Karen Slovensky

Memphis!

2011-12-10T18:49:00.001-08:00

A few months ago a couple of friends and I signed up to run in the St. Jude 5K race. As you will see, we did more than just participate in the race. None of us had ever been to Memphis and we were really looking forward to the roadtrip.

One stop we just had to make was to Uncle Lou's. Susie's brother had been to this fried chicken dive last year after having seen an episode featuring Uncle Lou's on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You can see it here.

I tried to tackle the "Sweet Spicey Love" (I shortened it to SSL) fried chicken (foreground), Susie had the grilled SSL (featured at 10 o'clock in the picture) and Tonya had the original (featured at 12 o'clock in the picture). She wasn't feeling very SSL.

The food was pretty delicious and the staff was pretty fun too. We decided we should get a picture of us outside the restaurant. Susie went back in to ask our waitress to take a picture and she dragged Uncle Lou himself out for a "photo op".

Saturday morning we ran the 5K. I, Karen Slovensky, actually kept up with these girls who run at least 3 days a week! I finished in 33:43. A personal best and I was pretty dang proud of myself, Susie and Tonya. This race is post-race. Hence the reason my face is the same color as my shirt.

Graceland! That's right, the home of the one and only, Elvis Presley! We were able to tour his home and his 2 planes, and we were also able to see his cars, jewelry, wardrobe and his grave. He was quite a talented entertainer and had quite the ecclectic taste. It was a pretty fun tour! I had Elvis songs stuck in my head for hours afterwards, but it was still a fun tour.

Our tour of Memphis also took us down Beale Street. Beale Street holds a lot of history, especially when it comes to the Blues style of music.

This is Susie under the "Memphis" sign that she adored.

Looking down Beale Street.

Yours truly on Beale Street.

There are interesting people, well, everywhere you go.

He did have a very cute dog that look so very much like the dog we used to have. Those of you that knew Bear would have to agree. This dog's name was Ashley.

We also went to the Peabody Hotel. You know, the hotel where the ducks get the VIP treatment. Well, it's a gorgeous hotel and it was decorated beautifully for Christmas.

We couldn't go to Memphis without getting a little BBQ. It was pretty dang good too. I think I should have run at least four 5K races to make up for all of the food I ate. It was a super fun trip and it was only 4 hours away! I can't believe I had never gone before!

Truman Lake Take 2

2011-07-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, blogger and I have struggles. I did a previous post about our trip to Truman Lake, published the post and then realized that a few of the pictures I wanted to include were deleted. So, here is part 2.

2011-07-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Truman Lake

Last month the fam and I took our annual camping/fishing/relaxing/becoming one with nature trip. This year we traveled to Truman Lake near Warsaw, MO. I think the pictures say all there is to be said. So, in no particular order, here goes:

I must have gotten bored and Lexi must have gotten a hold of my camera.

Hi

2011-06-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I haven't fallen off of the face of the Earth. I've been doing things, but I guess not much that has been blog-worthy. Very soon there will be an updated post. Until then, here's a pic of my smiley face!

Before & Now

2011-01-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Over a year ago I started a weight-loss journey. It's been a struggle physically and mentally, but I am SO grateful I have been able to do what I have done. I think I have forgotten just how far I have come. I see myself everyday, so seeing a difference can be difficult at times. Going through these pictures of me has most definitely helped.

Words cannot describe how much better I feel physically, emotionally, and mentally. I'm not quite at my "goal weight" yet, but I am so much closer than I was a little over a year ago.

I'm grateful to know that I am worth it---to be happy, to be healthy and worth feeling good about myself.

Lake Potato

2010-08-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

My dad's side of the family has been going to Pomme de Terre Lake for the past 40+ years. I hold some pretty fun memories at this lake. I kinda love it and hope that someday I will be able to bring my children there so they can make their own memories. OK, enough nostalgia.
This is a picture that my sister took on our drive down to the lake. Can you say ominous? I was concerned that our week at the lake might be a little wet. Good thing I was wrong!

I really don't remember what order these pictures should be in, so, just enjoy.
This was the "palace" that my sister, Diane, my niece, Alexis and I slept in. Roughin' it. I know.
The fishing wasn't the best this year. Probably due to the high lake level. Oh, well. We just enjoyed sitting out on the boat, fish or no fish.
Here are some snapshots of the ones we did manage to catch.
This is Diane. Yes, I know, she's actually touching a fish. In this picture it happens to be a pretty nice little black bass.
Don't be fooled. This is NOT my bait. It is a REAL fish.
Here I am catching a catfish. With this angle of the camera it kinda looks like I caught my dad by the lips. Poor Lexi was not feeling very good, but she wanted to be out on the boat with the rest of us.
"I'm ready for my close-up!", Mr. Catfish.
Dad, he pretty much out-fishes all of us. He's had more practice.
So, we tried trolling for a while. This was the result. No wonder Diane and I couldn't catch anything!

