Happy MMXI!

I can't believe another year has come and gone! Life seems to stream through rather than trickle by as it once did, but I guess that's how life works. A brief 2010 in review...I have successfully finished my first semester of entry classes to Grad school and did rather well. Kim is feverishly working on her book idea and doing so well. I am very proud of her efforts, her strive to think outside the box and get more kids interested in math. I have started running and have somehow been able to maintain on some semblance of a schedule, this is a miracle in and of itself. Other than that, I turned forty and I have been forced to address some life lessons, comes with the territory. I'm actually more thankful for it.

Kim and I returned from our Christmas excursion to Madison a few days ago and are now trying to catch up on rest and relaxation and all the other things we need to get done before the next school sessions start, but I think we're ready. Happy New Year everyone! Make 2011 what you want of it and may this year be more prosperous and bountiful then the last.

Introducing Sconnie

So Kim and I have added another animal to our brood, Sconnie. She's 7-8 weeks old, deaf and adjusting quite nicely to us and our house. Her temperament can be very sweet, tender and loving at times, but she also has a spunky, rambunctious and spastic side. She loves to play with her toys, sleep in weird places and isn't afraid of the dogs. I don't know what the dogs make of her quite yet, but we are still slowly introducing them to each other. So far she ignores them as they try to stare her down.

I'm teaching her a few signs in ASL, Kim too, like "no" and "food" so we can communicate with her better. And the past few nights she has been keeping Kim and I up with her nocturnal antics, which we both hope will pass soon, but she is a kitten and the possibility of that happening is quite slim. It's so nice to have a kitty in the house again, it was missing that energy. Kim and I have fallen madly in love with her and I believe her with us too. And so it begins...

Our teddy bear

Yesterday, Kim and I said goodbye to our teddy bear, Spencer. We are heartbroken and heavy-hearted, but know deep within our hearts that it was the right decision. He had a old injury that, at his age, his body could no longer fend off. This caused chronic inflammation, pain and discharge, none of which medication helped. He no longer could get up with ease, romp around the yard with the Linus and Abby or go for long walks around the lake. Kim made the tough decision and he went peacefully last night.

So goodnight teddy bear, our Fatboy, I hope you are running around the skies chasing gophers and lizards with Punker-poo and that kitty is watching somewhere close by. You will forever be in our hearts and minds as one of the sweetest and most loving animals we ever knew. We will always love you and we will miss you dearly.

On the road again, I just can't wait to be on the road again...oh wait

Kim and I are on the road, currently just outside Alda, Nebraska. The drive through California, Nevada and Arizona were uneventful, but that changed ince we hit Utah. The weather has been very unpredictable and anything but warm. It's been raining almost non stop through Utah, Colorado and now Nebraska. We've actually had the heater on in the car more than we have cared too. Go figure!

We are excited to see the Wisconson clan, but traveling with three dogs (even Kim admits) is a colossal pain in the ass. I think we we'll never have this many animals again. It's just too much work and we are always trying to figure out who will take care of them. But for now we are a pack of wolves and travel together. More from Wisconsin, once we get there...

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Running up that road...

So I just finished the first 9 weeks of running today. Now 9 weeks actually fell over 4 months, but eh who's counting. I know I have a long way to go and about 30 pounds to go with it, but I wanted to thank a few people for getting me here.

First and foremost I have to thank the GetRunning app which has supported me the whole way. It was perfect for someone like me who has no real experience with running and is completely out of shape. So thank you for making running possible and thanks for suggesting Run Keeper Pro for the next step!

I also want to thank my aunt Eileen & uncle Chuck for running with me at my first 5K and Steve & Maren for running with me on the second. It was great to have moral support along the way. I look forward to my next 5K, then 10K and then who knows maybe even a marathon.

