Jeff Dunham

I got a text from Maggie Mae today on my lunch break asking me what I was doing Thursday night. I told her nothing to which she replied, "Good. Then you can go with me to CO Springs!" Whoa! Wait a minute... I gotta work Thursday and Friday! So she explained to me that they ended up with an extra ticket to see Jeff Dunham. That was really depressing because the girl that covers for me is going to already be out of town. She said she could probly find someone else. I told her not to ask anyone till I let her know for sure.

So I got back to work and was talking to the other girl, Shannon. I told her what was going on and that Joetta was already going to be gone so I couldn't go. She looked at me with really big eyes and said, "GO!! You should go!! I'll watch the front desk and do patients that day, but you need to go to that!" So that was that. I affirmed with Joetta and we got it worked out.

So I am going to see Jeff Dunham on Thursday in Colorado Springs.

The only problem... My co-workers are way jealous! =)

Friday Foto

1) Taken last Saturday

2) In my backyard

3) I love all of the colors. I'm not usually abig fan of perfectly centered subjects, but for some reason I really like this one.

4) I really like taking pictures of this silly tractor! Jerrad love his ol' W-9 and I think it is very picturesque. As well as haveing a great color contrast to anything around it.

5) Named, "Stormy Weather-09"

Friday Foto

1) Taken Today on my lunch break

2) At the clinic where I work. Dr. Bill is a major gardener and we always have beautiful flowers outside in his HUGE flower bed.

3) I Just like this picture altogether. It is an interesting angle, good contrast and dim lighting that shows that the rain had just let up.

4) Tulips have always been one of my favorite flowers and it's nice to know that we have gotten some good moisture lately!

5) Named, "April Showers - April Flowers"

A beautiful day

Yesterday was about as picture perfect as you could get. Nice and sunshiny, barely a breeze, not too warm, not too cool... Perfect!

To bask in this glorious day, I decided to go for a walk. If Maggie and I are going to spend some quality hiking time together this summer, I had better get into some semblance of a non-round shape!

As I was walking down to the mail box, I came across at least 10 sets of deer tracks. Some of them in my lawn, some going back and forth from our wheat to the neighbor's. I certainly don't blame them for that! The wheat looks great! After our blizzard with heavy, wet snow it looked great. But then to add almost 48 hours of calm drizzly rain... We just pray now for the freezing and hail to stay away. Let this stuff grow, grow, grow.

When I walked by the neighbors wheat, I was downwind of it. I caught the aroma of black earth and thriving plants. It smelled like a greenhouse. What a blessing for dry land wheat to have such a sweet aroma!

I also got to see evidence of the raccoon family that is living in the abandoned house down the road. There were a few different sizes of paws leading me to believe it is a family living there.

Ooooh, and on my way home from work I drove by the dairy. I have NEVER seen soooooo many cows laying in the lot. Almost 75% of the Holsteins were out there sunbathing! Other than the black spots, I'm guessing that's how it would've looked in my yard had I tried that. But, as Maggie and I found out once, there are a lot more people that drive by our yard than I like to think there are!

Resurrection Sunday

There are so many things I like/love about Resurrection Sunday.

Spring in the air. It felt more like fall today, but it was still Easter and that meant SPRING!

Church services. They are always extra special on this Sunday. Even more than Christmas!

The food. I wouldn't be a good little Baptist girl if I didn't mention the food.

The clothes. The material part of me loves this part. And yes, I still try my hardest to get a new Easter dress every year. And no, I don't know when/if I'll outgrow that. And yes, since it felt more like fall today, I was the only one really wearing an Easter outfit. And no, I didn't feel bad about it. And yes, I was cold... as usual.

The colors. I love all of the bright spring colors that the holiday brings.

The nostalgia of Sonic Sundays marking the end of my "Sympathy Lent" with Carla. Oh I miss that woman!

Mostly though, knowing I don't serve a god on a cross. My God came off of there, was buried and defeated death for my sins. His death was not the end of His deity as other religions' gods. I serve a RISEN Saviour!!

Palin' around before Easter

I called my friend, Candice, this morning to ask help on the skirt I'm sewing for Easter. She answered my question and we chatted a bit and hung up.

I decided to make breakfast before tackling the skirt project. As I was eating, she called me back and asked what we were doing today. Well, her and her husband were bored and wanted to know if we could fix that. Well, of course! So they came over and had lunch with us and spent the rest of the day here.

