hello mother, hello father

I just got home last night from spending 5 days in Kansas City, MO visiting my parents. I hadn't seen them in 8 months, plus I had never seen KC in the summer. I struck a deal with my parents to pay for half of my ticket for my birthday present. They agreed, and so I went.




My first night there we had a little belated birthday cupcake treat to celebrate. My mother made them and frosted them with real chocolate frosting. They were pretty tasty.


I was watching the news the next day and noticed that it happened to be Missouri's tax free week. Perfect timing! So of course, I did a little shopping since we don't have the best selection in this area. Sales tax there is quite a bit higher than Okaloosa County's 6%. One place the tax rate was 9.5%, so think of the money I saved :) Sure...


Besides shopping, we also played my dad's Wii. We played Mario Cart, Wii Sports (baseball, tennis, bowling, boxing), and Cabela's Big Game Hunter. It was nice to have two people who are worse than me playing Mario Cart. For once I wasn't last...yes!! The highlight of the Wii playing though had to be when my mother and I boxed. Let me tell you, electronically taking out 28 years of frustrations on my mother never felt so good :) Just kidding...well, sort of. She still loves me. I knocked her out. I think we also knocked my father out with laughter. He was dying watching us air punch and throw jabs.



Of course, no trip to my parent's house would be complete without mentioning their dog Charley. Charley recently had knee surgery, but has healed completely. She is one spoiled bichon frise. She lays around and eats treats all day. But at least she does it looking cute, as my mother would say.


One night my dad decided he wanted to take pictures of me and his corvette at the front entrance to the neighborhood. It has a waterfall/fountain feature that he thought would look nice in the background. After we took a few pictures, I thought it would be fun to stick my foot in the fountain to see how warm or cold the water was. I thought my dad told me to get in the fountain and he'd take my picture. I thought that might be fun, so I stepped in. It appeared to be only knee deep, but no, it was about waist deep. So I lose my footing and fall in. Fabulous! Now I'm all wet and really embarrassed. My dad is laughing and so am I. All of a sudden some dude on a bike rides up and asks us if we want him to take our picture. Why not? At this point I can't be humiliated any more.




The next day we went to the Ameristar casino to play the slots. I only had $3 in my wallet so I didn't last long, but I still had fun. My mom and dad had better luck and made their $15 last a while longer. We had some good luck on the "Mr. Cashman" machine. Ultimately they lost it all, but we had fun playing.


One thing I wanted to do while in KC was eat some barbecue. I saw on the Food Network that a famous place to go was Arthur Bryant's. There just happened to one inside the Ameristar. The special of the day was the beef sandwich, so we each got one. They were huge sandwiches. The meat was good and had a nice smoke ring and flavor. There were 3 different sauces to choose from as well. I liked the sweet heat. We all enjoyed our sandwiches and a little taste of "legendary" KC barbecue.


And with that, my five day trip drew to a close. It went by pretty fast. At least I'll get to go back for Christmas in 4 months. I'm glad I got to see my parents. Shame on a certain sister of mine, who lives in KC, and was "too busy" to come see her only sister. She knows who she is. Don't worry, I'm not bitter :)

Two week recap

I'm feeling lazy and not wanting to post multiple messages, so I decided to combine them all into one. Sorry!

Two weeks ago we went to Grand Ridge for the 3rd annual "Party Til the Cows Come Home". For the past 3 years Chip and I have gone to Grand Ridge with our friends Mark & Emma and Austin & Ashley to Ashley's parent's house to swim in their pool, bbq, and have fun. Ashley's mom always makes us homemade ice cream in chocolate and vanilla, and I always eat 4 bowls. Emma and I also have a diving contest. No winner is ever named, but she kicks my butt in technique. I'd like to think I get her in creativity. I like to name my dives.

As always, fun was had by all - even Frank. We swam most of the day, ate a lot, and had fun spending time together. This, unfortunately, marks the last year we will have this party. Austin and Ashley moved to Jacksonville a year ago and will be moving within the next year to wherever Austin gets accepted to medical school. Mark and Emma are moving to Ohio in 2 months. Mark is in the Air Force and got orders to go to his next station. It is sad we will all be in different locations, but at least we had 3 years of fun.

Here is a picture of us all - the trifecta, as Emma refers to us all. Good times, good memories!