This is a crappie. I think they're really pretty. Ü
Diane holding a fish upside down.
This is the BIGGEST fish that I have ever caught. It's a disgusting drum. Gross. They have rocks in their heads. I'm not sure why there are rocks in their heads, but there are. Anyhow, it was pretty fun to catch.

Rainbow.

Little Lexi-Lou-Hoo. Still not feeling too hot, but doing her best to be a trooper.

This is an Arkansas squirrel. I was actually frightened of this thing. He stayed in the trees by our campsite. Ick.

Diane and dad.

Alexis. She looks like she's feeling a little better in this picture.

Diane bought the HUGEST marshmallows the world has ever beheld. Here I am "struggling" with one I used for my s'more. It was a little much.

I LOVE the sunsets at the lake.

These next pictures are just scenery pictures from around the lake.

This is a mommy dear and her twin baby deer. So cute.

Could this kid be any cuter? Or sweeter? Just love those freckles!!

We drove to a part of the lake where you can feed the carp. They followed Alexis as she walked along the dock. Here are Alexis and her grandpa.

Here's an action shot of feeding time.

Can you say "big lips"?

Alexis has a fear of catching a "big fish". I'm not sure why

she has this fear, but she does like to catch sunfish. She also does a pretty good job at casting.

I think she's going over her game plan.

The results.

This is another one of my "huge" fish.

This is better.

I look kinda gross, but that's a pretty nice bass!

And another one.

So, Lexi decided she wanted to fish with my pole. Remember, she's afraid to catch a big fish. Well, there was one on the end of the pole. We gave her credit even though her mom reeled it in.

This is the first live armadillo I've ever seen!

We also forced ourselves to do a little swimming, tubing and I even forced myself to attempt water skiing. It sure was rough.

Silly girl.

This is me giving water skiing a try. I took a ten-year hiatus, so I didn't do very well.

Tubing is oh, so much easier. This is me.

Diane. I love the face she's making.

Alexis was actually the first one on the tube. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but she did very well and enjoyed it.

Sites around camp.

Alexis and her cousin, David playing their DS games. When my sister and I were kids we rode our bikes, swam, walked, played at the playground, swam, played games, or swam. We didn't have those fancy portable video games.

This is the product of my hands. Not too bad for not having braided hair since my days of doing my Barbie's hair.

One of those kids had my camera. Here's my cousin's husband, Donald, and Diane.

Oooh, more fishing. This is a walleye. They have teeth, hence the frightened look on my face.

This is most definitely one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen at the lake. Oh, how I love it there. I'll be back again next year!

Just a Walk in the Park

2010-05-24T18:12:00.001-07:00

Queeny Park

My friend and I have been walking each week around Queeny Park in Ballwin, MO. It's a beautiful "hike" through the trees and over streams and up hills.

Oh, and there's an albino squirrel.

I haven't been very good at making cards since I moved to Missouri. I've been pretty dang busy, but I did manage to make this card for my friend that just had a baby boy.

Puppy Love

2010-02-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

So, pretty much on a daily basis I ask my mom if we can get a dog. I'm as bad as a kid. But I REALLY want a dog! Well, there's this little dog, Chloe, that comes to my work with her mom. She's about the cutest dog I've ever seen (with the exception of Bear). She seems to finds me wherever I am in the building. She is SO cute and playful and spunky. It makes my day to see her. :)

Fall 2009

2009-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure why everything I type is being underlined, but I'm going to post this anyway.
It's been a while since I have lived in a place where there are leaves that change into such beautiful colors, so I thought I would share some of the pictures I've taken around St. Louis.
These leaves are from the tree across the street. They didn't naturally fall like that, I posed them. :)

Ooh, here we go, no underlining!
The tree from which aforementioned leaves fell.
This tree is by the temple (and Missouri Baptist University).

Inside the temple grounds.

A bush inside the STL temple grounds.

A tree outside of one of the buildings where I work.

And another one.

I admit that I've been somewhat distracted by the beautiful leaves while driving home from work.

"Show Me State"

2009-10-02T14:50:00.001-07:00

Just What Have I Been Up To?
Here is just a snippet of what I've been doing since moving to Missouri:
I finished my quilt.

I have been to the temple a couple of times.

