBZSGOWEVxy5vyt990DKSSPy3h4Znvvf_rZaq6_0CkrGFJm61X_UbvojH5-t3pHYJHST0egtpRILEQ/s320/gameedited4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240513835426038978" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YyFAiVM0SEf0ht2KeLmgC8Gm2kTOXv_VsG3OrghpBpzP7oCYrYbXVkBZxB0poACsl9GcJ_ds9VGTBmIsnqc65UUmexxNNJC3ckTN0U4dhbtoCD_-yaqHr_KrH8vd6WxU7s-J8twWeg/s1600-h/gamededited7forweb.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YyFAiVM0SEf0ht2KeLmgC8Gm2kTOXv_VsG3OrghpBpzP7oCYrYbXVkBZxB0poACsl9GcJ_ds9VGTBmIsnqc65UUmexxNNJC3ckTN0U4dhbtoCD_-yaqHr_KrH8vd6WxU7s-J8twWeg/s320/gamededited7forweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240513837854473314" /></a><br />Today we ventured into the land of the completely unknown....We became Iowa Hawkeye fans!!! We decided a couple of days ago to try to score tickets and had no problem. Then, I (Linda) decided we can't do anything if we don't do it right - so we went and got our Hawkeye apparel. Each of us picked out a shirt and, of course, Julianne got pom-poms, a necklace, and some tatoos. A friend offered to let us park at his place - which is only a couple blocks from the stadium. <br /><br />So - Our first IOWA football game was a blast! Our seats were good and we were surrounded by people who weren't total knuckleheads. Julianne got to stand and cheer whenever she wanted without anyone becomming annoyed. <br /><br />Not sure if we will be attending any more of them - as Jim would rather shoot things on the weekends - but I would love to go to another one. Wondering if the tailgating thing may be something to try next time....not sure.LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-3275277746325054842008-08-20T11:19:00.004-05:002008-08-20T11:31:25.874-05:00Julianne's First Day of Kindergarten....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cDp7zf_Hl0UwdhYOv_06BbtDb8ZjCRzo5ycYg8gWpL2SSzfvZPwwnFQVK3cY1UKe8DpXTMXp8tWuy7fcuFUEYqgiciVvbpKEBMCvki77z0LnE6CqY9921zEPu98MHkB66Z-fI1YtOQ/s1600-h/school5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cDp7zf_Hl0UwdhYOv_06BbtDb8ZjCRzo5ycYg8gWpL2SSzfvZPwwnFQVK3cY1UKe8DpXTMXp8tWuy7fcuFUEYqgiciVvbpKEBMCvki77z0LnE6CqY9921zEPu98MHkB66Z-fI1YtOQ/s320/school5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236638291859161138" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-K9Id8ycxiaxOIei7SfMkYAPJ_l7cI9flL1YZjrsUsxSXtIuPRnRkVysHHQFfHiZEOgnI2N5a6Dbc_mY2h3an283EDH4sw74eIbXaGxCC0NCjZa6An0uqCa3xbknLd3vNUdQpVlAgA/s1600-h/school6.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-K9Id8ycxiaxOIei7SfMkYAPJ_l7cI9flL1YZjrsUsxSXtIuPRnRkVysHHQFfHiZEOgnI2N5a6Dbc_mY2h3an283EDH4sw74eIbXaGxCC0NCjZa6An0uqCa3xbknLd3vNUdQpVlAgA/s320/school6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236638294596418914" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TXGoiUEtmf7wq8Fb-lP2tS_YbWDma5pPvB91LZ1X2xWIlpiC0XHqrvmw2NDtxEmhqao8MsAXETUBYP8FDqYL3nToplFbtMpTT9UiJsnrYatqlc6Ovw32MfoV7oTxbDlDrGlpVwBN0w/s1600-h/school8.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TXGoiUEtmf7wq8Fb-lP2tS_YbWDma5pPvB91LZ1X2xWIlpiC0XHqrvmw2NDtxEmhqao8MsAXETUBYP8FDqYL3nToplFbtMpTT9UiJsnrYatqlc6Ovw32MfoV7oTxbDlDrGlpVwBN0w/s320/school8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236638298821087010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZxJ3KNXfabIkGCk3Aj7Y_rQntw1t0Xihrcq11q5Os7KTu14fmmm2fyxM5_9RwmMxIrtj3xFlXDSoJEp47CzDW8Ck2IcWok9QTmlx2PoEbzCVGtFGRX5IND5a3A3uLD24_KYxiDmGag/s1600-h/school1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZxJ3KNXfabIkGCk3Aj7Y_rQntw1t0Xihrcq11q5Os7KTu14fmmm2fyxM5_9RwmMxIrtj3xFlXDSoJEp47CzDW8Ck2IcWok9QTmlx2PoEbzCVGtFGRX5IND5a3A3uLD24_KYxiDmGag/s320/school1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236637576605098274" /></a><br />The day finally came - Julianne's first day of kindergarten. She chose to wear a Hannah Montana shirt with some cute pink sparkly shorts. Of course, she was also armed with her Hannah Montanna backpack and folders...oh, and Hannah Montana socks too.<br /><br />I think she was excited, but we couldn't tell. She was aware that I was semi-not looking forward to it, so she may have been holding back on it. She understands why it's kind of a sad day for me. Anyway, no tears until she begins to march from the playground up to the school with the rest of her class. Then I pretty much cry all the way home. I took the day off today because she gets out early...okay - the real reason was so I could sit home, cry, and eat ice cream. Just kidding. I wanted to be here when she went to school AND when she came home. <br /><br />We ended up taking her this morning and I'll pick her up - but, tomorrow - she will ride the bus for the first time and that will be another hard day. I can see her throwing a fit if there are no seatbelts on the bus. <br /><br />So - after we drop her off at school, I realize that I can't find my phone. I look everywhere thinking that with lack of sleep and the drama of the morning - it literally could be anywhere. I'm even checking the trash, fridge, silverware drawer - you name it...I looked there. I called the school to see if anyone had turned it in. Finally, I drive to the school to retrace my steps around the playground to see if I'd lost it. Nope, no luck. <br /><br />Yes, I finally found it....................................You will never guess where I subconsiously put it (okay - Sarah guessed it - but she and I share a mommy-brain)....................................................................................................................................................................