Farewell 2013

2013 hasn't been a bad year, but it hasn't been particularly great either.  I am looking forward to 2014 because I will finish my masters degree during this year.  We also plan to travel together, at least once, during 2014.  

Bring on the new year!!!!

Case of the Missing Ear Plugs

Hubby sleeps with earplugs at night and he hads (make that had) two pair of custom molded ear plugs.  They are more comfortable than anything you can buy over the counter.  He has been keeping one pair of ear plugs on the nightstand for the past three years and there has never been a problem.  Until recently.

One evening he notices that his ear plugs are gone.  We look everywhere imaginable and come up empty.  So, we start going over when we saw them last, etc.  We realized that they were laying in the middle of some of the Bob's soft mints (he keeps those on the nightstand too in case his blood sugar goes low) the night before.  One of our dogs, Riley the lab mix,  LOVE those silly mints. They are like doggie crack to her.  But we couldn't figure out how she could have gotten the ear plugs out without moving the mints or the cloth that was on the nightstand.  Why would she take the plugs and not just take the mints?  So we came to the conclusion that either she smelled the mints and took the ear plugs by mistake, that hubby accidentally threw them away (not likely, but you never know), or Abbie, the rat terrier, got up on the nightstand and took them.  Again, not sure how she would have done so without moving the mints or the cloth.  After exhausting all options, we decided that if either of them ate the ear plugs, we would know soon enough.  So, hubby pulled out his spare pair of ear plugs.

The next morning, hubby realized when he woke up that one of his ear plugs was missing.  Not both, just one of them.  He put them in that night and remembered taking one of them out and putting it on the nightstand during the night, but it was now gone.  Again, we did the search and came up empty.  We pulled the bed out, looked in pillow cases, looked in the bedding, looked under everything, in every corner; we literally took the bedroom apart and looked everywhere.  This time, the dogs were in their kennel, so where could this blasted ear plug have gone.  Now, we decided there was only one thing left to do...search the dog poop.  Yuck.

Later that day, we did our initial poop search and sure enough, we found the first pair of missing ear plugs.  The were eaten by Abbie, the rat terrier.  Somehow she managed to get them off of the nightstand without touching the mints or messing up the cloth that was on the nightstand.  No clue how she managed that, because I can't touch anything on those nightstands without messing up the cloth, but somehow she did.   We are still searching for the single missing ear plug.  This one has not revealed itself....yet.

Abbie is definitely keeping her status intact as my most expensive dog.

Feed Me!!

Hubby and I were out geocaching today and we came upon these guys in a little park.  As soon as they saw us they came swimming up looking for food.   Even when we went to a different part of the park they came over again.  They did not want us to leave without feeding them.  They came right up to the car door and even pecked the tires when we tried to back out.  I will have to go back with some bread for them.

Mini Pancake Maker Cookies

Last night hubby and I experimented with making sugar cookies in an electric mini pancake maker.  Last year, I bought a mini pancake and mini doughnut maker during the holidays and never really used them.  So, we decided to see if we could use them for something other than what the box indicated.

We took a basic sugar cookie recipe, dropped small little portions into each pancake area, and closed the lid for about a minute (depending on how crunchy or soft you want them).  They came out great.  They were slightly larger than a Nilla Wafer and tasted fantastic.

Now that we know that works, we could buy the refrigerator rolls of cookie dough and just make a small batch of a few cookies when we want them!

Skinny Shoes

My grandmother always kept a section of her closet with her "skinny shoes".  She would say that when she lost weight it was her feet that shrank first.  I always thought that was funny.   Now, I know exactly what she was talking about.  

Recently I have been putting more effort into working out and watching what I eat.  And as a result, my feet are shrinking.  I have gone from a women's size 8 to a youth size 6 shoe!

Others parts are starting to shrink too, but my feet are the most noticeable thus far. 

Still A Favorite

This cloth rope, a Christmas gift for my four-legged kids a couple of years ago from Katreader, is still one of their favorite toys.  Usually there is a three-way tug of war.  Nash makes a sound like an engine trying to start while he tugs on the rope. 

Leaving New York

On my last night in New York I did venture out a little.  I went to Central Park.  Yes, alone at night.  I really couldn't see much, but what I did see looked nice.  

There were some key things I learned during my few days in NYC.  First, when you step off of a curb to cross the street, you need to commit to crossing the street.  Do not hesitate.  Second, people are constantly in a hurry.  Regardless of where they are going or what they are doing, they are in a hurry.  Lastly, people in New York actually use their signals when they drive.  They may drive like maniacs, but they signal their intentions when doing so. 

