So Proud

Every girl thinks her daddy is special but mine really is! My father is brilliant, he chose to start a family instead of going away to college and worked hard to keep us in socks. However he never stopped learning, always taking classes and now he even teaches. I am not the only one who sees his amazing talent, the electrical co-op he works for does as well. He started there 15 years ago as an appliance technician and now an engineer. He designed and runs the peak time operating system but that was just the beginning. My father oversaw the installation and networking of a wind turbine. Not only that but he hauls his tale up to the top of it daily. I bet he knows more about this thing then the guys building it. He dedication to projects is never overlooked and when the co-op decided to implement the turbine be was the only choice to be on the project.


While we were home for Thanksgiving we got to take a little visit out there and see it running. I have to say that until I was inside I had no real idea how big it was. I just can't express how proud of him I am.

I am up just one platform

Any lost words!!! Josh and Zach went to the top!!!

Josh posing for me

Anyone guess where the turbine is from!

Blackberry

Life just got a whole lot easier around here! We were issued a new Blackberry for work and I can get on Blogger with it. My old one did not support the page.

A Two Hour Tour

After a week in St. Petersburg, we got bored. Yeah we can't stand to be in one place to long anymore. Even though we moved to Clearwater there still wasn't much to do, a little beach time and we decided to take a boat tour. We found one with a lunch and headed out.


I highly recommend doing these, the view was amazing, the breeze relaxing, and the sites!!! Well not only did we see dolphins again but we went past the house where Josh's AAV, it was called a gator then. A little piece of Marine Corp history for you.

Sand In My Shoes

Do not fear, we were able to make it back out to the beach last week. Not just any beach, a dog beach. What I know of dog beaches are areas that allow dogs to slash around and get dirty, not a place to hang out. This was not what I expected, everyone sets up camp and hangs out. The dogs just chill and play together, most just lay around in the sand. Pippi swam a few times but mostly rolled around and laid out with us. It was heaven, the other dogs were mellow and just enjoying themselves. Some were funny and there was a cute little guy who swam up and down the beach all day.


And as an extra special treat, we saw the shuttle launch. That little white line was moving! The whole beach was cheering, very exciting.

Making Calls

That term, making calls, has meant so many different things to me over the years. After college, it was trying to get interviews, later trying to book casting calls, now it means getting in touch with those who have event information. Today I had to make calls for my mom. My folks are young but a hereditary condition sent my mom into surgery, her foot was operated on. I made calls to let our relatives know she was done and perfect. That is an easy task but it is a reality that more of these and harder ones will come in future years.

With the loss of Lasha still on my mind, I am sensitive.

Florida Baby

Where have we been! Well this past week was a long one, mostly 12+ hour days around here. By here I mean Florida!!!!! That’s right we have been in St. Petersburg for a week now, yes we did find time to hit the beach. It was a shortened trip however; a little communication error and we were almost late for an event. The event I speak of is Ribfest, yes the vegetarian is at a festival of meat, but Josh is in heaven.

Amidst all the work we did meet someone very cool, Jeff Jones from Hell On Wheels. At first we were just digging his rig but this a very charismatic guy. What you are seeing is a mobile ramp; this thing can roll into place and be ready for a show in minutes. He has a team of the champion BMX riders that travel with him and perform shows. Theses guys do NFL, NASCAR and TV events. Might even be seeing them on a reality show soon.

Heartache and Heartbreak

I got word yesterday that one my closest friends lost him faithful companion Lasha, she was a 12 yr old Husky. Lasha holds a special place in my heart and our family. She was no ordinary Husky, a very calm friendly girl who was always glad to see me and the girls. When we brought Pippi to visit the first time they chased each other around the house and played games until they were both exhausted, sleeping with one eye open of course. Willa and Lasha had a very special bond and would sit outside together for hours watching leaves and who knows what. I still think it was Lasha that talked Pippi into rolling in that skunk. I would spend hours kissing and hugging on her when I would come for a visit. One night I awoke to Lasha hurling herself in bed with me. I will miss her velvety mussle and those loving eyes, as I write this it is hard to fight back the tears. Lasha of the Northwoods we will all miss you.

Today I got the phone call that has been 9 months in coming, my girlfriend Robyn and her husband are back from Kosovo. She is one of my oldest friends and talking to her was a bit overwhelming this morning. We met the first day of college infront of the dorms. Her inlaws live very close to my folks and it looks like I will be getting my hug very soon.

So heartbreak and heartache are the waves I am riding today.

The AT at Last

It has long been a fantasy of Josh and mine to hike the Appellation Trail or at least part of it. A good portion of the guide books we have in our collection are about long distance hiking and the AP. Last week we finally got to live a little of the dream, we did 7 miles! It was amazing, perfect weather and the trail was pretty empty. The best part was that the trailhead was only a few minutes from our hotel.



I will say it was hard, especially since I have not been on a trail in months. I felt it for a few days but wow the views. There is now one more item check off the list. I think Pippi enjoyed herself too.

DC Again

We made is back to the DC area for our third trip this year. As always it was amazing to see friends and the sites. There was time for both this visit.

I finally feel like we have finished the American History Museum and moved on to the Natural History Museum, I was there a year ago. It looks like we will need to come back again to really finish this one too. Make it all the way through but had to skim some sections. There is just so much to learn!!!!! For me there is just a sense a awe being there, some many times TV programs talk about items from the Smithsonian collection and there we are. How many people do you know have been able to make in depth trips to more then one!

Time wise this trip was perfect, we spent Halloween with some of our dear friends here and met many new ones. Since this was pretty last minute we had to search our suitcases for costumes. Josh went as a golfer and me as a Lumber Jack, notie the ax Josh made for me. That is my dear friend Elizabeth, one of the biggest reason we come to DC.

It was such a relaxing weekend.

B-B-B-Boston

I have been looking forward to out Boston trip for months now, everyone we talked to raved about it and the fun we would have. I have to say that honestly we never found the fun, I just do get what everyone went for. The food was good, a little rich, but WAY overpriced. Bills were about 30% more then normal. Even a Starbucks run was $15. Then the tourist stuff we did was disappointing. It seemed like everything was just a mall or a crap shack to buy souvenirs. We did walk from our hotel to Boston Common to Faneuil Hall to the North End.

Josh looking cute on a wharf

This fun crowd is a group of performers that a dear friend of Josh's works with, we spent a very fun evening with them!

This guy is a genius.