<br /><br />I found it in her backpack! I don't even remember carrying it around when we left, but at some point - I put the phone in the back pocket of it.LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-19263844350669318862008-08-10T22:35:00.002-05:002008-08-10T22:56:37.360-05:00WOW - I am such a blog-slacker!Okay - so since my last post - which was in JANUARY, a LOT has happened. We sold our house in Kville, moved to Iowa, both took new jobs....let's see...what else????<br /><br />Let's start with the move....Those of you who know us well are probably familiar with just how long Jim and I have live in Kville. Jim came to college there in 1988 and I've there since 1994. Needless to say...we've accumulates some - uh - stuff. Our 30 x 40 building we built a few years back was FULL of crap. I had started to pack things back in January (maybe that's why I didn't blog very much!) and those boxes began to pile up out in the shop as well. We planned on having a sale of some sort, but ended up giving a bunch of stuff away and simply taking a lot to the dump. Without going into too much moving-hell-detail, I will just tell you that we are glad it's over and we are NOT looking forward to doing it again in 2 years!!! <br /><br />So, our new house.... We love it. It's more room than we've ever had before and made us realize that we really don't have too much stuff! There are cabinets that have nothing in them! Not every single closet is full! However, our house is VERY new and we don't want to tarnish it.....so, I've not hung one single picture! We've kept a lot of stuff packed that we don't need - so we won't have to just pack it again when I am done with my fellowship. Ok....SO......THAT means that the garage has unpacked crap in it! Yes, it does! It is also filled with Jim's decoys. So, there is only room enough for my car in there and I'm not giving up my parking spot.<br /><br />Julianne's room has a loft-bed and her art stuff is situated underneath it. Her loft is a full-size and is huge! It's from IKEA, but I bought it used from a lady here. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how big it is.....so, she can't turn on her ceiling fan or she'll whack herself! Her room is decorated with Hannah Montana stuff and butterflies.<br /><br />We finally have an actual kitchen table. Yeah, seriously, a real one! We ordered it when we first got up here and it took about 5 weeks to get it, but it finally came 2 weeks ago. I no longer have to stand up while eating dinner. The sad part of this story is that there was no place for my beautiful kitchen island that I loved so much and I sold it on ebay. <br /><br />Laundry - we bought a front-load washer and dryer and they are seriously the BEST things I've ever purchased. They can do HUGE loads of laundry and it's cut our laundry time by at least half!<br /><br />Since we have an extra couple bedrooms, I was able to use one of them for a designated gym. My treadmill and eliptical are down there and I even put up a flat-screen for my 4am DVDs! I have mirrors for weight training, but they aren't actually up yet - just propped against the walls - because of the "afraid to put holes in the walls" syndrome I mentioned earlier. The surround sound I used in the old house sounds so much better in the smaller room. <br /><br />The area.....wow... where do I start? It's nice having options. It's nice having a place to go besides walmart (but we find we are pretty brand-specific and still do most of our shopping at walmart!). We discovered the downtown IC ped-mall this past week and have been there twice. Wish we would have known about it sooner. There are miles upon miles of trails for me to run on, and it's easy to get in 8-10 miles without having to plan it all out and not do loops.<br /><br />So, I am now a critical care fellow at the University of Iowa in the surgical ICU. It's actually an anesthesia fellowship, not an internal medicine one - so, I'm seeing things I've never seen before in my life. New people, new ways of doing things, new everything. It's overwhelming, but good. You all know me and you know that I am extremely uptight.....that's probably not going to change. So, my adjustment period may be a bit longer than usual. So far, things have really been going well at work. I'm not TOO far out of my element with the things I've been seeing. The people I work with all seem to be way smarter than me (but I would probably think that if I were flipping burgers somewhere!). There's been a few frustrations, but overall - I think I'm settling in well.