All in all it wasn't a horrible trip, but I am really glad to be going home. 

New York City

Today is the start of day 3 in NYC and I have to say I am not terribly impressed.  I am staying near Lincoln Center and the area is dirty and smelly.  My hotel room is so incredibly tiny.  I have never seen a room this small and unimpressive.  Today is another day of meetings and then I will head home early in the morning.  I wanted to see NYC because several people have told me it is beautiful.  So far, there is nothing compelling me to plan another trip back. 

Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig

I haven't posted lately because I have been so busy with work, school, and volunteer activities.  I plan to get back on track with posting and I will start with this cute picture. 

This cute little guy was at the Hutto Olde Tyme Days festival.  He weighed about 3 pounds and was about the size of a little puppy.   He was too cute. 

Cool Cache Container

A really fun part of geocaching is seeing all of the creative containers people come up with to disguise the cache.  This container is from a series in Austin called Picnic Time.  All of them are things you would find at a family picnic. 

Whataburger Taking Bribes?

About three weeks ago, I was in Whataburger on a Sunday afternoon to grab a quick burger to go.  It was Sunday, so they were pretty busy.  There were three orders ahead of me in line and a large group (about 6 people) in line behind.  We all placed our orders and waiting on our food.  About 5 minutes after placing the order, a member of the large group behind me went up to the counter and spoke to the team lead.  He offered her $20 to push their order ahead of all of the other orders.  She asked him if he was kidding.  He said no, and placed the $20 on the counter.  From where I was sitting, I could not see if the team lead picked up the money (the credit card machine blocked her hands), but I do know that the man did not walk away from counter with the money.  The man nodded toward the money and the team lead smiled and walked back to the line to talk to those preparing the orders.   Within a couple of minutes, the large group had their order and left.  As soon as they left, many of the employees on the line started talking about the situation and debating if they would have taken the money or not.  It took at least another 10 minutes before the rest of us began getting our orders.

When my order was done, I asked to speak to the team lead who looked to have taken then money.  The young lady told me that she was on break, so I couldn't speak to her.  I wanted her to know that I saw what happened and found it appalling.  I was never able to speak to her, so I left.  The next day, I placed a call to both the local restaurant and the home office, but still have never received a return call.  I also have NOT been back to any Whataburger since this incident.

What would you have done if you had witnessed this situation?

Central Texas Veterans Cemetery

Visiting veterans memorials always gives me perspective on just how trivial my problems really are.  Thank you to all the men and women who have served or who are still serving.

The La-Z-Boy Chair

Hubby's chair finally arrived.  I ordered it for him on July 19th as part of his anniversary gift and it finally arrived.  We picked the color we thought would most closely match our other furniture.  As it turned out, it was an almost exact match.

Personal Trainer

Hubby and I took the plunge and joined 24 Hour Fitness.  In addition, I signed up for three sessions with a personal trainer.  I had my first session tonight and loved it.  

Weather Station

We have a weather station in our backyard, which is fantastic.  No matter where I am, I can look online or on my phone and see what the weather is doing at my house.  Unfortunately, when I set the sprinklers on Sunday, I set it where the water hit the weather station underneath - which is not a good thing.  There was  a sensor right where the sprinkle hit and that sensor was not meant to get wet - at least not a direct hit for 15 minutes or more.  Getting this sensor wet knocked out our weather station for about 24 hours.  Thankfully hubby was able to get the sensor dried out and get us back online; otherwise, we would have needed to buy a new sensor and it is not a cheap piece.

We are now planning to buy another weather station and donate it to our City Hall.  Our town is so small it doesn't have a weather station and we have to rely on areas around us.  That is why we got one to begin with, but the weather is dramatically different in various areas of our community, so it would be nice to have one at City Hall.

31 Days of Geocaching

Today starts a month long challenge called "31 Days of Geocaching".  The goal is to find a cache for every day during the month of August.  For each day that you find a cache or attend an event, you get a souvenir.  Hubby and I have a 108 day streak going (we have found a cache every day since April 16th), so I have no doubt we will be able to complete this challenge and collect all 31 souvenirs.

If you have never done geocaching, go check it out at www.geocaching.com.  It is a lot of fun, gets you out of the house, and is much a mental exercise as it is physical.  We have been members of the geocaching family since 2001.