In other news, I celebrated my 28th birthday on Friday. Am I seriously 28?! Where has the time gone? I had a pretty good day. For my birthday I asked Chip if we could do a double-feature at the movies. So we saw The Dark Knight and the X Files movie. I enjoyed both. It was fun spending the day, literally, at the movies. The last time I did a double-feature was about 8 years ago when Bethany and I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Gift in one day. Both were totally different movies, but they were good. I recommend trying a double-feature movie day in the near future if you haven't ever done that.

The day after my birthday we went to Mobile, AL to see what's there. Chip and I had never been before and decided it would be fun to check out. Our first stop was the Eastern Shore Center. It is a big outdoor mall-type place. It was ok. We then drove around some more and got stuck in some traffic around the George Wallace Tunnel.

One of the things I was looking forward to on our trip to Mobile was stopping at the Dew Drop Inn. Our neighbor recommended eating there because the food is good. He even gave us a cooler and some money to buy him a few of their hot dogs. Apparently this restaurant serves excellent ones. It also happens to be Mobile's oldest restaurant. So we find our way there and pull into the parking lot. I go to get out of the car and notice a girl is outside turning the open sign to closed. WHAT!! I look at the sign and see that they close at 3 pm on Saturday. I glance at the clock and it is 2:55!!! GRR!! We just missed it. I was crushed!

So we leave disappointed and probably destined for something lame like Krystal hamburgers. We get back on the interstate and make our way back to Niceville. We see a sign a few miles away for a bunch of food at the next exit. Since we were starving we decided to stop. We start driving down the road, but nothing jumps out at me. Since I was so bummed, nothing sounded good. We keep driving and driving and end up nearly to Foley. I remembered our other neighbors, Mike & Stephanie, talking about a place in Foley where they throw rolls. So we call them up and get directions to the restaurant.

It's called Lambert's and they really do throw rolls. We get there about 4 pm and there are literally a hundred people waiting outside to get in!! Something tells me it must be pretty good for so many people to be willing to wait. We had to wait 45 minutes before we got seated.

Lambert's prides themselves on big portions of southern style food. Chip got country fried steak and I got meatloaf. We both got mashed potatoes and fried apples as our sides. The servers bring "pass arounds" to all patrons. These include fried okra, black-eyed peas, macaroni and tomatoes, fried potatoes and onions, and the aforementioned rolls. The roll guy comes to the front of the dining room and all you have to do is raise your hand if you want a roll and he'll throw you one. It was quite funny to see bread flying through the air!

The rolls are quite large - one did me in, but boy was it good! All the food we ate there was quite good. Real mashed potatoes, yummy gravy, a huge piece a meatloaf. I was stuffed! It was good and helped sooth the disappointment of the Dew Drop being closed.

Well, I think I've hit the highlights of the past 2 weeks. At the end of this week I will be going to Kansas City to see my parents. It'll be nice to get away for a few days. I'm sure I have more stories to tell when I get back!

a kayak, a grill, and a "thank you" bean

Last Saturday Chip and I went kayaking in the Shoal River up in Crestview with our friends Greg, Lauren, and Gene. It had been almost a year since I had gone kayaking. Last year Chip and I tried kayaking in the Boggy Bayou (SO not even kidding about the name. Need I remind this is Niceville?) but there were too many boats wizzing around which made the water choppy. Prior to that I had been taking a little sabbatical from kayaking after a wildlife-filled trip down Turkey Creek in Niceville with our other friend's Nathan and Leigh Ann. We had several run ins with spiders, a snake, and I had a 5 foot gator about a foot away from my kayak! So I wasn't looking for another experience like that! Lauren and Greg had gone down the Shoal River before and told me I would be fine and have fun. So I decided to give it another go.

We got in the river around 9 am and started off just fine. It was a nice day, slightly overcast and a little humid. The river was a decent width so we weren't constantly ducking trees. Shortly into our almost 4-hour trip it started to sprinkle. No big deal. Then it started to rain pretty steadily for what seemed to be 30 minutes. We all got soaked to the bone! Then the sun came back out and helped dry us off a little. Luckily the rain helped to cool the temperature down a little, so it actually made it nicer.