I went camping and fishing with my family at Truman Lake.
This is how we catch 'em here in Missouri. We're SO good we can even catch them by their sides!

Me and a black bass.

My dad with a drum. Gross.

Me and another black bass. It was about 1/2 an inch shy of being keepable.

Me and a white bass. Not too shabby.

The next pictures are sunrises and sunsets over the lake. I don't remember which ones are which.

Just a rainy day fishing on the lake. Life is rough!

These next pictures were taken (while I was driving) by my grandparent's house. Gotta love the green!!

I've also been cheering on my niece during her soccer games.

Here she is being the goalie. She didn't have too much to do.

My Last Week in Fallon

2009-08-28T15:14:00.001-07:00

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS A LOT OF PICTURES!

I decided to stay in Nevada just one more week before I made the big move to Missouri. I'm really glad that I did because I did some pretty fun things that I've never done before and I also went to some pretty fun places that I've never been to before.

Virginia City, NV
Virginia City was a booming mining town in its day thanks to a silver strike that occurred there in 1859. We (the Johnson family and I) took a tractor ride tour of the city and one of the really important things that I remember about Virginia City is that they get 4 inches of rain and 9 feet of snow a year. I don't know why that was all that I remember, but it is.

You're supposed to be able to see for a lot of miles in this next picture. The tour guide on our tractor ride told us how many miles, but of course, I don't remember how many miles that is.

Logan and Caden looking ever-so-lovely in their bonnets. Caden and I looking ever-so-lovely in our bonnets.

The boys and I with that however many miles view.

Carol and I with the same however many miles background.

The boys and I in a mining cart.

Uh, oh. We got busted. That's Megan and Gary on the right.

A busted Carol and Karen.

And, I guess I just haven't learned my lesson. Busted again.

The Old Washoe Club. It's supposed to be haunted. I didn't go in to find out.

This lady's fancy pants dress is made of gen-u-ine silver dollars. Total worth of over $2000.00.
Sand Moutain
Some other crazy, I mean fun, people and I decided to climb Sand Mountain. Now, don't be fooled by the name. It's a mountain of sand. Crazy, I know.

This thing is 2 miles long and 600 feet tall! It's so weird looking! It's literally nestled up against the mountains and it's super-soft sand! Bizar-o!

Don't be fooled! Those aren't ants! Those are Wadsworths! They sure were tough. I really don't know how they scaled all 600 feet in no time flat! Amazing! I wanted to enjoy the stroll, that's why I took my time. :)

This is me----trying to catch my breath and keep my heart from pounding right out of my chest.

Megan and Carol posing for a photo-op.
Coming down! You might notice that there wasn't a picture from the top. Well, you go climb and take your own picture!

Megan coming down.Ada and Megan coming down.Carol and the kiddos. All present and accounted for.The effects of climbing a 600 foot mountain of sand--the Sandman comes to visit!

Sewing
Believe it or not (well, if you look closely at this quilt you would believe it) I haven't used a sewing machine since 7th grade Home Ec. I have admired Annalee's amazing quilts for quite some time. She and I thought it would be fun to sew one. Part of the way through the experience I thought it would be fun to pay Annalee to finish this quilt!
The finished product, well, mostly finished. I still need to clip the edges. So, I should be done by the time I'm 50.
Farmer Karen
Some of the young women from my ward and I spent a few hours on the Perazzo Dairy. Boy, oh boy, I had no idea what I was in for!
For some reason, the girls thought it would be really fun to climb this 90 foot silage tower. Hmmm...yeah, really fun if you don't have a slight fear of falling and you're not wearing boots that are 2 sizes too big!
This is me exhibiting my slight fear of falling. But I climbed it!
Views from the top.

Alicia and I at the top.

Sarah, Alicia and I at the top. Sariah is being the photographer.We then decided to see the baby calves. They were pretty cute! Two too many bulls according to Alicia. But, I guess you want cows on a dairy farm, huh?
These cows had no idea what kinds of adventure were heading their way. PETA supporters beware.
Hold on, Sarah!
Ride 'em, Sariah!
My turn. OK, so their heads were locked down and I really didn't ride it, but I was still brave enough to let cow germs get on me.
Another view of that tower that I so bravely conquered.
Got milk?Yeah, that's me, milking a cow. I sure do have a new appreciation for my delicious skim milk!
Alicia and I with our fingers in the milker (I really don't know what those are called).
The pretty sunset on the farm.
Bat Girl
So, as if climbing a mountain of sand and riding a cow wasn't exciting enough, I decided to let my car get hit by a bat! I didn't hit it, it hit me.
The Johnson boys thought it would be really great to draw lots and lots of pictures of the poor little guy. I'm glad they thought it was cool. Personally, I thought it was yucky!Saying Goodbye
This is a picture of the Young Women and leaders in my ward. What an amazing bunch of girls (leaders included)!