Is Target Being Racist?

I noticed in our local Target that they have an isle that has the Italian, Asian, and Hispanic items. Why are these ethnicities being singled out?  Why can't you put the tortilla's with the other bread products or put the beans with Hispanic brand names in the place with the other beans?  Why can't the noodles all be placed in the same locations?

I just find this somewhat offensive and wonder if anyone else ever noticed this or if it is just at my Target?

The Texas Clover Band

Tonight we decided to go to the Downtown Hall of Fame and grab a beer while listening to some live music.  The band is made up of an unlikely group of guys.  One is a city councilman, one is the city engineer, and the other four members are very active in commissions and such for the community.  They are very good  and it was a lot of fun to get out and do something different.

25th Anniversary

Today was our 25th anniversary.  In today's society, we are not a typical couple because this is a first marriage for both of us.

I took this week off as vacation and we have been spending the week together.  We got massages, slept late every day, and tonight we treated ourselves to a new restaurant.  We went to Bess Bistro.  It is a restaurant owned by Sandra Bullock.  No, she wasn't there.

The food is French American and was very good.  I had The escargot for appetizer and hubby had the mussels.  The escargot was good, but the mussels were better.  For our main course, hubby had the filet with foie gras and I had the pan seared salmon.  For desert they treated us with the beignets.

All of the food was good, but the mussels were the best part of the meal.  

We have had a good 25 years and we will see what the next 25 years bring.

Don't Leave Your Dog In the Car

The county I live in, Williamson, is very strict about people leaving their animals in the car while they go in to a business.  We recently had a lady whose dog died after being left in the car for 15 minutes.  In the Texas heat, it doesn't take long for your dog to dehydrate and die.  

Today when hubby and I went to Target, we saw a little chihuahua left in the car.  We watched it for about 8-10 minutes and when the owner didn't come back, I called the police.  The owner arrived as I was giving the info to the police.  I politely reminded her that it was illegal to leave her dog in the car.  She yelled at her kid to get in the car and mumbled a few things then left.  She was buying a vacuum and didn't think she would be in the store that long.  

Nonetheless, the police took her info and will probably contact her to remind her that she needs the leave the dog at home next time.  If they had arrived, they would have cited her for negligence or animal cruelty.

If no one is going to stay in the car with your pet, please just leave them at home.

Real Racing 3

I am so addicted to Real Racing 3.  I find myself playing this every spare moment.  Everytime Hubby beats me in a race, I feel compelled to go back and beat him.

Texas Summer

We have been really lucky that we have not had very many triple digit days so far (sometimes they start as early as March). 

Yesterday we reached 106 and today is off like gangbusters already.  This info is from the weather station in my back yard.  It is currently 10:16 am and already 103, but feels like 112!

What Happened to Manners?

While hubby and I were out eating today, there was a young kid who was constantly whistling at a table near ours.  His grandparents didn't seem to mind, but it became really annoying very quickly.  

This made me wonder what happened to the manners that we were taught growing up?  Looking around, not only was this kid whistling, but one guy has his hat still on, and at other tables the kids were up and running around the restaurant playing.

Growing up, we sat politely at the table with feet on the floor, our hats were removed the minute we walked into a building, and whistling inside was not allowed.

I know things have changed, but it would be nice to see some manners return to our younger generations.

Gigantic Carrot

Check out my gigantic carrot. 

Darn Birds

The birds have discovered my garden, so it is time to put up the netting.  We had some left over netting from last year, but it was not quite enough to cover everything we needed covered.  Yesterday we went to Lowe's and bought more so we can put it up today.  The birds have already gotten a few tomatoes, but I don't want to let them get many more.

Hutto Class of 2013

We have heard that the schools in the  community where we live are really good.  To give you an idea about the school, the 2013 class had approximately 200 students and they earned over $4 million in scholarships.  In addition, every single student applied to go to college.  We actually had a niece that graduated from Hutto this year through an early college program and graduated with an Associate's degree in addition to her high school diploma. 

Way to go class of 2013!!!!

Dog Joy Cookies

I found these "take and bake" cookies for dogs.  They were peanut butter and oatmeal flavored and baked in 8-12 minutes.  My dogs LOVED them.  It is making me want to try making my own from scratch.  If anyone has any recipes they would like to share, I would love to try them.

Orange Crush Daylilly

They are finally in bloom.

