A-WooHoo!

Finally, after years and years of baking I've done it. I've made the perfect cookie! As you can see in the unaltered, untouched, non-photoshopped picture it's a perfect circle, with golden edges. There are plenty of chocolate chips, but not too many. It's cooked perfectly. Soft, yet not undercooked. And the taste? Well, ask around. I haven't had any complaints yet:) I actually made this batch for my aunt. It's the only thing she wanted me to bring to Christmas.

Now I'm watching "It's a Wonderful Life". I looooove Jimmy Stewart!

Merry Christmas Friends!
<><

ARGH!

So much time, so much laundry, so few quarters.

Due to my car being snowed in, I walked to Wal-Mart to get some quarters since I forgot to get them Tuesday. It was acutally really nice out. Kids playing, people shoveling, cars getting stuck. It was great! Folks seem to be a lot nicer with all this snow too. I love seeing neighbors help each other out. And motorists were super nice to those of us walking. They slowed (some didn't!) when they passed and they waved and offered the road to the pedestrians more than they do when all is dry.

So I get to Wal-Mart with few mishaps (there were some spills) and I realize I don't have my checkbook to write over the amount to get quarters! So I go home without quarters, again. Before heading BACK to Wal-Mart I shovel around my car and wait for the plow to come through the parking lot.

Shoveling done, I head to Wal-Mart. Got cash for the quarters, but the line to get quarters was too long, so I walk a block south to a car wash and get the quarters there! With $20 in quarters in my pocket I head home. I take the "short cut" across the park. Since I'm already soaked from tredging across the park I take a few dives into the thick, deep snow. It was FANTASTIC! I love the snow!!

Sadly, the snow plow hasn't shown and I'm not expecting it to now. They'll probably come tomorrow. But, I have to get to work, so I dug out a path for my car. Rosie is so low to the ground...I hope I don't get stuck leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I walked the lot and lowered some areas. I think we should be good:)

This was just supposed to be a commentary on how it took me THREE Wal-Mart trips for quarters:) Hope the blah blah blahing of snow wasn't boring!

BTY, the snow was about an inch below my knee. That's close to 20inches!

It's technically my day off, but since I live closest to the lab, my boss wants me to go in and pull some stuff! I don't think I'm going to make it out of my parking lot any time soon though:) I tried digging my car out, but it's just not possible at this time. Sorry boss-man, I'm camping in.

Blizzard 2006

aka The Holiday Blizzard. You know how the media gets. They have to put a clever, cutesy name to everything:)

Colorado is literally snowed in. I-25 is closed from WY to NM. Heading West into NE or KS isn't possible either. Going through the mountains? Not without chains! It's been snowing non-stop since early this morning and isn't expected to quit till tomorrow afternoon! I love it! There's some good sledding in my future:) I'm mostly glad that I went to the grocery store last night. I cleaned out my fridge and cupboards before heading to AZ and didn't have anything, I mean NOTHING to eat.

So anyways, Greeley is up to 14 inches and rising. I'll maybe post some pics tomorrow if I can get out:P

The Moon is the New Sun

I started typing a blog this a.m. while at work, but it was "late" and it would've been a bit senial. So I'm typing about 12hours later on my way to work. That's right kiddos, I'm now a part of the night shift. I AM the night shift.

I'm in AZ. It's 70 and nice out. I've been hanging out on my "balcony" at the IEH apartment listening to the thwap, thwap of the palm leaves in the breeze, getting some sun, and just enjoying my time off. So that's what I do for about 10mins. Then I go to bed. Jealous? Yeah, I wouldn't be either!

Last night between samples I cleaned, organinzed, unpacked, cleaned some more, and put together things for the lab. It's pretty now. Not pink pretty, lab pretty. Organized and ready to go! Mr. Big-Wig is coming tomorrow with some other hotshots, so it's a good things we got these things done yesterday, so I can do touch-ups tonight.

Tonight. I got up a few hours ago and I'm ready to go back to bed:) I actually need to leave now. I just drank an espresso shake. It was VERY good. Not very coffee tasting. Yummy.

Sleep tight!

I went to the Warren Miller film this year and received a free ski pass to Copper for my time! I REALLY don't like getting up at 4 in the morning to go boarding, so I got a motel for Sunday evening (after work) up in Frisco. It's only about 10mins from Copper Mountain, so it was perfect!

It was a beautiful day. A bit windy, but nice. Not many people either! I'd be going down a slope and be the only one there. Less embarrassing that way:) I'm still not very good at it (boarding that is). Yet, I'm not as sore as I used to get. No concussions!

There are certain things I enjoy about snowboarding, but there are also things I really don't like. For instance, I don't like the speed. Drop me out of a plane, put me in a racecar, but speeding down a mountain is just too much! Granted, I've never been dropped out of a plane or been in a racecar so I don't know the pain involved with mishaps, but I DO know the pain involved with boarding mishaps. And the pain is greater at higher speeds. Give me an easy-going, lazy ride any day. My body appreciates it too!

Yea, this is a great picture of my car roof and other people's cars, but that's me in the middle:)

Gobble Gobble!

I love Thanksgiving. Families get together, the crazy Christmas rush isn’t going yet, and great food. I was especially happy because I got off from work early on Tuesday morning! I technically had Thursday off, so I used my 8hour holiday time on Tuesday and just worked my 4 extra hours that morning. It was a very nice morning☺ Both the night guy and my day guy were in good spirits and did I mention only having to work four hours?!

The weather was awesome for my drive down to Colorado Springs. No traffic, Denver construction is nearly completed, and I was in no rush. For once. I don’t actually remember if I did anything Tuesday in the Springs though. I know I chatted with my uncle for some time. I think we all just hung around and had a nice dinner with my grandma that night. Wednesday was still, more relaxing and that night my uncle, aunt, and I went to the Air Force Academy vs. Radford basketball game. You wouldn’t believe these seats! We were behind the players’ bench, second row. These are the seats that are cushioned and fold down. Ooh lala! My uncle has connections up the wazoo. This connection happened to be a good-friend that works at the Academy and knows all the ball players, so he’s able to get free tickets. It was fun sitting by the parents of the players! Good game too. Forgot that I actually like to watch basketball!