Ally and me.

Sariah and me.

Kennedy and me. I sure wish my eyes were that blue!

Sarah and me.

Alicia and me.
My friends from work. Me, Kerry, Rhonda, Tonya and Bob-a-loo. Carol and I at the Reno Temple.

I Guess You Can't Win 'Em All

2009-06-24T12:50:00.002-07:00

So, my super-cute flower cards didn't win first place last month.

:( Oh, well. The theme for June was Father's Day/Masculine. I actually stole shirt with a necktie idea from my sister Jana. It's OK, she said I could. There's a bonus Baby Shower card at the end.

And the Winner is...Me!

2009-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

So, my Easter cards from last month won the prize for cutest card! April's theme was Mother's Day/Female. I hope you enjoy!

Cards...Part 3 (I think)

2009-04-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago I was clenching onto the dentist chair while my hygienist tried to make small talk with me. Somehow she got on the subject of card-making and I nodded that I too like to make cards. Well, little did I know, she and another hygienist were forming a card-making club. I knew where this was going. I had heard of these clubs and had been asked to join other ones before. I knew you had to make like a hundred in 2 days and that if you didn't your house would get egged or something of the sort. She asked if I would like to join. Well, since she had my teeth in her hands and access to some potentially harmful instruments, I relented. I admit, I had visions of the mess that it makes for me to make just 1 card, let alone the hundreds I would have to make, not to mention the countless hours of thinking and having to be creative (something my brain is SO not used to). So, she gave me the details and it's actually been fun. I only have to make 11 cards and I have until the 25th of the month to get them completed. So, each month I will collect 11 different cards (and hopefully some good ideas too). The cards we make are supposed to be identical but as you'll see, mine are not. So, I might be kicked out the club after my first month's membership, but it was fun while it lasted. (Some were identical so maybe that will be good enough to maintain my membership).

This month's theme was Easter/Spring

I also made this super-cute birthday card!

These Are a Few of My Favorite (Fallon) Things

2009-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

This is a blog that I've wanted to do for a while now. I'm going to take you on a little tour of the town in which I reside. When I first moved to Fallon I have to admit all of the, we'll say, eclectic, things used to stick out, but now, I barely even notice them. I remember when I drove in from Reno (The Biggest Little City) for my job interview, I saw a big yellow shoe. I imagine it would be like unto one that the "woman who had so many children she didn't know what to do" would have lived in. I also remember an eagle made out of metal with its wings so proudly spread. These have since gone to "eclectic item" heaven. I'm oh, so very sad I have no pictures with which to document them. However, I hope you all will not be disappointed with what I do have! Enjoy!!

That's right, it says, "The Oasis of Nevada". Now, I looked up the word "oasis" because I thought I knew what it meant. According to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, "oasis" means: 1) a fertile or green area in an arid region (as a desert) 2) something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast. There was no third definition. Not sure which definition we're supposed to be using here.

Case in Point

I'm not quite sure why the trees look like this. I guess it's just the brand and I guess it's the Midwestern brat in me, but this is what most of the trees look like.

NAS-FALLON

Here is a little bit of trivia. Fallon has a Naval Base. Nope, we're not near the ocean. It's actually a Naval Air Station. Another tid bit of info, in the movie, Top Gun, the flight scenes-they were filmed in Fallon.

Western Charm

Don't be fooled, this pony ain't real!

The wagon in the above picture used to have a scary old man mannequin, doll thing in it. He had a pipe and was holding the reigns. I don't know what happened to him.

Uh, just a nice old car.
Make it POP!

I have a theory on why SO many people paint their houses these, uh, lovely shades of every color of Easter egg. I think they do this because the desert is SO brown and they want to liven the place up a bit.

Goin' Green

This place even recycles the liquor bottles and makes it "art"! Way to go Fallon!Unsure what to do with that pesky unused toilet? Here's an idea!

T.V. on the Blink Again?Just bring that broken set to Hariom Television Repair. I swear I have not seen a single television move from the front of this place since I moved here.

Looking for a New One-of-a-Kind Ornament for Your Car?
This One Takes the Cake!!!!
OK, when my friend told me that she heard that a man lives on an island in the middle of the pond, I sadly didn't question it. When she added that he takes a row boat to his trailer had that he painted palm trees on the side of said trailer, still, no questioning. My reaction? Can we drive out there and go see it?