Thanks to my Facebook friends for encouraging me, my wife and my Dad for cheering me on and a little pat on the back to myself for seeing this through. Here's to the next leg of my running journey...cheers! (Forgive the puns)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

California wildflowers Part I

On a recent hike with Kim and the naughties I took some pictures of local flora in the hills surrounding Elizabeth Lake. I cannot wait for sunnier days so the flowers will begin bloom and to be able to take better photographs. The hills are beginning to turn shades of yellow, orange and purple. I am looking forward to exploring the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in the next few weeks, so be on the look out for more pictures of spring flowers.

A view of Elizabeth Lake through wildflowers

Nemophila menziesii or Baby blue-eyes

Lupinus polyphyllus or Lupine

Helianthella californica or Helianthella

Phacelia tanacetifolia or Purple Tancy

Ranunculus californicus or California buttercup

Clarkia purpurea or Purple Clarkia

Lupinus albifrons or Bush Lupine

The cold that would not die

So I've been sick for the better part of a week and a half. It has not stopped me from working, but it has made life difficult. I have been shunned to the office, so I don't keep Kim up at night with my persistent cough (day three). I'm on my second bottle of Coricidin HBP cough syrup and have sucked on an entire bag of strawberries & cream flavored Cold Eeze lozenges, and yet it's still here. I know I'm whining, but it has disrupted my running schedule and weekends are spent recuperating.

Ugh! I want my my life back....cough, cough, hack, cough, sniff.

Wiiiiiiiiiii

Okay so Kim and I finally broke down and bought a Wii. I have coveted my aunt and uncle's (Chuck & Eileen's) since they first bought theirs, but there was no good excuse, until now. The tipping edge for us was on a recent discovery. We (no pun intended) were about to purchase a Roku to download Netflix and Amazon instant play movies, however coming very soon to a bat station in our very own living room, we will be able to do that with the Wii. How frigging cool is that? I know I'm geeking out, but let me have my moment!

Okay okay so we didn't buy it solely for that purpose. I've wanted to get WiiFit for a long while. I don't want to buy a gym membership, Kim doesn't like working out in front of other people, there's never any time to go anywhere to workout...yadda yadda. So with money we received back for the government we decided to spend it on our health and have a little fun at the same time. I'm looking forward to trying the Yoga (which I've heard is very good).

So that's all for the Wii. Wii will have to give you an update later and Wii would love to challenge our friends and family to a game of Family Feud. =)

My heart will always belong to a Mac

With that being said, I broke down and bought a PC Netbook, a Toshiba nb205 in Black Onyx. I begrudgingly ventured into the PC world last week and have to admit it's not all bad. With the many workshops that I do, teaching and one of my present employers, all requiring some sort of PC software or hardware, I had to give in. It has made my life easier at the company I work with and I know it will assist with available projectors, cables and software whilst teaching and presenting.

Kim found the Toshiba nb205 on Amazon.com for a song. Splitting the difference, we bought it on Black Friday as part of my birthday gift and early Christmas present. Thank you honey bunny! It's a good little machine that will do the trick and appease those who require me to follow the rest of the minions. But secretly, behind closed doors, I will forever be singing Macs praises.

Mac Geekette forever! P.S. PCs are sooooo bad, they can tag along too.

I heart New York

Kim and I recently returned from visiting our friend Meg in New York City. I must say that I love this city. I don't think I could live there now, but it definitely warrants more frequent visits. Of course Meg was the ultimate hostess and took us where ever we wanted to roam. We enjoyed fine food, great shopping and superb company. This was Kim's first trip to the Big Apple and my return after a much too-long hiatus. Here are some pictures from the excursion...

View in Battery Park

Kim and I in Battery Park

South Street Seaport view

View of Ground Zero from St Paul's Chapel

The Sphere by Franz Koenig in Battery Park

Ice skating in Central Park

Meg, Withnail and I at the South Street Seaport

Meg, Kim and Withnail at the South Street Seaport

A view of Brooklyn at dusk

A view of the South Street Seaport at dusk

Kim and I in Time Square

A view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

Thanks for everything Meg: for your company, hospitality and most of all your friendship.

