Sky Coaster

I'm still jealous and wish I would have done this. TDawg and the my niece, Tater, were the brave ones. Actually, Tater was a tad bit nervous!

Truth is Stranger than Fiction

I found out today that someone beat us to the idea of dessert sushi. Just check out chocolatesushi.com We will test drive the recipes and make some of own creations. And Miss Goofy is so loved the pictures, I thought I'd post one more.

Road Trip

When it comes to traveling, my Christian sisters and I are the "sitting on G and ready for O" type of people. We hardly need an excuse to take a roadtrip. While on one roadtrip, we are planning the next! You never know what we will come up with. Miss Goofy wanted to know if we like California roll/sushi. Miss Gassy said that if we could make it with chocolate and peanut butter that she would be all for it. So, one of these days, I think we are going to try to create a sushi dessert? Hmm. Not sure how of if this is going to be possible. But knowing us, we will have a lot of fun and laughs doing it. Personally, I like my "sushi" either marinated and grilled or battered and deep fried.

"Deeper Still" in Hot-lanta

My sisters in Christ: Miss Gassy, me (Miss McGuyver) and Miss Goofy. We shouldn't be allowed to have such fun! And someone should have told the city of Atlanta that we were coming! Since I'm smiling in this picture, it was obviously taken before I was denied my ham sandwich. I did get a turkey sandwich...but mine didn't have any cheese. That's ok, I'm over it now. And I had an awesome time!!

I had the privilege of seeing Kay Arthur (left), Priscilla Shirer (center), Beth Moore (right) and Mandisa (who sang the roof off of Philips Arena ) this weekend in Atlanta. I had an awesome time with 19,000 of my closest friends.

I'm a Strawberry Shake

You Are a Strawberry Shake

You are a truly sweet person... but not too sweet. You're a little too sassy and funky to be considered a sweetheart. You love to flirt and tease. And people love the attention you give them. You are a true extrovert, and you make new friends easily.

What Flavor Shake Are You?

I don't wanna be a snake, I don't like snakes!

You Are a Snake

You have extraordinarily sharp senses. You sense what's going on almost before it happens. You connect with the world. People instantly feel close to you. You are a natural protector. You take good care of your friends. You are an ambitious person. Your ambitious drives you. But while you are ambitious, you are also humble. You are thankful for everything you have.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatreptileareyouquiz/">What Reptile Are You?

Attic Critter Update

JZ, the verminator, was here this week. No signs of critters in the attic nor anywhere else. Thank God! I guess our bug buddy was a lone wolf. JZ said that there was no sign of "friends" and no sign of damage (drilling or otherwise). Whew!! JZ seemed to think that our bug is not native. Hmm. Wonder where he came from? The possibilities abound. But I am choosing to think that Bug Buddy came in with the shingles, went out with our trash and that is the end of this story.

Hermie is Chinese?

One afternoon, while everyone was down at the pool, I was upstairs in the beach condo. I was sitting on the floor trying to get the DVD player to work for Buddy. And I heard scritching (never a good sign)! I looked over and saw an enormous red spider with LONG legs crawling out of a Chinese to-go box! (I'm not sure I will ever feel the same way about Chinese food). It took me a minute to realize that it was a present for Wildman (my nephew). He had just turned six years old and is crazy about bugs and reptiles. So, my mother in law (mil) had purchased a hermit crab with Spiderman painted on the shell. Heaven only knows why the store decided a to-go box would make a nice temporary home. Anyway, I called down to the pool for TDawg to help rescue "Hermie". Later in the week, Wildman decided that Hermie needed to roam. Hermie was discovered behind the tv cabinet with his claws firmly dug into the berber carpet. After that, Hermie was left caged up! I still checked on him regularly to make sure that he didn't get out!!!!

More Zoo Pics...more my speed

The camels were really far back...must be able to spit a long way!
A Wallaby
A Giant Turtle
A smaller camel...yes, they do spit!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

There is a good reason why he is called the King of the Jungle. Big puddy-tat!
Here kitty, kitty? Nice kitty. This little kitty (did you see the size of those paws?) looked at me like I was a morning snack. You know those cartoons where Daffy Duck turns into a chicken leg...that's how I felt. Yes, there is a small chain link fence between me and these enormous carnivores. Kitty roared and I about wet my pants! By the way, I'm up in a tower and that is why I have an unobstructed view in these last two pictures.
Did you know that bears eat lettuce? How can he get so big eating rabbit food?