Beauty There is beauty in Nevada. This is the Reno Temple. It is truly beautiful and has some pretty beautiful scenery around it too. I do have to give credit to the people of Fallon. They are some of the most genuine, hard-working, kind-hearted people I have ever met. Fallon has been good to me.

Christmas in California

2009-01-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Donner Pass

For Christmas I went to my friend's parents' house in Yuba City, CA. This little trip required a drive over a little thing called Donner Pass. Perhaps you've heard of it. Some people traveled over it a few years ago, were unprepared and had to eat each other. Luckily, I was prepared, have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and made it just fine. It was pretty snowy on the drive over, but I didn't need to put any snow chains on my tires thanks to the 4-wheel drive feature. ULU (my car) and I made it just fine. These first 2 pictures were taken after I made it over the pass. I survived, so guess you can say that everyone made it over in one piece. Ü (Insert rim shot here).

This next picture was taken from my sunroof while driving around California. Don't worry, Will was driving at the time. Kinda crazy to go from Snowy Pine Tree City to Sunny Palm Tree City. On our way back to Nevada we took Highway 20. It's a beautiful drive through the pine trees! There's a spot that opens up and you can see a valley of trees. I remembered this spot from the last time that I drove to Yuba City for Christmas and I wanted to make sure that we stopped for a photo-op. Well, after a couple of stops at the wrong pull-offs (my fault completely-I was driving and not listening to Will) we got there. The next couple of pictures show the beautiful vista.
This next picture is a picture of Will and me. We've been friends for 5 1/2 years. If you ask him how long we've been friends, he would say something mean like, "Way too long." He doesn't even remember how/where we met. Maybe it has been too long, but then again, his memory isn't so pretty good. I do, however, need to give him some points. He is the ONLY friend that has come to visit me while I have been in Fallon. Oh, and he lives in Upstate New York. Does anyone feel guilty about that?

Will decided it would be fun to go ice skating at The Squaw Valley Olympic Ice Pavilion , where the 1960 Olympics were held. The first couple of pictures were taken at the top of the mountain. We decided to take the cable car up. I wanted to walk up the mountain, but Will wanted to ride on the gondola. Wimp.

In this next picture, you can actually see Lake Tahoe. It's in the middle of the frame.

I'm not sure what was going on with my camera, or what someone, their name shall remain nameless, but they were the only other person with me, did to my camera, but it started shooting in different shades of light. Said person mentioned above knows that I am technologically dumb and better hope that I can figure out how to get it back in a normal shooting mode.

Will and me. It was kinda cold way up there on top of that mountain.

This next picture shows the Olympic Ice Skating Pavilion.

Here is a picture of me. Notice I am vertical. That's right, vertical, not horizontal. There is no trick photography here. After a decade and a half hiatus from ice-skating, I still got it. Well, not really. I was quite surprised that I could walk on the skates, let alone actually skate on the things. I pretty much clung to the wall for dear life. I did let go of the wall, just a teeny bit, but I am proud to say, I didn't fall. Oh, and Will didn't either.

The Red Beast...Before & After

2008-11-20T10:22:00.001-08:00

So, a REALLY long time ago, I got this REALLY red piano and decided to refinish it. Well, I FINALLY got it done! I could not have gotten it done without the help of my friend, Annalee. The girl actually called me and volunteered to come and help me work on this thing! What an amazing woman she is! I sure appreciate her in a whole bunch of ways.

So, this piano kind of became the "elephant" in my garage that I was able to walk right past. My suggestion to anyone that might be thinking of doing some furniture rehab-start on something small, an end table perhaps. But, alas, here it is, "The Red Beast" as I affectionately called it.

Without its red exterior.

Ta da! Isn't it beautiful? I know it's decorated for Christmas, but I thought it looked really pretty all dolled-up. :)

Trip to Utah

2008-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I to a trip to UT for a friend's wedding. It was SO nice to just get away and see some of my friends, do some shopping and not work! :) I didn't take very many pictures, but I kinda really like the ones I did take, so I'm going to blog them.

The first 4 pictures are taken at one of my favorite places in Provo. It's a park called Rock Canyon Park. I spent countless hours there just contemplating life and enjoying the view.

It's beautiful there.

On Saturday, my friend Sue invited me to go with her to Gardner Village. It's this little place that has tons of little shops where you could seriously spend a lot of time and a lot of cash (or in my case, a lot of time swiping your debit card). There were places to buy crafts, quilts, candy, baked goods, furniture, clothes, you name it, I'm sure you could find it here. It was just fun to spend time with her. You can check out her blog from my blog, but I warn ya, you'll probably cry. I usually do.

