Donna's Blog Challenge

Name 5 favorite television shows:

Bones
House
Angel - except for the second to last season when it was really weird
I actually think that's about it. I don't really watch television anymore.

Name 4 favorite memories:

My first meeting with dh
My first meeting with Cassie
Cassie's final Adoption hearing
My wedding - no wait ... when dh proposed to me


Name 3 things you want to do before you die:

I want to go to the Grand Canyon
I want to go to Rio
I want to see my daughters happily married


Give 2 names that you would use NOW if you were going to have a new addition to the family:

Nicholas
Kayla

Name the one thing that you're working on now to improve your life:

Finding a new career

NC Photojournal Installment

The Beach

We went to the Crystal Coast - also referred to as North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks and a little town called Pine Knoll Shores. The beaches I've been to have all been in Boston. I was expecting the water to be cold and it wasn't! It was active though, much more wave activity. Those waves can knock you down but where this beach is located seems to be active as far as sea life as well. Dolphins could be seen playing just past the coast line.

We had a little birthday party for Abigail while we were there. Sadly I had failed to check my camera battery before we left and I arrived with a dead camera. These are the only pictures I have, taken by a friend.

NC Photojournal Installment

NC Zoo! I love zoos. I bought a membership before we even went into the place. I figured we'd be back several times. First - it was HOT. Hot hot hot. I didn't pay enough attention and wound up going on one of the hottest, humid days. Second - this zoo is very big land wise. They are still working on it. They have two and a half continents up. It is so big that they offer free tram rides and when you get to a section it posts how many miles and how long you should expect to be there. Not because of all the animals but all the hiking.

The animal exhibits were between trails like this (note the trees this is the African section). Good exercise I suppose. We stayed in Africa a lot because there were lots of trees and better shade! :




Here are some pics - just a few I know I've got tons of zoo pics so y'all have prolly seen tons of zoo pics :























Next installment shall be the beach!

Oh Dear - I'm Slipping!

You Are 64% Massachusetts

You're pretty Massachusetts, but you're starting to slip. Go eat a bulky roll and flip off a New Yorker.

How Massachusetts Are You?

Lynn! or Julie! Where are you? It says I have to flip you off!! :evil6:

You Should Be a Joke Writer

You're totally hilarious, and you can find the humor in any situation. Whether you're spouting off zingers, comebacks, or jokes about life... You usually can keep a crowd laughing, and you have plenty of material. You have the makings of a great comedian - or comedic writer.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

You Are 4: The Individualist

You are sensitive and intuitive, with others and yourself. You are creative and dreamy... plus dramatic and unpredictable. You're emotionally honest, real, and easily hurt. Totally expressive, others always know exactly how you feel. At Your Best: You are inspired, artistic, and introspective. You know what you're thinking, and you can communicate it well. At Your Worst: You are melancholy, alienated, and withdrawn. Your Fixation: Envy Your Primary Fear: To have no identity Your Primary Desire: To find yourself Other Number 4's: Alanis Morisette, Johnny Depp, J.D. Salinger, Jim Morrison, and Anne Rice.

What Number Are You?

NC Photojournal Installment

I'm behind!! I'm going to have lots more to update soon. Today I do believe we are going to go to Durham. Home of the Durham Bulls - you may remember the movie. Here's a little trivia my dh is an extra in that movie. He claims he can be seen in the stands during the wedding scene. We are going to have to get down there to a ball game soon. That will be a blast! It's such a pretty ball park too. The new one - the old one shown in the movie has been "retired".

Today is an installment of our visit to the Durham Museum of Science. This is a very eclectic museum. It opened many years ago with a collection of Space memorabilia from NC astronauts and has some fantastic learning centers about astronauts - a "space capsule" the kids can play in and a rebuilt Moon scene - films of early missile launches some they said contained monkeys. Oh and real moon rocks! Space suits - old radios. Some transmissions. I could have spent the entire visit right there.