Home Ownership

Sometimes the tests that come with home ownership can make you want to become a renter again.  This past Friday, hubby and I came home about 5pm to find our air conditioner had gone out.  In fact, it had completely frozen up.  Being that it is 5pm and on a Friday, getting someone out was a little tricky.  We do have a home warranty, but they couldn't get anyone out until maybe Sunday.  We have a company that did our annual maintenance on the a/c just 2 weeks before, so I called them.  They were able to come out on Saturday and we discovered our blower motor was dead.    It was finally replaced on Monday, but it was a really long weekend with no a/c.  The highest it got in the house was 90 and we were able to muscle through by opening windows and using lots of fans.  But when things like that happen, I sometimes miss being able to pick up the phone and have the landlord deal with the issue. 

Then I think about my garden and the great neighbors I have and I am glad I have my house.  Pros and cons, I suppose.

Garden Goodies

Today I picked my first cherry tomatoes and my first jalapeño peppers from this years garden.

Day 3 with Chigger Bites

Well, today is definitely better than the last 2 days.  I no longer want to scratch my skin off on a constant basis, the new bite marks have stopped forming, and we were both able to sleep most of the night.  Through trial and error, we did find some things that have worked for us;  solarcaine, ice packs, epsom salt baths, and benadryl.  I have read so much stuff online and from what I have found, there is basically no remedy that works for everyone.  Remedies that one person swears by, another person says did not work for them at all. So we have just been doing a combination of things to get relief.  I don't know how I have lived in Texas all my life and never gotten these pesky little bugs before, but I certainly hope I never get them again.  I think even poison ivy was less irritating.  I must say though, this has not really stopped us from geocaching.  We have still managed to go out each day to grab a cache, we just pick those that are in a more urban setting.

Chigger Bites Suck

Hubby and I were geocaching Thursday and apparently picked up the lively creatures then.  We had no idea at the  time, but Friday morning I woke up with tons of bug bites, most of them in a private area.  A little bit later, hubby woke up and realized he had them too, but mostly on his legs.   We each have about 50 bites.  It took us a trip to the doctor and lots of Internet research to figure out what we had. 

We searched high and low for the best remedy and opted fur Chiggerid.  We found this does not work well for guys with hairy legs.  For me, it felt good initially, but the itching came back really quick.  Plus, that crap is hard to get off of you.  So far, we found that hot showers, rubbing alcohol, and Benadryl work the best.

Flash Mobs

This weekend, hubby and I attended two Flash Mobs for "May the Fourth Be With You".  It was a lot of fun.  The first one you had to take a bendable alien figure and pose the figure.  Then you had to pose in the same position, with your bendy and have your photo taken.  The second one we had to show up with our Star Wars garb and "fight" with each other for a brief time.  We had a lot of fun.  The look on people's faces, especially at the Star Wars event, was the best.

Crazy Texas Weather

Today our high temperature has already come and gone.  It was 65 when I go up this morning at about 6am and according to the weather service, our high today is supposed to only be 57.  We are actually expected to reach record low temperatures tonight.  Last year at this time, we were already pushing triple digit temps.  I actually love the cooler temperatures and hope this means we are in for a mild summer. When we start counting the number of days we stayed in the triple digit range, that is way too hot for me.

NCIS

The previews for NCIS say to stay tuned for the final three episodes. It doesn't say if it is the final three of the season or the series. I haven't found any info saying the series is coming to an end, but the teaser makes it sound as though it is ending.

Does anyone know if NCIS is returning next season or if this is the last season?

Austin Food and Wine Festival

This weekend was the Austin Food and Wine Festival. I would have love to have gone in the hopes of meeting Andrew Zimmern, but the ticket costs were way out of my budget. They ranged from $250 to $850 for both days. There is a food and wine festival coming to Round Rock soon, hopefully those tickets will be more reasonably priced.

A Dog's Purpose

If you are looking for a book that will tug at your heart strings and make you want to hug your pets, you should read this book. Although, if you are an emotional person, I wouldn't recommend reading this book on an airplane or in the airport like I did.

Reflection

Lately I have been reflecting on where I am in life, where I want to be, and what is important to me. Work used to be my primary focus, but now I no longer feel that pull to focus as hard on work as I once did. I feel it is now time to focus on me, family, and not letting work dominate my life.

Hubby deserves for me to not be stressed all the time. He deserves for us to be able to just relax and have fun.

Flowers in Bloom

My Daylilies and Poppy are both blooming nicely.