I had Candice put my skirt together, then I would sew what she had pinned. It's cheating, but I'm still a pretty inexperienced seemstress!

Joe and Jerrad went out in the Toy and made it to Colorado before deciding to head back to the house. They did a lot of other "man stuff" too, but we have learned not to ask.

All in all, it was a wonderful day! I got my skirt done, thanks to Candice. And the guys didn't do much of anything=)

I am making an AWESOME cheesecake (A real one that has to be baked in a springform pan and everything) for church tomorrow and can't even wait to taste it! I hope you all have a great Easter Sunday. Remember the Lord who arose from the dead to give us a reason to celebrate. I'm celebrating at the moment because it is raining quite heavily. Praise the Lord!!!

Friday Foto

1) Taken at the shooting range in Hamilton County.
2) Sometime this summer.
3) I particularly like how the angle invites you into the subject. And I really like the fly on his nose!
4) This is my "puppy" and he definitely has our hearts.
5) Named, "Hound Dog" <--- Jerrad's nickname for him!

Wedding this summer

I am shooting a wedding this summer for a friend and I am so excited about it!

First of all, it will be an inside wedding and I needed some better equipment to do the job well. As it turns out, that would be the flash that my hubby bought me last week! So once I am able to try my hand at it and get used to it, I will be armed and dangerous.

Secondly, I saw Dr. Bill marking off some days in the schedule book this morning so I decided to take a looksy. He marked off the three days prior to the wedding. So I will have Wednesday-Sunday off for the wedding. That's right, a 5 day vacation!

Thirdly, it's in the mountains. Not only that, but it is right by our family cabin. So while being there for 5 days, I get free, comfortable, familiar lodging. I love going there because every inch of it reminds me of my family... mainly my Papa Bill.

Last but CERTAINLY not least... I am "dragging" Maggie with me. She accompanied me to the wedding I did last summer and was a HUGE help to me. Not to mention I absolutely love spending time with that woman, and we both need to get away. I think there is some boating and tubing in order!

Come on, June... get here already!!

Green Spaghetti

2 Pablano peppers cooked, skinned, and gutted
1 can of Nestle media crema (found in your "ethnic" aisle)
1 cube of chicken boullion
1/2 cup milk

Puree all ingredients and mix with cooked pasta. I also add boiled chicken pieces. I have used the canned pablanos in a pinch. Not as good as fresh, but it's MUCH easier.

Sam's Club

Candice and I went to Garden City yesterday to do a little shopping. We were in Sam's when what do I hear? A screaming kid! My biggest pet peave has to be an unruly child! So I looked around for a parent and to my surprise (*note the sarcasm) there was not an adult to be found. The kid kept screaming... and screaming... and screaming. Still no parent. I stared the kid down and waited for him to look at me. When he did I held my finger up to my mouth and quietly told him to "Shhh." He stopped screaming and we kept looking at the display next to us. Then I hear, "Mam!! Mam... You got a problem? You got a problem?" Aaaaah, there's the parent in all of her tummy-roll-hangin-out glory (literally hanging out under one shirt that she apparently stole from her 12 year old sister while the over shirt was tucked into the abyss of the top roll.)!!! Momma had to come rescue her son from the mean lady that was trying to make her son maintain some sort of order and act like a civilized human being. I turned to her and said, "Yah, I do. There's no reason for him to be acting that way." When she said, "He's free, he can do whatever he wants." I replied, "He still doesn't need to be acting that way and you are free to discipline him anytime you'd like!" Then she started telling me to be quiet and to "Shhhh." Wow! I said, "That's great! You're gonna tell me to be quiet but your son can scream all over the store? Pretty ridiculous!" And I turned and walked away.

Candice is used to this by now. She knows that I don't put up with that. First, I was never allowed to act like that (public or private) so it automatically rubs the wrong way. Second, after working several years in retail it starts to wear the nerves a little thin. Third, what else are they going to let their kids get away with because it's a "free" country? The best thing we learned in government class was, "My freedom ends where your rights begin." And lastly, people take for granted our "safe" small communities. There are still weirdo perps out there that can take their child, but no one wants to pay attention to them.

I will admit that I probably shouldn't have interacted with the mom. It only fueled her fire, and she obviously did not want to listen to anything I had to say. But maybe I said what other people will not. Maybe as she is in a store later she will think twice when letting her kid scream to the end of the earth... Probly not!!