Patty's visit and the giant pumpkin

Patti Gotrik came to town,not too long ago, and spent a long weekend with us. We went out to eat, a lot: Malhi's Indian Cuisine, Casa Gutiuerrez etc. I swear Patty's taste buds are on fire. I coaxed into eating everything possible spicy and when I waited for her to gasp or cough she simple replied, "eh that's not that hot." Then one nice cool afternoon we took Patty down to Ventura Beach.

We walked along historic Main Street, ate breakfast at the Cajun Kitchen Cafe and sat on the rocks at Emma Wood State Beach. Kim and I even had Patty take a picture where Kim proposed in 2007. It was great to get a candid shot to relive the moment. Thanks Patty!

Our final stop put us at a local farmer's market near the town of Santa Paula, CA. Anytime we are in the area, we always stop at Francisco's Fruit Stand for fruit, nuts or fresh local salsas. This time we were on the hunt for a great pumpkin and Kim had the final say. The sucker weighed in at 35-36 pounds and cost a whopping $30. It was well worth this face.

It took 2 hours of scooping through hefty pumpkin guts and carving tough skin out of this 35-36 pounder. This ghoulish, creepy tree sat on Rowdy and Dan's front lawn as we passed out candy to the kiddies. One of my all time favorite activities.

Here's hoping everyone had a great Halloween!

Best Birthday

Yesterday, after a pretty uneventful birthday spent at work, I came home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a thick buttercream chocolate cake and an obnoxious singing birthday card. Perfect! Then, Kim took me out for Tikki Masala, Shrimp Curry and Naan at our favorite Indian restaurant, Mahli's in Palmdale.

We discussed our future together and started making plans. It was a special moment that I will never forget. How could life get any better? I really am a luck girl. Thanks baby for making my birthday great.

Marsh-Mellow Acres

The last weekend Kim and I were in Wisconsin we took a trip to "the land" near Sauk City. Always a much anticipated part of journeying to Wisconsin, this mini camping excursion to meet Kim's college gang, for a yearly reunion, and hang out with family and friends is always a blast. This year the weather was peculiarly cool with temperatures in the 60's and 70's, so swimming wasn't particularly inviting. We spent most of our short time sitting around the campfire sharing stories.

Here are some photographic highlights of the trip...

View of the Wisconsin River

Snapping turtles

Dad with the naughties Linus and Spencer

The big top tent in the woods

Randy off to inspect the troops ;-)

When is spaghetti night?

Hey Linda nice catch!

Mid summer storm is coming...unseasonably cool

Sunset camping, need I say more? Beautiful

Until next year friends, we think of you often and can't wait to see you again!

House on the Rock

So whilst in Madison, Kim and I took off one day and had a romantic outing to ourselves. We drove to the House on the Rock in Spring Green which is about 2 hours outside of Madison. I had no idea what to expect and Kim didn't exactly clue me in either.

This place is just indescribable and I won't be able to do it justice.

"The House on the Rock is the grand vision of Alex Jordan, who believed that sights and sounds were the most effective means of stimulating the senses. He wanted guests to question his creation, to come to their own conclusions and to turn his world of dreams into their own. The Attraction has room after room of some of the world's most unique and eclectic collections" The House on the Rock

You can find more history and information about this place here and here too. I'll just let the pictures and videos speak for themselves. A playground for all or your worst claustrophobic nightmare? I thought of it as a Disneyland for adults, but you decide.

The House - Outside view

The Infinity Room - Above from the inside

The Water Mill - Part of the Mill House

The following pictures are from the insides of the buildings...

The Main House - The ladies bathroom

The steam train

One of the many carousel horses in the Carousel Room

One of many many curious autamata - depicting ghoulish and deathly themes

The Music of Yesterday - Franz Josef (Buy lots of tokens)

The Carousel Room - Told to be the World's Largest (Amazing)

Madison highlights...home improvements

Stained the fence









The tiled floor before












The tiled floor after with new paint - Honey gold












The tiled floor before with Kim hard at work









The tiled floor after with new paint












New hardwood floor









Engineered hardwood with trim