Tuesday, March 31, 2009

~ Walking ~

Went for a walk with my dog, Maggie this afternoon. Doesn't it smell wonderful outside after a really good rain?

Sunday, March 29, 2009

~ A Wedding ~

My nephew got married this weekend. Congratulations Isaac and Stephanie.
He surprised her with a horse and carriage.


I photographed their wedding. Hope they don't regret that !
I never realized how tiring that job could be and I really should have worn really really comfortable shoes ... lesson learned!

~ Quiz Time ~




You are Conscientious, Agreeable, Neurotic and Open



Extroversion:



You have low extroversion.

You are quiet and reserved in most social situations.

A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you.

You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people.



Conscientiousness:



You have medium conscientiousness.

You're generally good at balancing work and play.

When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.

But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.



Agreeableness:



You have medium agreeableness.

You're generally a friendly and trusting person.

But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.

You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.



Neuroticism:



You have medium neuroticism.

You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.

Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.

Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.



Openness to experience:



Your openness to new experiences is medium.

You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.

But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.

You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Spring Quiz




You Are Blooming Flowers



You are an optimistic person by nature. In even the darkest times, you are hopeful about the future.

You feel truly blessed in life and can sometimes be overwhelmed with emotions.



You have an artist's eye. You are always looking for beauty in the mundane.

You have a good sense of aesthetics, especially when it comes to shapes and color.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

~ Summer Sidewalk Art Stroll ~

If any of you missed the sidewalk art strolls last year, here are the dates for this summer; they are on Thursday nights, usually 4:30 PM or 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

If you want to go, let me know, I love walking around the square and looking at all the crafts.


Dates set for Sidewalk Arts Stroll:
Dates are June 18, July 16 and August 20."

Sunday, March 15, 2009

~ We have lift off ~

Space Shuttle Experience

Okay, we are on the stands at the Banana Creek Viewing Site; this is the viewing site for VIPs; in this instance, that means us … LOL! This is about 3 miles from the launch pad. The crowd is all so very animated because this launch has been put off 5 times, we are so excited, proud, and a little nervous about being there too! It’s almost like a party crowd.

So once the shuttle begins its lift off, you see the big plumes of smoke billowing up around the shuttle as it begins its upward move to space; you don’t even hear the sound at first, it kind of rolls across the water toward you and then you begin to feel the vibrations, your clothes actually begin to vibrate before anything else and the roar hits you. If you chance a look at the water, you will see the fish start jumping up out of the water and the sound waves move even through their living environment.

It is awesome; did you know by the time the shuttle has been in the air for 7 minutes, it is going 14,000 mph – can’t even imagine that!


Wouldn’t it have been so totally awesome to be there to experience with great event!

WELL, that is how we feel too!

We came home Friday night late. Once the Wednesday launch was scrubbed; and then the Thursday launched scrubbed, they would not authorize the travel/hotel expense us to stay the additional time to see the launch which took place FINALLY tonight at approximately 6:45 CST, but we were there in our hearts – if that is possible, we watched it in our living room. Only two people from our group of 65 stayed.

We were both so disappointed, I actually think I was more disappointed than G. But we had a great time otherwise. I learned more about space travel and NASA in one week that I would have even thought possible! That is where I gleaned most the information in first of this blog and some of it was just my imagination ... the fish thing is true though.

Our hotel was fabulous, it was like an Italian village, with outdoor cafes, shops, water taxis, etc. Oh, and every evening at sunset, they had an Italian singer serenade the crowd from the balcony of the lobby. The lobby was actually on the 3rd floor, so when you are sitting at the sidewalk cafes, the serenade is coming from above. Bellissimo !









Gary with Astronaut Dottie Metcalf Lindberger (scheduled to take flight in 2010)



















Me with former astraunut Jon McBride; his last flight was scheduled after the Challenger disaster, which was deferred due to the that horrible event, he never flew another shuttle mission, he was also on the first crew with a woman crew member.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

~ BubbaGump Day ~

Our hotel - Loews PortoFino Bay Hotel
Photo taken from a water taxi.

Gary and I had dinner at the Bubbagump Shrimp Company; they had fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, cajun shrimp, sauteed shrimp, coconut shrimp, ... you get the picture - we had a sample of several, it was great! And of course Forrest Gump was playing on a big screen. Cute saying on the wall, wanted to post it here:





If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks; and if his wife doesn't hear him, is he still wrong?





I know what my immediate response to this was ... what about y'all?

Sunday, March 08, 2009

~ Deer Crossing ~

There is just something magical to me to see deer out in the wild by surprise. I was on my way home from running an errand today and a small herd of deer made an unofficial deer crossing right in front of me. Thankfully, I saw them far enough in advance to slow down and simply enjoy their beauty and grace.

To be honest, I was just glad to know all the hunters had not killed off all the herds out around my house during our most recent hunting season, now closed, thank goodness!

Anyway, I just felt like I was given my own little blessing by getting to watch them frolic across the field. I am so glad I am not married to a hunter!

Monday, March 02, 2009

~ OUCH! ~

"An inappropriate TV program leads to an acceptance of immoral behavior." Copied from Internet Cafe Devotions

I was taking a short break in my work day to read an online devotional and got stung - real bad. I was like, oh man, why did I have to read this ... now I am going to feel guilty every time I watch too many of the TV show I watch! I guess that is why I had to read it. huh!

Ya know ... it's not like I didn't already know this.

Enough said!

I watch too much TV anyway. Maybe I'll start paying attention to those irons in the fire again.