You need a kayak to get to our house. Too bad the kayaks are WITH the house.
The dock is completely covered. It's a retaining wall and ledge made of concrete.
Um, yeah.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
crazy weather
So last week we had some crazy, crazy weather here in northern Illinois. Just to give you some idea, here are some pictures of my parents' house and subdivision on the Rock River, taken by a neighbour. The road was completely flooded, turning the subdivision into an island. Good thing our house is on stilts!
You need a kayak to get to our house. Too bad the kayaks are WITH the house.
The dock is completely covered. It's a retaining wall and ledge made of concrete.
Um, yeah.
You need a kayak to get to our house. Too bad the kayaks are WITH the house.The dock is completely covered. It's a retaining wall and ledge made of concrete.Um, yeah.
Friday, July 27, 2007
one year old
Loki turned one year old today. I can't quite believe that the little scrawny kitten we brought home in November -
is now this.
is now this.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
paddling
Who would have thought Mike and I could just pick up and go paddling in the evening after work?
I love it.
I love it.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
vacation
We just recently spent some time in Maine with monk and little house on the prairie. We rented a little cabin for a week on Somes Sound on Mt. Desert Island, which also has a large portion of Acadia National Park on it.
I have never been to Maine before. This part of the country now has a special place in my heart - it has sea, mountains, and lakes to paddle on. The little towns are just so cute, and I loved seeing water where there are tides! I miss the sea - every Christmas we'd go down to Cape Town (summer in the Southern Hemisphere) and mess about on our relatives' boats.
Beer Farmer and I just bought a couple of kayaks as my parents have now got a place on the Rock River, and we took them with us. It was a great opportunity for us to get used to them and to practise wet entries (also known as BBF - Bellybutton, Backside, Feet). Unfortunately, mine, which we actually purchased in Maine, has a manufacturer's defect which makes my kayak take on water, but we're working on getting it replaced or fixed. I was so nervous about driving Beer Farmer's kayak (which we bought in Illinois) all the way to Maine, but the Thule Hull-a-port system keeps those puppies securely in place - they didn't budge anytime we had them up on the car.
We visited Bar Harbor, and went on a whale-watching tour. Little House and I also went for a mini-hike on the carriage roads which were built by John Rockefeller so he could travel around the island on horseback without being disturbed by cars. Meanwhile the guys were on this intense hike which involved rungs, ladders and cliff faces.
The scenery was just incredible. Beer Farmer and I got up early and drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain (1532 ft) to be one of the first to see the sunrise in the United States. My camera was never far from my side - I have posted some pictures here and here on my photo blog.
The week was entirely too short.
I have never been to Maine before. This part of the country now has a special place in my heart - it has sea, mountains, and lakes to paddle on. The little towns are just so cute, and I loved seeing water where there are tides! I miss the sea - every Christmas we'd go down to Cape Town (summer in the Southern Hemisphere) and mess about on our relatives' boats.
Beer Farmer and I just bought a couple of kayaks as my parents have now got a place on the Rock River, and we took them with us. It was a great opportunity for us to get used to them and to practise wet entries (also known as BBF - Bellybutton, Backside, Feet). Unfortunately, mine, which we actually purchased in Maine, has a manufacturer's defect which makes my kayak take on water, but we're working on getting it replaced or fixed. I was so nervous about driving Beer Farmer's kayak (which we bought in Illinois) all the way to Maine, but the Thule Hull-a-port system keeps those puppies securely in place - they didn't budge anytime we had them up on the car.
We visited Bar Harbor, and went on a whale-watching tour. Little House and I also went for a mini-hike on the carriage roads which were built by John Rockefeller so he could travel around the island on horseback without being disturbed by cars. Meanwhile the guys were on this intense hike which involved rungs, ladders and cliff faces.
The scenery was just incredible. Beer Farmer and I got up early and drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain (1532 ft) to be one of the first to see the sunrise in the United States. My camera was never far from my side - I have posted some pictures here and here on my photo blog.