American Airlines Sucks - Southwest Saves the Day

This was my worst travel experience ever. I left Tuesday for a business trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. Although getting to the Austin airport was a challenge (there was an auto/pedestrian accident that blocked traffic for a while), the flight from Austin to Dallas was on time and okay. Then in Dallas, my flight to Charlotte was delayed an hour. This part of the flight was not too bad, it's the return home that became the nightmare.

I arrived early at the Charlotte airport and started noticing that all of the flights out of my terminal were delayed. So when my flight took off on time, I was pleasantly surprised. Then the fun begins. About 45 minutes in to the flight, we begin smelling something that smelled like a cross between burnt food and cigarettes. Just about that time the pilot announces we are turning around and going back to Charlotte because if this unknown smell. When we land, our plane is instantly surrounded by firetrucks. When landed really hard and they actually escorted us in. They wouldn't let us off the plane until they knew there was nothing on fire outside. Then several firemen come on board and ask us to get all of our luggage and get off.

Once off and back in the terminal, they didn't tell us anything for a long time. When several of us started asking and complaining, they started trying to find us other options. One option they did offer me was a US Air flight that was leaving in about an hour. It is now about 9pm and our flight originally left at 7:15pm. Even though American and US Air are technically one company now, the person helping us couldn't book us in their flights, so we had to go over to the US Air terminal to see if there was an opening. There wasn't. So, we had to go back to the American terminal. About that time they tell us another plane is coming and they will get us to Dallas tonight, put us in a hotel, and find us connecting flights on Friday. They were supposed to feed us on the plane, but that didn't happen.

We arrive in Dallas at 1am. The Super 8 hotel they booked us in never came to pick us up. When I called to complain, they said the shuttle stopped running at 1am and the airline told them we would be there by 12:30pm, so when we weren't there, he left.

It is now about 2am and I am beat. I have been up since 6. The flight they booked me on was to board at 7:50am .I would have to be back at the airport in 3 hours. So, by the time I would get to the hotel, I would have to come back.

I checked for flights on other airlines, but nothing was available. I thought about renting a car and driving the remaining 3 hours, but they were all closed. I called our company travel agency emergency line, but no one answered.

I decided to book a flight on another airline at another airport. Southwest Airlines to the rescue. I booked the flight, called the cab to take me to the other airport. and am now waiting for my 6am flight home. When I got to the new airport, Dallas Love Field, everyone was super nice. One of the security guards showed me to a new lounge they just opened and are letting me and a couple of others hang out until it is time for our flight.

I can definitely say, I will NEVER fly American again. In addition to this horrible experience, their flight attendants are not very friendly and they don't seem to be very good at handling situations that don't go as planned.

Day of Geocaching Fun

Yesterday, hubby and I had a full day of geocaching. It was great to spend the whole day not worrying about my presentation, or work, or things that needed to get done around the house. We reached a new record of caches found in one day, 27. We also saw a couple of cool things. We saw a couple of baby doves sitting on their nest (I accidentally scared the mama dove) and we saw a Brown snake having lunch. I am really scared of snakes, but he was small so I was able to stay near him for a while before I just had to get away.

Garden

I planted my garden this year and then we had one last freeze, which killed a couple of my tomato plants.  I replanted those and then last night we got a nice and hard rain.  I am hoping the rain didn't uproot some of the new seeds I put in this week.

We have items planted in both the garden and in pots this year.  In pots on the porch we have:  potatoes, arugula, baby carrots, spinach, apple mint, and chili's.  In the garden we have roma tomatoes, husky cherry red tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, spicy bell peppers, green bell peppers, purple bell peppers, string beans, and snow peas.

This year we planted things we love to eat and cook with, so I can't wait for everything to be ready.

Nonhuman Primates

Hubby is going through a program in our city called the Citizens Police Academy.  During this 4 month program, they get to know the workings of all areas of our local police department.  During this presentation from the animal control group, it was mentioned that the city ordinance prevents residents from having a nonhuman primate as a pet.  The term nonhuman primate stuck with me.  Why not simply say you could not keep primates as pets?  So, this prompted me to began researching this term and how it came to be. 

I guess I missed the class in school when we learned that humans are a class of primates.  I tried to find out when the term nonhuman primates came in to use, but I couldn't find anything.  Every article I read made it sound like it was a common term, but I had not heard it used before.

Have any of you ever heard of a nonhuman primate?

Also, I wonder if the city would allow human primates to be kept as pets?