Here's a pretty cute picture of the two of us with a fallen over witch next to Sue. Does she look like the mother of 4 with a husband who is deployed to Afghanistan? I sure don't think so.
When I lived in Utah another one of my favorite places of contemplation was the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. It is just beautiful! I think the mountains in the background are gorgeous!

Cards...Part 2

2008-10-12T15:41:00.001-07:00

I felt like making a mess the other day, so I made some more cards. As you will be able to see, when I feel like I have a good idea, I run with it. :)

P.S. On the bottom part, where it says "Happy Birthday" and "Congratulations", that was typed on vellum, so that's why it's a little difficult to read on the computer screen. Sorry. Also, I cut out the hole where the cupcake is. So, the cupcake is actually on the inside of the card on the colored piece of paper. Cute, huh?

Happy Birthday

Wedding

I used colors from their weddings.

Baby Shower

Lake Tahoe, CA & NV

2008-09-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've lived in Nevada for 3 years now and had never been to Lake Tahoe. So, yesterday, my friend, Kerry and her husband, Jordan and I drove the short distance of a little over an hour to check things out. We took the Heavenly Gondola ride to the top of the mountain-a mere 9,123 feet-to get "heavenly" view of the lake. Being up 9,000 feet plus is definitely an excellent way to see Lake Tahoe.

Views of the south rim of Lake Tahoe from the observation deck.

Emerald Bay
These next pictures are from Emerald Bay along the western shore of Lake Tahoe.

Here is something rare. A picture of me. Fannette Island

If you look toward the bottom left of the next picture you will see Fannette Island. It is the only island in Lake Tahoe.

Another shot of Fannette Island. If you look really close you can see a stone structure on the top of the island. This stone structure is known as the "Tea House". Some rich excentric woman, Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, served tea to her guests there. The "Tea House" has since been vandalized and only the outer stone portion remains. Down By the Lake
We decided that we definitely needed to touch the lake to get the full Lake Tahoe experience. Personally, I would have loved to have been on a boat in the middle of the lake, but dipping my fingers in would have to suffice this trip.

Tag...I'm It, Now You're It!

2008-08-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Michelle tagged me after being tagged herself. Luckily she tagged me when my house was clean. :) I was willing to play.

I thought we would start in the front yard, uh, garden, uh rock-holder area.

There's no grass, so it's really just that, a rock-holder area. :)

OK, I admit, I cheated, just a little bit. The wreath in this next picture wasn't hanging on my door when I was tagged. But, I'm very proud to say that I made this wreath with my own 2 hands and I wanted to show it off, who knows if anyone else will get to see it.

This next picture is some real bona fide tumbleweed in it's living stage! That's right, when it's alive it's green, and when it's dead it's brown-just like most plants. In the western movies, dead tumbleweeds are what you see blowing down the road.

(Some people did not know this little fact. That's why I included it on here.)

My Living Room

My Kitchen. Yep, those are dirty dishes in the sink.

Scandalous, I know.

Spare Bedroom

Hall Bathroom

WARNING!!! WARNING!!! This is where it gets a little scary!!

Master bathroom. Also, you can kind of see my messy closet in the background.

Master Bedroom. It's too bad I don't believe in making my bed. :) I hope you've enjoyed this tour around my house. As you can see, there's plenty of room, so if you're looking for a place to get away, come on over!

Addendum: One of my Young Women does not believe that my house could possibly be this clean. Therefore, I am asking for testimonials from my family members and former roommates that I really am a clean freak. :) Thanks!

Fishin' in Fallon

2008-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Liberty Pond

Alicia, one of the young women from my ward invited me to go fishing with her at a local pond here in Fallon. Apparently they stock this pond with trout and other various fish. And, apparently, she thought I was an expert fisher woman (see my blog from Sunday, June 29th from Lake Pomme de Terre to see where she got this cRaZy idea). I'm not too sure that either one of these statements is true. ;) Nonetheless, that evening there was a very beautiful and probably one of the brightest rainbows I've seen. Unfortunately, I only had the camera from my phone with me not my real camera, so the quality of photos is pretty poor. So sorry. I wish I was clairvoyant and would have brought my good camera. :)

Oh, how I wish I was clairvoyant.

I took a picture of the 2 of us fishing, but only Alicia looked really cute in it and it wouldn't be fair to her YW's leader to publish a picture of said leader looking so icky for the entire world to see. Since, I don't have Photoshop, this will be a people-picture-free-post.

