A Doll

She really liked her puppy and the baby ducks her family were raising.  Another day trip image to make you smile.  :-)

The Dark Side of Sports

I have recently ventured into what my immediate family has considered the dark side of sports.  Either myself or siblings have participated at one point or another in just about all of the sports (basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, kickball, swimming, volleyball, tennis, track and field, cross country) that are available in a mid-sized town in central Indiana and while football didn't make the list, we watched plenty of it.

You have covered them all! you say.  Well, my friend, if this is your statement, like us, you may have just offended a large and growing fan base of ... soccer.

That is right.  Under consistent invitation and a potentially painful curiosity for the game of continuous running around and kicking a ball into a net (which in a well matched game may happen a total of a couple of times), I now have license to add soccer to my list of organized sports that I have played.  After my first game ever, my team has informed me that I am not too bad.  Go figure.

Black Out!

I was sitting at my desk working away when the lights all started to flicker and then the power went out...to 7 million people according to one news source.  I was experiencing my first blackout.

In Indiana, black and brown outs are things we would hear about in the news that happened to those far out people who live in California where life is expensive and earthquakes are a commonality.  The power was out for about 10 hours this day in the middle of summer.

Some side effects...
No power means no traffic signals.  Although the traffic was heavier than normal (who can effectively accomplish great things at work in this world without electricity to power their computers?!  definitely time to go home), the interstate was surprisingly smooth flowing.  After getting off the interstate your normal travel time is greatly multiplied.  I estimate it took me about 5 times as long to get home as normal in the non-interstate section, and I only had to go through 3 stoplights!  When the power goes out, once you reach your intended destination, you stay there.

I happened to decide a little music might be nice for the ride home this day and although it makes sense there was still an unexpected aspect to turning on the radio and finding that there were very few stations.  I found one that was still playing music.  They were running off of a generator.  I couldn't help but smile and turn the volume up a bit as I was driving down the busier than normal road in the city without power when the first song I heard them play I think was called Take a Back Road by Rodney Atkins.

The next day I stopped by the grocery store and found that the meat and dairy had been cleared out.  Too bad for you if you want to buy some milk or turkey.

It was cool though to hear people talking about what they did that evening.  It sounds like people really can enjoy themselves doing those old time activities like a barbecue with the neighbors (to eat that thawing meat) or  watching the kids ride their bikes or throw a ball outside (because *gasp* no tv!).  A great reminder that not everything in life always needs to be bigger or fast paced.  Try being unplugged for a while, you might like it.

Shoe Shopping

I have been thinking about getting some new shoes for a while now.  A couple of weeks ago the situation reached a point of no longer being an option as parts of a shoe that are not supposed to be exposed became so.  The critical stage was reached in large part do to my true dislike of shopping for shoes *gasp* and really shopping in general (I know, crazy!).

Why so negative toward such a favorite pastime of so many? you ask.  Let's put it this way.  In part, as far as shoes go, I haven't owned a pair that have pink on them since...I don't remember when.  I have been buying men's athletic shoes for years.  In general, stores just don't like to carry my size in the female versions.  My feet are not freakishly large.  I have never had anyone awe at their magnitude.  Tripping over them is not a regular occurrence.  Apparently they are just far enough out of the normal range to not be bothered with.

The store I found a couple of weeks ago though provided a respite from the drudgery.  It may have taken an entire warehouse of shoes on stock to do it.  But they were able to provide friendly personalized service and produce a pair of shoes, that fit. 

and they have pink on them...

While these shoes will likely help jump start more regular exercise attempts (hopefully!), they may also serve to bring joy to another... Ginger loves to play fetch and go for runs and her owner is happy to let me borrow her.   

Ginger, ready to play!

If you would like to see some of the other things Ginger and those like her may enjoy...in contrast to a cat's thoughts, check out the following diary entry... http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/humor/otherhumor/dog_cat_diary.htm

Whirl Wind Weddings!

Don't freak out!  None of them were my wedding.

I recently returned to San Diego from a week off of work during which I attended a couple of weddings.  The first was in Georgia where all of my immediate family gathered.  This was the first time I had seen most of my family since January.  It was a lovely airport welcome.  Many Aunts and Uncles and Grandma Raver were in attendance at the wedding, also.  It was great to see everyone.

The Georgia wedding was my cousin's.  An Italian-Catholic wedding officiated by an Irishman.  It had the first official "cocktail" hour before dinner that I have been to where wait staff actually walk around with food and drinks on trays.  Picture 1 is right after the ceremony.

Look at these good lookin' people!  These are my brothers
and sister.  (Shoes were removed here for a height
comparison.  Some of the people I work with think
I am tall...I may be, but...)

The second wedding was for a couple of friends who I met at church in Columbus, Indiana.  They are one of those couples where you just can't help but be delighted for them.

Some of my favorite people, Chris and Jenny, were
also in attendance.  We danced the night away.

And look, who else!  Sam and Darcy.  I first met them when
they came on the Mexico Family Camp trip with Amor this summer!

It was also a great week in between.  I was able to say hello to several friends and neighbors, attend a Starr's house cookout (another of those great Columbus families), take a trip to the Indiana State fair, play a few games, and read a few books.  Vacation at it's finest.

Irony

Sometimes I wonder at the irony of things.  They don't even have to be big or life changing.  For example, I went to a Catholic elementary school and consequently wore uniforms.  I loved the uniforms.  You didn't have to put a lot of planning into what you were going to wear and what you did wear pretty much always matched and fit with what everyone else was wearing.  My sister did not like uniforms.  She wanted to wear her own things.

Now, my sister is a nurse and wears a uniform (scrubs) to work and my jobs, post high school, have not had a uniform.  The dress codes have ranged from business to casual.  Currently, at least, I get to wear a work shirt  when I am working in the field which is close to a uniform.

 Through college I also moved a lot.  Do to a work study program I was in, I was moving every 3 to 4 months.  I looked forward to not moving for a while.  I took a job, settled in...and after 4 months my job was cut.  So what did I do?  I eventually ended up at Amor working with a "field" focus which so far has had me sleeping in places other than "my" bed sometimes 3 out of 4 weeks in a month.  I suppose since I have had some clothes hanging in the same closet since February though, that this is a step toward what I was looking forward to.

Dinner with Friends

After having worked in the field for a couple of weeks non-stop in June I was super blessed to get to visit with some friends from home.  Dan and Sara Beth came on Amor's Mexico Family Camp trip (where I was introduced to Amor a couple of years ago) and stuck around for a couple of days afterward. 

They decided I needed to try the Corvette Diner.

In case you couldn't see it in the first picture, the lovely hair style-ings of our waitress are more easily seen in the second photo.  Thanks D and SB for a night with fun for the sake of fun.

The diner also had some profound words posted on the wall to encourage deep thought and contemplation.  Thought I would share.