Punxsutawney Phil Indicted

Poor Punxsutawney Phil.  I can't believe he was indicted for "misrepresentation of early spring".  Phil is the only weather forecaster I know of who has ever been punished for not getting the weather right.

I think Phil should have his lawyer file an appeal.  He was actually forced to come out of his house and coerced in to making a prediction.

Ritz Munchables Buttery Thins

Ritz made a cracker that we discovered last year called Munchables Buttery Thins. These were small (about the size of a quarter) and had a buttery flavor. They were great with soups or to just for a quick snack. I bought my last box in November and now that we are running low, we haven't been able to find them again. 

I finally reached out to Nabisco to see how I could find them. They wrote back today to tell me that this item had been discontinued due to lack of popularity. I can't believe they weren't popular. 

Nabisco, what do we have to do in order to get these crackers back?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope you have a great St. Patrick's Day.

Time to Garden

It is time to plant the garden again. This year hubby and I are primarily doing a salsa garden.  We have planted 2 types of tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, spicy bell pepper, green bell pepper and purple bell pepper. We have also planted snap peas and string beans.  We are going to do spinach, carrots, and arugula in pots this year as well.  My plan is to be more involved this year in the garden so hubby isn't stuck doing the majority of it by himself.

The Following

I wasn't going to start watching the new Kevin Bacon show called The Following, but hubby recorded the first episode.  He said he thought it would be one that would catch my interest.  Well, he was right (as much as that hurts to admit).   This show has grabbed me from the very beginning and I faithfully watch it every week.  I am typically pretty good at figuring out how they did things or what might be coming next, but not with this show.  I am also intrigued that someone could build such a loyal following of people who have never met him.  I wonder if these type of cults actually exist in the real world?

Roadside Memorials

I don't understand putting a roadside memorial where someone was killed. Today when hubby and I were going to Lowe's, we saw a large group of people putting flowers on a busy road where someone was killed. To me, it seems that they should be visiting and paying respects at their graveside or a place where their loved one enjoyed going. Why go to the place that caused so much pain to the family?

Am I missing something?

Chris P. Bacon

I heard about Chris on the news last night and he is so adorable.  You have to check out his videos on You Tube.  He is also on Facebook and Twitter.  I have never considered having a pot bellied pig, but this little guy would totally change my mind.

Perfume and Cologne

The other day, Hubby was in the doctors office waiting room when someone walked in and their fragrance was so strong, he had to go outside of the building and wait to keep from getting sick.  I also have a reaction to most fragrances, so I don't use them. But, I was curious about how we came to have perfume and cologne in our society.

In the Dark Ages, fragrance was used by people to cover the smell of death due to the Black Death as many of the dead were left where they fell until the honey wagons collected them.  In some cultures it was used to cover body odor because they did not have the facilities to bathe regularly.  In others, it was used by the elderly to cover the natural smell that an elderly person tends to get as they age. Some people call it the "smell of death".   Of course in more modern times it is used to make yourself smell more appealing to others.  Regardless of why a person uses perfumes and colognes, a little really does go a long way.  As your body heats up, it continually reactivates your perfume, so there is no need to spray multiple times all over your body.  Just little dabs at key pulse points (behind the ears or on the neck) will do the trick.

My paternal grandmother always sprayed one spritz in the air and walked in to it; whatever got on her was all she ever used.  There are some people who use fragrances lightly and they really do smell nice.  Others, however, really douse themselves with the fragrance and their smell is very offensive.

For all of you that love to wear fragrance and love to spray several sprays all over you, please remember that some people are allergic and you are literally making us sick.

Chris Kyle's Funeral

Today is the funeral procession from Midlothian to Austin for the Ex Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.  I find myself feeling really emotional each time I hear about this story.  My husband and I both have lots of family members who either are or have been in the military and the sacrifices that both them and their family makes is tremendous. 

The pain the Kyle family will go through over the next several months is tremendous, but with the support of their friends, they will make it through this difficult time even stronger than before.  I am hoping the procession goes well today and the anticipated protest group stay away.  This family is going through an extremely difficult time and the last thing they need is someone protesting at the funeral.

Thank you Chris and all service men and women for your dedication and service to our country.