Cards

2008-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

So, I found out that people actually do read my blog. So, thanks to both of you. ;) Just kidding.

I actually like posting blogs and I am going to try to do them more often, so here goes. And please feel free to leave your comments, it's fun to read them.

One of my favorite things to do is make cards. I do, however, have to be in the mood to be OK with the ginormous mess that is involved with card-making. Seriously--after I drag out the paper, paper punches, paper cutters, scissors, tape, glue, scraps of paper (heaven forbid I throw any of those 2cm by 2cm bits away) it's a disaster!

Not to mention that I'm lucky to have a single finished card after this ordeal. Did I really say that this is one of my favorite things? Somehow it really is therapeutic.

If you really want to see some talent, feel free to check out my sister's blog, her cards are excellent.

I apologize in advance for the poor quality of some of the pictures. Some of them are from my old 5 mega pixel camera.

(I bet you can't guess which picture was taken with the new 10 mega pixel).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARDS

HI/JUST BECAUSE CARDS

THANK YOU

Pomme de Terre Lake, Missouri

2008-06-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

June 23rd-June 27th

Don't be fooled! This is no guppy! This is Alexis. :)

Here she is again. I let her use my "lucky lure" the last morning that we were there. She was the only one to get even a nibble on her line. She decided to be brave enough to set aside her Barbie fishing pole and use a grown-up one. I'm pretty convinced that she didn't think that Barbie could catch any big fish and Alexis wanted to make her Grandpa, Daddy and Aunt Karen proud and catch a big fish and not bait, IE blue gill!

This is me with one of the few fish I caught (with the "lucky lure"). This one happens to be a white bass. There are several interesting things about this picture since I am quite the germ-a-phobic girl. #1 I'm touching a fish with my bare hand, #2 I'm OK with it, #3 I didn't bring any hand sanitizer with me on the boat, #4 after placing the fish into the live well I didn't promptly dip my hands into the lake to "wash" them off, and #5 I had fish "items" on my pants and it didn't freak me out in the least. So, I'm pretty sure that germs don't exist while you're camping.

This is a picture of the sunset that Alexis took.

These next pictures are from one of the mornings that we got up at 6 o'clock to go fishing. Those fish apparently didn't set their alarm clocks.

Oh, well. It was fun just to be out there.

This is my dad on the front of the boat.

Young Women's Camp

2008-06-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

Bucks Lake, CA

June 2008

The following pictures were taken around camp.

Bucks Lake is really beautiful.

We have such an amazing group of girls in our ward.

How grateful I am for them and for their example

to me! I sure do love them!!

Enjoy the pictures! The last one is my fav!

Grandma & Grandpa's

2008-06-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Steelville, MO

June 2008

I thought some people might enjoy seeing how CHEAP

gasoline was in Missouri!

This is one of my favorite views on the way to the

grandparent's house.

Missouri wildflowers.

Dilapidated barn behind my grandparents house.

Buds from my grandma's mimosa tree.

This picture is courtesy of my 6 year-old niece, Alexis. Pretty artsy.

This is a video of lightning bugs. Lightning bugs are one of my favorite things in this world. Even though they're barely noticeable in the video, I had to put it on here because I love them so. But, if you concentrate REALLY hard and look for little, tiny twinkling lights, you can see the lightning bugs. Interesting fact: the male and female lightning bugs flash at different frequencies to attract each other. :)

WARNING: THE NEXT 2 PHOTOS WERE NOT TAKEN BY ME.

I'm good, but I'm not that good. :)

A close-up of a lightning bug. Aren't they cute!?

Another one of my very favorite things in this world is the song of a whippoorwill. It totally makes me think of summertime in Missouri. I tried to catch one on video while I was at my grandparent's house, but they weren't cooperating. So, there's a link to one on my blog.

New York Trip---April 2008

2008-04-17T22:13:00.001-07:00

I recently went on a trip to New York. I was able to go to upstate New York and to New York City. This was my first time east of Illinois! Can you believe it?!

Niagara Falls

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Niagara Falls trivia: Niagara Falls are waterfalls that straddle the border of Canada and the U.S. They are 17 miles NNW of Buffalo, NY and 75 miles SSE of Toronto. Niagara Falls is composed of 2 sections: Horseshoe Falls (Canada side) and Amercian Falls (U.S. side). The falls were formed when glaciers receded during the end of the last ice age and water from the Great Lakes carved a path through the Wisconsin Escarpment (a transition zone between physically different geographic masses which involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope) . On average, almost 4 million cubic feet of water flows over the crest every minute! On high flow days, more than 6 million cubic feet flows over the crest! Amazing!! Niagara Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I was a surprised that the falls weren't, well, more of a fall. They are definitely beautiful though! I don't have a passport so we weren't able to see the falls from the Canadian side. There was still snow/ice at the rim of the falls so we weren't able to get as close to them as I would have liked.