Thanksgiving dinner was to be had at my cousin’s house in Parker, so we took it easy Thursday morning. Some friends from California had been skiing the past few days at Breckenridge so we made plans to get together that afternoon. They were going to come to my cousins, but it was too much so we met half way. Which means I did not get a typical Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, I had a steak and some scallops (seafood, not potatoes). It was so blazing good! Even the baked potato was amazing. For dessert the waiter brought out a pumpkin cheesecake. I have never had real cheesecake before. I am HOOKED! Granted, the pumpkin part made it look like baby vomit, but it was delish. Chris, Tommy and I then hit a movie (“The Departed”), which was also good.

And that was my Thanksgiving. Hooray for good family and friends☺

Maps are useless in Denver

My brother is totally kick-ass and flew into Denver Thursday morning for a concert. A CONCERT!! But the concert was later in the day. It'd be best to tell the story from the beginning.

Let's start at the airport. Good ol' DIA. I met Shawn inside the airport and on the walk back to my car he asked "What, are we walking to Greeley?" Not particularly interesting, except that two weeks earlier I was picking a friend up at the airport and he asked the EXACT SAME THING! So we're off to a good start:) I've never had to head towards Denver from the airport before so I missed the exit to head South on 25. I turned the car around and nearly missed the exit again! But my "big-city" driving skills kicked in and I cut a few cars off to make the exit.

REI was our first stop of the day. It's apparently the flagship shop and it was huge and cool. An outdoor enthusiasts Mecca. We hung there awhile; looking around, watching the rock climbers, warming up. Shawn packed warm weather clothes and considering he was leaving in the morning, it wasn't enough to layer up to keep warm. So we headed to the 16th St. Mall to eat and find a jacket for woosey-boy Shawn. But first I drove down a road that cars weren't allowed on. Only the shuttle buses were allowed. I almost hit a lady standing in the middle of the road. Apparently b/c I'm a car and not a shuttle she's invincible. ?? After driving down and down and down in the garage we find a spot. Shawn didn't think I would be able to get my car in, but my mad skills kick in and I fit with room to spare. My brother has little faith in me. This scenario repeated itself a few times that day.

Alright, so we lunch (cool place), we buy a jacket, we meander, we get cold, we grab the shuttle back, we hit an awesome book store, we get the car, we head the wrong way to leave the garage (thanks Shawn), we get out of the garage, we (I) get confused trying to get out of Denver. The LODO area is entirely made up of one way streets. Then the streets diverge into other streets and the road I want all of a sudden doesn't exist anymore! This scenario also repeats itself. Alot. There was much high pitched verbal frustration. But I digress.

Thornton was our next stop for frisbee golf. 18 holes. Nice sized park. Somewhat ghetto. Every time I went into the trees for my disc, I wasn't sure if I was going to come out! I thought I'd get stabbed or shot or just fall into a hole. Awesome. Shawn wanted an Adventure and I did my best to give him one. Afterall, it's not an Adventure until someone almost dies! While golfing we did a geocache, which Shawn has no patience for. It was fun finding it, but it's almost ridiculous to geocache in the fall with all the extra camoflage.

The aforementioned concert doesn't start till 10:30 and it's 5:00 when head to the car. Hmmm...we drive the long way through Thornton back into Denver and try to find the Cherry Creek shopping center. It's a high-end place that's suppossed to be really cool. It wasn't. It took forever to get there. My directions to get there start at REI so we drive there and try to find the right roads. I think we drove by REI four times before finding the road. More high-pitched verbal frustration. And b/c of stupid Denver roads we inadvertently end up back at REI after the shopping center!

We aren't hungry but we know we need to eat a little something so we decide to stay near the concert area (LODO) and just grab an appetizer. Have I mentioned how much I hate Denver roads. And Denver in general now?! We can't find a place to park, we keep getting on the splitting roads, and guess where we end up? That's right! REI!!! I'm flipping out, Shawn is laughing, and I'm just plain fed up. I park and we go into REI (again) and eat at Starbucks. Awesome.

Here comes the best part. This blog is REALLY long, so take a break now so you aren't distracted by a bulging bladder and miss out.

Jamie Lidell came to Denver. We both really like him, but now, I think we both love him. This was the best show I've been to, and I've been to some dooseys. The opener was named Snax and had a white mans afro. He was super thin and wore sparkly shirts. He was hilarious. The music wasn't great, but he got the audience hyped. Just so stinking funny! Then we wait forever. Totally worth it! We were pretty close to the front and the venue was definitely "intimate". Jamie was amazing. He was mixing on stage, dancing around, came into the crowd...It doesn't sound like much, but he was just amazing! He had such great energy the entire time and the audience had great energy and...yeah. I'm still grinning ear to ear. Shawn's actually at his concert in Minneapolis as I'm writing this. His wife is with him, so I'm glad she'll get to experience the Snax/Lidell.

Our story ends where it started. At the airport. Adventure-boy Shawn crashes on some benches at the airport and I get home about 2:30am. Up for work at 6am. Work till 7pm.

Fantastic!

That's it. You can get on with your life now. <><

GO GO GO!

What DIDN'T I do this weekend may be a shorter and easier answer:)

After getting off work Sunday, Andy and I tried geocaching. We didn't find either of the two but it was a hoot running around a park with flashlights while trying to not draw attention to ourselves. Monday was a fun-filled day.

We headed out to Lory State Park in Fort Collins and hiked to Arthur's Rock (see pic). It was an insanely windy day, but oddly, it wasn't windy on the rock! I thought we would have to turn back because it'd be too windy and dangerous, but it was worse at the parking lot. So it was a beautiful hike up, nice views from the summit. While up there I wanted to geocache. The description at geocaching.com said it was for experienced and hardcore cachers only. Well, I really like looking for caches (hardcore?) and I've been doing it for some time now (experienced?) so I figured I could handle it. Bouldering wasn't the only type of climbing involved. There were a few spots where I had to look for hand and foot holds and try to actually climb the face! All the while that I'm looking for the cache I keep thinking "This is stupid!" "I'm going to kill myself" "I'm going to fall down one of these cliffs!" But the Fagan in me persevered and I found it!! By this time I realized that Andy was probably getting worried (he opted to stay at the bottom) and that he might start climbing to try and find me, so I headed to the top of a rock and start calling out to try and get back into contact. He had only just started climbing so we decided to find our own paths and meet at the bottom of the summit. On the hike back down I picked up a plastic bag that had been left so I could throw it away. Turns out, there's poop in it. Somebody brought along a bag for their dog and then left the bag. Make sense? No. I'm hoping it fell out of their bag. So now, I'm in posession of this bag and I don't want to just leave it, so I dumped the poop out (thought it was mud and snow initially) and carried it at arms length. Remeber how I wrote that it was windier at the bottom? The wind caught the bag and started blowing it at me and in my attempt to avoid the bag I started sliding down a cliff! The edge of the trail was super soft and loose so everytime I tried to bring my extended leg up, I slid further down. Andy stopped laughing at this time and came back to help, but I was able to pull myself up. Much laughter ensued and the plastic bag was left on the mountain.