The week was entirely too short.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
nine lives
Loki found some of the thin fabric ribbon from our wedding two years ago and chowed down on it. We made this discovery on Wednesday morning right as I was about to leave for work - he'd left a lovely little pile of cat-vomit in the hallway... I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him until Mike pointed to Loki - to a slender ribbon hanging out of his butt.
We took him to the vet immediately and they xrayed him (not much in him, they said) and gave us the option of waiting and watching him or exploratory surgery. They also cut off the ribbon and in the process removed another inch or so when they did this. Honestly, other than the vomiting once and the ribbon out of his butt, he was acting perfectly normal - even cuddling with me that morning per normal. We chose to take him home because he had been normal so far and not apparently in any distress. I simply didn't want to subject him to surgery unless absolutely necessary.
The reason I freaked out is that the length of this particular ribbon was a meter or more. And I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. Mike told me that he'd taken some away from Loki and thrown it away that but I thought it was another ribbon. So I spent the whole day thinking that my cat has eaten over a meter of ribbon ALL AT ONCE. Couldn't really understand how he could eat this and not leave any other traces of the ribbon.
Well, he puked again later that night so I called the emergency vet who said that I could bring him in if I was concerned, she couldn't really help me without looking at him ($86) and then told me emergency surgery is going to cost $2,500. Or to keep him close to me all night and bring him in if he appears more in distress or his breathing gets laboured etc.
I was a mess. Even though he had been acting more or less as normal, the fact that he possibly had a meter of ribbon within him had been plaguing me all day. So I went to the trash bin, and go through half of it before I found the rest of the ribbon that Mike had found him with a few days ago. It was the same color that was hanging out of his butt... So after all that, perhaps he has not got all that ribbon inside him, and maybe he'll pass it ok.
Thank GOD Mike had the day off on Thursday so he could watch Loki. He seemed to ok, a little lethargic but nothing too unusual, really.
So on Thursday night I wanted to cuddle with Loki who was laying all out on the floor as relaxed as can be, also to see if he was purring, as Mike had said he thought he wasn't purring as much today. He was. Purring loudly and happily. I also smelled the fresh smell of the litter we use!!
I dashed to the bathroom, though Mike thought he hadn't been, and sure enough there was a little heap in the box. I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Especially the rather large little bundle of pink ribbon all bunched up at the end. I really, really, really, hope that that was it all...
MORAL of this VERY long story: Please, please, please, put all ribbon and elastic bands etc away securely. It's so not worth the heartache.
We took him to the vet immediately and they xrayed him (not much in him, they said) and gave us the option of waiting and watching him or exploratory surgery. They also cut off the ribbon and in the process removed another inch or so when they did this. Honestly, other than the vomiting once and the ribbon out of his butt, he was acting perfectly normal - even cuddling with me that morning per normal. We chose to take him home because he had been normal so far and not apparently in any distress. I simply didn't want to subject him to surgery unless absolutely necessary.
The reason I freaked out is that the length of this particular ribbon was a meter or more. And I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. Mike told me that he'd taken some away from Loki and thrown it away that but I thought it was another ribbon. So I spent the whole day thinking that my cat has eaten over a meter of ribbon ALL AT ONCE. Couldn't really understand how he could eat this and not leave any other traces of the ribbon.
Well, he puked again later that night so I called the emergency vet who said that I could bring him in if I was concerned, she couldn't really help me without looking at him ($86) and then told me emergency surgery is going to cost $2,500. Or to keep him close to me all night and bring him in if he appears more in distress or his breathing gets laboured etc.
I was a mess. Even though he had been acting more or less as normal, the fact that he possibly had a meter of ribbon within him had been plaguing me all day. So I went to the trash bin, and go through half of it before I found the rest of the ribbon that Mike had found him with a few days ago. It was the same color that was hanging out of his butt... So after all that, perhaps he has not got all that ribbon inside him, and maybe he'll pass it ok.
Thank GOD Mike had the day off on Thursday so he could watch Loki. He seemed to ok, a little lethargic but nothing too unusual, really.
So on Thursday night I wanted to cuddle with Loki who was laying all out on the floor as relaxed as can be, also to see if he was purring, as Mike had said he thought he wasn't purring as much today. He was. Purring loudly and happily. I also smelled the fresh smell of the litter we use!!
