Secret Garden...

This is actually a plant shop, these are orchids, many of which smell really nice, which I did not know orchids did. In the back they have a secret garden with several parrots, iguanas and turtles as well as many plants, and fountains. This is an easy bike distance from our house, but we could also walk. Instead we took the bus this time though.

Gram

Hi everyone,This is Gram.I am here in Fort Lauderdale with C and company for two and a half weeks.I am going to learn how to cook and clean again when I get home.Her food is great.I am home-schooling A in using a pattern to make a green frog bathrobe on the little Toyota sewing machine, which gives us lots of trouble.Tom and Elaine were here on the week-end and went to church with us.Miss you.Gram.

Make those reservations!

My airtran points showed up today, exactly 7 days from when I mailed them. I noticed they only have it set up to take reservations until end of Sep. Maybe I will try to phone mine in, or else wait a bit.

Pat still trying to wake up...
One of them is photogenic...and drinking the forbidden drink! ;)
The gang in the hood... wait, one of them doesn't match....
Too many dogs and mom shoulda worn a red sweater to match us! ;)
What are these girls up to??
Pat: "Go away little Brenda, I'm trying to wake up at this ungodly hour you made us get together!"
Jeff: "If I pull up my hood I can do a pretty good imitation of the una-bomber!"
Nick: "Do those bagels have horseradish in them? Huh, huh?" Loren: "Finally, some GOOD NY bagels!"
Nate: "Yummy."
Loni:" Do you think Dad would let me take this home??"
Amy and Brenda matching while working in the kitchen (man, those little dogs were good. The ones we ate, not the ones that licked us!) ;) (well, I guess they were good too.)

Menu for Today

Fish and Shrimp, in a garlic lemon marinade
Hot German Potato Salad
Coleslaw with Jamaican Style Dressing
Whole Wheat Pasta Salad (I know, not very appetizing sounding, but it was good)
Sugar-Free Key Lime Cheesecake










After dinner nap.

Attention all Airtran travelors!

Supposedly, you have to change your rewards points for vouchers, to purchase tickets for other people using your points. I also heard that you can do that to extend your allowable time to travel; for instance if you change your points to a voucher, you have 1 year from doing that switch to travel so you could wait until Dec. to switch, and have 1 year from that date to use. This is all rumour, so check this all out by calling airtran when you get ready to book. EW I noticed you have been credited with 16 points already, and 16 more should be coming soon.

Working now: Check out this link!!!!

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=97e06267-45ff-4b3a-8885-139c4df1c043&t=m5&p=News_NBC%20News
Check out this Today Show video about the Wendy's cub deal! I could've been the star!

The Frumpmiester and Locks of Love

So these are the latest additions to my collection. The top middle is made out of a cow's hoof from Tanzania. The middle middle is from Amy. The bandanas were a Christmas request so I can cover my hair the next time I go to Africa. The far right one, see below.










This one was a gift to me from one of my medicine Interns: it's made by a Cherokee she knows who does crafts. It's made out of bone and some stone that I can't pronounce. It's really pretty. When I put my hair up and stuck it in the bun though, it gave me a headache from my hair being so tight.......

Lately I've been feeling kinda "frumpy"-like I need to start wearing make up, better clothes and doing my hair-which has gotten so long it's just anemic and lank looking....so I went to get a haircut today......and the lady before me donated her hair to "locks of love." The donation has to be virgin hair (uh, I'm married. Sorry, it means no died hair, but sometimes they'll accept it) that is at least SIX inchest long. The hair salon donates it directly for you so you don't have to worry about sending it in......














It was two inches shorter than I wanted it to be, but I know the donation will mean a lot to some child with cancer...and by extension make their family happier during a really rough time. So the sacrifice was worth it.......right??? (it'll grow back...eventually....)

didja hear the one about the pickle?

Now measuring between 2 and 3 inches from crown to rump, the fetus is busily doing his stretching and kicking exercises. All major organs are in place, and her brain, nerves, and muscles are starting to function. Although his gender was determined at conception, external genitalia won't fully develop for another couple of weeks. At that point, a sonogram may be able to show whether you're carrying a boy or a girl--if your baby will cooperate and face the camera!

SOOOOooooo........I'm assuming everyone has heard the news by now. :-) Yes, we're quite happy about the whole thing. Especially the timing. If everything works out according to my perfect plan, the moving company will arrive about 2 weeks before the kid (which is so much less offensive than "it" and so much quicker than "him or her") is born and pack up all of our earthly posessions, aside from what fits in our very practical nissan sentra, and transport them to Dan's next duty station, where they will await our arrival. Though we do not know where this is yet, we will soon. Dan's a 2nd class now, so he has quite a bit more say in where he goes this time. We're praying for (*Brenda's city*).
Then, we'll have the kid on or around July 20, say goodbye to our teeny tiny 32 foot FEMA trailer--which has been an answer to prayer, don't get me wrong--and head north within the week to spend a "relaxing" month at home, showing the kid off and trying to figure out how to get all the rest of our belongings (which are currently at the schoolhousue, thanks dad) to the new duty station. I'm thinking family road trip.
FINALLY, we'll take off and settle into our new apartment. I'm sure that by then I"ll really appreciate having a bathroom of my own that I don't have to back into (pics of the trailer are coming, I promise), and dan will appreciate not having to pause his game and move most of his body every time I want to get from the kitchen to anywhere else. On a medical note, I got my referral letter (actually it was a recorded phone call), so I can make an appointment with my OB/GYN today. yay.

~e

PS: if you don't "get" the title, ask my mother.

Something I noticed...

As I was going through the 70 (!) pictures I took from Christmas (doing some serious editing there): there's so many of people belly laughing. I've deleted the "bad pictures" and was bummed b/c at least two of them are side views of people deep belly laughing. (gram and UN) (that's Uncle Nate, not United Nations) ;)

Interesting b/c we also did a lot of belly laughing at Jim's Aunt. Maybe it was just a general belly laugh type of Christmas??