Palmyra, New York

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

My friend and I were also able to go to Palmyra, New York. These next pictures include: The Sacred Grove, the Palmyra Temple, and Joseph Smith's home. The Palmyra Temple is just across the road from the Sacred Grove.

Very beautiful!

Lake Ontario

Sakets Harbor, NY

Thursday, April 10, 2008 Sakets Harbor trivia: Sakets Harbor was founded in 1801 by a NYC land spectator, Augustus Sackett. As tension increased between Great Britain and America, the United States began to build up forces at Sackets Harbor. There were 2 big battles here during the war of 1812. In the first battle, the U.S. was able to fight off 5 British ships. In the second battle, British forces landed and attacked the village, but were driven off. Because of its prime waterfront location, the village became a major base of operations for both the Navy (including the Marine Corps) and the Army. In1813, Sakets Harbor became the U.S. Naval headquarters for the Great Lakes for the war.

New York City

Staten Island Ferry

Friday, April 11, 2008 This is my cousin, Megan, and me on the Staten Island Ferry. We decided to hop on at oh, about 10:00 p.m. the night I got in to NYC. It was pretty foggy, drizzly, and cold, but we were troopers and enjoyed the view. In this picture we don'tquite resemble drowned rats, but rest assured, at the end of the ride, we did. Definitely worth it though. Here's Meg-looking a little more drowned-ratish.The view of the NYC skyline from the ferry. Not a very good picture, I know. You had to be there to really appreciate it. This is a picture of the Statue of Liberty, I promise. I was quite disappointed that: #1 you can't really see her and #2 that the pictures don't let you get an idea of just how big she is and #3 that we were SO close to her but you can't tell it.

Bryant Park and the New York Public Library

New York City, NY

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Bryant Park Each Saturday my cousin and her friend Jill beebop through the streets of NYC. This Saturday they were so kind to let me come along. Our walk took us to Bryant Park and to the New York Public Library. Bryant Park trivia: In 1686 New York's colonial govenor designated the wilderness area of now known as Bryant Park a public space. In 1776, George Washington's troops crossed this area while retreating from the Battle of Long Island. Bryant Park was a burial ground for the poor until 1840 when the bodies were moved to Ward's Island. By the 1970's, the park had been overrun by drug dealers, prostitutes and the homeless. Because of this, it earned the adoring nickname of "Needle Park". From 1979 until 1983 a combined effort "rebuilt" and improved conditions in the park. Today, the park is a haven to enjoy a picnic lunch.Megan, Me and Jill in Bryant Park.

New York Public LibraryThis lion may look familiar if you've ever seen the movie "Ghost Busters". I'm sure he's been in other movies too.Hmmm...just a nice statue.The faux ivy is amazing here in NYC!

Traveling through the streets of NYC.For some reason, I seem to think this is what New York City is supposed to look like. Most of it doesn't though.

Ground Zero

It was pretty strange/eerie to see such an empty space in the streets of NYC. It's amazing that the buildings that stand next to the site are still standing.

Times Square

What a BUSY part of town!

Trinity Church

Manhattan, NY

This is a photo of Alexander Hamilton's headstone. Trivia on Mr. Hamilton(1755 or 1757-1804): he was the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, lawyer, Founding Father, American economist and political theorist. He was also one of America's first constitutional lawyers and was a leader in calling the Philidelphia Convention in 1787. Mr. Hamilton was one of the two chief authors of the anonymous Federalist Papers, the most cited contemporary interpretation of intent for the United States Constitution. He now appears on the $10 bill.

Stone Street

This picture is for Megan. She REALLY loves Stone St. It was the first paved street in NYC.

Wall Street

Manhattan Temple

Kinda crazy to see a temple in the middle of all of the apartment/

department/office buildings.

The Brooklyn Bridge

This is a shot from the Brooklyn side looking towards the Manhattan side.

Brooklyn Bridge info: it is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the U.S.A. It reaches 5,989 feet over the East River and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan.

This is Megan. She's looking so cute and happy on the Brooklyn Bridge.

A New York Slice

I don't really think there is any description for this.

New York City, New York

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Central Park

Central Park is a 843 acre park-in the center of Manhattan. It is the most visited city park in the U.S. (approximately 25 million/year). It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963.