Our next stop of the day was New Belgium Brewing. They are a microbrewery in Fort Collins. It was a riot. Our guide was a selfproclaimed hippie and the place is run by hippies. It was a great tour. Andy called it "the alcoholics Willie Wonka". It looked like a really fun place to work. They have a climbing wall inside and have a holiday for the patron saint of beer! And yes, there is one. Saint Arnold is the patron saint of beer.

A few of my friends joined us that night for the CornMaize and Haunted House. It wasn't scary. I jumped a few times, but I was never scared. It was a fun night, but I wanted to pee my pants. Sadly, I came home dry. (Is that gross?)

Tuesday found us in Denver at the zoo and Nature/Science museum. Both places were fun. The monkeys at the zoo entertained us for awhile. Monkeys and potatoe sacks. What a combo! We also visited some friends in Parker. Another great day.

What a month:)

Will this month never end? As much as it seems that November will never get here, it also seems that October never happened. I guess that's what I get for never being home.

I read "The Secret Garden" flying between OH and CO. I loved this paragraph from the Ben Weatherstaff chapter. I get what she's writing about. It's that brief, fleeting moment of perfection, of feeling that things are right in the world, of happiness without distraction.

Here's to those moments. Enjoy.

"One of the strange things about living in the world, is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live for ever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands alone and throws one’s head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one’s heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun - which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark-blue at night with millions of stars waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in someone’s eye."

-Francis Hodgson Burnett
“The Secret Garden”

Dorothy had it right

There's no place like home.

Got back to my apartment last night around 10:30. It felt wonderful! Granted, I don't have much time to enjoy it and I'm avoiding my suitcase, but it feels good to walk on my carpet, sleep on my bed...

As much as I wanted to get out of Modesto, I'm kinda bummed to have left. Got alot of things accomplished and organized and set up, but I don't know who's coming in behind me and if they'll find things or if they'll keep things organized or just be messsy. I'll probably meet up with the labs in Yuma, AZ though if not sooner. I'll give them a one, two if they've dirtied my trailer!! ;P

But...I have a soccer game in an hour and I really should brush my teeth. Guess I have to delve into the suitcase.

<><

The sun will come out tomorrow...

...it always does. I'm working days again, but the days last 15+hours. But it's been good getting the chaos under control and getting the labs set up. I don't know if I've written about this before, but the area of the plant is lovely. Green fields set up against the mountains. Lovely.

I heard on the news the other day about a Romaine lettuce recall. Apparently their irrigation showed some E. coli. Granted, it wasn't O157, but I guess they're just being extra cautious. It was cool because I thought it could've been some water that I tested. I'm not just looking at spinach. I'm testing all sorts of lettuce, field samples and water samples. It's neat to be contributing to society in a visible way. I know that testing beef is a good thing, it saves people, but it's not like I'm a nurse or teacher. It's a behind the scenes type thing (which is fine), but it's hard to remember sometimes that what we're doing makes a difference, which sometimes makes it hard to do the job. So I know what has happened is horrible, but it's good to know that we do make a differnce. We're contributing.

I don't know if that makes sense. It's late and I should be taking advantage of the time to sleep! It's just that we've (boss-man and I) been talking alot about the food industry, our place in it, our contributions, etc.

But, the sun WILL come out tomorrow (or this morning) and I should grab some shut-eye.
<><

Modesto-->Gilroy-->Sand City-->and back

So I'm getting moved back to days which is great. One of my co-workers came out for the weekend so I didn't have to work as long this weekend. Late nights for training, but not full nights of work:) Another fella is flying in tonight for nights, so I'll be up later tomorrow training...but I could probably sleep in the truck on the way to Gilroy to pick up samples. Which is what I did today!

Hans and I got a later start Sunday, so I was able to get a decent amount of sleep. The picture is of me at "work". Pretty, ay? The scenery I mean. The plant is actually about 30-45 mins away, so we just headed to the beach for some quick R&R. It was nice. Very picturesque.

I have practically no voice. It didn't help that Hans and I played 20 questions and 6 degrees on the drive back to Modesto (about 2hrs). Then they made me order the pizza! I'm surprised the pizza guy was able to understand me.

So today was fun. But it's late and I have the opportunity to get some good sleep on tonight so I'm going to grab it!

Dream of beautiful places.
<><

My Sleep Number

9. My sleep number is 9. Not 8, not 10, but 9. 9 hours is the perfect amount of time needed for sleep. And thankfully, I got that yesterday! Feels great.

Other things I've learned in the past 20 odd hours: I.T.s tend to be named Alex. California smells good. If I want it, this new lab is mine. Snails are cool. But where do the snails go during the day? I have a week to find the answer to this one.

I can't eat salad anymore. I got one with a sandwich yesterday and I could barely look at it. Especially the spinach:) I ended up eating the veggies and tossing the greens.

Hmmm...nothing exciting goin on I guess. I spilt my smoothie in the rental. That was...something.

Sweet Dreams!

Day ??

I got called into the principal's office today. And by principal, I mean owner of JL. And, I got ratted out by the lab director.

I had just finished trashing the samples when teh lab director came out and asked where the samples were. "The trash", I reply. He shakes his head and goes tattle to the owner. Myself and the girl who helped me got called in over the lab intercom. I couldn't believe it! I was standing right near the office doors! They told me what I already knew about there being "critters" in the media. I told them that yesterday, I was told to just throw everything in the dumpster. More headshaking and lecturing.

Dumpster diving ensued.

It's been a LONG day and I can't sleep even though I'm tired.