Caleb @ the St. Co. Museum

You know you're in a small town when...

My mom is a dispatcher in the county north of us. She was listening to the scanner one day and a call came in for some cattle that were out. Dispatcher A got the details on the case, then all of the sudden Dispatcher B took over. She asked where Dispatcher A went and the reply... "He had to go put his cattle back in!"

One deceased person

Prompt: If you could bring any deceased person back to life for one day, whom would you choose? What would you do or say to them?

I have several that I could fit in this slot. In no particular order:

1) Kyle Norman Hoover I would try my hardest to get him to go to the J.P. or SOMETHING and make their dreams come true by marrying Maggie.

2) Papa Bill This is my dad's dad. I would make him sit there so I could tell him about my life. All of my years in high school while doing music concerts of all kinds, I always knew that my Papa Bill would've been the first to get there for a seat.

3) Mama This is my mom's mom. I would get in the FULLY STOCKED kitchen with her and make her teach me everything she could in that 24 hour time! She is whom I get my artistic abilities (not anything of the drawing type, just craftiness I guess) from and I would love to glean off of her.

4) Keagen Ty Phillips If I could have my nephew back for one whole day... I would get my camera and take all the pictures I could. Take REAL family pictures, not ones with gowns and tubes and tape. I would hold him and tell him how much his Aunt 'Lyssa loves him. I would tell him that he has no idea how his story is going to help others and that we will never quit telling it. And most of all, I would sing him the lullaby I wrote for him.

My husband... =)

Thursday evening I got home and was getting supper going when the phone rang. It was Jerrad letting me know he was on his way home. We always do this because there aren't many people to come along and help if you have trouble on the road. We practice this adamantly, especially myself! Sometimes we talk until the other pulls in the drive, sometimes we just check the clock and hang up.

He wanted to talk this time and I never mind doing that! So he pipes up and says, "How much is that flash you are wanting?" (I have been wanting an external flash for my camera before the wedding I'm doing this summer.) So I told him how much. Then he asks where I needed to buy it. I told him Amazon.com to which he replied, "Well, go ahead and order that now and print me off a receipt for when I get home." I was skeptical to say the least. I told him I hadn't paid the bills yet and I didn't know how much money we had to play with. That's when he had to let the cat out of the bag. He said, "Well, you don't know this but I have been putting some money aside for it so go ahead and order it!"

Most of the time stuff like this doesn't happen in our world. He isn't an outward romantic so I don't get things like this. It is VERY welcome, however!!! So by Tuesday I should have my flash!

I love him unconditionally, but times like this are much easier! Here's to my hubby! And, yes, I paid him back ;)

Friday Foto

1) Taken in my office at home.
2) A couple of weeks ago.
3) I don't know why this photo is so striking, but it is!
4) This photo was so funny! I was sitting at the desk uploading some pics and doing some editing when Jerrad came in. He got onto me for leaving my camera somwhere carelessly (it was on a chair and it could have fallen) so I grabbed it and set it on my leg facing him. He was like, "What are you gonna do now? You've only got one hand to type with." So I snapped a picture. It was angled and set up perfectly! So I must say there was no talent whatsoever in this picture!
5) Named, "_______________"

You come up with a name for this one! Leave it in a comment and I'll choose in a couple of days.

Where are you?

Where are you?

Things are going bad down here and we can't seem to get them to slow.

Where are you?

Material things are becoming the sole purpose of their being.

Where are you?

I know you could have smoothed this over by now.

Where are you?

She doesn't know how to be a human being anymore, only a creature of lies and hurt.

Where are you?

You could tell them how much you hated things and loved people as should they.

Where are you?

She depended on you for life and love, now she can't figure out either.

Where are you?

She never wanted to have her heart back after she gave it to you.

Where are you?

She has a black void in her soul now.

Where are you?

He needs to work on the Toyota and I can't mechanic.

Where are you?

Laughter was your trademark and now the good times you gave us bring a dose of pain.

Where are you?

To vote on a movie then fall asleep 20 minutes in.

Where are you?

We had so much snow last weekend and no one to drive the Toy for us.

Where are you?

The one that was never married but was a marriage counselor to many.

Where are you?

Where are you?

Where are you, Kyle?