I dashed to the bathroom, though Mike thought he hadn't been, and sure enough there was a little heap in the box. I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Especially the rather large little bundle of pink ribbon all bunched up at the end. I really, really, really, hope that that was it all...
MORAL of this VERY long story: Please, please, please, put all ribbon and elastic bands etc away securely. It's so not worth the heartache.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
i'm free!!
Is it odd that I now feel like I am no longer working?
Only 36 hours and 35 minutes until I officially begin a new path in life.
Can you tell I'm excited?
Only 36 hours and 35 minutes until I officially begin a new path in life.
Can you tell I'm excited?
Thursday, March 29, 2007
in honor of resigning...
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
word of the day
According to the word of the day feed at the top of my gmail account, pogonotrophy is the growing of a beard.
Monday, March 26, 2007
the new holiday house
My mom sent me these pictures that she took during the inspection this last weekend.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
changes...
So there's been a lot going on in my life lately.
I have made a huge change, I turned in my resignation to my current job on Friday as I've been offered an incredible opportunity! My good friend Rachael has offered me a full time position with her photography business! I have been working with her as an second shooter since July of last year as well as assisting her with general office work and marketing projects. Not only will I be helping her run her office but I will be able to continue to shoot weddings with her and with potential for growth such as becoming a lead photographer. I haven't been terribly happy at my job for a while and while it has pushed me and challenged me, and taught me a lot, the industry really is just not interesting to me.
So stay tuned for more! I am super excited as photography has been a side passion for me and this will push me in a direction I never thought possible!!
On a side note, my parents just bought a little house on the Rock River, which is about an hour from us! So excited about this too as I've missed having a holiday house - our other one is a little far away for easy access (South Africa).
We're also planning our ten year dating anniversary. Yeah, I know, we're married now, but we figured that being together for 10 years is a pretty good achievement whether or not you're married so lets give it one last hoorah and then we'll focus on our wedding anniversaries! So it's off to Acadia National Park in Maine in June with our friends Nick and Laura, where we've rented a little cottage on Mt. Desert Island. Very, very excited about that.
I have made a huge change, I turned in my resignation to my current job on Friday as I've been offered an incredible opportunity! My good friend Rachael has offered me a full time position with her photography business! I have been working with her as an second shooter since July of last year as well as assisting her with general office work and marketing projects. Not only will I be helping her run her office but I will be able to continue to shoot weddings with her and with potential for growth such as becoming a lead photographer. I haven't been terribly happy at my job for a while and while it has pushed me and challenged me, and taught me a lot, the industry really is just not interesting to me.
So stay tuned for more! I am super excited as photography has been a side passion for me and this will push me in a direction I never thought possible!!
On a side note, my parents just bought a little house on the Rock River, which is about an hour from us! So excited about this too as I've missed having a holiday house - our other one is a little far away for easy access (South Africa).
We're also planning our ten year dating anniversary. Yeah, I know, we're married now, but we figured that being together for 10 years is a pretty good achievement whether or not you're married so lets give it one last hoorah and then we'll focus on our wedding anniversaries! So it's off to Acadia National Park in Maine in June with our friends Nick and Laura, where we've rented a little cottage on Mt. Desert Island. Very, very excited about that.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
from prudence & honor...
Saw this, I can never resist a chance to add up the books I've read...
Look at the list of books below.*Bold the ones you’ve read *Italicize the ones you want to read *leave alone the ones that you aren’t interested in.
1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2.Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3.To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10.A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12.Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100.Ulysses (James Joyce)
Look at the list of books below.*Bold the ones you’ve read *Italicize the ones you want to read *leave alone the ones that you aren’t interested in.
1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2.Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3.To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10.A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12.Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100.Ulysses (James Joyce)
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
reflections on a new year
So is it a bad omen when one's (tipsy) husband opens a brand new bottle of advil in the wee hours of New Year's Day and it is completely empty, with not even one of those cotton ball stuffy things they usually put in there?
Monday, January 01, 2007
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