One cool thing: the LD and another gentleman, Lucio, were the ones leaning into the dumpster. Lucio did NOT want to. I kept saying to "let me", "I didn't mind", "it was my fault", etc...but Lucio waved me away and said "No, you are a lady. I won't have it." He's Italian. :) I thought it was nice. He's been one of the few nice people. Alot of folks didn't like the IEH takeover and it probably doesn't help that Hans and I have commandeered parts of the lab and get priority. Whatever.

Since I couldn't sleep and I needed actual food I went to have an early dinner at Mimi's Cafe. Yum! Nice atmosphere too. It's kind of gawdy-cajun-bistro with 40s/50s jazz. Amazing muffins and bread with the meal. I had cajun spiced chicken with fresh fruit and salad (no spinach). Highly recommend it!

I'm getting sick, I'm already tired, and I don't like eating out so much. But overall, I'm having a great time. It's been extremely challenging and it's been great being at the beginning.

I'll try to type more about California later. Strange place this land of...

Day Two ?

I'm not sure if I'd consider this Day Two of just a long extension of Day One. I got off work around 11:30 this morning. For you math inept out there, and for those keeping up with the blog, that's 28 1/2 hours of work. Straight. In a row. No break. No naps. I was working on my 11th wind around 9am:)

Thankfully, I stayed extremely busy. No E. coli! Some suspicious activity going on, but no E. coli. I'm testing more than spinach too. We're testing all sorts of greenery. Makes me hungry.

Apparently the JL lab in Modesto is in a crime-ridden area. A few people were shot right outside the lab and they keep finding bums in their dumpster! So the FBI has commandeered one of the mobile units parked in the parking lot to keep an eye on things. I thought people were joking about getting me a shotgun and flak jacket! I told them I prefer throwing things though and that ninja stars would be more acceptable. We'll have to wait and see if they come through on that.

Boss-man said he'd call when he was ready for me to come in tonight. He called me at 2. I'd been asleep for two hours. Sucky part is, he didn't need me to come in! He just wanted to call and ask me to bring a box of stuff from one lab to the other! "Go back to sleep" he says. THE NERVE! He called at 3:30 to have me come in. Fine, whatever, but why couldn't he ask about the box at 3:30 instead of waking me up! It gets better. I'm on the road to JL and he calls to tell me "Go back to bed". Super-boss-man was having somebody else bring media and supplies to Hans. THE NERVE! I'm awake and "functioning" and he tells me to go back to sleep. Not possible. So I went for breakfast at Taco Bell and am now camped out at the hotel waiting for the call to come in. Good stuff!

I am having a good time though. If I had more energy I'd probably explore the downtown area a bit. Maybe later this week. I think the library is only a block or two away!

Get Your Sleep On <><

Day One

Day One

The moment I’d been waiting for was merely minutes away when we (my boss, Hans, and I) pulled up to the Modesto lab (JL) this morning. I was going to see the big rig. The mobile unit. The lab with wheels.

The best way to describe it would be to call it a UPS truck minus the UPS-ness. Nothing special to the untrained eye. Nothing special to the trained eye! It’s just an amaizing thing though. It’s a mostly functioning lab! (In a few days/weeks it’ll hopefully be a FULLY functioning lab.) We can start the tests, but we need to be at JL to finish the testing.

This plant is different from the one I work for. Obviously. Meat vs. greens. It still smells, but it’s not a gut-wrenching, puking smell. There’s a different vibe here too. I don’t feel awkward or threatened walking around here compared to the plant in Greeley. The plant is near Gilroy and Salinas (2hours from Modesto) and it’s surrounded by the mountains. They aren’t the grand, purple majesty type, but they’re nice. It’s cool to see the mountains with the lettuce fields at the foothills.

It’s going to be a long night. I got up a little before 7am, it’s 7pm right now, and I’m supposed to work through the night running samples. Yes, I get to sleep during the day tomorrow, but I have to get through tonight first! Ce la vie. I asked for more, so I’m getting more. I was also told/asked today to stay for two weeks instead of the one. Imagine how tired I’m going to be in a few weeks: Two weeks of working in California, get back on a Saturday night, run home, work a day, do laundry, repack, head back to DIA Monday morning, fly to Ohio, work on my Grandma’s kitchen for a week, fly home, work a long week, head back to DIA again to pick up a friend who is coming to visit (yippee!!!), give a band concert, go hiking, etc with friend, drop friend off at DIA, work a few more days, get the weekend off. Phew! I got tired just typing it!

So cry, cry, cry. Everybody feel sorry for Colleen! She gets to travel and work and do what fun stuff! Boo-hoo. I know. Suck it up. ☺

I’ll let ya’ll know how the night and next day go. Happy eating.

From Carnivore-land to Herbivore-ville

I'm going to Californ-i-a Sunday night to help bring spinach back to the masses. Yes my friends and strangers, I am a bonafide microbiologist and ONLY I contain the needed skills to make sure the spinach is clean. Well, I suppose there are others who could handle it, but I'm the one who gets to go, so pbblt?

My boss has been out there for a week already and has built a mobile lab. That's right, it moves. We were on the phone and he had to pull over to transfer samples. How insane is that?!? So I'm pretty stoked to check out the setup and to NOT be working around meat. Boss-man says it smells, but of salad, not rendering blood, fat, dead cows, or other things associated with a slaughter house. :)

I'll probably drop a line or two while I'm out there to let you, my captive audience, know how things are going. So in the meantime, eat arugula, redleaf and romaine. And have hope, spinach will be back soon. (Sorry kids.)

Ah, the home buying experience. Could it be any worse? I'm sure it could, but seriously! Oy.

I've been going back and forth wanting to buy, but I didn't think finances would allow for a home. But now...with my WWF neighbors who have installed a bowling alley (I'm just guessing), I think it's time.

So now I have to decide house or townhome or condo? New, semi-used, or rundown? HOAs or fix my own roof? Dog or cat? Well, that one's easy. Dog. One question down, dozens to go!

Finances is a whole other issue! If I don't have a downpayment, do I get an additional loan that increases the mortgage or go with the mortgage insurance option which also ups my mortgage payment? Should I marry the bum on my corner, make him get a job, and have a second income contributing to the mortgage? Or just get a roomate? Ay de mi.

So if you'd like to contribute to the "Colleen Wants a Home Fund" leave a comment, give a call. I'll let you know where to send the cash, money-order, bonds...

Have faith my rent-compelled friends. Happy Trails my homeowner friends.