Jellies

When there is a purple flag at the beach, it means dangerous marine life. This could mean anything from jellyfish to sharks. I'm thinking that there is a big difference between being stung by a jelly and being eaten by a shark! Apparently, our purple flag was for jellies.

The Clampetts are back

We are back and oh so tired! We went down to the Redneck Ri-vera (Gulf Shores, Alabama). Cletus was a trooper. He had to chauffeur six people...ages 6, 13, 16, 19, 29 (me), and 65...and all of our luggage on the 700 mile trip. I am pretty sure that we packed more than the early pioneers. And we still ended up at Wally World (Wal-Mart) twice! How can that be? I think everyone had a good time and that is what is important. Now, I'm going to do the two things I missed most: a good shower and a good nights sleep! Ciao!

Out of Pocket

Well the Clampetts and extended fam are headed south in search of a cement pond...or the Gulf of Mexico, whichever comes first. Don't worry, I'll have lots of stories when I get plugged back in. That is if I decided to come back...hmmm...the life of a beach bum :-) I could wait tables and...well, maybe not...people get upset when you spill food on them. Ciao!

Whatever it is...it is ok.

I have been thinking a lot about fear this week. My irrational fear of huge rabid critter beasts (bunnies?) multiplying rapidly in the attic and all of the other silly things I worry about. It takes a lot of energy to worry. I really would like to be more like my pastor Billy Bob (not his real name). He can truly say: "Whatever it is: it is ok. It is all good" and he truly means it and lives it. Right now, I feel that I'm still wandering in the wilderness praying that God will free me from the circumstance of the moment. I have come to realize that, at least in this area, I'm a slow learner. God has to show me something a few times before I really get it. I know in my head that I am the one giving fear it's power. I need to take the thought captive and put it to the litmus test. How likely is this? (The answer is usually not likely at all.) If it happened, how bad could it be? (It could be unpleasant for awhile. But not that bad.). However, in the middle of the circumstance, I throw this knowledge out the window and react irrationally. I'm still working on getting to that next step...

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish Cletus a Happy Father's Day. It takes a special person to put up with yours truly. I know that I test his patience pretty much on a daily basis. He never knows just what Gracie Lucy is going to get herself into! He has done a great job of mentoring our two boys. He is great with Buddy and his special needs. He loves doing things with his co-pilot. He and Tdawg are sometimes just a little too much alike in their sense of humor. But it is fun to watch them laughing! Hope you had a great day today Sweetie!!

Gracie Lucy Rotten Pioneer

It is official, I would make a rotten pioneer! I hate bugs and critters and things that go bump in the night. According to TDawg, I scream like a girl. (Well, I am a girl!!) Starting last night we heard skritching and scratching in the ceiling above our closet and bath. So today, Cletus, TDawg and I were up in the attic. My imagination took off! I was hoping for puppies, kitties or fluffy bunnies. But since it is a good 18 feet off the ground, no such luck. We still don't know exactly what it is. We have pretty much ruled out squirrels, birds, weasels, raccoons, puppies, kitties and bunnies. Our best guess is mice. However, in the meantime, we found a really big ugly bug. TDawg looked it up and it looks like a beetle that feeds on wood. Did I mention that our whole house is western cedar? Just another challenge in the road of life. I used to think that I'd make a decent pioneer...but apparently not. So last night, between the storms and my crazy dreams, I didn't get much sleep. Maybe tonight, knowing that the critters will be gone soon, I will sleep better?

Where are you from?

Even though I have lived in the south for twenty years, some people tell me: you aren't from around here, are you? No, I'm from Colorado And being from Colorado:

• When the weather report says it's going to be 65 degrees, you shave your legs and wear a skirt.
• It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be cancelled.
• You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.
• You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.
• 'Humid' is over 25%.
• Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.
• You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.
• You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.
• You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat. (that was tough!)
• You know what the Continental Divide is.
• You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal. (does anyone?)
• You went to Casa Bonita as a kid.
• You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.
• You always know the elevation of where you are.
• You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow. And you take a light jacket to wear every night.
• You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High. And the Nuggets play at Big Mac.
• Everybody wears jeans to church.
• You have been to South Park; it is a real place not just a show on TV.
• You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder .
• You know that it is Elitches, not Six Flags., who cares what the sign says.
• When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.
• You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky'

The Results are in...