<br /><br />Jim's job is going well. He really enjoys the positive atmosphere he has up here. He enjoys being in the office and has gotten off to a really good start. He even learned how to text!<br /><br />On August 20, Julianne will start school. I've already taken the day off! I'm not ready at all. I'll try to let everyone know how that goes.<br /><br />I've got tons of pictures to post on here. I'll try to get around to that - but there are no guarantees!LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-12902871280994444332008-01-25T04:44:00.000-06:002008-01-25T04:46:02.013-06:00My Journey Across AmericaHere is a map of my miles across America. I'm keeping track on FitnessJournal.com<br />So far, I haven't made it out of San Francisco! Mileage has gone way down since Jim and I started P90X.LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-85231670422450371992008-01-25T04:42:00.000-06:002008-01-25T04:43:58.792-06:00<!-- // Start Linda Hodges's FitnessJournal Map --><br /><a href="http://www.fitnessjournal.org"><img src="http://www.fitnessjournal.org/map/?see=doublelle" width="618" height="377" border="0" alt="Fitness Journal"></a><br /><!-- // End Linda Hodges's FitnessJournal Map -->LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-16870933590509009072007-12-22T13:31:00.000-06:002007-12-22T13:35:49.409-06:00Merry Christmas Everyone!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV8-gvI1fQniPXFPHt2ePWn3fDuo-oR-HRseRMZ2-RpaWHr_07I7xyrfUwqGv1rGx2oOzhghdVLK00aPYkNJyJShhWeQeqY9iGictGLS6T-jfJkU6tCwIX8feUPnk6c4woaMpMKvz3Q/s1600-h/P1040558e.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146883122996783362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV8-gvI1fQniPXFPHt2ePWn3fDuo-oR-HRseRMZ2-RpaWHr_07I7xyrfUwqGv1rGx2oOzhghdVLK00aPYkNJyJShhWeQeqY9iGictGLS6T-jfJkU6tCwIX8feUPnk6c4woaMpMKvz3Q/s320/P1040558e.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br />Travel safe, and hope Santa is good to you all!LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-43248602804947212092007-12-08T18:31:00.001-06:002007-12-08T19:42:21.108-06:00Getting closer to Christmas...Not long until Christmas. If that sentence elicited a big sigh, you aren't alone! I've yet to talk to anyone that's actually excited about the holidays coming around. Everyone's looking forward to the idea of the Holiday Season, but when specifics are discussed....I hear many "ug's!". I suppose there are lots of reasons some of us are dreading the holidays: travel, messes, finances, tax time, and the 100% possibility of overeating!... The dreads go on and on. Trying to fit in time with each part of the extended family is close to impossible for many. For us, that means driving in one direction, then in almost the opposite direction within just a few days. We don't mind. After all, there is the reward of family at the end of each journey. However, it's still DRIVING! Fortunately, Julianne travels much better than either Jim or I. (Which is in contrast to how she did in the car for the first year of her life, for those of you who can remember!) Anyway, getting back to dreading the Holiday Season.....<br /><br />I suppose each dread is matched with something that is sort of pleasant....seeing friends or family and finally catching up on gossip (you guys knew this would be something I look forward to!), seeing the little ones - especially new babies that we get to see for the first time, and let's not forget...................THE FOOD!!!!!! The food is a catch-22. It's a must for most social gatherings - and Holiday Celebrations are certainly that. But, for those of us who aren't pure ectomorphs (google it if you don't know what it means), the spread laid out before us during the holiday season can cause some serious anxiety. I want to eat everything in sight! You all know I have an incredible sweet-tooth and can't resist anything that contains even the smallest amount of sugar. So, I guess this is my biggest dread for the holiday season - dealing with the plentiful nourishment that is set before me at each holiday gathering.....pies, fudge (where'd all the peanut butter fudge go? - oh, Linda at it all!), peanut brittle, finger foods, cookies, dill-dip in a rye bread bowl, snack mixes that seem to reproduce in the bowl and are available 24-7...it goes on and on. The bad part is I even catch myself eating the food that I don't even like - such as those gosh-awful cheeseballs! Even worse - I have no plan in mind to stop me from continuing my Holiday Eating Tradition, but suggestions can be made!