;)

OK Go

I love this video. Don't know much about the band yet, but this video is pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI&eurl=

Strike up the Band!

The Loveland Community Band had their first concert of the season last night. It was my first concert in THREE years!

Due to my hiatus of playing the clarinet, I'm hurting. I've been playing intermittently, but not enough to keep me in shape for two to three hour rehearsals and then what felt like a marathon of a concert. All the aches and pains were worth it though! It feels great to be back in a band:)

Normally, our concerts would be on Sundays, but this was a memorial concert for 9/11 Five Years Later. We played some great pieces and there was a slide show along with the music. Very moving.

God Bless America

mmm...Colorado...

This happy, Labor Day weekend is the "Taste of Colorado" located in Denver. Different restaurants from the area set up booths and "sell" either tastes or whole pieces of their specialties. Good food, crazy crowd! So MANY people. I wasn't expecting that:) I met up with some friends while down there and had a great afternoon.

I had Grilled Mahi with Shrimp and then a Berry Kabob for dessert. Yum! The strawberries of the kabob were amazing! I couldn't stop smiling. The skewers from the kabobs also came in handy as Hans started a sword fight with me. Finally! I was able to use my fencing skills:)

The Rapids are Calling to Me

My sis and I hit the mighty white-water rapids of the Arkansas River last weekend! It was the most super-fantatastic time I've ever had rafting. It had stormed the night before which meant that the river was running higher and faster than it usually would for that time of year. But I still couldn't believe our luck when we got to the rafting place (American Adventure) and the guides were going crazy! Apparently, it had rained so much that the river was running like it does in the early Spring with the snow melt! 24 hours before we got on the river it was running at 785 cfs. It was running at 2100 when we set off.

There were four people plus a guide on our raft. The guides were so concerned about getting flipped that they tossed an EXTRA guide onto our raft. It was insane!! I almost got tossed a few times and I think we almost lost my sister! We did this move called "surfing" a few times on the bottom half of some rapids. It was awesome. It's this move where we fill the front part of the raft and the back half raises out of the water. Then we did it again filling the side of the raft. Both the front and side that were filled were my side! It felt like I was being sucked in to the water. I was freaking, but I loved it:)

This particualr section of the river usually takes 2 1/2 hours to run at this time of year. It took us just over an hour with some play time. That's how fast the river was running. We worked practically the whole time:)

So the river was beautiful, the landscape was beautiful (Colorado has been very green this year), and going under the Royal Gorge Bridge was great. Now I've been on it and I've been under it.

Live it and Love it!

An Impromptu Expedition

I decided to go camping about 10:30 yesterday morning. So I threw some things into a backpack, threw my kayak onto the car, and hit the road. Carter Lake in Loveland was the destination, but would there be open campsites? YES! Plenty of open sites. I only had one set of neighbors and I was close to the lake.

I pitched my tent and hit the lake. I was a bit nervous seeing as how I'm used to the ponds in Greeley, but it was a beautiful day and there weren't many people on the lake. It was overcast majority of the time and when I got back to camp and wind storm kicked in. I was literally chasing my tent around the site, trying to secure it down. I ended up putting rocks in the tent to keep it down! I was worried during the night that the wind would hit the tent just right and the rocks would be thrown at my head, but the wind did no such thing.

Next morning I woke up and hit the lake again. It was wonderful. Besides a fisherman, I was the only one on the water. It was still windy and it even started to rain.

Great "weekend", very peaceful.

FINALLY!!

The BHAGs have finally done it! We clinched first place today. I've been with this team for a year and we've always juuust missed 1st. No More! We did it. Alright, I'm done. I'll find somewhere else to gloat:)

From Estes to Pikes Peak

Greetings!

This past weekend was FANTASTIC! Family from NY came out to visit my family in the Springs, so I joined the festivities. Our first stop was Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park. We drove Trail Ridge road and saw some amazing elk. The view from the top was outstanding. I can't believe I haven't been up there before! Everything was so green, the sky was so blue, and the clouds were perfect. We couldn't have asked for anything better. This picture with my cousin Mark was taken at the highest point in the park. Picturesqe. Beautiful. Perfect.

Sunday we took the cog rail up to Pikes Peak. Thankfully we took the first car first thing in the morning. It was a toasty day! On the ride up we saw elk, marmots, deer, and lots of sleepy people:) Again, a beautiful ride. It was a whopping 48 degrees at the top! Chilly, but nice. Great doughnuts too! I guess the view was good as well. The scenery pic is from the top of the peak. Pretty decent:)

That night we visited the Flying W Wrangler's Ranch. Great, sentimental place. The cowboys have changed, but the entertainment and food are still enjoyable.

This weekend definitely explained what a Rocky Mountain high is:)

They Came to Boston

Disclaimer: I wrote this at a BK in the Cleveland airport and I’m very, very tired. ☺

FOR BOSTON, FOR BOSTON!

There sure was a lot of rain for it being summer time in Boston. Apparently, within the last two weeks Boston received 18 inches of rain. That’s 50% of the ANNUAL precipitation! Or so my row mate on my flight there told me. I was excited all the same. I knew it would clear up eventually. And if not...a little (or lot) of rain wasn’t going to stop me!

This would be an incredibly long blog if I relayed what exactly went on, so I’ll just give the highlights (like sports on TV!).

Thursday night, I was welcomed into Boston. I flew in late, but no biggy. I was still the first girl in. Chris came in next; her flight had been delayed as well. Rachel and Angie came in about 11:30, 12:00. Rachel had worked over night and still managed to function. It was cute, we stayed up till almost 4am chitchatting and catching up with everybody’s lives. It was fantastic! We were loud and giggly.

Friday morning we were introduced to the T (the subway system). We had things pretty well planned out with directions and the like, so we weren’t worried about getting lost. Well, at least I wasn’t! Not necessarily sure if the other girls were as confident about my map reading abilities, but initially, Chris and I were tag-teaming getting around. Rachel and Angie were comfortable with everything very quickly as well. We started our tour out with the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail goes all over downtown Boston stopping at all the “important” places of history. This would include: Paul Revere’s house, the Old State House, the State House, the North Church, the Old Meeting Place, and a few others that I can’t think of right now. We didn’t do all these on Friday. We spread it out.