What was I like in High School...from two people who still talk to me and knew me pretty well:
"I thought you were fun and one of the few persons I thought was really dependable...but always good to stir up a little G rated trouble, quick with a wise aleck remark. who wants to know?? Every time I think of chocolate pudding...I think of you" and "Definitely proof that you can't judge a book by its cover! (who knew you were THAT much trouble anyway?!?) Why every time I see a grape soda I ...Oh never mind, that's a high school secret I will take to my grave (or the next reunion!) " So there you have it. I'd like to think that I'm a loyal friend. I have a friend, who moved to North Dakota in second grade. We have kept in touch all these years.

My Breakfast Buddy

My breakfast buddy this morning was Fluffy Bottoms. The whole family lives in our back yard. This the kind of wild animal I like!

Another surprise

This was a surprise as well. Left over from a bulb we got for Christmas a few years ago

Dirt Therapy Provides Results

My neighbor gave me these surprise lilies. I plant; Cletus weeds and waters.

In the Meantime...

While Cletus and TDawg were off meeting Tony Dungy, I decided to watch a movie: I Am Legend. Cletus told me that it was not my type of movie. But as usual, I didn't listen. I really did not expect it to be that scary. I think the movie was extra scary because of the recurring dream I had when I was about ten. I had that un-nerving dream that everyone on earth had disappeared, except me. (It is kind of like the dream where you come home from a long day at school to find that your parents moved and you were not invited!). Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck until Cletus and TDawg got back home. I had funky dreams all night long. I woke up this morning and felt like I'd been wrestling bears instead of sleeping. I think I should go back to my resolve to watch only romantic comedies!!

An Evening with Tony Dungy

Cletus and TDawg went down to the VBC last night to see An Evening with Tony Dungy. Tony Dungy is the coach of the Superbowl winning NFL Indianapolis Colts and recent author of "Quiet Strength". They were disappointed that they were not permitted to take pictures. So instead I took a picture of the book and the autograph that TDawg got. TDawg said that he was waiting in line to get the book autographed and suddenly realized he didn't know what to say. He finally gets to meet Mr. Dungy and says: "Boy, I bet your arm is tired!" Well, at least he made an NFL coach and future Hall of Famer laugh!!

Memory Lane

Thought I'd join Blessed Beyond on a trip down memory lane. Summer, the word crackled with excitement and endless possibilities. Summer started on Memorial Day weekend...or at least according to us it did, because that was when school closed and the neighborhood pool opened. Most days were spent at Mountain Shadows, a huge round pool with a diving island in the middle. It was the place to be! We would hop on our Sting-rays (my hand-me-down was purple with a silver sparkle-y banana seat) and fly down the road to the pool. At lunch, we would climb the overpass. At the top, walking over Interstate 70, we would encourage truckers to blow their horns. The sound was deafening, only our squeals could be heard over the roar. We'd run into the only place to eat around (I can see it but can't remember the name of it!); they had the best frozen lemon yogurt I have ever had. Then we would go into the Big Top (our version of 7-11) to get a candy necklace to chew on for the long walk back. After more swimming we would slowly pedal home...becoming fewer in number as the kids turned into their own driveway. On days we didn't go to the pool, there were the endless hours of playing with the water hose. It was really cool when we got a trampoline and you could put the sprinkler underneath it. We also spent hours floating boats (any stick would do) down the irrigation ditch. Of course, after dinner, the fun began again. We had endless hours of playing flashlight tag, red light/green light, throwing the glow-in-the-dark frisbee and lying in the grass staring at the sky. Everything seemed so much safer then. I'm sure there was danger around, we were just too naive to realize it. Then before you knew it, it was Labor Day. I used to dread Labor Day. That meant that the summer was over and the drudgery of school was starting again!

Prop Me Up On My Leanin' Side!

I got this in an email and wanted to share: I heard of an old deacon who always prayed: "Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side". After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently. He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this....I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing, but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time, I've withstood a lot of life's storms, I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, And I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times. Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't, so we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side,' so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

Huh?

“I know you believe you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant”.