Fish Patty and the Chili Judge

Today Hubby and I went to Cabela's shopping.  We had never been and it is quite a distance from our house, but we decided to go check it out.  When we got there they were having a Chili Cook-Off in the parking lot to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.  We didn't stop to check it out because we were going to have lunch with hubby's sister and we didn't want to dilly dally.  When we were finishing our shopping, his sister texted and said she wasn't able to make lunch after all.  So, on the way out of the store, one of the guys from the chili cook off grabbed hubby and asked him to be one of the judges.  We didn't have plans, so he decided to participate.  Twenty-two chili samples later and we were back on our way home.  He had fun and the people there were really nice.  I am glad it was him and not me because he has a much stronger stomach.

On the way home, we stopped at Petco to pick up some glucosamine for the dogs and instead of buying their stuff, we pick up a new member of the family instead.  We purchased a female blue fantail Betta.  Her name will be Fish Patty.  We have noticed that our male Betta, Fish Stick, is making bubbles and that is supposed to mean they are ready for a partner.  We are leaving them in separate containers tonight and so far they have been checking each other out.  No one is puffing up like they want to fight, so that is a good sign.

CHL Class

Hubby and I took the CHL class today. We spent 9 hours in the classroom learning the applicable laws and rules that go with having a CHL. Then there was the hour on the range doing the shooting qualification. I was really nervous about the range portion, but I scored really well (242 out of a possible 250). Hubby did better, he scored 243 and probably would have scored 248, but he didn't get a chance to fire one round.

We both aced the written exam, so now we just have to complete the second portion which is the state application, fingerprinting and background portion.

If you are looking for a good CHL instructor, Calvin from Red's is great. He is a tough SOB on the range (all for everyones safety), but he makes the classroom portion easy to learn.

Hanes versus Fruit of the Loom

Hanes versus Fruit of the Loom is a debate we see on commercials all the time, but has anyone actually ever compared the two?  Well,  I did.  I typically always purchase Fruit of the Loom underwear.  No particular reason other than it is the brand I have typically purchased.  Recently, I purchased some Hanes underwear.  They were the same style, size, and material as the Fruit of the Loom underwear I normally purchase.  Well, the first wear and there was no doubt in my mind which was better...Fruit of the Loom - hands down.  They pinched and were scratcy and just overall the Hanes underwear were uncomfortable.  No more Hanes for me.  Next I want to compare Jockey to FTL to see how they stack up against each other.  Hubby thinks Jockey will win.  I don't care who wins as long as the end result is that I am comfortable.

Sinusitis

I have been having severe headaches for almost a week now. The doc did the normal exam and found nothing, but sent me for an MRA to rule out major issues. Hubby told me he thought it was sinus issues. But when the doc found nothing on the regular exam, I began to think I was having a migraine (something I have never experienced before).

Well, the results came back today and Hubby was right. Acute sinusitis with significant swelling in the mucosal membrane. In short, a severe sinus infection. Hubby really missed his calling, he should have gone in to the medical profession.

Girl Scout Cookies

It is Girl Scout cookie time again and the girls are out everywhere selling their assortment of goodies.  Unfortunately, they don't have any options that are sugar free or low sugar.  I think the Girl Scouts are missing out on a HUGE market potential by not having sugar free/low sugar options.

Catch Up

An impromptu business trip to California last Monday has gotten me a little behind on blogging. I spent 4 days in El Segundo for business and things have been super busy since I have been back. On my flight out to California, I met film and tv actress Margaret Blye. Visiting with her helped pass the 7 hour flight. Yes, 7 hours. I went from Austin to Los Angeles via Nashville.

Since coming back, work has been super busy. In addition, school starts this week. This class is part three of my thesis. I will present my thesis to the graduate board at the end of April.

Never Ending Holiday's

Have you ever noticed that the holidays are never ending?  It seems like the holidays are not special any more because we literally flow from one to the next without a break.  There is something going on almost every month of the year.  August is the only month that doesn't have a regular U.S. holiday showing on the calendar.

January - New Years Day & MLK Day
February - Valentines Day, Ground Hog Day, Lincoln's Birthday, President's Day
March - St. Patrick's Day & Easter
April - April Fool's Day & Administrative Professionals Day
May - Mother's Day and Memorial Day
June - Father'sDay, Flag Day, & Juneteenth (Emancipation Day)
July - Independence Day
September - Labor Day
October - Halloween & Columbus Day
November - Thanksgiving & Veteran's Day
December - Christmas

This doesn't even count those days that are celebrated by other's cultures.  This is just those that show up on the US calendar.

Happy New Year

I hope 2013 is all you hope for and more.