The State House is the current State Capital building. The governor wasn’t in (was he out campaigning for Presidency?) and we were given a private tour of the building. It was really nice. Our guide was a super sweet lady and she helped us out by giving the tour without the massive mob of school kids. I thought it was cool how she kept enforcing the fact that we were seeing and learning about Massachusetts history, not the US’s history. Even though they are practically one and the same, it’s MA’s history first, then the US’s. We heard that at a few different places as well.

And I’m breaking my word about being long winded! So…we saw lots of cool old places, you could feel the greatness of the past citizens resonating through the streets (or it was the subway), and we went to a Red Sox game!

The Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers and we didn’t get rained on because we were sitting under a balcony! So yea for us. The fans were great. The field was beautiful. We sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Sweet Caroline”. I think “Sweet Caroline” was definitely a high point for me. That was so cool! EVERYBODY was singing! They cut the music out at the “ba ba bas” and everybody fills it in by singing/shouting the part. Super great time. The subway ride home was fun too. Everybody was happy and wet.

Saturday greeted us with a big, wet kiss. It rained literally all day till about 7pm. Saturday took us back to the Freedom Trail to pick up where we had left off the day before. But since it was raining, we were slowed down a bit. And we had to get to the hotel to change for the evening activity, so we didn’t have that much time. All worth it. We went to the Old State House and saw the balcony where the Constitution was read to the people for the first time. We walked through the rooms that John Hancock and Sam Adams worked in. We could see through the windows to the exact spot where the Boston Massacre occurred. My imagination was going crazy seeing all the men there. Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market were also visited that day. Neat places. Basically just large markets. Had the feel of a Farmer’s Market about it, but without the vegetables.

But, like I wrote above, we had to haul it to get back to the hotel and get changed. We had to be at the Mystery Café by 7 or they’d give our seats away. Or so I was told. I got a bit upset because we were running behind schedule, which meant we were still standing in the subway, waiting for a train, after 7 o’clock. Honestly, I was a bit crazed. We got there and our salads were waiting for us. We were good. Obviously, I apologized. I think most of the people reading this know how I get about being on time and doing what I’m told☺. I think we all had a fun night. It was a casual dinner theatre place. There was no stage and the actors walked through the aisles of tables and interacted with the audience. It was more along the lines of loose-improv. They had a script, but deviated at will. I thought they were very funny. Definitely recommend it to people heading out that way. (mysterycafe.com)

Sunday was definitely an easier day. Again, headed to the Freedom Trail to finish that up. Learned some things about Paul Revere’s ride that I’d never heard before. For instance, I was told that the ride was to warn of the British coming (true), but what I didn’t know was that it wasn’t to warn of an attack. It was to warn of the British coming to arrest Hancock and Adams for treason. The ride was successful. The men weren’t arrested. But, Revere and the gentleman who hung the lamp were. They were later released for lack of evidence.

The Museum of Fine Arts was also one of our stops. Nice, but a teensy-bit disappointing. I was just expecting more, better. I think that the museum in Chicago is my favorite so far.

The best part of Sunday was walking across the harbor and seeing the USS Constitution, aka “Old Ironsides”. It’s just incredible that it’s undefeated and that it is still an active vessel in the Navy. This hundreds of years old ship can still go into battle! I think that’s very cool. I’ve seen movies with ships similar to this one, but it was great going onto one. Seeing how cramped the quarters really are and disbelieving that people lived that way for months at a time. Unbelievable.

While in Charlestown we saw part of a parade celebrating Bunker Hill Day; and back walking in Boston we came across a processional for St. Anthony in Little Italy. I really liked Little Italy. It felt like the real Boston. At least more real than what we had been experiencing. We met up with Chris at the Long Wharf (we had separated earlier, on purpose☺) and decided to head into Cambridge and check out Harvard. It was nothing special. They had laundry rooms just like any other dorm. I don’t know if we saw all of campus, but it seemed small. Sadly, the library was closed. It looked huge though.

For dinner we went back to the wharf. Rachel and I each had a 1 lb. lobster. Chris and Angie lived life on the wild side and went with steak and chicken (respectively). Kidding. You don’t like seafood? You don’t like seafood. It was great though trying to eat that crustacean. Rachel and I definitely made the majority of the entertainment that evening. I danced my “staring” lobster over at Angie and Rachel had to break the antennas off of hers. We ate the legs first (I did very well getting the meat out in single pieces) then went to the tail. That’s where the fun really started! I pulled my tail off first and saw it. Green poop. I just started laughing and then Rachel opened hers. I thought she was going to die! She couldn’t believe that there was poop inside her lobster! We were all laughing so hard over her reaction I’m surprised we didn’t pass out or get thrown out. She DID it though! I’m very proud of her. The lobster impressed neither of us and Rachel says she’s sticking with crab legs. It was a priceless experience all the same. Okay, not really. The lobster had a price tag, but her face? Priceless. Loved it. Chris and Angie enjoyed their meals as well.

We couldn’t find a place open that late on a Sunday night for dessert so we headed back to the hotel and called it an early night. Rachel and Angie were passed out by 11. Chris and I had been laughing over the weekend that Rachel and Angie were always the first asleep and the last to wake up. Sleepy girls.

Chris left first. I left about 2. The SD girls left about 6. The three of us headed back toward the Boston Commons for the morning and I was able to make it to the Boston Athenaeum. It’s just the oldest independent library in the nation. My main reason for liking it (besides the library part) was that it was built for everybody. They said that reading was for the masses, not just the rich. Oddly enough, only members are allowed past the first floor. Whatever. It was kinda neat going in there.

And that’s the story. I hopped my plane and headed home. It was a beautiful weekend. Only one question though. Where to next?

Team Prairie Dust

Had my first Ultimate Frisbee game today! It's a summer league that's fun, yet hardcore. My team won both of our games tonight. Everybody was really nice and helpful when they found out I'd never played organized before. I think I picked it up pretty quick though. I definitely need to wear my cleats next time though. Every time I needed to do a quick turn or I was trying to make a quick run for a toss, I would slide or fall.

Had a blast:)

I leave for Boston tomorrow morning!!!! So check back in a few days for some Boston words:)

The Pink Ladies

A few of the ladies from my outdoor team decided to get together to play at the SI KickIt 3v3 tourney this weekend. None of us had ever played a real 3v3 game, so we were definitely excited! We didn't do to bad. We finally got the hang of things by our final game on Sunday. So while we didn't play great, we didn't do to bad. We got 4th! We also decided to try and play in a few more tournaments this summer.