A little while later, I didn't wear a watch so I had no concept of time, it started to get dark again and then the thunder started. So we all started paddling faster so we could get to the end before the lightning started. My shoulders got quite the work out! We finally got to the end and the sky opened up, so we got a nice soaking again. Oh well, at least we didn't get struck by lightning. My poor weenie shoulder muscles were SO tired from paddling I could barely lift my arms to have Chip help me out of the kayak. As soon as I got back to Lauren's house I took some ibuprofen...I know, I'm weak!

All in all it was a fun trip, one that I'd do again. Though, Chip apparently saw an 8 foot alligator. Luckily I didn't find out until we were way past it. Other than that we only saw a few turtles. Now that's my kind of kayaking.

After kayaking we went back to Greg & Lauren's house to grill out. Michelle, Gene's wife, was their watching the babies so we could go kayaking. At least she got to stay dry :) The guys grilled the meat while I made some less-than-stellar mac & cheese. I have got to find a better recipe! If you've got one, send it my way please!

On a random note, Chip and I received a gift two weeks ago from our neighbors, Mike & Stephanie. It was a "thank you" bean. Basically it is a tin can with some sort of metallic soil-type stuff and a bean inside. You water the dirt and a bean grows up and out of the dirt and the word "thank you" will be written on it. The bean then turns into a plant and you can replant it and enjoy it. Mike & Steph were intrigued by it and decided it was a fun way to say thanks to us for taking care of their plants while they went on vacation.


So we've been faithfully watering the dirt and little by little and stalk and a pod appeared. Then yesterday afternoon the pod fell off revealing the bean. Sure enough, it did say thank you! It grew pretty quickly, almost so fast I swear you could stand next to it and hear it grow! In a few days I will probably transplant it and try to keep it alive. We'll see...I don't exactly have the best track record with plants. I have been managing to keep an aloe plant alive and kicking! :)

one hour and $75 later

**I forgot to mention in the original post that this isn't contagious to pets or humans. Those of you who have pet Frank or had your dogs around Frank recently need not worry.**

My poor, sad puppy! As you can see above, Frank is wearing the dreaded lampshade - or an Elizabethan collar as the label on the cone called it. Sure, try to make it sound like a fashion accessory! It doesn't make him hate it any less.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed Frank had a spot near his butt that looked a little reddish and the fur looked like it was falling out. There were also small black spots on the skin. Chip and I thought it was a mild skin irritation, or hot spot, and bought him some hydrocortisone cream to put on it. We did that for about a week, but nothing happened. Then it looked as if the spot was getting larger. Luckily Frank wasn't biting at it or scratching at it, so at least we knew it wasn't really bothering him. Since it didn't appear to be getting any better, I decided to take him to the vet.

The vet took a look at Frank and thought it could be one of two things. So she did a skin scraping so she could check it out under the microscope. It was quite a sight! Frank was already freaking out being at the vet with all the other dogs, but now the tech had pinned him down on his side while I held his head down and the vet took a scalpel and scraped his spot till it bled a little. Luckily he didn't yelp. It did bring back memories of a similar incident that happened to my guinea pig, Dusty. He had scarcoptic mites that caused him to itch until he bled. My mom and I took him to the vet and they did a similar scraping. I'll never forget the screams, yes screams, that came out of that tiny animal's mouth. You would think we were killing him!

Anyways, the vet looked at the skin under a microscope and diagnosed him with Demodex or Canine Demodectic Mange. It is a parasitic skin disease caused by microscopic mites that live under the surface of the skin. All dogs, and even some humans, have this mite on their skin. As long as the body's immune system is functioning properly, these mites cause no harm.

Apparently Frank has a "immature immune system" as the vet called it. His immune system isn't strong enough to keep these mites in check, so they can flare up and spread rapidly and erupt into an irritated patch. This immune system problem could be a temporary thing, something that he could grow out of, but there is a chance he won't and he could have flare-ups of this for the rest of his life. The immature immune system is a hereditary trait passed on by Frank's parents. So the other puppies in Frank's litter have this too. Apparently when this trait is discovered, the affected dog shouldn't be bred and the parents should not be bred together again. That was kind of sad. I have a defective dog :(

The vet gave us some ointment we are supposed to put on him and hopefully it will clear up the spots. We also have to put the cone on him so he won't lick off the ointment. The poor dog is like a statue when we put it on him! He just stands there paralyzed. It is kind of funny. The cone has to be a little longer since Frank has a long snout. Sometimes his upper lip gets stuck on it and it looks like he is smiling. It's hysterical! I laughed so hard I cried.