<br /><br />If I had my way, and the ideas I had in my little brain could become reality with a click of my Brooks, the following things would be present at each Holiday Meal: 1) A professional hand-slapper. Theoretically, each gathering would need more than one of these. Someone who stands by the food and slaps your hand as you reach for the bad stuff. Seriously, there has to be an agency who rents these guys out! 2) Boxed-Dinners (dessert included). You walk in the door of someone's house for Christmas Dinner, hug 5-10 people, and are then handed a box that holds your evening's food in its entirety....Perfectly measured out portions of Turkey (white meat, of course), stuffing, a vegetable, salad, and - most importantly - a bite-sized sweet of some sort. And, that's it! That's all you get! There's NO buffet of treats lining the dining room furniture! 3) Instead of the usual sweats, the only sugary item available is an assortment of Jelly-Bellys. Imagine it...Jelly-Bellys in the flavors of Christmas! Some may exist already, but I'm thinking of flavors like candy cane, peanut brittle, fudge (all kinds!), white-chocolate-macadamia nut cookie, chex-mix, puppy-chow mix...I could go on and on. Anyway, each guest would be given 3 tickets for 3 Jelly-Bellys - and that's all you get!<br /><br />So, those are my ideas for a much less stressful Holiday Season. So far, I've stayed out of the Christmas isle at Wal-mart. However, the kid and I made caramel corn last week (and it was kick-a$$) and it's already gone - mostly me, I admit!<br /><br />My request for you is this - if you know I am coming to your house for a holiday celebration - can you please place duct-tape over my mouth as soon as I walk in the door? (Have mercy, however, and leave a small hole so I can drink wine through a straw.) I begged the dentist to wire my jaws shut for the next 3 weeks, but he wouldn't - so, it's all up to you - my cooking, talented hosts and hostesses - to save me from myself!<br /><br />I'm going to switch gears now and talk about gift-giving. Most of you know that I really don't like giving gifts. Of course, I LOVE getting Julianne whatever she wants and I constantly have to keep myself in check with that. I am talking about buying a gift for someone just because it's Christmas and you feel you have to get them something. Yeah, you have a drawing at work, so you better get something for the name you drew. However, how many of us actually know someone who really NEEDS something for Christmas (besides cash!)? I really know not one single person who is in need! I could go out an buy you a trinket, a neckless, some towels - or some other stupid gift that you really don't need, or I could spend my money where it benefits those that ARE in need. I've encouraged my family to NOT give Jim or I anything this year. A)we are moving soon and really don't want to have to pack more crap and B) we DON'T NEED ANYTHING!!! So, we are just buying for the kids. At the bottom of this post, there is a list of links to charities that you can access online and give - knowing you really are benefitting someone that is less fortunate. You guys all know my favorite is St. Jude Research Hospital. I push everyone to order from their catalog each year because 100% of the proceeds goes to the hospital. They have some really nice stuff on there, too.<br /><br />Bottom line - do something different this year....send someone a card saying you spared them having to find more room on the mantle for the knick-knack you were going to get them and, instead, donated to a charity in their names.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.charitynavigator.org/">www.charitynavigator.org</a> - this site reviews all the charities and lets you search where you'd like to put your money....environment, public health, animals, etc. It even tells you which charities are worthless!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.charitywatch.org/">www.charitywatch.org</a> - this site also rates the charities so you know you are giving to a worthy (and legitimate!) cause.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wish.org/">www.wish.org</a> - Make-a-Wish Foundation. As you probably know, this organization grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. I know several people who give to this charity on a yearly basis - certainly a good cause.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rmhc.org/">www.rmhc.org</a> - The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. (RMHC®) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.stjude.org/">www.stjude.org</a> - My personal favorite. Navigate your way the The Hope Catalog. Again, every sent goes to St. Jude...the designers of the clothes and jewelry all donate the goods! Your purchase is tax-deductable! So, you are purchasing a gift AND donating to a good cause.