Dorky Light Weight Nerd

Gracie Lucy Law Abiding Citizen

Getting home from work today was a challenge. I got stopped by the state troopers! Since I had not done anything wrong (quit laughing, really!), I calmly retrieved my driver's license (thank goodness I have a better picture now!!), my proof of insurance and registration. My being picky about where I keep things, pays off again!! Good thing I was calm and not flustered. Because, when I get rattled, I tend to babble incoherently. "Hi there, mister officer, sir. My how nice you look in your cute little uniform. Love the hat. Does is come in any other colors? I just don't look that good in a hat, though. You know, when you have to wear a uniform everyday, you have to accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! You have done a great job with your tool belt. Your black 357 magnum is fully-loaded, I'm sure (gulp) and the bracelets (handcuffs) are silver. Very nice. I think silver jewelry is a must with a tan outfit." Yes, I can see it now. Can you actually be arrested for babbling incoherently? Then I got to thinking...I just couldn't call Cletus (it would be too much for him)... so who do I know with a platinum credit card, willing to bail me out? (don't ya just know that orange is NOT my color. I can do peach if I have a good tan...). Hmm. Well, I guess I'll have to work on selecting out the lucky person to bail me out (feel free to volunteer). The court date would be fun. I would have to get ALL of you to come down to the competency hearing. You could tell the judge: No, seriously, this isn't anything new...she has always been like this! By the way, the stop was a check point...no ticket, no court date, no jail time. The officer thanked me for having my information together and said that he loved smart people and waved me on my way. It was apparent, however, that the person in front of me was going to have a really bad day...

I Heart Brad Travis

Thanks to our security team at work, I was able to meet and talk with WAFF Channel 48's Dedicated, Determine, Dependable, Storm Tracking, Chief Meterologist, Brad Travis! He was at my workplace today giving a speech on severe weather preparedness. Then answered questions, guess who asked the first one (me!). I even got a personalized signed picture (note the smile-y face) suitable for framing. Now I have to go get a heart-shaped frame to put it in! (deep sigh) Well, if Cletus is going to eventually leave me for Paula Dean...I am going to need a back up plan...well, there is always Orlando Bloom :-)

Party Crasher

I had lunch today at PF Chang's to celebrate BW birthday. But apparently I was not invited (sniff). Actually I was only accused of crashing, by the honoree. Either I was stalking or I was included on the email...must have been a gross oversight on someones part (hee hee). Anyway I had a yummo lunch. They have the best hot and sour soup and the (appetizer) lettuce wraps were delicious (with enough for dinner too). It was much better than the strange Moo Goo Gai Pan that I had last time. Word of warning, the mustard looks tame but it has a wicked delayed nasal afterburner effect. I'll have to remember wasabi the next time I get a sinus infection! Otherwise, it might make a good paint thinner! And I got a fortune cooky that said: Sometimes two smaller hops are better than one big leap. I'm pretty sure that Cletus would say that there isn't enough plaster of paris for Gracie Lucy to be hopping or leaping!

Gracie Lucy, P.I.

There is a strange investigative streak in me. It is the pursuit of all knowledge, especially hidden knowledge. You can imagine how bad I was as a kid at Christmas! Case in point, my youngest son, T-dawg was having cell phone problems. I borrowed his phone for the day to take to the phone store. I was flipping through the contact list (ok, snooping!) and found a girl's name: Ashley! Bummer. How would I know who this girl is? Score! The number was not a cell number is was a land line! Eureka, I know how to reverse search phone numbers using whitepages.com. So, now I know who she is and where she lives. If I were really bad, I could have paid for a background check. Nah, I wouldn't go that far...not that I'm not snoopy...just cheap. Now if I can just had time to do a drive-by...or get my hands on a yearbook. Sadly, I did neither. I spilled my guts to Tdawg who was not pleased. He insists that this girl is just a friend.

The Clampetts Visit the Farm

We went to a horse farm today. I think it is safe to say that I would not make a very good pioneer. The chickens startled me. The flies. The skunky dog smell. Ugh! I guess I'm too much of a sur-bub girl. I do like horses though. Milky Way was my fav and she seemed to like me too.

D
Dolly (black horse) is TDawg's fav. His comment: why the long face? (ha ha)

Milky Way was sad to see my go. Not sure the riding part is going to work out for Buddy.

Saturday in Scotsboro

The chickie poos and I had a fabulous time in Scotsboro. We visited Unclaimed Baggage and found some treasures. We had a delicious lunch at the Blue Willow (loved the Mango Tea). We found more treasures at the Goodwill and then met the nicest lady at the Bookscrappin' store. It was an endurance adventure and a good time was had by all! Next time...I need a good night's sleep and some geritol to keep up!!