I scored two goals which were not allowed since I was on the wrong half of the field. You can only score on the offensive side and I was standing out our goal. I almost had an assist, but my girl hit the ball too hard and missed. It would've been a beautiful play if she had made the goal.

I was trying to avoid a collision b/t my teammate and the other team's girl when the other girl (already on the ground) reached out and grabbed my ankle, pulling me down. I called her a pansy. :) She apologized after the game. She admitted that it was childish.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Got to watch some other teams play and it was new soccer experience! Oooo, plus, I got a Tshirt!! Always a good thing.

I went for a swim today.

I went kayaking early this afternoon at a pond in Greeley. The pond is along one of my favorite parts of the Poudre River Trail. Not many people are usually there during the week. A few bikers, walkers, and maybe some fishers. But, I tend to have the place to myself. THANK GOODNESS!!! I would've been insanely embarrassed if I had known that somebody saw me. And here's why.

The pond is small. It's a pond. So I usually just paddle around it a few times. I'll pick up trash in the water, watch for fish and turtles. I'll sometimes even see a heron in the cat tails. Today was no different. I picked up few bits of trash, scared a turtle, and was startled myself by some unknown creature (I actually yelped). I thought I saw a snake or other creature skirting across the water going after bugs, but when I came up closer it was a caught fish being reeled in. I thought the thing had jumped out of the water of its own accord! Needless to say, I was feeling a bit skiddish.

On my final pass round the pond, as I was pulling up to the area where I like to get out, I was on a head-on collision course with a BEHEMOTH of a dragonfly. The thing was so huge that it was carrying something. (The something looked like a small mouse.) It continued on its path towards me and I was still gliding in the water. We did the "which way are you going" dance and still, we were headed right for each other. I dodged left, I dodged right, and as I dodged left again I started to roll. I wasn't able to counteract the roll left so I pitched over. I was in the water. My kayak was upside down. The stupid dragonfly was nowhere to be seen. As I got myself together (treading water), I took inventory. The trash was still strapped to my kayak, my paddle was floating, my favorite water bottle was inside the kayak. Excellent. I was unable to roll the kayak back over so I started pulling it and my paddle towards shore. I then realized that I was missing my hat. I looked back and there it was, floating. So I continued to shore, dropped things off and swam back for my hat.

The water felt awesome. It's not very clean, but it was nice. I sat on the shore drenched, laughing. I couldn't belive this happened to me! All because of a blasted dragonfly!! I thought about bringing my camera with me today. Thank goodness I didn't! I couldn't imagine explaning this one to the insurance company. And yes, I did have a lifevest. I wasn't wearing it, but it was in the craft with me. City law requires I have one, but how am I suppossed to get a nice tan wearing it?!?

Moral of the story: Take swimming lessons, they may come in handy.

<>< :)

Cub Lake-Rocky Mountain Ntl. Park

Shawn's been crying about a new post...so here it is!

Today, I went hiking with two of my friends to Cub Lake in RMNP in Estes Park. It was a great day for it. Neither Julie or Mike had ever been there before. But, if a pregnant woman and a two year old could do the hike, I was sure these two could handle it!

Nothing exciting or out of the ordinary. We did see a yellow-bellied marmot and a blue grouse though. Elk were out, but they were way out yonder. Ducks and chipmunks were climbing our rock at the lake to eat our food. The chipmunk stole my banana peel.

Beautiful Day.

The Unexplainables of Life

What is the point of a sauna? I used the one at the gym today. It was hot and stuffy. That's it. I didn't find it all that relaxing, there's nothing to do (I didn't know to bring reading material), and it sorta smells bad.

The sauna at the gym doesn't have separate ones for men and women so when I came in there was a gentleman in there reading the paper. And boy was he sweating up a storm! Fine, no big deal. But then another gentleman came in (who also had reading material) and took a seat. It's at this point that I started becoming a smidge uncomforable. It's a small room. I stayed a while longer trying to figure out what the draw of this place was. I got nothin' then and I got nothin' now.

So if anybody knows the point, please let me know!

Tomorrow...the Steam Room!

Joga Bonita

My outdoor soccer team was expected to place first this year. So far we're 0-3. They've been great games though. Not easy wins for the other teams.

The first game of the season I received two massive bruises above my shinguard (glad I was wearing them?). The second game I got an elbow to the ribs. This third game (today) I got a nice finger-jab to the eye. No worries, he didn't get too far with the ball. A gal on my team, Nicola, received a black eye last year. She's predicting that I get it this year:)

At 1:00 when I was driving to the game it was 71. At 3:30 it was 81. IT'S EARLY APRIL!!!! It is funny though that both teams were wishing for some wind. It's funny because during the last two games we had massive wind storms and still played our games. I think it's going to be a rough summer.

We lost, I bruise like we a peach, we had fun. It was a beautiful day:)

Never take friendship personal

The weather here has been fantastic...for the most part. At soccer on Sunday, the wind was blowing so strongly that it would stop you as you were running! we lost :( Hopefully we'll play better when the wind stops!

Went hiking near Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins on Monday with my friend Mikey and his dog Mina. It wa a very nice, easy walk. The only bad thing is that we got fined $20 for not paying the $6 State Park fee. bummer.

Tuesday brought me down to Denver for the Tooth and Nail Tour. I had a great time. Some really good bands are on the way out! If you haven't already, you need to check out Emery. They're rock/alternative with screamo mixed in. Couldn't hear much of the lyrics, but the sound was great. Another band to keep an eye out for is Far-Less. They'll have their album out in May I think. I got back sorta late, so it was great getting up this morning for work:) Well worth it.

Peace out and keep rockin'!

The Rite of Spring

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite
Let's go fly a kite!

24+1=old?

I'm 25.

I am 25.

I am not young anymore. Or am I? Isn't youth a state of mind? True, my body is getting older and wearing down, but I still do and enjoy things that I did and enjoyed as a youngster. I offer the picture of forking as evidence of that. (Don't worry, the fella who lives there deserved it:) ) Obviously the people you hang out with also help in that arena. When you are around happy people you are happy. Around sad people, you are sad. So if you hang out with people that act young and fun, then by default you are young and fun loving!