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ecarepackage.org/">www.ecarepackage.org</a> - this site is an organization that sends care-packages to the troops. I came across this site and it looks legit, but I've no experience with it. Good cause, none-the-less.<br /><br />Well, that's enough to get you started. If online donations make you feel uncomfortable - you can always find your local Red Cross or Salvation Army and give.<br /><br />Okay - stepping down from my soapbox now! Please feel free to check out the poll I've added to my blog!LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915056391151678672.post-90837431773659858222007-12-02T21:50:00.000-06:002007-12-03T17:44:45.232-06:00Hi Everyone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiK2huZBJYStsasq44eL8yQPUIciR9VeEd5SxIm01iNCAh-rpZVmaiDGuf3MHnyIme3-g9DU7JzG1253_ygz-34BXTEKHVA4MH-oWWVL0pFjMyDw4mQogOLGhPWLZirVJupuZo-N6eqQ/s1600-r/IMG_0657.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139896552436190130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_Z7STQeS9qDjKPRmoZM_U0zk-FKrotAZPvhyphenhyphenjWPFVecqtRyAxfRuZbOGMPz2ZPfz-yUWzr5o_BT0YOL_4j7XhSdQFFF3clZHFgXTflJJYcGImjGRUbDxbmR16HL5IjsV4Kbclr4YLg/s320/IMG_0657.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadFqDtSGwsGO0NsQpswFnD4lHMC3j3_jWP6mj8GurJ-orWI02K7ygAayGch6JfMxE8N3MMu-OaXF_LmMNEJW5cD1Mk5Wl8nfqJZvlaQllIXoZDtMNlrDg5zp2qpytCje2kKH_u8tv8A/s1600-r/halloween07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139593216075942546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWobzEh8YPHyinkbSE88cIFE7btDs-Z0K1_p9qvS2E67kqwx9Ik-6zrcc-kjVyn679zESbNgyQNbPm5jAJgfePJp5bKWZBCvxH2iT3BTyGNQDJa5K0UGoN-vsvz8zeH732lpLzreY_Wg/s320/halloween07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Not sure how useful this will be, but I know it's incredibly difficult keeping up with everyone. I love our website <a href="http://www.oursillygoose.com/">http://www.oursillygoose.com/</a> - but it takes forever to upload photos to it, so I've kind of given up. I'm not sure how many photos I can put on here, but I'll try to keep everyone up on how fast the little blonde bomb is growing and the incredibly funny things she says. (She asked me on Friday if I thought she has leprosy!...dont ask!) Anyway, the website will be functional until our subscription expires. After that, the photos will be lost in cyberspace. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Okay - to update:</div><br /><br /><div>Julianne turned 5 on November 2nd. Since we will be moving in a few months, we opted to NOT have a big party (and the MANY gifts that come with it!) and just have a sleepover with her friends. So, I entertained 5 little girls for her birthday! They did surprisingly well for it being the first time away from home for an entire night for some of them. We had pizza/cake - you know...the EASY party stuff. The presents/toys were minimal, thank goodness. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Halloween still remains my favorite holiday and Julianne went as Ariel this year. She was beautiful (but, I am partial!). Again, we went to the dorms and had to switch out her candy bag half way through. Please don't ask who ate most of the candy - because I'll deny it!!!</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>You all know what Jim is doing this time of the year. Hopefully he's having a good time, because we're not sure what will be going on this time next year. He's started to work out with me. We've been doing a program that you can see at <a href="http://www.p90x.com/">http://www.p90x.com/</a> It's pretty bad-ass. I still get up in the morning and run, so we do this in the evenings and it's been really cool. We are starting our 3rd week of the first phase tomorrow. I'm very proud of him doing it, because I know he'd rather be on the couch. He's been taking Julianne with him hunting when I am on call.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>For me, work is still work. I will be done in June - and I'm ready to be done...but, I don't feel that I've learned near enough to be this close to done. I'm excited for the fellowship next year, but scared to death. I'm not looking forward to getting to know a new hospital, new staff, etc. Not looking forward to re-establishing myself...ug. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Also to note - we will probably be getting rid of our land-line phone because we pay 65 bucks a month and hardly ever use it. So, for those of you wanting to contact us - please use either email or our cell phones. If you need the cell numbers, please email and I will provide those.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Okay - I am going to bed now. I hope to make this blog a regular thing-but we all know how I am. </div></div>LDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12501939574000190745noreply@blogger.com0