The museum expanded to include weather, science, outdoors, gardens, butterflies, wind, animals. The museum is very hands on so the kids had lots of fun.








I've got lots of pictures of the girls at the indoor exhibits. I think the giant ant farm one came out rather nicely but I'll spare you those. You don't need to see every exhibit that they had. Some were really cool though like encasing yourself in a giant bubble. Once you are done with the indoors - there's LOTS to do outdoors. Playgrounds - an old train caboose to run through. Noise makers ... Noise noise noise! Needless to say the kids had a BLAST in this area.








Then you get to a regular playground. I suppose it's meant to give the kids and parents a little breather. Though I'll have to say Abigail wasn't doing much resting and breathing!








From there you keep wandering and you come to a farm animal section - your goats, cows, chickens, turkeys. They added in some rabbits, etc. The highlight of that was the big pig who lives with the goose.





Next down the trail is the butterfly house, one section of which contains insects. I managed to avoid that section. David usually tries to drag me in there and I'm sure if Abigail was really paying attention she would have too. The butterfly house is beautiful. It was one large greenhouse with butterflies everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. I'll bore you with some fauna pictures then you can see some butterflies.




























After the butterfly house comes the train! Cassie didn't enjoy it as much as she used to when she got to ride little trains like this. That was a bit of a sad moment for me - a time gone by. But it was a hot day and once the train got moving she couldn't help but at least appreciate the breeze! Me -I'll never get too old to ride a choo choo train!! That last picture is just me being goofy taking pictures of tree tops from the train. The train ride goes through a heavily wooded area. It was very pretty.











Past the train depot and further down the trail was a big wind exhibit which included experiments you could do with little boats on the water and some foxes and stuff. I would have really loved to play with the boats. But alas we were hot and tired and we ran out of time - the museum was only open another half hour. So we decided to end it there. It's a great little museum!

Oh crap - I almost forgot the little birds! I think these are quail. Y'all will need to tell me what you think. It was a whole family of them - two adults and two little babies. They moved so fast I couldn't get the whole family. The about ran my foot over when we were walking down the trail. They came shooting out of nowhere from the bushes. Across the walkway then into some brush on the other side.








I'm sure I got this guy because he was playing blocker until the Momma got the babies to a safe spot.

...... Ok until the next photo installment and /or blog update. I'll either bore you with Zoo pictures of I'll have some beach pictures for ya.

Ciao!

I've been double tagged!

Instructions: These are the rules…. each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

1. I love animals.

2. I am addicted to cheese - any kind of cheese. Yum!!

3. I am organizationally challenged. I'm trying to work on that.

4. My Mother is from Germany and I love German food

5. I would like to become a good photographer. Candice is my idol :)

6. I love to cook and try new recipes. I'm in love with Emeril

7. I'd love to grow an herb garden so I could cook with fresh herbs


Let's see for the double tag - here we go again! Instructions: These are the rules…. each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

1. I don't have a particular genre of music that is my favorite. I pick what suits my mood, be it country, rock, hip hop.

2. I can't find a job -

3. I'm not as creative as I'd like to be - in that Jeanne is my idol

4. I finally have a craft room - YAY!!!!

5. ok let's see something positive ... ummmmm ......... I have a good family, a nice new house.

6. I have palsy

7. I just learned how to drive a stick shift and that's something I've always thought I couldn't do because of my palsy. Go me!


I'm going to tag ... crap everyone has been tagged. do we start double tagging?

This was one of the snatch the camera - no time to put it in movement mode - moments but the photos are still cute anyway, maybe? This is the girls doing cartwheels for the neighborhood talent show. If you look closely at one of the blurry ones you can see my new white rocking chairs that are on the front porch!

We went to the driving range yesterday at the golf course here. After about fifty trillion balls I started actually hitting them. I guess it's one of those things you do over and over and over until you get the hang of it. My hand hurt when I was done - I wacked the ground instead of the ball I don't know HOW many times! Good waist movement though.