Anyways, so that is the current drama going on in our house. I know, I have the most exciting life!

a little more than a 3 hour tour...

This past weekend Chip and I went boating with Chip's Mom, Dad, and sister Candi. We rented a pontoon boat from the Eglin Air Force Base Marina. Chip served as our captain. BTW - this was his first time piloting a boat. The marina makes you take an open-book test to get your license...makes me feel safe! :( But seriously, he did a great job driving the boat.

Our first destination was Crab Island. It's not really an island. It is a shallow spot at the foot of the Destin Bridge. Most people drop anchor there and hang out, throw a frisbee, float around, snorkel, and socialize with other people. We got there early in the day, so it wasn't quite "jumpin'" yet. The water there is very pretty - it reminds me of the Caribbean. We hung out there for a while and even bought some ice cream from the "ice cream boat man". The boat even plays the traditional ice cream truck music.

After Crab Island we cruised around the bay some more and then ate lunch. We started to head towards Fort Walton Beach when we noticed the storm that was building over land. We knew the weather was going to be sketchy that day, but we hoped it would hold out. It started to lightning pretty bad, so we headed for the marina. They told us when we picked up the boat that if it started to storm, we needed to come back in.

We tried to get there as soon as we could; it was getting really stormy. Anyone that is familiar with a pontoon boat knows they aren't known for speed, so it took us a while to get back. Of course we got caught in a torrential downpour! At least we didn't get hit by lightning!

All in all it was a fun day and a good way to celebrate Father's Day.

a visit from the governor

Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist, came to OWC (the college I work at) to sign the new state college bill into law. Well, technically he already signed it...this was just for show. This bill turns OWC and 8 other community colleges in Florida into state colleges. State colleges still offer 2-year associates degrees; they just can now offer bachelor's degrees. OWC already offers three, but this new law will make it easier for us to add more. The reason the state did this was to increase the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in FL. Currently we rank pretty close to last.

Anyways, when we heard the bill would be passed, the speaker-elect of the FL House of Representatives (who is from Destin) asked for the Governor to sign the bill at our school. The governor obliged. So today was the day.

The event went well, except for the Governor changing his schedule at the last minute and arriving an hour early. So we had to scramble and alert the media and community, but got it taken care of.

I didn't actually get to meet the Governor, but I got really close to him (see the above picture I snapped). He's extremely tan - like fake & bake brown. I stood about a foot away from him at one point and he asked me where the college president was. Other than that, that was my only interaction with him. I really wanted to say, "hello, gov'na", in a really cheesy British accent, but I didn't think that would be very professional.

After 30 minutes his motorcade swept him away to his next destination and the event was over. I was bummed that I didn't get an official Charlie Crist blue sharpie. That was his ceremonial bill signing pen...a blue sharpie with his name on it! I guess I thought it would be something more executive looking. Only the legislative delegates and college presidents got them. I hate being a peon!

So that is about the most excitement I've had lately. That, and playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. For some reason Chip and I were talking about that game the other day and remembered how we used to play it a lot as kids. We googled it and sure enough they still sell it! You can even download it so you can have it right away (for those of us with no patience). It's not the same version I had when I was twelve, they've fancied it up a bit, but it is still fun. Writing this made me think of the old TV show of the game they had on PBS. It has a catchy theme song by Rockapella. I found a video of it on YouTube...enjoy! :)

happy anniversary to us!

Chip and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on May 22. I can't believe 4 years have gone by so fast! It seems like just yesterday we got married, but in other ways it hasn't. I have very much enjoyed the first four years of our marriage - the things we've learned about ourselves and each other, the new places we visited, and just going through life knowing someone is always there for me. Here's to many more!

Chip surprised me with a very sweet anniversary gift. When I went into work the day of our anniversary, I noticed there was a digital picture frame on my desk that wasn't there the day before. Near it was a card with my name on it. I opened the card and saw it was an anniversary card from Chip. Inside was an instruction sheet on how to work the frame and a sweet note. I turned on the frame and on it was 100+ pictures from our engagement, wedding, honeymoon, and our trips to GA, SC, NC, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and NYC. It was great to see all of the photographic memories from the past 4 years of our lives. It was such a sweet thing for him to do! It made my gift of the DVD of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade seem pretty lame. In my defense we said we weren't going to buy each other gifts. I should've known better. Oh well, I'll do better next year.