I think my quarter-life crisis is just about over though. I don't know if I'll be alone for the rest of my life or if I'll have someone to share things with. I don't know if I'll be a peon in my careers or if I'll end up a CEO. What I DO know is that God has a plan for me. I do know that'll I'll always have an adventurous spirit. I do know that I'll find happiness on whatever path I end up on. I know that there are people that love me, cheer for me, and encourage me. I know that my life is pretty good.

I am 25. My car insurance rates are going down! I'm a quarter of a century old! I can rent a car, I can mentor kids, I can go on vacations without having to check in with anybody, I can do anything. I am 25!

What did I do on my b-day? I went geocaching in the morning and had some great history lessons. I joined a new gym where the $100 enrollment fee was waived. Some friends took me out to dinner where I had to stand on a chair and be sung to. I saw a funny movie and had great conversations. I forked a friend's yard. I talked to lots of friends and family on the phone. I had a great day.

Happy Trails.
CF

More Sledding Pics

Ode to Sledding

Ode to Sledding

Round sled
Long sled
Plastic sled
Wood sled
You all bring me joy
I'm glad I'm not a boy.

Yesterday, Greeley recieved a few inches of awesome dry snow. Perfect for snowballs, snowmen, and SLEDDING!! I wasn't able to make it out though until today. Stupid Colorado and its stupid sun started melting the snow mid-morning today. I had to make a move and it had to be soon if I wanted to get my sledding in.

I had sent out a sled-invite yesterday evening and only had one taker. So we hit the single, solitary hill in Greeley this afternoon. As the pics show ya, there was a good deal of grass. Not so great for sledding, but we made due.

So a big THANKS to Angela for hanging out with me today. We need to find her a sled though. Tupperware lids, boxes, and just plain, old-fashioned rolling down the hill aren't as great as having a sled.

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Okay, so I didn’t think I would type on this blog as much as I have already.

Today was just a flying day then off to work. Nothing special or out of the ordinary. Right? Well…Starting in Rochester, NWA was trying to get all the people whose flights were canceled yesterday off into the wild blue this morning. My 8:40 flight was pushed to 9 and the people who were supposed to leave at 7:55 were still at the gate waiting to board. So the counter clerk was trying as best she could (with passengers breathing down her neck) to get everybody onto this one plane because the flight crew for the 8:40 flight was missing. Four of us were in no big hurry, so we offered to wait for the flight crew for the other plane. The said missing crew shows up as the last passengers are getting on the first plane. One more passenger shows up for the second plane. The five of us are having a great time already chatting and getting ready for a party on the plane. We start to board when the gal at the ticket desk starts yelling on her radio that the first plane cannot take off yet because she wasn’t done clearing everybody. We’re all hooting and having a great time at the other plane’s expense, of course. We’re allowed to sit any on the plane that we want. I got made fun of because I took a seat further back than everybody else. I tried explaining “that’s where the cool kids sit”, but they weren’t going for it. Later in the 20min. flight one of the gentlemen turned and asked why I wasn’t talking, that he’d almost forgotten about me, and started laughing because he figured out that I was the Sky Marshal. ☺ This gave everybody a good laugh. We landed safely (Although, the stewardess almost didn’t make it to her seat before we touched down. It was her 2nd or 3rd flight ever.) unloaded very quickly, and headed out. Three of us went in the same direction and talked some more. Turned out that one fella is in the airline industry and now works for Delta. He was just a little information booth within himself!

Next, whilst walking around looking for things to do I noticed an Apple computer at Chili’s. I then noticed that the user of said computer was wearing A LOT of USA Roots clothing and that his laptop had a USA Luge sticker on it. Now, I think anybody who puts a sticker on a laptop is pretty hard-core for whatever the sticker is about. I think this guy was on the USA Luge team! How exciting!!!!

But, my lunch is finished (I ate at Chili’s) and I still need to find my gate. It’s not posted on any of the screens and the Info lady could only get me in the general area. My flight doesn’t have an actual gate yet apparently. So once again into the wild blue towards the purple mountains majesty.

Final Note: There are some things one never wants to hear when getting ready to fly. These are the one’s I’ve heard and enjoyed. Pilot: “I refuse to fly this plane.” Airport Ticket Agent: “Has anybody seen the DC-9 Crew?”

Ah the Beautiful Snow!

I should be writing this post from my home in Greeley, but I'm not. I had everything packed, celebrated an early B-day, said my good-byes to my folks, and was finishing some errands for Shel and Shawn when an automated NWA attendant called and told me my flight was cancelled. My flight shoud've left Rochester at 6:14 and I was called about 4:45. Turned out to be a good thing b/c Lucas and I were kinda meandering around Target. It also gave me some more time with the crew. So, sorry work people and ya for me!

Yesterday though Shel had some craziness. Shel, the Boys and I were at the mall and stopped at a Beauty Salon, whose name is to be withheld, to visit one of their friends. Shel used the opportunity to go change Jonas' diaper in an open conference room. While in there, Jonas peed the most pee he has ever peed before. Shel tried to "deal" with the situation the best she could to keep pee from going everywhere. (Dealing includes pinching and covering.) After removing Jonas' soaked onesie he decided to poop. He's pooping while on his back so the poop is just squishing and oozing out into this HUGE puddle of pee! At this time Lucas tells Shel that he wants to come find me in the waiting area and just takes off. Shel grabs a semi-clothed Jonas (leaving this urine/feces mess on the table) and finds me to pass the Boys off. The good person that Shel is, she goes back to wipe up the mess with baby blankets.

The Final Note: I love snow and if you ever go to a meeting at the unnamed beauty salon in Rochester, be sure to bring some Antiseptic Hand Cleanser!!

Roch

So here's how the story goes. There was a bit of a snow storm last Sunday and Monday. The highways from Rochester to Minneapolis were closed, so the Fagan family wasn't able to go up. But, Lucas, my nephew, ended up in ditch. The crazy part is, he's not quite three. Apparently he was out driving, went into a ditch, and got salt in his eyes. He's a VERY imaginative little boy. Later on Monday, Lucas (L-Dog to his friends) and I went on a trip to Egypt. We went hiking, surfing, canoeing, rode camels, and climbed a few mountains along the way. I've never been to Egypt, so I was definitely excited.

Rochester, MN is a great place to visit...in the Spring time. Check out Whistle Binkie's if you're in the area.